Danang is awarded “Excellence in City Transformation”

LONDON, June 11, 2015: The Financial Times and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today announced the winners of the 2015 FT/IFC Transformational Business Awards.

This year’s programme marked a decade of collaboration between FT and IFC on global awards initiatives that have highlighted ground-breaking, commercially viable solutions to today’s development challenges. For 2015, special attention was given to initiatives that address pressing structural needs in rapidly growing urban areas. A total of 191 entries were received from 167 organisations involving projects in 140 countries.

The awards were presented at a special dinner in London attended by around 200 senior decision-makers in business, finance and development. The event followed a one-day Transformational Business Conference organised by the Financial Times and IFC.

MicroEnsure, a global provider of microinsurance services, received a special award for Excellence in Transformational Business, reflecting its achievements over the first 10 years of the FT/IFC programme. MicroEnsure is the world’s first and largest organisation whose exclusive focus is to address the mass market need for micro-insurance.

The winners and highly commended are:

Achievement in Urban Transformation
Winner: Sanergy, Kenya
Highly Commended: Heksagon Kati Atik Yönetimi Sanayi ve Ticatet, Turkey

Excellence in City Transformation
Winner: People’s Committee of Da Nang City, Vietnam
Highly Commended: Agra Nagar Nigam / Agra Municipal Council, India

Achievement in Information and Communications Technology
Winner: Operation ASHA, India

Achievement in Transformational Finance
Winner: International Finance Facility for Immunisation, United Kingdom
Special Commendation: Highly Commended: Citi, United States

Achievement in Inclusive Business
Winner: UnionPay, China
Highly Commended: Cummins Cogeneration (Kenya) Limited

Special Award: Excellence in Transformational Business
Winner: MicroEnsure, United Kingdom

“The initiatives nominated for this year’s awards included a number of projects that have the potential for large-scale adoption across the developing world. The judges were delighted with the level of innovation and the focus on commercial viability, and the overall progress we have seen in sustainability solutions since our awards were launched 10 years ago,” said John Thornhill, Deputy Editor of the Financial Times and co-chair of the awards judging panel.

“After ten years, the creativity, innovation and transformational potential of our entrants’ projects continue to impress me,” said Nena Stoiljkovic, Global Practices Vice President, World Bank Group, and Vice President, IFC Global Partnerships. “There are so many dedicated individuals and companies looking for solutions to our development challenges that five awards are not enough. But I hope they serve as examples to motivate others to apply their knowledge and expertise to promoting sustainable and equitable economic development. I congratulate not only our winners, but all those who participated and urge them to continue their ground-breaking work.”

The judging panel consisted of:
John Thornhill (co-chair)
Nena Stoiljkovic (co-chair)
David Harris, director, FTSE ESG
Hadeel Ibrahim, Founding Executive Director, Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Mary-Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO, Women’s World Banking
Chris Locke, Founder, Caribou Digital
Steve Rayner, James Martin Professor of Science and Civilization, and Director, Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, Oxford University
Henrik Skovby, Executive Chairman, Dalberg Group

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