Outstanding winners honoured at the 11th Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2019

The 11th chapter of the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards (APEA) 2019 Singapore was successfully concluded at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel on 12 July 2019.

Organized by Enterprise Asia, the leading non-governmental organization for entrepreneurship in Asia, APEA is a regional awards program which aims to recognize Asia’s outstanding entrepreneurs and enterprises for demonstrating sustainable growth, responsible leadership and operational excellence.

With the theme of ‘Promoting Inclusive Economic Development Through Sustainable Entrepreneurship’, over 300 attendees were present at the by-invitation only event, comprising of industry leaders and dignitaries including Dr. Eugene Chien, Ambassador-at-Large of Republic of China, Taiwan and Advisor to Enterprise Asia; Mr. Muhammad Radzi Jamaluddin, Deputy High Commissioner of Malaysia; Mr. Teng Theng Dar, Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Oman & former CEO of Singapore Business Federation; Mr. Farid Khan, President of Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI); Mr. Ahmad Tajudin Omar, Director of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) Singapore, and Dato' William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia. The event was also supported by SMCCI; PRNewswire as the news release distribution partner; and Singapore Business Review and SME Magazine as Official Media Partners

As one of the largest business awards of its kind, APEA has a membership base of 2000 winners, with a total net worth of over USD 50 billion. The Awards ceremony is currently held in 14 countries and markets, including BIMP-EAGA, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. This year, the committee received 60 by-invitation only nominations in Singapore across 24 industry categories.

Mr. Ng shared, “This year marks the 11th year of running the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards in Singapore, and we are gratified by the continued interest in the program. We believe this is a reflection of the ongoing success of entrepreneurs and enterprises, as well as our steadfast commitment to upholding the highest standards of our global criteria.”

He further commented, “The panel of judges were impressed by the quality of submissions this year and had the challenging task of determining this year’s top nominees. The Awards were given solely on merit and aimed to commend those most deserving for their ingenuity, passion, and commitment to excellence, distinguishing them from their competitors and proving them worthy of recognition.”

Leading the list of winners was Mr. Michael Kum, Executive Chairman of M & L Hospitality, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Award is only dedicated to one recipient per country, and winners are entrepreneurs who have demonstrated extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit, and contributed to the society for a sustained period of time. Their contribution deserves to be honoured and remembered by generations to come. Another prominent winner was Mr. Kenneth Goi, Group COO and Executive Director of GSH Corporation Limited, who was accorded the Entrepreneur of the Year title.

Other notable winners of the APEA include Wendy Ho, CEO of Mary Chia Holdings who was bestowed the award under outstanding category; and Connect Group, TEE International, and SLB Development who received the award under corporate excellence category).

According to Mr. Ng, “We are proud to be the oldest business awards program in Asia and have been privileged to shine the spotlight on some of Singapore’s exceptional game changers of tomorrow, whose entrepreneurial spirit in growing successful businesses have made a positive and enduring impact on their community and country. Beyond recognising the efforts of these extraordinary entrepreneurs and management teams behind responsible and dynamic businesses, we hope to encourage them to continue taking their businesses to the next level, and in the process, encourage even greater entrepreneurial activity. This is aligned to Enterprise Asia's purpose, Democratizing Entrepreneurship, Institutionalizing Sustainability and Empowering Innovation.”