Asia’s Power Players converge in Phuket at TMN’s Business Icons of Asia

As the global economy undergoes a significant recalibration driven by geopolitical shifts, Asia has emerged as the world’s most consequential growth corridor. Realizing this potential, however, requires a new era of leadership where economies move beyond individual market focus to prioritize shared opportunities and collective resilience. The way forward demands a dynamic generation of influential leaders who can successfully transform trade, trust, and organizational scale across a multipolar world.

The landmark inaugural edition of Business Icons of Asia 2026, organized by Team Marksmen Network, successfully captured this dynamic momentum in the scenic locale of Phuket. Focused on the theme “Asia Ascendant: Leadership, Trade & Trust in a Multipolar World,” the gala industry celebration served as a high-level platform for Asia’s most influential minds to shape the future of regional growth. By bringing together a high-powered congregation of 20+ elite speakers, and an exclusive gathering of 100+ business leaders who represented the who’s who of Asia Inc., this one-of-a-kind forum provided a clear roadmap for achieving the region’s ambitious goals.

The evening featured profound insights from a distinguished lineup of regional experts and industry titans. Rishi Kapoor, CEO & Director, Team Marksmen Network, opened the proceedings with a stirring address on the region’s unique trajectory, stating, “Asia is not a region that is responding to change; it is writing some of its own. The leaders we honour tonight understand that the most durable currency in business is not capital; it is trust.”

This sentiment was echoed in a strategic opening conversation that featured CP Gurnani, Co-Founder & Vice Chairman, AIONOS and Advisory Board Member, Team Marksmen Network. The event was further elevated by the presence of Raywat Areerob, Chief Executive, Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization as our Chief Guest, and Anuparph Vachvanichsanong, Deputy Chief Executive, as our Special Guest.

Highlighting Phuket’s legacy as a crossroads of commerce, Vachvanichsanong remarked, “The foundation of growth remains the same: trust, openness, and the willingness to see across a border or a sea and say, ‘Let us build something together.’ That is what Phuket believes, and that is what Asia, at its best, has always stood for.”

The forum’s intellectual core was driven by high-impact exchanges. A panel discussion titled “Trade, Trust & Transformation: Strengthening Asia’s Economic Core” featured Dr. Kengkran Louvirojanakul, CEO, B2G Solutions; Michael Kenner, CEO, FazWaz; Prinn Panitchpakdi, CEO, Four Seasons Advisory; and Suresh Venkatachari, CEO, QuantumNexis.

The discussions focused on the critical intersection of regulatory frameworks and market trust in driving regional stability. Further conversations saw Sanjay Jain, Group CEO, PDS Limited, offer a ringside view to unlocking cross-market synergies, and Hrishi Gandhi, Chief Growth Officer, LEAP India Ltd., provided actionable insights on navigating structural shifts across diverse Asian markets.

Adding further depth, Prof. Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, Chairman of the Nation-Building International Institute, delivered a masterclass on “Leadership for Tomorrow.” He challenged the audience to rethink Asia’s role in the global order, saying, “Asia must think of itself not merely as a region of growth, but as a Region of Responsibility. In a multipolar world, trust is not just a virtue; it is hard strategic power.”

The highlight of the evening was a gala ceremony that celebrated the architects of Asia’s transformation. This landmark recognition was divided into two categories: the Legacy of Excellence Honor, recognizing legendary figures, and the Business Icons of Asia, celebrating contemporary leaders driving regional impact.

Those accorded the Legacy of Excellence Honor included:

• (Honorary) Brig Dr Arvind Lal, Padma Shri, Executive Chairman, Lal Path Labs
• Anand Rathi, Chairman, Anand Rathi Group
• C.P. Gurnani, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, AIONOS
• Prof. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, Chairman, Nation-Building International Institute  

The Business Icons of Asia recognised on the day included:

• Abhishek Mishra, Director & Co-Founder, Transport one by Delhivery  
• Arvind Mehta, Chairman & Managing Director, Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt. Ltd.  
• Dipali Goenka, Managing Director & CEO, Welspun Living Ltd
• Dr. Kengkran Louvirojanakul, CEO, B2G Solution Co.  
• Dr. Rajiv I. Modi, Chairman and Managing Director, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited   
• Dr. Sanjeev Seth, Managing Director, IL&FS Tamil Nadu Power Company Limited  
• Kavita Verma, CEO, Maxwell Energy Systems  
• Ketan Patel, President, Personal Systems, HP
• Nitesh Bansal, CEO & Managing Director, R Systems  
• Prinn Panitchpakdi, CEO, Four Seasons Advisory  
• Sachin Seth, Regional Managing Director, CRIF India and South Asia
• Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director (South Asia and Middle East), NICE  
• Sanjay Jain, Director, Group CEO, PDS Limited  
• Shashwat Sharma, Managing Director & CEO, Airtel  
• Shri Madan Mohan Mohanka, Chairman, Tega Industries Limited  
• Shrikanti Nilange, Founder and Director, Sunergize Energy Solutions  
• Sunu Mathew, Managing Director & CEO, LEAP India Limited  
• Suresh Venkatachari, Chairman, QuantumNexis

The event successfully showcased the extraordinary impact of leaders who are actively architecting Asia’s ascent to the upper echelons of the global pecking order. The evening concluded with a networking dinner, reinforcing the trust-led partnerships that will power a progressive, multipolar world.

To know more, write to contact@teammarksmen.com

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