11th Edition · 2026Media Partner: The Economic Times

Largest Platform
to Recognize
Managerial Excellence

Benchmark your managers against 6 million+ datapoints. Get recognised nationally. Build the leadership pipeline your organisation deserves.

Register Your Organisation →
GMA 2025 award ceremony — Companies with Great Managers
📸 GMA 2025 Ceremony
800+Participating Companies
80,000+Nominated Managers
6M+Employee Datapoints
10 yrsYears of Benchmarking
800+Participating Companies
80,000+Nominated Managers
6M+Employee Datapoints
10 yrsYears of Benchmarking
800+Participating Companies
80,000+Nominated Managers
6M+Employee Datapoints
10 yrsYears of Benchmarking
The Economic TimesMedia Partner
People BusinessPresented by
T A Pai Management Institute
Institute Partner
HONODigital HR Partner
Why GMA

Measure. Benchmark. Recognise. Inspire.
It's not just an award or recognition, but India's most rigorous study of managerial excellence.

22-statement team-feedback survey from a manager's own direct reports
Independent CXO jury interview for shortlisted managers
Benchmarked nationally across industries
10 years of comparable data — 6 million+ datapoints
Personalised scorecard for every nominated manager
Judged by CXOs and business leaders, not just HR professionals
"
"GMA gave us a data-backed view of our managers - benchmarked against India's best. That credibility changes the boardroom conversation."
Harjeet Khanduja
Harjeet Khanduja
SVP HR, Reliance Jio · GMA 2024
GMA 2025 winners group — A Decade of Legacy 10th Edition
GMA 2025 · A Decade of Legacy
GMA 2025 keynote address — full conference hall
GMA 2025 · Keynote Address
CEO Lens panel — Building Organizations Through People
GMA 2025 · CEO Lens Panel
What you gain
GMA is different
for every
stakeholder
Scroll to experience each persona
For HR leaders
CHROs & HR Leaders
The gap between what managers think and what their teams say
For business leaders
CXOs & Business Leaders
The room your organisation should be in
For managers
Nominated Managers
The one number that tells you where you actually stand
1 of 3 · CHROs & HR Leaders
For CHROs & HR Leaders
18
point gap between self-assessment and what teams actually say

You cannot fix
what you
cannot see

Most organisations measure managers through self-assessments and manager reviews. GMA measures what their teams actually experience. The gap between the two is where your real talent decisions should begin. The best companies for employees in India already know this gap — and they used data to close it.

"GMA showed us a version of our managers we had never seen before — the version their teams live with every day. That data changed three promotion decisions."
Harjeet Khanduja
SVP HR, Reliance Jio · GMA 2024
For CXOs & Business Leaders
800+
organisations have already been in this room

National recognition
changes how
you are perceived

The organisations that win GMA are featured in The Economic Times. The ones that participate get data no internal process can produce. Either way, being here signals something about how seriously your organisation takes leadership. India's best employers use GMA to make that standard visible — to their boards, their candidates, and their own managers.

"It is genuinely hard to win. That is exactly what makes it meaningful to our board and to the managers themselves."
Amit Malik
CEO, Aviva India · GMA Jury Member
For Nominated Managers
Top 8%
nationally — what one manager discovered about themselves through GMA

Most managers
have never seen
this number

GMA is the only programme in India that tells you where you actually stand — not against your team's expectations or your manager's opinion, but against 80,000 managers assessed over 10 years. Win or not, every nominated manager receives this data.

"I walked away knowing exactly where I stood against India's best — something no internal review had ever told me. That number follows you."
Senior Manager
Large Indian Conglomerate · GMA 2024 Participant
What leaders say

Why Organisations trust the Great Manager Awards

BFSI Sector · Chief People Officer
"It's genuinely hard to win. That's exactly what makes it meaningful to our board."
Technology Company · MD & CEO
"Objective data on 40 managers in one cycle — now part of our annual leadership review."

Winning Organisations From Previous Editions Include

acer indiaallstate indiaamway indiaangel onebajaj auto logobandhan amcbirlasoftblackberrysblackbuckbrigade groupbritanniacairn vedantacelebi indiaclearexpleoferro alloys vedantafirstsourceflipkartfuture generaligenesyshaldia energyhikalhindustan zincindegeneinfosysacer indiaallstate indiaamway indiaangel onebajaj auto logobandhan amcbirlasoftblackberrysblackbuckbrigade groupbritanniacairn vedantacelebi indiaclearexpleoferro alloys vedantafirstsourceflipkartfuture generaligenesyshaldia energyhikalhindustan zincindegeneinfosys
jindal stainlessjindal stainless steelwayjindal steel powerjk fennerltlodhaltimindtreemaricomondelezpepe jeanspepsicopwcqx globalraymond realtyroi netsatin creditcaresmfg creditsmfg home financesterlite copper vedantattk prestigetvs creditvedanta groupvedanta powerxcube labsjindal stainlessjindal stainless steelwayjindal steel powerjk fennerltlodhaltimindtreemaricomondelezpepe jeanspepsicopwcqx globalraymond realtyroi netsatin creditcaresmfg creditsmfg home financesterlite copper vedantattk prestigetvs creditvedanta groupvedanta powerxcube labs
GMA Advisory Panel
GMA Advisory Panel
1000+ Distinguished Jury Members
The Jury

Judged by India's foremost business and HR leaders

Shortlisted managers are interviewed by members of GMA's advisory panel — senior CXOs and CHROs from India's most respected organisations. This is the step that makes GMA recognition credible beyond the HR function.

