India's Best CEOs 2016

Anil Kumar Jain: Executive Chairman, Indo Count Industries Best CEO: Textile and Apparel

Almost 49 per cent of the bed linen of the $4.5-billion retail bed linen market in the US is imported from India. Out of that, 17 per cent of the bed linen are manufactured by Indo Count, claims Jain.

C.P. Gurnani: CEO & MD, Tech Mahindra Best CEO: IT & ITes

Gurnani has built a collaborative family culture. Gurnani knows the names of his leadership's family members and remembers every anecdote relating to their children.

H.M. Bharuka: MD, Kansai Nerolac Paints (KNPL) Best CEO: Chemicals

Bharuka went about overhauling the product range to give the new generation what it wanted, and invested heavily in the more profitable decorative paints segments.

Irfan Razack: Chairman & MD, Prestige Estate Projects Best CEO: Real estate and Construction

Irfan Razack and his brothers parlayed a small-time haberdashery in Bangalore to become one of India's largest real estate companies.

Kenichi Ayukawa: CEO & Managing Director, Maruti Suzuki BEST CEO: Large Companies

Since Kenichi Ayukawa took over, there have been a series of successful launches of new models, having bagged enough orders to be considered 'sold out' for this financial year.

Nishi Vasudeva: CEO, HPCL BEST CEO: Super large Companies & BEST CEO: Oil & Gas

Nishi Vasudeva's ability to steer the public sector oil company through periods of uncertainty and make hay of the positive developments helped the company reap the benefits over the long term.

O.P. Puranmalka: Retired Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Best CEO: Cement

The company increased capacity through acquisitions, a month before his retirement.

Punit Goenka: MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment BEST CEO: Media & Entertainment

Punit Goenka, the 42-year-old MD & CEO, has an insatiable appetite for big bets, just like his father Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Essel Group, the holding company of Zee Entertainment.

Ramesh Kumar Dua: MD, Relaxo Best CEO: Consumer Goods

Relaxo has emerged as one of the largest manufacturers of footwear in the country, with a production capacity of more than 600,000 pairs a day, across its eight factories.

R.D. Shroff: Chairman & MD, UPL BEST CEO: Agriculture & Allied

Shroff's interest in chemistry blossomed at the shed. He founded a chemical company, UPL, in 1969 in Vapi with a mere Rs 4 lakh and 20-26 employees to produce red phosphorus, which was used for making match box.

Romesh Sobti:  Managing Director & CEO, IndusInd Bank Best CEO: BSFI

Choice Money is one of the several unique services that IndusInd Bank is known for.

Samir Mehta: Executive Chairman, Torrent Pharmaceuticals Best CEO: Pharma Sector

Torrent Pharmaceuticals was a late entrant to US in 2008, but Samir Mehta has led it to fast paced growth in that sector.

Sunil Duggal: CEO, Dabur Best CEO: FMCG

Duggal took up the challenge when Dabur was going through one of its worst years. Sales had declined and the company, for the first time, reported a dip in profits.

Shobhana Ramachandhran: Managing Director, TVS Srichakra BEST CEO: Auto Ancillaries

In spite of recent turbulence in the market post-demonetisation, shares of TVS Srichakra have risen more than 1,000 per cent in the past three years compared to a mere 25 per cent rise in the BSE Sensex.

Siddhartha Lal: MD & CEO, Eicher Motors BEST CEO: Small Companies & BEST CEO: Automobiles

Siddhartha Lal generated enormous wealth for his investors - each share clocked Rs 26,601.95 at its peak on 29 September, from a mere Rs 17.50 when he took over in 2001.

Sudhir Mehta: CEO, Torrent Power Best CEO: Power

Torrent Power generates 3400 MW- a mix of coal, gas and renewable energy and distributes power to more than three million customers to Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Bhiwandi, Agra and Dahej SEZ distribution circles.

Sunil Mittal: Chairman, Bharti Airtel Best CEO: Telecom

Nearly 40 years after starting his entrepreneurial journey, Sunil Bharti Mittal,Chairman of the $14.3-billion Bharti Airtel, is standing at the crossroads.

Venu Srinivasan: CEO, TVS Motors Champion of champions and Best CEO: Mid-sized Companies

Venu Srinivasan, obsessed with quality, steered a revolution by emphasising total quality management. TVSMC won the Deming Prize, considered the Nobel Prize in quality, in 2002.

Gautam Adani: Chairman, Adani Ports and SEZ Best CEO: Transportation and Logistics

Starting with the takeover of a single jetty at Mundra, in Gujarat, in 1994, APSEZ now operates 14 terminals across 10 ports in six Indian states with a capacity of 11 million TEU. Mundra is the largest with 2.77 million TEU.