From shaking up legacy systems to building organisations from scratch, here are the top business speakers in India who are rewriting the playbook on what it means to lead in the modern world. With real-life stories that span failures, breakthroughs, and bold visions, these voice echo a sense of inspiration.
Whether on stage, in strategy rooms, or in mentorship sessions for entrepreneurs, each of these experts are a rare blend of insight, charisma, and foresight that leaves a lasting impact.
While business speakers in India have always been sought-after for their incisive perspectives on strategy, leadership, scaling-up, diversifying and various facets of running a business, their importance has become even more today’s environment. Kick-start your engagement with these some of most popular business speakers in India for 2025.
- Vinita Bali:
Vinita is a global business leader, who has smashed the glass ceiling – having held principal positions at corporate giants like Britannia, Coca-Cola and Cadbury. As a speaker at several industry and academic forums in India and abroad, she motivates female professionals to make a mark in the male-dominated business community and energises young leaders to become top achievers.
- Ambi M.G. Parameswaran:
The Founder of Brand-Building.com, a brand advisory, Ambi is also the former CEO of FCB Ulka Advertising, one of India’s top ad agencies.
He has worked with companies like Rediffsion DY&R, Boots Company and UDI Yellow Pages. During his 35+ year marketing and advertising career, he worked on brands such as Tata, LIC, Tropicana, Digene, Brufen, Santoor, Sundrop, TCS, ICICI Bank, Wipro, Tata Indica, Zee TV, Abbott, J&J among others.
- Naina Lal Kidwai:
Naina Lal Kidwai is a well-known leader who has successfully broken the glass ceiling, with many firsts to her credit – from being the first Indian woman MBA from Harvard Business School to the first woman to head a private sector / foreign bank in India and the first woman to be elected as President of India’s leading national industry association, FICCI, in 86 years.
- Devdutt Pattanaik:
Devdutt Pattanaik is a much sought after speaker and culture consultant, who uses mythology as a toolkit to make sense of work, life, business and entrepreneurship. He has written over 50 books on the relevance of Indian and World mythology in modern times. He has written over 1000 newspaper columns that appear regularly in reputed English and Hindi journals. His TV shows Business Sutra and Devlok have been seen as pathbreaking.
- Raghav Bahl
Founder of Network18 & Quint, offers a geopolitical and economic lens to help leadership teams prepare for macro shifts before they hit the balance sheet. Raghav has won several awards, including the Sanskriti Award for Journalism (1994), E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Business Transformation (2007), AIMA Award for Media Person of the Year (2011), BMA’s Award for Entrepreneur of the Year (2011), and an Honorary Doctorate from Amity University (2012).
- Radhika Gupta
A graduate from the Management and Technology Program at the University of Pennsylvania (USA); with joint degrees in Economics from the Wharton School & Computer Science Engineering from the Moore School, Radhika Gupta is MD & CEO of Edelweiss Asset Management Limited, one of India’s fastest growing mutual fund companies. She is also Vice Chairperson at AMFI.
- Manoj Adlakha:
Manoj resigned after 30+ years of service at American Express in the roles of SVP and Head of International Marketing. Known for his strategic, customer-focused approach and strong leadership, Adlakha contributed to Amex becoming India’s Most Respected Credit Card Brand for 8 consecutive years and received personal accolades for his industry impact.
- Aparna Piramal Raje:
Aparna Piramal Raje is one of India’s most original thinkers on leadership, combining her lived experience with deep insights gathered from over 100 interviews with India’s most successful CEOs. Former CEO of BP Ergo, her family’s office furniture business, Aparna led a fast-growing business, before moving to writing and speaking.
- Eika Chaturvedi Banerjee
Astute, passionate and perceptive, Eika, believes in deriving faith from the ‘power of within’. Along with talking about women’s issues and diversity, she brings her unique perspective on Indian history, mythology and yoga to a corporate environment. Her sessions teach that one only needs to turn inwards in any context for the right answers – be it individual, organisational, national or global.
- Bharat Wakhlu:
Bharat’s differentiating characteristic is his abiding commitment to the long-term success, and advancement of those he serves. A leader with impeccable decision-making and people skills, Bharat has the power to work collaboratively to resolve problems, and unleash the talents of culturally diverse groups, to make wholesome and lasting change.
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