Black Hat Talent

May 2025

From Baku to Dubai & Colombo to Phuket, in May, Black Hat journeyed across borders. With speakers, artists, and changemakers taking centre stage, the month moved forward through conversations that mattered. And as the world continues to navigate uncertain terrain, this edition turns its focus to the minds shaping the discourse on strategy, security, and global affairs.

Talents in Spotlight

Defence Voices: Bringing Battlefield Clarity to Boardroom Strategy

With the clock of conflict ticking steadily, defence leaders are no longer confined to battlegrounds. Their insights have become a quiet necessity for boardrooms, where diplomacy guides direction and foresight is the first line of survival. With experience embedded in every word, these sentinels bring the kind of clarity that today’s corporations don’t just value but require.

This month, the baton passes from parade grounds to panel discussions, as we bring forward defence leaders who’ve long stood between instability and order and now lend that same steadiness to the arenas where policy intersects with global strategy.

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh

Measured Command in the Aftermath of Crisis

The face of Operation Sindoor, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, stood steady as the nation watched, briefing the media with quiet authority after the Pahalgam attack. A helicopter pilot with over 2,500 hours in the air, she’s flown into danger more times than most can count. From high-altitude rescues to mountaineering feats, Singh’s strength lies not just in action but in the calm she carries into chaos.

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General V.P. Malik

The Mind Behind Operation Vijay

At the helm of India’s military during the Kargil War, he oversaw Operation Vijay and helped turn the tide through calculated resolve. Today, his voice offers rare insight into conflict, leadership, and decision-making at the highest levels, bridging the gap between military strategy and national policy.

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Here’s a glimpse into some of our work in May!

Sunil Chhetri as a guest speaker for Synchrony in Hyderabad

Emcee Sonali Gupta hosting & International LED Ballerinas performing an event for Trump Towers in Delhi

Emcee Sonali Gupta

International LED Ballerinas

Emcee Sonali Gupta hosting & International LED Ballerinas performing an event for Trump Towers in Delhi

Comedian Jayvijay Sachan performing at an event for Apollo Tyres in Udaipur

Chitrangada Singh at an event for HSBC in Mumbai

Emcee Nashpreet & Emcee Siddharth Kannan hosting an event for
Maruti Suzuki in Baku

Emcee Nashpreet

Emcee Siddharth Kannan

Emcee Nashpreet & Emcee Siddharth Kannan hosting an event for
Maruti Suzuki in Baku

Food, Fashion, and Field Notes: A Day at Prosus Luminate India 2025

Virender Sehwag

Masaba Gupta

Chef Saransh Goila

A series of sessions that brought together cricket, couture, and cuisine, Prosus Luminate India 2025 in Bangalore, propelled the conversation on how digital platforms modify convenience across industries.

The man of the hour, legendary cricketer Virender Sehwag, steered the conversation toward risk in the unknown, adapting under pressure, and a journey that has spanned generations, earning him a loyal following far beyond the cricket field. His trademark humour had the audience shrieking with delight. Speaking candidly about the shift from catwalks to camera-ready looks, fashion prodigy Masaba Gupta mapped out how today’s designers are navigating a space where drop culture and digital-first fashion now dominate the runway.

In a plated conversation that included live cooking on stage, Chef Saransh Goila served his raw banana canape - an inventive take on Sindhi Tuk Patata - while discussing how delivery platforms are giving Indian flavours a fresher, more prep-friendly identity. Across food, fashion, and sport, the sessions found common ground in spontaneity, speed, and the willingness to adapt.

Varun Mayya as a guest speaker at a virtual event for Adobe

Comedian Kanan Gill performing at an event for EY in Pune

Emcee Aanchal hosting & Illuminati Dance Crew performing an event for Apollo Tyres in Udaipur

Emcee Aanchal

Illuminati Dance Crew

Emcee Aanchal hosting & Illuminati Dance Crew performing an event for Apollo Tyres in Udaipur

Shor Police, along with the Dubai Rock band Neon Riot, brings a global pulse to HCL Software’s Sales Kick-Off in Dubai

Shor Police

Neon Riot

At the HCL Software Sales Kick Off in Dubai, Shor Police - the genre-bending duo of Clinton Cerejo and Bianca Gomes, delivered a set that read the room and struck just the right note.

Held at the Al Sahara Resort, the event brought together a global crowd, and the band matched that energy with a multilingual set, from Bollywood classics to English pop hits and a few unexpected Spanish numbers. With no frills or flashy gimmicks, just good music and sharp instincts, Shor Police kept the vibe buoyant late into the night.

The tempo didn’t drop the next evening either. The Dubai-based rock band Neon Riot took over with a punchier, riff-driven sound, giving the gathering a different flavour while still keeping the dance floor alive. Across two days, the music didn’t just complement the celebration, it helped carry it.

Internet sensation Shaarang Shringarpure with his spot-on international cricketers' impressions at a fun session for Udemy in Bangalore.

LED Ballerinas performing at an event for Kerastase in Manesar

Comedian Aaditya Kulshreshth (Kullu) performing for NIAT College in Hyderabad

Dr. A. Velumani as a guest speaker at an event for Centricity in Jaipur

Sri Lankan legends Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana Reunite On Stage at Lenovo Partner Meet 2025 in Colombo

Sanath Jayasuriya

Romesh Kaluwitharana

Once known for rewriting the rules of opening partnerships, Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana brought that same presence to Lenovo’s Partner Meet 2025 in Colombo.

The cricketers were featured in a moderated on-stage session designed to offer more than a retelling of past victories. Framed around the theme of bold decision-making and team synergy, the conversation drew from their time at the crease together What followed was a fast-paced exchange covering instinct, preparation, and how trust in partnership often outweighs strategy on paper. With Lenovo's partners in attendance, the relevance of that story wasn’t lost, especially when applied to collaboration and performance under pressure.

The session was a reminder that talent curation, when aligned with context, can add real substance to business-led environments.

Abbott’s Connect Excellence Club evening in Phuket

Sunil Grover

B Unique Crew

On Thailand’s largest island, a group of Abbott’s top-performing employees were celebrated alongside their friends and families in the most heartfelt and gracious manner.

The stage for Abbott’s Connect Excellence Club lit up with tantalizing shrieks of laughter as Rinku Bhabhi, Sunil Grover’s beloved alter ego, made her entrance. Her tragicomic tales stirred chuckles across the room. Midway, dance crew B Unique stepped in with their eerie Dr. Mashoor Gulati, armed with his “not-so-Mashoor” medical wisdom, and then Monjolika act - part illusion, part choreography, that left mouths agape and hearts skipping a beat.

Sunil returned to the spotlight with not one but two back-to-back avatars - Dr. Mashoor Gulati, armed with his “not-so-Mashoor” medical wisdom, and then Gutthi, whose wide-eyed innocence and offbeat humour turned the laughter up a notch. The evening closed with B Unique’s high-energy Bollywood act, turning the audience’s gasps into foot-tapping cheers.