Cover

Issue 01 — The Executive Pageant — Gurugram — 06.02.2027

An executive pageant with one prize: the cover.

Twelve finalists. One jury. One issue. CEOs, founders and CXOs, judged on presence, point of view and the proof behind both.

Nominate Read the brief

Nominations close 30 November 2026, 23:59 IST · Nomination is free

  • The Cover
  • Point of View
  • Presence
  • The Operator
  • The Builder
  • Under 40
  • Woman on the Cover
  • Issue 01
  • Gurugram
  • 6 February 2027
  • Hangar 7, Cyber City
  • Twelve finalists
  • One cover
  • Nominations close 30 November 2026

01 / The brief

The brief

  1. Sponsors buy pages. Winners get the cover.

    1From Issue 01, one cover a year. Partners buy the pages behind it and hold no vote on who is in front of it. Issue 01 goes to print on 15 February 2027.

  2. A shortlist. A sitting. A cover.

    2Twelve finalists sit before the jury and the camera in Gurugram, 18 to 22 January 2027. The sitting is scored. The shoot is published.

  3. Proof first. Then presence.

    3Every claim in a nomination is checked against filings, references and the public record before a nominee is seen. Presence is judged last, in person.

0Nominations screened in the pilot year
0Covers printed in 2026
0Titles in Issue 01

02 / The index

Seven titles. One of them is the cover.

Hover or tab through the rows. Open one for the criterion in full.

  1. Judged across every criterion: the record, the point of view, the sitting. Not open to nomination. The jury confers it at 22:15 on 6 February 2027 from the finalists of the six titles below. One a year.

    The titleholder is the cover of Issue 01, print and online, from 15 February 2027.

  2. For the executive whose stated view of their sector, in filings, interviews and on stage, has been consistent for at least three years and borne out by results. Judged on the record and a 20-minute sitting before the jury.

  3. Scored at the sitting in Gurugram by the full jury, and again live on the night. Nothing submitted on paper counts towards this title.

  4. For a CEO, MD or COO whose last three financial years show the work: operating margin, delivery against guidance, attrition below the sector median. Audited figures only; the desk reads the filings.

  5. For a founder who holds an executive role in a company valued at ₹1,000 crore or more, or with ₹250 crore or more in annual revenue, built from incorporation. A board seat alone does not qualify.

  6. For a CEO, founder or CXO under 40 on 6 February 2027. Judged on the scale reached, the manner of reaching it and the sitting. Finalists remain eligible for The Cover.

  7. Judged across every criterion. Her finalists remain eligible for The Cover, and in the pilot year two of the four covers went to women.

03 / Spec

Who may be nominated.

Eligibility specification
RoleCEO · MD · Founder · CXOCXOs must report to the board or the managing director. Founders must hold an executive role.
Company₹250 crore or more in annual revenue, or a last-round valuation of ₹1,000 crore or moreListed or private. Audited accounts or the last round’s term sheet are checked at screening.
Tenure24 months or more in the role by 30 November 2026
CitiesMumbai · New Delhi · Bengaluru · Hyderabad · GurugramHeadquarters in another Indian city: by invitation, write to the desk.
Nominated byA board member, colleague, investor or communications leadSelf-nomination accepted with a board member’s written endorsement.
Closes30 November 2026, 23:59 IST

Nomination is free. Finalists pay nothing; travel and stay for the sitting are covered. Pages and tables are sold to partners.

04 / The run

Six steps from a name to a cover.

  1. 01

    Nominations

    Open now · Close 30 November 2026, 23:59 IST

    OutputEvery nomination acknowledged within five working days. The nominee is not told.

  2. 02

    Screening

    1 to 24 December 2026 · The desk checks filings, references and endorsements

    OutputThe long list: 48 names, six per title plus twelve for The Cover pool.

  3. 03

    The shortlist

    8 January 2027 · Six jurors score the long list alone, then confer

    OutputTwelve finalists, told by telephone the same day.

  4. 04

    The sitting

    18 to 22 January 2027 · Gurugram · A 20-minute interview before the jury, then the shoot, on camera

    OutputTwelve covers shot. One will be printed.

  5. 05

    The night

    Saturday, 6 February 2027, 20:00 · Hangar 7, Cyber City, Gurugram

    OutputSeven titles conferred live. The Cover revealed at 22:15.

  6. 06

    The issue

    15 February 2027 · Issue 01 goes to print and online

    OutputTwelve finalists inside. One on the front.

05 / The jury

Six jurors. No partner sits.

Jurors serve for one issue, recuse from any company they hold, advise or compete with, and score alone before they confer.

