Nithin Kamath, the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Zerodha, has been named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024. He was chosen by a 10-member jury that acknowledged Mr Kamath's groundbreaking low-margin and high-volume strategy that transformed the brokerage industry. He will not represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year award in Monte Carlo in June 2025. At the same event, the 26th edition, KV Kamath was given the lifetime achievement award by chief guest Bhupendra Yadav, Union minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
"This feels truly special. As an entrepreneur, I often ask myself 'what's more important - market cycle or business skills?' And usually the answer is market cycle. I started trading 27 years ago and it eventually led to founding of Zerodha. The idea was simple - offer low-cost broking, a stable platform and transparent services. In 2016, when Aadhaar happened, it came as a tipping point for us because onboarding became digital. In the years that followed, our business grew exponentially," Mr Kamath said while accepting the award.
The winners in other categories were: Pradeep Rathod, Chairman and Managing Director, Cello World in the Consumer Products and Retail category, Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip for the Services, Himanshu Baid, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Poly Medicure for the Lifesciences and Healthcare, Meher Pudumjee, Chairperson, Thermax for Manufacturing, Pirojsha Godrej, Executive Chairman, Godrej Properties for the Real Estate and Infrastructure, Kamesh Goyal, Founder and Chairman, Go Digit General Insurance for the Startup category, Sameer Nigam, co-founder and CEO of PhonePe for Business Transformation, and Dr Anish Shah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra Group who was named the Entrepreneurial CEO.
The event was virtual addressed by Union minister Piyush Goyal who said they celebrate those who redefine the power of possibilities. "I commend EY's 26th awards event, and congratulate the winners who turn ideas into industries, dreams into disruption, and challenges into opportunities. May this milestone further ignite their drive to dream, innovate, and propel India towards Viksit Bharat 2047."
Highlighting the winners' achievements, Rajiv Memani, Chairman and CEO, EY India said, "Entrepreneurs are India's biggest competitive advantage and economic force multipliers. EOY winners reflect the tremendous impact Indian entrepreneurs are creating in India and globally. I congratulate the 2024 winners who are transforming their industries, scaling their businesses, and building an unbeatable moat to drive sustainable growth. I also want to thank our esteemed jury for their meticulous evaluation and recognising our outstanding entrepreneurs."
Dr S Somanath, former chairman of ISRO, received the Special Jury Award in recognition of his instrumental contributions to space ambitions by leading India's landmark space missions.
The winners collective generate a revenue of nearly Rs 2 lakh crore with a combined valuation (listed and unlisted companies) of over Rs 15 lakh crore and are instrumental in providing employment to almost three lakh individuals across the globe.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
