The award was conferred by Professor John Mullins, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, LBS. This honor is an acknowledgement of Mr. Rana Kapoor’s exemplary contributions in promoting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. The citation mentioned Mr. Kapoor's inspirational journey as a model entrepreneur and his stellar role in the development of a vibrant entrepreneurial culture, to felicitate him for“Exemplary Contribution to Entrepreneurship & Innovation”.
The award given by LBS also recognized that Mr. Rana Kapoor, in many ways, was a pioneer in employing 'Knowledge' as a key differentiator in the financial services sector. He started YES BANK through a differentiated knowledge driven approach with a special focus on the sunrise sectors of India, such as Food & Agribusiness (F&A), Healthcare, Education, Infrastructure, Hospitality, Media & Entertainment and Renewable Energy.
The theme for IBF 2016, “Disruption in India” focussed on the different ways emerging startups and established companies both forge new pathways, and react to the resultant scenario. Indian startups have emerged at the cusp of a new consumer landscape, shocking the market and forcing larger companies to rapidly change their marketing and distribution strategies, amongst others. IBF brought together a host of different voices drawing from both large business and startups across varied industries, to provide a holistic view of the changing landscape of Indian business, and its promising future.