The 19 finalists this year come from diverse sectors and backgrounds. However, they are united in their desire to achieve beyond the ordinary.
A M Naik
Larsen & Toubro Ltd
“My whole philosophy is to invest in talent, invest in a leader who will deliver”
A M Naik joined Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as a junior engineer in 1965 and rose through the ranks to become the chairman of the company in 2003. Naik directed a transformation process that has not only sharpened the strategic focus of L&T but also helped expand its international footprint.
In addition, it has helped drive key initiatives in infrastructure development, railway projects, nuclear and thermal power generation. L&T's emergence as India's leading technology, engineering and construction company is linked to Naik's vision to upgrade capabilities and move up the value chain in project execution.
His strategy of making L&T into a world-class conglomerate has spearheaded the company to enter potential markets in developed economies such as the US, Canada, the UK, as well as establish manufacturing facilities in China, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Naik's ability to identify untapped opportunities has seen L&T's turnover quadruple in less than a decade to approximately Rs 29,400 crore in 2007-08. The company plans to achieve a revenue target of Rs 80,000 crore and increase the top line contribution from international operations to 30 per cent by 2014-15.
L&T also plans to make a foray into the power sector and generate 5,000 MW of power over the next five years. Under Naik's steady leadership, the company has maintained its focus on corporate social responsibility. In 2008, Naik was appointed as a "Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog" by the Queen of Denmark.
G Bala Reddy
ICSA India Ltd
“You should have the guts to withstand any kind of situation to achieve your dream”
G Bala Reddy's transition from an employee to a successful entrepreneur has been commendable. In 1996, he joined an NBFC as the head of resource mobilisation and was responsible for raising deposits.
Two years later, when the NBFC failed to pay back depositors, he bought a stake in the company and took over its management. Reddy's business acumen transformed the NBFC into a debt-free company by 2000 and steered it into infrastructure deployment for the power sector.
He visualised a business opportunity in the operational inefficiencies of the power distribution system in India. He pioneered the development of energy management and audit products to identify transmission and distribution losses and monitor power consumption.
Today, ICSA has become a leading provider of embedded solutions to the power sector and is steadily gaining importance in other sectors including water, oil and gas. Reddy's entrepreneurial vision got ICSA to patent its products and establish a virtual monopoly in these segments.
One of its main products, iCap, is an onsite pipeline monitoring device, which helps detect corrosion in oil pipelines, thereby avoiding leakages. ICSA is among the fastest growing companies in India and has significantly expanded operations.
Reddy was instrumental in the expansion of ICSA into the Singapore and Malaysian markets, and is exploring opportunities for inorganic growth in the US and Europe. The company aims to achieve a turnover of Rs 10,00 crore in 2008-09.
Anil Agarwal
Vedanta Resources Plc
“I never hesitate to put my hands where the problem is”
Anil Agarwal has proven his ability to build from scratch and compete in the business world as a global player. From humble beginnings as a metal trader in Patna, Bihar, he has certainly come a long way to head Vedanta Resources, one of the biggest metal and mining companies in the world.
Agarwal has transformed Vedanta Resources into the largest integrated producer of zinc and the second-largest producer of aluminum in India.
Under his able leadership, the group adopted the strategy of inorganic growth and with its recent acquisition of Sesa Goa, Vedanta has become the largest private sector producer-exporter of iron ore in India. Being a visionary, Agarwal fully utilised the government's privatisation policy to his advantage and acquired companies such as BALCO and Hindustan Zinc Limited.
He is renowned for turning around non-performing assets and successfully integrating them into his group. Agarwal has expanded Vedanta's operations beyond the Indian shores to Zambia and Australia. He also got the company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Agarwal plans to venture into new segments such as power generation and mining. Having acquired an allotment of coal mines and reserves of more than 320 million tonnes, the company targets an installed capacity of 10,000 MW by 2012. Vedanta runs literacy and healthcare camps in 70 villages across Rajasthan under an integrated village development programme.
Arvind Rao
OnMobile Global Ltd
“You have to keep innovating and showing the world that you can think and you can outthink people”
Sensing the significant global potential of value-added services (VAS), Arvind Rao took the first-mover advantage and co-founded OnMobile Global Ltd (OGL) in 2000. With his business acumen, he has steered OGL to become one of the leading white-labeled VAS companies in India for telecom and media verticals.
