It was indeed a privilege to chair the 2009 edition of India Retail Forum (IRF), which effectively captured the positive energies of the best retail minds and signaled the resurgence of retail. I am happy that IRF succeeded in its sole objective of engineering the confidence wave – clearly reflected through the voice and expressions of over 1800 participants in this mega congregation.

My duty now is to hand over the reins of IRF to a representative of the industry who will lift the Forum to greater heights in its seventh year. After getting the views of over 250 industry captains, one name stood out. When this person was nominated by Mr. Sanjiv Goenka of RPG Group and seconded jointly by Mr. Kishore Biyani of Future Group and Mr. Thomas Varghese of Aditya Birla Retail, the opinion of the industry leaders was clear.

Mr. Kurien has kindly accepted the mandate of his industry counterparts, and will chair the 2010 edition of the magnum opus of Indian retail, where the retail world comes together to understand and explore the world's most lucrative retail market. Accordingly, it is my proud privilege to welcome Mr. Bijou Kurien, President & Chief Executive - Lifestyle Vertical, Reliance Retail, as the Chairman of IRF 2010.

Bijou has been associated with marquee brands in fast moving consumer products and consumer durables industry for over 29 years. In his stint with Titan Industries, he helped build powerful brands in the Watch and Jewellery Industry like Titan, Fastrack, Sonata, Tanishq etc and also create India’s largest exclusive brand retail chains. His association with the development of Indian retail spans to over two decades . In his current stint with Reliance Retail, he is at the forefront of one of the most ambitious retail ventures ever which has the potential to dramatically transform the Indian retail landscape.

A prolific speaker on behavioral insights and retail, Bijou has been associated with the IRF since its inception and has significantly contributed to its development. In addition, he has also been associated with the World Retail Congress since its inception as a speaker member of its advisory board as well as the grand jury for selection of the world retail award winners. In addition to retail industry forum, he is also a member of the retail committee of FICCI, CII State council and governing boards of various academic institutions. It is my pleasure to introduce Mr Bijou Kurien as the Chairman of IRF 2010, the theme of which is “Get the Power”.

As you all know, IRF is all about sharing, learning and evolving together, and is recognized as a global standard. With his unique style, his remarkable accomplishments and tremendous passion for retailing, Mr. Kurien is the ideal Chairman to make this huge business, knowledge and networking platform even more relevant for the participants.

IRF goes way beyond just speeches, presentations and discussions. -- it literally stimulates our minds, bodies and souls. I myself experience its great energy every year. I eagerly look forward to the 2010 edition of IRF, which promises to be bigger, better and busier than ever!

I invite the entire retail fraternity to join me in extending all support to Mr. Kurien in making IRF '10 a huge success, and look forward to seeing you all there.

With best wishes


B S Nagesh, Chairman, India Retail Forum ´09,
Chairman, Retailers Association of India
Vice Chairman, Shopper´s Stop Ltd.