NEW DELHI, March 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Thirty entrepreneurs and business leaders from India were honoured as winners of the prestigious Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2016 (APEA) at a star-studded awards ceremony in New Delhi, India. Over 300 attendees were present at the by-invitation only event, comprising of industry leaders, leading entrepreneurs, dignitaries and the who's who of the business world, including, General V.K. Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, Chairman of Enterprise Asia, Tarun Das, former Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Lt. General Sudhir Sharma, Advisor to Enterprise Asia, and Dato' William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia.

The Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards (APEA) is a regional recognition programme organised by Enterprise Asia, the region's leading association for entrepreneurship. The Awards are presented to a handful of entrepreneurs across Asia Pacific each year, with annual award ceremonies held in over fourteen countries.

The APEA is often compared to the Olympics for its stringent entry criteria and highly-competitive judging parameters. Nominations to the APEA itself is by invitation, either through past or current awardees, a supporting trade association or the executive committee of Enterprise Asia. Nominees are then subjected to a series of rigorous tests, which include financial verification by an appointed audit firm and a compulsory physical site audit and interview, culminating with a confidential balloting process by an independent judging panel.

Awardees are expected to be torchbearers of entrepreneurship and business leaders in their respective countries, while adhering to strict standards of personal and business ethics. 

"We can say with certainty that the recipients of the APEA are like no other. 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 William Ng, president of Enterprise Asia.

Among the recipients were Rahul Bajaj of Bajaj Auto Ltd, who received the 'Lifetime Achievement Award', and Malvinder Mohan Singh of Fortis Healthcare Limited, who was named the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' award, and V. Vaidyanathan of Capital First Limited who received the APEA in the 'Outstanding' category.

"I'm honoured and delighted to receive the award in the 'Outstanding' Category at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2016 India. This is a recognition not only for me and my colleagues at Capital First, but also for the amazing opportunities India provides to emerging entrepreneurs through an enabling ecosystem", said Mr. V. Vaidyanathan, Chairman of Capital First Limited.

The recipients in India were selected from among 150 shortlisted candidates, ranging from talented young entrepreneurs to experienced industrialists. 

Ng explained, "The APEA is aimed at promoting entrepreneurship. Beyond recognizing the efforts of these entrepreneurs, we hope to encourage them to continue taking their businesses to the next level, and in the process, provide more job opportunities to the people in the region and help to drive the economy forward."

RECIPIENT LIST OF ASIA PACIFIC ENTREPRNEURSHIP AWARDS 2016 INDIA

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Rahul Bajaj, Chairman, Bajaj Auto Ltd

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

Malvinder Mohan Singh, Executive Chairman, Fortis Healthcare Limited

OUTSTANDING CATEGORY

V.Vaidyanathan, Chairman, Capital First Limited

Sudhir Agarwal, Founder, MD, DB Corp Limited

Dr Mukesh Batra, Founder & Chairman, Dr. Batra's® Healthcare

Sunita Sharma, MD and CEO, LIC Housing Finance Ltd

Gaurav Rungta, Joint MD, Man Structurals Pvt Ltd

Naseem Sheikh, MD, Shera Energy Private Limited

Ashok Chaturvedi, Chairman cum MD, Uflex Limited

MOST PROMISING CATEGORY

Paresh Shah, CEO, Allied Digital Services Limited

Dewang Neralla, CEO, Atom Technologies Limited

Sangeeta Kulkarni, CEO, Brickwork India Pvt Ltd

Lakshmi Ram Thakuria, Chairman cum MD, Charu Group of Industries

Arjun Handa, Vice Chairman and MD, Claris Lifesciences Limited

Murali Krishna Gannamani, MD and CEO, Fluentgrid Limited

Ramashankar Pandey, MD, Hella India Lighting Ltd

Perry D. Chaturvedi, CEO and President, Intelegencia Analytics Pvt. Ltd.

Pinkesh Narendrabhai Kotecha, MD, Ishan Netsol Private Limited

Abhilash Ramesh, Executive Director, Kairali Ayurvedic Group

Dr. Trimbakrao Tulshiram Patil, Chairman and MD, Mahafeed Speciality Fertilizers (India) Pvt Ltd

Vijendra Babu N., MD, Micro Plastics Pvt Ltd

Manoj Bisht, CEO, MK Infosystems Pvt. Ltd.

Vivek Agarwal, Co-Founder and MD, Mtech Informatics Ltd

Vinay R Sharma, MD and Founder, Oil Field Warehouse & Services Ltd

S. Vasudevan, Director, Pioneer Coldstore & Cladding Pvt Ltd

Balan M Thevar, MD, Shine Agrotechnology Pvt. Ltd

Sandip Shah, MD, Shop Your World Private Limited

Amit Maheshwari, MD and Founder, Softlink Global Pvt Ltd

Shukanto Ranabrata Ghosh, MD, Sparklet Engineers Private Limited

K. Shyamprasad, MD, Vidya Herbs Private Limited

ABOUT ENTERPRISE ASIA

Enterprise Asia is a non-governmental organization in pursuit of creating an Asia that is rich in entrepreneurship as an engine towards sustainable and progressive socioeconomic development within a world of economic equality. Its two pillars of existence are investment in people and responsible entrepreneurship. Enterprise Asia works with governments, NGOs and other organizations to promote competitiveness and entrepreneurial development, in uplifting the economic status of people across Asia and in ensuring a legacy of hope, innovation and courage for future generations.

ABOUT APEA

Launched in 2007, the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards are the region's most prestigious awards for outstanding entrepreneurship, continuous innovation and sustainable leadership. The Awards provide a platform for companies and governments to recognise entrepreneurial excellence, hence spurring greater innovation, fair business practices and growth in entrepreneurship. As a regional award, it groups together leading entrepreneurs as a powerful voice for entrepreneurship and serves as a by-invitation only networking powerhouse. The program has grown to encompass twelve markets all over Asia.

For further information, visit http://www.enterpriseasia.org

Media Contact: Natasha Alison, Enterprise Asia, 60378808692, n.alison@enterpriseasia.org

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SOURCE Enterprise Asia