Pune: The fourth edition of the Maharashtra Education & Corporate Awards will be held on September 5, 2026 – Teacher’s Day – at Sunny’s World, Pune, bringing together some of the state’s most influential names in academia and industry under one roof. Organised by Jobizza, this year’s ceremony will felicitate 30 distinguished leaders, 15 each from the education and corporate sectors, in keeping with the event’s guiding philosophy: “Where Academia Celebrates Industry, and Industry Celebrates Academia.”
Hon’ble Chandrakant Patil, Minister of Higher & Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra, will attend as Chief Guest, while Hon’ble Anna Saheb Bansode will be the Guest of Honour. The evening will also be graced by Prof. (Dr.) Parag Kalkar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Savitribai Phule Pune University; Nilesh Kankariya – Founder And CEO of NSquare Xperts; Dinesh Bhoir, GST Commissioner, Pune; Prasad Gorase, Additional GST Commissioner; Shiv Kumar Salunkhe, Additional Commissioner of Customs, Pune Zone; Deepali Divekar, Gazetted Officer, School Education Department, Government of Maharashtra; RAJESH WARKADE, ASSISTANT SCHEME OFFICER in School Education Department, Government of Maharashtra; ATUL CHANDRASHEKHAR WANKHADE ATUL CHANDRASHEKHAR WANKHADE, SUPRITENDENT PAY UNIT SECONDARY EDUCATION,YAVATMAL; Raghavendra Kumar, Helmet Man of India and renowned music director Anand Raj Anand — alongside Vice-Chancellors and jury members of the Maharashtra Think Tank, who will be part of the evaluation process.
Now in its fourth year, the aim of this event is to bridge a persistent disconnect between what educational institutions prepare students for and what the corporate world demands. By bringing education leaders and business leaders onto a common platform, the initiative aims to shift the narrative from “academia prepares, industry hires” to “academia and industry building the workforce of tomorrow, together” — recognising 30 leaders for leadership, innovation and impact across Chancellors, Vice-Chancellors, Deans, Directors and Principals in education, and CEOs, CHROs, CXOs, Managing Directors and Founders in the corporate sector.
Dr. Gaurav Sharma, founder of Jobizza, a Pune-based talent and HR solutions company that has offered recruitment, training, staffing and placement services since 2014, is also the founder of Maharashtra Education & Corporate Awards.
Dr. Gaurav Sharma said, “Marking three successful years of this event, we remain deeply committed to contributing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat. A Viksit Maharashtra is key to driving this national progress forward, and this initiative serves as a vital step in that journey.”
“Corporates say they can’t find the right candidates; academia says there aren’t enough jobs. We built the Maharashtra Education & Corporate Awards to bridge that gap — and chose Teacher’s Day, September 5th, because honouring our teachers is our first duty.”, added Dr. Gaurav Sharma.
Pass98, an AI-powered interview-practice platform that helps students and job seekers become placement-ready through live AI voice interviews, calibrated feedback and readiness scoring across domains such as Technology, Finance, Consulting, Marketing, Operations and HR, returns as the event’s Key Sponsor.
“There’s a real gap between academic learning and industry expectations, and Pass98 exists to bridge exactly that gap for students preparing for interviews. As a corporate, we believe we have a social responsibility to bring academia and industry together — that’s why we’re proud to sponsor an event bringing 600-plus education and corporate leaders onto one platform.”, said Nitesh Kankaria, CEO, Pass98 & Key Sponsor of the Maharashtra Education & Corporate Awards.
“The Maharashtra Education Award is a historic milestone in the education sector. By recognizing the tireless efforts of educators under the guidance of Minister Chandrakant Patil, this initiative bridges academia and industry, inspiring continuous growth and innovation.”, said Shital Watile, Owner of Jagdamba College of Engineering, Yavatmal & sponsor of the Maharashtra Education & Corporate Awards.
Dr. Gaurav Sharma noted that with its fourth edition, the Maharashtra Education & Corporate Awards reaffirms its larger vision of building lasting bridges between education and industry — two ecosystems whose futures are closely intertwined — to answer one vital question: “How can we work together to create a future-ready Maharashtra?”
