The Distinguished Alumnus Award (DAA) is an award given every year by IIMB to its alumni in recognition of achievements of exceptional merit. The first Distinguished Alumnus Award was given in 2007.

Alumni who have excelled in their chosen field of endeavour and made outstanding contributions, are recognized for accomplishments in:

• Entrepreneurship
• Management
• Research / Education
• Social Service

The award winner is presented with a plaque and a citation on the institute rolls.

Arun Balakrishnan, PGP '76

Mr Arun Balakrishnan is the Chairman & Managing Director of one of India's largest Oil Refining & Marketing Company - Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. He took over the position of C&MD from April 1, 2007. Prior to this, he was the Director of Human Resources at HPCL from January 2002.

Mr Balakrishnan is a Chemical Engineer with a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGP 1974-76) from IIM Bangalore.

Mr Arun Balakrishnan has been instrumental in forging strategic alliances with various multinationals and inland oil companies for a mega project to come up in the oil industry. Also some of the crucial milestones such as formation of Joint venture Company for the 9 MMT Punjab refinery at Bathinda with L N Mittal of Arcelor Mittals Limited as well as fast track financial closures of the Refinery and Pipeline projects for the Bathinda Refinery Complex were accomplished in short period of time. Highly computer savvy, Mr Arun Balakrishnan constantly explores and drives new avenues for leveraging ERP systems for business applications, process improvements and e-initiatives.

S Padmanabhan, PGP '82

Sankaranarayanan Padmanabhan has been working with the Tata conglomerate since he graduated from IIM Bangalore. Mr Padmanabhan took over as Executive Director of Operations of Tata Power Co. Ltd., in February 2008 and is responsible for all its operations, which include Generation, Transmission and Distribution businesses and the Mumbai Licence Area business and also the Maharashtra Projects. Mr. Padmanabhan also serves as Director of Operations of Tata Power Trading Co. Ltd. Earlier he held several positions with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in various capacities.

Mr. Padmanabhan, a gold medalist in Electronics and Communication Engineeering from the PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, did his Post-graduate Diploma in Management (PGP 1980-82) at IIM Bangalore, with specialization in Marketing.

Over the span of his career Mr. Padmanabhan has had a rich experience is large scale project build up and delivery, global sourcing and operational efficiencies. He has played a key role in several landmark projects such as the development of a Securities Clearing and Settlement System for SEGA in Switzerland as well as other key engagements in New Zealand, Australia, UK and USA.