The MD of Hella India Lighting won in the Master Entrepreneur category
Rama Shankar Pandey, Managing Director, Hella India Lighting, won in the prestigious Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) 2021 in the Master Entrepreneur category. Pandey, who received his award in a glittering ceremony held virtually on 30th June, won it for India in the category of Master Entrepreneur among other winners from Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunie and Indonesia. This year, an impressive number of 130 finalists from 15 countries were up for consideration in the final round of judging, 59 of whom were chosen as award recipients.
The award ceremony was attended by more than 300 C-suite level executives and business leaders from China, Bahrain, Brunei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and other parts of the Asia Pacific region.
As one of the youngest professional Managing Directors of a listed MNC in the country since 2010, leading Hella India Lighting Ltd., Pandey turned around an old loss-making entity, suffering from long legal litigations to a sustainable business model and gave it a larger social purpose. He has led the company to committing into road safety by launching affordable safety automotive products and enhancing awareness of risks on the road. He holds on to the vision of achieving entrepreneurial success by resolving real life problems such as road deaths in transport sector and building skilled youths from underprivileged unemployed population. He aims to create employability among 10 million youths in his lifetime.
Ramashankar Pandey has also been working for the skill ecosystem of the country for the last two decades. His contribution towards the Skill India initiative, as co-founder of ‘Prayaas Bangalore’ since his BOSCH days in 1998, has directly benefited hundreds of underprivileged youths get jobs and livelihood they deserve.
Post the award ceremony, Pandey said: “It’s our duty to make skills aspirational; we have to create an environment where we get away from the obsession of ‘Degree & Designation’ and embrace a society respecting ‘Skills & Purpose’. India must become the ‘Skill Capital’ of the world and celebrate Social Entrepreneurship.”
APEA honours business leaders and organisations who have shown outstanding performance and tenacity in developing successful businesses, while not neglecting the social responsibilities that comes with leadership.
Enterprise Asia, the organizer of the prestigious fifteenth Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) 2021 Regional Edition recognized 59 exceptional award recipients who have exemplified excellence and perseverance in this unprecedented period. The APEA awardees have proven resiliency and accelerated tremendously to overcome the unprecedented economic conditions wrought by the global pandemic.
The APEA, an initiative by Enterprise Asia, the region’s leading NGO, is the largest regional recognition and acknowledgement programme for trailblazers in the business community. APEA prides itself as a testament to the commitment, aspiration, and true entrepreneurship.
Launched in 2007, the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards is the region’s most prestigious awards for outstanding entrepreneurship, continuous innovation and sustainable leadership. The Award provides a platform for companies and governments to recognize entrepreneurial excellence, hence spurring greater innovation, fair business practices and growth in entrepreneurship.
The APEA 2021 Regional Edition and AEF 2021 are supported by Angel Investment Network Indonesia (ANGIN), Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), Institut Keusahawanan Negara Berhad (INSKEN), Malaysian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (MTCC), Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA), Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC), National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (NIEI), Singapore Thai Chamber of Commerce (STCC), SME Corporation Malaysia, The Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (HK and Macau) Ltd. (MAYCHAM). PR Newswire as the Official News Release Distribution Partner; BusinessWorld, Commercial Times, Daily Tribune, Hong Kong Economic Times, Jumpstart, Kumparan, New Delhi Times, SME, The Nation and The Standard as media partners.