Vinod Gupta
Joint Managing Director Laxcon Steels Ltd

Mr. Vinod Gupta is a Jt.Managing Director of Laxcon Steels Limited. He has a long and rich experience in the stainless steel and Special steels industry. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Delhi University,India and honed his business & managerial skills further by pursuing the OPM Executive Program of Harvard Business School. He has been successfully managing several steel manufacturing units in India.With his strong business acumen, marketing and entrepreneurial skills, he has been instrumental in taking Laxcon Steels Limited to a strong position of being one of the top five manufacturers of stainless steel and Special steels long products in India. Today, it has a production capacity of 140,000 metric tons Per Annum and produces over 100 grades of steel in a vast range of shapes and sizes

Vijay Sharma
Director, Jindal Stainless Ltd

Mr Vijay Sharma currently serves as Director, Corporate Affairs, with Jindal Stainless.

With close to 40 years of corporate experience, Mr Sharma has navigated diverse roles in a myriad of areas within the stainless steel and automotive industries, such as corporate affairs, sales, distribution, corporate branding, marketing, business development, strategy formulation, supply chain management, market research, product development, and customer service and outreach. He has also overseen the profitability of the service centre chains of the Jindal Stainless group in India and Spain.

His leadership capabilities and expertise in business analytics, innovation, team building, process optimisation, scalable operations, business transformation and organisation development have been an inspiration, as he has led highly successful and motivated teams throughout his tenure. A seasoned traveller, having visited over 50 countries, Mr Sharma’s varied experiences have only served to contribute towards his professional credentials, as he brings a fresh and diversified perspective in everything he does.

An able orator and an avid proponent of social media, Mr Sharma is a regular speaker in premium institutes as well as national and international webinars and conferences. His views on the business landscape resonate with many and are frequently published in various industry magazines. He has been awarded multiple accolades for his contributions to the stainless steel and automotive industries.

Viewed as a leading voice in many spectrums of the business world, he is on the boards of the Indian Iron and Steel Skill Sector Council, Shalimar Paints, JSL Lifestyle and Jindal Stainless Steelways Ltd. He serves as the chairman of the Haryana State Development Council of ASSOCHAM. He also actively participates in various initiatives of apex associations like FICCI, CII, PHDCCI, ISA and ISSDA. He also finds joy in sharing his life experiences with academia.

In his personal life, Mr Sharma enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He is also deeply committed to giving back to society and is actively engaged with many NGOs.

Mr Sharma acquired his graduate degree in engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, and MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi. He has also pursued specialisations from distinguished institutes such as IIFT, YMCA, AOTS, Aptech and IIM(A).

Dr. Aruna Sharma
Former Secretary, Ministry of Steel

Dr Aruna Sharma is an Indian Administrative Officer from the 1982 batch of Madhya Pradesh Cadre and retired as Secretary Steel and Information Technology, Government of India. She believes in having a holistic approach and an established system to ensure sustainable quality outcomes. As Secretary Steel, she drafted and successfully executed the Steel Policy and the Preferential Procurement Policy. She was also instrumental in drafting the National Steel Policy 2017 and also the clear policy on preference to local manufactures which has revived the sector. She is now a Practitioner Development Economist working in the Core, FinTech, and Digital sectors.

Rakesh Chauhan
Deputy Managing Director Viraj Profiles Pvt Ltd

Mr Rakesh Chauhan is a highly successful professional with over 30 years of experience who currently serves as Deputy Managing Director at Viraj Profiles Pvt. Ltd. He has a track record of devising and executing successful strategies for the development of industry