Nine Indian Americans, including Deven Sharma, president, Standard & Poor's, made it to the 2011 list of Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business.

At a gala dinner at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York last month, they were feted in the presence of dignitaries like John C Liu, New York City Comptroller, who keynoted the event as well as United States Senator Charles Schumer, who delivered welcome remarks.

Among all the honourees that included Chinese, Filipinos, Pakistanis and people from other Asian countries, Sharma received the highest honour -- the Pinnacle Award, given to a person who has reached the acme of his/her professional career and is widely acknowledged by peers as a leader in the industry.

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Sharma, who was named to his current post in 2007, also keynoted the event.

The other Indians who were honoured included Ruby Sharma, a principal in Ernst & Young; Vikas Sharan, chief executive officer, Regalix Inc; Prabha Parameswaran, marketing director, Colgate Palmolive, Mexico; Sandip Patel, president, Aetna International; Kamesh Nagarajan, senior vice president, Global Wealth Management division, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney; Aseem Kapur, department manager, Smart Grid Implementation Group, Con Edison; Mohit Ghose, vice president, public affairs, Aetna; and Shankar Arumugavelu, senior vice president and chief information officer, Verizon.

'The award not only honours individuals, but serves to encourage the development of talent and leadership of Asian Americans,' said John Wang, president, Asian American Business Development Center, which gives the annual awards. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the event.

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He said that the depth and breadth of the recipients' business undertakings clearly demonstrate that Asian American entrepreneurs are an integral part of the larger economy.

'It is a great honour to be among the recipients of this prestigious award. The award serves as a great platform for encouraging the development of talent and leadership of Asian Americans,' Sharan said.

Shivraj Asthana, co-founder, Regalix, noted that Asian Americans had created a tremendous entrepreneurship culture, both in the United States and India.

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'It is made up of people who view their involvement as less of a job, and more as an opportunity to drive towards personal excellence. Recognition and awards from AABDC help raise the bar for all of us to deliver high value and contribute to the society,' he said.

Nagarajan said, 'This is the only forum to highlight the achievements of Asian Americans across the United States, and I am honored to be selected among the best business owners, professionals and corporate executives who are engaged in a variety of business interests and who drive our economy.'

'The richness of our nation lies in the character, diversity and passion of our people, the abundance of our ideas, and the creativity of our entrepreneurs and business leaders,' said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, himself an Asian American.

'Asian Americans contribute greatly to all aspects of our country's prosperity. At this time of economic challenge for America, honouring and building on the Asian-American tradition of entrepreneurship and innovation have never been more important.'