ET NOW-IndiaMART Leaders of Tomorrow Award to Highland Holiday Homes Under Travel & Hospitality Category

NEW DELHI, India, December 14, 2011 -

• Mr. Devadas Y. Naik, Chairman, Highland Holiday Homes (Goa) Private Ltd. grabbed the award at the felicitation ceremony

When the time and tide were against him, it was Mr. Devadas Y. Naik’s (Chairman, Highland Holiday Homes (Goa) Private Ltd.) perseverance, hard work and right attitude that converged eventually to overturn them and emerge a winner. What better an acknowledgment for this victory than India’s most prestigious awards for MSMEs - ET NOW-IndiaMART Leaders of Tomorrow Award 2011. He was conferred with this award being the best MSME under Travel and Hospitality category at the recently held Awards Ceremony. Mr. NR Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Technologies, an inspirational figure for the entire Indian business community, congratulated Mr. Naik on this well deserved feat.

Admiring the diligence and fighting spirit of the winner, Mr. Dinesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, IndiaMART.com, said, “Entrepreneurs like Mr. Naik are rare who fight the adversities and win what they deserve. His growth story has inspired all of us to combat till last, no matter what it takes. We extend our best wishes to him and hope this award would become a driving force behind his future aspirations and goals in life.”

Ecstatic on being adjudged Leader of Tomorrow, Mr. Devadas Y. Naik, said, “This was the most challenging of all the awards I have won in the recent past. The elimination rounds, the rigorous implementation of rules to level the playing field, explaining my innovation and getting the attention of juries from the cream of the corporate world was a unique experience. It gives me further impetus to continue the growth trajectory I am following with Team Highland. Be warned: more innovations follow…”

Mr. Naik started out with a dream to create wealth. Since then, it has been a roller coaster ride for him experiencing acute lows and steep heights during the journey. He began with running a successful inter-state tea and coffee blending business, saw it fail when the USSR broke up and the big players flooded the Indian market with their products. He had to start from the scratch all over again but this did not discourage him and he opted for real estate, construction and hospitality. Eventually, he owned a marvellous Highland Beach resort in Candolim, Goa, which brought his dreams to life and won the prestigious ET NOW-IndiaMART Leaders of Tomorrow Award for him.

Mr. Naik’s journey is just one of the numerous inspiring tales at ‘ET NOW-IndiaMART Leaders of Tomorrow Awards 2011′, India’s leading platform that acknowledges the efforts and achievements of the Indian MSMEs. The opportunities are lurking and waiting for all aspiring entrepreneurs to grab. With this platform, it is the time to prove the metal and mettle to the world.

About Highland Holiday Homes (Goa) Pvt. Ltd.

Highland Holiday Homes (Goa) Pvt Ltd, hospitality wing of Highland Group, follows a unique need-based concept: the need to build assets with the need to holiday with family. We sell apartments to second-home buyers; they rent them back to us; we maintain and manage them as a resort. Following principles of Passive Development we preserve and maintain seven 100-year old trees, 8 wells and a natural pond. Finally, there is Team Highland: guests embrace our staff in tears at the time of departure. Not a single employee has been dismissed from service.

About IndiaMART.com

IndiaMART.com is India’s largest online B2B marketplace for Small & Medium Size Businesses, connecting global buyers with suppliers. The company offers a platform & tools to over 1 million suppliers to generate business leads from over 5 million buyers, who use the platform to find reliable & competitive suppliers. The company has over 4500 employees located across 90+ offices in the country. Its existing investors include Intel Capital and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.

Products & Services

IndiaMART.com offers products that enable small & medium size businesses generate business leads (online catalogs/store-fronts), establish their credibility (third party verified trust profile) and use business information (finance, news, trade shows, tenders) for their business promotion.

For more information, please visit: www.indiamart.com/corporate/press-section.html

Media Contacts

Pawandeep Kaur
Manager - Corporate Communication
T: +91-120-3911000
F: +91-120-2424943
E: corpcomm@indiamart.com