Our Leaders

Vikas is an inspirational and innovative global leader who has lived and worked in many countries across three continents. He is a seasoned operator who is passionate about building highly engaged, winning teams, and delivering breakthrough growth. Prior to joining Compass, he embarked on an entrepreneurial journey, building the healthy beverage brand Raskik, a coconut water-based juice, and scaling it to over 35,000 outlets.

He had a long and thoroughly enjoyable journey with The Coca-Cola Company, in diverse leadership roles across India and Europe. He led operations for Coca-Cola in India for 7 years and tripled its retail penetration. His last role in Coca-Cola was as the Managing Director for Southeast Europe, leading the business to double-digit growth across a dozen countries. Vikas believes in leveraging innovation as a key pillar of growth across businesses, including product, packaging, and marketing. Vikas’s passion for social impact has led him back to India after leading various global roles. He holds an MBA degree from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA, with Advanced Management Program (AMP) at Harvard Business School, Boston.

Ashwani is responsible for leading strategies, technologies and innovations supporting Compass India’s phenomenal growth journey and ambitious business objectives. Prior to this, he was the Chief Operating Officer, Food Services at Compass India where he led Compass India to a strong market share growth and sectoral expansion. He started his journey with Compass India in September 2013 and has held various leadership positions of increasing responsibility since then.

Ashwani is a dynamic business leader with over 20 years of experience in the food service industry. He always has an eye on rapidly evolving key business drivers, and the ability to strategize and leverage the drivers for sustainable growth is what sets Ashwani apart. An innovative thinker and an avid learner, he is passionate about operational and process excellence. He is a graduate from the Institute of Hotel Management, New Delhi and has master’s degree in business administration from International Institute of Mass Media, Delhi, India.

Joel holds a dynamic career spanning over three decades, he has been instrumental in driving the vision, strategy, and growth for many organisations in start-up and exponential growth environments.

Prior to Compass, Joel was the Director of Business & Operations at Sodexo where he managed an extensive commercial real estate portfolio in India’s IT / ITeS sector. His professional endeavours include various leadership roles at LG Electronics, General Electric and Philips India.

An Economics Honours graduate from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and a postgraduate from IMI, Delhi, Joel is active in various industry and professional bodies and is a member of ISLE, ISHRAE, IFMA and CoreNet.

A successful serial entrepreneur, Krishna Wage infused his innovative spirit into Compass Group India in 2020. Passionate about leveraging technology to enhance human potential, he brings a wealth of experience in building high-performance teams and driving impactful business transformations.

As the Co-Founder and CEO of Bottle Lab Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (SMARTQ) since December 2014, Krishna has led the B2B food-tech startup in revolutionizing the F&B experience within institutions. Under his leadership, SMARTQ has redefined industry standards, making institutional dining more efficient, tech-driven, and consumer-centric.

Previously, in 2010, Krishna founded ‘ADing Value’, a media company that provided innovative media channels for impactful campaigns. His entrepreneurial journey also includes a stint as a Life Coach at Quantum Leap.

Krishna’s commitment to exceeding expectations and creating value through diverse ventures reflects his visionary leadership, positioning him at the forefront of technological and business innovation.

Debashish is a seasoned leader in the service industry with over a decade of expertise in food and beverage operations. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, USA, with an MBA from a renowned institution, he has honed his expertise through roles at prestigious establishments like Kimpton Hotels in Boston and the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai. Since founding the business in 2007, Mr. Yadav has been the driving force behind its strategic vision and growth. His leadership emphasises building a team of dedicated professionals and setting new standards for service excellence and innovation.

Paramita holds over two decades of financial expertise and is a CA (Nov 1998) and CISA (June 2009). Paramita excels in finance, budgeting, controls, and process improvements. Her strengths include corporate governance. As a strategic leader, she drives Compass Group India’s growth through forward-looking strategies and expansive vision. Paramita instills a high-performance culture with her exemplary leadership, industry insights, and proactive planning. With a distinguished career at Adidas, Indigo, EY, and EIH Ltd., she stands as a dynamic financial steward, shaping the company’s trajectory and contributing to its strategic success.

Amit Maheshwari, boasts an impressive 26-year tenure in the food and beverage sector. Widely recognised for his prowess in enhancing operational excellence, Amit consistently delivers substantial business returns through strategic planning and innovative problem-solving methodologies. With a proven track record of orchestrating successful brand launches and optimising operational workflows, Amit has been instrumental in establishing and expanding leading food and beverage brands across India.

