Leadership Summit 2026 : School of Manufacturing

About the Summit

The Manufacturing Leadership Summit – Bharuch Edition, organized by the School of Manufacturing, Mentogram, is a practice-driven leadership forum for manufacturing professionals across Bharuch, Ankleshwar, Panoli, Dahej, Jhaghadia, Vadodara, Saykha, and nearby industrial regions. Designed by industry, for industry, the summit places strong emphasis on real-life learnings, plant-level experiences, and proven case studies from India’s leading manufacturing organizations.

Rather than theoretical discussions, the summit will feature grounded case studies, failure-to-success stories, and first-hand insights shared by CXOs, plant heads, EHS leaders, and functional experts who have led transformations on the shop floor. Key themes will include innovation, operational excellence, ESG, safety and sustainability, smart manufacturing, and people leadership - discussed through practical examples and actionable frameworks.

This case-study-led summit will enable participants to learn what truly works in real manufacturing environments, exchange best practices with peers, and return with implementable ideas. The summit aims to create a powerful regional learning ecosystem that strengthens leadership capability across the manufacturing value chain.

Agenda

7–8 April 2026 | Bharuch

Day 1

Day 2

☕ 8:30–9:00 Networking Breakfast

9:00–9:10

Inauguration

9:10–9:15

Opening Remarks

9:15–9:30

Address by Chief Guests

9:30–10:00
Process Intensification via Cavitation Technologies
Prof. Parag Gogate – ICT Mumbai

10:00–10:45
Future Proofing Factories - Crisis Ready Flexible Manufacturing Leadership
Moderator: 
 Mr. Prashant Patel, Partner, Prashant Industries 

Mr. Pravindan Gadhavi, Cluster Head - U85, Superform Chemistries Ltd.

Mr. Kavishwar Kalambe, Whole Time Director & VP – Technical Mfg, Crystal Crop Protection Ltd.

Dr. Sunil Bhatt, Head - Regional HR, Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd.

Ms. Kavita Neelkantan, Chief Solutions Officer, Euphoria Consulting

☕ 10:45–11:00 High Tea

11:00–11:45
Innovation at Scale: Moving from Ideas to Impact on the Shopfloor
Moderator:  
Prof. Parag Gogate, Dean - Academics & Professor at Chemical Engineering Department, ICT Mumbai

Dr. B. Ganesan, Head - R&D, Deepak Group

Dr. Debbrata Rautaray, VP / Chief - Product Development & Innovation Officer, DCM Shriram

Mr. Syamal De, Sr. Vice President - Technology & Operations, Atul Ltd.

11:45–12:15
           Role of Academia in Sustainable Manufacturing
Prof. Balchandra Bhanage, Vice Chancellor, The M. S. University of Baroda

12:15–12:45
Filtration to Profitability
Mr. Magan Khakharia, Founder & Director, Microfilt India (P) Ltd.

12:45–13:30
From Lean to Profitable Growth: Making OpEx Deliver Bottom-Line Impact
Moderator: 
 Mr. Rushi Patel, Chief Technology Officer, Novopor Advanced Science (P) Ltd.

Mr. Rakesh Goyal, Whole-time Director - Operations, Alkyl Amines Ltd.

Mr. Parag Shah, Site Head, Deccan Fine Chemicals (P) Ltd.

Mr. Sanathkumar, Executive President, Head - Corporate Center of Excellence, Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd.
Mr. Atul Wankhade, Vice President - Technical, Navin Fluorine International Ltd. 

🍽 13:30–14:15 Lunch

14:15–15:00
From Compliance to Competitive Advantage: Making Sustainability Pay
Moderator: 
Dr. Maulin Shah, Consultant, Industrial Waste Water Treatment

Dr. Dharmendra Mehra, Vice President - EHS & Sustainability, Cohizon Life Sciences

Mr. Rajesh Vaidya, CHRO & Head Sustainability, Silox India (P) Ltd.

Dr. Madhur Saxena, Head - Health, Safety & Sustainability, Deepak Nitrite Ltd.

