The trio from biotech firm MiRXES have been named this year’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) 2021 Singapore by professional services organization, EY.
They are Dr Zhou Lihan, co-founder and CEO; Dr Zou Ruiyang, co-founder and CTO; and Isaac Ho, chief investment officer. This is the first time EY Singapore has given the top award to three individuals from the same company.
MiRXES develops testing for cancer and other medical issues but has during this time of the pandemic, created products to help deal with the virus.
“We are very honoured to have won this award,” say the trio. “The past 22 months have been an intense ride for MiRXES where we came together as one team and managed to leverage our expertise effectively to contribute COVID-19 tests to Singapore and globally.”
“We are glad that the team’s agility and mindset of doing good has been recognized. Innovation is key to developing and expanding MiRXES’ business – we are continually solving clinical unmet needs in diseases,” they add.
They received their award at an evening event on Nov 22 from Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for National Development.
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Zhou, Zou and Ho, who have already been named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Biotechnology earlier, will go on to represent Singapore at the coming EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year (WEOY) to be held in June 2022.
They will compete with contenders from over 60 other countries for the coveted world title.
“MiRXES tells a powerful story of how the combination of science and entrepreneurship can significantly impact human lives as well as support socio-economic goals,” says chairperson of the judging panel, Wong Ngit Liong.
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“Having created the world’s first molecular blood test for early gastric cancer detection, Lihan, Ruiyang and Isaac found themselves in a unique position to tap on their existing technologies and pivot swiftly to develop and mass-produce Covid-19 test kits that were instrumental to Singapore’s fight against the pandemic,” says Wong, who is also executive chairman of Venture Corporation and himself a previous winner.
“They have demonstrated a strong sense of purpose, innovation and agility at staying true to their corporate mission of saving lives, and have worked relentlessly to amplify the Singapore brand abroad,” adds Wong.
Besides the team from MiRXES, there are four other category winners this year.
They are:
Aaron Tan, Founder and CEO, Carro, named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Digital Automotive Solutions;
Alex Chua, CEO, Goldbell Financial Services, named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Financial Services;
Jackson Aw, Founder and CEO, Mighty Jaxx, named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Collectibles and Lifestyle Products
Walter de Oude, Founder and Deputy Chairman, Singlife, named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Digital Insurance Solutions.
This is the 20th anniversary of the awards, which made its debut here in Singapore in 2002. Since then, close to 100 entrepreneurs in Singapore have been honoured for their exceptional achievements.
“These winning entrepreneurs come from very diverse backgrounds and industries, and increasingly, we are seeing younger winners and businesses that are technologically driven or digital natives,” says Max Loh, Singapore and Brunei Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP, reflecting on the past and present winners.
“Yet, they embody several common qualities that make them unstoppable – unwavering conviction, innovation and agility – which enable them to forge ahead and seize opportunities in adversity,” he adds.
“For entrepreneurship to continue thriving in Singapore, we need to imbibe these qualities into future generations and create a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem that capitalizes on the upsides of digitalization, sustainability and globalization,” says Loh.
In addition, EY has given out two special awards.
One of which is the EY Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence award given to Djoko Susanto, founder of PT Sumber Alfaria Trijaya Tbk, who started from a modest grocery stall in Indonesia to a chain of more than 16,000 stores hiring more than 130,000 people.
EY also presented the EY Family Business Award of Excellence to Goldbell Group.
The award recipient is jointly selected by knowledge partners, Business Families Institute @ Singapore Management University and the Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise, INSEAD.
Photo:
From left: Dr Zhou Lihan, co-founder and CEO, MiRXES (EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Biotechnology); Max Loh, Singapore and Brunei managing partner, Ernst & Young LLP; Aaron Tan, founder and CEO, Carro (EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Digital Automotive Solutions); Alex Chua, CEO, Goldbell Financial Services (EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Financial Services); Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for National Development; Arthur Chua, CEO, Goldbell Group; Pol de Win, senior managing director, head of global sales and origination at SGX; Walter de Oude, founder and deputy chairman, Singlife (EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Digital Insurance Solutions); Jackson Aw, founder and CEO, Mighty Jaxx (EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Collectibles and Lifestyle Products).
