Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award

Kristine Pearson, Executive Director of the Freeplay Foundation, received a prestigious Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award at a gala ceremony in Paris. Well-known technology entrepreneur, Mr Narayana N R Murthy, co-founder and chairman of Infosys Technologies, presented the award in the Technology Change Agent category in May 2002 at the Palace of Versailles.

Kristine accepted the award as an individual who has been a key driver of the use of technology as a transformation tool. There were three categories in the award and the other two categories required an organisation to have 2001 revenues of $1 billion and above.

Mr. Murthy nominated Kristine for her "visionary technology transformation for social causes using the pioneering concept of the Lifeline radio." The Lifeline radio project was funded by the Freeplay Foundation and was developed for humanitarian use.

In an interview after the ceremony, Kristine said she was greatly honoured to receive recognition for the work on the Lifeline radio as it enabled her to address the importance of information for children who live on their own, without adults to guide or support them.

Infosys is the largest professionally owned software company in India. As its chairman and co-founder, Narayana N R Murthy was named among the "25 most influential global executives" for 2001 by Time/CNN. Infosys was also the first Indian firm to be listed on the NASDAQ.

The Wharton INSEAD Economic Forum was held the following day in Paris at the Palais des Congr? Speakers included Jorge Barga de Macedo of OECD; Charlotte B Beyer, CEO of the Institute for Private Investors; Gerard Keisterlee, Chairman & CEO of Philips; Count Maurice Lippens, Chairman of Fortis and Claude B?ar, Chariman of AXA. Kristine was also a speaker in the panel discussion "Business Transformation: The Problem, the Solution, the Journey."