MUMBAI, May 14: The Indian Express India Young Business Achiever Award winner K Raghavendra Rao won a gold commendation at St John's New Foundland, Canada, where the finals of the Worldcom World Business Young Achiever 1996 was held on May 11, 1997.

Rao, managing director of Chennai-based export-oriented pharma company Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd, won the admiration of judges who said that they were highly impressed with the way in which Rao tackled the export market from his Indian base. They added that he came close to winning the Entreprenurial Award.

The Worldcom World Young Business Achiever Award 1996 was jointly shared by Yuan Baojing of China and Tom Hunter of Scotland. The final winners were, the judges said, ``both totally brilliant, there was no way we could separate them''.

Rao, who participated in the finals, congratulated both the winners and added ``I anticipated that the coveted world award would go to these young business achievers''.Yuan Baojing, joint winner of World Young Business Achiever Award 1996 was born in a poor worker's family in Shenyang city of North-East China. He graduated from the Chinese University of Politics and Law. He joined a national bank in 1991 and launched his business career in finance and hi-tech products with a meagre sum of $ 1000.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.