The chief executive of Fortis, the Benelux-based financial services group, has scooped the business leader of the year award at the inaugural European Business Awards, after he was voted the individual to have "most significantly improved performance" for company stakeholders.

Jean-Paul Votron, the former Citigroup and ABN Amro banker who was appointed to the top job at Fortis in 2004, was picked by a panel of 11 judges drawn from a range of different organisations, including a corporate social responsibility lobby group, a business school, and a publishing company.