Karnik is Dataquest IT Person of 2005

Kiran Karnik, president of National Association of Software and Service Companies, apex body of India's software industry, was recently named the 'Dataquest IT Person of the Year 2005'.

As the outsourcing debate in the US raged and a steady flow of invective was hurled India's way, Karnik led from the front and successfully tackled the outsourcing issue. On the face of the backlash from Washington and some US states, Karnik kept his cool and pointed out that, contrary to the (US) government's stand, the US actually benefited from outsourcing to India.

His pointed out that the US economy got $2 in benefit for every $1 that American companies spend on outsourcing in India.

Karnik, 57, worked for two decades in the Department of Atomic Energy and then the Indian Space Research Organisation. Then he led the Discovery Channel's successful foray into India.

But his biggest success has been at Nasscom.

Dataquest also felicitated Hemant Sonawala, chairman, Hinditron, with the 'Lifetime Award,' while the 'Pathbreaker Award' went to R Chandrashekhar, joint secretary in the ministry of communication and IT.

Sonawala was selected for his contribution to the growth of the domestic IT industry through the introduction of high technology products and strategic alliances.

Chandrashekhar was honoured for playing a key role in laying the foundation of e-governance in India.