15:00–15:30
Sustainable Organization Capability Framework   
Mr. Ashish Patel, Managing Director, Euphoria Consulting   

15:30–16:00
Smart Equipment for Smart Factories: The Next Evolution
Mr. Jignesh Karakasia, Director, KJHIL Scientific (P) Ltd.

16:00–16:30
Smart, Safe and New Generation MSGL Reactors for Sustainable Manufacturing
   Mr. Dhruv Pathak, Head - PAG, HLE Glascoat Ltd.

☕ 16:30–16:45 High Tea

16:45–17:30
Future-Ready Leaders: Skills That Will Define Manufacturing Leadership in 2030
Moderator: 
 Dr. Hasit Dangi , Founder & CEO, School of Manufacturing

Mr. Sudhaharan Janardan, Head of People, Adama India

Dr. Yogendra Chauhan, President - Advanced Materials, Deepak Group

Mr. C. B. Bhardwaj, Chief of Operations & Executive Director, Cohizon Life Sciences Ltd.

Mr. Naveen Kumar, Managing Partner, Beacon Advisory

18:00–21:00
Award Function & Networking Dinner

☕ 8:30–9:00 Networking Breakfast

9:00–9:30
Reducing error and influencing behavior to ensure the safety in chemicals manufacturing 
Mr. Sudip Rokde, Head - Process Safety Management, DCM Shriram Limited

9:30–10:15
Embedding Safety in the DNA : Building Future-ready responsible manufacturing leaders
Moderator: 
Mr. Rakesh Goyal, Whole-time Director - Operations, Alkyl Amines Ltd.

Sanjeev Verma, Head - EHS, Grasim Industries Ltd. (AM) and VP - West
UN GCNI

Mr. Pannalal Soni, GM - SHE & Sustainability, Century Enka Ltd.

Mr. Nilay Vyas, Global Head - Health & Safety, UPL Ltd.

10:15–10:45
Beyond Compliance: Transforming ZLD into a Profit Center through Resource Recovery and Water Independence
Mr. Chandan Sarkar, Managing Director, Zero Discharge Systems Private Limited

10:45–11:30
Sustainability Under Pressure: Delivering ESG Goals in a High-Cost World
Moderator:  
Mr. Nitesh Mehta, Co-founder & Director, Newreka Synth Technologies (P) Ltd.

Dr. Mritunjay Chaubey, Chief Sustainability Officer, UPL Ltd.

Mr. Mitesh Marvania, GM - HSEQ, Perstorp Chemicals India (P) Ltd.

Dr. Mayank Dave, Head - Quality, Galaxy Surfactants Ltd.

☕ 11:30–12:00 High Tea

12:00–13:00
From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs: Rethinking Plant Performance
Moderator:  
Mr. Vijay Vasudev Sr. VP-Site Operations & Site Head, Epigral Ltd.

Mr. Sanjay Patidar, VP - HR & Admin. SRF Limited.

Mr. Milan Naik, Manufacturing Head, Rallis India Ltd.

Mr. Mitesh Desai, Site Head, Nocil Limited

🍽 13:00–14:00 Lunch

14:00–14:45
Smart Manufacturing Without Big Budgets: High-Impact, Low-Cost Digital Wins
Moderator:  
Mr. Magan Khakharia, Founder & Director, Microfilt India (P) Ltd.

Mr. Kailash Sharma, Site Head, Perstorp Chemicals India (P) Ltd.

Mr. Subish Nair, Factory Head, Godrej Industries Ltd.

Mr. Anurag Varshney, Site Head, Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corp. Ltd.

14:45–15:15
Developing & Scaling up Green Chemistry Technologies for Sustainable Manufacturing
Mr. Nitesh Mehta, Co-founder & Director, Newreka Synth Technologies (P) Ltd. 

