The fifth edition of FE CFO Awards 2022 acknowledged the best and the brightest chief financial officers (CFOs) who performed exceptionally well even as the pandemic disrupted operations like never before in the previous financial year.

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, was the chief guest at the FE CFO Awards event held in Mumbai on Friday (25th March 2022).

Speaking at the event, Goyal said the country was looking for much greater engagement with the world markets. He said India’s combined goods-and-services export would cross the $2 trillion mark in a decade, putting the country into the big league of world trade.

“It is (not going to be) an India which closes its doors to the rest of the world, but one that would engage with the world from a position of strength,” Goyal said.

FE CFO Awards 2022 Winners

This year’s CFO of the year award went to Shrikanth Venkatachari, joint CFO of Reliance Industries. Venkatachari was recognized for his innovative ideas, business excellence and overall progress of RIL.

Seshagiri Rao, JSW Group CFO, won the lifetime achievement award for his works in the world of finance. Rao was recognized as a veteran finance professional who has become an inspiration for many across the industry with his exemplary contribution to the businesses.

In Pics: FE CFO Awards 2022

In the large Enterprises (Services) category, HCL Technologies ICICI Lombard General Insurance, Bajaj Finance Limited and Wipro Limited were picked as winners.

In the Large Enterprises (Manufacturing) category, Divi’s Laboratories, National Mineral Development Corporation, and Gland Pharma were the winners.

Polyplex Corporation Limited, Suven Pharmaceuticals Limited, and Metropolis Healthcare Limited won the FE CFO Awards in the Small Enterprises category.

In the Small Enterprises Services category, Sonata Software Limited, eClerx Services Limited, Dr Lal Path Labs, and Aptus Value Housing Finance emerged as winners.

In the medium enterprises (manufacturing) category, Ajanta Pharma Limited, Grindwell Norton Limited, and Pfizer Limited were selected as winners.

ICICI Securities, Persistent Systems and Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited were the winners in the medium Enterprises (Services) category.

Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Unilever Limited, also addressed the gathering.

The Union Minister also said that the Narendra Modi government will not reconsider the decision to pull out of the China-dominated Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RECP).

“I ensure you, our country is moving on the right track to achieve some outstanding results in the years to come as we aim for sustainable growth,” said Goyal.

Consumers asking tough questions now

Mehta said that the last few years have reinforced the need for businesses to drive positive social change.

“Consumers are asking tough questions now, holding organisations whose products they consume accountable for their actions on economic, social, and environmental fronts,” said Mehta.

FE CFO Awards rewards professionals who have enabled businesses to go beyond the ordinary, and also have had a positive impact on the community at large.

As many as 22 awards were given at the event.

FE CEO Awards 2022 Jury

The awardees were selected by an esteemed jury consisting Paresh Sukthankar, Former MD, HDFC Bank. Along with Amit Chandra, MD, Bain Capital; Pradip Shah, Founder, IndAsia Fund Advisors; Ajay Srinivas, CEO, Aditya Birla Capital; Amit Tandon, Founder & MD, IIAS; and Ashu Suyash, Former MD & CEO, Crisil.