CNBC-TV18, India’s leading business news channel, wrapped up the highly anticipated 18th edition of the most prestigious awards ‘The India Business Leaders Awards’ (IBLA) 2023 on a high note on May 11 at the Jio World Convention in Mumbai.

The prestigious award ceremony aimed to recognise and applaud the efforts of extraordinary individuals who have played a critical role in steering the country toward equitable economic growth in 2022.

The evening began with a welcome address delivered by Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor of CNBC-TV18.

“For 18 years, IBLA has been tracking the progress of some of India’s most exceptional leaders representing various sectors, industries, and regions,” Bhan said, adding, “Despite their diverse backgrounds, these awardees are united by a common thread – a shared vision of institution building and a desire to create value not only for their customers and employees but also for society. The India Business Leaders Awards honour the extraordinary achievements of these visionary leaders.”

Commenting on the occasion Zarin Daruwala, Cluster CEO- India and South Asia Markets, Standard Chartered Bank, said, “Congratulations to all the winners of CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards. Standard Chartered is proud to be associated with IBLA for the past 7 years and partner with this august platform to recognize excellence in leadership. It was inspiring to hear of the accomplishments and celebrate the winners of this year’s Awards as always.

“Having been part of the jury for the last several years has been an exciting and insightful journey, as you get to know the latest and outstanding work and many facets of leadership across diverse sectors. Also, my heartiest congratulations to CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards on completing 18 glorious years.”

Azim Premji, Chairman, Azim Premji Foundation and Founder Chairman of Wipro Ltd. and Wipro Enterprises, was inducted into the IBLA ‘Hall of Fame’.

“Self-belief is the greatest quality that will help drive us into the next sphere. Belief in ourselves, what we can achieve as a country, and what we can achieve as a nation,” said Premji.

TV Narendran, MD & CEO of Tata Steel, was honoured with the title of ‘Outstanding Business Leader of the Year.’

In his acceptance speech, he expressed his vision of leaving behind a financially and culturally future-ready organization.

He said, “Leveraging India’s geological richness, Tata Steel aspires to play a significant role in the country’s journey towards sustainability. The company has set a goal to become net-zero by 2045, providing an opportunity to collaborate with startups and pursue a variety of solutions. While Europe is already progressing in this direction, India is also moving ahead.”

Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus, TVS Motor, received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award.’

 Reflecting on his journey, Srinivasan shared, “I was thrown into the deep end at the age of 26 when my father died. Although I struggled initially, success began coming easily. Sometimes, when success comes too easily, we trip and fall. I’ve handed over the baton to the next generation and hope they will achieve our milestones.”

Infosys was awarded the ‘Outstanding Company of the Year’ Award. Company MD & CEO Salil Parekh in his acceptance speech acknowledged the potential of generative AI and its impact on productivity and said, “Generative AI is the next frontier for everyone. Generative AI allows for a huge impact on productivity. Infosys has used its tools on open-source platforms to allow the software to be developed faster.

Eminent policymakers from India attended the 18th IBLA, including Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Petroleum and Natural Gas; Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa.

During a candid conversation with Bhan, Minister Puri said “India would continue to import Russian crude”.

He said, “The world consumes 100 million barrels per day of oil. India consumes 5 MBPD. We have no ideological hang-ups on where we import our crude oil from. Our foremost commitment is to our citizens.”

Fadnavis discussed the State’s ‘third Mumbai’ plan and shared details about the upcoming multimodal corridor project, which is expected to generate a value of over Rs. 6 lakh crore and bring development to the Navi Mumbai and Panvel areas.

Other awards included ‘The Disruptor of the Year’ , given to Idea Forge. Late Ela Bhatt, Founder, SEWA was felicitated as the ‘Social Impact Icon’; the award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Brand India’ was awarded to Dilip Asbe, MD & CEO, NPCI; Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen was awarded ‘Sports Leader of the Year’ award, while Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt was felicitated with ‘Entertainment Leader of the Year’ title.

The award for ‘Game Changer of the Year’ went to Indian cricket board BCCI, for bringing gender parity in compensation and for launching the Women’s Premier League. BCCI General Secretary Jay Shah received the award.

The IBLA stage also played host to the pioneers of women’s cricket with former India captain Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, present India team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues sharing their thoughts on the road ahead.

The award for ‘Brand Campaign of the Year’ went to Dove (HUL) and the award for ‘Young Turk Startup of the Year’ went to Skyroot.

IBLA In Memoriam honoured industry stalwarts posthumously, which included Vikram Kirloskar, Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor; Cyrus Mistry, former Chairman, Tata Group; investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and Rajeev Luthra, Founder & Managing Partner of Luthra and Luthra Law Offices.

The winners were selected by an esteemed jury chaired by Kumar Mangalam Birla (Chairman, Aditya Birla Group). The jury also had exemplary leaders such as Uday Kotak (MD & CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank); Zarin Daruwala (Cluster CEO of India and South Asia Markets- Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Standard Chartered Bank); Dinesh Kumar Khara (Chairman, State Bank of India); Sanjeev Mehta (Chairman & MD, Hindustan Unilever Limited); Anish Shah (MD & CEO, Mahindra Group); TV Narendran (MD & CEO, Tata Steel); Prabha Narsimhan (MD & CEO, Colgate); V Vaidyanathan (MD & CEO, IDFC First Bank); Adar Poonawalla (CEO, Serum Institute of India) and Rajiv Memani (Chairman & Regional Managing Partner, EY India).