Professional services firm EY has kick started this year’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) awards – the 20th anniversary of this annual recognition of Singapore entrepreneurs. From now till May 15, invitations are open for nominations for this year’s winners.
Max Loh, managing partner for Singapore and Brunei, Ernst & Young LLP says that to date, the program has awarded more than 80 winners for their exceptional achievements in their respective fields and inducted them into the EOY Singapore Academy.
These different winners share some common traits: they are driven by passion, purpose and at times, the need to survive.
“However, to build a fast-growing enterprise into an enduring business that can withstand the winds of change and shocks like the current pandemic takes strategic vision, agility, grit and perseverance. Tough times can produce the best innovations and bring out the best in our talents,” says Loh.
“The awards seeks to celebrate the achievements and impact of our leading local entrepreneurs, and in turn, inspire future generations to explore the entrepreneurial path to success,” he adds.
The most recent winner was Ian Ang, co-founder and CEO of Secretlab, which sells a range of popular gaming chairs. Come June 2021, Ang will be Singapore’s representative at the world award to compete with close to 60 other countries.
“Capitalism and competition work together to ensure that the best and most innovative product and service offerings win, and the world benefits from these best-in-class products and services,” says Ang.
“Now that economies are working to recover from the pandemic, we will be adapting to a new world, and with that naturally comes a whole suite of opportunities to improve peoples' lives, both internally within the company and externally for customers,” he adds.
In addition to the Entrepreneur Of The Year award, EY will again give out the EY Family Business Award of Excellence this year. The award recipient will be selected based on the family business’ ability to successfully balance business and family issues, grow the business and show responsibility for others through philanthropic or social engagements.
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The winner of this award is selected by the knowledge partners, Business Families Institute @ Singapore Management University (BFI @ SMU) and The Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise, INSEAD, will select the winner.
The Singapore Exchange will continue as partner of the EOY awards for the second year.
“SGX will work hand-in-hand with entrepreneurs to support their growth, connecting them to the deep network of global investors and financial market participants that we have cultivated over the years,” says Chew Sutat, SGX’s senior managing director, global sales and origination.
The supporters of the award are Action Community for Entrepreneurship; Enterprise Singapore; Singapore Business Federation; and SkillsFuture Singapore. The three media partners are The Edge Singapore; The Business Times and Portfolio magazine.
The public and business community are encouraged to nominate outstanding entrepreneurs for the award at https://eoy.ey.com/home.
