Asia honours its business stars in Bangkok

Asia honours its business stars in Bangkok

Some of Asia’s biggest business names gathered last week in Bangkok for the 12th Asia Business Leaders Awards, which recognised many executives from the region for their leadership and innovative ways of driving their businesses.

'Innovator of the Year' award winner Tony Fernandes of AirAsia says everything starts with people.

Companies from Thailand, India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore were among the key winners with the Lifetime Achievement Award going to Ratan Tata.

Mr Tata has been instrumental in driving the growth of Tata Group from being a purely India-based company to an international conglomerate with assets spread across the world.

Mr Tata said that he had taken the opportunity to change the direction of Tata Group after India started its economic liberalisation process. Rather than being “petrified” by the opening up of the economy and the company losing its leadership position, he and his executives started to look for businesses outside the country. Today Tata has under its umbrella companies such as the steelmaker Corus and automotive assets such as British-based Jaguar and Land Rover.

Other winners included Yancey Hai, the chairman of Delta Electronics Inc based in Taiwan, the parent company of Delta Electronics Plc in Thailand. He received the Asia Talent Management Award for his efforts to redirect the company’s path and its nearly 60,000 employees.

AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes received the Asia Innovator of the Year award for his progressive approach to keeping the airline at the top despite intensifying competition.

Mr Fernandes said that aviation was a very competitive industry where a decade of operation is like a “lifetime”, and that he has kept people at the top of his priority for any kind of innovation.

“We have only recently seen Miss Thailand (Chananporn Rosjan, Miss Thailand Universe 2005) become a pilot in our aircraft, and we have people who have been working from baggage handlers to becoming pilots,” he said during his speech while accepting the award.

The key to innovation, Mr Fernandes said, was to keep the people working for you happy by helping them realise their dreams.

Pailin Chuchottaworn, chief executive of PTT Plc was named the Thailand Business Leader of the Year.

Tan Pheng Hock of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd received the Asia Business Leader of the Year award. Rohana Binti Tan Sri Datuk Haji Rozhan of Malaysia’s Astro Holding received the Corporate Social Responsibility award.

Pailin Chuchottaworn, chief executive of PTT Plc, received the Thailand Business Leader of the Year award for his visionary leadership in steering Thailand’s largest capitalised company through the changing world and for its drive to expand its operations globally.

The awards ceremony was held at The Conrad Bangkok and will be broadcast on CNBC on Nov 28.

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