New Delhi: EY, the global professional services organisation, announced the selection of 17 of the country’s most exceptional entrepreneurs as Finalists for the 18th Entrepreneur of the Year – India 2016. The Finalists have been selected from among 250 outstanding nominations and will be felicitated at a grand celebratory Awards Banquet to be held on 24 February in New Delhi.
Mr. Nandan Nilekani will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his invaluable contribution to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which is a pioneering citizen identification program, unparalleled in scope and scale worldwide. As the Honorary Advisor to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), he has also helped create the ecosystem for digital financial services in India. He has also played a major role in the growth of the Indian Information Technology industry and is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honor, in 2009.
A distinguished nine-member independent Jury led by Dilip Shanghvi, Managing Director, Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries selected the Finalists. Other Jury members include Subodh Bhargava, Chairman, Tata Communications; Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Executive Vice-Chairman, Info Edge (India) Limited; Naina Lal Kidwai, Chairman, Max Financial Services; Uday Kotak, Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Kalpana Morparia, Chief Executive Officer, JP Morgan Chase South Asia and India; Rishad Premji, Chief Strategy Officer, Wipro; Renuka Ramnath, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Multiples Alternate Asset Management and A Vellayan, Executive Chairman, Murugappa Group.
Mr. Dilip Shanghvi, Jury Chairman and Managing Director, Sun Pharmaceuticals said, “Like previous years, this year’s finalists too represent extremely successful companies that have not only disrupted the industry with a new business model but have disrupted themselves to chart a new growth path. We need more entrepreneurs to propel our country’s growth and it is important to recognize such innovative entrepreneurs.”
The Finalists for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2016 India Awards are:
Ram Gopal Agarwal, Chairman, Dhanuka Agritech
Vishwavir Ahuja, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, RBL Bank
Hari Mohan Bangur, Managing Director, Shree Cement
R Dinesh, Managing Director, TVS Logistics Services
Dr Abhay Firodia, Chairman, Force Motors
Ajit Isaac, Chairman and Managing Director, Quess Corp
Girish Mathrubootham, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Freshdesk
Ravi Modi, Chairman and Managing Director, Vedant Fashions (Manyavar)
Vikas Oberoi, Chairman and Managing Director, Oberoi Realty
Darshan Patel, Chairman and Managing Director, Vini Cosmetics
P. Ramachandran, Chairman and Managing Director, Jyothy Laboratories
Vivek Chaand Sehgal, Chairman, Motherson Sumi Systems
Rashesh Shah, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Edelweiss Group
Uday Shankar, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Star India
Samprada Singh, Chairman Emeritus and Basudeo Narain Singh, Executive Chairman, Alkem Laboratories
Chandubhai Virani, Whole time Director, Balaji Wafers
Mr. Uday Kotak, Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank and winner of the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award 2014 said, “I was delighted to be part of this Jury and impressed with the robustness of the process. This year’s Finalists truly define the India of today and tomorrow. What is really interesting is that we are seeing real-world businesses adopting digital and transforming themselves. My message to every entrepreneur in India is, “Go out there, build your dream and more importantly, build a business model that is sustainable over time.”
Ms. Kalpana Morparia, CEO, JP Morgan Chase, South Asia and India said, “What made the Jury process truly outstanding is the richness of the candidates. This year’s theme for the Awards – ‘Ideas, Innovation and Inspiration’, are the three ‘I’s that are driving India’s economy and many of the 2016 finalists embody this theme. Looking beyond the digital services companies, what is phenomenal is that existing established businesses are disrupting their own models to keep pace with the digital economy.”
The winners will be announced across several categories, while the national winner will represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year (WEOY) awards in Monte Carlo from 8-11 June 2017. EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs.
Rajiv Memani, Chairman, EY India, said, “What strikes me about our 2016 Finalists is how they have acquired tremendous scale and size from what were clearly modest beginnings. A strong focus on the customer and a business model based on innovative products and services for niche markets have enabled them to create a lasting impact. Also, reliance on technology and a bold vision for the future has helped them scale up rapidly.”
