Kamal Nanavaty, vice president, Chemical and Petrochemicals Manufacturers’ Association presented the award to Suresh Gupta, who “embodies the spirit of innovation and initiative that has advanced India’s standing in the world of flexible packaging materials, over the last three decades.”

Gupta is the chairman of Huhtamaki PPL (HPPL), India’s leading manufacturer of flexible packaging materials with sales of over Rs 2,000 crores from 14 factories in the country.  HPPL is known globally for technology and innovation, and is headquartered in Mumbai, India.

Gupta joined PPL as a member of the promoter group in late 1987 and subsequently became the CEO.  Gupta was the architect of many changes and ushered in a period of strong profitable growth for the company.  His leadership propelled HPPL to become a Rs 2,000 crore plus company in 2015 with a CAGR of 16.3% over 29 years. 

A hallmark of his journey has been business sustainability and over this 29 year period, the company’s Profit after Tax grew at a CAGR of 16.6%.