With a range of products and services such as ring back tones, mobile search, voice portals and data solutions, the company serves leading global players and has a market reach of over 350 million users.
Over the last five years, the company has expanded its global footprint to other parts of the world, including Singapore, Paris, Jakarta, London, Kuala Lumpur, Seattle and Sydney.
Rao invented a unique business model of revenue-sharing with telecom operators, thereby boosting OGL's growth and enabling it to capture new clients in the industry. OGL became the first VAS company in India to tap the capital market in 2008. It is also the first company in the world to launch Indian language speech-recognition software.
Rao plays a key role in forging new partnerships and formulating business strategies. He plans to catapult OGL to greater heights and make it the global leader in the VAS industry by 2010. OGL has been recognized by Deloitte as one of the fastest growing companies in India and the Asia-Pacific. V&D100 voted it India's largest MVAS solutions provider in 2007 and 2008.
Indukuri Syam Prasad Reddy
Indu Projects Ltd
“I also believe in co-prosperity, along with us everybody around us should prosper: Our employees, our partners, our sub-contractors and people living around us”
IS P Reddy established Indu Projects Ltd in 2001 as a construction contractor executing building contracts for the government as well as private developers.
He made his entrepreneurial debut with his previous company, IVRCL Infrastructure, which he co-founded in 1987. As a new entity, Indu Projects initially did not have the credentials to bid for large projects. So it started by taking up construction projects at difficult locations and terrains such as remote areas in the north east of India and Naxalite strongholds.
This risk-taking ability during the initial phase helped the company grow and strengthen its reputation in the real estate and infrastructure domain.
Currently, Indu Projects is executing projects worth Rs 13,500 crore and is working on six integrated townships in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and two information technology SEZs in Hyderabad.
Reddy's most inspiring quality is his ability to foresee and take on challenges. His bid for the Indu Fortune Fields project, a 65-acre residential complex in Hyderabad, at a time when every other developer was rushing to lucrative destinations and paying a premium for land banks.
Today, Indu Fortune Fields is one of most sought-after residential destinations in Hyderabad. Under the leadership of Reddy, Indu Projects plans to foray into coal mining and aims to become a $1 billion organisation by 2010-11.
The company also intends to invest Rs 70 crore over the next two years to increase the mechanisation component of construction from 20 per cent to 80 per cent.
P Namperumalsamy
Aravind Eye Care System
“I am proud that the son of a farmer who did not have any means to live has come to this level”
P Namperumalsamy, a fellow of Harvard Medical University and Illinois University (Chicago), began his association with Aravind Eye Care System (AECS) in 1976 as one of its founding members.
He gradually moved up the ranks from chief medical officer to become the chairman of the organisation in 2006. Initiated under the aegis of a non-profit trust to treat underprivileged blind people, AECS began as a humble 11-bed rented facility in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Today, it has grown into the largest and the most productive eye-care facility in the world.
Namperumalsamy spearheaded the movement for specialty clinics. He is renowned for his contribution to super-specialty ophthalmology and his pioneering work in medical and surgical treatment of diseases of retina and vitreous in India.
He has established state-of-the-art AECS vision centres in villages across the country to provide high-quality eye care, and free treatment to 75 per cent of its patients. The AECS network constitutes five hospitals with a capacity of approximately 3,600 beds in Tamil Nadu and manages four eye-care facilities across India.
AECS has conducted over 3 million surgeries since inception. It has also established Aurolab, a manufacturing unit for eye-care equipment, which exports lenses to more than 120 countries.
AECS has established a network of over 1,000 community-based organisations to provide eye care in rural areas. Namperumalsamy was awarded the Padma Shree in 2007 for his contribution to the field of medicine and healthcare.
Gautam Thapar
The Avantha Group
“If you have an idea and are passionate about it, find the right people, make believers of them and then basically tell them to go out and do it. I am backing you”
Gautam Thapar's transition from a rank outsider in one of the biggest family-run business groups in India to the chairman and chief executive officer of one of India's foremost diversified corporations, the Avantha Group, is an inspiration to the Indian corporate world.
