CNBC-TV18 & Airtel felicitates India Inc at the India Business Leader Awards 2007

Media News

Mumbai, December 08, 2007

CNBC-TV18, India’s No.1 business medium, today announced the winners of the prestigious India Business Leader Awards(IBLA).

These awards, now in their 3rd year, have emerged as the ultimate benchmarks for corporate enterprise and business leadership in Asia. The IBLA recognizes the true champions of the Indian growth story and salutes the spirit of excellence in business. As in earlier years, IBLA winners were selected through a rigorous judging process led by an eminent jury comprising leading business minds. This included Mr. K. V. Kamath, Managing Director& Chief Executive Officer - ICICI Bank as the Chairperson of the Jury, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairperson - AV Birla Group, Mr. Uday Kotak, Executive Vice-Chairman and Managing Director- Kotak Mahindra Bank, & Mr. R Seshasayee, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland completed the jury panel.

CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards 2007 felicitated chief architects of corporate India’s. global ascendance such as Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata & Indra Nooyi and celebrated the spirit of enterprise of leaders in fields such as politics & entertainment by recognizing Shah Rukh Khan and Pranab Mukherjee as well.

The CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards returned this year with a more comprehensive category line up and a wider selection of nominees, in order to reflect the diversifying facets of the Indian growth story. The awards night was star studded with the leading lights of corporate India, government and entertainment in attendance along with eminent thought leaders of the country.

Winners for this year IBLA 2007 are:

First Generation Entrepreneur of the Year: Dilip Sanghvi - Sun Pharma

Indian Global Achiever of the Year: Indra Nooyi - Chairperson & CEO, PepsiCo

Taking India Abroad: Ratan Tata – Chaiman, Tata Group

Most Promising Entrant into the Big League: G M R Infrastructure Ltd - G M Rao, Founder Chairman

Social Enterprise of the Year: The Jaipur Foot - D R Mehta, Founder & Chief Patron

Outstanding Contribution to the cause of Indian Business: Pranab Mukherjee – Minister for External Affairs of India

Lifetime Achievement Award: P R S Oberoi, EIH Limited

Outstanding Businesswoman of the Year: Shikha Sharma, CEO - ICICI Pru Life

CNBC-TV18's Outstanding Business Leader of the Year: Mukesh Ambani, Chairman - Reliance Industries

Outstanding Company of the Year: Bharti Airtel Ltd

Hall of Fame: Aditya Vikram Birla (Posthumously)

CNBC Asia's India Business Leader Award: Sudhakar Ram – Mastek

India Innovator of the year: Martial Rolland - Nestle India

India Corporate Citizen of the Year: Harish Manwani - Hindustan Lever

The Talent Management Award: Rakesh Makhija - SKF India

Entertainment Business Leader of the Year: Shah Rukh Khan – Actor

An engaging discussion centering around the theme of “INDIA – SWOT debate” added a new dimension to the event. As part of the SWOT debate, leaders applied the most well known corporate analysis tool to the state of the nation. As one observer noted “After 60 years, it was an opportune time to take a reality check and yet envision the possibilities & dangers as India makes its next foray on the global stage. The SWOT proved very enlightening and relevant in that sense”. The debate was led by thought leaders such as Mr. Kamath, Mr. Seshasayee Mr.Jaideep Sahni, Mr. Manvendera Singh and Mr.Gurucharan Das.

Group CEO, Network 18, Haresh Chawla said, "CNBC-TV18's India Business Leader Awards honors the highest levels of business leadership and acknowledges the individuals who have championed the Indian growth story and the economic agenda of the country. The IBLA is a pre-eminent business award in Asia and recognizes the spirit of these business leaders in taking India onto the global stage as well.”

For further information, please contact:

Glen D’Souza / Sujata Basu Nag / Saroja Shankaran

Hanmer & Partners Communications Pvt Ltd

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