CNBC-TV18 hosts CFO Awards 2012

CNBC-TV18 hosted India’s most distinguished awards for financial excellence - the CFO Awards 2012. The event was held at the ITC Grand Central and witnessed many prominent names from the industry like Mr. Y.M. Deosthalee-Chairman & Managing Director-L&T Finance Holdings, Mr. Keki Mistry, Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, HDFC Ltd amongst others.

CNBC-TV18’s CFO Awards have recognized and acknowledged the wizards of the financial world. Under their leadership, they have steered their institutions through financial downturn to achieve new heights on the domestic as well as global platform. This is the league of individuals who have managed India's global aspirations with such precision that they are now India’s ambassadors to the world.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Udayan Mukherjee, Managing Editor, CNBC-TV18 said, “It takes intuition, leadership and vision to guide India’s corporates through the current turbulent phase. If the current growth figures, even in the time of an imminent European recession are anything to go by, India fares well in terms of its corporate financial growth. CNBC-TV18’s CFO Awards aim at recognizing the acumen of India’s leading financial captains who have steadfastly helped maintain growth.”

Mr.Kaushik Chatterjee – Chief Financial Officer, Tata steel, and Winner of the ‘Best Performing CFO in the Metals Sector’ commented; “As with any career, one has to endure and create value in one's organisation to reach the top. It is of utmost importance to persevere at a singular objective which is, creating value in good and bad times. One must also realise that there are many things that are not in our hands, the environment doesn't always support the best of intent within an organisation. It is organisational focus, which is collective, not individual, that makes a difference. A lot also depends on the support an organisation offers and vice-versa. In summary, it is perseverance, adhering to the challenge, sticking to the basics and keeping it simple that makes all the difference. Last but not least, I would like to thank CNBC-TV18 for creating this opportunity to highlight and showcase the behind the scenes work that goes into making an organisation better.”

Mr. N.S. Kannan- Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer, ICICI Bank and Winner of the ‘Best Performing CFO in the Banking/Financial Services Sector’ commented; “I would like to take this opportunity to thank CNBC-TV18 for this forum which recognises excellence in finance. I'd like to also thank the jury, considering their eminence; I am honoured to be receiving this award. I know the expectations that come along with this award, and I hope to be able to fulfill them. I also want to thank Mr. Kamath and Mrs kochhar for giving me this role and supporting me through my tenure here. I think that the trust and confidence of an organisation is critical for a CFO to perform. This award really belongs to the business teams who I work with.

Mr. S. Mahalingam, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director, Tata Consultancy Services and Winner of ‘Best Performing CFO in the IT & ITES Sector’ added; “It has been a very interesting last 2-3 years since the collapse of the Lehman brothers. We have re-organised ourselves since then, and together with our financial partner, we stepped up and created a number of CFOs, we call our mini-finance directors. In that process, we have had a reasonably good one. The times ahead appear to be a little more stressful, and we will have to keep a watch on how we perform. One thing we will not lack is the ability to support a very agile organisation that we have brought to life in the last 4-5 years. Many of the companies that we deal with are global, with operations all over the world, they are doing fairly well in terms of liquidity. The key at this stage is to keep our value proposition at a very good level and be responsive to their needs as they try and control their costs and improve their running. It is difficult to predict the future, but if no catastrophe occurs, we can expect TCS to grow in a reasonable manner.”

Mr. Milind Sarwate - Group Chief Finance Officer & Chief Human Resource Officer Marico Limited and Winner of ‘Best Performing CFO in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods & Retail Sector’ commented; “We have clocked a very good growth rate over the last few quarters, especially in volumes. This is indicative of strength in our consumer franchise. I believe that growth will continue to blossom, because I feel that we are doing the right thing in India and overseas. Our latest acquisition will boost our corporate strength and enhance our portfolio. Brand Safola is targeted towards the middle and aging population and now we have youth brands that will enable us to target the entire population demographic.”

The jury comprised of renowned experts in their respective fields. This year Mr. K.V. Kamath, Non-Executive Chairman, ICICI Bank & Infosys Limited chaired the jury. Joining him were Mr. Sanjay Nayar, CEO and Country Head, Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts, Mr. Y.M. Deosthalee-Chairman & Managing Director-L&T Finance Holdings, Mr. Bharat Doshi-Executive Director-Mahindra & Mahindra and Mr. Keki Mistry, Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, HDFC Ltd.