Harish Manwani of Unilever named top Asian business leader

SEOUL: Harish Manwani, an executive with consumer products maker Unilever, was on Wednesday named Asia's top business leader.

Manwani, president of Unilever's Asian and African operations, received the CNBC Asia Business Leader of the Year award for 2008 at a ceremony in the South Korean capital hosted by business news network CNBC.

"Manwani's leadership has helped build a strong core of local management teams across the 43 operating companies under the Unilever umbrella," CNBC said.

Manwani, a graduate of India's Mumbai University, is also part of an eight-member team that runs Unilever's worldwide operations.

"Asia's time has come," Manwani said in accepting the award, citing an "irreversible shift in terms of the economic center of gravity."

The award was established in 2003 to contribute to the development of the business community in the region. Separate awards are presented for the United States and Europe.