KATHMANDU: Four Nepali entrepreneurs have been honoured with the prestigious Dato awards for demonstrating extraordinary business acumen and going above and beyond in their social giving back activities to their communities and countries.
Indonesian King Tuanku Muhammad of Atjeh honoured Karma Tenzing, Dr Subodh Pradhan, Nitin Goyal and Amit Roka with Dato awards amidst an event organised at the Sofitel Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on the 27th of March 2023.
"Dato" is a title that is the British equivalent of a knighthood or a "Sir". It is awarded by the kings in Malaysia and Indonesia to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary business acumen and gone above and beyond in their social giving back activities to their communities and countries.
The "Datuk and Datin Grand Awards Ceremony" was organized by the Malaysia South India Chamber of Commerce. The event organizers also include Dato Sri Venugopal and Dato Sri Sirajuddin, both of whom are on the Executive Board of the Malaysia South India Chamber of Commerce. The dignitaries presenting the awards were His Majesty Tuanku Muhammad, His Royal Highness Muhammad Radiyan and His Excellency Kem Cheat, the Interior Minister of Cambodia.
Among the awardees, Karma Tenzing is the owner of the Good Karma Group of Companies. His conglomerate owns projects in real estate and luxury apartment buildings, hospitality, education sector and trekking and expedition services. He has climbed 7 of the world's highest mountains on 5 continents and skied 140 km to the South Pole. He finances the education of 200 children on scholarships every year and provides free meals to orphanages and old age homes.
Dr Subodh Pradhan is the owner of mid-valley holdings. His company owns businesses in education, hospitality, real estate, renewal energy, trading and casinos.
Nitin Goyal is a real estate developer and owner of Balaji Investments, a conglomerate that owns jewellery shops, and real estate investments and is into trading services such as granite, tiles and building materials.
Amit Roka is the owner of Morgan Global HR Consultancy. His company deals in hospitality, staffing and manpower services and real estate.
The awards are based on their business and entrepreneurship successes in hospitality, real estate, educational and renewable energy sectors. More importantly, the awards were conferred based on their strong academic background along with economic and social giving back ventures in human rights, education, orphanages and nutrition, the organizers said.
