Sunil Chhetri is global icon at NRI of the Year Awards

MUMBAI: India’s football team captain Sunil Chhetri won the Global Indian Icon award and chairman and chief executive of Fairfax Financial Holdings Prem Watsa got the Special Jury award at the fifth edition of the

Times Now

& ICICI Bank

NRI of the Year Awards

in Mumbai on Thursday.


The NRI of the Year awards recognise the achievements of the Indian diaspora. For the fifth edition 23 winners were chosen in six categories: entrepreneur, professional, academics, arts and culture, philanthropy and start-ups, along with the Global Icon and Special Jury awards.

Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju was the chief guest at the glittering function which saw a new trophy designed by Poonam Soni unveiled by actress Chitrangada Singh.

On the 2018 awards jury were Deepak Bagla, managing director & CEO, Invest India, Ashish Chauhan, MD & CEO, BSE, Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India, Harsha Bhogle, cricket commentator and Dalip Tahil, actor.

The evening was hosted by Sameer Kochhar and Mandira Bedi and witnessed a performance by members of the Terrence Lewis Dance Institute. The fbb Colors Femina Miss India 2018 Anukreethy Vas and the runners-up Meenakshi Chaudhary and Shreya Rao Kamavarapu were also present at the function.

The NRI of the Year Awards 2018 were open to all Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs).