Mr. Ratan Tata, former Chairman of the Tata Group has been conferred the Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award this year, while Mr. Onkar S. Kanwar, Chairman and Managing Director, Apollo Tyres, has been selected as the Entrepreneur Of The Year – Manufacturing. Mr. Adi Godrej, CII President, and Chairman of the Godrej Group, who has created an international conglomerate in diverse sectors such as FMCG, consumer durables, real estate, industrial engineering, etc., has been named the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012.
Six other successful entrepreneurs also received coveted awards across various categories at a magnificent celebratory banquet held in Mumbai at which Mr. Sachin Pilot, Minister of State, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, was the chief guest.
Mr. Ratan Tata is a true visionary who has inspired immeasurable respect for strengthening the Tata legacy of wealth and job creation in India and equally for asserting a greater role for Indian entrepreneurs on the global business landscape. He has also been a former recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in 2003.
Mr. Adi Godrej will go on to represent India at the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Award function in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in June next.
The Entrepreneur of The Year is the only business award to be based on self-nomination and is also the only global business award program. It is now in its 14th year in India.
The winners have been selected by an independent nine-member jury led by Mr. R.C. Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki Ltd. The other jury members included Mr. Harsh Mariwala (Marico), Mr. S. Ramadorai (TCS), Mr. G.V. Prasad (Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories), Mr. Sanjay Nayar (KKR India), Ms. Shikha Sharma (Axis Bank), Dr. Rajiv B. Lall (IDFC), Mr. Ishaat Hussain (Tata Sons), and Mr. A. Vellayan (Murugappa Group).
Mr. Rajiv Memani, Country Managing Partner, Ernst & Young India, said: “Innovation, a strong focus on the core which helped ride out tough market conditions and the ability to change the rules of the game in their sectors has been the hallmark of our winners this year, in addition to building scale both in India and on the global platform. We salute their achievements”.
Mr. Farokh Balsara, Partner & EOY Program Leader, Ernst & Young India, observed: “Entrepreneurs have played a seminal role in the success of fast-growing economies like India. At Ernst & Young, we have long recognized the potential of entrepreneurs and are committed to helping them succeed. Together, our finalists represent many unique business models and breakthrough ideas which are touching the lives of millions of people not just across India, but around the world”.