“Encouragement to become more active”

Chirajilal Agrawal, Chairman, MC Group
(Lifetime Achievement in Business Leadership Award)

I express my sincere gratitude towards New Business Age for the award. This has encouraged me to become more active. Our group has been active across multiple business sectors for the last 97 years.  We have been putting all our effort into supporting the country’s economy. We will continue to engage more in business activities in the future. The event was very well organised and managed. I hope New Business Age will come up with more such endeavours in the future. 

“Award for transparency and corporate governance”​

Anand Bagariya, Managing Director, Probiotech Industries
(Best managed company)

We had been striving to become the best managed company. This time, we have succeeded. Our company is in the right sector and has good management. We received this award because of our transparency and corporate governance. Nepali companies have progressed in management in recent years. The new companies are especially doing pretty well in this regard. I believe that there will be more companies willing to compete in this category in the upcoming editions of NewBiz Conclave and Awards. 

“Result of worthy efforts”​

Jagdish Prasad Agrawal, Chairman, NIMBUS

Getting an award is a delightful experience and I feel very honoured. It is not that I received the award by chance. This company was started in 2000 and for the past 15-16 years we have been striving to make our organisation as one of the best managed ones. We have been hiring very skilled people to make the company successful. Since we cannot get readymade human resources, we have to train them. Our staffs are being trained not only for today but for the long term. 

The event is interesting and also we can sense the input from many people who are present here. And I can anticipate that new entrepreneurs are coming to the country. Two decades back, it was difficult to find the talent I saw today. Business and financial journalism and much more were not available back then. 

Now things have changed and people are quite hopeful for entrepreneurship to develop even more. People talk about opportunities and democracy is one of them. I would say democracy is a type of opportunity where everybody can come up to show their talents. 

People have been complaining about the political instability, economic stagnancy and lack of positivity for many years and asking who will step forward to solve the issues? I think it is important to initiate the process of change rather than keep on complaining. Regarding the business sector, I acknowledge there are major problems in the manufacturing sector at present. Nevertheless, it will be wise for entrepreneurs to ask the government to remove the hurdles rather than asking for subsidies. 

“Award for high work efficiency”​

Sashin Joshi, CEO, Nabil Bank
(Best Managed Commercial Bank)

It is a real pleasure that Nabil Bank has won the award for ‘Best Managed Commercial Bank’. High levels of service and sound facilities, stability, vision along with last year’s high work efficiency have enabled us to win the award. 

Currently, commercial banks are in sound health. However, some integration in the banking sector is needed. There are 28 commercial banks in the country. The number should be reduced to 20 in the coming two to three years. By doing so, Nepali banks will strengthen and become more capable. I hope this award programme will continue in the coming years. 

“Motivation to work for the best” ​

Ramchandra Joshi, CEO, Chimek Laghubitta Bikas Bank 
(Best Managed Micro-Finance Company)

We are very happy to have been recognised as the ‘Best Microfinance Company’. We feel that our sense of responsibility has grown after winning this award. Our institution works with the marginalised groups to uplift their living standards. We are grateful to all our customers for their tremendous support and belief in us. Also, I would like to thank all the staff and the administration for their dedication which has brought the team to this stage. Chimek Laghubitta has been working continuously for so many years without expecting any reward. The recognition has given us more energy to perform better. 

Currently, there are 46 microfinance companies operating across the country while another 115 are in the pipeline. As the microfinance market is expanding rapidly, Nepal Rastra Bank needs to mobilise the institutions properly to avoid malpractices. Being the Vice-President of Laghubitta Bankers Association, I also have a responsibility in this regard. 

