Firoza Rusi Driver emerged the All India winner at the 12th DHL-IASAP All-India Secretary and Administrative Professional of the Year contest held on August 21, 2010 at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel in Bombay. Jeroo Irani, all-India president of IASAP (Indian Association of Secretaries and Administrative Professionals) conveyed this information to Parsiana via e-mail.
Driver who works for Vodafone Essar Limited, had earlier been selected first runner up for the Bombay region on July 31, 2010. Another Parsi lady, Hira Mehta who is employed by the ICICI Bank Limited, stood first in the Bombay regional contest, as per information available on the Internet. Regional contests had been conducted at the chapter level in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Delhi, Poona, Bangalore and Hyderabad with winners and first runners up from each chapter competing in the main contest.
At the finals, which were sponsored by DHL Express (India) Private Limited with the Taj as co-sponsor, the winner received the DHL- IASAP trophy, hotel vouchers, Gulf Air ticket to Europe and several other gifts. To earn this position Driver had undergone a series of tests ranging from a well presented contest form, a written test, group discussion, personal interview, extempore speech and presentation of a case study.
Homai Mehta, Firoza Driver, Jeroo Irani (3rd, 4th and 5th from l) with organizers and winners; left: Bakhtawar Battiwalla
The next step was for Driver to represent India at the ASA (Administrative Professionals in Asia-Pacific) Award contest organized by the Association of Secretaries and Administrative Professionals in Asia-Pacific at Taipei in Taiwan from September 26-October 1, 2010. Irani was to lead a delegation of 96 secretaries from all over India to Taipei, the e-mail mentions. Driver is an alumnus of the Sir J. J. College of Commerce whose director Homai Mehta is president emeritus of IASAP.
Bakhtawar Rumi Battiwalla won the first prize at the IASAP contest for the Poona region held in that city on August 7, 2010, receiving a trophy, crown and a host of prizes, Irani notes in another e-mail. Born and brought up in Bombay, Battiwalla moved to Jamshedpur after marriage. She worked with Sacred Heart School and Little Flower School during her five-year stay in the Steel City. Eventually the family moved to Poona to live with her in-laws and Battiwalla joined Thermax Limited in 1996 where she is deputy executive in the administration department. Her husband succumbed to cancer in 2001. Her son Khushru is a science student at the Dr D. Y. Patil College in Poona, the e-mail notes.