Speakers Profile

Mr. Amitabh Kant, IAS (KL:1980) is presently CEO of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI). He is the author of Branding India-An Incredible Story. Kant has been a key driver of several international award winning campaigns viz. “Make in India”, Startup India, “Incredible India” and God’s Own Country”. These initiatives positioned India and Kerala State as leading manufacturing and travel & tourism destinations respectively. In his capacity as Secretary (Industries) Govt. of India, he initiated the Ease of Doing Business initiative and ranking of States on defined parameters.

He is a Professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Prof. Khan graduated in Civil Engineering and has earned PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, UK in 1999. Prof. Khan has been working on development of Jute Geo textiles (JGT) for civil engineering applications ever since his return from the UK. Prof. Khan has more than twenty publications in different referred journals and conferences.

Asim Tewari is a Professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering and incharge of the National Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research (NCAIR) at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Prior to this he was a staff researcher at General Motors, Global R&D center in Bangalore. He graduated with a B. Tech degree from IIT Kanpur followed by MS and PhD from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA. After his doctorate he was briefly with National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore. Subsequently, he joined IIT Kanpur, where he served as an assistant professor before joining General Motors Global R&D center in Bangalore.

Dr. Anil Misra is D. Phil., M. Sc. (Renewable Energy Use) from University of Oldenburg, Germany and M. Sc. (Physics). He is having Publications: Books (8), Research Papers (9),. The areas of specialisation and competence include: - Renewable energy, Energy efficiency, Biofuels / Biomass and Natural resource management; - Architecture/ Building design: Solar architecture, Building designs optimization (performance prediction and thermal analysis) through computer simulation,

Provided leadership for execution of about 80 In-House Research Projects in areas like - genetic resource management, development of HYV with better fibre quality,farm mechanization, waste utilization for value addition, etc. to address the cause of jute farmers of the country. He has acquired three Patents.

Economics graduate from the University in Fribourg (Switzerland) with a Ph.D. in Economics from the University in Cologne (Germany.) After working in the German Bundestag (Parliament) and for the German Wholesale and Foreign Trade Association (BGA), he joined the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) in 2004. Experience in the development of the global textile industry.

Mr. Eickhoff studied Electronic Engineering at University of Applied Science in Bielefeld, Germany. He started his business career in 1980 at Dürkopp GmbH in Bielefeld, Germany. During the past decade, Mr. Eickhoff has lead Dürkopp Adler, Pfaff and KSL to all innovative, high tech oriented machine manufacturers with the worldwide unique automatic sewing and welding processes.

Dilip Tambyrajah is the initiator and founding member (present Secretary) of the International Natural Fiber Organization (INFO),. Mr Dilip Tambyrajah studied Environmental Engineering at the University of South Bank, London and holds a Master Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the British business School Henley Management College, Brunel University, U.K. His expertise includes R&D in natural fibers, fiber production and applications, commercial experience and expertise in product development .

Duchamp is an expert in brand strategy, trend forecasting, marketing & innovation. He has spent 19 years in different positions of sales and marketing departments of companies like Procter & Gamble and Valassis France before joining Peclers, Paris. After his joining in Worldwide CEO, Duchamp has developed Peclers Paris’ Brand Strategy and Innovation Consulting activities and has started a unique digital transformation of the Agency. Duchamp is graduated from one of the leading business schools in France, NEOMA.

An alumnus of Harvard Business School & NIFT Delhi with over 23 years of experience in organized retail. Prior to joining Raymond Group, Gaurav was Chief Operating Officer at Trent (Westside). The highlight of his career has been his contribution in the nurturing of Westside from a single store operation to the largest store chain in India with 80+ Stores.

He graduated in Honours in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University (1973-76). Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Co-Chairman, National Committee of Apparel, CII for 2017-18. Member - Minimum Wages Board, Government of Haryana. Elected Member - Executive Committee, Apparel Export Promotion Council. Chairman, State Partnership Board (Northern Region), AEPC. Vice President - Apparel Exporters and Manufacturers Association.

Hindol Sengupta is an award-winning writer of eight books. He has been shortlisted for the Hayek Book Prize given by the Manhattan Institute and has won the PSF Award for public service for his writing. He is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and has been a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Civil Society. In 2017, he was selected as a Knight-Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University.

Mr. Dhuria has been associated with Vardhman Group since last 28 years, having work experience of over 39 years in the procurement of Textile Raw Materials. He is member of Global ‘Cotton Consumers Committee’ of the International Cotton Association (ICA), Member of Product Advisory Committee of National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited, Multi Commodity Exchange and Member of Advisory Board of Control Union Certifications of India.

She is an activist, author and Indian handicrafts curator. She has an intimate knowledge of the craft traditions of the country having worked in the field for over 40 years. She founded an association of crafts people called the Dastkari Haat Samiti, which enables traditional workers to gain confidence in the marketplace through many innovative strategies. She is the creator of the concept of Dilli Haat and saw to its establishment in Delhi. She has authored and published books on the Crafts of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, the Craft Traditions of India, Viswakarma’s Children, a socio-economic study of crafts people, and Crafting Nature.

