PETFORWARD -
Moving India's pet
industry forward.
Leaders from across the globe share what it took to build pet businesses at scale.
25–26 November 2026 | Hall 4, Bombay Exhibition Centre (NESCO), Mumbai
Moving India's pet
industry forward.
Leaders from across the globe share what it took to build pet businesses at scale.
25–26 November 2026 · Hall 4, Bombay Exhibition Centre (NESCO), Mumbai
PETFORWARD runs across both days of PetBridge. Leaders from across the globe share what it took to build pet businesses at scale, and where they see the category going from here.
Whatever stage you are at, the sessions are built to move you forward. Weighing whether to enter the category, you get an honest picture of where the money is being made. Trying to get into retail, you hear how listing decisions are made. Looking for a manufacturing partner, you learn what suppliers need before they quote. Importing or exporting, you get the regulatory and certification picture from people who have cleared it. Looking to invest, you hear which categories are genuinely opening and which are being oversold.
Ten Plus sessions cover the length of the value chain, each built to keep the room in the conversation rather than listening to it. Sessions run alongside the exhibition floor, so you can move between the two through the day.
Six tracks. Every stage
of the value chain.
Ten Plus sessions across two days,
from the opening keynote
to the final working session.
Schedule, timings and speakers may change without prior notice.
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Inauguration & Welcome Address
The official inauguration and welcome address will be followed by a guided walk through the exhibition floor.
Vicky Menezes
Founder & Show Director
PetBridge
H.E Mr. Walter Ferrara
Consul General of Italy in Mumbai
Luisa Bersanetti
Business Unit Pet Industry Manager
BOLOGNAFIERE GROUP – ZOOMARK
11:05 AM – 11:35 AM
Global Pet Market Landscape and the India Opportunity
Where the global pet market stands, and what it signals for India.
Attendees can expect a data-led view of the market alongside practical insights into the forces likely to shape the next phase of pet care growth in India.
Sahiba Puri
Global Insight Manager, Pet Care
Euromonitor International
11:40 AM – 12:10 PM
Health, Humanisation and Hyper-Personalisation
How India's pet parents are evolving and their expectations from pet food are changing.
A clear view of where pet food innovation is heading in India, drawn from the latest Indian consumer insights and Mintel’s global predictions, and where brands can find growth.
Hansika Subramanian
Mintel
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM
Where The Money Flows
What investors are backing in pet care, and why.
A clear understanding of what investors look for, how valuations are set, and where the funding gaps sit for founders raising now.
Apoorv Gautam
Founder & Managing Partner
Atomic Capital
Arjun Vaidya
Co-Founder
V3 Ventures
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch & Networking
Connect with exhibitors, buyers and peers on the exhibition floor.
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM
Five Years Ahead
What mature pet markets reveal about where India is heading.
A clear sense of where category innovation is going in mature markets, and which shifts are worth acting on now.
Govind Suryawanshi
Corporate Affairs Director
Royal Canin India
Sahiba Puri
Global Insight Manager, Pet Care
Euromonitor International
Simone Borgia
Export Sales Director
Adragna Petfood
Pascale Sonvico
Zoomark Exhibition Manager
BOLOGNAFIERE GROUP – ZOOMARK
2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
The Growth Engine
Mapping the route to scale.
A practical view of the route to scale for a pet brand, and how the right manufacturing partners support it.
Gaurav Khanna
Partner
RÖDL India
Manaal Maniyar
Co-founder, TailBlazer / Founder
SAPL Pets
Mariusz Konrad Dziedzic
Owner
𝗠 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱
3:30 PM – 4:15 PM
The Power Room
Founders, CEOs and investors on where India's pet industry goes next.
An informed view of consolidation, capital and the growth areas taking shape.
Bharat Pittie
Director
Orange Pet Nutrition
Sneh Sharma
Co-Founder & CMO
Dogsee Chew
1:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Pitch Day
Alongside PETFORWARD, in the Workshop Area: live startup pitches to a panel of investors, closed-door investor meetings, linked to the Startup Pavilion, and a networking evening.
Divya Gupta
Principal
Sharrp Ventures
6:00 PM Onwards
Changemakers
A stage to felicitate the people doing extraordinary work for animal welfare.
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
Well & Thriving
How pet healthcare is being built in India.
A clear picture of how veterinary chains, diagnostics and preventive care are reshaping pet health, and what that opens up for everyone selling into it.
Ritesh Sood
Strategic Marketing Lead
Cargill
Marcello di Rocco
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
The Shelf Wars
What it takes to get listed, and to stay listed.
A clear view of what retail and quick commerce look for in a supplier, and what gets a brand onto the shelf and keeps it there.
Abhishek Agrawal
Founder
Smylo
Akshay Mahendru
Co-Founder & CEO
Nootie
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM
Beyond the Basics: Raising the Standard of Animal Care
Why behaviour science is becoming standard in veterinary practice.
A practical understanding of what low-stress handling changes in a clinic, and how to build it into everyday practice.
Ravi Upadrrasta
Pet Industry Expert
Shirin Dhabhar
Founder
Canines Can Care
Dr. Pawan Kumar
Founder and Medical Director
Cessna Lifeline Veterinary Hospital
Dr Milind Hatekar
Founder
Petsburgh Grooming Academy
Andrea Cyrill Khurana
Founder & President
PPGAI
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Lunch & Networking
Connect with exhibitors, buyers and peers on the exhibition floor.
2:30 PM – 2:50 PM
IMPORTS & QUARANTINE
A clear, first-hand view of the clearance path, from someone who ran it, and how to get your paperwork right the first time.
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
QUALITY & COMPLIANCE
A clear checklist for keeping your pet products compliant and trusted, and a view of the rules that are coming next.
Dr. Rajiv Khosla
Retired Joint Commissioner
Animal Quarantine & Certification Services (AQCS) Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Government of India
1:30 PM – 4:45 PM
PPAM Vet Programme
Alongside PETFORWARD, in the Workshop Area, with PPAM: 1:30 welcome and lunch - a table of five of India's most celebrated biryanis, served with beer; 2:30 a curated walk of the show floor with the PetBridge and PPAM teams; 3:30 the PPAM presentation, "Raising the Standard: Companion Animal Practice in India 2026–2030"; 4:00 a live demo on handling stressed dogs and cats at the clinic; 4:30 high tea and a group photograph.
Shirin Dhabhar
Founder
Canines Can Care
A separate Workshop Area runs alongside the main stage on both days - Pitch Day on Day 1 and the PPAM Vet Programme on Day 2. See the highlighted "Parallel Track" sessions above for full details.
PETFORWARD · PetBridge 2026
Ten Plus sessions.
Every one complimentary.
Register to visit PetBridge 2026 and access the full PETFORWARD programme at no additional cost.