Shri Kalraj Mishra
Chief Patron - India SME Forum
Shri Kalraj Mishra (CHIEF PATRON) is a veteran Indian politician and administrator, widely respected for his long association with public life, governance, and constitutional values. Born in Malikpur village of Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district, Kalraj Ji was drawn into social service at an early age through his association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Over the decades, he has played an influential role in Uttar Pradesh and national politics, both as an organizer within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and as a parliamentarian. He served multiple terms in the Rajya Sabha and was also elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, where he represented the Lucknow East constituency. In 2014, Kalraj Ji was elected to the Lok Sabha from Deoria, and subsequently became Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet. During his ministerial tenure, he championed credit schemes, skill development, and district-level industrial profiling to strengthen India’s small-business ecosystem. He later transitioned to gubernatorial roles, first as Governor of Himachal Pradesh (July–September 2019) and then as Governor of Rajasthan (2019–2024). In Rajasthan, he emphasized constitutional awareness, higher education reforms, and the use of new technologies in agriculture and governance. Initiatives such as the Constitution Park at Raj Bhavan and campaigns for environmental awareness reflected his belief in linking governance with civic values. Known for his soft-spoken but firm leadership style, Shri Kalraj Mishra is regarded as a seasoned political figure who combines organizational skills with a deep commitment to ethical governance. Even after completing his gubernatorial term in July 2024, he has remained active in educational, social, and public welfare engagements, continuing his lifelong role as a guide in Indian public life.
Mr. Prahlad Kakkar
Chairman, India SME Forum
Prahlad Kakar started his career in advertising in 1970 in ASP Delhi. He is the Founder and Director of Genesis Film Production Pvt. Ltd., one of the leading production houses in India. Prahlad virtually invented a genre of television advertising in the years that followed. He has ruled the advertising world with his brand of irreverent humor, memorable brand building campaigns and has created Award winning commercials for the most reputed Corporates and agencies in India and the Asia Pacific region. “To tell a story in 30 secs in the most engaging way possible” remains Prahlad’s raison d’être for his continued passion for ad filmmaking, even 38 years later. Known as the “Ad guru” he has been instrumental in changing the face of advertising in our country bringing in the appropriate “regional Indianness” and values into an urban context through his films, creative workshops, articles and interviews. Today the innovative corporate, Ad guru, Branding Strategist, Chief Mentor and Board member of India SME Forum is involved in providing innovative 360 degree solutions consulting with Small and Medium Companies and brand building various products and services. Creative workshops, Motivational, Marketing, Branding and Leadership interactive sessions for Entrepreneurs, middle management and top management executives in providing marketing solutions and focusing on the Company’s growth story apart from consulting with various government agencies and institutions to strategize and deal with current issues and future challenges. His newest venture PKSBE (Prahlad Kakar School of Branding and Entrepreneurship) in which he is spearheading the organization of innovative education in the field of entrepreneurship, Media, and film making. This program encourages students to overcome fear and free their minds to develop creative strategies and perform to their optimum, embracing risk as an integral part of doing Business. A unique syllabus explored by none other in the field of education and entrepreneurship .He is the driving force behind single handedly creating focused, imaginative, successful professionals over the last 3 decades .Today he brings all his 38 years of experience and enthusiasm under one roof at PKSBE.
Mr. Vinod Kumar
President, India SME Forum
Vinod Kumar is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and strategic leader with extensive experience across investments, joint ventures, and cross-border collaborations in the electronics and telecommunications, media and publishing, industrial and consumer electronics, hospitality, and financial services sectors. He has played a pivotal role in supporting multinational corporations entering India through the foreign direct investment (FDI) route during multiple senior leadership engagements in corporate India. As a tech entrepreneur, Mr. Kumar spearheaded the development of an indigenously developed navigation and geographic information system (GIS)–based patented tracking technology, and successful exited from the business, including the patent-driven business models.
Vinod currently leads a India-UK, HNI group’s investments in profitable, innovation-driven high growth, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) spanning India and the Middle East. An active investor and mentor, Mr. Kumar has supervised investments exceeding USD 135 million and has mentored more than 700 entrepreneurs. He is recognized for his expertise in risk profiling and in evaluating growth potential for seed and venture-stage investments, particularly in MSMEs developing innovative and disruptive technologies. His work includes extensive research and profiling of over 11,000 MSMEs across 29 industrial clusters in 11 sectors—including food processing, dairy, leather, pharmaceuticals, engineering, and automotive.
Vinod Kumar, a former Entrepreneur and a Serial Investor in Innovative and Hi growth small and medium enterprises, serves as the Honorary President at the India SME Forum, ex officio member on the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of the Government of India and Member of the Reserve Bank of India's Standing Advisory Committee on Flow of Institutional Credit (FIDD) to MSME Sector. He is also member of the Board of World Union of SMEs headquartered in San Marino as well as the Vice Chairman of the WUSME Permanent Commission of Economic & Financial Issues, for SMEs.
Mr. Kumar’s deep experience in startups, joint ventures and collaborations, seed and equity financing, development finance, and MSME growth ecosystems has contributed to the design of cluster excellence templates, AI for MSME roadmaps, Universal Registration and Trade laws for Micro and Small Enterprises, innovative equity and growth capital strategies for MSMEs, across the world.