He is B. Text in Textile Technology. He is having about 18years’ experience in the Bureau of Indian Standards in various capacities in the area of certification, standardization and quality assurance of various textile products, mechanical products, chemical products etc. and carried out more than 1000 surveillance visits for these products. At present looking after the work of standardization in the field of technical textiles specially Agrotech, Geotech, Protech, Indutech, Packtech, Medtech and buildtech including jute/coir technical textiles

Mr. Krijn Dijkstra is PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Twente. His areas of expertise are Research and Technology, Material Science, Business Management, Product Management etc. He has in depth knowledge of plastic materials especially in automobile industry

Ms. Lucy Upward works as an Editor of Cover magazine U.K.. She has been extensively covering world of contemporary handmade rugs and high-end textiles for interiors in Cover magazine. With unrivalled expertise and a far-reaching network she connects with makers, producers, interior designers and retailers worldwide.

Mahavir Pratap Sharma, Chairman of the Carpet Export Promotion Council is an entrepreneur in the carpet industry for more than last three decades. He is the Managing Director of Oscar Expo Design LLP, manufacturing and exporting Handmade Carpets and Silver Jewelry. He was the President of Rajasthan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association for consecutive two terms from 2005-2010.

Dr. M. Zimniewska is at present Associate Professor and HoD of Innovative Textile Technology at the Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants, Poland. She is the author and co-author of more than 140 research articles published in scientific journals and international conference proceedings as well as book chapters. She has 4 patents to her credit. She has more than 20 awards and recognitions to her credit for her work from various National and International Organizations.

He is MBA from London Business School, U.K and is Masters in Economics from London School of Economics, U.K. He established in- house spinning and weaving infrastructure to motivate artisans for better per capita income and organized quality production. He represented khadi industries before KVIC, Planning Commission and the Ministry of SSI and ARI. He was instrumental in making Sarvoday Ashram, one of the largest Manufacturers of Cotton Khadi in the country, the first Khadi Institution in the country to set up an e-commerce store. Built strong customer base of Khadi via Japan, France and USA through joint ventures with various export houses. Built 240 work sheds in villages for Below Poverty Line Artisans of Sarvoday Ashram with the help of KVIC. Exposed Khadi Textiles to various international dignitaries such as Ameer of Kuwait, Ambassadors of France, Germany, USA and U.K.

He joined the Assam Civil Service in 1983 and Indian Administrative Service in Feb 2012. He successfully led Department of Handloom & Textiles as Director from Sept 2006 to Sept 2011. He was CEO of Khadi board, MD of Assam Government Marketing Corp. Ltd and also MD of ARTFED. He also held the post of Secretary, Home & Political Department (2012 to 2015).

Mark Jarvis is Managing Director of World Textile Information Network (WTiN), a UK based information provider for the textile value chain. Jarvis is an authority on the evaluation of how innovative digital technology will influence changes in the textile industry.

For the last three decades, Neelam has been working with artisans in rural and urban areas, by providing design, technical and marketing solutions to bridge the urban-rural divide. By 2025, Neelam and her team aim to directly impact a million artisans by organising them into producer companies, enabling them to diversify into newer products and markets. She is a board member of Action For India and AIACA (All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association).

She is post-graduate in environmental science. Peta’s current role covers the length of Australian wool supply chain: consulting with Australian woolgrower groups; managing AWI’s relationship with the Australian government; assisting manufacturing and commercial partners navigate traceability and CSR issues. Peta is the recipient of two prestigious awards including a Churchill Fellowship and the Fairfax Fellowship in Ethical Leadership run by the St James Ethics Centre.

Mr. Udani is Managing Director of M/s. Kaytee Corporation Pvt. Ltd., which is one of the oldest members of Apparel Export Promotion Council and pioneered exports of knitted garments out of India. Mr. Udani has more than 35 years experience in the Apparel and Textile Industry in India. He has been past Chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), President of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India.

He has nearly four decades of experience in India’s leading home-textile companies. He was President (Global Sales & Marketing) with Himatsingka Seide . In the earlier assignment, he worked with Bombay Dyeing where he was VP (Supply Chain and Planning) and VP Exports. Mr. Mukherjee is an alumnus of IIT (Delhi) and earned his Diploma in Management Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, Mumbai.

Mr. Malik has got a vast experience of 52 years in Textile & Clothing at Top Management. He is Director on the Board of many companies like Indocount Industries Ltd, Ginni International Ltd, GTN Textiles Ltd etc. In the past, he was Chairman of Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, Cotton Textile Export Promotion Council, Bombay Textile Research Association and Vice Chairman of The Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council.