With an impressive global footprint, the $ 3 billion Avantha Group operates in over 10 countries, employing 20,000 people belonging to 20 different nationalities.
Thapar marked his entry into Ballarpur Industries Ltd (BILT) in 1988 with the turnaround of a loss-making pulp unit. Since then, he has successfully led the company through a complex restructuring process and transformed BILT into the largest manufacturer of writing and printing paper, industrial paper and specialty paper in India.
Thapar took over as the chairman of Crompton Greaves Ltd (CGL) in 2004 and BILT in 2006. Under his leadership, CGL has attained leadership positions in sectors such as power systems, industrial motors and consumer fans with a strong consolidated order book of Rs 5,000 crore. CGL aims to be among the top five global power equipment suppliers by 2013. BILT has laid down a capex plan of Rs 1,600 crore and has also entered the domestic office supplies and general stationary market.
Thapar believes that a content community is a powerful vehicle for long-term growth. BILT launched an HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness programme in 2005, which has created awareness among over 10,000 truck drivers till date.
Jaiprakash Gaur
Jaypee Group
“Education agar koi bacche ko mil gayi duniya mein, to woh garib nahi ho sakta” (An educated man can never remain poor)
Jaiprakash Gaur, an IIT alumnus, has been associated with the construction industry for over five decades. Leaving a secure government job, he started his own venture with an initial capital of Rs 10,000 in 1958. Two decades later, he laid the foundation of Jaypee Group by setting up Jaiprakash Associates Ltd, a civil engineering and construction company.
Gaur has led the Jaypee Group for over 27 years and has established it as a diversified infrastructure conglomerate dealing in cement, engineering design and consultancy, power generation, hospitality, real estate, IT, and expressway development. Today, the group is the fourth-largest cement producer in India.
With his business acumen, Gaur has transformed the group into the largest private sector hydropower producer in India with an installed capacity of 700 MW.
A visionary, Gaur has played a crucial role in the development of hydropower as a sustainable source of electricity in India. The group has developed core competence in undertaking hydropower projects and has executed projects such as the Sardar Sarovar Dam (Gujarat), Tehri Dam (Uttarakhand) and Nathpa Jhakri (Himachal Pradesh).
The group has also planned hydropower projects across north and east India to augment its capacity to 5,000 MW by 2012. With a capacity-expansion drive underway, Jaypee Group plans to invest Rs 3,000 crore and achieve a cement production capacity of 30.5 MTPA by 2011.
M M Murugappan
Carborundum Universal Ltd
“When people see a future in the organization and in the institution they work for, I think the power of that is phenomenal”
With M M Murugappan at its helm, Carborundum Universal has become a pioneer and market leader in bonded and coated abrasives in India. Murugappan joined the company at the age of 23 and went on to lead it through a host of strategic partnerships, acquisitions and expansions.
His approach towards business partnerships with global leaders has been instrumental in the company's dynamic growth. Carborundum Universal produces 20,000 varieties of abrasives, refractory, electro-minerals and industrial ceramics, and exports them to over 40 countries.
The company has set up some of the world's largest state-of-the-art facilities of coated abrasives (Tamil Nadu), silicon carbide micro grits (Kerala) and high alumina industrial ceramics plants (Hosur, Tamil Nadu).
Murugappan's two-pronged strategy of driving change through both organic and inorganic growth has transformed the company. A number of alliances and acquisitions involving Wendt Gmbh (Germany), Sanhe Yanjiao Jingri Diamond Industrial Company (China), Morgan Crucible (UK), Abrasives Enterprises (Canada) and the acquisition of Volzhsky Abrasive Works (Russia) have provided the company with a blend of capabilities both in India as well as overseas.
Under Murugappan's leadership, Carborundum Universal intends to expand further in Russia, China and South Africa through inorganic growth. By 2009-10, the company aims to rank amongst the top five abrasive, refractory and industrial ceramics products players in the world.
Mehul Choksi
Gitanjali Gems Ltd
“Now if people try, it's going to take another 10 years to come near me. So, you know, I'm always going to be 10-12 years ahead of the others”
In 1977, Mehul Choksi joined his family-owned business of cutting, polishing and trading in rough diamonds.
