BURLINGTON, Mass. — Jonathan Kraft, an owner of the New England Patriots and President of The Kraft Group, will serve as Chief Guest at the 10th Annual New England Choice Awards on Nov. 14 at the Burlington Marriott Hotel.
The milestone gala is expected to draw more than 400 business executives, entrepreneurs, healthcare leaders, academics, philanthropists, nonprofit leaders and community figures from across New England.
The event will also honor Srikant M. Datar, the 11th Dean of Harvard Business School, with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Kraft oversees the day-to-day operations of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with interests in sports and entertainment, paper and packaging, real estate development, private equity, venture capital and other investments.
He joined The Kraft Group in 1990 after beginning his career at Bain & Company and has played a major role in the organization’s expansion and diversification.
Beyond business and professional sports, Kraft has held leadership roles across healthcare, education and civic institutions in New England.
He joined the Massachusetts General Hospital Board of Trustees in 2010 and served as its chair from 2019 to 2025. He currently serves as vice chair of the Mass General Brigham Board of Directors and is a member of the Board of Directors of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., the parent company of UFC and WWE.
Kraft also serves on the boards of trustees of Belmont Hill School and Dexter Southfield. His other roles include membership on Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors, MIT’s Commonwealth AI Group and the MIT Provost External Advisory Council. He is also an advisory board member of the Billie Jean King Foundation.
He is a Trustee Emeritus of Williams College, where he previously chaired the school’s Investment Committee.
Kraft graduated from Williams College in 1986 and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Dr. Manju Sheth, MD, President of INE MultiMedia, Founder of Women Who Win and creator of the New England Choice Awards, said Kraft’s participation adds special significance to the awards’ 10th anniversary.
“We are honored to have Jonathan Kraft join us as the Chief Guest for the 10th Annual New England Choice Awards,” Sheth said. “His leadership and longstanding connection to New England, across business, sports, healthcare, education and community life, make his presence especially meaningful as we mark this important milestone for the awards. Having someone of his stature join us for our 10th anniversary is a wonderful reflection of the kind of leadership and impact we have sought to celebrate over the past decade.”
Upendra Mishra, Co-Founder of INE MultiMedia and Publisher of INDIA New England News, IndUS Business Journal, Boston Real Estate Times and Boston Life Sciences Times, said Kraft’s broad impact makes him a fitting choice for the anniversary celebration.
“Having Jonathan Kraft as our Chief Guest makes this 10th anniversary celebration especially meaningful,” Mishra said. “His leadership and broad impact across business, sports, healthcare, education and the community reflect the diverse forms of achievement that the New England Choice Awards seek to recognize. This year’s honorees represent an equally impressive range of accomplishments—from academia and innovation to healthcare, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, arts and community service. We look forward to bringing these remarkable achievers together with Jonathan and our guests for an evening that celebrates leadership, purpose and impact.”
Datar, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, became Dean of Harvard Business School in January 2021 after holding several senior leadership roles at the school.
His academic and research work has covered cost management, management control, strategy implementation, governance, design thinking, innovation, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Before joining Harvard, Datar held academic appointments at Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University, where he received the Distinguished Teaching Award.
He graduated with distinction from the University of Bombay and earned gold medals from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. A Chartered Accountant, he also holds two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
The 2026 New England Choice Awards will recognize nine additional individuals and organizations for achievements in academia, business, healthcare, arts, philanthropy, nonprofit leadership and community service.
The honorees include Srini Devadas, Edwin Sibley Webster Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who will receive the Academia & Innovation Award; Laura Weinstein, Ananda Coomaraswamy Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, who will receive the Art & Culture Visionary Award; and Chandra S. Pandey, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Seceon, who will receive the Business Trailblazer Award.
Other honorees are Lalit Sudan, President of Vision-Aid, for the Beacon of Community Service Award; Sewa International Boston Chapter as Nonprofit Organization of the Year; Jharna Madan, Community Leader, Educator, Producer and Event Organizer at Hindi Manch, for the Community Catalyst Award; Dr. Anju Nohria, Associate Physician and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, for the Healthcare Trailblazer Award; and Vivek Sharma, Entrepreneur, Investor and Philanthropist, as Philanthropist of the Year.
Cancer Mukti Foundation, founded by Pramod Pandey, will receive the newly created Hope in Action Award for its work in cancer awareness, patient advocacy and support for families affected by the disease.
Established in 2016, the New England Choice Awards recognize individuals of Indian origin, Indian Americans and other distinguished leaders whose work has had an impact in New England, the United States and India.
The awards cover business, technology, healthcare, academia, arts and culture, philanthropy, nonprofit leadership and community service. Honorees are selected through a nomination and review process by a jury of leaders from business, academia, healthcare, nonprofits and community organizations.
The 10th Annual New England Choice Awards Gala will be held Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at the Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington. The event is presented by INE MultiMedia in collaboration with INDIA New England News.
