A fraudulent event titled BTOPEX, organized by Confexco Events Pvt. Ltd., is attempting to copy and impersonate the highly respected Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Summit and Awards (BTOES).
This event(s) are not affiliated with us in any way.
Theft of our official BTOES LinkedIn group (36,000+ members) who had prior admin access, now used to falsely promote the fraudulent BTOPEX event.
A Deliberate Attempt to Mislead the Industry.
We are issuing this notice to protect speakers, sponsors, participants, and our wider professional community from being misled.
BTOPEX’s actions are especially egregious. Aware that BTOES had paused its 2025 edition, they seized the opportunity to deliberately plagiarize our trusted event. This calculated and unethical move was designed to exploit our temporary absence, mislead the market, hijack our reputation, and profit from decades of our hard-earned credibility.
This is full-scale brand hijacking, reputation theft, and attempted impersonation.
After thorough investigation, we discovered that Eimran Kahn and Vinayak Bhagat of Confexco Events Pvt. Ltd. have:
Copied our event title, branding, awards program, website structure, color scheme, and design.
Scheduled their event for the same month, city, and similar dates where BTOES has historically been staged.
Plagiarized significant portions of our awards framework, judging criteria, website text, event structure, and even functional elements like registration buttons.
Listed speakers without their consent, falsely implying industry endorsement.
This is not coincidental — it is a calculated attempt to mislead.
Our detailed review has identified extensive duplication and plagiarism, including:
Brand Identity Theft:
Using the name “Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Global Summit & Awards (BTOPEX)” — nearly identical to “Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Summit & Industry Awards (BTOES),” designed to deliberately mislead and confuse.
Visual branding (color palette, typography) copied to create confusion. Identical primary color (accent orange) and typography/fonts were copied.
Falsely claiming this is the “19th Edition” of the event, despite it never having taken place before. See further below graphics to support this.
Event Timing and Location Theft:
Scheduled their fraudulent event for May 8–9, 2025, in Orlando — exactly when and where BTOES has historically been staged.
Deliberate selection of timing and location to create maximum market confusion.
Website and Structural Theft:
Homepage structure, agenda formats, awards sections, CTA buttons (“Register Now,” “Download Agenda”) — copied almost exactly.
Navigation structure (“Home,” “Agenda,” “Speakers,” “Awards,” “Sponsors,” “Venue,” “Contact”) mirrors ours.
Same CTA buttons throughout site: “Register Now,” “Download Agenda,” “Become a Sponsor,” “Apply to Speak,” “Become a Media Partner.”
Event calendar listings and monthly summit titles lifted directly from the BTOES portfolio.
Sticky navigation headers, collapsible agenda sections, and speaker profile grids mirrored exactly.
Exact replication of homepage "tabbed" Why Attend section — especially the tabs "Who Should Attend," "Why You Should Attend," and "Networking Opportunities."
Awards Program Plagiarism:
Judging criteria, entry guidelines, scoring matrix (1–3, 4–6, 7–10 scoring), and 50-word finalist summary — copied or reworded with minimal cosmetic edits.
Full duplication of key awards sections including About the Awards, How to Enter, Key Dates, Entry Fee Structure, Main Entry Document Guidelines, Best Practices, Pitfalls to Avoid, Judges' Code of Conduct, and Terms & Conditions.
Benefits of winning, judging panel criteria, and awards marketing captions (“Showcase Your Outstanding Achievements”) replicated almost word-for-word.
Content and Textual Theft:
Page headings, text structures, value propositions, and website messaging copied throughout with minor rewording.
Strategic operational messaging such as “Live Q&A,” “Virtual Breakout Rooms,” and “Meaningful Conversations” copied.
Replicated structure of award entry supporting materials: four-page document, 250-word synopsis, and optional two-page additional materials.
Copied navigation menu structure, collapsible agenda reveal formats, and content flow.
Speaker and Sponsor Misrepresentation:
High-profile speakers listed without consent or knowledge.
Falsely suggesting legitimate partnerships by displaying logos and event formats to imply endorsements.
Event Calendar and Scheduling Theft:
Event titles like “Enterprise Architecture Live,” “RPA Live,” and “Cultural Transformation Live” lifted almost directly from BTOES.
Monthly event structure mirrored to overlap and confuse the marketplace.
Signature Elements Theft:
Direct copying of the "Let’s Talk" sponsorship banner — a distinctive BTOES branding element.
Home page block design and event flow structure copied exactly.
Exact duplication of “Who Should Attend” and “Industry Segments” sections — including bullet points, industry lists, and segment flows.
Full replication of the three-tabbed "Why Attend" structure ("Who Should Attend," "Why You Should Attend," "Networking Opportunities").
Copying of the “Get the Latest Info” section structure and messaging.
Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Summit & Industry Awards (BTOES) was built over many years through trust, credibility, and the highest standards of professionalism. Participants trust that their submissions, strategic information, and achievements are handled with strict confidentiality, judged fairly, and celebrated authentically. By ripping off our trusted framework without implementing the essential ethical and professional standards, BTOPEX is deceiving entrants, and damaging the integrity of awards programs globally.
This is not just plagiarism. It is a coordinated attempt at identity theft, brand hijacking, intellectual property theft, fraudulent impersonation,unfair competition, copyright infringement, and passing off — all serious violations under intellectual property and competition laws.
BTOPEX is trying to steal our reputation, mislead the market, deceive participants, and ride on the credibility and trust that BTOES painstakingly built over many years.
We are taking all appropriate steps to protect our brand, our intellectual property, our participants, and the global business community we proudly serve.
Fraudulent events like BTOPEX threaten that trust.
They risk exposing sensitive information, misleading the market, damaging reputations, and undermining the credibility of the entire industry.
We cannot — and will not — allow that to happen.
Group URL: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2314054
One of the most egregious acts of theft committed by Vinayak Bhagat and Eimran Kahn is the unauthorized seizure and misuse of our official LinkedIn group titled Business Transformation & Operational Excellence, which has over 36,000 members and has served as a vital professional community and business development tool for over 15 years.
This group was founded by me, Vijay Bajaj, in September 2009 while organizing Lean Six Sigma conferences under my previous company WCBF. As the field evolved, the group name was changed in 2016 to Business Transformation & Operational Excellence (BTOES) to reflect the broader shift in the industry. Over the years, this group has become one of the largest and most respected communities in the operational excellence space globally, trusted by executives, sponsors, and industry leaders.
Vinayak Bhagat, who was contracted as Head of Marketing Operations at my company Proqis, was granted administrator-level access to my personal LinkedIn account in the course of his duties, specifically to manage content and community engagement. His contract was formally terminated on 1st April 2024.
Regrettably, I did not immediately change my LinkedIn credentials after his departure. It was not until almost a year later, on 22nd April 2025, while investigating anomalies on the platform, that I discovered I had been completely removed as an admin and owner of the group. I am now fully blocked and locked out of the group that I personally created, built, and managed for over a decade.
This unauthorized access and hostile takeover of the group constitute a gross breach of trust, and a calculated abuse of insider access and authority. What makes this act especially deplorable is that during this time, my father was gravely ill, and I had taken a step back from professional activities to care for him. He sadly passed away during this period. This betrayal occurred at a time of personal vulnerability and adds a layer of emotional harm to an already devastating breach.
Following his departure from Proqis, Vinayak Bhagat joined Confexco, the company operated by Eimran Kahn. Using the administrative privileges he still retained, Vinayak transferred full ownership of the group to Eimran Kahn. Eimran, who had been fired from Proqis in October 2022 for gross misconduct, had no rightful claim or historical connection to the group. His actions, in concert with Vinayak, demonstrate deliberate collusion and intent to defraud by impersonating our official community and leveraging its credibility for their fraudulent BTOPEX event series.
To make matters worse, Eimran has lied on his LinkedIn profile, falsely claiming Confexco was formed in 2017, when the official company incorporation date is 12th November 2021, as verified by government records. Furthermore, he only began operating in the Business Transformation & Operational Excellence space after his termination from Proqis in late 2022, which further proves he had no association with the group during its creation or formative years.
It must be noted that:
The stolen LinkedIn group is now being actively used to promote BTOPEX, a fraudulent clone of our BTOES event. This misuse has:
This is not a case of accidental admin change or miscommunication. It is a deliberate, premeditated hijacking of a digital asset, critical to our brand ecosystem, executed by two former contractors who had full knowledge of its commercial and strategic value.
The below is evidence they have stolen the BTOES LinkedIn group - the URL of the group is the same as per the above URL in the Asana task completed by Vinayak Bhagat on 23 Jan 2024 while working for Proqis with owns BTOES.
Evidence that we owned the group in 2017, Charlotte Kelly who worked for me communicated with LinkedIn Support regarding the group - the URL is referenced in the communication
Further evidence Proqis owned the group in 2016 - email to conference producer Michaela Menezes who I was hiring - the URL is referenced in the communication
The screenshot below provides irrefutable evidence that Eimran Kahn has unlawfully seized control of my official LinkedIn group, which I created and have operated since September 2009.
This screenshot serves as direct visual proof of the digital hijacking of one of our most valuable online business assets, carried out by individuals who were previously under freelance contract with my organization. Their actions represent a deliberate and coordinated theft of intellectual property, community infrastructure, and brand equity.
The screenshot below serves as conclusive proof that the LinkedIn group titled **“Business Transformation & Operational Excellence – www.btopex.com | www.confexco.com”**—now fraudulently controlled by Eimran Kahn—was originally created by Vijay Bajaj in September 2009.
