Celebrating Vision and Excellence: Chennai hosts twin honours for business and education leaders

Chennai recently witnessed two grand celebrations of leadership, innovation, and excellence, the ET Education Leadership Summit 2025 and the Times Business Awards 2025. The morning session featured the ET Education Leadership Summit 2025, graced by Chief Guest Antony Lobo, Consulate of Spain, followed by the Times Business Awards 2025- 11th Edition in the evening, with Chief Guest Dr.

Atul Anand (IAS), Additional Chief Secretary, MSME Department, Chennai. Both prestigious events, held at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai on 26th September 2025, stood as powerful reminders of how education and enterprise together shape the nation’s progress.ET Education Leadership Summit 2025: Shaping the future of learningHosted by The Times of India on September 26, the ET Education Leadership Summit 2025 brought together educators, thought leaders, and policy influencers who are redefining the learning landscape.

Designed to honour excellence in academia, the summit recognised institutions and individuals driving transformative change through innovation and leadership.The selection process for the awards was conducted through an independent third-party research agency, ensuring transparency and authenticity. Beyond recognition, the summit provided a platform for insightful dialogue and collaboration among leaders shaping the next generation of learners. Celebrating excellence across educationThe summit honoured the following institutions and leaders for their outstanding contributions:

A key highlight of the event was an engaging panel discussion on ‘Will AI tools like ChatGPT help students enhance their knowledge, or diminish their ability to think independently?’ Moderated by Venkat Chinnah, Founder and Technical Director of IndiaExcite IT Solutions Pvt Ltd, the discussion featured prominent educationists including Murali (Director, Everwin Group of Schools), Dr.

R. Kishore Kumar (Chairman, St.

John’s Public School), Dr. Puveearasan (Managing Director, Nalanda Institutions), Rev. Fr. S. Thomas Elango (Correspondent, Loyola Matric Hr Sec School), and Dr. (Adv) Joy Arackal CMI (Director, Lisieux College of Education). The experts underscored the importance of using technology responsibly, seeing AI not as a replacement for creativity but as a tool for empowerment. The summit concluded on a note of optimism, reaffirming its commitment to building a resilient, forward-thinking education ecosystem.

Times Business Awards 2025: Honouring Chennai’s business luminariesOn the same grand stage, the 11th edition of the Times Business Awards 2025 celebrated Chennai’s entrepreneurial brilliance. Hosted by Optimal Media Solutions, a division of The Times of India Group, the event recognised trailblazers from diverse sectors, technology, healthcare, real estate, retail, and lifestyle, who have driven growth through innovation and perseverance

The ceremony was graced by Dr. Atul Anand, I.A.S., Additional Chief Secretary of the MSME Department, as Chief Guest, and actress Catherine Tresa as Guest of Honour.

Dr. Anand lauded Chennai’s entrepreneurs for their resilience and contribution to employment and sustainable development, while Catherine Tresa highlighted the creative synergy between business and art.Backed by partners including Audi Chennai, G Square Housing, Puthiya Thalaimurai, Puthuyugam, and The Times of India Digital, the event reflected a vibrant ecosystem of collaboration and growth.The evening concluded with a resounding message: Chennai’s business and education leaders are not merely achievers in their respective domains but visionaries shaping India’s future through innovation, passion, and purpose.Disclaimer - The above content is non-editorial, and TIL hereby disclaims any and all warranties, expressed or implied, relating to it, and does not guarantee, vouch for or necessarily endorse any of the content.