FICCI Leadership Changes: Mr Anant Goenka, Vice Chairman, RPG Group, today took over as FICCI President for 2025-2026, from Mr Harsha Vardhan Agarwal, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Emami Limited at the apex chamber’s 98th Annual General Meeting and Annual Convention.
Mr Vijay Sankar, Chairman, The Sanmar Group has been elevated to Senior Vice President of FICCI. Mr Puneet Dalmia, Vice President, FICCI & Managing Director & CEO, Dalmia Bharat Limited has joined FICCI leadership as Vice President.
Mr Anant Goenka, President, FICCI
Anant Goenka is Vice Chairman of the RPG Group, a USD 4.8 bn conglomerate with interests in the tyre, infrastructure, pharma, IT and speciality sectors. He is also the Vice-President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and the former Chairman of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA).
Mr Goenka was the Managing Director & CEO of CEAT through a transformative 10-year The period from 2012 to 2023, during which the company witnessed a 25X rise in market capitalisation, received Lighthouse recognition from the World Economic Forum, and won the prestigious Deming Grand Prize in 2023, making it the first tyre company in the world to receive this accolade.
Prior to joining CEAT, Anant worked with Unilever and KEC International. He was the recipient of the “Kabiller Science of Empathy Prize” from the Kellogg School of Management in 2023. Anant has also been recognised by Forbes as the “Next Generation Business Leader of the Year” in 2017 and as “India’s 40 under 40 Business Leaders” by Economic Times-Spencer Stuart. Anant has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BS Economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Mr Vijay Sankar, Senior Vice President, FICCI
Mr Vijay Sankar is the Chairman of The Sanmar Group, which is headquartered in Chennai, India, with manufacturing facilities in the Mexico, Egypt, and several locations across South India. The Group has a strong presence in key industry segments – Chemicals (including Speciality Chemicals), Engineering Technologies (Products and Steel Castings) and Shipping and has a turnover of approximately US$ 1.6 billion.
Well-recognized for its high ethical standards, the Group has robust corporate governance methods and a strong focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Mr Sankar is an Independent Director on the Boards of TVS Motor Company Limited, Transport Corporation of India Limited, Oriental Hotels Limited and Kaveri Retreats and Resorts Ltd. He is the Non-Executive Chairman of Chemplast Sanmar Limited.
He also serves as a Vice President of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, Trustee of The Childs Trust Hospital and the Voluntary Health Services (VHS). He serves on the Board of Governors of the Medical Research Foundation (Sankara Nethralaya) and CPR Environment Education Centre. He also serves as a member of the Governing Body of The Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar, Chennai.
Mr Vijay Sankar is the Honorary Consul General of Denmark in Chennai. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the J L Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, and is also a qualified Chartered Accountant.
Mr Puneet Dalmia, Vice President, FICCI
Mr Puneet Dalmia is the Managing Director & CEO of Dalmia Bharat Limited. Driven by the fundamental principles of ‘responsible growth and sustainable development’, he has steered Dalmia Bharat on a path of accelerated growth since assuming leadership in 2004. Prior to leading Dalmia Bharat, he co-founded JobsAhead.com in 1999, a highly successful dotcom venture that was later acquired by Monster.com in 2004.
Mr. Dalmia’s leadership and entrepreneurial acumen have earned him widespread recognition. He was honored with Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2017 in the manufacturing sector. Additionally, he has also served as the Chairman of the Development Council for Cement Industry (DCCI), established by the Government of India in June 2021. In 2022, Business Today magazine named him the Best CEO in the Cement Category. Presently, he holds the position of Chairperson on the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Raipur.
Mr. Dalmia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Technology (BTech) from IIT-Delhi and graduated as a gold medalist with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
