CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards celebrates visionary leaders

New Delhi: The 20^th edition of CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards (IBLA), presented by Standard Chartered Bank, celebrated India’s visionary leaders who are driving innovation, growth, and transformation across industries through bold actions and impactful contributions. 

KP Singh, Chairman Emeritus, DLF, received the ‘Hall of Fame’ recognition, cementing his legacy as a pioneer in the transformation of India’s real estate sector. The ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award was conferred on Cyrus Poonawalla, Founder, Serum Institute of India, for his extraordinary contribution to delivering affordable public health solutions globally. For her exceptional efforts in showcasing India's cultural heritage and fostering global connections, Nita Ambani, Chairperson, Reliance Foundation was honoured with the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Brand India’ award. 

Actor Rajkumar Rao was named ‘Entertainment Leader of the Year’ for his compelling performance in films like Srikanth and Stree 2. The Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, Rajiv Bajaj received the ‘Outstanding Company of the Year’ award for Bajaj Auto.

The evening also featured sessions with policymakers who offered insights into India's economic landscape and growth opportunities. 

In a fireside chat, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari said, “Our GDP structure highlights both challenges and opportunities. Agriculture contributes 14%, manufacturing accounts for 22–24%, and services dominate with 52-44%. Despite this, 65% of our population depends on agriculture, yet its growth rate remains at 14%. This imbalance underscores the urgent need to embrace innovation, science, technology, and global best practices to enhance productivity. By shifting to value-added agriculture, empowering rural communities, and diversifying into energy production, we can elevate agricultural growth to 22%, thereby increasing purchasing power in rural India and aligning it with our broader development goals.”

In conversation with Network18’s Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry said, "I’ve long questioned how interest rates—whether high or low—truly impact the demand for essentials like onions, tomatoes, rice, or pulses. This outdated thinking, tied to traditional inflation metrics like CPI, no longer serves us. In fact, high interest rates may actually fuel inflation, further burdening the common man. It’s time for economists to come together and assess the real impact of monetary policy on food inflation. While the economy remains strong with positive indicators like GST collections and manufacturing growth, we must adapt to changing realities. I’m confident that by the end of the year, we will maintain our position as the fastest-growing economy globally. However, the debate around inflation and interest rates is one we can no longer afford to overlook."

In his first private media event after taking oath as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis said, “The people of Maharashtra have given us an unprecedented mandate, and with it comes a great responsibility of driving India's economy forward. Maharashtra has always been ahead, and I am proud to share that in just the first six months of this year, we have already achieved 90% of last year’s FDI inflows—poised for a record-breaking year. In infrastructure, Maharashtra is leading the way with projects like the Badhwar port, which is set to become India’s largest and transformative developments, such as the third Mumbai airport in Panvel and the Atal Setu connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Additionally, we are building a 'third Mumbai,' three times the size of the current city, to become India’s next business capital. Maharashtra offers unparalleled opportunities, and I assure you that conducting business here will be seamless and supportive. Together, we can make Maharashtra India's first trillion-dollar sub-national economy."

The jury panel for IBLA 2024 comprised a distinguished group of senior industry leaders, including Babasaheb N Kalyani (Chairman & MD, Bharat Forge), who chaired the panel. Other esteemed jurors were Zarin Daruwala (CEO, India & South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank), Challa Sreenivasulu Setty (Chairman, State Bank of India), Ashok Vaswani (MD & CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank), Suneeta Reddy (MD, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise), KVS Manian (MD & CEO, Federal Bank), R Shankar Raman (President, Whole-time Director & CFO, L&T), Amit Syngle (CEO & MD, Asian Paints), Ravi Kumar S (CEO, Cognizant), Kunal Bahl (Co-founder, Titan Capital) and Karthik Reddy (Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Blume Venture Advisors).

CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards (IBLA) is India’s most coveted leadership awards, which celebrates trailblazers whose courage, vision, and influence are redefining success. Spread across seventeen categories, IBLA recognised emerging and established business leaders in its 20^th edition.

Here’s the full list of winners: