Ideas For India 2026

Bio

Raghuram Govind Rajan is a renowned Indian economist who is the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He was born on February 3, 1963, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, into a Tamil Brahmin family. Rajan’s father, R Govindarajan, was a staff officer in the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s external intelligence agency, which led to the family’s frequent international travels during Rajan’s childhood.

Rajan attended Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram from 1974 to 1981 and enrolled at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi for a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1981. He graduated in 1985 and was awarded the Director’s Gold Medal for the best all-round student. Rajan went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad in 1987 and joined the Tata Administrative Services as a management trainee before leaving to pursue a doctoral program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 1991, Rajan received his PhD for his thesis titled Essays on Banking. His thesis consisted of three essays on the relationship between a firm or country and its creditor banks. Rajan’s research argued that the deregulation of markets does not necessarily increase competition and efficiency, contrary to the established orthodoxy. He has since gone on to write extensively on banking, corporate finance, international finance, growth and development, and organizational structures.

Rajan joined the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago in 1991 as an assistant professor of finance and became a full-time professor in 1995. He has taught as a visiting professor at various institutions, including the Stockholm School of Economics, Kellogg School of Management, MIT Sloan School of Management, and the Indian School of Business.

From 2003 to 2006, Rajan served as the Chief Economist and Director of Research at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In September 2013, he was appointed as the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, a position he held until September 2016. During his tenure at the RBI, Rajan became the Vice-Chairman of the Bank for International Settlements in 2015.

Rajan gained widespread recognition for his warnings about the growing risks in the financial system before the 2008 financial crisis. In a 2005 speech at the Federal Reserve’s annual Jackson Hole conference, he proposed policies that would reduce such risks, but his views were criticized at the time. However, following the financial crisis, Rajan’s views came to be seen as prescient, and he was extensively interviewed for the Academy Award-winning documentary Inside Job (2010).

Rajan’s book, Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy, won the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year award in 2010. In 2012, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the London Business School, followed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2015 and the Université Catholique de Louvain in 2019. In 2016, Time named him one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.”

Bio

Pankaj M Munjal is an Indian businessman, and chairman and managing director of Hero Cycles Limited, based in Punjab, India, taking over the company from his father in 2015. He has always had a love for automobiles. He finished his early schooling from The Lawrence School, Sanawar, and graduated in Science and training in Automotive Manufacturing at Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute), Flint in USA. Thereon, he also attended an executive program in Strategic Marketing Management at London Business School & Harvard University.

Munjal joined his father’s company in 1988, and became Co-chairman and managing director in 2011. Munjal took over the executive responsibilities of Hero Cycles Ltd in 2010 after the Munjal family realigned its businesses. He became chairman and managing director at Hero Motors Limited in July 2015.

Bio

Angela Rayner is a British politician serving as Deputy Prime Minister, and earlier Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work since 2021. She has been Shadow First Secretary of State, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. Rayner has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashton-under-Lyne since 2015. She ideologically identifies as a socialist and as being part of Labour’s soft left.

Rayner was born and raised in Stockport, where she attended the state secondary Avondale School. She left school aged 16 whilst pregnant and without any qualifications. She later trained in social care at Stockport College and worked for the local council as a care worker. She eventually became a trade union representative within Unison, during which time she joined the Labour Party. Selected to contest Ashton‑under‑Lyne in 2014 and elected for the seat at the 2015 general election, she was appointed as Shadow Minister for Pensions by Jeremy Corbyn in January 2016.

Rayner was promoted in July 2016 to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities. As Shadow Education Secretary, she proposed the creation of a National Education Service modelled on the National Health Service (NHS). She endorsed Rebecca Long-Bailey in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election, who came second to Keir Starmer, and instead successfully stood for the deputy leadership, after which she was appointed as party chair and national campaign coordinator. She was removed from these roles in a reshuffle following Labour’s poor performance at the 2021 local elections, subsequently being appointed as Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work.

Bio

Sachin Pilot is an Indian politician. At 26 years of age, he was the youngest Member of Parliament when he won his first election in 2004. He went on to get re-elected in 2009 and became a Central Minister in the Government of India handling portfolios such as – Telecommunications, Information and Technology, and Corporate Affairs. He has also been the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan.

Mr. Pilot has the distinction of being the first Minister of the Government of India to have been commissioned as a regular officer in the Territorial Army in 2012 and is serving as a Captain in the 124 Sikh Battalion (TA). Currently he is the National General Secretary of the Congress party and also a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Rajasthan. He has also been the President of the Congress Party in Rajasthan for more than 6 years. In 2008, he was also recognised as a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum.

Mr. Pilot holds a B.A. from the St. Stephens College, University of Delhi, India and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, USA. Prior to entering politics, his professional career included working with the Delhi Bureau of the BBC, the American automotive corporation General Motors, and as a consultant with A. T. Kearney.

