Six leading entrepreneurs named winners of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2022 Singapore awards

• Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence award for Keeree Kanjanapas of BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited
• Honorary family business award for Agrocorp International Pte. Ltd.

Professional services organization EY today announced the six recipients of its 21st EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) 2022 Singapore awards:

• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Health Care Services
• Mr. Lim Wai Mun, Founder and CEO, Doctor Anywhere

• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Financial Technology
  Mr. Akshay Garg, Co-founder and Group CEO, FinAccel Pte. Ltd

• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Advanced Manufacturing
  Mr. Julian Ng, CEO and Executive Director, Grand Venture Technology Limited

• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Biotechnology
  Mr. Kane Black, Chief Executive, INEX Innovate

• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Food and Beverage Solutions
  Mr. Jonathan Lim, CEO, Oddle

• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Environmental Solutions
  Ms. Melissa Tan, CEO, Wah & Hua Pte Ltd

Please refer to Fact sheet A for profiles of the winners and their companies.

One of the winners will be named the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 Singapore, and represent Singapore at the annual EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ (WEOY) award in 2023 to compete with contenders from over 60 jurisdictions.Singapore’s representative to the WEOY award will be announced at the EY EOY Awards Gala to be held on 29 November 2022. Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr. Gan Kim Yong, will be the Guest-of-honor at the awards gala

The winners were selected from close to 140 nominations by an independent judging panel, based on their merits in fulfilling the four globally benchmarked criteria, namely entrepreneurial spirit, growth, purpose and impact.  

Please refer to Fact sheet B for members of the judging panel and details of the judging criteria.

Chairperson of the judging panel, Mr. Lam Yi Young, also CEO of Singapore Business Federation, comments on the winners this year:

“Despite coming from different backgrounds and fields, the winners are all driven by a distinctive sense of purpose and passion. They seek to create a better world for the communities they serve or live in and went on to build compelling businesses that have redefined and uplifted their respective industries. They have also shown strong business acumen and clear strategic vision, through capitalizing successfully on emerging opportunities catalyzed by digitalization and new market demands, as well as continuing to expand their presence locally and regionally.”

Mr. Liew Nam Soon, EY Asean Regional Managing Partner and Singapore and Brunei Managing Partner, Ernst & Young Solutions LLP, explains how the winning entrepreneurs embody this year’s theme of “The Unstoppables”.

He says:

“Building a purpose-driven business takes grit, resilience and agility to not only navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship and unpredictability of economic conditions, but also rally stakeholders around an unwavering vision and belief. Many of the winning entrepreneurs this year – with their disruptive and innovative business models and use of technology – create new customer experiences and revenue streams. Whether they were inspired by their life and career experiences or frustrations with current market and service gaps, the winning entrepreneurs have been bold to seize opportunities, challenge status quo and innovate for change, demonstrating compelling growth journeys and ambitions that make them unstoppable.”

The winning entrepreneurs share their thoughts on winning the award and building a business with purpose in Fact sheet A.

Two other honorary awards conferred for Asean entrepreneurial excellence and family business excellence

Mr. Keeree Kanjanapas, Chairman of BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited in Thailand, is named the winner of this year’s EY Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence award. The award is an honorary award that is presented on board the EOY platform (the award recipient does not compete for the EOY Singapore 2022 title) and recognizes successful Southeast Asian businesses that contribute to the economy and community in the region.

Please refer to Fact sheet C for winner profile. 

Mr. Liew says:

"Mr. Kanjanapas is a true visionary who has transformed his company completely and continues to inspire with his astute business acumen and foresight. The BTS Group, which had its beginnings in real estate, is now a multisector conglomerate with businesses in mass transit, media and marketing solutions as well as business matching platforms. Combined, the services by BTS are serving the local communities and businesses and bettering the lives of people in Thailand in more ways than imagined. Its focus on sustainability, as seen in how the BTS Group is the first and only rail transportation company to be carbon neutral certified in Thailand, is also highly respectable.”

In another honorary award, Agrocorp International Pte. Ltd. is named recipient of the EY Family Business Award of Excellence. The award recipient is jointly selected by knowledge partners, Business Families Institute @ Singapore Management University and the INSEAD Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise.