Over the years, he transformed the business into a $1.2 billion international player in the jewellery market, Gitanjali Gems Ltd (GGL). Choksi's entrepreneurial vision and foresight led to the launch of the Gili brand at a time when branded jewellery was still unheard of in India, thus pioneering the concept.
Choksi's has helped GGL become one of India's largest integrated diamond and jewellery manufacturers and retailers. The company sells its jewellery under various brands including Nakshatra, Gili, Asmi, Sangini, D'Damas and Giantti.
GGL has established a strong presence at every level of the diamond business, right from sourcing of diamonds from DTC, as a sight holder, to manufacturing and retailing products through three diamond processing and five manufacturing facilities.
GGL has a distribution network of 1,600 retail outlets and 35 franchise stores across India and the US. The company has ventured into the lifestyle business and planned 200 lifestyle stores in to retail international luxury and lifestyle products.
GGL went global by acquiring Samuels Jewelers (US) and plans to pursue an inorganic growth strategy. It is also diversifying into the infrastructure business and plans to develop seven SEZs across the country in the gems and jewellery business. The company aims to achieve a turnover of $2 billion by 2009-10.
Mavila Vishwanathan Nair
Union Bank of India
“You feel god has given you a great opportunity. As a banker I am able to touch the life of the common man”
MV Nair, with over three decades of experience in the Indian banking industry, is the chairman and managing director of Union Bank of India (UBI). He started his career with Corporation Bank in 1973 and swiftly rose to the top executive cadre.
In Corporation Bank, he was responsible for several innovations, the most notable was the cash management services. He also worked in Dena Bank, another Public Sector Bank, as executive director and was later promoted to chairman and managing director. He was primarily responsible for the turnaround of the bank and its human resources function.
Nair's vision for UBI led to the introduction of ‘Project Nav Nirman’, a process that aims to transform the bank into a customer-centric organisation by leveraging technology, redefining business strategies and re-engineering business processes.
UBI reached a milestone by emerging as the first among the large public sector banks to bring over 2,500 of its outlets under the Core Banking Solution network by March 2008.
Under his leadership, UBI crossed total business mix of Rs 200,000 crore as of September 2008. Nair took the bank global by setting up representative offices in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi.
UBI opened its first overseas branch in Hong Kong in May 2008. Nair has a vision to make UBI one of the top three nationalised banks in terms of customer preference in the country and transform it into a one-stop shop catering to all the financial needs of a customer.
P R S Oberoi
The Oberoi Group
“Brick and mortar is not enough, it's the people that count in our hotel industry”
P R S Oberoi is credited with placing India on the international luxury traveller's map by redefining the luxury and excelling in service amongst hotels around the world.
The Oberoi Group, founded in 1934, operates 30 hotels in five countries under the luxury brand Oberoi and five-star brand Trident.
The group is also engaged in flight catering, airport restaurants, travel and tour services, car rentals, project management and corporate air charters. Oberoi's contribution to the hospitality industry and his pioneering leadership are truly commendable.
Under Oberoi's leadership, Oberoi hotels and resorts have received numerous international awards. He has redefined architectural and design standards in luxury hospitality with the opening of new luxury hotels.
In India, these include The Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra, The Oberoi Rajvilas in Jaipur, The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, The Oberoi Vanyavilas in Ranthambhore, and Wildflower Hall in Simla in the Himalayas. Overseas, the new hotels are in Indonesia, Mauritius and Egypt.
It is Oberoi's belief that people are the most valuable asset of any organisation. Recognising the importance of quality in hospitality management, Oberoi established The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development in New Delhi in 1966, which today is considered amongst the best in Asia.
In January 2008, Oberoi was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honor, in recognition of his contribution to the hospitality industry. The group also supports philanthropic activities.
Ram Chandra Agarwal
Vishal Retail
“If you want to be a big businessman, you have to make lots of partners… and you have to share your vision, your profit, your everything with them”
Ram Chandra Agarwal was only 21 years old when he recognised the business potential of the ready-made garments trade. He collected an initial capital of Rs 20,000 from his family's savings and moneylenders to set up a 50 sq ft garment shop in Kolkata in 1986.
