Ashok Reddy, Abhijit Roy and Samina Bano are the three alums to receive the coveted award this year, to be presented during the PGP inauguration
18 April, 2023, Bengaluru: Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) has announced the names of the recipients of the institute’s Distinguished Alumni Awards for 2023. Instituted in 2007, the Distinguished Alumni Awards are given to alumni in recognition of their achievements of exceptional merit and excellence in their chosen field of endeavours – be it industry, management, entrepreneurship, research, academia, or social service. Each awardee receives a citation and her/his name is engraved on the Wall of Fame in the institute. This year, the awards will be presented during the PGP inauguration.
We have three alums who are the recipients of the DAA this year: Ashok Reddy, PGP 1995; Abhijit Roy, PGP 1991, and Samina Bano, PGP 2010.
IIMB Director Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, the Deans and other faculty members congratulated the DAA recipients.
Ashok Reddy (PGP 1995)
Ashok Reddy, PGP 1995, is the Promoter, MD and CEO of TeamLease Services Limited. He started his career in Investment Banking after completing his course at IIMB. He co-founded India Life in 1998 to provide outsourced services of payroll and pension administration to corporate enterprises. It was during this period that India Life pioneered the concept and created the outsourcing space in the Indian context. India Life was acquired by Hewitt Associates in 2002.
Post the acquisition by Hewitt, he co-founded his second and current venture, TeamLease Services Limited, in 2002. TeamLease has gone through the stages of being self-funded, to being venture capital funded to going public in 2016. TeamLease has survived and flourished through the hi-growth and recession cycles of the economy – largely because of prudence, focus on building sustainable relationships with clients and operational excellence.
TeamLease is a company and a cause. Ashok’s patriotism and philosophy is evident in the cause: ‘Putting India to Work’. The company that started with an employee base of four in Bangalore, today deploys more than 3 lakh associates and 3500-plus clients across over 60 industries in 28 Indian states. Overall, they have touched the lives of more than 20 lakh employees over the past two decades. Efforts in establishing a strong brand recall for the company has helped him successfully incubate new adjacent business lines to continue the broad-based growth for the future.
Currently, TeamLease is one of India’s leading providers of Human Resource services in the organized segment to cater to the entire supply chain of Human Resources in India, covering aspects of the 3Es – Employment, Employability and Ease of Doing Business.
TeamLease was conceived with an entrepreneurial philosophy that any business should be fun, profitable and good for India. Ashok has managed to find that trinity in TeamLease.
He believes that even if after following your heart and putting in hard work you meet with failure in achieving your goal, the efforts will at least help you in building resilience and character.
Ashok is an avid art lover and patron, loves to travel with his family and reads a lot.
Feeling honored and humbled for having been selected for this award from his alma mater, Ashok says, “A lot of what I have been able to achieve professionally is thanks to the strong grounding that my education at IIM Bangalore provided me, along with helping me imbibe the required soft skills. It is a matter of great pride to be an alumnus of IIMB.”
Abhijit Roy (PGP 1991)
Abhijit Roy, PGP 1991, is the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Berger Paints India Limited. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Jadavpur University and completed his MBA from IIM Bangalore.
Abhijit started his career with Asian Paints (I) Ltd., after which he joined Lab Garnier, a division of L’Oreal, in 1994.
He joined Berger in 1996 as Product Manager and worked his way upwards as General Manager (Mktg), Vice President (Sales & Mktg) and took over as Managing Director and CEO of Berger Paints India Limited in 2012.
From the time he joined Berger Paints till now, the company has had an exponential increase in sales and market cap. Under his leadership, Berger Paints attained greater heights and received a number of accolades. From being at No. 31 in 2012, Berger Paints has positioned itself at No. 15 in 2022 in the global rankings of the top manufacturers of paints, coatings, adhesive and sealants. In 2021, Berger Paints won the Best Managed Companies Award of Deloitte’s Global Marquee Programme. Berger Express Painting was awarded the SKOCH-BSE Order of Merit in the Innovation category at the 48th SKOCH-BSE Summit.