Mr. Liew says:

“Established in Singapore in 1990, Agrocorp is a second-generation family business that has successfully transitioned from a wholesaler to a leading integrated agricultural commodity and food solutions provider. Importantly, it continues to demonstrate a sustainable and long term-oriented strategy based on its core beliefs of integrity, relationships, reliability and traceability, underpinned by investments in technology. As a family enterprise where sustainability is fundamental to their business, Agrocorp’s impact extends beyond the food solutions and products they offer, but also to the value chains, sectors and communities that they interact with through their business.”

Please refer to Fact sheet D for winner profile, eligibility and selection criteria.

Partners and supporters of the awards .

The Singapore Exchange (SGX Group) is a partner of the EOY awards. Pol de Win, Senior Managing Director and Head of Global Sales and Origination, SGX Group, says: “We have seen macro events presenting unprecedented challenges to businesses and societies in recent years. While entrepreneurship plays an important role in spinning the wheels of the economy, its significance goes beyond the business world. Through their visions and creativity, entrepreneurs help foster innovation, create new opportunities, and promote social changes. So, congratulations to this year’s winners for inspiring us with their dare-to-try spirit and SGX Group looks forward to supporting our entrepreneurs as they continue to catalyze change in our communities and drive economic transformation.”

The official media partners of the awards are The Business Times, The Edge Singapore and Portfolio magazine. The supporters are Action Community for Entrepreneurship; Enterprise Singapore; Singapore Business Federation; and SkillsFuture Singapore.

The EY EOY awards program was launched in Singapore in 2002 to honor entrepreneurs who have created and sustained successful business ventures, as well as to coincide with the government’s focus on fostering entrepreneurship and grooming local entrepreneurs. Now in its 21st year, the awards has evolved into a leading business award in Singapore with an international presence and footprint. For more information about the EY EOY program, please visit ey.com/sg/eoy.

-ends-

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young Solutions LLP, a member of the global EY organization.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries. ey.com/eoy.

Fact sheet A: EY Entrepreneur Of The Year winner and company profiles
(Information provided by winners’ companies)

a) EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Health Care Services
     Mr. Lim Wai Mun
     Founder and CEO
     Doctor Anywhere

Quote on receiving the category award

“I’m honored to be named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year - Health Care Services. Even with rapid globalization and societal development, access to affordable, quality health care remains a trying reality for many across Southeast Asia. Hearing stories from our users about how Doctor Anywhere has brought health care to them in a simple, accessible and efficient manner is an inspiration to continue bettering health care for all.”    

Quote on building a business with purpose 

“The ideal state of health care is where there will not be barriers to accessing care. It is with this goal that Doctor Anywhere was established to make borderless and inclusive health care simple, accessible and efficient for everyone.

“Core to our business is leveraging technology and innovation to advance a more personalized, borderless and holistic approach to health care. This means seizing opportunities to bridge gaps within the existing health care system and deliver care more easily and affordably, and with easier means for all. 

“With rapid regional expansion, our focus has been on hiring passionate, skilled local talent who can help to fuel the company’s growth and innovation through their diverse perspectives. We have made it a point to hire local teams in our respective markets, who have a deep understanding of the local landscape and can transform the evolution of health care in their countries.” 

About Mr. Lim Wai Mun

Mr. Lim Wai Mun is the founder and CEO of Doctor Anywhere, a regional technology-enabled health care company that provides telemedicine and a holistic range of health offerings.

While distributing lunchboxes to the elderly living in older housing estates in 2016, he saw how the seniors lacked access to basic health care due to their inability to leave their homes.

Moved by this experience, he founded Doctor Anywhere in 2017 with a vision to provide simple, accessible, and efficient health care for everyone. His experience in private equity and nearly a decade in Temasek Holdings, where he helped conceptualize and establish Singapore-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Pavilion Energy, enabled him to propel Doctor Anywhere’s growth from a young telehealth startup to a regional health player with 2.5 million users across six countries today.

Mr. Lim continues to be active in the local startup community, guiding budding entrepreneurs and setting his sights on transforming Southeast Asia’s health care future.

Mr. Lim is 40 years old.

About Doctor Anywhere

Doctor Anywhere is a regional technology-enabled, omnichannel health care company, on a mission to make borderless and inclusive health care simple, accessible, and efficient for everyone. 

