Poonam Thakur brings nearly two decades of rich experience to the communications industry, marked by numerous accolades and a fervent dedication to data-driven storytelling for driving social impact. With a robust skill set encompassing PR & media relations, industry advocacy, digital strategy, change management, employer branding, and crisis management, she has left an indelible mark in sectors such as the internet, e-commerce, and consumer tech.

Prior to joining Prosus Ventures in 2021, Poonam Thakur accumulated valuable experience with renowned companies including American Express and Bharti Airtel Limited. Additionally, she has served in key leadership positions including Head of PR and Social Media at MakeMyTrip and Head of Corporate Communications at OYO.

Poonam received her Post Graduate Diploma In Advertising and Public Relations from the Indian Institution of Mass Media in 2004.

Kaustubh is the Senior Country Officer for JP Morgan in India and Vice Chairman – Asia Pacific. Kaustubh is a member of JPMorgan’s Asia Pacific Management Committee.

Kaustubh joined JPMorgan in 1997 and over the past 27 years he has been instrumental in driving some of the largest M&A, Debt and Equity transactions for clients in Asia and India. He has built leadership positions for JPMorgan across critical sectors like FIG, TMT, Digital, Healthcare, Real Estate & Infrastructure, Conglomerates and Financial Sponsors by significantly deepening our client engagement with Companies in these sectors and nurturing and building these relationships over past two decades.

His prior responsibility was Head of India and Co-Head South East Asia for Investment Banking. He has also led our Asia Pac coverage for Power & Utilities.

Prior to joining JPMorgan, Kaustubh has worked with Tata Group and Siemens Ltd.

Kaustubh holds a Master of Management degree from IIT Mumbai (1997) and a B.E. degree in Mechanical Engineering from VJTI, University of Mumbai (1994). Kaustubh resides in Mumbai, India with his wife, Rupali and has a daughter and a son.

Being a people’s leader is an achievement of a lifetime. The world has built itself in a way that cherishes businesses providing products that add value to society. Although our modern lifestyle has opened a plethora of freedom and independence, we are bearing the cost of giving away something that cannot be bought and that is time. This indispensable element does not fall under any bargain and we are losing it by each step in our lives. While getting to experience the rush of countless choices, time seems to wait for none. The great sages have told us to embrace happiness and life and staying healthy is a pivotal part of it. Good health always aligns with good wealth and time multiplies the interest in it. The editorial at Business Outreach Magazine goes above and beyond in featuring the brilliant visionaries who are shaping the economic trajectory of India.

Today, in a perspective towards a good life, Business Outreach Magazine collaborates with Nirraj Satish Manek, Founder and CEO, SiriKulture Experiences Pvt. Ltd. Nirraj Satish Manek and Kajall N Manek created India’s all-real, zero preservatives drink – Sbooch. But what’s more interesting lies in the journey that leads to the building of Sbooch. Nirraj Manek has been reflecting on the choices in healthy drinks that are currently being in the market. He says that if you look into your shelf looking for at least one drink that is not made of any preservatives, artificial flavors and additives, what can that be? Looking closely into the reality, there can be a huge underlying concern. But Sbooch is made on the centuries old traditional process, a finest fermented pot of gold called Kombucha. Nirraj says Sbooch to be the finest ever kombucha which is brewed with rich Indian tradition, great taste and clean lifestyle value to every age group of society.

Nirraj Satish Manek, an execution-focused Entrepreneur who has excelled in his professional journey with his foresight, developing several brands under his leadership, that has always stood on the canvas of ethics and discipline. In his distinguished 18 years career, Nirraj Manek has worked with diverse teams, heading Business and Strategy of some of the finest organizations like Citibank, Edelweiss, HDFC Bank, H&R Block, LXL Ideas and many more. Nirraj transformed his enterprise experience and knowledge to strategize and build upon a few distinct business brands over last few years, leading various brand domains such as Consulting- UK, Hospitality, Education, Technology, Kid’s Recreation and Food & Beverages. Knowledge-based growth has always been Nirraj Satish Manek’s forte. He completed his Masters Degree in Business from the University of Wales, UK. This shares vivid clarity to Nirraj in working with global leaders and brands with leading-edge innovation in multicultural environments. Nirraj has nurtured the understanding of how an early concept, and timely formulating business ideas into strategic execution benefits to create these long-standing business entities. He is a serial entrepreneur and a angel investor in many startups, while exploring unique business ideas, and in his search for a unique product business, he joined hands with a strong team to come build a new category segment in the beverage landscape

