Winning in India’s Luxury Market: Speed, Strategy and Local Partnerships

Speakers

Deependra Pandey

Group CEO at Luxury Venture Group

I lead Luxury Venture Group, a Geneva-based venture platform accelerating startups and innovation at the intersection of luxury, technology, and sustainability. As the host of the Luxury Innovation Summit & Awards, I’ve created a global stage where founders, investors, and emerging and heritage brands converge, now expanding from Geneva to Mumbai in 2026.

A Swiss national of Indian origin, I bring a cross-cultural perspective to everything I build. With earlier experience founding and exiting e-commerce ventures, I combine operational insight with strategic VC engagement. Let’s connect if you’re building the future of luxury.

Laure de Carayon

Entrepreneur, China and India Marketing and Innovation Expert, China Connect and Asia Loopers Conferences Founder, Content Producer, Speaker, MC

Laure de Carayon is the founder of Asia Loopers and a seasoned professional in communications, media, and audiovisual production. She built her career with leading advertising groups (TBWA, Grey, McCann Erickson, Havas), production companies (Expand Images, Titanium–Coyote Group), and media agencies (Dentsu’s Carat).

A passionate traveler, Laure developed a strong connection to China during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Asia has long held personal significance—her maternal grandfather served as Embassy Secretary in Japan in 1926 alongside French Ambassador Paul Claudel.

Her entrepreneurial journey began after creating the “Brand Content” section for TheMediaLeader newsletter, where her interviews with marketing leaders on China generated significant interest. Seeing the lack of a European forum to decode Chinese consumer trends, innovation, and digital marketing, she launched CHINA CONNECT in Paris in 2011, followed by a Shanghai edition in 2017. Over a decade, she became a privileged witness to China’s “Golden Decade” of rapid digital transformation, engaging with experts and startups that grew into global tech leaders.

The vision for Asia Loopers emerged pre-COVID, expanding beyond China to other Asian growth markets. In 2021, she launched Asia Loopers India, producing marketing content focused on India, South Korea, and Japan. She regularly travels to India, closely tracking its dynamic economic momentum. In June 2024, she launched the CHINA/INDIA Conference in Paris.

Laure’s mission is to share her insights on the disruptive power of “Digital Asia” to help organizations navigate and succeed in this complex, fast-growing region—home to the world’s youngest population.

Her expertise has been featured in media such as Les Echos, Le Figaro, L’Express, BFM, France24, Radio Classique, RTL, Le Temps, Swissquote, Campaign, SCMP, WWD, eMarketer/Insider Intelligence, Jing Daily, Horizont, IQIYI, YCAI Global, and CGTN.

Mitrajit Bhattacharya

Founder, The Horologists
CEO, Publisher, Author, Columnist, Consultant.
Foremost Voice on Luxury in the Indian market.

Biodata:

Mitrajit Bhattacharya
Founder, The Horologists
CEO, Publisher, Author, Columnist, Consultant.
Foremost Voice on Luxury in the Indian market.

Mohan Murti

Advocate & International Industry Arbitrator, Former Managing Director-Europe, Reliance Industries Ltd.
Member of Supervisory Board Innoplexus AG, Germany

Degree in Law and Science; Master's in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management. Over 44 years' experience in international work, largely based in Europe. Initially, nominated by Ministry of Commerce, Government of India as India's Representative to UNITED NATIONS-IPS, Paris and Zurich. 1995 Director, Europe, CII, Cologne, Germany. CEO of Deutsche Bank subsidiary. Since 2004, Managing Director, Europe, Reliance Europe. Member, Supervisory Board, Innoplexus AG. International Industry Arbitrator. Frequent guest lecturer at European management schools. Op-Ed Columnist. Author of 5 books. Keynote speaker. Expertise: India & EU market entry strategies, cross-cultural trainer in aspects of doing business, M&A transactions, joint ventures, legal contract negotiations, FDI and technical collaborations.

Sushil K. Premchand

Chairman of the PRS Group, Mumbai, and the Managing Director of PRS Services AG, Zurich

Sushil K. Premchand is the Chairman of the PRS Group, Mumbai, and the Managing Director of PRS Services AG, Zurich. The main Group operating entity until June 2022, was PRS Permacel (www.prs-permacel.com), when it was sold to the St. Gobain Group in India.

