According to organisers, this honour was issued by the Congress Awards and Appreciation Committee after an intensive nomination process, where over 1400 nominations had been collected globally and only seven persons were selected for this nomination.

Sharma was appreciated for Initiatives in Governance & Institutional Development, which have helped IIM Rohtak to strengthen its presence in the country and set itself in accordance with international standards globally. During this leadership, IIM Rohtak achieved worldwide accreditation from the Association of MBAs (AMBA) & Business Graduates Association (BGA). Another achievement was that IIM Rohtak shifted to its permanent campus in 2018, which was completed under Budget Estimates, i.e., at a reduced cost than anticipated by IIM Rohtak itself.

Academically, Sharma managed the formation of the Integrated Program in Management and the Integrated Program in Legal Studies, which marked the first of its kind in any of the IIMs programs, as it was a legal program. In 2023, Stanford University ranked him in the top 2% of the best researchers in the world.

During his speech, Sharma highlighted the importance of autonomy, especially when it is financial in nature. He also reiterated the importance of producing value-based people, rather than just infrastructure, because this is where success in institutions lies.