Venture capitalist Promod Haque, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, eBay boss Meg Whitman are amongst the luminaries who have been conferred the Global Leadership Awards by Nasscom.
The National Association of Software and Services Companies -- Nasscom -- the premier trade body and 'voice' of the IT software and service industry in India, on Tuesday announced the winners of Global Leadership Awards on the eve of its annual summit Nasscom 2006: India Leadership Forum in Mumbai.
The awards will be presented to winners at a ceremony in Mumbai on February 16.
The Global Leadership Awards, in its second year now, seek to applaud the mega corporations and individuals that have transformed, not just the international business scenario, but also impacted the Indian economy and contributed to its growth.
"Today the Indian IT sector at $36 billion is at the threshold of its next big leap-globalisation. As we explore new horizons and explore new frontiers, we are also continuously raising the bar to measure performance and excellence. The Indian IT industry is beginning to increasingly look beyond Indian shores at technology success stories that are re-defining the global markets, at organisations and the individuals who are at the helm of the technology revolution and contributing to its overall momentum," said Nasscom president Kiran Karnik.
"In an attempt to laud some of the pioneering works done in the IT space, Nasscom has instituted its Global Leadership Awards. We are proud to present the awards to individuals across the globe who have contributed significantly to the advance of technology for the benefit of business and society," he added.
Recipients of the Nasscom Global Leadership Awards 2006 are:
Business Leadership Award: Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive Officer, British Telecom, UK, for his tremendous business drive in leading the organisation and set industry benchmarks in the areas of profitability, ethics/governance, best practices and people-friendly strategies to build a sound workplace.
Innovation Award: Meg Whitman, president and CEO, eBay, US for using technology in an exemplary fashion, that has enabled millions of people to enjoy the power of the Internet and conduct commercial transactions from the comfort of their desktops.
IT User Award: ABN Amro for rolling out strong IT strategies, that have enabled its employees to keep abreast of state-of-the-art IT platforms and harness their power to improve personal productivity and performance within the organisation. ABN Amro's visionary strategy to invest extensively in IT and use it optimally has resulted in making it a high productivity, efficient and customer intimate bank.
Thought Leader Award: Thomas L Friedman, Columnist, The New York Times for shaping global opinion and delighting millions of readers with insightful columns on foreign affairs. A thought leader in his own league, Thomas L Friedman has brought balance and perspective to sensitive issues such as outsourcing.
Global Indian Award: In addition to the four usual categories of the Global Leadership Awards, this year Nasscom will also confer the Global Indian Award to Promod Haque, managing partner, Norwest Ventures Partners.
His path breaking innovations and investments especially in the IT sector, have fueled the spirit of entrepreneurship in India and around the globe. The award is being presented to him to recognize his contribution in strengthening India-US linkages by identifying high potential business ideas and converting them into viable and successful partnerships.
Unlike last year when the awards were introduced to bring into the spotlight organisations and individuals that were creating business value for their customers, this time focus has been extended to include the entire eco system that supports innovation and the growth of the global ICT sector.
Nasscom 2006, from February 15 to February 17, will discuss new horizons the industry needs to explore to move forward and expectations it will need to meet in its evolutionary cycle. Attendees will discuss and debate the crucial question: 'Why still India.'
The conference will be attended by Global CEOs, international CIOs, analysts, consultants, influencers, thought leaders, academicians and senior government officials and will feature multiple forums and conclaves in parallel tracks across three days.
More from rediff