India’s business landscape is being reshaped by clean energy, artificial intelligence, digital healthcare and a more transparent real estate market. The leaders behind these changes tend to share a few traits: adaptability, a builder’s mindset, and a willingness to take responsibility when things get hard.

The latest edition of The Portfolio Magazine, Most Influential Business Leaders in India 2025, profiles leaders like these. Here are five of them, drawn from their in-depth interviews with the magazine.

1. Dr. Chinmoy Mukherjee: Building Structures, People and a Solar Future

With more than three decades in infrastructure, Dr. Chinmoy Mukherjee Business Leaders in India 2025 is one of the most seasoned names in the edition. He began as a junior engineer on a piling project on barren land in 1989. From there he worked across five companies, including Tata Projects and Larsen & Toubro, and on projects such as the Bangalore Metro, the Noida Metro and the Burj Khalifa. Along the way he took on HR, corporate affairs and legal responsibilities.

Today, Dr. Chinmoy Mukherjee Maker&Son Private Limited is where he channels that experience into renewable energy. He is excited about a 23 MW solar project in Madhya Pradesh built on a 25-year power purchase model. He defines success as legacy rather than wealth, and he and his wife plan to open a free school for children from underprivileged families. His advice to the next generation is a single word: focus.

2. Anitya Pun: Making Finance a Strategic Partner with AI

Anitya Pun Business Leaders in India 2025 shows how finance leadership is changing. A Chartered Accountant since 2012, he moved from Nippon Paints and large retail groups into the startup world. Over seven years he held finance roles at Wooqer, AntWorks and Infeedo, including leading funding processes and due diligence.

At Anitya Pun Infeedo, where he is Head of Finance, his biggest bet is automation and AI across finance and revenue operations. He treats AI as a “co-worker” that frees teams from manual data preparation so they can focus on analysis and strategy. His advice is to stay patient and persistent, because finance has no shortcuts.

3. Ravindra Vytla: Leading an AI-First Shift in India’s Power Market

In 2005, Ravindra Vytla Business Leaders in India left Oracle to co-found SchoolMATE, an SMS-based school communication platform, long before “edtech” became a common term. He went on to work with global companies such as RealPage and Trilogy, leading teams across several continents.

Now Vice President – Exchange Technology at Ravindra Vytla Indian Energy Exchange, he is leading an AI-first approach with a human-in-the-loop principle. Tools like GitHub Copilot already write a large share of the code, which frees engineers for higher-value work. He stresses that AI adoption needs strong governance, data privacy and security. For young professionals, he recommends mastering fundamentals before chasing the next title.

4. Satish Batra: Trust as the Real Currency in Real Estate

Real estate is changing as buyers expect digital transparency and data-led advice. Satish Batra Business Leaders in India 2025 moved from American Express into real estate and insurance, and his approach is built on trust, clarity and empathy.

At Satish Batra Jenika Ventures LLP, he has helped turn around underperforming verticals and build a consultative, data-driven sales model supported by PropTech tools. He names Goa, Panvel in Navi Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Indore and Dholera as emerging growth hubs. For him, leadership is measured by the impact you create and the people you lift up.

5. Ashyin Thakral: Bringing a Human Touch to Digital Healthcare

Ashyin Thakral Business Leaders in India 2025 has built things from scratch at every stage. She helped create the content ecosystem at HealthKart and was among the early hires at Swiggy’s NCR launch.

Now Head of Strategic Partnerships at Ashyin Thakral Tata 1mg, she focuses on trust in a category full of jargon and overpromising. One highlight is Tata 1mg BE, a health and wellness carnival she helped build from the ground up. Her lesson from moving from startups to a large ecosystem is that speed matters, but at scale, building it right matters more.

What These Leaders Have in Common

Across industries, a few themes recur in this edition of the Most Influential Business Leaders in India 2025:

• Adaptability is the common skill, from construction sites to AI-driven finance and energy exchanges.
• Technology is treated as an enabler, with people and judgment still at the center.
• Trust underpins real estate, healthcare, finance and community work alike.
• Giving back appears often, whether through schools, mentorship or simply building ethical teams.

Read the Full Interviews

Each leader shares more about their journey and advice in the full interviews on The Portfolio Magazine:

• Dr. Chinmoy Mukherjee
• Anitya Pun
• Ravindra Vytla
• Satish Batra
• Ashyin Thakral

You can also browse the complete Most Influential Business Leaders in India 2025 edition or explore more at The Portfolio Magazine.