HOUSTON: Indian-American Aruna Vishwanathan was among the three women honored with ‘Women in Business: Making a Difference Award’ at the 19th annual Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH) gala here. Vishwanathan and two American women – Carlecia Wright and Jewel Smith – were among the people honored last evening for their outstanding contributions in entrepreneurship, economic development, innovation and passion for community service.
Viswanathan is the Chief Operating Manager at Alphax Decision Sciences, a company that develops enterprise scale predictive, prescriptive artificial intelligence software and cloud infrastructure solutions. Wright is the Director, City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity, while Smith is Supplier Diversity Manager at CenterPoint Energy – a major player in the gas and electricity transmission and delivery.
Technology giant Wipro was given the Inbound Investment award for its efforts in promoting economic growth in the Greater Houston region. Entrepreneur of the year award was presented to Chitranjan ‘Aku’ Patel, who is the owner of a leading jewellery store in Houston. The Award for Innovation was presented to the Pumps and Pipes Society an organization that convenes experts from the fields of medicine, technology and aerospace to find innovative solutions.
The awards were presented by Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Consul General of India in Houston, Dr Anupam Ray. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who led a trade mission to India in March, also attended the event. “The Indo-American Chamber Of Commerce continues to play a vital role in the economic success of not only Houston, but the entire state of Texas,” said Governor Abbott. The event was attended by Houston’s top business leaders, elected officials and IACCGH members and guests.
“Since its inception in 1999, IACCGH has leveraged its ties with other chambers of commerce and economic agencies to promote bilateral trade between Houston and India, and boost economic growth in the Greater Houston region,” Jagdeep Ahluwalia, its founding director, told PTI. IACCGH is a major driver in inbound and outbound business delegations to India that helps in expanding markets, product lines and diversification for businesses. The event supports the Chamber’s activities of promoting business growth, creation of jobs in Houston and facilitating bilateral trade between Houston and India. PTI
