Revving Up Success: Recap Of BW Auto World 40 Under 40 Summit & Awards 2024

The 2nd edition of BW Auto World 40 Under 40 Summit & Awards, held on February 7, at New Delhi, was an exceptional event that paid tribute to and recognised exceptional achievements in the field of automobile. The event, attended by industry leaders, innovators, and enthusiasts alike, showcased the remarkable achievements and contributions of young visionaries.

The New Generation of Trailblazers Summit 

The summit witnessed participation from a wide range of professionals with an impressive line-up of speakers at the summit. The summit hosted insightful panel discussions & keynote addresses on subjects such as Driving Green: Is the Indian Auto Industry Ready for Green Fuel Revolution? As India gears up for a green future, one of the legacy sectors that have transformed the fastest is auto - but what lies ahead with new technologies coming up. Is enough happening on the policies & Infrastructure front; What Drives Indian Auto Sector's Trailblazers: Success stories and conversations on how auto sector is building a new generation of industry captains and what are the challenges they face; The Changing Dynamics of Customer Preferences: Vehicle Design, Safety & Aftermarket Customisation - The dynamics of vehicle purchase behaviour are changing and customer perceptions and preferences are under the scanner. There are new trends, different expectation and renewed push towards personal mobility.

The Speakers Lineup

The speaker lineup at the summit included names like Nirmal NR, CEO - 3 wheeler Business, Greaves Electric Mobility; Tanuj Jain, Co-founder and Director, ElectroRide; H. S. Bhatia, MD, Kelwon Electronics & Appliances (DAEWOO INDIA); Anil Srivastava, Professor of Practice, IIT Kanpur, Director, Epsilon Advanced Materials and Former Principal Advisor & Director General, Niti Aayog; Nikhil Bhatia, Co-founder & Chief Operating O­fficer, HOP Electric Mobility; Sushant Kumar, Founder & Managing Director, AMO Electric Bikes; Jit Shankar Banerjee, Senior Manager - Public Affairs, FlixBus India; Siddhartha Bagri, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Pravaig; Harry Bajaj, Founder & CEO, Mobec; Jayant Gupta, Co-founder & Chief Commercial Officer, Alt Mobility; Pragya Goyal, Co-founder & CEO, Vegh Automobiles; Pratik Kamdar, Co-founder & CEO, Neuron Energy Prassann; Daphal, Chief Executive O­fficer, Recyclekaro; Rahul Gupta, Strategy & Investor Relations Head, Magenta Mobility; Ravi Chandarana, Co-founder & CEO, Kwik Fix Auto; Arindam Lahiri, CEO, Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC); Sankalp Sinha, Business Development Executive - Automotive Industry, IBM; Reeti Nageshri, Head of Product & Strategy – Electric SUVs, Mahindra & Mahindra; Amit S Kumar, Sr. Director, Marketing, Netradyne Technology; Vinkesh Gulati, Vice President, ASDC; Jayapradeep Vasudevan, Chief Business O­fficer (CBO), Raptee; Apeksha Jain, Research Director & AMD Service Line Head, IPSOS; Hyder Khan, CEO, Godawari Electric Motors; Vihaan Pratik Malkan, Founder of DYD (Drive Your Dream) & Director, Arpanna Group; and Mohammed Zul­quar Khanu, Digital Portfolio Lead – Service Exp, Mahindra & Mahindra.

BW Auto World 40 Under 40 Awards 2024

The BW Auto World 40 Under 40 Awards not only celebrated the achievements of today's young pioneers but also served as a testament to the limitless possibilities that lie ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of automotive technology and innovation.

The Process and Methodology 

This year, BW Team outreached to over 1000+ individuals in Auto & Connected industries and received more than 200 applications, out of which 80 unique nominations were shortlisted after a screening round by BW editorial leaders and 60 were presented to jury to Select the Top 40 people. Each jury member employed an independent scoring system.

Nominees for the BW Auto World 40 Under 40 Awards 2024, underwent rigorous evaluation based on comprehensive parameters. Their performance and contributions were assessed considering several crucial factors, including the new initiatives they had undertaken within the last five years. Additionally, the judges examined the effective implementation of these innovative ideas and their tangible impact on the Automotive Industry. Key contributions and any awards previously received by the participants were also taken into account. Moreover, the challenges faced by both individuals and organisations during the implementation of their projects were meticulously scrutinised, providing a comprehensive assessment of their achievements in the automobile domain.

Esteemed Jury 

The jury for the awards included prominent figures such as Jyoti Malhotra, Managing Director of Volvo Auto India, who served as the Jury Chair. Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, Sr. Vice President - Electric Passenger Vehicle Business, BYD India; Vinkesh Gulati, Vice President, ASDC; Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Former President, SAEINDIA (Society of Automobile Engineers India); Anil Srivastava, Professor of Practice, IIT Kanpur, Director, Epsilon Advanced Materials and Former Principal Advisor & Director General, Niti Aayog; Vikas Aggarwal, Founder & MD, IPower Batteries; Balaji Pandiaraj, Country Service Line Leader & Executive Director - Customer Experience, Ipsos India; Suhas Rajkumar, Founder & CEO, Simple Energy; Annurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld & Founder, Exchange4Media; Harbinder Narula, CEO - BW Healthcare World & BW Wellbeing World; and Noor Warsia, Group Editorial Director, BW Businessworld.

Chief Guest 

Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road, Transport & Highways, Government of India graced the occasion as chief guest and said that India needs the true meaning of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat to increase its exports and reduce its imports. He praised the startups for their contribution to supporting India to make it a carbon-neutral nation soon.

The Minister of Road Transport and Highways also declared that an electric cable highway is going to be built between Delhi and Jaipur which will reduce the time of travel between the two locations to just two hours.

A Look at The Winners

About BW Auto World

BW Auto World with a tag line 'Converging Facts & Machines', is a leading automotive community of BW Businessworld group, which covers latest news, reviews, exclusive interactions with industry leaders & industry updates from the world of automobiles.