Times Square spotlight for Sudheesh Avikkal, the Kannur entrepreneur putting sports fans first

Honoured as one of the Top 100 – The Legacy Makers in the Forttuna Global 100 Class of 2026, the director of Blutik Infotech is creating a fan-first ecosystem and platform for luxury living while championing the use of sports for promoting peace at the UN.

In Short

Sudheesh Avikkal showcased on a Times Square Billboard as part of the Forttuna Global 100 – The Legacy Makers, Class of 2026

The leader who started out as a receptionist in Mumbai back in 1995 is from Kannur

The Kannur-born leader is building a fan-first ecosystem and platform for luxury living

On that bright New York night, with all the lights on in Times Square, the one shown on one of its giant digital billboards was the face of a man from Kannur.

Sudheesh Avikkal, Director, Blutik Infotech Private Limited, was showcased on a Times Square billboard as a part of Forttuna Global 100 – The Legacy Makers, Class of 2026, which is an award given by The Forttuna Group to the visionary leaders of the world.

A start at the front desk

Avikkal is a middle-class person from Kannur, Kerala. Avikkal pursued his education in economics in Brennen College, Thalassery. In addition, he completed his MBA in Leicester, UK.

The first job he had was that of a receptionist in Mumbai in 1995.

From there, his progress was rapid. He became the head of the Asia Pacific region of a multinational firm based in Netherlands, and eventually became one of the youngest performing CEOs of the European Union.

For more than 25 years, he has been involved in various industries such as financial services, hospitality, technology, and sports.

Betting on the fans

His current obsession is sports tech. According to Avikkal, at Blutik Infotech, he is trying to create an eco-system which will revolve around the fans instead of the celebrity athletes in the sports industry.

"Sports lives through its fans, not the celebrities," says Avikkal.

The objective is to try to merge technology with sport, tourism, entertainment and lifestyle so that the entire experience revolves around the fans in the stands. He feels that deeper emotional connection with fans can help create many opportunities for the athletes, sports organizations and even the communities.

This is a complete turnaround of the existing business model where all the attention – and money – have revolved around the celebrity athletes and teams.

S-World: where sport meets luxury

Besides, Avikkal is developing a very luxurious private-club and lifestyle destination platform called 'S-World' in India. The platform will be located in Pune, Hyderabad, and Indore and will see its launch by 2028. S-World will integrate sports, wellness, and business in one ecosystem.

The concept includes the construction of the Novak Djokovic Tennis Stadium and a luxury village in France.

The proposition is simple – provide India's elite consumers with top-notch experience at home instead of having them leave the country in search of the same.

Sport as a tool for peace

Besides his involvement in business ventures, Avikkal acts as a United Nations Representative for the Africana Women's Working Group to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

In this capacity, he says that sport should be used as a strategic tool for peace building, post-conflict reconciliation, and sustainable development.

"Purpose beyond profits"

The leadership principles of Avikkal are based on four pillars: trust, collaboration, adaptability and innovation. He is an advocate of responsible entrepreneurship, wherein companies generate social value alongside their commercial value and mentors many young entrepreneurs.

"Success comes to those who give power to people, change and relentlessly seek purpose beyond profits every single day," he states.

What's next

As the platform of Blutik becomes more concrete and S-World heads towards the year 2028, the coming few years of Avikkal will see the realization of great ideas through functioning ecosystems.

Times Square moment means achievement for Avikkal but it is just the beginning of his legacy for him. Legacy is measured in terms of the opportunities that a leader has given to others.