Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards 2026, recognising business leaders and institutions across sectors including pharmaceuticals, banking, technology, manufacturing, real estate and logistics. According to NDTV Profit, the ceremony brought together the who's who of corporate India, with corporate and financial sector representatives including Noel N. Tata, Zia Mody, Raamdeo Agrawal, Nadir Godrej, Cyril Shroff, U.K. Sinha, Jayant Sinha and Ramesh Damani in attendance. The awards were selected following an evaluation process conducted by a jury chaired by Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, with other jury members including Noel N. Tata, Chairman of Tata Trusts; Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas; Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson of Biocon Group; U.K. Sinha, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India; Jayant Sinha, President of Everstone Group; value investor and BSE member Ramesh Damani; and SBI Chairman C.S. Setty.
Dr Anish Shah, Group CEO and Managing Director of the Mahindra Group, was named the Business Leader of the Year at the NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards 2026 held on Sunday. According to reports from NDTV Profit, the award recognises his leadership in driving sustained financial performance, long-term value creation and purpose-led growth at the diversified conglomerate. The Business Leader of the Year category featured some of India's most prominent corporate leaders, representing companies across sectors that have delivered strong operational and financial performance while creating long-term value for shareholders and stakeholders.
Under Shah's leadership, the Mahindra Group has delivered exponential growth in both revenue and profit across businesses, resulting in an increase in M&M's market cap of 12x since April 2020. As reported by NDTV Profit, the annualised net profit growth from FY21 has been 57%, reflecting the power of combining scale, profitability and purpose. The Group has further strengthened its position as one of India's most admired and diversified business enterprises under his strategic guidance.
Shah was recognized alongside other prominent business leaders including Dilip Shanghvi, Executive Chairman of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, who was named India Business Icon. Other notable recipients included Capt. Jagmohan, IN (Retd.), Chairman and Managing Director of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, who received the Business Leader of the Year, PSU award. The recognition highlights his leadership among India's top corporate executives across various sectors, with the awards representing sectors including pharmaceuticals, mobility, defence manufacturing, financial services, capital markets, artificial intelligence, logistics, real estate and philanthropy.
Beyond the Mahindra Group, Shah has played an active role in shaping industry and public policy. According to NDTV Profit, he served as President of FICCI in 2024 and currently co-chairs the India-Australia CEO Forum and the India Alliance of CEOs for Climate Change. He is also a member of several national and global advisory bodies, including the World Economic Forum's International Business Council and the NITI Frontier Tech Hub Expert Council for AI. This extensive involvement demonstrates his commitment to broader industry development and sustainable business practices.
