EY announces 11 Finalists for the 25th EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ Awards Program

• Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus, TVS Motor Company will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award
• Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons, will be felicitated with Special Jury Award
• These Finalists have combined revenues of over INR 14,70,000 crore, market cap of over INR 42,00,000 crore and employ over 12,50,000 people worldwide
• The Jury commends the Finalists for their innovation, disruptive business models and building sustainable enterprises 

Mumbai, 13 February 2024: EY India proudly commemorates a remarkable milestone this year as it celebrates the silver jubilee of the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ - India (EOY) Awards program in the country. The firm today unveiled the 11 exceptional entrepreneurs selected as Finalists for the EOY 2023 Awards. Chosen from a pool of over 260 outstanding nominations, these Finalists will be honoured at a grand celebratory Awards Banquet to be held on Friday, 23 February 2024, in Mumbai.

In commemorating its 25th anniversary, EY reflects on its enduring role in fostering innovation and leadership within the entrepreneurial landscape. This significant milestone serves as a testament to EY's unwavering dedication to recognizing and empowering visionary entrepreneurs who have made remarkable contributions to their industries and beyond. Since its inception, the EOY program has stood as a beacon of inspiration, illuminating the path for countless aspiring entrepreneurs. Over the past 25 years, EOY has recognized over 350 outstanding entrepreneurs from India, who have not only achieved remarkable success in their ventures but have also redefined industry standards and fueled economic growth across diverse sectors. Through EOY, EY has provided a platform for these trailblazers to showcase their innovative ideas, resilience and commitment to excellence.

The EOY 2023 Finalists collectively boast a staggering revenue of INR 14,70,000 crore with a combined market cap of over INR 42,00,000 crore and are instrumental in providing employment to a whopping 12,50,000 individuals in India and globally. The Awards will spotlight winners across multiple categories, with the national winner representing India at the esteemed EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo from 4-7 June 2024.

An esteemed nine-member independent jury panel, comprising some of India’s most eminent business leaders, is led by K V Kamath, Former Chairman of ICICI Bank. The panel includes Dilip Shanghvi, Managing Director, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Falguni Nayar, Founder and CEO FSN E-commerce Ventures (Nykaa), Gaurav Trehan, Partner, Head of Asia-Pacific, Private Equity and CEO, KKR India, Ranjan Pai, Chairman, Manipal Group, Sanjiv Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv, Sajjan Jindal, Chairman, JSW Group, Sunish Sharma, Managing Partner and Founder, Kedaara Capital, and Shailendra Singh, Managing Director, Peak XV.

The Finalists for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ 2023 India Awards are:

1. Arun Nathani, Chief Executive Officer, Cybage Software
2. Alakh Pandey, Prateek Maheshwari, CEO & Founder / Co-founder, PhysicsWallah
3. Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman & Managing Director, Persistent Systems
4. Deepinder Goyal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Zomato
5. Lalit Keshre, Co-Founder & CEO, Groww
6. Prabh Das, Managing Director & CEO, HPCL Mittal Energy
7. Rafique A. Malik, Chairman, Metro Brand
8. Sanjay Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director, APL Apollo Tubes
9. Shahid Bilakhia, Founding Member, Micro Life Sciences (Meril)
10. Vellayan Subbiah, Chairman, Tube Investments of India and Cholamandalam Investment and Finance
11. Team ICICI Bank

Click here for information about the Finalists.

Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus of TVS Motor Company, will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contributions to the automotive industry. Under his leadership, TVS Motor achieved remarkable success, broadening its product portfolio and market reach through innovation and sustainable practices. Additionally, as a former President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Srinivasan has been instrumental in shaping India's industrial development. He has also been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Padma Bhushan in 2020 and the Padma Shri in 2010, for his significant contributions to trade and industry.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, will be honoured with the Special Jury Award. His business leadership has been recognized by several corporate and community organizations, and he has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 2022. In addition to his professional career, he has worn multiple hats, serving as Director on the Board of the Reserve Bank of India, Chairperson of the Information and Communication Technology Industry Governors at World Economic Forum, and Chairman of NASSCOM in 2012-13.

Rajiv Memani, Chairman, EY India, said, "I congratulate our Finalists of the EOY 2023 Awards, who embody India’s spirit of resilience and an unassailable passion to make a global impact. They are a diverse mix of private and listed companies, as well as second or third-generation family enterprises who have successfully reinvented themselves by carving out a niche in their markets combined with constant innovation and strong operational performance. I also congratulate N Chandra on being conferred the Special Jury Award and Venu Srinivasan for being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award – they both are unparalleled visionaries who have created a legacy for generations of entrepreneurs to follow.”

The EOY 2023 Awards honour entrepreneurs dedicated to advancing India's progress under the theme 'Builders of a Better India'. These individuals embody resilience, adaptability, and forward-looking vision, significantly contributing to the nation's development. The jury considered a host of criteria, including the nominee’s entrepreneurial spirit, recent financial performance, strategic direction, product or service innovation, company leadership including personal integrity and risk-taking ability, values, key employee initiatives, and involvement with the community.

Farokh Balsara, Partner and EOY India Program Leader, said, "Entrepreneurship in India is not just about creating successful businesses; it is about creating innovative solutions to address the needs of billions of people. As the Indian economy undergoes a tectonic shift, entrepreneurship in India is poised for a transformative journey in the coming decade. We are proud to acknowledge the relentless entrepreneurship in India; all our EOY 2023 Finalists are outstanding entrepreneurs and achievers in their respective domains. I extend my warmest congratulations to the Finalists and express my gratitude to the eminent jury members."

Over the past 25 years, winners of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year India Awards include, Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Industries (2000), Ratan Tata, Tata Group (2003), Anand Mahindra, Mahindra Group (2009), Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Group (2005), Sunil Bharti Mittal, Bharti Airtel (2004), Late Brijmohan Lall Munjal, Hero Group (2001), Sajjan Jindal, JSW Group (2022), Harsh Mariwala, Marico (2020), Vivek Chaand Sehgal, Samvardhana Motherson Group (2016), Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, Serum Institute of India (2014), Sanjiv Bajaj, Bajaj Finserv Limited (2017), to name a few.

Of these, N.R Narayana Murthy, Infosys (2003), Uday Kotak, Kotak Mahindra Bank (2014), and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon (2020) bagged the World EOY title as well.

Read more about the 25th EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ Awards Program at EY Entrepreneur Of The Year India

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About EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ Award

EY Entrepreneur of the Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in 60 countries.

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