Presenting the winners of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year India Award 2012

Mumbai, 21 February 2013 – Mr. Adi Godrej,  Chairman of the   Godrej Group, who has created an international  conglomerate in diverse sectors such as FMCG, consumer durables, real estate, industrial engineering etc, was today named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012.  The Lifetime Achievement Award this year has been conferred upon Mr. Ratan Tata.

Seven other successful entrepreneurs also received these coveted awards across various categories at a magnificent celebratory banquet here today, which was attended by over 500 people. Mr Sachin Pilot, the Honourable Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Corporate Affairs, was the chief guest for the evening.  Mr. Godrej will now go on to represent India at the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2013.

A high-powered, 9-member jury, led by Mr R C Bhargava, Chairman of Maruti Suzuki India, selected the winners from several outstanding self-nominations. 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.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award-winner, 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.

The winners have been selected by an independent 9-member jury led by Mr. R.C. Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki Limited. 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); Mr. A. Vellayan (Murugappa Group).

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012: Category Winners

• Entrepreneur Of The Year - Start-Up : Dr. Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta – The Medicity

• Entrepreneur Of The Year – Services : Dhiraj C Rajaram, Chairman and CEO, MuSigma Business Solutions

• Entrepreneur Of The Year – Manager : Francisco D’Souza, Chief Executive Officer, Cognizant Technology Solutions

• Entrepreneur of the Year - Life Sciences and Healthcare: Dr Devi Prasad ShettyChairman, Narayana Hrudalaya Group,

• Entrepreneur Of The Year – Consumer Products : TT Jagannathan, Chairman, TTK Group

• Entrepreneur Of The Year – Manufacturing :  Onkar S Kanwar, Chairman and Managing Director, Apollo Tyres

• Entrepreneur Of The Year – Business Transformation : Dr Cyrus S Poonawalla, Chairman and Managing Director, Serum Institute of India

Quote from Rajiv Memani, Country Managing Partner, Ernst & Young India,” “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"

Quote from Farokh Balsara, Partner & EOY Program Leader, Ernst & Young India,  “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 our 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.