GRI Data Center India 2026

Rachit Mohan serves as JLL's APAC Head - Data Center Leasing and India Head - Data Center Transactions. With over 16 years of experience in real estate leasing and investments, he is a key authority within the data center industry. Mohan drives strategic initiatives, offering critical insights into market trends, demand, and investment for India's rapidly expanding digital infrastructure. His expertise encompasses colocation, site selection, and transaction advisory, significantly contributing to JLL's regional leadership in the data center sector.

Manoj is responsible for leading Equinix’s business strategy in India. Manoj joined Equinix in 2021 following the acquisition of GPX India. As the MD, he successfully helped GPX India become India’s most hyperconnected carrier-neutral edge data center with an unparalleled ecosystem of carriers, content providers & cloud service providers. He has over 25 years of experience in the IT and telecom infrastructure and services industry. Before GPX, he has held senior management positions in leading ICT companies, incl. Bharti Airtel where he was the COO for Enterprise Business, Lucent Technologies (acquired by Nokia), HCL and Avaya. He holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and a BE in Electronics and Telecomm. from the Jabalpur Engineering College.

Pratap Mane is the Country Head, India, at Colt Data Centre Services, leading the company's strategic expansion in the Indian hyperscale data centre market. With over 40 years of experience in telecoms, infrastructure, real estate, and corporate services, he is instrumental in delivering large-scale, resilient capacity and driving significant growth for Colt DCS in India.

Known as the ‘Data Center Man of India’, Sunil has built and operated the most third-party data centers in India. His efforts have been instrumental in India’s data center growth story and have been recognized in the industry in the form of numerous accolades on domestic and global platforms. Sunil has been featured in the illustrious Data Economy’s APAC 50 list and is one of the 100 personalities to watch out for in the next decade who are posed to heavily influence the direction and transformation of the global data center and cloud markets.

Surajit Chatterjee is the Managing Director and Head of Data Centre, India at CapitaLand Investment (CLI), where he has played a pivotal role in conceptualising and leading the establishment of CLI’s data centre platform in India from the grounds up. Under his strategic direction, the business has grown into a robust portfolio with a planned capacity of 245 MW across India’s key digital infrastructure hubs — Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai. A strong advocate for future-ready and sustainable digital infrastructure, Surajit has been instrumental in integrating advanced technologies such as liquid cooling, energy-efficient systems, and resilient design frameworks across the data centre landscape. He is also the Co-Chairperson of the ASSOCHAM National Council on Data Centre since 2024, which enables him to further contribute to the DC industry.

Shantanu Gupta is a Partner at Khaitan & Co, specializing in corporate and commercial law, private equity, mergers & acquisitions, and joint ventures. He advises domestic and international clients on complex transactions, including deal structuring, due diligence, investment strategies, and post-transaction matters across sectors such as energy, infrastructure, real estate, and manufacturing. With extensive experience working with private equity funds, strategic investors, and corporate groups, Shantanu is known for his pragmatic, commercially focused approach and his ability to navigate high-value and cross-border transactions efficiently.

Nikhil is a serial tech entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of Web Werks, a global leader in Data Centers and Cloud Services. Web Werks has partnered in 2021 with Iron Mountain Data Centers to enhance its presence pan India and cater to a growing base of international customers. Nikhil is also the founder of Neosoft Technologies, Next Star Venture Capital LLP and the largest Internet Exchange (IX) in India which later merged in the year 2017 to form DECIX in India. With over 22+ years of technology experience, he brings in a deep understanding of each industry and has a keen business sense. Nikhil holds a Master Degree in Computer Science, MBA (Marketing) from Nichols College (US) and is also a Graduate in Finance and Business.

Sandeep Dandekar is a Senior Director at NTT Global Data Centres – India, a distinguished leader with over 30 years of experience across diverse sectors including ITES – Cloud & Data Centres. A Mechanical Engineer and MBA, he plays a crucial role in NTT's leadership, contributing significantly to its top position in the India Data Centres domain. He is also a recognized author and mentor.

