Glory and grandeur: The Aditya Birla Awards

The Aditya Birla Awards function is an event like no other. It’s a celebration of the best of the best -- of people, ideas and achievements; an accolade to hard work, passion and commitment; a fulsome and heartfelt appreciation of how the Aditya Birla Group is powered by the dedication of its employees, teams and businesses.

Glittering venues, world-renowned speakers, star-studded acts, awe-inspiring entertainment shows -- these form the backdrop to a spectacle that forms the heart of the Group’s recognition initiative, a glorious gesture of appreciation for outstanding performance at the workplace.

Now in its 24th edition, the Aditya Birla Awards (ABA) are an opportunity for hundreds of employees from across Aditya Birla Group companies to stand face to face with Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla to receive recognition of their efforts and achievements.

Recognition across levels

The Chairman’s Individual Awards are a tip of the hat to extraordinary employees from the Group’s 35+ companies in 36 countries. The Individual Awards cover all levels - from junior to senior to the senior most leaders. What makes the concept unique is its inclusive nature -- family members are invited to cheer the nominees as they share the stage with the Chairman.

The Individual Awards also salute veterans of the Group, senior leaders who have dedicated years of service. There are special awards for outstanding individuals who are Values Torchbearers and inspire others by their exemplary behaviour. Thus the Awards are designed to go far beyond performance and recognise the contributions to the ethos of the Group’s culture.

Inspiring ideas

A unique aspect of the Awards is the Speaker Sessions - a series of stimulating talks by world-leading experts. Over the years, participants have had the opportunity to listen to the likes of innovation expert Tom Wujec, technologist Vivek Wadhwa, former GE chairman Jeff Immelt, author Malcolm Gladwell, former statesmen David Cameron, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, sports personalities such as Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, and many more. This year’s speakers included former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria, former Unilever CEO Niall Fitzgerald and founder of the Virgin Group Richard Branson.

Splendid spectacle

But the crowning glory of the Awards is the final show -- the day when the Chairman and other senior leaders shake the hands of nearly 200 winners. Held in large venues -- often offsite outside Mumbai -- the Awards function is the pinnacle of a logistics exercise that caters to over a thousand guests and requires the collaborative operation of a dozen agencies, including the event management agency.

Starting in the evening, the Awards function smoothly intersperses the different categories with some of the best entertainment acts from around the world -- a glittering chiaroscuro of live performance acts, dances choreographed by the best of Bollywood and international experts, live dancing by Bollywood’s best -- from Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh to Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif!

The Awards are not just a celebration of the year past - they provide a platform for the Chairman to share his vision of the future of the Group. The annual Chairman’s Address provides a perspective to the Group on issues that bear relevance across the companies -- such as customer centricity or innovation.

The shining stage, the inspiring stories, the applause and ovation - all come together in a splendid experience that participants carry away in their heart.