  1. 01

    Natasha Lobo

    Chair of the Jury · Former editor, a national business monthly

  2. 02

    Siddharth Chawla

    Founder, a Bengaluru consumer-electronics brand

  3. 03

    Priyanka Ghosh

    Group CHRO, a listed IT-services major

  4. 04

    Omkar Joshi

    Managing Partner, a Mumbai venture fund

  5. 05

    Meher Irani

    Creative Director, a Mumbai fashion house

  6. 06

    Gautam Pillai

    Professor of Strategy, a Hyderabad business school

06 / The night

Saturday, 6 February 2027. Doors at 20:00.

00Days
00Hours
00Minutes
00Seconds

Hangar 7, Cyber City, Gurugram

Black. Only black.

Three hundred guests: the twelve finalists and their nominators, the jury, partners and the four covers of the pilot year. Seating is assigned by the desk; partners’ requests are honoured in order of tier. Suit, bandhgala, saree, sherwani or dress, in black, without logos.

Programme

  1. Doors. The twelve covers hang unlit along the hangar wall.
  2. The sitting, live: twelve finalists before the jury and the camera.
  3. Seven titles conferred. The Cover is revealed and lit.
  4. Dinner.

07 / Past covers

Issue 00. The pilot year.

Four quarterly covers in 2026. From Issue 01, one a year.

  • CoverNo. 00 — Q1 2026

    Ananya Krishnan

    The Cover · Q1 2026CEO, a listed hospitality group

  • CoverNo. 00 — Q2 2026

    Varun Iyengar

    Point of View · Q2 2026Founder, a Pune electric-mobility company

  • CoverNo. 00 — Q3 2026

    Shalini Mahajan

    Woman on the Cover · Q3 2026MD, a private-sector bank

  • CoverNo. 00 — Q4 2026

    Dhruv Kapadia

    Under 40 · Q4 2026Co-founder, a Bengaluru quick-commerce company

08 / Partners

Pages are for sale. The cover is not.

Partners are present in the room and in the issue. They hold no seat on the jury and see no scores.

Partner tiers
TierFeePagesPlacesCount
Title ₹2 crore Inside front cover and the opening spread of Issue 01. Presenting credit on the night, in the form COVER, presented by the partner. Three tables of ten One
Platinum ₹80 lakh A double-page spread in Issue 01. Name on the hangar wall and in the programme. Two tables of ten Up to four
Gold ₹35 lakh A single page in Issue 01. Credit in the programme and the online edition. One table of ten Up to eight
Media partner In kind Print run, distribution and the online edition of Issue 01. No editorial say. One table of ten One
Request the rate card

Rate card sent within two working days. 50 per cent on signature, the balance by 15 January 2027. All amounts exclusive of GST.

09 / Nominate

Put yourself on the cover.

Or put someone else there. Nomination is free, and the nominee is told only on reaching the shortlist. The cover on the right follows what you type.

The Cover is conferred on the night from the finalists and cannot be nominated for.

One paragraph. Numbers help the jury more than adjectives.0/300

Submitting…

10 / FAQ

Before you nominate.

Nothing, for nominees. Nomination is free, finalists pay no entry fee, and travel and stay for the sitting in Gurugram are covered by COVER. Pages and tables are sold to partners; finalists and their nominators attend the night as guests.

Each juror declares shareholdings, advisory roles, board seats and family ties before screening begins. A juror recuses from any nominee whose company they hold, advise, compete with or have worked for in the past five years. Scores are submitted alone and sealed before the jury confers. The number of recusals is published after the night; the names are not.

Yes. A nominee learns of the nomination only on reaching the shortlist, and the nominator’s name is never disclosed to the nominee. Submissions are held by the desk for the issue, are not shared with partners or used for marketing, and are deleted by 30 June 2027.

Yes, with a written endorsement from a board member, attached at screening. Self-nominations are screened to the same thresholds as any other and are not identified as such to the jury.

COVER commissions the shoot and films the sitting and the night. Finalists sign a release limited to Issue 01, the pageant’s own channels and partners’ coverage of the night; no image is licensed to third parties. Each finalist receives their own cover, print and file, for personal use without limit.

Black. Only black. Suit, bandhgala, saree, sherwani or dress. The finalists are shot in black and the room matches them. No logos, no colour, no exceptions for partners.

Dinner is served with vegetarian, Jain, vegan and halal choices; write to desk@coverissue.in by 25 January 2027. Hangar 7 is step-free from the gate to the stage, with reserved seating, sign-language interpretation and a quiet room available on request.