World Auto Forum awards announced, WAF Stars steal the show

New Delhi [India], January 12 (ANI/NewsVoir): WAF awards are one of the most aspirational awards across the Automotive & Mobility ecosystem last eight years. The 7 Points WAF awards process makes it toughest, most transparent and inclusive. Backed by esteemed jury, observers and IIT Delhi research team.
The 8th World Auto Forum Awards concluded recently with WAF stars stealing the show all the way. This time, the awards were bigger, different and as stringent as they always come. Deeply researched, passionately debated and carefully chosen, they showcased Platinum performances from across the automotive ecosystem.
"#WafAwards2021 are a testimony to how the Industry stars have taken care of their customers, teams and suppliers, balancing health - physical, mental and financial," remarked Anuj Guglani, CEO, World Auto Forum.
"2020 was a turbulent year for most industries particularly the Auto and Mobility sector, and companies that were proactive in dealing with the Covid impact were the ones that bounced back faster," expressed Dilip Chenoy, Secretary-General, FICCI. "As a Jury Member at WAF awards, it was heartening to see companies move beyond pure profits and embrace employee welfare and retention to form a strong foundation for future potential," he added.
"WAF awards are so close to my heart, we have been associated with WAF since the beginning and absolutely proud about that very fact. WAF Awards brings in recognition to the behind the lines unsung heroes of the Automobile Industry, not only it encourages, it enriches each one of us with the best practices and the latest innovations of this industry thus making us sharper and brighter by the day," said Tanuj Pugalia, CMD, Gallops Motors.
"This year we opened up the Awards beyond the OEMs to 6 more categories, thereby covering the industry end to end, in line with WAF's Philosophy of "One Connected Ecosystem". We also made nomination mandatory and simplified the selection parameters. Months of research by IIT team, 10 Hours+ of Jury Rounds across 5 days and several rounds of Emails made it real tough for us to choose the worthy winners but succeed we did."
The 7 Points WAF Awards Process is one of the toughest, most transparent and inclusive. It includes selection parameters by industry CXOs to make them relevant, research by IIT Delhi - unbiased and neutral, highly experienced and distinguished jury, no sponsor partner allowed on the Jury, Independent observers at jury round - to ensure selection process compliance, reference checks after jury rounds and invitation to winners' teams and family to join them at the awards ceremony.
"It's been great, being part of the WAF Jury. The research is getting deeper, the discussions more engaging and conclusions more relevant," said Nikunj Sanghi, Chairman, ASDC, Director, FADA & MD, JS FourWheel Motors.
Prashanth Doreswamy, Country Head - Continental India & Managing Director Continental Automotive Components (India) shared his experience of being on WAF awards Jury. "It was an incredible experience to come across some of the best professionals across India and the amazing work they all are putting in. The nominations of the World Auto Forum Awards 2021 went through a rigorous research by IIT, Delhi team and selection powered by WAF Awards Process. It was a tough but enlightening 10+ hours of deliberations for us jury members as well. But it was all worth it. Hats off to team IIT, Delhi for an excellent research job and my hearty congratulations to all the winners. I can say with confidence that they truly deserved it," he said.
Jury Members for 8th WAF Awards together carry rich and varied experience at top levels in the automotive sector and we are truly honoured to have them onboard WAF Awards. We thank each one of them - Nikunj Sanghi, Chairman - ASDC, Director - FADA & MD - JS FourWheel Motors, Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General - FICCI, Anupam Sanghi, Senior Corporate Lawyer, Prashanth Doreswamy, Country Head - Continental India & MD - Continental Automotive, Puneet Kapur, Head - LeanExcell, S Ramaswamy, Managing Partner - Medha Advisors, Independent Director at Auto Cos, Avik Chattopadhyay, Co-founder - Expereal and Anuj Guglani, CEO - World Auto Forum.
Our observers, Atul Arora, Co-founder - Wiserfeed and Amit Asija, National Head BD - Akemi India ensured that selection parameters were adhered to and the process was perfect on compliance.
"We have a long-standing association with World Auto Forum and are extremely excited to be a part of the 8th edition of WAF awards. On behalf of Volkswagen India, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners who have done some exceptional work and created benchmarks within the Indian automotive sector," said Ashish Gupta, Brand Head, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India.
"It's commendable that despite such a rough year that went by, the auto industry has managed to bounce back to its glory, emerging stronger than ever. The year 2020 gave us an opportunity to stay committed to our promise of community service with MG Sewa and also continuously focus on product innovation. WAF awards this year are a testimony to the resolve and resilience shown by all of us in this industry. Congratulations to all the winners and I am confident that 2021 will be a year full of promise and potential," exclaimed Gaurav Gupta, Chief Commercial Officer, MG Motor India.
And now, the winners of the 8th WAF Awards, people who excelled and innovations that inspired and left an impact. They vroomed right into our minds and hearts.
Winners in Auto Makers category:
Sunil Kakkar, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Best Purchase/Supply Chain Head, Auto Maker - PV Category; Hyundai Motor India, Service on WhatsApp, Best Innovation, Auto Maker - PV Category; Vijay Sethi, Hero MotoCorp Limited, Best Chief Information Officer, Auto Maker - 2W Category and Rajendra Bhat, TVS Motor Company Limited, Best After Sales Head, Auto Maker - 2W Category.
Winners in EV Companies category:
JBM Auto Limited, ECO-LIFE Electric Bus, Best Innovation, EV Maker Category.
Winners in Auto Dealers category:
Kataria Group, Highest Sales Performance - Auto Retail, Passenger Vehicles Category
Winners in Auto & Mobility Tech Companies category:
Sameer Malhotra, Shriram Automall, Best Chief Executive Officer, Auto and Mobility Tech Companies; CamCom Technologies, AI-Powered Defect/Damage Inspections, Best Innovation, Auto & Mobility Tech Category and iTriangle Infotech, Drive Assist 101, Best Innovation, Auto & Mobility Tech Category.
Winners in Mobility Companies category:
Hari Kaushik, TranzLease, Best President, Mobility Services Company Category; Sandeep Gambhir, ORIX India, Best MD & CEO, Mobility Services Co Category; CarzOnRent, CabPro, Best Innovation, Mobility Services Company Category and Edelweiss General Insurance, Switch (Driver Based Insurance), Best Innovation, Mobility Services Company Category.
Winners in Aftermarket category:
AkzoNobel, UV Filler & Xpress Clear, Best Innovation, Automotive Aftermarket Category.
Heartiest congratulations to the Winners. You all make us proud.
We value our Partners who make all of this possible. We warmly thank them for their constant support and encouragement.
Our OEM Gold Partners are Volkswagen and MG Motor India. Our Gold Partner is Gallops Motors. Our Partners are Amplus Solar, Focus Engineering and K2B Learning. Our Associate Partner is Jubilant Motorworks. Our Media Partners are WAF TV and Patriot.
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