Maran presents CII CONNECT 2006 Awards

CHENNAI: The ICICI Venture - CII CONNECT 2006 Entrepreneur Awards, a part of CONNECT 2006, instituted by ICICI Venture, in association with the Confederation of Indian industry (CII) were presented to four eminent first generation entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu.

The awardees have not only made their mark in Tamil Nadu, but also have contributed substantially to growth in the Indian as well as the global ICT industry.

Chief guest, Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister of Communications & IT, presented the awards to Shiv Nadar, chairman and CEO, HCL Technologies, Arun Jain, chairman and CEO of Polaris Software Lab Ltd., Kumar Mahadeva, founder, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation and Prof G. Viswanathan, chancellor, Vellore Institute of Technology.

The awards were presented in four categories: An entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu who has made a lasting impact in the ICT space in India and globally (Shiv Nadar); entrepreneur who has significantly contributed to developing Tamil Nadu into a centre for ICT excellence in India (Arun Jain); entrepreneur who has built a global business with Tamil Nadu as an offshoring hub (Kumar Mahadeva); and an entrepreneur who has fostered the development of the enabling resources to make Tamil Nadu’s ICT story such a success (G Viswanathan).

The awards are aimed at fostering young talent and entrepreneurial success in the ICT field and recognise outstanding contributions made by them to the state, country and the world. The awards reflect key attributes such as first generation entrepreneurship, enduring value, thought leadership and social responsibility.

The award jury comprised leading CEOs and thought leaders from various fields.

Maran, speaking at the awards function, said, “Considering the fact that the Government cannot be the sole employer, the role of entrepreneur in alleviation of poverty is enormous, especially when entrepreneurs invest in the area of ICT, which is a huge employer of labour directly and indirectly. The awards recognize entrepreneurs who have excelled in delivering extraordinary value to the state and the nation.”

Delivering the keynote address, Promod Haque, managing partner, Northwest Venture Partners said, “Successful entrepreneurs are those who have the great ability to articulate in a passionate way what their vision is, to not just their investors, but also to their employees and potential customers. They should understand their limitations, wiling to be held accountable, need to be focused, tenacious and determined to succeed. As they grow their businesses, they must learn to enlarge their inner circles and empower their professionals for their business to grow. The awardees tonight stand testimonial to the same.”

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