Sbooch, the Indian sparkling Kombucha – is the culmination of an age-old process that is brewed with goodness of real farm-fresh ingredients that are said to be all natural and without any artificial flavors, additives, and preservatives. Sbooch’s purity embrace your well-being and offers a perfect alternative lifestyle choice to every wellness enthusiast and is devoid of marketing complexities. SiriKulture Experiences Pvt. Ltd., under the leadership of Nirraj Satish Manek and Kajall N Manek, have tailored Sbooch to express a vibe of guilt free drink loved by our gut for all age groups. Sbooch addresses customers aged from kids to grandparents, by being deliciously nutritious, and defines the rich culture of India. The company says that Sbooch is not only a drink but a lifestyle choice that is made of rich, far fresh ingredients and understands the well-being of a healthy society.

Sbooch is launched in Mumbai in July, 2024 and Nirraj Satish Manek and Kajall N Manek cannot be proud enough of their hard work and appreciates the resilience of the team. Chef Niyati of Ekaa, is a partner in this endeavor with Sbooch, together they aim to achieve greater success in future. The farm produced fresh fruits, vegetables, raw ingredients and spices with brewed with natural fermentation, makes this one of the finest Kombucha avaialble on the shelf, Sbooch portray monumental product credibility. It is more interesting to understand that Sbooch has between 1gm to 4gms of sugar per 100 ml serving and upto 18 months shelf life which makes the product more appealing to health-conscious individuals. The flavors included by the company are Koshimbir from Maharashtra, Gor Keri from Gujarat, Naga Pepper from Nagaland, Rasam from Tamil Nadu, Rice and Pandan from Odisha and Lemon and Tulsi from Uttar Pradesh. Such an expansive approach covers several cultural taste buds of India.

Health has always been a strong quotient of Bollywood and we all respect and love the authenticity of Anna, Mr. Suniel Shetty, who said, “Sbooch is a breath of fresh air. It’s fantastic to see a homegrown brand offering a delicious and all-natural beverage option” at the product launch in Mumbai. Nirraj adds that Sbooch is adopting a ‘drop’ marketing strategy at their official website, and the first dropping went live on 1st August, 2024. Customers can now buy Sbooch in these ‘drop’ dates and experience this magic of Kombucha. Sbooch is also strategizing to be available at e-commerce platforms and offline stores in coming phases. It is the go-to drink for gut health and the finest choice for connoisseurs of beverages. Lets bring the new Culture together.

Rakesh Sharma, a Chartered Accountant and an MBA in Finance from XLRI, brings over 22 years of diverse corporate experience across Finance, Marketing, and Strategy. He has held senior leadership roles at JSPL and Adhunik Group of Industries, where he played a pivotal role in driving strategic growth initiatives.

Having experienced the challenges of hostel life firsthand, Rakesh developed a keen interest in cleanliness and organization. During his travels abroad, he gained valuable insights into the industrial laundry sector. Recognizing a market gap in India, he founded Quick Smart Wash Private Limited (QSWPL) in 2013 with a vision to introduce full-service laundromats on campuses, addressing the lack of organized laundry services despite the presence of unstructured local players.

Over time, QSW expanded its operations to cater to hospitals and hotels, evolving into a trusted partner for industries requiring reliable, high-quality laundry solutions. Today, healthcare accounts for the company’s largest contribution in terms of both operational load and revenue. Under Rakesh’s leadership, QSWPL has grown into a key player in the hospital linen management sector, continuously innovating to enhance efficiency and scale operations across India.

Aparna Taneja is a software engineer and researcher with the AI for social good team at Google DeepMind. Her current research focus is to drive innovation in AI to achieve real world social impact. One of her team’s ongoing collaborations is with the NGO called ARMMAN with the mission to improve maternal and child health outcomes in underserved communities of India.