Benjamin Isaac serves as Senior Director, Markets at JLL India, bringing extensive expertise in commercial real estate and market intelligence. Based in India, he leads strategic market analysis and research initiatives across key metropolitan areas. Isaac specializes in office leasing, investment sales, and market forecasting, providing critical insights that drive JLL's advisory services for institutional clients. His deep understanding of India's dynamic real estate landscape and emerging market trends positions him as a key contributor to JLL's growth strategy in the region. Isaac's analytical approach and market expertise help clients navigate complex real estate decisions in India's evolving commercial property sector.

A senior business leader with over 20 years of experience, Deepak has advised and worked with Financial Institutions and Private Equity Funds in cross functional roles. He is committed to long-term value creation with proven capabilities in conceptualizing and building successful businesses and across the full investment lifecycle. Deepak is currently part of the leadership team of the EverCloud DC platform building Hyperscale Data centres across India. He is responsible for business strategy, capital raise and hyperscale relationships. He earlier set up the India business for Bridge Data centres, backed by Bain Capital and was involved in the merger and subsequent listing of the combined entity on NASDAQ. His earlier roles were with Avendus, Barclays and Kotak. He is an alumnus of IIM Lucknow where he received his full time MBA and has earned his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.

Seasoned professional with 15 years of experience in the areas of facilities management, sustainability, solar PV design, green building concepts and ESG.

Pinkesh Narendrabhai Kotecha is the Chairman & Managing Director of Ishan Technologies, a leading pan-India ICT and digital infrastructure platform with 100+ locations serving enterprise, government, and telecom sectors. With 25+ years of technology leadership and corporate governance experience, he founded and has led Ishan’s strategic transformation into a trusted provider of network services, cloud, data centre, cybersecurity, and AI-ready infrastructure. Under his leadership, the company has earned industry accolades including the Frost & Sullivan 2024 India Network Services Emerging Company of the Year and key partnerships with global technology providers.

Sukrit Anand serves as Head of Investments at Digital Connexions, a leading technology and digital transformation company based in India. With extensive experience in investment strategy and portfolio management, he oversees the company's investment initiatives and strategic financial decisions. Anand brings deep expertise in evaluating technology ventures, managing risk, and identifying growth opportunities in the digital sector. His leadership has been instrumental in driving Digital Connexions' expansion and strategic partnerships. Known for his analytical approach and market insights, he plays a key role in the company's investment committee and strategic planning processes.

Mr. Varun Maniar is the Managing Director with more than 8 years of experience in diversified profiles at Electromech. He holds an BE in Electrical Engineering and Finance from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Having worked in various profiles in Financial Markets, Investment Banking and Fixed Income Research, and has expertise in Project Finance, Business Strategy, Corporate Finance and Business Development He is a dynamic new generation Entrepreneur and is the think tank behind business excellence and transformational Projects at Electromech.

Alok Jain is a Principal in the Real Estate Group. Since joining Blackstone, Alok has been involved in evaluating real estate investments in several property types. Before joining Blackstone in 2011, Alok worked as a Hardware Engineer with Nvidia Graphics and was involved in designing and verifying complex computer chips. Alok received Bachelors of Engineering (Hons.) from BITS-Pilani where he was awarded the BITS-Merit and BITS-Alumni scholarships. He completed his MBA in Finance from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore

Three decades of experience and a renewable energy leader. Notably former founder and CEO of O2 Power, senior leader at ReNew Power and current President of WIPPA (Wind Independent Power Producers Association) company is focused on setting up large scale wind and solar projects in India. Parag has worked in power sector for almost 23 years. Before starting O2 Power, Parag has worked with ReNew as Chief Operating Officer for 8 years and was instrumental in setting up 5 GW of wind and solar capacity. Parag has also worked as Director in KPMG’s transaction service division and have spent significant 10 years in consulting Industry.

Vivek Sharma is a senior energy-sector leader with more than 24 years of experience, currently heading Energy Strategy at Adani Energy Solutions. He oversees strategic planning, investment guidance, and cross business decision support across the group’s entire energy portfolio. He also leads the Adani’s Nuclear Business, where he is driving the development of India’s first private sector–backed nuclear power plants by building key technology partnerships and guiding long-term portfolio expansion. His work spans the full energy value chain, including power markets, renewable and thermal power, transmission and distribution, green hydrogen, energy storage, and digital transformation.