Eventually, he transformed Vishal Garments into Vishal Retail, a leading retail player in India offering apparel, fast-moving consumer goods and a wide range of household merchandise.
The company focuses on under-penetrated Tier II & III cities with high potential, and middle-income households in Tier I cities in India. In just over a year, Agarwal has more than doubled the number of stores to about 173 across 103 cities in India and a spread of over 3 million sq ft.
Moving in tandem with the fast-growing modern retail sector, Vishal Retail plans to take over the supply chain of kirana stores and equip them with technology, newer practices, visual-merchandising skills and help build its brand and consumer base.
The company also intends to set up a number of franchise-based specialised stores across the country. These stores will focus on lifestyle, FMCG, electronic and other related products.
Under Agarwal, Vishal Retail is set to expand its consumer outreach in terms of city coverage and cater to the entire urban consumer class. The company also targets an increase in its retail network to 500 stores with an area of 10 million sq ft in the coming year.
Rohinton Screwvala
UTV Software Communications Ltd
“If you are doing nine out of 10 things right, chances are you are not experimenting, chances are you are not pushing the envelope”
Ronnie Screwvala, a first-generation entrepreneur, launched UTV in 1990 and produced India's first daily soap opera, Shanti. Over 18 years, he has become a stalwart in the entertainment space. He established India's first global media conglomerate, with presence across movie production, broadcasting, television-content and gaming.
Screwvala is credited with transforming the Indian film industry by establishing modern standards of studio efficiency. He has professionalised the movie-production business in India with the introduction of accounting standards and foreign investors, and by aggressively marketing films with novel plots. His business acumen has put UTV on the world map. The company has also produced three mainstream Hollywood movies.
Gauging the opportunity in the gaming industry, UTV has made its presence felt across all platforms: console, mobile and online.
The company has also entered the television broadcasting space and operates five channels: Bindass, Bindass Movies, UTV Movies, World Movies and UTVi. Impressed by the growth potential of UTV, Walt Disney further invested approximately Rs 800 crore in the company in 2008.
UTV aims to touch $500 million in revenues by 2010-11, half of which will be generated from the group's international business. The company intends to release 18 movies in 2008-09 and three animation movies in the next two years.
Ranbir Singh Butola
ONGC Videsh Ltd
“Both parties have to win when you are doing negotiations for transactions. I cannot be the winner all the time”
RS Butola started his career in the oil and gas sector with ONGC in 1991. He was appointed director (finance) in 2002 on the board of ONGC Videsh Ltd and in 2004 became the managing director of OVL.
Butola has built OVL's asset portfolio by completing 29 acquisitions in global exploration at a time when opportunities were few. Under his leadership, OVL has become the second largest exploration and production company in India, in terms of oil and gas reserves and production.
With Butola's business acumen and foresight, OVL achieved production of 8.8 MMT of oil and gas in 2007-08. The company has a strong operational presence with participation in 38 projects covering about 50 blocks in 18 countries across the Asia-Pacific, West Asia, Africa and Latin America. OVL has formed strategic alliances with several major global players including Shell, Total, BP, Exxon and Petrobras.
The company aims to achieve production levels of 60 MMT of oil equivalent per annum by 2025. OVL has allocated an outlay of approximately Rs 45,000 crore for the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012) for its overseas ventures and to acquire stakes in oil blocks across Central Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Alongside achieving corporate goals, OVL has invested over $3 million in community development projects overseas in the areas of health, agriculture, education and sports.
Sanjay Nayak
Tejas Networks India Ltd
“You only have one life and you will be wasting it if you really do not do and realize what you thought you were capable of doing”
At a time when the Indian technology industry was only recognised for IT services, Nayak co-founded Tejas Networks in 2000, a next generation optical networking product company that caters to the needs of telecom service providers.
The company has pioneered the development of cost-effective, next-generation optical networking products that enable telecom service providers to build converged voice and data networks.
Tejas has successfully raised a cumulative of $73 million from global VCs including Intel Capital, Battery Ventures, Mayfield Fund, Sandstone Capital and Goldman Sachs.
