Ernst & Young, the leading professional services firm, today announced that 14 of the country’s most visionary business leaders have been selected as the finalists for its Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) – India 2011 from over 340 self nominations. The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year is the only global award to honour entrepreneurs. All finalists will be felicitated at a grand celebratory banquet on 23 February, 2012 in Mumbai.
The lifetime achievement award this year is being conferred upon Mr. Deepak Parekh, Chairman, HDFC, for his most exceptional contribution in developing India’s financial services sector.
The winners will be announced across several categories from the 14 finalists, with one being judged as the country winner. The country winner will represent India at the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo on 10 June, 2012.
The finalists have been selected by an independent 7-member jury led by Mr. R.C. Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki Limited. Other jury members for the India 2011 program include Ms. Chanda Kochhar (ICICI Bank); Mr.S. Ramadorai (TCS); Mr. Dalip Pathak (Warburg Pincus); Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal (Hero Corporate Service); Mr. G.V.Prasad (Dr. Reddys Laboratories); Mr. Sanjay Nayar (KKR India).
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award is the only business award to be based on self-nomination and is now in its successful 13th year in the country. Says Rajiv Memani, Country Managing Partner, Ernst & Young India, “The outstanding number of nominations received for this year’s edition reflect the distinctive appeal the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award Program continues to hold among Indian entrepreneurs. Our finalists represent individuals from varied sectors, who have not only touched many a life with their innovative and unique business models, but also created a global impact through their unique vision.”
The Finalists for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011:
- Analjit Singh, Chairman, Max India Group;
- Dr. Anand Burman, Chairman, Dabur India;
- B. Soundararajan, Chairman, Suguna Poultry;
- Dr. B.S.Ajaikumar, Chairman and CEO, Healthcare Global Enterprises;
- Deep Kalra, CEO, MakeMyTrip (India);
- Desh Bandhu Gupta, Chairman, Lupin;
- Dhiraj Rajaram, CEO, Mu Sigma;
- Kapil Wadhawan, Chairman and CEO, DHFL;
- Manish Khera, CEO, FINO;
- Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO & MD, TCS;
- R.Srinivasan, MD, Redington (India);
- Rahul Bhatia, MD, Interglobe Aviation;
- Dr. Sushil Shah, Chairman, Metropolis Health Services;
- Vivek Chaand Sehgal, Chairman; Samvardhana Motherson Group
Apart from varied criterion such as entrepreneurial spirit, financial performance, strategic direction, innovation and personal integrity, the jury considered the impact the nominees were delivering in terms of a significant contribution to the India growth story.
“We deeply value the role of entrepreneurs and our commitment to help entrepreneurs succeed is something which motivates us each day. Over the years, our Entrepreneur Of The Year program has mirrored the emergence of Indian enterprise on the global stage. Our finalists are drawn from different parts of the country, but each one of them has demonstrated an ability to boldly venture into uncharted territory, overcome the odds with their courage and conviction and contributed very significantly to India’s emerging entrepreneurial ethos. This is what sets them apart as visionaries of the universe,” says Farokh Balsara, Partner and EOY India Program Leader.
The winners join the ranks of legendary business leaders and award recipients such as N.R Narayana Murthy (Infosys), Ratan Tata (Tata Group), Mukesh D Ambani (Reliance), Sunil Bharti Mittal (Bharti Group), Kumar Mangalam Birla (Aditya Birla Group), Subhash Chandra (Zee Telefilms), Anil Agarwal (Vedanta), Tulsi Tanti (Suzlon), Anand Mahindra (M&M) and Dilip Shanghvi (Sun Pharmaceuticals).
Says Mr. R C Bhargava, Jury Chairman, “The excellent quality and number of nominations received was remarkable and it reinforces my optimism for India’s economic future. The fact that so many visionary entrepreneurs continue to emerge bodes well for the country as entrepreneurship has a critical role to play in creating wealth and jobs, thereby shaping India’s road map to sustainable growth. He further adds, “The selection of finalists was a rigorous and transparent process. The jury considered parameters which combined ambition with pragmatism; goal orientation with adaptability and growth with impact.”
