Amity Edumedia

NASSCOM, the premier trade body of the Indian IT software and service industry, yesterday announced the winners of Global Leadership Awards on the eve of its annual summit "NASSCOM 2006: India Leadership Forum. "

The Global Leadership Awards, in its second year now seeks 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-globalization. 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 organizations and the individuals who are at the helm of the technology revolution and contributing to its overall momentum," said Mr. Kiran Karnik, President NASSCOM.

"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.

Business Leadership Award - Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive Officer, British Telecom, UK for his tremendous business drive in leading the organization 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 organization. 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 organizations and individuals that were creating business value for their customers, this time focus has been extended to include the entire ecosystem that supports innovation and the growth of the global ICT sector.

One of the key highlights at NASSCOM 2006, the Global Leadership Awards will be presented to winners in a ceremony on February 16 as a tribute to their commitment, which has lead their organizations to achieve higher goals and establish them as business leaders in the competitive global environment.