EKKI Group’s EKKI HOMA Project Named Among the Top 3 Global Finalists

Co-CEO Kanishka Arumugam recognised in the Intrapreneurship category at the FBN Global Summit 2026 in Cologne, Germany

Oxford alumnus Kanishka Arumugam, Co-CEO of EKKI Group, has been named one of the Top 3 Global Finalists in the Intrapreneurship category at the Family Business Network (FBN) NxG Awards 2026. He received the recognition for the EKKI HOMA project, the Group’s joint venture with Germany-based HOMA. The finalists were announced at the FBN Global Summit in Cologne, FBN’s flagship annual gathering of business-owning families from around the world.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Family Business Network (FBN) is the world’s leading federation of family businesses, with member associations spanning 65 countries.

The FBN NxG Awards celebrate next-generation family business members who have launched entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial projects. The Intrapreneurship category recognises leaders who create new ventures within established family enterprises, building on their legacy while developing new ideas, capabilities and growth platforms for the future.

EKKI has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first Indian pump manufacturer to be named among the Top 3 global finalists in the FBN NxG Awards’ Intrapreneurship category.

The FBN Global Summit also hosts the presentation of the IMD Global Family Business Award, presented in partnership with FBN. Past recipients of this prestigious award include globally renowned family businesses such as LEGO, Hermès and Grundfos, as well as Indian business groups such as Murugappa and Thermax.

“Family businesses have a unique opportunity to combine the strength of their legacy with the ambition of the next generation. For us, intrapreneurship means thinking differently, building new capabilities and creating opportunities for the future. Being named among the Top 3 global finalists is a recognition of the EKKI team, our partners at HOMA, and my family’s trust in new ideas. Our ambition is to make EKKI one of the world’s most respected family businesses,” said Kanishka Arumugam, Co-CEO, EKKI Group.

FBN’s leadership and members of the award jury, including leading European academics, commented on EKKI & Kanishka’s selection.

“The FBN NxG Award celebrates next-generation leaders who are creating meaningful impact within their family enterprises while helping address some of society’s most pressing challenges. As a finalist in the Intrapreneurship category, Kanishka Arumugam exemplifies this spirit through the creation of EKKI HOMA, combining global expertise with local innovation to make advanced wastewater and sanitation solutions more accessible across India. His work demonstrates how family businesses can drive sustainable growth, create skilled jobs, and contribute to a more resilient future. We are proud to recognize Kanishka among this year’s outstanding NxG Award finalists.”

— Alexis du Roy de Blicquy, CEO, FBN International

“Kanishka Arumugam embodies what the next generation in family business can achieve when it renews a company from within. His work with EKKI HOMA shows how a family business can grow from its roots into new markets, with an ambitious vision and a strong set of values. Being named among the top three finalists of the 2026 FBN NxG Award for Intrapreneurship is well deserved recognition, and I warmly congratulate him and his entire team.”

— Prof. Dr. Maximilian Lude, Professor for Innovation & Strategy, Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, Germany

“Kani is an Oxford Alumnus and he shows what it takes to create from inside a family business. At Ekki-Homa, the family’s first wastewater joint venture, he had to win the family’s trust and bring in a global partner, while deciding which traditions to protect. This is the real work of next gen intrapreneurs: being believed by those who came before them and still open the business to something new. Kani does both.”

— Emanuela Rondi, Associate Professor of Strategy, Innovation and Family Business, Politecnico di Milano.

About EKKI Group: EKKI Group, headquartered in Coimbatore, India, is a multi-generational family enterprise spanning pump manufacturing, water technologies, engineering, education and real estate. Group companies include EKKI Pumps, EKKI Water Technologies, EKKI HOMA, Deccan Pumps Pvt Ltd and KOOT, with the family also serving as founding trustees of the Info Institute of Engineering and Darbari Elders Home.