Sundar Pichai, Friedman to get 2019 Global Leadership Award

Washington: Business advocacy group USIBC has chosen Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Nasdaq President and CEO Adena Friedman as recipients of its prestigious 2019 Global Leadership Award for "catalyzing growth in the US-India commercial corridor".

Reacting to his selection, the India-born Google CEO said he was "grateful to the USIBC for its leadership and for this honour".

"Growing up in India, I saw the profound impact technology has on improving people's lives, and I am proud that Google has been able to contribute to India's exciting growth story," Pichai said.

"At the same time, India is playing an increasingly important role in helping Google build products for the US and globally, and we're only at the beginning of what's possible."

The awards will be conferred at the USIBC India Ideas summit and annual meeting, scheduled to be held at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC on June 12-13, USIBC said on Tuesday.

"We are enormously excited to recognise the contributions of Google and Nasdaq as leading technology-driven platforms that drive our markets and transform the way we live, learn and do business," said Nisha Biswal, President, US-India Business Council (USIBC).

"Under the leadership of Sundar Pichai, Google is not only powering India's digital economy sector, but also expanding access to technology for millions of Indian citizens, including women and people from marginalized communities," Biswal added.

Biswal added: "Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman has brought the best-in-class technology of Nasdaq to more than 50 countries, including India's National Stock Exchange.

"Her leadership and investment in India will ensure that capital markets in both countries benefit from Nasdaq's cutting edge market technology and innovative approaches," Biswal added.

Given annually since 2007, the USIBC Global Leadership Awards recognise top corporate executives from the US and India whose companies play a major role in catalyzing growth in the US-India commercial corridor.

With companies like Google and Nasdaq at the forefront, bilateral trade in goods and services has grown by nearly 150 per cent over the past five years to reach $142.1 billion in 2018.

"At Nasdaq, we greatly value our partnership with the National Stock Exchange of India, as well as our advanced technology development centre in Bengaluru. We greatly admire the opportunity and innovation that India represents as a world leading centre of talent and technology," Friedman said.