Headquartered in Singapore, it is the only regional telemedicine platform with localized operations across six countries in Southeast Asia, serving 2.5 million users through a strong network of established health care providers and experienced doctors.

Doctor Anywhere's mobile app enables users to holistically manage their health easily and effectively. In addition to online consultations, Doctor Anywhere’s omnichannel approach sees it operate a network of physical clinics and pharmacies, home-based health screenings and vaccinations, and an in-app marketplace for health and wellness products and services.

doctoranywhere.com

b) EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Financial Technology
     Mr. Akshay Garg
    Co-founder and Group CEO
    FinAccel Pte. Ltd.

Quote on receiving the category award

“I am deeply humbled and grateful for the recognition. This award isn’t for me, but it’s a recognition of my immensely talented and motivated team at Kredivo and other group companies that has worked tirelessly to pioneer a new industry (digital data-based credit scoring) and a new business model (Buy-Now-Pay-Later) in this region, and accelerate the delivery of credit to underserved and underbanked populations firstly in Indonesia and now in Southeast Asia.”

Quote on building a business with purpose

“Since incorporation in 2016, FinAccel has been working towards realizing the vision to provide mobile-first financial services that are fast, affordable and widely accessible, wrapped into a package that delivers an amazing customer experience. Through Kredivo, we deliver tremendous value to customers and merchant partners by providing instant credit access and bringing millions into the fold of unsecured credit for the first time in their lives.

“The company is doing good – just through its daily operations. Over the next few years, the organization’s goal is to be a deeply admired financial services company that impacts and enhances the lives of tens of millions in the region. The company recently announced its commitment to the EDISON Alliance's 1 Billion Lives Challenge, pledging to provide access to digital financial services to up to 20 million people in Indonesia, as well as Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines over the next five years. Through the 1 Billion Lives Challenge, Kredivo is helping to accelerate the delivery of digital and financial services for underserved and underbanked populations, particularly those in Southeast Asia, where nearly two-thirds of the population is either underbanked or completely unbanked.”

About Mr. Akshay Garg

Mr. Akshay Garg is Co-founder, Chairman and Group CEO of FinAccel, a financial technology company in Southeast Asia with a mission to build fast, affordable and accessible financial products for underbanked customers in the region. FinAccel’s flagship product Kredivo is the leading digital credit platform in Indonesia, enabling customers to take personal loans and buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) from leading e-commerce merchants at bank-like interest rates with the simplicity of a few clicks. FinAccel is backed by some of the leading investors in the region such as Victory Park Capital, Naver Corp, Mirae Asset, Square Peg, Jungle Ventures, Telkomsel and Singtel, among others.

Prior to founding FinAccel, Akshay co-founded Komli Media, an advertising technology company that pioneered real time bidding and audience profiling in Asia. Komli Media was the parent company of PubMatic (NASDAQ: PUBM); other parts of its IP were acquired by Axiata (KLSE: AXIATA) and Affle (NSE: AFFLE).

Mr. Garg is 44 years old.

About FinAccel Pte. Ltd.

FinAccel is a financial technology company focused on making financial services fast, affordable and accessible for the underbanked population in Southeast Asia. FinAccel’s products and entities include Kredivo, the leading Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) platform in Indonesia and Vietnam; KrediFazz, the leading personal loan platform in Indonesia; as well as the recently acquired Bank Bisnis Indonesia. FinAccel is backed by leading venture capital firms and corporate investors such as Victory Park Capital Advisors, LLC, Mirae Asset, Naver, Square Peg, Jungle Ventures, Telkom Indonesia, Singtel and GMO, among others.  

finaccel.co

c) EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Advanced Manufacturing
    Mr. Julian Ng
    CEO and Executive Director
    Grand Venture Technology Limited

Quote on receiving the category award

“The honor of receiving this award is not just mine. It also recognizes the guidance of my mentor Mr. Ricky Lee, and the support of my entire team. The many small steps that we had taken together over the years have brought us to where we are today. We are still far from our end goals and EY has refueled us with the inspiration to continue our journey. I am humbled and grateful.”

Quote on building a business with purpose

“More than financial performance, a sustainable business does not grow at the community’s expense but adds to it. Good values imbued in a company should outlive the entrepreneur and be passed down through the generations.

