Ajay recently was featured on the APAC Power List 2026, the top 50 Marketers shaping the region’s next chapter by Campaign Asia-Pacific, one of 4 Indian marketers on the list.
Ajay has worked in Sales, Marketing and Business assignments in a career spanning 30 years. He has a rich exposure across diverse domains: FMCG, Media, Consumer Finance to Building materials. He has deep & rich exposure across both B2C and B2B business environments.
Before joining the Aditya Birla Group in 2017, he has worked with Nestle, Colgate Palmolive, General Electric, HT Media, and Godrej Consumer Products. Ajay has a proven record of delivering strong business results in tough competitive markets through strategic thinking, strong execution focus & innovation.
He currently leads Marketing at UltraTech Cement. He has spent eight years making sure that when an Indian family breaks ground on their once-in-a-lifetime home, UltraTech is the brand they trust. Dang made “Irreversibility” the emotional heartbeat of everything UltraTech puts into the market, raising the stakes of a decision consumers had previously made on price alone. He’s helped turn a faceless building material into a culturally resonant partner in India’s homebuilding dream.
During this time UltraTech has seen strong business results with its topline reaching $ US 9.4 billion. The business has grown at a CAGR of nearly 16% for the last 8 years, which is ~2X of the industry and ~2.5X of the country’s GDP growth. In 2025 Kantar listed UltraTech at #7 among the Most Valuable Indian Brands, valued at $ 14.5 billion.
An IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus, Ajay is part of multiple industry bodies including the CII Marketing committee, the Adverting Standards Council of India – CCC and on the Board of Audit Bureau of Circulations. A visiting faculty member at Mumbai’s prestigious SP Jain Institute of Management & Research since 2022, he teaches the next generation of marketers to solve business problems creatively.
We are pleased to welcome Ali Rashid Khan as a member of the jury panel. With over 20 years of experience in FMCG marketing and sales, he has led power brands including Dettol, Horlicks, Sensodyne, Olper’s Milk and Mortein across Reckitt, FrieslandCampina, GSK and National Foods. He currently serves as Senior Director – Consumer Experience & Brand Growth at National Foods, leading Marketing, Innovation, R&D, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, with a focus on aligning strategy with emerging consumer trends and delivering exceptional consumer experiences.
Binda Dey is the Global Chief Marketing Officer at Knight Riders Sports, where she leads the global marketing strategy for the franchise across India, the Caribbean, the USA and the UAE. With more than two decades of experience, she oversees brand strategy, digital innovation, fan engagement, sponsorship, licensing and merchandising, building a fan-first ecosystem that combines storytelling, data and technology. She has also championed sustainability initiatives across stadiums hosting over 600,000 annual footfalls and grassroots programmes reaching more than 10,000 people. Previously, she held leadership roles at Red Chillies Entertainment, Disney-Star India, Twentieth Century Fox, Starcom and DDB Mudra, earning honours including HT Media’s Crafting Bharat Award (2025), DMA Asia’s Most Customer-Centric CMO (2021) and CMO Asia’s Greatest Marketing Influencers (2017).
Imran Qadri heads Marketing & PR for the iconic Harley-Davidson brand in Asia Emerging Markets & India region. He is based out of Bangkok, Thailand. He has been associated with Harley-Davidson since April 2019. He oversees Marketing for Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore), South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao & India. He has over 17 years of Marketing work experience with brands like Hero Honda, Hero MotoCorp, Nissan & H-D. He has donned several hats in his past roles ranging from Marketing Communications, Brand Management, Product Marketing to Category Management and Media Planning. He has led teams and agencies deliver with award winning campaigns, impactful launches & inspiring content. He has been a recipient of several awards in the space of Marketing, Advertising, Communications & Experiential. He is a well-known jury in the Marketing & PR sphere in the Asia Pacific region.
Janmesh is a recognized marketer in Sri Lanka with over 19 years of experience in Service, FMCG, and retail industries. He is the only marketer to lead a brand to win the “Brand of the Year Award at SLIM Brand Excellence” for three consecutive years. His career includes significant roles at Unilever and CBL, where he led major brands like Munchee, Sunlight, Sunsilk, Dove, Lipton, Astra, Knorr, Lifebuoy, Rin, Rexona and Axe. Currently, he leads the marketing team at Singer, Sri Lanka’s No.1 brand. Janmesh excels in strategic brand development, marketing mix solutions and leading high-performing teams both locally and internationally.
Kaushik Prasad is a seasoned automotive marketing and sales leader with over two decades experience across Marketing, Sales, Product Marketing, and Digital Product Management. As leader for digital & ecommerce for international markets group at Ford, he combines strategic vision with hands-on execution. Kaushik has a proven track record of driving significant business outcomes, digital transformation, including pioneering digital marketing initiatives that delivered over 35% of sales via digital channels and reduced costs by 40%. He has also championed successful new product launches and optimized complex sales operations. His data-driven, customer-centric approach and business acumen makes him a highly effective and innovative business leader.
From strategy rooms to the ocean floor, Kanika Saxena builds, scales, and tells stories that matter. With over two decades of experience across telecom, media, content, entertainment, and startups, she has led transformation at scale—currently driving digital growth at Vodafone Idea, and previously shaping ecosystems at Disney,Balaji Television ,20th Century Fox , Sony, Zee, and WPP. She co-founded Bong Bong, a storytelling-driven restaurant, and Why Stay Calm, a boutique content agency. A TEDx speaker and India’s second female Master Scuba Diver Trainer, Kanika blends creative vision with strategic depth. Her leadership is defined by curiosity, purpose, and a deep commitment to meaningful innovation.
I am currently heading the Marketing Department for Dabur Pakistan (Asian Consumer Care Pvt. Limited). I am currently responsible for the West Asian businesses (Pakistan & Afghanistan)
I have diverse local and International experience looking after Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region, along with Europe and Africa’s for over 20 years, in Consumer Goods Industry. I have worked extensively for some of the world’s most respected brand building companies including Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever and is now associated with Dabur in Pakistan.
I have driven Brands & categories as diverse as Margarine, Edible oils, Hair Care & Personal care.
Natasha Wig is a communications leader with over two decades of experience spanning corporate communications, media relations, brand management, and reputation strategy. Currently she is the Vice President, Group Brand and Communications at the Aditya Birla Group, where she drives external and executive communications, crisis management, and high-impact brand launches such as Birla Opus and Indriya (Aditya Birla Jewellery). Previously, she led external and alumni communications at McKinsey in India. With experience at KPMG, The Economist Group, and FICCI, Natasha has partnered with global leaders to shape narratives that bridge business, policy, and reputation. An alumna of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) and Hansraj College, Delhi University, she is passionate about communications, building purposeful brands and fostering authentic stakeholder engagement.