In his capacity as COO, Amit Maheshwari leads Partnership & Retail Operations with distinction, drawing upon his extensive expertise and forward-thinking approach to navigate the dynamic landscape of the industry.

Subroto Gupta brings over 25 years of global leadership experience in sales, marketing, operations, and innovation programs across B2B and B2C companies. An alumnus of the MIT Sloan School of Management, Subroto has been recognised for his pioneering work in collective intelligence, automation, and design thinking, featured in publications such as Forbes, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review. At Compass India, Subroto spearheads strategy development, identifies and commercialises new business ideas, drives sustainability initiatives, and oversees M&A activities. His impactful career includes senior roles at Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd. and GENPACT, where he spearheaded numerous workplace innovation and digital transformation programs. As an Advisory Member of SHEROES, he actively contributes to the professional development of women.

Manika brings over two decades of global and local HR expertise. Leading the human resources function, she oversees culture, employee experience, talent management, diversity, equity, inclusion, acquisition integration, and organization development.  With a diverse career history at GE, Sapient, and IndiGo, where she served as Vice President Human Resources, Manika has excelled in leading HR for various businesses, setting up HR Shared Service Centres, and driving talent management initiatives. Recognised with the Women’s Leadership Achievement Award and HR Leadership Award, she’s been pivotal in leading women’s leadership networks and mental well-being agendas.

Manish possesses over 2.5 decades of extensive experience in driving business transformation through technology and data. Leading digital product development, implementing innovative service delivery models, and designing robust IT infrastructure, Manish is a dynamic, performance-driven leader. Prior to Compass, he served as Senior VP & Head of IT Governance, PMO at Bharti Airtel Limited, managing strategic IT partners globally and leading a major change in the IT service delivery model. Manish’s leadership roles at Genpact and GECIS highlight his proficiency in overseeing end-to-end IT setups for prestigious clients, implementing IT infrastructure projects, and driving operational excellence. His strategic approach to technology has consistently generated true business value, marking him as a visionary CIO in the industry.

Ashish holds over two decades of illustrious experience, Ashish brings forth a wealth of expertise garnered from numerous leadership roles in both national and global procurement & supply chain operations.

Within his current role, Ashish shall spearhead the Procurement & Supply Chain function, serving as an integral member of the esteemed India Execom. Leveraging his exceptional leadership acumen, Ashish will drive the group towards crafting a visionary procurement strategy, fostering robust supplier relationships, ensuring seamless delivery of products and services, overseeing procurement projects and teams, adhering to compliance and regulations, and an array of other crucial responsibilities.

Under Ashish’s guidance, the group shall flourish, poised to navigate the intricate landscape of procurement and supply chain management, all while embracing a long-term vision for sustained growth and excellence.

Arjyo is a seasoned F&B innovator with over two decades of expertise. Passionate about culinary excellence, he spearheads workplace food innovation, sustainability, and wellness strategies. Arjyo’s impactful journey includes leadership roles at Americana in Dubai and Yum Brands and Restaurants International, where he drove significant product development and co-branded initiatives. As the Founder of ACFS Ltd., he provided comprehensive solutions in food and beverage innovation.

Arjyo’s influence extends beyond borders, leaving an indelible mark on the global culinary landscape. He has served as personal Chef for Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. Pranab Mukherjee along with 250 other high-level Indian delegates, during the ASEAN Summit, 2007 in Cebu City. His commitment to excellence and strategic vision shines through in his current role, leading nationwide culinary operations and creating innovative workplace food solutions for Compass Group India.

Vishwak boasts two decades of legal expertise across diverse industries such as healthcare, consumer durables, electronics, and information technology. As a trusted advisor and experienced legal counsel, Vishwak has worked with multinational giants like Max Healthcare, HCL Technologies, Samsung Electronics, and Dell, shaping legal strategies for the India region, Southwest Asia, and APAC.

A result-oriented legal professional with a commercial focus, Vishwak excels in legal documentation, contract drafting, compliance, legal training, audits, and policy design. His leadership is marked by the implementation of best practices and streamlined systems, enhancing efficiency and ensuring timely, high-quality deliverables. A Law and Commerce graduate from Delhi University, Vishwak brings core competencies in contract management, corporate laws, compliance, and team management to his role.

Richa brings nearly 25 years of expertise in client solutions and strategy. A visionary leader, she has been instrumental in driving result-oriented initiatives that seamlessly align with the company’s business goals.

Under her leadership, Compass Group’s Food Services division—its largest footprint in India—has achieved exponential growth over the past five years, spanning corporates, education, healthcare, manufacturing, and HoReCa.