Bio

Raja has worked with founders for most of his working life of 24+ years. His defining stint was with Sequoia India, where as CMO, Raja worked with founders from different stages – Byju Raveendran (Byju’s Learning App), Vikram Chopra (CARS24), Amrish and Jitendra (Citrus Pay), Virendra Gupta (Daily Hunt), Jaydeep Burman (Faaso’s), Kunal Shah (Freecharge), Sameer Maheshwari (Healthkart), Amit Kumat (Prataap Snacks), Alan and Nami (Truecaller). The founders he worked with at Sequoia brought a variety of diverse opportunities and challenges to the table and helped Raja decide what he wanted to do with the rest of his life – work closely with founders and founding teams. His raison d’être is to look at business challenges through the lens of marketing with a skin-in-the-game, long term approach to help build the brands of tomorrow. And that’s exactly what he seeks to do at Spring Marketing Capital, a skin-in-the-game marketing value added investment firm that looks to partner founders to build the brands of tomorrow. Raja is an eternal optimist and believes strongly that creativity and entrepreneurship can change the world.

Bio

London-born Sujata Assomull is a Dubai-based journalist and author of 100 Iconic Bollywood Costumes. A mindful fashion and pro-age advocate, she was the launch Editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar India and previously worked with Khaleej Times as their Group Fashion Editor. An international chronicler of fashion trends, she is a go-to resource in the industry for commentary on India and the Middle East’s evolving and dynamic markets. Today she is a contributing editor for Vogue Business. A columnist with India’s leading business daily, Mint, she looks at fashion through a cultural and economic lens. Her bylines have appeared in Vogue India, Vogue Arabia, Business of Fashion, South China Morning Post, Khaleej Times and Arab News. A moderator at events such as Emirates Literature Festival, Retail Leader Circle, Cop 28 Dubai and other events.

Bio

Barbara Mills KC is chair of the Bar 2025. Barbara is joint head of chambers at 4PB and practises in family law specialising in difficult and complex children cases, often with an international element. Barbara is an arbitrator and a mediator, sits as a deputy High Court judge, and has been a recorder on the South Eastern Circuit for over 10 years. Barbara is also a governing bencher at Inner Temple.

Bio

Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, is the Working President of TRS Party and the Cabinet Minister for IT E&C, MA&UD and Industries & Commerce Departments of Telangana government.

The inclination towards public life was always there for KTR as he grew watching his father from close quarters. KTR decided that politics would be his life’s calling as he was strongly influenced by a quotation from his University days. KTR made his political debut by winning from Sircilla Assembly Constituency in 2009.

Born in Siddipet on 24 July, 1976, KTR is the son of K Chandrashekar Rao, the first Chief Minister of Telangana. He grew up in a politically active family and completed his schooling from St. George’s Grammar School, Hyderabad before going to Nizam College, Hyderabad. He studied M.Sc. in Biotechnology from University of Pune and also holds an MBA degree in Marketing and E-Commerce from City University of New York, NY.

After finishing his MBA, KTR worked in the USA between 2001 and 2006. But his interest in the prevailing socio-economic condition in the region brought him back to where his heart belongs – politics. He joined Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and worked under the leadership of his father to achieve Statehood to the region of Telangana. During this period, he travelled the length and breadth of the State and interacted with people to understand their problems and aspirations, which later helped in shaping his political career. KTR made his political entry in 2009 Assembly elections. He assumed the charge of a cabinet minister in the first Government of Telangana in June 2014.

KTR held key ministerial portfolios in the cabinet between 2014 and 2018. On 2nd June, 2014, he was sworn-in as Minister for IT, Panchayat Raj & Rural Development. KTR took charge of Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Commerce, Mining, and NRI affairs Departments in 2016 and was relieved from Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department later. He was inducted into the Telangana Cabinet on 8th September, 2019 as the Minister for IT, Industries & Commerce and Municipal Administration & Urban Development.

Unflinching resolve, commitment and inclination to fight for the welfare and development of the State helped KTR work steadily with a wide spectrum of industry and political leaders in India and abroad. He has provided visionary leadership and put in relentless efforts in reimagining and reorienting the Departments he was assigned. As the Minister for IT, KTR has come up with a comprehensive plan to cater to the multi-dimensional requirements of the IT industry and has been backed by his dedicated and competent officers and staff. Several initiatives have been launched under his able leadership since 2014.

Bio

Raghav Chadha is an Indian politician, serving as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing Punjab. He began his political career with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2012, holding key positions within AAP, including national treasurer and spokesperson. Prior to his tenure in the Rajya Sabha, Chadha served as the Vice Chairman of the Delhi Jal Board (water board) and was elected as the Member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly from the Rajinder Nagar constituency in Delhi. In 2022, Chadha was elected to the Rajya Sabha by the Punjab Legislative Assembly, becoming the youngest Member of Parliament in the upper house at that time. He has also been appointed to the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance. Throughout his political journey, Chadha has focused on issues related to governance, transparency, and public welfare. 

Bio

Baroness Arlene Foster is the Former First Minister of Northern Ireland. Described in 2017 as the second most powerful woman in UK politics, Arlene Foster made her first appearance on BBC Newsnight aged 17, after her school bus was bombed by the PIRA and she has been involved in Northern Ireland politics since being a student at Queen’s University, Belfast.

A lawyer by profession, she was born in 1970 at the start of the Northern Ireland Troubles and grew up in County Fermanagh where she still lives with her husband and three children.

