Mumbai: Mr. Arvind Tawde, Sr. VP and CIO, Mahindra & Mahindra, received the CTO of the Year 2007 award for his outstanding contribution to the IT industry and Mahindra & Mahindra. He received the award at a glittering ceremony held during the 8^th CTO forum at Istanbul, Turkey on 9^th September, 2007. Dr. F. C. Kohli, doyen of the IT industry in India and the first CEO of Tata Consultancy Services, and Mr. Niru Mehta, VC and MD – Avaya Global Connect, presented the award to Mr. Tawde.

The CTO of the Year awards has evolved into the most prestigious award for the CIO/CTO community in India. It felicitates those who have rendered yeoman service to their organizations and industry. The heme of this year’s award was 'Celebrating business and technology innovation'.

The nominees were selected by a jury panel, comprising well-acclaimed leaders from the industry, academia and community, along with the editorial team of The CTO Forum, who had worked on the nominations for three months evaluating over 500 CIOs under various parameters. The judging process for the award takes into account parameters such as quality of technology implementation, management aspects, and involvement in strategic issues.

About The Mahindra Group

The US $4.5 billion Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India. Mahindra & Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top three tractor manufacturers in the world and is the market leader in multi-utility vehicles in India. The Group has a leading presence in key sectors of the Indian economy, including trade and financial services (Mahindra Intertrade, Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd.), automotive components, information technology & telecom (Tech Mahindra, Bristlecone), and infrastructure development (Mahindra GESCO, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd., Mahindra World City). With over 60 years of manufacturing experience, the Mahindra Group has built a strong base in technology, engineering, marketing and distribution, which are key in its evolution as a customer-centric organization.

The Group employs over 40,000 people and has several state-of-the-art facilities in India and overseas. The Mahindra Group has ambitious global aspirations and has a presence in five continents. Mahindra products are today available in every continent except Antarctica. M&M has one tractor manufacturing plant in China and three assembly plants in the United States. It has made strategic acquisitions across the globe including Stokes Forgings (UK), Jeco Holding AG (Germany) and Schoneweiss & Co GmbH (Germany). Its global subsidiaries include Mahindra Europe Srl. based in Italy, Mahindra USA Inc. and Mahindra South Africa.

M&M has entered into partnerships with international companies like Renault SA, France, and International Truck and Engine Corporation, USA. The Group recently made a milestone entry into the passenger car segment with Logan, a product of its JV with Renault SA. Forbes has ranked the Mahindra Group in its Top 200 list of the World’s Most Reputable Companies and in the Top 10 list of Most Reputable Indian companies.