Harish Manwani conferred CNBC-Asia Business Leader of Year 2008 Award

In his acceptance speech, Mr Manwani said, "As a professional manager, I am very conscious of the fact that the honour that you have bestowed on me is, first and foremost for my company Unilever and for the thousands of employees in Asia who have made us worthy of this recognition."

"I am proud of our values and our underlying belief that doing good and doing well are two sides of the same coin. Good business is responsible business. Unilever has a long and proud history of doing business in Asia, and we can trace our roots back over a 100 years. In most of these 15 countries that we operate in, we are proud to be seen as a multi-local multinational, global yet rooted in the local communities. Successful, yet responsible to the local needs," he added.

Announcing the award, CNBC commented in its press release, "The coveted Asia Business Leader of the Year was awarded to Mr. Harish Manwani for effectively capitalising on global trends and leveraging the global scale of Unilever to deliver accelerated strong growth while significantly increasing profitability in Asia / Africa for his company. This is largely attributable to Mr. Manwani’s ability to align and motivate staff to a common agenda. He has led the way in retaining loyal customers, helping Unilever to remain market leaders in almost every key category. His innovative, visionary leadership has helped build a strong core of local management teams across the 43 operating companies under the Unilever umbrella.."

The release further stated that, "Mr. Manwani has emphasized the need to develop leaders who understand the changing landscape of commercial trade, and he has been actively involved in nurturing a core of solid leaders to ensure continued success for Unilever. He has consistently encouraged his leadership team to focus on an integrated approach towards rural markets with substantial positive impact on the business and its people. Coupled with his strong commitment to Social Responsibility, Unilever has continued to strengthen its corporate reputation within the region. He has helped bring increased focus of the top management team around the vast growth potential and strategies for the Developing and Emerging markets."

About Hindustan Unilever Limited

HUL is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods company, touching the lives of two out of three Indians. HUL’s mission is to “add vitality to life” through its presence in over 20 distinct categories in Home & Personal Care Products and Foods & Beverages. The company meets everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene, and personal care, with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life.

Notes To Editors:

1) About Harish Manwani - Harish Manwani is President, Unilever Asia Africa and a member of the Unilever Executive. A graduate of Mumbai University, Harish completed Masters Degree in Management Studies before joining Unilever in India in 1976.  His various assignments include Senior Vice President Global Hair & Oral Care, President Home & Personal Care Latin America and President/CEO, HPC, North America.  He was Chairman of Unilever’s Latin America Advisory Council, and is currently Non-Executive Chairman of Hindustan Unilever and a member of Executive Board of the Indian School of Business.

2) About Asia Business Leader of Year Award: The Asia Business Leader of the Year Award recognizes the business leader who is able to retain loyal customers, inspire and motivate staff, grow profitability and make his or her vision for the company a reality. The award gives special attention to qualities such as innovation, community service and the drive to ensure the company's success, as well as the leader's ability to effectively capitalize on global trends in ways that have helped develop and grow their business.

3) About ABLA: Asia Business Leaders Awards were started in 2001 by CNBC. It is the region's significant award programs of its kind that honors and recognizes the most outstanding businessmen. CNBC pioneered the Business Leaders Awards to salute remarkable business leaders for their continuing commitment to excellence, developing best practices and innovative strategies.  The awards celebrate the spirit of achievement and excellence in business leadership in Asia.

The other ABLA 2008 awards included Asia Talent Management Award 2008, Asia Innovator of the Year 2008, Corporate Social Responsibility Award 2008, Asia Viewers’ Choice Award 2008 and Korea Business Leader of the Year 2008.