As MD and CEO of Berger Paints India Limited, Abhijit focuses on identifying people who have a passion to excel, nurturing their talent, and building capability to help Berger achieve newer heights.
As Chairman of Education & Skill Development Sub-Committee of CII – Eastern Region, Abhijit Roy had initiated various activities for skilling people in tailoring, masonry, electrical/electronic repair, etc., thus helping them improve their employability.
He is the past Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Eastern Region and past President of the Indian Paint Association (IPA). He is also Managing Committee member and Vice President of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Abhijit is an avid reader; he loves music and traveling.
Abhijit says that of all the awards that he has received so far, the DAA from IIMB is the closest to his heart. “It gives me a chance to relive the memories from the IIMB campus, the days of camaraderie and learning. It also reminds me of my teachers and friends who gave me the training and confidence to face the world. I am delighted and grateful to receive this award.”
Samina Bano (PGP 2010)
Samina Bano, PGP 2010, is the Founder and CEO of RightWalk Foundation. She has deep-rooted passion for social impact and education reform. As the Founder and CEO of RightWalk Foundation, she focuses on addressing inequality through public policy intervention in the vital sectors of education, livelihood and health.
Having completed her B Tech in Computer Science from the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) in 2005, and her MBA from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore in 2010, Samina worked with prominent international corporations such as Deloitte Consulting, Proctor & Gamble and Texas Instruments. However, her desire to create meaningful change led her to return to India in 2013, leaving her successful corporate career behind to work on providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children through the Right to Education (RTE) Act's Section 12(1)(c) in private schools.
Over the years, Samina's relentless efforts have been recognized with various accolades, including the ‘APJ Abdul Kalam Award for Innovation in Governance’ (KIGA) in 2016 and the 'Women Transforming India' award by NITI Aayog and the UN in 2022. Additionally, her contribution to COVID-19 relief work was acknowledged by the Indian Medical Association.
At RightWalk Foundation, Samina has played a significant role in implementing RTE 12.1.(c) - the 25% provision for underprivileged children in private schools in Uttar Pradesh. Her determination helped secure a Supreme Court verdict, enabling 5,30,000 impoverished children to gain admission under RTE across 20,000 schools in 75 districts of UP. This achievement unlocked approximately Rs. 800 crores of public funds, which directly benefited those in need through RTE. Moreover, Samina led the development of a fully integrated, end-to-end online system for RTE that won the ‘National e-Gov Award’ in 2022, making the process more transparent, efficient and accessible for disadvantaged children.
Samina's commitment to social impact extends beyond education reform. She has also been instrumental in strengthening the implementation and effective delivery of the Apprenticeship Policy in UP. As a strategic partner to the government, Samina has facilitated the establishment of structured governance processes, collaboration with multiple stakeholders, and enabled appropriate technological interventions. This initiative has resulted in 70,000 youth gaining employment as apprentices across India, providing skill training and job opportunities to an often-underrepresented demographic.
Samina Bano's dedication to education reform and social impact is reflected in her powerful achievements. Through her leadership at RightWalk Foundation, she has touched the lives of countless underprivileged children in Uttar Pradesh. Her innovative solutions have earned the respect and recognition of both government as well as private sectors. Samina's story serves as an inspiring reminder that with unwavering commitment, hard work, and a strong sense of purpose, it is indeed possible to bring about substantial and lasting change in society.
For Samina, the DAA holds immense personal significance and reflects the transformative power of education and determination. She says, “The platform that IIM Bangalore provided me has been instrumental in shaping my journey towards social inclusion. It has not only opened doors but has also equipped me with the skills, knowledge and confidence required to make a difference in the lives of others. My IIMB journey serves as a reminder that with perseverance and the right opportunities, we can all strive to create meaningful impact in the world.”