1000+
Jury Members
10
Editions
20+
Industries
View full advisory panel →
The assessment

What makes a Great Manager —
the R-OPTI™ Assessment Framework

Tap each dimension to explore
RDrives Results↓
R · Drives Results
Drives Results
Ensures desired outcomes are achieved for the organisation. A great manager delivers on commitments and helps their team prioritise what matters most.
Assessed via 22-statement team survey
OAligning Organisation Vision↓
O · Aligning Organisation Vision
Aligning Organisation Vision
Connects team goals to the broader organisational mission. A great manager ensures everyone understands and works toward the same strategic direction.
Assessed via 22-statement team survey
PEnhancing People Performance↓
P · Enhancing People Performance
Enhancing People Performance
Develops and elevates the capability of each team member. A great manager invests in growth and removes barriers to performance.
Assessed via 22-statement team survey
TBuilding Team Effectiveness↓
T · Building Team Effectiveness
Building Team Effectiveness
Creates a cohesive, high-performing team environment. A great manager fosters collaboration, trust, and shared accountability.
Assessed via 22-statement team survey
ISustaining Individual Credibility↓
I · Sustaining Individual Credibility
Sustaining Individual Credibility
Exceptional credibility that drives trust and influence across the organisation. Leads by example with integrity and consistency.
Assessed via 22-statement team survey
R
Drives Results
Ensures desired outcomes are achieved for the organisation. A great manager delivers on commitments and helps their team prioritise what matters most.
Assessed via 22-statement team survey
Scroll to explore ↓
How it works

From registration to recognition — GMA team guides you at every step

The GMA team manages the survey, communication templates, shortlisting, and jury coordination. Your main task is submitting manager details and communicating internally.

1
Registration
2
Data Submission
3
Communication
4
Survey Launch
5
Shortlisting
6
Jury Interview
7
Scorecards & Awards
Tap each step to explore
Sep 30, 2026
✓ GMA Handles
Sends onboarding kit within 48 hours of registration
👤 You do
Register your organisation and nominate managers
✓ GMA Handles
Provides data templates and submission portal access
👤 You do
Submit manager and employee data via the portal
✓ GMA Handles
Sends communication templates to share with your managers
👤 You do
Communicate the survey programme to your managers
✓ GMA Handles
Launches and manages the full team survey process
👤 You do
Encourage team participation in the survey
✓ GMA Handles
Analyses results and shortlists top managers
👤 You do
Await shortlisting results from the GMA team
✓ GMA Handles
Coordinates all jury interviews with shortlisted managers
👤 You do
Prepare shortlisted managers for the jury interview
December 2026
✓ GMA Handles
Delivers personalised scorecards and organises the December ceremony
👤 You do
Attend and celebrate at the Great Manager Awards December ceremony
1
Registration
Sep 30, 2026
GMA handles
Sends onboarding kit within 48 hours of registration
You do
Register your organisation and nominate managers
Scroll to explore ↓
In good company

Join India's most respected companies in championing great management

These are among the top companies in India that chose to be held accountable for how their managers actually lead.

View all 2025 winning companies and managers ↗
Participation
Scaled to your organisation
Participation fees are structured by employee strength. Every tier includes the full survey process, personalised scorecards, and ET media partner exposure on winning.
Option 1
The Great Manager Awards 2026
Organisation Size (Employees)CostMin. Managers
Less than 1,000₹1,20,00010*
1,001–2,000₹2,40,00020*
2,001–4,000₹3,60,00030*
>4,000₹4,80,00040*
*Additional Managers at ₹12,000 / Manager · Excl. GST
Deliverables
  1. Survey launch for reportees of all managers nominated
  2. Interviews with Great Managers
  3. Organisation analysis
  4. Manager Scorecards
  5. Best practices and Benchmarks
  6. Media promotion in case the organisation wins
Register Now
Option 2
Great Manager Academy
Ideal Cohort SizeCostGMA Participation
20–40 Managers₹35,000Included
Deliverables
  1. Survey launch for reportees of all managers nominated
  2. Manager Scorecards with best practices and benchmarks
  3. 5 curated virtual workshops / simulations of 2 hours each (conducted fortnightly)
  4. Application of learning at workplace (via Go-Do's)
  5. Great Manager Journal™
  6. Self and team reflection
A program to develop Great Managers
Register Now
Register now

Register your organisation for GMA 2026

800+ companies over 10 years
India's largest and longest-running managerial excellence study
Survey data is fully confidential
Individual responses are never shared with managers or organisations
Economic Times media partner
National visibility for winning organisations and managers
Value regardless of outcome
Every nominated manager receives a personalised scorecard and industry benchmarking

Register your interest

Registration deadline: October 7, 2026 · We'll be in touch within 24 hours

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These awards are open to organisations only. Minimum 10 managers. Individual managers cannot self-nominate.

Managers in a learning environment
Beyond the award

Develop your managers with
Great Manager Academy

Manager certification programmes built on the R-OPTI™ model. From first-time managers to senior leaders — we build the capability that GMA recognises.

50,000+
Managers trained
4.8/5
Feedback rating
50+
Training partners
Explore Great Manager Academy ↗
Great Manager
Academy
Questions answered

Frequently asked questions

Last Date to register for GMA: 7th October 2026Register Now →