Report by Ananta Prasad; Bhubaneswar: The first Odia woman Rupa Dash, Business Head, Percept Profile, Delhi, the biggest Indian entertainment, media and communications conglomerate; have been bestowed with the first ever award of 'Best Telecom Brand Marketer" at the recently held 6th National Telecom Awards-2012 which honored her lasting contributions in creating an effective brand visibility of national and international telecom players that it has serviced over the years, also complimented its cutting-edge campaigns for the varied telecom brands as well.

Awarded at the 6th edition of the National Telecom Awards as organized by the Communication Media Association of India (CMAI), the apex organization promoting the Indian IT and Telecom sector, the award recognizes her continual commitment to create global telecom entities wherein she has helped home-grown companies to become 'People's Brand' and has facilitated recognized entities to reach the zenith of telecommunication echelons, both nationally and globally.

Felicitating the best Telecom Companies and Service Operators for their research, development & innovations in this sector, the 6th National Telecom Awards identified and recognized the outstanding contributions to the field of communication, ICT, multimedia and infrastructure while providing greater encouragement and impetus to the players for their contribution in building a robust National Telecom Network.

The 6th National Telecom Awards this year was attended by over 2500 delegates making

it the mother of all Telecom events in India, wherein attendees included luminaries like Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General, ITU Geneva; Dr. JS Sarma, IAS, Chairman, TRAI; Shri R Chandrashekhar, IAS Secretary DOT, Govt. of India; Shri GB Pradhan, IAS Secretary, MNRE; Prof. Dr SS Mantha, Chairman, AICTE along with Shri Akhil Gupta, Deputy Group CEO and Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises; Shri Bharat Agarwal, Executive Director Dainik Bhaskar Group of Newspapers; Shri Ravi Sharma, CEO Adani Powers Ltd.

Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General, ITU Geneva, "Women are the bedrock of our societies and are the pillars of strength in every family and community. We need to ensure that they are fairly rewarded and do get the same opportunities as men get in every sphere of life. This year being celebrated as the 'Year of Empowerment of Women in ICT' makes me urge CMAI along with all the delegates present in here to work sincerely for the empowerment of women and girls, both within and through ICT. With these remarks, it gives me great pleasure to present the cynosure award of the evening, 'Best Telecom Brand Marketer' which being spearheaded by a resourceful and dynamic woman-Ms. Rupa Dash goes to show the ingenuity that a woman possesses in today's corporate environ."

Rupa Dash, Business Head, Percept Profile, Delhi said, "When I started servicing telecom clients post the economic meltdown of 2007, it came as a huge challenge to create brand visibility of telecom giants with the limited resources available. This award encapsulates trials and tribulations, achievements and successes; and inspires me to give in my best to the sector which is right now one of the most dynamic components of the Indian economy. I am really honored to be the recipient of the first ever award in this category and would like to thank ICT, CMAI, and Ministry of Telecom and every telecom partner of ours who have appreciated our worth in this category."

CMI National Telecom Awards Started in 2007 to felicitate the best Telecom Companies, Service Operators, research & development and innovations, the CMI National Telecom Awards are instituted by CMAI Association on India. Having the support of the entire Indian Associations of Telecom Industry and global ICT associations, the CMI National Telecom Awards brings on board acclaimed jury members and is considered to be the mother of all telecom events in India.