175 companies in fray for 15th edition of BML Munjal Award
by Suman Gupta
New Delhi, 2021: Siemens India, Mahindra Rural Housing Finance, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Your Space, and Indian Oil Corporation have been declared the winners of the 2020 BML Munjal Award for “Business Excellence through Learning and Development”.
Named after Hero Group founder Dr. Brijmohan Lall Munjal, the awards were announced and e-presented on January 29 by eminent scientist, innovator and Padma Vibhushan awardee Dr. R A Mashelkar as Chief Guest, while the various citations were read out by the jury members.
Siemens IndiaandMahindra Rural Housing were winners in the Private Sector Manufacturing &Services categories. DMRC took the honours in the PSU Service categorywhileYour Space triumphed in the Emerging Star category. IOC won in the Sustained Excellence category.
The annual awards haven feted and recognized 50 winners over 15 years. The odyssey began in relative modesty in 2006, with two award categories and 35 applicants. The 2020 edition featured five winners, and 175 applicant companies.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mashelkar said: “The Covid crisis has thrown the spotlight entirely on people, and their ability to manage crises. The pandemic has taught us the importance of pursuing excellence, embedding resilience,and instilling a sense of purpose in people. On their part, organisations must see themselves as banyan trees, spreading knowledge and learning across the roots and branches”.
Outlining the selection process, Mr. T. V. Mohandas Pai, Chairman of the Awards Jury said: “The applicants went through a rigorous and innovative screening process much before the shortlisted names came to the jury. The final selection was quite interactive, and both the winners and runners up were asked probing questions by jury members.”
In his address, Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman, Hero Enterprise said: “There are many awards that recognize companies for their financial numbers; very few see the richculture that develops when investments are made in people. Despite all the difficulties of the world today, companies have still pivoted and built strength; people and their capabilities are at the heart of this.’’
In his address, Dr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Hero Motocorp said: “It is important to look at these awards in the context of the prevailing times – the shop floors in factories have undergone massive changes; our private spaces at homes have turned into workstations and these days we all emphasize on Zoom call etiquettes instead of table manners.
The world today belongs to those who can adjust to change quickly. It is extremely important for people – and organisations – to be nimble, adaptive and innovative – to stay future ready.”
Delivering the event’s closing remarks, Mr. Suman Kant Munjal, Chairman Rockman Industries said: “Investing in training is a more effective way of building talent instead of spending more on recruitment. Regular training programs increase the confidence of employees.”
The winners of the awards’ 15th edition were selected by a high-profile and diverse jury comprising of T.V. Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education, Kishore Jayaraman, President, Rolls Royce India & South Asia, Vinita Bajoria, Executive Director, Titagarh Wagons Limited, Vishesh Chandiok, CEO, Grant Thornton Bharat, Prof V Ramagopal Rao, Director, IIT-Delhi, Richard Heald, Group Chair, UK India Business Council, Sandip Patel, Managing Director- India & South Asia, IBM, Rekha Sethi, Director General, AIMA , Atul Sobti, Director General, SCOPE, Naina Lal Kidwai, Chair, India Sanitation Coalition Dr Anurag Batra, Chairman & Editor in Chief, BW Businessworld, and Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman, Hero Enterprise.
Each year, the BML Munjal Awards recognise innovations in skill and development;they also acknowledge organisations that effectively harness employee talent through training andlearning to gain competitive advantage. The Awards are especially coveted in today’s corporate landscape because of their credibility and impartiality.
