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Inspiring and Successful Leadership Awards 2024 (ISLA)

About the Awards

As the third edition of the Inspiring and Successful Leadership Awards (ISLA) concludes, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the remarkable leaders from various industries who have made a significant impact on their organizations and sectors.

On 25th September 2024, the awards ceremony brought together visionary leaders whose innovative thinking, resilient leadership, and transformational contributions have elevated their teams and organizations to new heights of success.

Instituted by Pragati Leadership in 2022, the ISLA awards continue to recognize and celebrate leadership excellence across industries. Judged by a distinguished panel of peers and thought leaders, the awards aim to cultivate a culture of leadership that inspires, empowers, and drives positive change.

Award Categories

This year, the ISLA recognized exemplary leaders from diverse industries, categorized under:

  • Exemplary Leader Awards
  • People Leader of the Year Award
  • High-Impact Learning Leader Award
  • Startup Innovator Awards

THE WINNERS

Exemplary Leader Awards

Presented To

Shishir Joshipura

Shishir Joshipura

CEO & MD, Praj Industries

Honored for his visionary leadership in driving sustainability and innovation in the bioenergy sector. Shishir’s approach has redefined how businesses can leverage technology to address global challenges, especially in advancing a low-carbon economy.

Ashwani Keswani

Ashwani Keswani

Executive Director, Asia Pacific, Oetiker Group

Recognized for his strategic contributions to business growth, innovation, and excellence across the Asia-Pacific region, with a strong focus on renewable energy and social initiatives.

Sunil Kulkarni

Sunil Kulkarni

President, Fidel Soft

Awarded for his entrepreneurial vision in building Fidel Soft into a leader in language technology, helping localize software into over 100 languages and successfully navigating the company to an IPO on the NSE SME Exchange.

K.S. Prashant

K.S. Prashant

Managing Director, India, IDeaS Revenue Solutions

Honored for his transformational leadership that turned IDeaS India Global Technology Center from a cost-effective support unit into a strategic powerhouse, with teams owning product development and customer engagement.

S. Ramprasad

S. Ramprasad

President, UST Product Engineering

Acknowledged for his role in nurturing an entrepreneurial culture within UST, enabling employees to rise into leadership positions and inspiring many to launch their own ventures.

Indraneel Chitale

Indraneel Chitale

Co-Founder, Chitale Group

Recognized for blending traditional Indian recipes with cutting-edge technologies like IoT, robotics, and machine learning to revolutionize the food industry, taking the iconic Chitale Bhakarwadi to global markets.

People Leader of the Year Award

Presented To

Venkatesh

Venkatesh (Venky)

Member, Group Management Board, President, Group HR, RPG Group

Awarded for redefining leadership through his Happiness Quotient framework, placing employee well-being at the core of business success, from mental health initiatives to creating inclusive, safe workplaces.

High-Impact Learning Leader Award

Presented To

Manoj Apte

Manoj Apte

Global Head, Learning & Development, Persistent Systems

Awarded for his innovative L&D initiatives that integrate learning into business functions, creating technology experts and driving organizational excellence.

Startup Innovator Awards

Presented To

Ayush Jain

Ayush Jain

CEO, Mindbowser Infosolutions

Recognized for his leadership in health-tech innovation, creating a platform that emphasizes continuous learning and fosters an environment of creativity and innovation in the health software space.

Saiprasad Shankar

Saiprasad Shankar

CTO, Deciml

Awarded for his groundbreaking fintech solutions through Deciml, a first-of-its-kind app enabling round-up investments, and for his leadership in building strong partnerships with banks and financial institutions.

Karan Korke

Karan Korke

Co-Founder, The Healthy Binge

Recognized for his efforts in bringing healthy Indian snacks to the world while empowering rural women through dignified employment, making a significant impact in the snacking industry.

Emerging Business Leaders

Presented To

Prashant Pansare

Prashant Pansare

Founder & CEO, Rubiscape

Awarded for his leadership in AI and machine learning, particularly for securing patents in advanced analytics and positioning Rubiscape as a leader in the data science space.

Yashesh Mukhi

Yashesh Mukhi

Founder, Chupps

Recognized for merging sustainability with business success through Chupps, an eco-friendly vegan footwear brand making waves in both the fashion and environmental sectors.

Uma Venkataraman

Uma Venkataraman

CEO & Co-Founder, Ixsight Technologies

Honored for transforming India’s CKYC system through a groundbreaking AI-powered solution that handles immense data volumes, revolutionizing how financial institutions manage KYC processes.

Bhargav Jangle

Bhargav Jangle

Executive Director, SJ Contracts Pvt Ltd

Acknowledged for his hands-on leadership in driving business process improvement and creating a culture of inclusivity and trust in the construction sector.

Shashi Sinha

Shashi Sinha

Chief Business Officer, Laqshya Media Group

Recognized for cultivating a collaborative and empowered culture within Laqshya, where teams are encouraged to thrive on understanding the ‘why’ behind their work.

Judges Spotlight

The 2024 ISLA awards were evaluated by an eminent panel of judges, including:

Dr Aditya Bavadekar

Director, Business at the MIMA Institute of Management
Director, Business at the MIMA Institute of Management, who combines experience as a banker with academic perspectives and management acumen, his years of industry experience and his work in an academic environment have given him a keen sense of what makes for a truly effective and outstanding business leader.

Sarala Menon

Executive Vice President - End to End Supply Chain at Colgate-Palmolive
Sarala Menon, a trailblazer in the once male-dominated end-to-end supply chain field, with Colgate Palmolive, where she also worked on crucial digital transformation initiatives, she is well-versed in affecting change and responding dynamically to changing ground realities, making her a great jury member for these awards

Dr Kalindi Bhat

Leadership Consultant Executive and Team coach(ACTC,ACC)
Dr Kalindi Bhat, an experienced leadership coach with 30 years experience and over 500 programs to her credit, a background in hospitality and tourism and a strong focus on quality processes, her outstanding long track record of helping leaders take the next step in their careers, give her a well-honed instinct for identifying the best of the best.

Chief Guest

Mr. Siddharth Kak

The keynote speaker, Mr. Siddharth Kak, a renowned documentary filmmaker and cultural historian, delivered an inspiring speech on the role of leadership in shaping not just organizations but society as a whole. His reflections on India’s diversity and transformative leadership were both thought-provoking and uplifting.

The awards have generated a buzz in the corporate sector in just two years. This year, too, we hope to meet and exceed the benchmarks set by us.

For more information about the 2024 Inspiring and Successful Leadership Awards, please reach out to

Ms. Ankita Tewari
Manager, Marketing & Branding, Pragati Leadership
ankita.tewari@pragatileadership.com