The NASSCOM Global Leadership Awards felicitate some of the most renowned names from the world of business and technology. The awards are presented to individuals for their role in building business excellence and technology leadership within their organizations, in the areas such as vision, excellence in IT usage, technology innovation, thought and business leadership. NASSCOM’s Global Leadership Awards are a tribute to these men and women, who have used vision, creativity, business acumen and technology to move their organizations towards higher goals and establish them as business leaders in the competitive global environment.

Here are the winners of GLA 2011:

NASSCOM Global Strategist Award:

The Global Strategist Award recognizes an individual whose innovative and perceptive approach is aligned with the business strategy to get a competitive edge. And the award this year went to Viswanathan Anand.

Acclaimed as the Fastest Brain in the world, is the absolute World Champion. It is his success in the world scene that has made this ancient Indian game, a mass sport in India. On winning the honour, Mr. Anand said, “I feel extremely proud to receive the Global Strategist Award for 2010-2011. I find it a rare honour for a sportsperson to be feted by the captains of the IT industry and thereby join the illustrious ranks of the previous recipients. In my travels, I have always noted that the emergence of India, the IT industry and my own career have grown almost parallel. As the ambassador of a sport where the mind is king, I truly appreciate the recognition from an industry where knowledge is capital."

NASSCOM Global Indian Award:

The award recognizes an individual who has earned his spurs in the overseas domains and brought fame and glory to his country of birth—India. This individual would have gained recognition for his work within the academic or business communities and proved himself as a visionary and thought leader. And the Global Indian Award this year was given to Raghuram Rajan.

Dr. Rajan is also currently an economic advisor to the Prime Minister of India. His research interests are in banking, corporate finance, and economic development, especially the role finance plays in it.

Accepting the award, Dr Rajan said, “I am honoured to receive this award from an organization which represents the finest aspects of the Indian Industry.”

NASSCOM Global Innovator Award:

This award recognizes an individual whose innovative and perceptive approach is has truly given him an edge over the rest in business. And the Global Innovator Award this year was given to Shantanu Narayen, President & CEO, Adobe.

Mr. Narayen’s leadership, technology insight and operational expertise have strengthened Adobe’s culture of innovation, expanded the company into new markets, and extended its product portfolio and global reach. On winning the award, Mr. Narayen said, “I am honored to receive this award from NASSCOM, and it is an incredible testament to the work done by more than 9,000 Adobe employees around the world. We are proud of our history and the impact we’ve made on the technology industry. But we’re even more excited about the future innovations we will deliver for digital experiences across every screen. It’s an exciting time, not only for India but for the IT industry globally.”

NASSCOM Global Business Leader:

This Award recognizes an individual who has managed to look ahead into the future and define the direction of the organization. An individual who has been able to take a long-term, strategic view of the business opportunity and successfully aligned the goals of the organization to this potential. And this award was given to Louis Chenevert.

Over the last decade, Mr. Chênevert has visited India frequently, both as President of Pratt & Whitney and most recently as President and CEO of UTC. The award recognizes his contribution towards setting UTC on a path of innovation, customer responsiveness and corporate governance and enabled it to achieve rapid growth and profitability.