“I believe in inculcating familial values in my team members, whom I see as persons to be mentored rather than mere subordinates. As such, even though I have a vision to make Grand Venture Technology (GVT) a center of employment of high-tech skillsets, our workforce today includes a good proportion of individuals with special needs, older retrenched workers and young adults who need a second chance. Many of these are hired without the relevant experience and are occupying positions specially created for them.

“I also try to demonstrate resilience and courage in the worst of times by choosing, for example, to ensure my team continues to be paid in a timely manner even when cash flow was extremely tight.”

About Mr. Julian Ng

Mr. Julian Ng is a visionary on a mission to build Grand Venture Technology (GVT) into a global name in precision engineering and advanced manufacturing. Living by the philosophy that “the entrepreneurship journey is more meaningful when the travel companions are good”, Mr. Ng believes that an understanding family, capable and loyal employees, and appreciative customers form the bedrock of a successful business. He thus describes his role at GVT as being on a journey of relationship building, mentorship and personal growth. 

Mr. Ng’s entrepreneurial spirit is demonstrated by his ability to drive exponential revenue growth and penetrate new customer sectors. Starting his career as a top sales engineer with Norelco Centreline, he subsequently moved on to co-found two companies and nurtured them into compelling investment targets. The first company, Achieve Manufacturing Solutions, has since evolved into Frencken Group; and the second, GVT, was recently recognized as one of Forbes Asia’s 200 Best Under A Billion.

Mr. Ng is 50 years old.

About Grand Venture Technology Limited

Grand Venture Technology (GVT) is a fast-growing and trusted solutions and services provider for the manufacture of complex precision machining, sheet metal components and mechatronics modules. Its cutting-edge facilities in Singapore, Malaysia and China are backed by the latest automated manufacturing technologies, Class 10,000 cleanroom facilities and a certified quality management system. The group’s highly experienced and dedicated team of engineering talent serves a strong global network of established partners and suppliers with a wide range of engineering, assembly, testing and product life cycle management solutions. GVT’s portfolio of customers hail from the semiconductor, electronics, analytical life sciences, medical, aerospace, and industrial automation industries, and represent some of the largest original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in their respective markets. The group was recently listed in Forbes Asia’s 2022 edition of the 200 Best Under A Billion for its sterling growth and performance over the years. GVT is listed on the Singapore Exchange.

gvt.com.sg

d) EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Biotechnology
    Mr. Kane Black
    Chief Executive
    INEX Innovate

Quote on receiving the category award

“To be named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year - Biotechnology, the world’s pre-eminent recognition of entrepreneurs, is a huge testament to the highly talented, dedicated and passionate team that forms the backbone of everything we do at INEX Innovate. It is a fantastic honor to be included among other passionate and inspiring entrepreneurs in this year’s awards, and the outstanding entrepreneurs who came before us. Thank you!”

Quote on building a business with purpose

“Our vision is to democratize medical diagnostics for women across Asia and around the world. Bringing them improved early detection that is more accessible, particularly giving women and mothers greater certainty and confidence in their health through early detection, will help to improve their chances of medical success. At INEX Innovate (INEX), we see every patient who interacts with our products as a singular being who deserves individual care and attention. Customer satisfaction is at the core of our vision and heart of our operations.

“Additionally, as a medical innovator, INEX is deeply involved in academia and research. We not only support the local ecosystem through supporting research, licensing and commercializing the technologies that are developed in Singapore’s centers of scientific excellence but also provide the scientific and medical community access to our technologies, intellectual property and know-how to innovate and create new products.

About Mr. Kane Black

Mr. Kane Black is a seasoned entrepreneur with an extensive and diverse international career in leadership roles across the technology, biotechnology, medical device and health care investment sectors.

Mr. Black began his career with Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed technology company, Adtec Corporation K.K. (now known as AKIBA Holdings), serving as Director and Head of Operations for Europe. There, he demonstrated a proven track record of growth and was also instrumental in the company’s buyout by Japanese technology company, Shinden Hightex Corporation.

