MSME Conclave 2025 – 1.0 – “New Business Opportunities for MSMEs”

Ms. Pinky Mehta

President, Bombay Chamber & CFO, Aditya Birla Capital Ltd

A qualified chartered accountant with over three decades of diversified experience, Pinky Mehta has been a part of the Aditya Birla Group since 1991, having joined the group as its first woman officer. In her current role as the Chief Financial Officer of Aditya Birla Capital Limited, Pinky is responsible for Finance, Accounts, Banking, Secretarial, Taxation, MIS, Mergers, Restructuring, Acquisitions and Fund Raising, as well as the ongoing development and monitoring of control systems and reporting of financial performance.

Prior to joining Aditya Birla Capital, she was the Chief Financial Officer of Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd., where she was instrumental in the demerger of Madura Garments to Pantaloons Fashion & Retail Limited. She played a strong supporting role in the merger of Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd., with Grasim; followed by the subsequent listing of Aditya Birla Capital Limited. Over the years, her contribution in the areas of demergers, mergers and acquisitions for the Aditya Birla Group companies has been significant. She was actively involved in the demerger of the cement business, the joint venture with the Sun Life Group for the life insurance business and acquisitions of Madura Garments, Transworks Information Services Limited, Minacs Worldwide Inc. and Apollo Sindhoori Capital Investments Limited.

Pinky is one of the distinguished Women Leaders in the Aditya Birla Group. She was conferred the ‘Chairman’s Award for Exceptional Contributor’ 2008 and ‘Chairman’s Award for Accomplished Leader’, 2016. She is also the recipient of the coveted Institute of Chartered Accountants of India CA CFO – Woman Award, 2016 and ET Prime’s Women Leadership Award, 2021.

Mr. R Srinivasan

Co-Chairperson – MSME Forum, Bombay Chamber, Director, AIRA Consulting Private Limited

R. Srinivasan is the Director of AIRA Consulting. He founded AIRA Consulting in the year 2007 to provide consulting services exclusively to SMEs.

Having held senior roles in sales, marketing, HR and Business Head across wide range of sectors including FMCG, Pharma, Education, Internet and Technology businesses, Srinivasan brings in rich experience to the table.

At AIRA Consulting, Srinivasan straddles two worlds of business delivery and people processes seamlessly. He currently works with owner teams in clients across Trading, technology, consumer and engineering businesses bringing in clarity of purpose and linkage of business strategy to people systems.

Srinivasan leads the business development for AIRA Consulting.

Srinivasan is a B.Sc. (Chemistry) with MBA from NMIMS.

Ms. Eva Verstraelen

Flemish Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai

As the Investment & Trade Commissioner in Mumbai, she offers expert advice and tailored assistance to Indian businesses looking to establish or expand their activities in Flanders, Belgium, and Europe. She also provides bi-directional information about local and Belgian business environments, economic trends, and sector-related evolutions.

In this capacity, she takes a hands-on approach to helping Indian and Belgian companies identify the best entrepreneurship opportunities and achieve their international commercial ambitions. Promoting Flanders as a world-class knowledge economy is a core priority for her.

Her overarching goal is to bring impactful networks of companies, agents, sector federations, authorities, and institutions together in pursuit of international business growth, engagement and mutually enriching relationships.

Mr. Tibor Kovács

Trade attaché, Consulate General of Hungary in Mumbai

Mr. Tibor Kovács, trade attaché of the Consulate General of Hungary in Mumbai had served in India in different capacities since 1997. Initially, he was an assigned diplomat at the Embassy of Hungary in New Delhi, later he functioned as director of the Hungarian Cultural Centre also in New Delhi. He is an enthusiastic traveller having visited numerous areas and cities in India, as well as foreign countries before and during his diplomatic tenures in the country.

Mr. Rajan Raje

Chairperson – MSME Forum, Bombay Chamber & CEO, Nichem Solutions

• A chemistry & management professional with a rich industrial experience of 44 years in developing and promoting niche chemicals for Drinking Water Purification, Agriculture, Polymer and Paint Additives & Ecological Disinfectants.
• Prior to entering in his business, worked as Profit Centre Head of Klass Equipments Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Rediffusion Advertising Pvt Ltd & Willet International-UK.
• Is on the Board of Directors of Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI).
• Heads the Agri Committee and Member of the Diversity & Inclusion (DNY) Committee of BCCI.
• Heads the MSME Committee of BCCI & MSME Committee of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICC): Western Region.
• As an MSME entrepreneur, he has seen the challenges faced by this sector. Thus, he is instrumental in leveraging the right platform to the MSMEs to collaborate with credible service providers to help them progress and sustain in the long run.
• Investment in Innovation, Application Development and People Management drives him.
• Believes in giving back to the Society.
• Is conscious about Social and Environmental obligation and is leading NICHEM SOLUTIONS to be an ESG compliant organization in upcoming years.