She develops estimates of world cotton lint supply and demand and prepares frequent written and oral reports for a variety of audiences on the cotton sector. Previously she worked as senior international trade analyst with the U.S. Department of Commerce, specializing in anti dumping duties for Chinese manufacturing products. Ms. Pandolph has a M.A. in International Economic Affairs from George Washington University and a B.A. in Economics and French from the Pennsylvania State University.

Mr Ravikant Kapur, Chairman of Grentex & Company Pvt. Ltd., who Manufacture and Export Wool tops, Woollen carded and Worsted yarn, is a Government Recognized Star Export House. Mr Kapur is a Commerce Graduate from Mumbai University and self trained entrepreneur with 50 years experience in the wool Industry. He is a member of the Managing Committee of Indian Woollen Mills’ Federation & Chairman Emeritus of Wool Research Association. He is also founder and former Chairman and currently a Managing Committee member of Wooltexpro (Wool Industry Export Promotional Organisation).

Mr. Kuruppu is a Textile graduate and Master of Science in Textiles from University of Strathclyde, UK, Doctorate in Technology - Open University Sri Lanka, Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD) - RMIT University, Australia, Adjunct Professor of the School of fashion and Textiles of the RMIT University, Fellow of the Textile Institute, UK and a Chartered Textile Technologist.

Mrs.Kanneganti Rama Devi is the Founder and President of Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India(formerly known as ALEAP). Being an educator, business consultant, social worker and a successful Indian entrepreneur, she is an inspiration to many aspiring entrepreneurs. With a transformative idea, she initiated an exclusive Industrial Estate for Women in India at Gajularamaram,Hyderabad. The estate has been acclaimed as the best and 1st Industrial estate for women in India under public and private partnership.

Mr. Biyani has been one of the founders of Future Group. He has done an Advanced Management Program course from Harvard Business School and is a commerce graduate from HR College, Mumbai. He leads the management and expansion of the future retail groups flagship formats like, Central, Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar.

Mr. Mehta began his business career in 1982 and is Managing Director of the Creative Group. His expertise and respect enjoyed within the Industry is well recognized by all the leading institutions and serving the industry in various capacities. Currently, he is the President of The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), a post he has been Elected to in 2016 for the Sixth term.

He is Bachelor of Science, a post graduate in Microelectronics and a Doctor of Science in Medical Engineering. A pioneering researcher and an opinion leader in the field of Biophysics, Radiobiology, Nanotechnology, Water Recovery and Management and Sustainable Energy. Specialised in Electronics and Medical Engineering.Among the many patents held by him include the Realistic Geometry Cartographic Imaging (RGCI) which finds applications from medical science to tsunami detection.

He is a Chemical & Social Compliance expert in Textile Processing. His rich experience in Sustainability Management, Eco-Fashion, Chemical Compliance, Technical Certification and Eco-Labels made him to contribute towards creating awareness in Social & Environmental compliances in textile industry in India and Bangladesh.

He has been serving Cotton and Textiles Business in various capacities since last 60 years. He has a special interest in Research and Innovation. He officiated as Chairman of Consortium advisory Committee for a project mooted by World Bank namely, “A Value Chain for Cotton Fibre, seed and stock: An innovation project for higher economic returns for farmers and allied stakeholders”. He has been connected with various Commodity Associations, Chambers of Commerce, NGO’s, International Cotton Advisory Committee. He was President of Cotton Association of India and International Chamber of Commerce. He was conferred Cotton and Finance merit award by the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi for his work in Cotton and General Business.

Economics graduate with post graduations in Business Economics from Delhi University and International Trade from IIFT. Sourcing experience of 38 years in exports of textiles, fashion accessories, home and footwear. CEO of Impulse, a pioneering sourcing organisation since 1982 committed to managing sourcing from India for various international brands and retailers such as Next and Debenhams.

He has vast experience of over three decades in matters relating to international trade in textile and clothing. Previously, he served as Director, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC).He has thus had the unique distinction of serving the entire gamut of the textile value chain from yarns to garments. He has been a member of several Indian delegations/negotiating groups sent by the Government of India to USA, European Union, and the WTO to discuss various aspects of bilateral and multilateral trade in the textile and clothing sector under the MFA and ATC regimes.

Mr. Bindra is a promoter and Managing Director of BIBA. He has around 20 year of experience in the Textile and Apparel Industry. BIBA today has over 230 exclusive stores present in over 105 cities pan India. It is also available in large format stores such as Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Pantaloons and Central, Myntra, Jabong, Amazon, etc.

Mr. Devireddy has over 14 years of experience in Information Technology and Business Consulting with large corporations across the globe. Siva is passionate about technology innovations that drive social and economic inclusion of people at the bottom of the pyramid. He is Founder and CEO of GoCoop, which is a global marketplace for Handloom and Handicraft weavers and artisans.

He is a Commerce graduate and M.D of M/s. Felt & Technical Textile, Jaipur. The firm is engaged in rural development by various direct programs related to economic activities. The company provides knowledge to rural weavers for activities of carpet, durries & Handicrafts. The company is involved in local sheep-wool procurement, processing related activates.