15:15–16:15
Leading the Workforce of Tomorrow: Talent, Skills & Culture in Manufacturing
Moderator: 
 Dr. Hasit Dangi , Founder & CEO, School of Manufacturing 

Mr. Jayanti Parmar, VP - HR, DCM Shriram LTD

Mr. Rushi Patel, Chief Technology Officer, Novopor Advanced Science (P) Ltd.

Mr. Pradeep Kumar Jain, Chief Operating Officer, PI Industries Ltd. 

16:15–16:45

Valedictory Function

16:45–17:00

Closing Remarks

17:00–18:00

Networking Tea / Coffee

Our Speakers

Prof. Bhalchandra Bhanage
Vice Chancellor
The M. S. University of Baroda

Prof. Parag Gogate
Dean - Academics & Professor at Chemical Engineering Department
ICT Mumbai

Dr. Debabrata Rautaray
VP / Chief - Product Development & Innovation Officer
DCM Shriram Limited

Dr. Dharmendra Mehra
Vice President - EHS & Sustainability
Cohizon Life Sciences

Dr. Ganesan Balakrishnan
Head - R&D
Deepak Group

Dr. Hasit Dangi
Founder & CEO
School of Manufacturing, Mentogram

Dr. Madhur Saxena
Head - Health, Safety & Sustainability
Deepak Nitrite Limited

Dr. Maulin Shah
Consultant
Industrial Waste Water Treatment

Dr. Mayank Dave
Head - Quality
Galaxy Surfactants Limited

Dr. Mritunjay Chaubey
Chief Sustainability Officer
UPL Limited

Dr. Sunil Bhatt
Head - Regional HR
Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited

Mr. Anurag Varshney
Site Head
Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corp. Ltd.

Mr. Ashish Patel
Founder & MD
Euphoria Consulting

Mr. Atul Wankhade
Vice President - Technical
Navin Fluorine International Limited

Mr. C B Bhardwaj
Chief of Operations & Executive Director
Cohizon Life Sciences Limited

Mr. Chandan Sarkar
Managing Director
Zero Discharge Systems Private Limited

Mr. Dhruv Pathak
Head - PAG
HLE Glascoat Ltd.

Mr. Jignesh Karakasia
Director
KJHIL Scientific Private Limited

Mr. Kavishwar Kalambe
Whole Time Director & VP – Technical Mfg
Crystal Crop Protection Limited

Ms. Kavita Neelkantan
Chief Solutions Officer
Euphoria Consulting

Mr. Magan Khakharia
Founder & Director
Microfilt India (P) Limited

Mr. Milan Naik
Manufacturing Head
Rallis India Limited

Mr. Mitesh Desai
Site Head
Nocil Limited

Mr. Nilay Vyas
Global Head - Health & Safety
UPL Limited

Mr. Naveen Kumar
Managing Partner
Beacon Advisory

Mr. Nitesh Mehta
Co-founder & Director
Newreka Synth Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Parag Shah
Site Head
Deccan Fine Chemicals Private Ltd.

Mr. Pradeep Kumar Jain
Chief Operating Officer
PI Industries Limited

Mr. Prashant Patel
Director / Partner
Prashant Industries

Mr. Pravindan Gadhavi
Cluster Head - U85,
Superform Chemistries Limited

Mr. Rajesh Vaidya
CHRO & Head Sustainability
Silox India Private Limited

Mr. Rakesh Goyal
Whole-time Director - Operations,
Alkyl Amines Limited

Mr. Rushi Patel
Chief Technology Officer
Novopor Advanced Science (P) Ltd.

Mr. Sanathkumar M.
Executive President, Head - Corporate Center of Excellence
Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited

Mr. Sanjeev Verma
Head - EHS
Grasim Industries Ltd.(AM)
VP - West,UN GCNI

Mr. Sudip Rokde
Head - Process Safety Management
DCM Shriram Limited

Mr. Sudhaharan Janardhanan
Head of People
Adama India

Mr. Syamal De
Sr. Vice President - Technology & Operations
Atul Limited

Mr. Vijay Vasudeva
Sr. VP - Site Operations and Site Head
Epigral Limited

Manufacturing Leadership Summit 2026

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