In 2009, Mr. Black joined a Hong Kong-based private family office as Asia Director and steered its investment portfolio. He then co-founded Nova Satra Health in 2012 with a view to develop, collaborate and commercialize cutting-edge therapies across the medical technology spectrum. This led to the establishment of Singapore-based molecular diagnostic developer Nova Satra Dx in 2014. In August 2019, Nova Satra Health merged with INEX Innovations Exchange in a US$72m deal to create INEX Innovate.

Mr. Black is a council member of National University of Singapore’s Medicine International Council since 2020.

Mr. Black is 42 years old.

About INEX Innovate

INEX Innovate (INEX) is one of Asia’s fastest growing medical technology developers and medical laboratory operators. Spun off from the National University of Singapore (NUS), INEX is Asia’s first women’s health technology group. Founded by maternal-fetal medicine specialists, INEX focuses on developing and commercializing molecular diagnostic technologies in the areas of fetal health and women’s oncology.

INEX has a broad commercial portfolio of validated tests in prenatal health, ovarian and breast cancers along with more than 48 key patents. Through its wholly owned subsidiary iGene Laboratory, INEX operates a College of American Pathologist accredited Next-Generation Sequencing laboratory that provides diagnostic testing, contract research and COVID-19 testing services.

The company has been recognized globally with several accolades including The Straits Times’ Singapore’s fastest-growing companies and the Financial Times’ high-growth companies Asia-Pacific 2022 and other awards from Frost & Sullivan and the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

inex.sg

e)   EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Food and Beverage Solutions
      Mr. Jonathan Lim
      CEO
      Oddle

Quote on receiving the category award

“I am humbled to receive this recognition, and all of this would not be possible without the dedication of our team, support of our partners, and the trust that our restaurant partners have in us.

“The industry has seen tough times the past two years and as a company that always puts restaurants first, we will continue to strive to help our partners survive and thrive in challenging conditions.”

Quote on building a business with purpose

“By combining empathy and technology, we democratize restaurant technology by making it cheaper and more accessible for restaurants through our full suite of omnichannel technology.

“With a mission to empower restaurants to take charge of their own future, our omnichannel platform helps restaurants deliver first-class experiences and engagements to our customers. This is by giving customers access to valuable customer data and insights, so they can be smarter and faster in driving their business sustainably and consistently into the future.

“We give them the ability to go online at the cheapest rate. As a result, whatever margins that can be saved for the restaurants can then be reinvested into the growth of the business.”

About Mr. Jonathan Lim

Mr. Jonathan Lim founded Oddle with the aim to redefine the food and beverage (F&B) industry and the platform has since partnered with some of the region’s most iconic and visible restaurants.

In 2014, Oddle was built based on Mr. Lim’s experiences in the F&B and technology sectors amassed over the last 13 years. After opening his specialty grill restaurant, The Lawn, in 2011, he spotted distinct problem areas faced by the F&B industry and set out to solve them with the creation of Oddle. Combining empathy with technology, Oddle fills the gap in the market by providing accessible and affordable performance-driven solutions that help restaurants improve and optimize their operations through smart data and meaningful engagement.

As CEO and co-founder, Mr. Lim drives the business's planning, development and overall direction with his co-founders. To date, Oddle has nearly 5,000 F&B restaurants onboard its platform across Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, including 1,500 restaurants locally.

Mr. Lim is 37 years old.

About Oddle

Oddle is Singapore’s leading omnichannel food and beverage (F&B) technology platform that has been disrupting and redefining the F&B industry in the region.

With a mission to empower restaurants with tools to take charge of their own future, Oddle’s omnichannel platform helps restaurants deliver first-class experiences and engagements to their customers. This works by giving the restaurants and merchants access to valuable consumer data and insights, so they can be smarter and faster in driving their business sustainably and consistently into the future. Unified, all of Oddle’s products and services give merchants the important power to predict sales, for a more secure future.

Oddle provides a full technological suite of solutions that comprises e-shop, reservation system and reservation platforms, QR ordering system and payment terminal solution. Completing the ecosystem are brand enhancement services such as managed marketing services and Oddle Eats, a food discovery platform used by millions of hungry consumers in Asia.

oddle.me

f)  EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Environmental Solutions
     Ms. Melissa Tan
      CEO
      Wah & Hua Pte Ltd

Quote on receiving the category award

“The environmental industry is not everyone’s choice sector, yet the environment should be everybody’s priority! Sustainability is not limited to the environmental sector but for all businesses. So, it needs to be addressed urgently. From the use of recyclable materials to retrofitting systems and processes, these will impact and contribute to climate actions and help us move toward a circular economy. We will then be able to create a sustainable lifestyle in the community and preserve resources for our future generations.”

