Global award winners named

Nasscom today announced the winners of Global Leadership Awards on the eve of its annual summit Nasscom 2006: India Leadership Forum.

Global Leadership Awards, in its second year seeks to applaud the mega corporations and individuals who have transformed, not just the international business scenario, but also impacted the Indian economy and contributed to its growth.

President Nasscom Kiran Karnik said, "In an attempt to laud some of the pioneering works done in the IT space, Nasscom has instituted its Global Leadership Awards. We are proud to present the awards to individuals across the globe who have contributed significantly to the advance of technology for the benefit of business and society."

Recipients of the Nasscom Global Leadership Awards 2006 are: Business Leadership Award to CEO British Telecom, UK, Ben Verwaayen for his tremendous business drive in leading the organisation and setting industry benchmarks in the areas of profitability, ethics/governance, best practices and people-friendly strategies, to build a sound workplace; Innovation Award to President and CEO eBay, US, Meg Whitman for using technology in an exemplary fashion, that has enabled millions to enjoy the power of the Internet and conduct commercial transactions from their desktops; IT User Award to ABN AMRO for rolling out strong IT strategies that have enabled its employees to keep abreast of state-of-the-art IT platforms and harness their power to improve personal productivity and performance within the organisation.

Thought Leader Award went to Columnist The New York Times Thomas L Friedman for shaping global opinion and delighting millions of readers with insightful columns on foreign affairs.

In addition to the four usual categories of the Global Leadership Awards, this year Nasscom will also confer the Global Indian Award to Promod Haque, managing partner, Norwest Ventures Partners.

His path breaking innovations and investments, especially in the IT sector, have fuelled the spirit of entrepreneurship in India and around the globe.

The award is recognises his contribution in strengthening India-US linkages by identifying high potential business ideas and converting them into viable and successful partnerships.