The Jury Panel
Our distinguished panel of sustainability leaders, industry veterans, and domain experts
Rajneesh Sareen
Director, Sustainable Habitat Programme , Centre for Science and Environment
One of India's most respected voices on environment and sustainability.
Blossom Kocchar
Clean Beauty Expert
Deep authority on renewable energy and climate policy.
Bhupinder Bhalla
IAS, Ex Renewable Energy Secretary
With an Honours degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce, qualification as a Cost &
Management Accountant (ICWA), and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management,
Bangalore, he began his career in corporate finance before opting to join the Indian
Administrative Service (IAS) in 1990.
Until recently, he served as Technical Member, Appellate Tribunal for Electricity, Government
of India, adjudicating appeals relating to the petroleum and natural gas sector. Prior to this, as
Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) until his retirement in September
2024, he played a pivotal role in advancing India’s clean energy transition through the large-scale
expansion of the renewable energy sector. His key contributions include the launch of the
National Green Hydrogen Mission and the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.
Earlier, he served for over five years as Joint Secretary and subsequently Additional Secretary in
the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, where he led India’s trade negotiations with neighbouring
countries. He also held the position of Counsellor (Economic) at the Indian Embassy in
Washington, DC, spearheading India–US bilateral engagement across finance, energy, and
agriculture. As Director (Banking) in the Ministry of Finance, he contributed to several
significant reforms and initiatives in India’s banking sector.
As a member of the Union Territory cadre of the IAS, he has held diverse and challenging
assignments across Delhi, Goa, Daman & Diu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Chandigarh.
Notably, he served as Administrator of the Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra &
Nagar Haveli, acting as the constitutional and administrative head.
A Fellow Member of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India, he was conferred the inaugural
CMA Ratna Award (2016) for his significant contributions to society and the profession as a
policymaker. He has also received the Today’s Traveller Award (2014) for exemplary
contributions to planning and structuring development initiatives in Daman & Diu and Dadra &
Nagar Haveli.
Peepal Baba
Founder & Managing Trustee, Give Me Trees Trust
Swami Prem Parivartan, known affectionately as Peepal Baba, is a passionate environmentalist and the driving force behind one of India’s largest tree-planting movements. His journey with trees began at a young age. By the age of ten, he was already planting trees in his neighbourhood. This hobby quickly blossomed into a lifelong passion.
He is now the founder of Give Me Trees Trust, a registered charitable organization headquartered in Delhi. Today, it stands as the largest community-based voluntary tree-planting and conservation movement in India. To date, Peepal Baba and Give Me Trees Trust have planted and facilitated the preservation of approximately 25 million trees. Peepal Baba himself has personally planted over 1.25 Crore Peepal trees, along with other varieties such as Banyan, Pilkhan, Jamun, Mango, Neem, Sheesham, and Babool.
He continues to travel across India, inspiring children, social clubs, NGOs, colleges, and other institutions to embrace a love for trees.
Ritu Berry
Designer
Ritu Beri's name is synonymous with the explosive globalization of India's fashion industry.
A pioneer in her field, she launched her label in 1990.
Empowered, being the protege of the French embroidery maestro, Francois Lesage, she fused Indian aesthetics with global fashion trends & in 1997, Beri was the first Indian Designer to be featured in PROMOSTYL, a prestigious magazine that forecasts global fashion trends, as the future of Fashion.
Taking her engagement with design beyond clothes, she initiated Ritu Beri Fashion Fraternity (RBFF) in 1997 to hand-hold aspiring designers and launch their brands.
Beri, was the first Indian designer to do a fashion show in Paris in 1 999, during the Le Semaine de la Haute Couture & she was the first Asian to head a French fashion house in 2000, Jean Louis Scherrer. She was thus anointed India's Fashion Queen.
Her creativity was objectively evaluated by fashion connoisseurs across the world. Rating, qualifying and quantifying her talent.
Lesage lauded her, "Ritu's contemporary expression has given to an Indian tra dition of clothes, a mood of the Yves Saint Laurent collection of the eighties."
Suzy Menkes, reacted to her first show in Paris during the Le Semaine de la Haute Couture & said, "Surprising as it might seem, Ritu Beri, from Delhi, gave a lesson in high fashion aesthetics and client-pleasing clothes-the essence of couture. This protege of the embroiderer Francois Lesage took a palette of quiet colors and sent out poetic mixes of baked mud, earth brown and black tinged with gold embroidery, or brighter kingfisher lined with zingy yellow."
Time magazine declared her "The First lady of fashion in her country". BBC credited her with a resounding headline: "Indian fashion takes a hold in the form of Ritu Beri."
Anantharaman Mahadevan
ESG Leader, Large Indian Conglomerate Ecosystem
Good for enterprise evaluation.
Smriti Mahapatra
Sustainability and CSR Leader, Indian Industry
Credible business sustainability lens.
Dr. Ajay Shankar
Distinguished Fellow, TERI | Former Secretary, DIPP
Deep clean energy transition experience.
Rahul Tongia
Senior Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP)
Expert on energy, renewables, and sustainability systems.
Dr. Leena Srivastava
Former Vice Chancellor, TERI School of Advanced Studies
Respected voice in climate and energy.
Chetan Maini
Co-founder, Sun Mobility (EV Pioneer)
One of India's earliest EV innovators.
Mahesh Babu
CEO, Switch Mobility India
Strong sustainable transport expertise.
Sohinder Gill
Director General, Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV)
Key industry body leader.
Archana Jahagirdar
Founder, Rukam Capital
Invests in sustainable consumer brands.
Rajan Anandan
MD, Peak XV Surge
High credibility for innovation-led categories.
Kunal Shah
Founder, CRED
Strong ecosystem voice and modern innovation leader.
Suneel Pandey
Senior Fellow, CSE (Solid Waste and Circular Economy)
Very credible for recycling, waste, and plastics.
Dr. Anjali Acharya
Circular Economy and Sustainability Researcher
Strong domain depth in circular systems.
Nadir Godrej
Godrej Industries | Sustainability and Green Business Advocate
Excellent for circular and enterprise sustainability.
Falguni Nayar
Founder, Nykaa
High-profile consumer brand leader.
Vineet Nayar
Author and Business Leader
Strong ESG-oriented leadership voice.
Malika Sadani
Founder, The Moms Co
Credible leader in clean and sustainable consumer products.
Dr. Ramesh Chand
Member, NITI Aayog
Strong authority on agriculture and rural sustainability policy.
Mihir Shah
Water Policy Expert | Former Planning Commission
Excellent credibility for water conservation categories.
Shaheen Mistri
Founder, Teach For India
Strong for sustainability education and community impact awards.
Harish Hande
Founder, SELCO India
Highly credible for impact and sustainability entrepreneurship.
India's premier platform recognising and celebrating sustainable business excellence.
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