NEW DELHI, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Twenty-two Indian business leaders were named winners of the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards.

Over 250 attendees were present at the by-invitation only gala, comprising of industry leaders, leading entrepreneurs and dignitaries including General Vijay Kumar Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, Dr Fong Chan Onn, Chairman of Enterprise Asia and President of Enterprise Asia, Mr. William Ng

Organized by Enterprise Asia, the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards, better known as APEA, is a regional recognition program that aims to band leading entrepreneurs across the region to spur greater innovation, fair practises and entrepreneurship development.

The awards are presented to top entrepreneurs across the region each year, with award ceremonies held in over 14 countries and markets, including India. The recognition not only open doors to join an exclusive alumni of Enterprise Asia, but to be able to be part of one of the largest networking platform for business leaders across Asia Pacific.

The APEA is often compared to the Olympics for the stringent entry criteria and highly competitive judging parameters. Each nominee is subjected to a rigorous judging process, including financial verification by an appointed audit firm and mandatory physical site audit and interview, culminating in a confidential balloting process by Enterprise Asia's committee. This year, the awards' received close to 100 nominations and 22 winners across 11 industries were selected.

"We can say with certainty that the recipients of the APEA are like none others. Not only do they have to prove their entrepreneurial skills and experience in one of the toughest contests in the world, they also subject themselves to a pledge to uphold the highest standards of entrepreneurship, which includes allegiance to the two founding pillars of Enterprise Asia, namely Investment in People and Responsible Entrepreneurship", says Mr William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia.

Leading the list of winners, 3 entrepreneurs were awarded under the Special Categories for their outstanding performance. Mr Ajay Piramal, Chairman of Piramal Group was honoured with the Special Achievement Award. Mr Shekhar Bajaj, Chairman & Managing Director of Bajaj Electricals Limited and Mr Hari Om Rai, Founder & CMD of Lava International Limited were awarded the Entrepreneur of The Year Award in their respective Industries, Electrical & Electronics Industry and Manufacturing Industry.

"I am honoured to receive the 'Special Achievement Award' from 'Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards (APEA) 2018 and would like to thank the jury and Enterprise Asia for this accolade. Our Group has been built on the foundation of Entrepreneurship and Trusteeship, which ensures that we act in the best interest of all our stakeholders, to create mutual, enduring value; and make a positive difference to the world around us." shared Mr. Ajay Piramal, Chairman of Piramal Group.

Mr Ashok Reddy, Founder and CEO of GrabOn shared after receiving the APEA, "GrabOn has become the market leaders in the coupons and deals space by the dint of entrepreneurial ingenuity and spirit of innovation. Winning the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award is a testimony to the fact that a bootstrapped start-up can do wonders if steered in the right direction. This is just the beginning! With the recent venture into price comparison space and planned foray into the loyalty space, we have a long way to go and a lot to accomplish." 

Mr Ng explained, "The APEA is aimed at promoting entrepreneurship globally. Beyond recognizing the efforts of these entrepreneurs, we hope to encourage them to continue taking their businesses to the next level in the current digitalization era, and in the process, providing more job opportunities to the people in the region, and help to drive the economy forward which is in align to Enterprise Asia's purpose, Democratising Entrepreneurship, Institutionalising Sustainability and Empowering Innovation."

===Recipient List of Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2018 India===

Special Achievement Award

• Ajay Piramal, Chairman of Piramal Group

Entrepreneur of The Year Award

• Shekhar Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Electricals Limited for Electrical & Electronics Industry
• Hari Om Rai, Founder & CMD of Lava International Limited for Manufacturing Industry

APEA Winners

• Kaushik Mukhopadhyay, Founder, Managing Director & CEO for Avid India Pvt Ltd for Professional & Business Services Industry
• Sunir Kheterpal, CEO of Azure Entertainment Pvt Ltd for Media & Entertainment Industry
• Pradeep Cholayil, Chief Managing Director of Cholayil Pvt Ltd for Consumer Goods Industry
• Dipali Sikand, Founder of Club Concierge Services (Ind) Private Limited for Hospitality, Food Service & Tourism
• Rajiv Gupta, Founder, President & CEO of Credforce Asia Limited for Professional & Business Services
• Anurag Choudhary, CEO of Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd for Chemicals & Plastics Industry
• Dr. Emandi Sankara Rao, CEO & MD of IFCI Ltd for Financial Services Industry
• Ashok Reddy, Founder & CEO of Landmark IT Solutions Pvt Ltd for IT, Internet & Telecommunication Industry
• Saket Jindal, Managing Director of Maharashtra Seamless Ltd (MSL) for Industrial & Commercial Products
• Khushru Jijina, Managing Director of Piramal Finance & Piramal Housing Finance for Financial Services Industry
• Amisha Vora, Joint Managing Director of Prabhudas Lilladher Pvt Ltd for Financial Services Industry
• Prateek Garg, Founder & CEO of Progressive Infotech Pvt. Ltd. for IT, Internet & Telecommunication Industry
• V. Senthil Kumar, Managing Director of Propel Industries Pvt. Ltd for Industrial & Commercial Product
• Venkatraman Swaminathan, Vice President & Country General Manager of Schneider Electric India & SAARC, IT Division for Manufacturing Industry
• Prakash Challa, Chairman & Managing Director, SSPDL Limited for Construction & Building Materials Industry
• Suman Jyoti Khaitan, Founder of Suman Khaitan & Co. and Khaitan & Partners for Professional & Business Services Industry
• Rajesh Somani - B.Com., F.C.A., A.C.S., AMP(HBS), Managing Director & CEO of Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises PTE LTD for Trading & Wholesaling Industry
• Shri N.Sridhar, IAS, Chairman and Managing Director of The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) for Mining & Energy Industry
• Shrinivas Rao, CEO of Vestian Global Workplace Services Pvt Ltd for Professional & Business Services Industry

Media Contact: Kaucy Raymond, Enterprise Asia, +60378030312, k.raymond@enterpriseasia.org

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SOURCE Enterprise Asia