Richa’s approach centres on creating bespoke solutions tailored to the unique needs of each client, with a focus on future-proof solutions and contracts. With a relentless drive and a limitless growth mindset, Richa has built a framework of intent and excellence, ensuring long-term client relationships and transformative success.

Rohit is a seasoned sales and general management leader with over two decades of experience in the technology and services industry. As the Chief Growth Officer at Compass Group, he has been spearheading growth initiatives in the support services portfolio, focusing on innovation, people, and partnerships.

Rohit’s professional journey has been marked by his ability to blend tech execution with strategic growth, underpinned by a deep-rooted belief in the power of teamwork. Before joining Compass Group in July 2024, he served as Sales Director at Microsoft, leading digital sales teams in India and Korea, focusing on cloud and AI solutions.

A strong advocate for sustainability, Rohit integrates eco-friendly practices that ensure Compass Group’s services are not only efficient but also environmentally conscious, aligning with global sustainability goals.

Rohit holds an MBA from XLRI and an engineering degree from the College of Engineering, Pune. Beyond his professional achievements, Rohit is a passionate advocate for Diversity & Inclusion (D&I), actively promoting awareness and understanding in his circles. He is also an avid runner, regularly participating in various distance running events.

Munish Sharma is a seasoned professional with over two decades of leadership experience spanning operations, business development, and team management.
At Compass, he oversees complete operations of food services and drives operational excellence. Prior to his current role, Munish held several key positions at Compass Group India, including Director of Operations—National Accounts, Senior General Manager—Operations, and General Manager—Mobilisations. During his tenure, he played an instrumental role in planning and launching new sites, managing key accounts, and cultivating high-performing teams. His focus on customer-centric solutions, cost controls, and efficient workflows has consistently translated into successful client partnerships and sustained business growth.
Passionate about developing people-centric cultures and maximising operational efficiency, Munish adopts a hands-on leadership style paired with a strategic vision—driving measurable value for stakeholders at every level. He continues to champion innovation, collaboration, and service excellence, remaining at the forefront of transforming the food services landscape.

Pankaj Kejriwal has over 22+ years of leadership experience in driving profitable growth and innovation. He specialises in business finance, acquisitions & integration, working capital management, and brings in a deep understanding of financial planning & analysis, process simplification & automation, and enhancing enterprise productivity.

He facilitates profitable growth by optimising operational efficiencies and navigates evolving markets with agility. Known for his skills in finance, he emphasises risk mitigation and compliance to safeguard business interests. He is truly passionate about effectively developing high-performing teams, sharing knowledge, and embedding best practices for sustained success.

Nitasha brings 18 years of expertise in B2B Marketing & Communications. She leads enterprise marketing strategy, brand building, and corporate communications, focusing on integrated communication, business growth, and brand architecture to enhance Compass Group’s presence in India. Nitasha plays a key role in client communications, industry relations, and advocacy, partnering in business growth for increased market share and reach. Her work emphasises thought leadership and creating impactful, tailored solutions for client engagement. Before joining Compass, Nitasha held senior marketing roles with leading MNCs and start-ups globally, across various industries, specialising in brand strategy, corporate communications, and digital marketing. She has worked across various world areas. A mass communication graduate with a master’s in business marketing from Toronto, Canada, Nitasha is known for her passion for leadership and fostering team growth.

With over 20 years of experience across leading brands, Malabika is a staunch advocate of customer-centricity. She has been with Compass Group India for over 9 years. In her previous role at Compass, she was spearheading marketing and communications. She is now building Chartwells India as a leading sector brand in India. Collaborating closely with the innovation team, she designs and develops insight-driven value propositions and bespoke client solutions for the education sector. Her mission is to partner with leading institutions to transform and reimagine the campus dining experience across K-12 and higher education segments.

Guided by a passion for giving back to the community and an unwavering optimism, Malabika remains driven to make a meaningful impact.

Harish holds a robust professional background spanning over two decades. He has honed his expertise through notable stints at prominent companies such as Book My Show, Reliance Big Cinemas, Spring Leaf Retail, Reliance Retail, and Café Coffee Day.

Within his current role, Harish assumes the vital responsibility of spearheading the sector strategy in food services. His unwavering focus revolves around accelerating revenue growth through the implementation of client-facing solutions, refining operational development, overseeing proposal management, and ensuring seamless operational delivery.

Additionally, Harish embraces the task of driving effective account management in collaboration with the regional and corporate teams to further bolster the organisation’s success.  Through his astute leadership, he endeavours to elevate Medirest India as a prominent sector brand in alignment with the company’s long-term vision and strategic plan.