“Recognition for our management style”

Vivek Jha, CEO, Nepal Life Insurance Company Ltd
(Best Managed Life Insurance Company)

We are very delighted to receive the award. This is recognition for our management style. The award is a great source of motivation for us to perform even better. We have been moving forward by strengthening the company through capital increment and by providing excellent service to our customers. We will serve customers more effectively in the upcoming days. The NewBiz Conclave and Awards is a laudable initiative by New Business Age. The panel discussion and speeches were insightful and focused on finding solutions to various underlying problems the Nepali economy is 
facing at present. The jury panels have done an excellent job in selecting the deserving companies. I am hopeful that New Business Age will continue this event in the years to come. 

“Inspiration to move forward stronger”

Dip Prakash Panday, CEO, Shikhar Insurance 
(Best Managed General Insurance Company)

It’s an honour to receive this award. Our entire team would like to extend our sincere thanks to New Business Age for recognising our hard work and dedication. 

We are getting more opportunities with more people becoming conscious about insurance after last year’s earthquake. This award has encouraged us to move forward and become more responsible towards society.  Spurred on by this, we will be providing better services in the days to come. The award is not only for us, it is also for our customers. Together with the customers, we have reached these new heights. We will be moving forward stronger. 

“Motivation for good performing groups to serve customers better”​

Dr Pronab Sen, CEO, National Insurance Company Ltd (Nepal)

(Special Recognition for foreign Insurance Company Operating 
as a branch in Nepal)

We feel proud that we have been recognised by a prominent media organisation. New Business Age has done excellent work. Recognising good performing groups also motivates their employees so that in turn their customers get better services. The panel discussions helped raise issues related to investing and finding out solutions. Similarly, the views of the esteemed speakers were also insightful. 

“We aim to share our experiences while also doing business”​

KB Vijay Srinivas, General Manager, National Insurance Company Limited

We feel great about receiving the recognition. Awards are always welcome and this recognition shows that people have noticed us. We are the oldest non-life insurance company in India incorporated in 1906. There are not too many companies in India with such a distinction. We are among the top three insurers in India with more than 1.2 billion premiums and 16,000 employees. In the last three months we have received a slew of recognitions winning various awards and accolades. We have been operating in Nepal since 1973. Our aim is also to share our experience while also doing business. We are among the businesses here with the highest retention as we are financially strong and we hope to partner in the progress of Nepal.

The panel discussion was very interesting and a lot of insights came up. I noticed that even with all the problems, people are very positive, analytical and enthusiastic about the future. The event itself was very well organised and conducted. I am sure that a lot of effort must have gone in to make the event a success. Since there is no end to innovation, I hope new things may come up in the upcoming editions of the NewBiz Conclave and Awards. 

“Increased responsibility towards the society”​

Abhay Gorkhali, Marketing Head, Dabur Nepal
(Best Managed Joint Venture Company)

We would like to extend our thanks to the jury panel and New Business Age for recognising our 25 years of contribution to the Nepali market. The collective effort of our investors, promoter group, employees and all our stakeholders made this award possible for us. It encourages us to become better managed and more responsible. Dedication towards the health and satisfaction of customers is the vision of Dabur Nepal. 

The award has motivated us to enhance our performance in the coming days. Dabur Nepal has been increasing investment every year. The company has been making progress despite the unstable political and economic scenario. 

“Encourages to launch new projects”​

Uttar Kumar Shrestha, CEO, Butwal Power Company
(Best Managed Hydropower Company)

The hydropower business is riskier than other businesses due to the scale of the investment needed and the fact that it also has to be for the long term. We are happy to have won this award. This award has encouraged us to work harder and launch new projects in the future. Butwal Power Company is a publicly listed company and we work transparently. The company has already received ISO 9001, ISO 18001 and ISO 14000 certifications. 

The overall event was very inspiring. The esteemed speakers and young entrepreneurs in the panel discussions also mentioned how the development of hydropower was elemental for the development of the country. Our company is going to start the construction of the 37.6 MW Kabeli Hydropower Project and the 30MW Myagdi Hydropower Project within the next two to three months. We have also started the production license procedure by completing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Lower Manang Hydropower Project. We will start this project in two years.