JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal bags 'Entrepreneur of the Year 2022' title

Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Group was on Thursday named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 and will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) at Monte Carlo in June 2023.

The 7-member jury led by K V Kamath, former chairman of ICICI Bank, selected Sajjan Jindal as the EOY 2022 winner for transforming the conglomerate with a wide-ranging presence in the steel, cement, infrastructure, energy, and paints sectors, into a highly successful business with revenues amounting to $22 billion.

In his address, the Chief Guest, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Honorable Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs & Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas said, “As India moves forward on its path to becoming a $5 trillion-dollar economy by 2025, entrepreneurs will play an integral role in fueling India’s economic growth and contributing to nation-building efforts. It was inspiring to note the impactful stories of the EOY Awards winners, who are contributing tremendously to India’s growth by creating value, generating employment for almost 80,000 people and are increasingly embedding sustainability in their businesses.

Mr. Deepak Bagla, Managing Director and CEO of Invest India, was presented with the special jury award by Sri Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa and former NITI Aayog CEO, for his efforts in attracting and facilitating foreign investments into the country.

Additionally, awards were presented in nine other categories, with winners representing both mature industries and young entrepreneurs from startups.

The winners include Mahesh Pratapneni, Co-Founder and Group CEO of MedGenome, in the Start-up category; V. Vaidyanathan, MD and CEO of IDFC First Bank Ltd., in Financial Services; Irfan Razack, Chairman and MD of Prestige Group, in Energy, Real Estate & Infrastructure; Pradeep Kheruka, Executive Chairman of Borosil Group, in Manufacturing; Pawan Jain, Chairman, and Rubal Jain, MD, of Safexpress Pvt. Ltd., in Services; Ravi Modi, Chairman and MD of Vedant Fashions Ltd. (Manyavar), in Consumer Products & Retail; Samina Hamied, Executive Vice Chairperson of Cipla Ltd., in Life Sciences & Healthcare; and Vivek Kumar Jain, Chairman and MD of Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd., in Business Transformation.

K P Singh, Chairman Emeritus, DLF Group, was felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his pioneering work in architecting the real-estate landscape of the country.

Rajiv Memani, Chairman and CEO, EY India, said, “Each one of the winners is an epitome of business excellence and a great source of inspiration for the future generation of entrepreneurs. They have completely reimagined their sectors or businesses and shown unparalleled resolve to scale their businesses with their deep conviction and a sense of purpose. As India progresses into its Amrit Kaal, it is inspiring to see the immeasurable contributions they are making to India’s transformation and economic progress.”

The winners of EOY 2022 consist of a diverse mix of family-run businesses, large corporations, and budding start-ups, collectively generating a revenue of over Rs. 2,00,000 crores. The total workforce employed by these winning enterprises exceeds 80,000 individuals.