Metro Man E Sreedharan to receive Dhanam Lifetime Achievement Award; Mithun Chittilappilly named Businessman of the Year
Dhanam has announced the winners of the 18th Dhanam Business Excellence Awards, recognising individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to business and entrepreneurship in Kerala and beyond.
Veteran engineer and infrastructure icon E. Sreedharan, widely known as the 'Metro Man' for his transformative role in developing India's metro rail systems, has been selected for the Dhanam Lifetime Achievement Award. Sreedharan, former managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, is credited with leading landmark projects including the Delhi Metro, Konkan Railway and Kochi Metro.
Mithun Chittilappilly, managing director of V-Guard Industries, has been chosen as Dhanam Businessman of the Year 2026. Under his leadership, the company has expanded its presence across multiple consumer electrical and home appliance segments.
Ramesh Nair, country managing director of Aptiv Connection Systems, has been selected for the Dhanam Business Professional Award, while Sibu Vadakkekkara, Chairman of Marlabs, will receive the Outstanding NRI Entrepreneur Award.
The Dhanam Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award will be presented to Shalini James, founder and lead designer of Mantra. Ajmi Foods has been selected as SME of the Year in recognition of its growth and contribution to the food processing sector.
In the startup category, iROV Technologies Pvt Ltd has been chosen as Startup of the Year for its innovative work in marine robotics and underwater technology.
The awards will be presented at the 18th Dhanam Business Summit and Award Nite, to be held on June 25 at Le Meridien Convention Centre, Kochi. Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan, who will be the guest of honour at the event, will present the awards.
The winners were selected by an expert jury chaired by noted economist and chartered accountant Venugopal C. Govind. The panel also included senior journalist MK Das and former Dhanam Businessman of the Year award winners CJ George and Navas Meeran.
The theme of this year's summit is 'Purpose-driven Leadership for a Better World'.
One of the key attractions will be a fireside chat featuring Siddharth Balachandran, prominent investor and executive chairman of Dubai-based Buimerc Corporation, in conversation with Vivek Krishna Govind, senior partner at Varma & Varma.
The summit will also feature an AI masterclass led by Ankur Narang, founder and CEO of DeepCoreX, focusing on how businesses can harness artificial intelligence to accelerate growth.
A panel discussion on leadership and business transformation will bring together George M. George, deputy managing director of Muthoot Group; Sabu Johny, managing director of EVM Group; and Firoz Meeran, vice-chairman of Group Meeran. The session will be moderated by Vinodini Sukumar, president of Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Thomas John Muthoot, chairman of Muthoot Pappachan Group, will deliver a special address at the event.