New Delhi, September 11, 2026: The CEO Magazine Business Conclave & Leadership Awards 2026 brought together more than 100 business leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, industry experts and decision-makers at Welcomhotel By ITC Hotels, Dwarka, New Delhi, for an evening centred on leadership, business growth, entrepreneurship, strategic thinking and recognition.

Organised by The CEO Magazine, part of Indiamanthan Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd., the conclave brought together voices from business, entrepreneurship, public policy, defence, technology, healthcare, hospitality and other sectors. The programme combined leadership addresses, panel discussions, presentations, networking and an awards ceremony, creating a platform where business conversations and recognition came together.

The event represented an important extension of The CEO Magazine’s work in the business community. Since its inception in 2015, the publication has built its editorial identity around documenting the journeys, ideas and contributions of business leaders and entrepreneurs. The conclave took that decade-long storytelling journey into a physical forum, bringing many of those conversations into one room.

A Decade of Storytelling, Now Recognising Excellence served as the editorial foundation for the event.

From Stories to a Business Platform

For The CEO Magazine, the conclave was designed as more than an awards evening.

The event brought together recognition with interaction—giving business leaders an opportunity to exchange perspectives, hear from distinguished speakers and engage with professionals from different sectors. The format reflected the changing nature of leadership itself, where business decisions increasingly intersect with technology, public policy, national priorities, global markets and social change.

The programme opened with the traditional lamp-lighting ceremony, followed by the inaugural address by Lt Gen Ashok Bhim Shivane (Retd.). Drawing from his extensive military career and experience in strategic leadership and national security, his address explored the theme “Battlefield to Boardroom”, establishing a strategic tone for the conversations that followed.

The opening sessions brought together perspectives that extended beyond conventional business discussions, looking at leadership, strategic thinking, national development and the changing environment in which businesses operate.

The evening subsequently moved into a series of conversations examining India’s economic and entrepreneurial landscape.

Conversations Across Business, Policy and Strategy

One of the central elements of the conclave was its programme of discussions that brought together perspectives from public policy, diplomacy, entrepreneurship, business, defence and strategic affairs.

The first panel, “Inc for India,” brought together Lt Gen Ashok Bhim Shivane (Retd.), Mahmood Akhter, IRS, Dr. Kazem Samandari and Amb. Bala Bhaskar, with Malika Pandey, Public Policy Specialist and Former Consultant to Ministries, Government of India, as moderator.

The discussion brought together perspectives on national security, governance, artificial intelligence, international trade, corporate diplomacy and social entrepreneurship. It examined how technology, effective governance, entrepreneurship and strategic leadership can contribute to a resilient, inclusive and future-ready India.

Alongside the panel discussions, Dr. Suvrokamal Dutta, International Conservative Political, Economic and Foreign Policy Expert, delivered an individual address on “What Indian Entrepreneurs Should Do for a Viksit Bharat: Major Policy Shifts for Indian Businesses.”

His address brought a policy, economic and geopolitical perspective to the conclave’s business conversations. He examined the changing environment for Indian businesses and the role entrepreneurs can play in contributing to India’s journey towards a Viksit Bharat.

The second panel, “Markets and Mandates,” brought together Amb. Muktesh Pardeshi, Dr. Amitabh Ranjan, Vani Patel and Advocate Shantanu Jugtawat, and was moderated by Dr. Kamalika Banerjee, Scientist and Former Consultant, PSA, PMO, Government of India.

The session examined India’s economic transformation, the evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem and the changing policy and market environment, while exploring opportunities emerging for Indian businesses in a rapidly changing global economy.

A Strategic Perspective on India’s Next Phase

The conclave also featured a dedicated session with His Excellency Shri K. J. Alphons Kannanthanam, Former Union Minister, Former IAS Officer and Advocate, who joined the event as Chief Guest.

His participation added a governance and public-policy perspective to the gathering of business leaders. Drawing on his experience in public administration and government, his address connected questions of development, leadership, governance and India's evolving economic landscape.

The session was followed by an address by Lt Gen Raj Shukla (Retd.), whose career spans more than four decades of military service, strategic command and defence policy. His contribution brought the conversation towards India’s strategic trajectory, national development, leadership and the opportunities emerging from the country’s growing global role.

The session also explored the relationship between national priorities and entrepreneurship, including the role businesses and entrepreneurs can play in contributing to India’s development.

The presence of distinguished voices from public service, defence, diplomacy and business created a wider frame for the conclave—one in which leadership was discussed not only as an organisational responsibility but also in relation to a rapidly changing national and global environment.

Bringing Business Perspectives to the Stage

Alongside the keynote and panel discussions, the conclave featured presentations from professionals working across emerging and established business domains.

Topics included HealthTech, artificial intelligence and digital transformation, media intelligence, fertility care, hospitality and global business leadership, among others.

These presentations provided a more practical business dimension to the event.

