People laughed at him when he was toying with the idea of “Corporatising Retail’. Today, Kishore Biyani is laughing all the way to the bank. Just 49, he has recently authored a book, “It Happened in India” that captures his entrepreneurial journey and the growth of modern retailing in India.

A calculated risk taker, he is the MD of Pantaloon Retail and the Group CEO of the Future Group. He has led Pantaloon Retail’s emergence as India’s leading retailer operating in multiple formats that now cater to the consumption basket of a large section of Indian consumers.

Both Pantaloons, the family store in 1997, and the launch of Big Bazaar, a uniquely Indian hypermarket format that democratized shopping in India.in 2001, sort of changed the way India shopped. It blends the look, touch and feel of Indian bazaars with aspects of modern retail like choice, convenience and quality. This was followed by a number of other formats including Food Bazaar, Central and Home Town.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 in the Services Sector and the Lakshmipat Singhania - IIM Lucknow Young Business Leader Award,. the CNBC First Generation Entrepreneur of the Year, and that was just 2006. Obviously, he hasn’t hit his stride yet!