Business Leaders and Women Changemakers Take Centre Stage at Manappuram Unique Times Business Conclave 2026 and FICF She Walks for Cause

The program commenced with a welcome address by Dr. N. M. Sharafudeen, Chairman, INMECC, who welcomed the distinguished guests, speakers, and delegates, and highlighted the growing significance of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of businesses across industries.

The Business Conclave featured a panel discussion on “How AI is Transforming Everyday Business Decisions,” moderated by Shri Rajesh Nair, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP.

The distinguished panel included:

• Shri Gokulam Gopalan, Chairman & Managing Director, Sree Gokulam Group

• Dr. A. V. Anoop, Managing Director, AVA Group

• Shri Dinesh P. Thampi, Vice President & Head, TCS Kerala

• Shri Deepak L. Aswani, Chairman & Managing Director, Aswani Lachmandas Group

• Dr. Jolly Antony, Chairman, Vibe Munnar Resort & Spa, Managing Director, The Fog Resort & Spa, Munnar, Chairman, Alsafina Travel Group (UAE & India), and Growvia.biz

• CA Vivek Krishna Govind, Senior Partner, Varma & Varma

The panelists shared valuable insights into how artificial intelligence is revolutionising business operations, customer engagement, strategic planning, and decision-making across industries.

Adding a powerful social dimension to the occasion, FICF She Walks for Cause brought together accomplished women leaders and beauty queens for a charitable initiative dedicated to community welfare.

The participants included:

• Jyothi Aswani (Managing Partner, Aswani Lachmandas Group)

• Sheela Kochouseph (Founder & CMD, V-Star Creations Pvt. Ltd.)

• Preethi Parakkat (Managing Director – Public Relations, Parakkat Jewels)

• Aishwarya Nandilath (Director, Nandilath G-Mart)

• Priya Fazil (Founder & Managing Director, Dream Flower Builders)

• Lekha Balachandran (Managing Partner, Resitech Electricals)

• Divyaa Prashanuth (Marketing Manager, Malayala Manorama)

• Deepthi Vijayakumar (Managing Director, Aiswaria Advertising)

• Euphie K. Paul (Founder & Chairperson, Little Britain Preschool and Managing Director, Welmont Hospital)

• Dr. N.R. Mini Varma BAMS (Managing Partner, Varma Ayurvedics)

• Laila Sudheesh (Managing Partner, Care4u Facility Management Services)

• Jayani Bennheim (Executive Director & Chairperson, Bennheims Group)

• Preena Anuraj (Managing Director, Anaswara Jewellers & Rithu Diamonds)

Joining them were renowned pageant titleholders:

• Cinda Padamadan (Miss Queen Kerala 2024 & Miss South India 2024)

• Lakshmi Menon (Miss South India 2018 & Miss Queen of India 2018)

• Pournami Murali (Miss India Glam World 2026)

• Nikita Thomas (Miss South India 2019)

• Soumya S. Thomas (2nd Runner-Up, Miss Queen Kerala 2025 & 1st Runner-Up, Miss India Glam World 2026)

A highlight of the initiative was its philanthropic mission, with 100% of the revenue generated being dedicated to charitable causes.

Together, the conclave and charity walk demonstrated how innovation, leadership, and collective action can drive both business excellence and meaningful social impact.