The Retail Jeweller MD & CEO Awards 2023: A celebration of leadership and its commitment to excellence

The Indian jewellery industry has found its direction towards an organised way of working and is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Combined with the fast-evolving landscape of jewellery retailing, new challenges are being thrown at leaders daily who demonstrate new levels of preparedness, agility and nimbleness to navigate their organisations to new levels of success.

Recognizing many such new areas of excellence in retail jewellery industry leadership is the second edition of Retail Jeweller MD–CEO Awards, held in partnership with presenting partners Achal Jewels and Shiv Narayan Jewellers and associate partners Mehta Gold and TJ Impex in JW Marriott, Mumbai, on the 4^th of Jan 2023.

The MD CEO awards envision bringing to the fore exemplary achievements of entrepreneurs, founders and C-suite executives in the Indian jewellery industry. The award attempts to bring focus to the growing influence of leaders to effect change and set off a new culture of performance across different realms of business.

The gala event saw a select gathering of a far-sighted and progressive crop of retailers to support the more significant cause of these awards. From an industry standpoint, these awards are a pioneering initiative as they celebrate business leadership excellence in an industry that has historically been under-represented in the world of business.

The leadership excellence awards strive to draw attention to not only individuals but also the entire industry. The platform showcases the exceptional successes of these new-age leaders and offers inspiration to industry peers.

The awards highlighted many new areas of achievement, such as work place development, community development, customer experience, omni-channel retailing, women and youth leadership, value creation for shareholders and more, in which creative and pioneering leadership is opening up new paths from which the whole industry may benefit.

The award categories create a new framework and key areas of focus for modern jewellery retailers who strive to take their retailing standards to the next level.

The Retail Jeweller MD–CEO Awards 2023 recognise all these key transformations and the new level of accomplishment they demand from leaders in the gems and jewellery industry. The industry needs a platform to share the special successes of these new-age leaders. Nawaz Modi Singhania was the Chief Guest for the awards.

Speaking at the awards, Mr. Vikas Mehta, Director of Achal Jewels, said, “Polki category is seeing unprecedented growth. Along with the retail industry, manufacturers are also growing. As an organization, we are focused on research and development which is allowing us to offer unique products and great value to our retail partners including corporates and family jewellers, to support the growing demand in the market.”

Talking about the great legacy of the company, Mr. Tushar Agarwal, Managing Director, Shiv Narayan Jewellers, associate partner for the awards said, “ “Our company history goes back to a time when my father’s great-grandfather was the lead jeweller to the 7^th Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Usman Ali Khan. Our aspiration is to build on that rich legacy of expertise and craftsmanship for today’s market. Our collections are modern renditions of a glorious past.”

Identifying the 2023 Awardees

To identify the 2023 Awardees, a focused team at the Retail Jeweller brought to bear its deep understanding of the industry, gained over one and half decades of interacting with jewellers large and small in every corner of our country, and tracking trends local, regional, and national. This core competence, as well as informal, targeted research, underpin the selection.

Award categories and Awardees of 2023:

Best Strategic and Integrated Marketing of the year

Winner: Mr. Ajoy Chawla, CEO of Tanishq

Best Omni-channel Brand of the year

Winner: Mr. Mithun Sacheti, CEO of Caratlane

Best Digital/Social Media Marketing of the year

Winner: Mr. Sunil Nayak, CEO of Reliance Jewels

Visionary Leader of the year

Winner: Mr. Ghanshyambhai Dholakia, Founder & MD of KISNA by Hari Krishna Group

Emerging online commerce of the year

Winner: Ms. Keerthana Grandhi, MD of Vaibhav Jewellers

Lifetime achievement in Retail

Winner: Mrs. Shobana Choksey, Founder & CEO of Shobha Shringar Jewellers

Women leader of the year

Winners: Ms. Vaishali Banerjee, MD of Platinum Guild International & Mrs. Shail Kapoor, President of Kashi Jewellers

Leading Regional chain of the year – Central

Winner: Mr. Gaurav Anand, MD of Anand Jewels

Leading Regional chain of the year – North

Winner: Mr. Kamal Rastogi, MD of Kamal Jewellers

Best customer experience of the year

Winner: Mr. M. P. Ahammed, Chairman of Malabar Gold & Diamonds

Best Workplace and People Welfare and Development

Winner: Mr. Saket Keshri, MD of Ratnalaya Jewellers

Leading Regional chain of the year – South

Winner: Mr. G.R. Ananthapadmanabhan & Mr. G.R. Radhakrishnan, MDs of GRT Jewellers

Best family-managed business

Winner: Mr. Aman Talla, MD of Talla Jewellers

Young leader of the year

Winner: Mrs. Joita Sen, Director of Senco Gold & Diamonds

Leading Regional chain of the year – West

Winner: Mr. Milan Shah, MD of Kalamandir Jewellers

Leading Regional chain of the year – East

Winner: Mr. Brahmananda Meher & Mr. Achyutananda Meher, MDs of Arundhati Jewellers

Special contribution to the industry

Winner: Mr. Shrikant Zaveri, MD of TBZ – the Original

Best CSR impact of the year

Winner: Mr. Joy Alukkas, MD of Joyalukkas

Emerging E-Retail Start-up of the year

Winner: Ms. Shristi Ghunawat, CEO of Tangerine Bio Jewellery

Exemplary value creation for shareholders

Winner: Mr. Rajesh Kalyanaraman, Executive Director of Kalyan Jewellers

Emerging Retail Start-up of the year

Winner: Mr. Manideep Yechuri & Mr. Kalyan Kumar, MDs of Vega Sri Gold & Diamond

RJ EXCLUSIVE