From the future of digital healthcare to the movement from AI adoption towards AI advantage, the sessions examined how businesses are responding to technology-led change. Other presentations explored the evolution of media monitoring into media intelligence, the development of fertility-care networks, institutional approaches to hospitality and the personal journey of leadership from rural beginnings to global boardrooms.

The diversity of these presentations reflected the wider audience of the conclave. Rather than focusing on one industry, the programme brought together different sectors around common questions of growth, leadership, transformation and long-term value creation.

Recognition Takes Centre Stage

The second major pillar of the evening was recognition.

The CEO Magazine Business Conclave & Leadership Awards 2026 recognised individuals and organisations across business, leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, transformation and industry-specific areas, with 50+ awards presented during the ceremony.

The awards brought entrepreneurs, CEOs, founders, organisations and professionals onto a common platform to acknowledge achievements across diverse fields.

The ceremony was led by Mr. Shrikant Pandey, Publisher, The CEO Magazine, and Ms. Dipika Chikhlia, Guest of Honour, who presented awards to the recipients.

The recognition extended across established organisations as well as emerging businesses and individual leaders. The categories reflected the breadth of the business ecosystem, spanning company and brand excellence, leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, digital transformation, sustainability and industry-specific contributions.

The awards were intended to complement, rather than stand apart from, the larger purpose of the conclave. Recognition provided the formal moment, while the wider programme created space for dialogue, interaction and exchange.

For many of the recipients, the evening also brought their professional journeys into a larger gathering of peers, industry leaders and decision-makers.

Recognising Partnership and Participation

The event also acknowledged the organisations that supported the conclave.

APS Industrial Solutions was associated with the event as Gifting Partner, while Business Uttarayani Conclave of Himalayan Entrepreneurs joined as Outreach Partner and Rudrakshology as Spiritual Partner.

As a gesture of appreciation for their association and support, partners were presented with mementos during the event.

The evening also included moments of appreciation for distinguished speakers, panellists and contributors who participated in the programme.

These gestures formed part of the event’s broader emphasis on relationships and community. For a platform built around bringing different sections of the business ecosystem together, participation extended beyond the stage.

A Gathering Built Around Connection

One of the defining aspects of the conclave was its mix of formal programming and business interaction.

The gathering brought together founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, CXOs, professionals, consultants, industry experts and decision-makers from different backgrounds. The diversity of participation created opportunities for conversations that went beyond individual sessions.

That was central to the event’s positioning:

Recognition. Visibility. Business Interaction.

The conclave sought to create a setting where recognition could lead to conversation, where conversations could lead to connections, and where different perspectives could meet outside the boundaries of individual industries.

The event’s positioning of “Where Business Leaders Connect, Engage, and Get Recognised” was therefore reflected in the structure of the evening itself.

Extending a Decade of Editorial Work

The conclave also marked a significant point in The CEO Magazine’s evolution.

Since 2015, the publication has featured more than 7,500 business and leadership stories across its print and digital platforms. Its editorial work has focused on documenting entrepreneurs, companies, professionals and industry developments through profiles, features and business conversations.

The conclave extended that editorial journey into an event platform.

Instead of simply writing about leadership, the publication brought leaders together. Instead of only documenting achievements, it created an occasion to recognise them. And instead of limiting the conversation to individual company stories, it created a wider forum spanning industries, sectors and areas of expertise.

That transition from storytelling to a broader business platform formed one of the defining ideas behind the inaugural edition.

Looking Beyond One Evening

The significance of an inaugural event is not measured only by what happens on stage.

For The CEO Magazine, the Business Conclave & Leadership Awards 2026 represents the beginning of a platform intended to bring together business leadership, industry interaction and recognition in a common space.

The inaugural edition demonstrated the breadth of that ambition: a programme that moved from strategic leadership and national security to entrepreneurship, public policy, technology, healthcare, hospitality and business transformation, before culminating in the recognition of individuals and organisations across sectors.

The event also created a new setting for conversations that the publication has been carrying through its editorial platforms for more than a decade.

As businesses navigate technological change, evolving markets, policy shifts and a more interconnected global economy, leadership conversations are becoming broader and more multidisciplinary. The conclave’s mix of business, public policy, strategic and industry perspectives reflected that reality.

The evening concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr. Shrikant Pandey, bringing together the different strands of the programme and acknowledging the speakers, panellists, partners, awardees and participants who contributed to the event.

“Leadership deserves to be recognised, but more importantly, it deserves to be remembered for the impact it creates.”

That thought captured the larger purpose of the evening.

The CEO Magazine Business Conclave & Leadership Awards 2026 was ultimately about bringing recognition into a wider conversation, about the people building businesses, leading organisations, creating new enterprises, shaping industries and contributing to the changing business landscape.

The inaugural edition marked a new chapter for The CEO Magazine: a decade of documenting leadership, now creating a platform where leaders can connect, engage and get recognised.

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