Arlene was instrumental in establishing powersharing in Northern Ireland and served as Minister for the Environment when devolution returned to Northern Ireland in 2007. When Rev Dr Ian Paisley retired in 2008, she was appointed as Minister for the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment, a position she held until May 2015. During this period she was instrumental in promoting Northern Ireland’s tourism industry, bringing major events like the MTV EMA awards, the Irish Open and Giro d’Italia to Northern Ireland and securing record levels of investment into the economy. In 2012 she spearheaded a yearlong campaign entitled ‘Our Time, Our Place’, which sought to change the narrative for Northern Ireland, marketing it as a great place to live, work, invest and holiday in. Seeing the gap in energy infrastructure in the west of NI, she drove the Gas to the West policy of bringing natural gas to homes and businesses in the area.

Bio

Avinash joined Jupiter Asset Management in 2007. He manages Indian equities funds (including a fund launched and managed by Avinash since July 1995). Prior to joining Jupiter, Avinash was CIO (South Asia and Africa) of BNP Paribas Asset Management before he left to found Peninsular Capital Partners LLP in 2005, where he acted as Managing Partner. He was the CEO of GEM Dolphin Investment Managers from 1994 until its sale in 1997. Avinash led the management buy-in of John Lusty Group plc in 1993 and was the company’s CO0 until its sale in 1994. Avinash qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1986, and was a Senior Manager at Price Waterhouse in London.

Avinash is a qualified Chartered Accountant. He is a Trustee of The London Clinic, a Non-Executive Director of the UK India Business Council and a former Trustee and Chair of Pratham UK, a charity focussed on children’s education in India.

Bio

Pradyot Manikya Deb Barman is the former head of Tripura’s Royal Family and the Chairman of Tipra Motha, the Tripura Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance.

He was the president of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee from 2016 to 2019, and former his party after resigning from Congress, which aims to represent the indigenous people of Tripura. Tipra Motha won eight seats out of the 28 seats that were contested in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections in 2021.

In the Assembly elections in 2023, Tipra Motha’’s success was the biggest story coming out of the North East of India. Manikya’s party contested 42 out of the 60 seats, including 20 Assembly segments reserved for candidates from Scheduled Tribes, and won 13 seats – a phenomenal performance for a party making its Assembly poll debut. They have been pushing the demand for a ‘Greater Tipraland’. The BJP’s allies IPFT faced a significant setback in the reserved seats, losing all but one of its eight seats, indicating a shift of tribal voters to Tipra Motha.

Pradyot Manikya is known for his efforts to preserve the culture and traditions of the indigenous people of Tripura. He has been involved in various social and political campaigns aimed at their welfare. Apart from his political activities, Pradyot Manikya is also involved in various social and cultural organisations. He also served as the editor of TNT-The Northeast Today.

Bio

Tony Matharu is a renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist, known for founding numerous successful start-up organizations and businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector. He is the founder and Chairman of Integrity International Group, and has recently established London’s independent hotel chain, Blue Orchid Hospitality. Tony has been recognized with multiple awards, including “Best Small Hotel Company” and “Hotelier of the Year”. He holds an Honorary Doctorate of Letters and is an ESCP Europe Business School Fellow. Additionally, he serves as an adviser and commentator on entrepreneurship, hospitality, and philanthropy.

In his various leadership roles, Tony contributes significantly to London’s business and community sectors. He is a Board Member of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chairman of the Asian Business Association, and Director of the Central District Alliance and Central London Alliance. Tony’s accolades include a Special Recognition Award for contributing to London’s success and a Technology and Innovation Award. He has also founded and sold the specialist sports brand Ayrtek® and established Global Hospitality Services, an international hospitality consultancy known for innovative technology solutions and award-winning spa and guest amenity brands.

Tony’s passion for philanthropy and community engagement is evident through his involvement with numerous charitable and cultural organizations. He is the London City Chairman of the Lord’s Taverners, a charity focused on youth cricket and disability sports, and Vice President and Patron of the Oracle Cancer Trust. He founded Integrity International Trust, a charity aimed at supporting vulnerable individuals. Tony is also a patron of various arts and cultural events and actively participates in sports at various levels. As a true Londoner, he credits the city for his success and remains dedicated to giving back to the community.

Bio

Bio

Avinav Nigam, leads AI-driven workforce mobility with global impact. Advising NSDC International, he forges ethical migration strategies worldwide. An Indian-origin founder, Avinav’s visionary leadership, honed in Japan, India, and the UK, drives TERN’s bold expansion and impact globally.

Before founding TERN, Avinav held significant positions at renowned companies, including Vice President roles at The Walt Disney Company and PayU. At Disney, he played a pivotal role in expanding Disney+ Hotstar’s reach, contributing to its substantial user base. His tenure at PayU involved leading marketing strategies that bolstered the company’s position in South Asia’s online payments sector.​

Avinav’s experience also encompasses co-founding and serving as COO of IMMO, where he was instrumental in transforming the residential rental market in Europe. His efforts led to significant venture funding and the establishment of a market leader in the single-unit residential sector.