Nayak's strategic vision enabled Tejas to create an innovation-leverage using India's low-cost, but high-quality research and development workforce to develop new products with a shorter time-to-market deliverable.
In addition, Tejas has had a successful international expansion strategy using a combination of OEM business model for the US and European markets and direct sales focus for the high-growth emerging markets of Southeast Asia, West Asia and Africa. More than 100,000 Tejas systems are successfully working in over 100 countries.
Tejas aims to achieve a turnover of $1 billion by 2012-13, with a majority of its revenues coming from international customers. Tejas received international recognition when it was introduced as a Harvard case study in 2007.
Sanjeev Bikhchandani
Info Edge (India) Ltd
“You know when you are aspiring to be an entrepreneur you get 100 ideas. And if you have 100 ideas maybe you will execute one and the rest you will file and forget”
Sanjeev Bikhchandani was quick to recognise the immense business potential of the internet and soon became an early mover in the dotcom space.
He revolutionised online recruitment in India with the launch of Naukri.com, the flagship web portal of Info Edge, in 1997.
Hitesh Oberoi
Info Edge (India) Ltd
“I realized very early on that it was about one idea and a lot of hard work to get there… after that things would fall in place”
Hitesh Oberoi joined Info Edge in early 2000, a few months prior to the company receiving its first round of venture capital funding.
In the first few years, he was instrumental in revamping the product portfolio, setting up a sales team and planning investments in brand building for the organisation. He subsequently took charge of technology, operations and new businesses as well.
Bikhchandani and Oberoi have transformed Info Edge, a garage start-up, into the largest internet company in India. Naukri.com boasts of a database of 14 million résumés and adds an average of 10,000 résumés to it daily. Under their mentorship, Naukri.com has become the largest player in online recruitment in India, with a market share of over 50 per cent. It serves 32,500 corporate clients through its pan-India network of 66 offices, located across 42 cities.
After the success of Naukri.com, the duo ventured into launching an internet-classifieds company, which offers matrimonial (jeevansaathi.com), real estate (99acres.com) and educational (shiksha.com) services. The company has also launched asknaukri.com, the first career-guidance website in India, and brijj.com, a professional networking website.
With a constant focus on innovation, Bikhchandani and Oberoi have together broadened the scope of services offered by Naukri.com, including SMS and chat-based applications.
The company has added an international jobs section to Naukri.com, featuring more than 9,000 overseas job postings across 15 countries. Bikhchandani and Mr. Oberoi took Info Edge's geographical connect to West Asia with the launch of Naukri.com- Gulf in 2006.
It may have helped that both Bikhchandani and Oberoi come from a consumer-oriented background. Bikhchandani used to be with Glaxo Smithkline; Oberoi was with Hindustan Unilever.
The company has a sizeable off-line presence. It operates a network of 67 offices located in 41 cities throughout India, as well as two in Dubai, one in Bahrain and one in Riyadh, which primarily engage in sales, marketing and payment collection activities for all the business divisions. As on June 30, 2008, its employee strength was about 1,798 people.
Shantanu Prakash
Educomp Solutions Ltd
“I draw inspiration from everyone, Not merely people who have been successful in business, but also people who have been successful in almost every walk of life”
Declining a placement at IIM, Ahmedabad, Shantanu Prakash opted for an entrepreneurial venture, instead, and set up Educomp, India's first school-centric education solutions company in 1994.
The Educomp success story features several milestones. Notable among them are Smart Class, a teacher-led content system; Roots 2 Wings, the country's first structured pre-school learning system; and Math-Guru.com to simplify access to qualitative math help.
The company currently serves over 19,000 schools and 9 million learners and educators across the US, Singapore, the Asia-Pacific and India. It has the largest K-12 content library in India with over 15,000 topics of 3-D content.
Prakash has lead the company to move beyond the K-12 business by entering into a joint venture with the Raffles Education Group, the largest private education group in the Asia-Pacific region, which will bring its entire suite of professional development programmes and courses to India.
Educomp has done a number of mergers and acquisitions in the recent past, including Ask-N-Learn (Singapore), Savvica Inc (Canada) and Learning.com (US).
