News Broadcasting
ET NOW celebrates India’s most promising entrepreneurs at the 8th season of Leaders of Tomorrow eAwards
Celebrating the success stories of India’s most innovative SMEs and start-ups, ET NOW, India’s leading English business news channel, hosted the 8th season of Leaders of Tomorrow eAwards on Sunday, September 13, 2020. India’s largest entrepreneurship platform, Leaders of Tomorrow in its latest season was driven by theme ‘Small to Scalable’, built upon its pedigree to focus on empowering upcoming businesses with the most relevant information and access to the biggest experts.
The virtual eAward grand platform hosted across Times Network news channels witnessed a special address by Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, followed by an exclusive interview with V. Vaidyanathan, MD & CEO, IDFC FIRST Bank. Recognising and rewarding the most promising entrepreneurs pan India, Leaders of Tomorrow culminated in a thrilling finale wherein the best SMEs of the year battled it out before a highly-distinguished jury of industry luminaries. The eminent jury, consisted of some of India Inc’s most respected business leaders including Anupam Pahuja, MD, PayPal India, Rohit Kapoor, CEO, OYO India & South Asia, Pramod Menon, Group CFO, RPG Group, PC Musthafa, Co-Founder & CEO, iD Fresh Food, Avani Davda, Former CEO and MD, Nature’s Basket, Bhavik Rathod, Founder & CEO, Kyt, Ritu Mehrotra, Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka & Maldives, Booking.com, Ameve Sharma, Founder, Kapiva, Sreyas Srinivasan, Founder & CEO, Paytm Insider.
Delivering the special address, Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises said, “The MSME's role in the development of our country is very important. 30% of our GDP and 48% of the export of the country comes from MSME and the sector has created 11 crore jobs. Now we have changed the definition of MSME. We are felicitating and supporting, giving good support to MSME for creating good export. I really appreciate ET NOW initiative, Leaders of Tomorrow for encouraging the MSME who are doing excellent jobs, upgradation of technology, having good turnover at the same time they will now be capable to make more export for the country. I really appreciate all the industries who are receiving the awards time and I give my best wishes to them because presently the whole word and our country is facing this Covid-19. I am confident with the cooperation of all the stakeholders, that we will win this war against Covid-19 at the same time we will win economic war and fulfil the dream of Prime Minister Modi ji to make India 5 trillion economy and hundred lakh crore infrastructures”.
MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network said, “Leaders of Tomorrow is India's most definitive platform enabling small businesses to Rise with India and celebrates India’s exemplary entrepreneurial spirit. SMEs, MSMEs and start-ups are critical to India's growth agenda and it is crucial that we empower them by providing a sustained ecosystem to reimagine their businesses to grow during these unprecedented times. We are proud to provide a platform that salutes the indominable spirit of SME/MSME/start up leaders and acknowledge their significant contributions to boost India’s economy. I firmly believe that Leaders of Tomorrow will continue to unleash the untapped potential of growing businesses and inspire new stories of entrepreneurial success”.
V.Vaidyanathan, MD & CEO, IDFC FIRST Bank said, “Earlier as Capital First since many years, and now continuing into IDFC First Bank, we have been involved with Leaders of Tomorrow, so our association goes long. We have been serving the Indian micro, small and medium entrepreneurs segment since a decade, so this is our core segment we support. Entrepreneurs start small, but can become large and successful with entrepreneurial spirit and good corporate governance. In these circumstances and particularly after being COVID hit, if all of you are standing up today, have come through successfully and won awards, it is something you should be very proud about.”
The ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ Awardees are:
|
Sr. No. |
Industry Category |
Winner Post Evaluation |
|
|
1 |
Clothing, Textile & Accessories SME of the Year |
NMK Textile Mills India Private Limited |
|
|
2 |
Food & Agricultural Processing SME of the Year |
Pasupati Aquatics Private Limited |
|
|
3 |
Pharma & Healthcare & Diagnostics SME of the Year |
Biophore India Pharmaceuticals Private Limited |
|
|
4 |
Logistics, Cargo & Courier SME of the Year |
Sequel Logistics Private Limited |
|
|
5 |
Machinery, Electricals & Electronics SME of the Year |
Oilmax Systems Private. Limited |
|
|
6 |
IT/ITES & Tech SME of the Year |
HRH Next Contact Centre Services |
|
|
7 |
Auto OEM Manufacturer SME of the Year |
Bharat Balancing Weights & Co |
|
|
8 |
Travel, Tourism & Hospitality SME of the Year |
Campus Students Communities Private Limited |
|
|
9 |
LoT 'Best Manufacturer SME of the Year' |
Bharat Parenterals Limited |
|
|
10 |
Ballantine's Golf Retreat presents ‘Undaunted SME Entrepreneur of the Year’ |
Mr. Sharad Jobanputra – Sequel Logistics Private Limited |
|
|
11 |
LoT 'Innovative SME of the Year' |
Ercon Composites |
|
|
12 |
Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Start-up of the Year |
Your-Space |
|
|
13 |
Logistics, Cargo & Courier Start-up of the Year |
iThink Logistics |
|
|
14 |
Food and Foodtech Start-up of the Year |
I Support Farming Private Limited |
|
|
15 |
IT/ITeS/ E-Commerce Start-up of the Year |
RDL Technologies Private Limited |
|
|
16 |
Ballantine's Golf Retreat presents ' Undaunted Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year' |
Vijayakumar Mani |
|
|
17 |
Social Game Changer of the Year |
Ummeed Child Development Centre |
|
|
18 |
LoT 'Woman Entrepreneur of the Year' |
Vibha Krishnamurthy – Ummeed Child Development Centre |
The 8th season of Leaders of Tomorrow eAwards was presented by IDFC FIRST Bank and Process Partner, Mazars India LLP.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
