New England Patriots Owner and Kraft Group President Jonathan Kraft to Headline 10th Annual New England Choice Awards as Chief Guest

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Jonathan Kraft, a New England Patriots owner and President of The Kraft Group, will headline the 10th Annual New England Choice Awards as Chief Guest on November 14, bringing one of the region’s most prominent business and sports leaders to the milestone anniversary gala at the Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA.

Kraft leads the day-to-day activities of The Kraft Group, the diversified holding company with interests spanning sports and entertainment, paper and packaging, real estate development, and investments across private equity, venture capital and hedge funds. His leadership of the organization, combined with his longstanding involvement in healthcare, education, sports and civic institutions across the region, has made him a prominent figure in New England.

The 10th anniversary gala will bring together more than 400 business executives, entrepreneurs, healthcare leaders, academics, philanthropists, nonprofit leaders and community influencers. The evening will also feature the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Srikant M. Datar, the 11th Dean of Harvard Business School, along with honors recognizing leaders and organizations across business, innovation, healthcare, philanthropy, arts and culture, and community service.

Kraft, who joined The Kraft Group in 1990 after beginning his career at Bain & Company, has played a central role in the growth and diversification of the organization.

Click here to buy tickets to the 2026 NECA Gala.

His career also includes extensive involvement in healthcare, education, business and community organizations. Kraft joined the Board of Trustees of Massachusetts General Hospital 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, 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 and previously chaired its Investment Committee.

Kraft graduated from Williams College in 1986 and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. His path from business consulting to leadership of a diversified family enterprise, alongside his involvement in healthcare, education, sports and philanthropy, has given him a broad presence across New England’s institutional landscape.

Srikant Datar to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

The 2026 New England Choice Awards will also honor Srikant M. Datar, the 11th Dean of Harvard Business School, with the Lifetime Achievement Award, the organization’s highest honor.

Datar became dean of Harvard Business School in January 2021 after serving in several senior leadership positions at the school, including senior associate dean for university affairs, research, executive education, faculty development and faculty recruiting. He also served as faculty chair of the Harvard Innovation Lab.

His academic work has spanned cost management, management control, strategy implementation, governance, design thinking, innovative problem-solving, 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.

A graduate with distinction from the University of Bombay, Datar earned gold medals from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Datar has authored and co-authored books and numerous academic publications and case studies and has served on corporate boards, including those of ICF International and T-Mobile US.

Dr. Manju Sheth, MD, president of INE MultiMedia, founder of Women Who Win and creator of the New England Choice Awards, said having Kraft serve as chief guest adds significance to the 10th anniversary celebration.

“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 participation is particularly fitting for the 10th anniversary of the awards, which brings together an accomplished group of leaders from across New England.

“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.”

2026 New England Choice Awards Honorees

The 10th anniversary awards will recognize nine individuals and organizations across business, academia, healthcare, arts and culture, philanthropy, nonprofit leadership and community service.

The 2026 honorees are:

• Academia & Innovation Award: Srini Devadas, Edwin Sibley Webster Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

• Art & Culture Visionary Award: Laura Weinstein, Ananda Coomaraswamy Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

• Business Trailblazer Award: Chandra S. Pandey, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Seceon.

• Beacon of Community Service Award: Lalit Sudan, President, Vision-Aid.

• Nonprofit Organization of the Year: Sewa International Boston Chapter.

• Community Catalyst Award: Jharna Madan, Community Leader, Educator, Producer and Event Organizer, Hindi Manch.

• Healthcare Trailblazer Award: Dr. Anju Nohria, Associate Physician and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

• Philanthropist of the Year Award: Vivek Sharma, Entrepreneur, Investor and Philanthropist.

• Hope in Action Award: Cancer Mukti Foundation, founded by Pramod Pandey.

The Hope in Action Award, introduced this year, recognizes Cancer Mukti Foundation for its work in cancer awareness, patient advocacy and support for families affected by the disease.

A Decade of Recognition

Established in 2016, the New England Choice Awards recognize individuals of Indian origin, Indian Americans and distinguished leaders from across communities whose contributions have made an impact in New England, the United States and India.

The awards span business, technology, healthcare, academia, arts, philanthropy, nonprofit leadership and community service. A jury comprising leaders from business, academia, healthcare, nonprofit organizations and community service selected the 2026 honorees through a nomination and review process.

The 10th anniversary gala is expected to bring together more than 400 guests, including business executives, entrepreneurs, healthcare leaders, academics, philanthropists, nonprofit leaders and community influencers.

The event is presented by INE MultiMedia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting art, culture, education and empowerment, in collaboration with INDIA New England News.

Event Details

10th Annual New England Choice Awards Gala
Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
Venue: Burlington Marriott Hotel
Location: Burlington, Massachusetts
Dress code: Indian or Western formal.
Chief Guest: Jonathan Kraft, President, The Kraft Group
Lifetime Achievement Award: Srikant M. Datar, 11th Dean of Harvard Business School

For tickets for the 2026 New England Choice Awards Gala, please click here.