Educomp is closing in on its target of 10 million learners by 2010, more than a year in advance. It has also ventured into the formal school business and intends to set up 150 schools in the next three to four years.
Venugopal N Dhoot
Videocon Industries Ltd
“No risk, no gain, but risk should be measured and taken properly so that you become successful”
Venugopal Dhoot, a second-generation entrepreneur, transformed Videocon from a conference room sized assembly line in 1979 into a conglomerate across the verticals of consumer electronics and home appliances, office automation, telecom, power, crude oil and natural gas.
Videocon's breakthrough came when it received one of the first licences to manufacture color televisions in India in the early 1980s. The company has now become the largest manufacturer of color picture tubes and CPT glasses in the world, with operations across Mexico, Italy, Poland, China and India.
Armed with an uncanny foresight and a global outlook, Dhoot has successfully acquired the color picture tube operations of the Thomson Group and the Indian operations of AB Electrolux of Sweden, thereby enhancing its capabilities in both in India as well as overseas. He has led Videocon into exploration and production of oil in India, participated in a joint venture in the Ravva Oil Fields and recently acquired Brazil's Encana Brazil Petroleo Limitada jointly with BPCL.
Dhoot has a vision to make Videocon a Fortune 500 company in the next five years. The company intends to launch its mobile services on a pan-India basis targeting 10 million subscribers in the next four years.
Videocon strategises to strengthen its focus on oil and natural gas and is pursuing opportunities in Oman, Australia and Timor Sea, near Indonesia.
| THE SELECTION PROCESS With each success, more individuals are inspired to turn to entrepreneurship as a "career". A boost to entrepreneurship also means higher economic growth, innovation and more employment creation. The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year programme, in discovering and honouring entrepreneurs, triggers a cycle that encourages entrepreneurship and speeds up economic growth. Each year the most successful and innovative entrepreneurs vie for the most prestigious honour in this class: the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award. Entrepreneur of the Year winners represent virtually every industry — from the traditional to the newly created. |
Established in the United States in 1986 and now conducted in 54 countries, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year is the only international annual award programme. This prestigious programme was launched in India in 1999, for the first time in the Asia Pacific, to discover and honour those innovators and leaders who are making Indian enterprise a symbol of excellence.
Ernst & Young follows a robust nomination and selection process. A nominee must be an owner/manager primarily responsible for the recent performance of a company that is at least two years old. Founders of public companies are eligible, provided the founder is still active in top management. Nominations can be submitted by anyone who is associated with a successful entrepreneur. These include spouses, employees, bankers, attorneys, public relations managers, or entrepreneurs themselves. All financial information submitted on the nomination form will be considered confidential.
The national panels of judges encompass all aspects of entrepreneurship and therefore include distinguished personalities from a wide range of disciplines.
The finalists and winners are selected from amongst all eligible nominations following an independent process of nomination and selection. All nominations are first subject to scrutiny by a panel of independent business journalists. Short listed nominees are then interviewed by business journalists in various cities.
The judging criteria include fundamentals such as Vision, Leadership, Social Responsibility and Achievement. It includes a thorough assessment of the entrepreneur's leadership, innovation and integrity, particularly with respect to financial performance and company growth and what is in store for the future. Final determination of the categories in which awards will be presented is made by the independent panel of judges.
If you know someone who has founded or is growing a leading-edge company and possesses winning business attributes, why not nominate him or her for this coveted award next year?
| THE JUDGING CRITERIA These are the fundamentals, the panel of judges look for: |
| Vision |
| An Idea — a product, a service or a market — where none existed. You identified it, tapped into it and made it a success. |
| Leadership |
| Call it charisma, focus or sheer force of will, it's what keeps the entrepreneur and his team moving forward, regardless of the obstacles along the way. |
| Social Responsibility |
| For the truly successful entrepreneur, it's not just about customers, it's about the community. We want to honour individuals who know that commitment and responsibility aren't confined to the 'four walls' of their businesses. |
| Achievement |
| Actualising an idea is just the beginning. The true entrepreneur is constantly looking for new ideas and striving for new success. That's what keeps innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit alive. |
