Arnavaz 'Anu' Aga, the chairperson of Thermax Limited, was given the lifetime achivement award.
Corporate India will testify that no one deserves it more. Aga's story is one of triumph over both personal and professional adversity.
Overnight, she had to assume the role of the chairperson of the group in 1996 after the sudden death of her husband, Rohinton Aga who had built Thermax up from a small boiler company in the eighties into a leader in engineering solutions in energy and environment.
When she took over, she faced a difficult time as Thermax had slipped into the red and an economic slowdown threatened the company's bottom
lines.
Aga took tough decisions like exiting non-core business and laying off employees – all of which pushed the company into the black again in 2002.
On the personal front, she not only had to deal with her husband's death but also the tragic death of her only son a year later.
Despite these vicissitudes of life, Aga has never shied from discharging her social responsibilities. She was among the few corporate leaders to speak out against the riots in Gujarat and campaign for the cause of the
minorities in India.
Recently, Aga stepped down as the chairperson of the company in favor of
her daughter Meher Pudumjee.
Pudumjee who was in the audience when her mother was presented the award had tears in her eyes, as Aga thanked her for her support.