Yashish Dahiya wins EY's Entrepreneur Of The Year (Financial Services)

Yashish Dahiya, Group Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Policybazaar was honoured EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) 2019 award in the Financial Services category on February 19, 2019. 
 
Dahiya received this award for revolutionizing the insurance sector with his disruptive thinking and bold vision, EY said in a press statement. 

EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs and this year was its 21st edition. 

Yashish’s success journey

He co-founded Policybazaar in 2008 which altered paradigms in the insurance industry by shifting the power of information to end-users. The company has disrupted the insurance sector by using technology to improve customer experience thus making the process of buying insurance quicker and more seamless.

Within ten years since its inception, the company became the largest insurance aggregator in India and is valued over $1.65 billion. 

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Through Yashish’s belief on protecting a person from 3Ds of life- death, disease and disability, Policybazaar has made a significant contribution towards changing the mindset of consumers from thinking of insurance as ‘investment product’ to ‘protection’.  

The company has been able to build trust among the consumers in a short span of time such that they consider it as the destination site for sale and advice on insurance products. 

“With 100 million visitors on its platform and 500,000 transactions a month, Policybazaar is among the country’s top unicorns with a recent valuation of US$1.65 billion,” the statement added.  

“Yashish has truly brought transparency to our industry and helped us reach the masses,” Anuj Gulati, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Religare Health Insurance Company Ltd said. 

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon were named as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2019 at the event. Arun Bharat Ram, Chairman, SRF; Falguni Nayar, CEO Nykka E-retail; Tuhin Parikh, Senior Managing Director (Real estate), Blackstone India were among others who received the awards in different categories. 

Significance of EOY awards 

The awards are unique in the way that they encourage entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.

Winners were selected by an eight-member jury panel which included business leaders Uday Kotak (MD and CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank), Naina Lal Kidwai (Chairman of Advent Private Equity), Deep Kalra, Founder, Group Chairman and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip Limited; Kunal Shroff, Co-founder and Managing Partner, ChrysCapital among others. 

Started in 1986 in a single city in US, these awards are now held annually in 60 countries and 145 cities. Every year in June, the Entrepreneur of the country winners compete for the World Entrepreneur of the Year (WEOY) title in Monte Carlo. 

Video courtesy: Ernst and Young India

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