In the “About this group” section, under the “Details” subsection, the following is clearly stated:
This confirms beyond any doubt that:
This evidence directly refutes all claims made by the defendants suggesting BTOPEX or Confexco has any legitimate link to the origin of this community. Their takeover of the group, therefore, constitutes digital theft, impersonation, and fraud, with the intent to mislead 36,000+ members and hijack the brand equity of BTOES.
Below is evidence I was doing Lean Six Sigma conferences in 2009 under my company WCBF. See my LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijaybajaj1/
We are taking full legal and criminal action against the organizers:
Legal notices have been issued.
Police filings have been made.
Copyright, trademark, and competition law violations are being pursued aggressively.
See below links to initial legal notices and the police filing. Please note, both Eimran Kahn & Vinayak Bhagat of Confexco Events Pvt. Ltd based in India.
We will continue to defend our brand, our customers, and the values that BTOES represents.
✅ Only trust communications and websites linked to BTOES Official Website.
✅ Verify organizers before registering for any event.
✅ If you have already registered for BTOPEX under mistaken belief it was BTOES, please contact us immediately.
For verification, the official BTOES website is https://btoes.com/home. There are no other legitimate BTOES event websites.
For verification or concerns:
📞 Vijay Bajaj: +44 7711 636366
📧 Email: vb@proqis.com
We thank our community for your continued trust and support.
Together, we protect the standards of excellence that define our industry.
We look forward to welcoming you back to the next official BTOES in May 2026 — stronger than ever.
November 22, 2024, it came to our attention — through our long-standing Chairperson, Jose Pires (see screenshots below) — that a new event was attempting to impersonate BTOES. Immediate outreach to Eimran Kahn was met with denial. Subsequent investigation confirmed that not only had no corrective action been taken, but further unauthorized copying had occurred — extending even to our proprietary Awards Judging Criteria and Scoring Matrix.
Given the gravity of these violations and the continued escalation of intellectual property theft, we initiated legal action to protect the integrity of BTOES, our partners, and the industry we serve.
BTOPEX’s shameless copying and misappropriation of our intellectual property represent a fundamental disregard for ethics and a deliberate attempt to mislead the global market.
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BTOPEX (Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Global Summit & Awards) has:
Copied the name very closely
Copied the brand concept: Global Summit, Awards, focus on Business Transformation & Operational Excellence.
Copied the design style: Event website structure, language (“Summit & Awards”),
Copied event dates/location (Orlando, Florida).
The website layout (home page buttons, black and orange color scheme) mimics BTOES
Audience Confusion:
Executives seeing BTOPEX could easily believe it is either the same or a new version of BTOES.
Location Confusion:
Both events are located in Orlando, increasing the risk that attendees, sponsors, and speakers mistakenly think BTOPEX is a continuation or expansion of BTOES. Which is precisely what people thought.
This design is a unique visual branding element of BTOES — and BTOPEX have copied it wholesale. BTOPEX has directly copied the structure, flow, and target audience definitions that BTOES developed and presented.
BTOES
BTOPEX
BTOES About Page- Directly copy of our "Who Will Be Attending" and "Industry Sectors"
They have directly copied the exact text, from our original BTOES about page. The 'Who Will Be Attending' and 'Industry Sectors' sections are almost identical, with only extremely minor word changes — a textbook case of "close paraphrasing," which legally still constitutes plagiarism. Even the design, style of bullet points, flow of audience segments (C-Suite, Senior Leaders, Functional Leaders, etc.), and industry sector listings have been duplicated. It’s a blatant copy-paste job aimed at misleading audiences into believing they are affiliated with our trusted brand. This constitutes serious intellectual property theft, copyright infringement, brand misrepresentation, and a calculated attempt to unlawfully benefit from the years of credibility, reputation, and original content BTOES has built.
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BTOES site says:
"We then create inspiring intentionally intimate environments, both in-person and virtual, for meaningful conversations, with the most progressive experts..."
BTOPEX (their site) says:
"Our approach involves curating intimate, intentionally designed environments that facilitate meaningful conversations. Through both in-person and virtual platforms..."
They blatantly copied the structure and keywords ("intimate environments," "meaningful conversations," "in-person and virtual") almost word for word.
This is classic "thin plagiarism" where they change adjectives or a few verbs but retain 90% of your original intellectual property.
The BTOPEX Awards website is a blatant act of plagiarism. Large sections of text, structure, judging processes, and scoring matrices have been directly copied or lightly reworded from the BTOES Awards site.
They have mirrored the homepage layout, event title, dates, location, call-to-action buttons, color scheme, and key messaging — including near-verbatim use of phrases like "Showcase Your Outstanding Achievements."
This is deliberate brand impersonation designed to mislead the market and unlawfully trade off the reputation and credibility of BTOES.