A Chartered Accountant, with an economics degree, he joined the family business in 1985 after spending 14 years with the international accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, and 4 years with a British multinational.

In 2017, Sushil Premchand was honoured by the President of the Swiss Confederation as one of only five, named “Friendship Ambassadors” for his contribution to innovative ideas in his field of business and contribution to Swiss-Indian friendship. He is also a Board member and the Honorary President of the Swiss-Indian Chamber of Commerce in Zurich. He is an Emeritus member of the Advisory Board of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and was a member of the Court of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine until 2025.

Living in Switzerland since 1977, he travels regularly to India to monitor the family’s 168-year-old business.

Arnaud Rossi

Managing Director and CG&S Industry Lead Austria, Switzerland, Germany at Accenture

Arnaud (Arno) Rossi joined Accenture in 2002 and is leading the Consumer Goods and Luxury practices in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Russia. He is bringing 20+ years of international experiences in large and complex transformation programs.

With deep industry knowledge in FMCG, Beverage, Retail, Luxury and Tobacco, his domain of expertise is the supply to shelf/customer area.

Update: This session has been elevated to the official main program of the Luxury Innovation Summit 2025 as a Masterclass. It will now take place on 02 September 2025, in the FER Geneva Auditorium at 10:10 CET.

Winning in India’s Luxury Market: Speed, Strategy and Local Partnerships

Overview

India’s luxury market is entering a new growth phase. Demand is rising in watches, jewelry, fashion, beauty, hospitality, premium travel, and food and beverage. The 2024 EFTA–India trade agreement, once in force, will reshape access for Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

This session is the launch platform for the March 2026 International Business Delegation to India. The delegation will visit Delhi, Mumbai, and Jaipur for three days of curated meetings and cultural programs, followed by two days at the Luxury Innovation Summit – Mumbai Edition.

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Who Should Join

• CEOs, founders, and strategy heads planning India entry or expansion within 18 months
• Investors and advisors tracking high-growth luxury categories
• Leaders seeking partners for retail, distribution, or hospitality projects

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What You Will Take Away

• Market Clarity – Where the real opportunities lie across categories and regions
• Actionable Framework – Immediate steps to enter, expand, or accelerate in India
• Competitive Edge – How to embed AI, omnichannel excellence, and cultural intelligence into corporate strategy
• A one-page readiness checklist to benchmark your company
• Priority access to the March 2026 International Business Delegation

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Program Highlights (Tentative)

India’s luxury market is entering a decisive growth phase. Demand is accelerating across watches, jewelry, fashion, beauty, hospitality, premium travel, and food and beverage. The upcoming EFTA–India trade agreement will further reshape access for Swiss and European brands, making the timing critical for leaders seeking to enter or expand.

This 50-minute Masterclass provides both vision and actionable strategy, delivered in two compact modules:

Topics Covered:

• Mapping high-growth categories and cities

• Cultural drivers of demand: weddings, festivals, and diaspora links

• Why timing matters: EFTA–India trade deal and consumption boom

• The winning playbook: blending omnichannel retail with live and quick commerce

• Building effective local collaborations and leadership

• What global CEOs must rewire to scale fast and stay competitive

This session also serves as the launch platform for the March 2026 International Business Delegation to India and the Luxury Innovation Summit – Mumbai Edition.

Update: This session has been elevated to the official main program of the Luxury Innovation Summit 2025 as a Masterclass. It will now take place on 02 September 2025, in the FER Geneva Auditorium at 10:10 CET.

About the Luxury Venture Group

The Luxury Venture Group (Maison LVG) is a Swiss-based venture capital company focused on venture capital investment in startups from the luxury industry. Initiated in 2019, the LVG aims to establish itself as a world leader in venture capital investment for startups from the luxury and related industries. With the industry’s carefully selected and most promising startups, LVG uses the full power of its unique ecosystem to support its portfolio companies in their journey towards success. LVG’s network helps these startups grow, makes them investment-ready for Series A and beyond, and provides them with new investors / co-investors and fund-raising phases.

www.lvg.swiss