Star’s Uday Shankar adjudged EY Entrepreneurial CEO of the Year 2016

Uday Shankar, Chairman and CEO, Star India, has bagged the 18th EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Entrepreneurial CEO category. He is the first CEO in the media and entertainment sector to receive this Award. 

Under Shankar’s leadership, Star India has defined the Indian media landscape and today is one of the country’s leading media conglomerates. He believes in disruptively powering social change through the power of content to influence and impact people’s lives and thinking. 

On winning the EY Entrepreneurial CEO Award, Shankar said, “Lucky to work for an entrepreneurial company, where the promoter’s genes are about taking risks. The conviction comes from the society, the world and the country you live in.” 

Rajiv Memani, Chairman, EY India, commented, “Each of our winners this year has taken forward their unique ideas with unwavering determination in the face of adversity. They have taken bold risks and transformed into leading players in their respective industries. Even in a challenging and disruptive business environment, these visionary entrepreneurs are continuously creating value, generating jobs and contributing to building a better working world.” 

The awards were presented by Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, and Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, who were the Guests of Honour. The two ministers also presented awards across nine categories in the presence of over 400 guests, including eminent business leaders. 

A nine-member jury led by Dilip Shanghvi, Managing Director, Sun Pharmaceuticals, selected the winners. Other Jury members included Subodh Bhargava, Chairman, Tata Communications; Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Executive Vice-Chairman, Info Edge (India) Limited; Naina Lal Kidwai, Chairman, Max Financial Services; Uday Kotak, Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Kalpana Morparia, Chief Executive Officer, JP Morgan Chase South Asia and India; Rishad Premji, Chief Strategy Officer, Wipro; Renuka Ramnath, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Multiples Alternate Asset Management; and A Vellayan, Executive Chairman, Murugappa Group.