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This is a precise copy of our scoring matrix criteria, scoring bands (1–3, 4–6, 7–10). and order of importance.
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One of the signature innovations of the BTOES Awards — a concept we pioneered — is the 50-Word Summary for Published Materials.
At BTOES, we created this original concept to extend the visibility and celebration of finalists beyond the ceremony itself. Here's how our unique process works:
All shortlisted entries are invited to submit a precisely crafted 50-word summary of their project.
These summaries are featured in the Awards Book Of The Night, distributed at the BTOES Awards ceremony and the global BTOES Summit.
Post-event, the book is shared with our 1.8 million+ BTOES Insights subscribers, creating unparalleled global exposure for finalists and winners.
This 50-word marketing showcase was designed exclusively by us to provide lasting recognition and brand promotion for every finalist — a completely original innovation in awards marketing.
BTOPEX Fraudulently Copied This Unique Concept
BTOPEX has directly stolen this concept and copied our wording almost line-for-line. BTOPEX made only minor superficial changes (such as inflating the subscriber number slightly) but copied the entire concept, structure, purpose, and marketing model — a blatant case of substantial copying disguised with minimal rewording.
They are now fraudulently presenting this entirely original idea — designed, developed, and launched by BTOES — as if it were their own.
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One of the most distinctive and original elements of the BTOES brand identity is our “LET’S TALK” banner — a unique, simple, and welcoming call to action that has been a signature part of our communication style and website design for years.
This is intentional brand impersonation, aimed at confusing participants, sponsors, and the broader market into thinking that BTOPEX is affiliated with or identical to BTOES. Not just copying it but putting it on their sponsorship page.
By replicating our visual design, plagiarizing our text, stealing our framework, and mirroring our event details, BTOPEX is attempting to hijack not only our intellectual property — but also our brand identity, credibility, and nearly two decades of industry trust.
This is full-scale brand theft — and we are taking all necessary legal and public actions to protect the integrity of BTOES and the global community we serve.
BTOES
BTOPEX
In the two event listing screenshots, it is extremely clear that BTOPEX has copied and plagiarized from our Proqis/BTOES event calendar:
They have directly copied your event titles almost word for word:
Examples include Enterprise Architecture Live, Digital Process Automation Live, Cultural Transformation Live, RPA Live, Business Transformation and Operational Excellence Global, and others.
They have copied the structure and format of your event listings:
Both pages list event titles on the left, and the event format (Virtual Conference, In-Person, Location, etc.) and dates on the right, in exactly the same table style.
Unique event names you originated are now appearing with minor text tweaks on their fraudulent site — clear evidence of copying with superficial modifications (known legally as derivative plagiarism).
Even your special branded event concepts like Business Transformation & Operational Excellence (BTOES) have been ripped off and renamed BTOPEX, trying to trade off your brand’s authority and global recognition.
They even chose the same month and similar event themes (like RPA, Digital Transformation, Cultural Transformation) as your listing — revealing intentional deception rather than independent creation.
BTOPEX’s event schedule is a blatant theft of our original intellectual property. They have stolen our event names, structure, schedule format, and specialized summit concepts and simply made minor cosmetic edits. This is not coincidental; it is systematic fraud, copyright infringement, trademark passing off, brand impersonation, and unfair competition designed to confuse our clients and hijack your market position.
The section from Proqis (our site) titled "PARTICIPATE" — with three separate panels "Sponsor/Exhibit," "Request to Speak," and "Media Partner" — has clearly been copied by BTOPEX, just reworded slightly and reformatted.
Structural Copying:
Both use three side-by-side blocks focused on exactly the same actions — speaking, sponsoring, and media partnering.
This is clear and deliberate copying of our page design, content intent, with light paraphrasing to try to mask it. It reinforces a broader pattern of fraudulent misrepresentation, passing-off, plagiarism, and brand theft that they are systematically engaging in across their entire site.
The header image and orange tint seen on Eimran Kahn’s LinkedIn profile are not generic or publicly available assets — they are part of a bespoke brand identity we created back in 2015. These visuals were professionally developed and have been consistently used across our official platforms, including proqis.com, btoes.com, and btoesawards.com. We have verifiable proof of creation and first use. Eimran has not only copied the exact skyline image used in our banners, but he has also replicated our unique orange brand tint — a key design signature of our identity. This is not an accidental similarity. It is deliberate brand mimicry aimed at reinforcing the illusion of legitimacy by visually associating his fraudulent BTOPEX operation with our trusted, long-established BTOES brand.
See our original brand image on my LinkedIn Profile.
Blatant theft of our bespoke brand imagery and signature tint
BTOES original design
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See examples below.
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.png?width=300&height=300&name=LINKEDIN%20AWARDS%20GRAPHIC%20(1).png "Access all 75 Award Finalist Entires")
