MUMBAI: The global search for the brightest and best young international music entrepreneur ended with OML founder Vijay Nair being named the International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year 2009.

Vijay learned of his success at the UK music industry event Great Escape where he was presented with the prestigious award by Martin Elbourne, founder of Great Escape and Womad on 14 May 2009. He was awarded a financial prize of ?5000 to be spent on a collaborative project with the UK's international cultural relations body, the British Council.

Celebrating its fourth year running, the International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year (IYME) programme has seen nine outstanding young people from Brazil, China, Cuba, India, Kenya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nigeria and Poland come to the UK to celebrate their creativity and enterprise for new music in their own country and to network with people from the UK industry.

The British Council's Creative Economy Expert, Andrew Senior, said: The judges were very impressed by the calibre of the finalists this year which made the decision particularly difficult. Vijay is a true polymath of the music industry and is committed to opening up the market in India to more diverse musical genres.

The finalists who battled it out for this year's title of International Entrepreneur of the Year were Fabricio De Almeida Nobre, Owner, Monstro Records e Fitas Magn?©ticas do Brasil Ltda and President, ABRAFIN, Brazil; Meng Jinhui, Label Manager, Modern Sky, China; Adri??n Monz??n, Owner of Matraka and Co-Manager and Arts Director for the Rotilla Festival, Cuba; Kevin Ombajo, Director, Trueblaq Group, Kenya; Jonas Ciurlionis, Event Organiser, Baltic Prog Fest; Musician and Manager, The Skys, Lithuania; Lau Hoe Yin (aka DJ Blink), DJ, Electronic Music Producer and Designer, Blinkville, Malaysia; Cobhams Asuquo, Head of Productions, CAMP (Cobhams Asuquo Music Production), Nigeira and Radek Miszczak, PR and Marketing Manager/ Owner, Joytown Agency, Poland.

The nine finalists took part in a UK tour of the London, Manchester and Brighton music industries, meeting key people from the UK business, making contacts, promoting music from their own country, and of course, taking in live music.

Kevin Ombajo from Kenya was given a special commendation for social change and Cobhams Asuquo from Nigeria was also commended.

The winner of the UK Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Alex Lavery, was announced at the joint awards ceremony. The judges for this year's International award were Chair of Judges- Doug D'Arcy owner Songline, Chairman of the Music Export Board and a member of the Creative Industries Strategy Board; Martin Elbourne, booker Glastonbury Festival, Lovebox, Jersey Live and Guilfest; Paul Fegan, Co-Director of Better Days; John Worne, Director of Strategy and External Relations for the British Council; Joel Mills Senior Music Consultant, British Council.