Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Delivering an inspiring and reflective acceptance speech at the 33rd IMA International Management Conclave 2026, Dr Niranjan Hiranandani, Founder and Chairman of the Hiranandani Group, shared the mantra that has guided his life and career: “Always try to improve 1% every day. This will make you successful.”
Receiving the IMA Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr Hiranandani described the moment as “the beginning of a new age” rather than a culmination. At 75, he emphasised that growth never stops and that excellence is a continuous journey.
Calling success a collective effort, he credited mentors, colleagues, government institutions and team members for his achievements. “Alone, I could have achieved nothing,” he said, underlining that leadership is about collaboration, empathy and shared vision.
He narrated how his commitment to quality transformed Indian real estate. When he insisted that buildings must not leak, even engineers doubted him. Yet, over 6,000 to 7,000 apartments built over 35 years stand testimony to that uncompromising philosophy. “If I had to live in that house, how would I build it?” he said, explaining the mindset behind excellence.
Addressing students, Dr Hiranandani said, “If you improve yourself by just 1% every day in speaking, learning, building or leading, you will grow 365% in a year. With compounded improvement, an ordinary person becomes extraordinary.”
He cited examples of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing them as individuals who rose through consistent incremental growth.
Beyond business, he stressed integrity, honesty, sustainability and inclusive growth. He warned that India’s demographic dividend must not turn into a challenge due to unemployment and skill gaps and urged industry and educational institutions to align.
Concluding with optimism, Dr Hiranandani said India’s future lies in ethical leadership, innovation and persistent self-improvement. “Great success never happens in comfort zones,” he said, expressing confidence that collective effort will make India a global leader.
“In today’s BANI world, one that is brittle, anxious, non-linear and incomprehensible, we face unprecedented uncertainties. To navigate this, I propose BANI 2.0 values for India: bravery, adaptability, a never-say-never mindset and introspection. As leaders, we must innovate with integrity and foster collaboration across industry, academia and government. For me, mentoring our youth with character and responsibility is the essential foundation for sustainable nation building.”
Dr Abhay Firodia, Chairman, Force Motors
Dr Abhay Firodia “We need to return to the Shraman system, a value-based approach to life. To me, religion is the process of enhancing faith in core values: Asi (defence), Kasi (production), Masi (communication), Vanijya (trade), Kala (skill) and Vidhya (knowledge). These formed the basis of our prosperous history. As we move forward, we must modernise, not westernise, our cities to be truly successful.”
Murali Ranganathan, Corporate VP and CFO, Semiconductors, Tata Electronics Private Limited,
The global economy was earlier oil-centric, but in the 21st century data is the oil while semiconductors are the refineries. He highlighted the growing role of edge data centres in tier-2 cities such as Indore to serve local users and reduce latency, and called for Swadeshi-led execution and focused manufacturing to build a self-reliant digital India.
Mukundan Menon, Managing Director, Voltas Limited
“India is at a defining inflection point. We are not just rising, we are redefining what growth looks like for the world. We have moved from the era of jugaad to world-class innovation, driven by a Swadeshi and India-first mindset. In my work with the air-conditioning industry, I apply this by building AI from the ground up for Indian needs, focusing on comfort, energy efficiency and affordability for our unique climate.”
Sharad Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer, Sify Data Centre
“The focus has shifted from planning AI to executing it and delivering tangible results. Infrastructure is moving from traditional ownership to flexible, pay-as-you-use models and added that the demand-supply gap presents a significant opportunity to scale data centres faster.”
Shashank Anumula, Managing Director, Café Niloufer
“For me, success is rooted in professional passion and the art of scaling a vision to create meaningful emotional experiences. I have positioned our brand as Tea Lover’s Tea to foster deep consumer attachment and turn a simple product into a cultural space where conversation thrives.”
Dipak Sanghavi, CMD, Nilon’s Enterprises Private Limited
“Success relies on scaling professional passion into hyper-local emotional attachment. By building trust within the trade and expanding with a deeper-first strategy, I focus on evolving our business into a brand that consumers actively seek.”
Tejas Gutka, Equity Fund Manager, Electrum Capital,
“India’s moment as a developed nation began around 2020. Seeing smartphone exports jump from $3B to $30B in just four years proves our capacity for rapid manufacturing scale. National development moves through three stages: assembly, localisation and innovation. We are currently in stage one, but if we deepen our supply chains, we can achieve the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.”
Ritesh Gupta, Leadership Team, Wholesale Bank, IDFC FIRST Bank
“UPI is not a replacement for banking. It is making banking more efficient through technology. Banking has always evolved, from ledgers to ATMs to apps. Blockchain can bring transparency to trade and compliance, but it will succeed only with ecosystem-wide adoption.”
Swanand Kirkire, lyricist and playback singer
“I learned resilience through rejection. One closed door does not mean all doors are closed. When I lost a major film opportunity at the last moment, it affected me deeply. The support of my friend Atul Kulkarni helped me persevere. Character is built in how we handle disappointment.”
Atul Satya Koushik, international speaker and mythology interpreter
“The Indian way of leadership is rooted in character, wisdom and dharma, as taught in the Bhagavad Gita. Leadership is about understanding your natural duty rather than imitating someone else. A true leader knows when to act with the resolve of Rama and when to guide with the wisdom of Krishna. My goal is to build character within myself to help create more leaders for society.”
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