She has been with Google since 2025, and her earlier projects involved improving search quality on Google Maps and using satellite imagery for applications in remote sensing. Prior to Google, Aparna was a Post Doc at Disney Research Zurich. She has completed her PhD from the Computer Vision and Geometry Group in ETH Zurich and bachelor’s in computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Ashutosh Sharma leads investments for Prosus (formerly Naspers Ventures) in India as well as Asia, where his team identifies entrepreneurs and companies that are addressing big societal needs with technology in the most innovative ways.

While at Prosus, Ashutosh has led investments in Swiggy, Meesho, Eruditus, ElasticRun, PharmEasy, Urban Company and more.

Prior to joining Naspers Ventures in 2016, Ashutosh was a Vice President at Norwest Venture Partners investing in companies across a range of sectors. Before that, he was an investment manager with Qualcomm Ventures focusing on Seed and Series A/B internet and mobile startups.

Ashutosh received his MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and his undergraduate degree in Electronics Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.

Apoorve Goyal is a Managing Director at Prosus India, where he focuses on both early and growth stage investments for the group across sectors. He joined Prosus in January 2022, leading investments in Mintifi Finserve, Vastu Housing Finance, Equal, Detect Technologies and Spendflo.

Prior to joining Prosus, Apoorve was an Executive Director at Everstone Capital, a mid-market private equity fund in India with $5B+ in AUM, where he was part of several minority and control transactions over a period of 10 years across sectors such as consumer, financial services and healthcare. Apoorve started his career as an analyst in JP Morgan’s investment banking division in India.

Amit Goenka is the Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Nisus Finance Group (NiFCO), a premier alternative asset manager and lender with current AUM of INR 1700 cr (US$ 200 mn). Under his leadership, Nisus Finance got listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange as the first public listed fund manager in India. He has successfully invested, managed, and exited over USD 500 mn in real estate structured credit investments with superior returns. NiFCO focusses on investments across Real Estate and urban infrastructure through its Category II AIF Funds. Under his leadership, NiFCO Group has charted a decadal growth in Asset Management, Transaction Advisory, and lending verticals across India and the UAE. NiFCO has established itself as a premier investment manager rated Excellent by CARE Edge Ratings and the Best Fund of the Year by RICS, UK.

Amit has managed transactions and assets of over US$ 6 billion spread over Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa spread over hospitality, manufacturing, real estate, automotive and other sectors.

He was the Founder MD & CEO of Essel Finance, part of the US$ 7 billion ZEE TV Group, that managed a Rs. 750 cr. real estate domestic funds portfolio under a CAT 2 AIF License apart from a PMS and offshore fund.

As Executive Director at Knight Frank India, Amit led the Capital Transactions, Investments, and other verticals with managed nearly USD 700 mn of transactions across India real estate, including land sales, commercial assets, structured trades in private equity and debt with several domestic and offshore investors. He set up and led India’s first focussed USD 50 mil. office yield fund (REIT).

Amit has served in senior positions with Investment Dar/ Alghanim Group, leading a US$ 4 billion Islamic Fund in the Middle East, Ernst & Young and Aditya Birla Group in India in their Corporate Finance and M&A divisions.

With over 25 years of top tier multinational experience, Amit has created a niche for himself as a leading expert on Real Estate, Infrastructure, financial services, investment banking, strategy, private equity and asset management.

Amit is one of India’s foremost thought leaders on real estate, known for his views on the developments in affordable housing, taxation, regulatory, statutory, and structural frameworks. He is a leading expert voice across electronic, print, and digital media including CNBC, ZEE Business, Economic Times, Mint, VCCircle, Money Control, Bloomberg etc

He has chaired conferences in association with NAREDCO, PwC, FICCI, IMC and APREA on subjects like Banking, Private Equity, REITs, Union Budget, RERA etc.

He holds a BE (Mumbai), MBA (Texas A&M, USA), Certified in Corporate Finance/Masters in Financial Management (USA) and MRICS (UK), CCF (USA)