NDTV Profit Announces Winners of Business Leadership Awards 2010

MUMBAI: NDTV Profit today announced the winners of the prestigious and most awaited NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards 2010 at a special award ceremony at The Trident, Mumbai graced by Union Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee. The award saluted business leaders whose relentless pursuit of excellence has fuelled India‘s journey to the forefront of the world economy.

It was a high powered event attended by cr?me de la cr?me of Corporate India. The award now in its 5th year has established itself as the premier platform to recognize corporate and entrepreneurial abilities in India. The award night brought together the best business minds and bureaucrats of the country under one roof, including NR Narayan Murthy, Mukesh Ambani, Deepak Parekh and Alan Greenspan amongst others.

The winners of the NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards 2010 are:

Inaugurating the award ceremony, Union Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee said, "Indian economy has now come of age, it has a towering presence and is back on the growth path. Our GDP growth figures are truly reassuring. I expect agriculture growth to going to rise in the coming months and I believe India will be back on the growth path of 9% in coming days. I am glad to see our entrepreneurs have risen to the occasion."

On receiving the award for NDTV Business Leader of the Year, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, Mr. Mukesh D Ambani said, "I am a big believer in speaking through actions rather than words. The world and particularly the west are going through a difficult time. We are moving from a financial crisis to a sovereign crisis. India has a great opportunity. Our balance sheet is the strongest in the world. Both the Direct Tax Code and Goods & Services Tax are historical milestones. The view of the external world is that we are laying foundation for an equitable growth. Personally I am very optimistic and I see India taking the position of fastest growing economy in the world. It is a very special feeling to receive this award from NDTV".

Speaking on the occasion, Alan Greenspan, renowned American Economist said, "Federal Reserve and Fiscal Policy are highly relevant. I do not think we can spend our way out of this problem. We have enough stimulus at the moment. The demand in the US is a major factor for the success of East Asia. India is doing better than anyone else at this stage. India has managed to contain this problem but it can‘t do so continuously. The notion that we can solve our problems by decoupling is an illusion. We underestimate impact of stock markets on economic activity and employment."

On being awarded the Global Business Leader of the Year, Vikram Pandit, CEO, CitiGroup said, "Leading Citi through one of the worst economic climates in history has certainly been challenging but it also has been incredibly gratifying. To learn from the past act on the lessons of the crisis and address the challenges of the aftermath we are instilling a culture of responsible finance in every part of this company. India has a special place in my heart we will continue to support micro-finance & support India‘s priorities, particularly in the area of financial inclusion & financial education. India will continue to grow for a longtime to come & we will grow with India".

Chief Mentor Infosys, N R Narayan Murthy on being asked if he will take a more public role and stand for President, he said, "I will see how it goes and would avail the opportunities that will come my way to make some difference."

Aamir Khan, who received NDTV‘s special award for Creative Entrepreneur of the Year expressed his views saying, "I find myself out of place in business functions because I don‘t wear suits! I don‘t see myself as a business person. I just want to continue to be part of stories."

When asked the Indian born investment banker, Anshu Jain on him being the next CEO of Deutsche Bank he credited the support and encouragement from the management board of the Deutsche Bank and his team for him to get this award.

Extensive research was carried to determine the nominees and the winners under the discerning and experienced guidance of the jury that comprised of eminent personalities like Dr. Amit Mitra, Secretary General, FICCI; Mr Dorab R Sopariwala, Editorial Advisor, NDTV; Ms Kalpana Morparia, Chief Executive Officer, JP Morgan, India; Ms Naina Lal Kidwai, Country Head, HSBC India; Ms. Shanti Ekambaram, Group Head Wholesale Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Mr. T N Ninan, Editor and Publisher, Business Standard; and Dr. Prannoy Roy, Chairman, NDTV.

NDTV partnered with Kanakia as their presenting sponsors; MCX, Trident, Chivas, PWC and Kingfisher as Associate Sponsors and Deloitte as the Knowledge Partners for the awards this year.