Mumbai: The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), the country’s apex industry body, has appointed renowned food technology expert and first-generation entrepreneur Dr Umesh Munjaji Kamble as the Chairman of its Maharashtra State Development Council for 2025–26.
ASSOCHAM National President Nirmal K. Minda formally presented the appointment letter to Dr Kamble on October 18, 2025. With this new role, Dr Kamble will also serve as a member of ASSOCHAM’s National Managing Committee, placing him among the organisation’s key policy and leadership group.
Under his term, ASSOCHAM has assigned Dr Kamble several critical responsibilities, including convening at least four council meetings, preparing policy papers and knowledge reports to accelerate Maharashtra’s industrial growth, organising major conferences, seminars and stakeholder consultations, representing industry concerns before senior ministers and officials in the Central and State governments, and mobilising resources for council initiatives.
Accepting the appointment, Dr Kamble said, “From this prestigious platform of ASSOCHAM, I will make every effort to position Maharashtra as India’s most investment-friendly and innovation-driven state. Along with strengthening food security, the food-processing ecosystem, startups and farmers, I am committed to advancing the goal of zero food waste. The vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 must begin with Maharashtra.”
With over 21 years of experience in the food technology and agribusiness sectors, Dr Umesh Kamble is currently Director at F2UF Corporate Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Waste to Best Enviro Engineering LLP, and FoodTech Pathshala Pvt. Ltd. Earlier, he held senior leadership roles at SGS India, Reliance Retail, and Godrej Agrovet. He was honoured with the AFSTI–FSSAI National Award in 2023 for his outstanding contribution to the sector.
Dr Kamble’s appointment has been widely welcomed across Maharashtra’s industry, food processing, agritech, and startup ecosystems, with leaders expressing confidence that his tenure will bring fresh momentum to the state’s development agenda.