Mr Kumar’s leadership is credited with the formulation of a highly successful India wide, ecosystem development, capacity-building and acceleration framework for MSMEs at the India SME Forum.
Ms. Sushma Morthania
Founder & Director General, India SME Forum
Being an Entrepreneur herself, her wide travels, made Sushma explore and study the state and options for Small and Medium Business in India. Her own difficulties and social experiences as an Entrepreneur in India, made her feel a strong urge to help create an ecosystem to enable and aid the employment generating small and medium business owners, especially women. As part of her commitment and vision, Sushma, oversaw the formation of the India SME Forum along with the present Founder Trustees of India SME Forum. She is personally involved as the Director General, in some of its outreach and knowledge sharing activities. Sushma lead a team of analysts and experts in creating a unique evaluation format, for the India SME 100 Awards, created specifically to score and rate SMEs across the length and breadth of the country on a single scale. Sushma has lead the team of researchers in conducting India& ;s largest MSME survey - State of the SME for the India SME forum which surveyed 3,30,000 MSMEs across 29 states, 371 clusters and 6000+ product lines, on the Entrepreneurial and Financial ecosystem, State of their Business & ; Use of Technology. A report based on the survey was shared with various State Governments, Policy makers, Institutions and various Ministries along with our analysis and recommendations. Sushma passionately works for Small and Medium Entrepreneurs as the Founder Director General at the India SME Forum, apart from advising various government agencies and institutions to strategize and deals with current issues and future challenges. Apart from day to day overseeing and leading extensive research and analysis of linkages, growth potential and market factors of MSMEs involved in over 29 clusters across 11 Sectors. Some clusters covered are Food Processing, Dairy, Leather, Pharma, Engineering and Automotive in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Gujarat, Karnataka and Haryana Sushma’s experience in startups and capacity building of MSMEs has successfully lead to innovative strategies in the development of successful strategies for a nationwide Capacity Building Framework, at the INDIA SME FORUM. Sushma’s belief in Women Empowerment and Entrepreneurship as the key for social and economic change in India, made her start encouraging & working with various clusters of artisans and backward class, self employed women, as a continuous social activity. Sushma was appointed in Jan 2015, to the National Board of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, India’s apex body for MSMEs by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. She also represents India on the B20 China SME Taskforce and is also Member of the Permanent Commission On Social Issues and Women Entrepreneurship for World Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (WUSME)
Mr. Ravinder Bhan
Member of the Board, India SME Forum
Internationally experienced Business Leader and Consultant having contributed to Growth and Value at businesses from India, Europe and Middle East, For over two decades, Ravinder, contributed at several companies in the region to grow and deliver real business results year after year. This included small, medium and large organization spread over 25 years, be it big giants like Crompton Greaves, Larsen & Toubro, Schneider or GE; medium sized manufacturers like Jyoti Ltd. Voltamp Switchgear, or small organizations like Delta Engineering, Uptime Engineers, High Volt Electricals & Hirect Engg. Extensively experienced in Strategic Marketing, Change Management, Human Capital, Finance, Supply Chain, Project Management and Manufacturing processes, Ravinder is an Effective Team Builder, Trainer and mentor with a passion to bring out the best out of People. A top level professional net-worker-linked personally with over a thousand top notch professionals from across the globe. Aggressive Initiative leader for making quick, visible and yet seamless transformation from 'business as usual' to "businesses that matter" even in a Not for Profit Organization/ Industry Association bringing enhanced value to all stake holders.
Dr. J.S. Juneja,
Vice Chairman, India SME Forum
Dr. J S Juneja has a unique experience in the public & private sector managements and worked diligently for the SME development, policy formulation & advocacy, institutional capacity building & restructuring, entrepreneurship development for over three decades. Promoting investments and joint ventures from India to other countries of Asia and Africa especially to Mauritius and Botswana. Provided management consultancy to the Governments of Egypt, UAE (Dubai), Kenya, Sri Lanka and several other countries of Asia & Africa, United Nations organizations, Commonwealth Secretariat etc. He is Vice President of WUSME, Chairman of SME Committee & ; Past President of AIMA and former Chairman of NSIC. An MBA from University of Oregon, USA and Doctoral Degree in Applied Economics from the University of Bombay. He has been Visiting Professor to the University of Rhode Island, USA and IIT, New Delhi. Dr Juneja has written extensively and recently authored &;SMEs in Asian Region- Harnessing the Growth Potential & and Policy Guidebook for SME Development in Asia and the Pacific & edited and published by United Nation ESCAP.
Mr. Tilak Raj Bajalia
Member of the Board, India SME Forum
Shri Bajalia is an Economics graduate with ICWA and Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers. He started his career in a commercial bank in 1974 and moved to IDBI in 1983. During his about 30 years stay in IDBI he handled varied portfolio viz. Corporate & ; Retail finance, Recovery & ; NPA Management, Restructuring, Human Resource Management, etc. He set up Recovery Vertical and SME Vertical in IDBI. In Corporate Banking he handled Infra projects, Paper, Textile, Engineering, Mining Industry. He headed the Branch Office at Jaipur & ; Largest Branch of IDBI Mumbai. He headed HRD function of IDBI during its transformation into a Commercial Bank portfolio after 2011. Prior to appointment as DMD in SIDBI, Shri Bajalia was the Executive Director of IDBI Ltd.