Quote on building a business with purpose

“Being a volunteer for the past 19 years, I believe in creating a social impact on every walk of life. We bring this mindset to the workplace as well, and built a cohesive working environment, resulting in high employee retention. For the community, we often organize programs to highlight the importance of sustainability and raise the image of the environmental services sector.”

About Ms. Melissa Tan

Ms. Melissa Tan leads Wah & Hua (WH) as CEO, spearheading and implementing its business development initiatives. She transformed the business from a traditional family-run small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) to a corporatized medium enterprise. During this, she faced scrutiny from the industry, but continued to seek out opportunities to expand the company’s footprint for the survival of the family business and its employees. One of the milestones that she led WH to achieve was to secure deals with foreign companies to provide a comprehensive solution to diversify and grow exponentially.

She has also assumed the role of Chairman of the Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore since 2013. In this position, she champions the association’s efforts to enhance the professionalism and technological capabilities of the waste management industry in Singapore, with an aim to impact the society’s view of sustainability.

Ms. Tan is 44 years old.

About Wah & Hua Pte Ltd

Wah & Hua (WH) is a multimaterial recycling and waste management company that provides services for the collection of recyclables from small businesses to large corporations.

WH is one of the market leaders for industrial and commercial waste management, serving many industrial and commercial premises. We provide efficient and innovative technologies and solutions to customers to better manage their waste and recyclable materials.

In 2019, WH formed a joint venture with ALBA Group Asia to incorporate ALBA W&H Smart City Pte Ltd, and was awarded public waste collection for Jurong, Woodlands and Yishun sector.

WH is moving toward upcycling and clean energy by end of 2022.

wahhua.com

Fact sheet B: EY Entrepreneur Of The Year judging panel and criteria

Judging panel
Lam Yi Young (Chairperson of judging panel)
CEO
Singapore Business Federation

Dr. Kar Wong
CEO
Advanced Group of Companies
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 Singapore
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Engineering Services and Process Equipment

Nainesh Jaisingh
Founding Partner and CEO
Affirma Capital

Loi Pok Yen
Group CEO
CWT Pte. Limited
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Logistics

Tan Boon Khai
CEO
JTC Corporation

Michelle Cheo Hui Ning
Deputy Chairperson, CEO and Executive Director
Mewah International Inc

Prof. Lily Kong
President and Lee Kong Chian Professor of Social Services
Singapore Management University

Judging criteria

The following four judging criteria sets the global standard adhered to by each and every country participating in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards.

Entrepreneurial spirit

• Identifies opportunities to innovate and create a better world.
• Takes risks to realize their vision.
• Demonstrates courage, perseverance and resilience to overcome significant obstacles.

Growth

• Increases market share and expands into new markets.
• Drives positive financial performance.
• Invests in attracting, developing and retaining a diverse mix of talent.
• Builds a culture of innovation that pioneers new approaches or technologies.

Purpose

• Commits themselves and their organization to an inspiring purpose and vision.
• Drives strategies for a sustainable future business.
• Creates and protects value in the long term, across a broad group of stakeholders, including consumers, employees, suppliers, government, communities, investors and shareholders.

Impact

• Positively impacts the customers they serve.
• Integrates sustainable Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices in their strategy, with robust commitments and execution plans.
• Focuses on diversity and inclusion across multiple dimensions.

Factsheet C: EY Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence Award winner profile
(Information provided by winners’ companies)

EY Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence Award
Mr. Keeree Kanjanapas
Chairman
BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited

About BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited

BTS Group is a multi-industry conglomerate utilizing data and partnerships to amplify value from its proprietary transport and media network through three strategies: Move, Mix, and Match.

The Move network itself is a pioneering concept where they aim to provide convenient and safe door-to-door transportation solutions to customers, which purposefully supports UNSDG13 (Climate Action) by reducing carbon emissions and uplifting people’s way of life.

The Mix network has advanced beyond its leading out-of-home advertising media capability to provide comprehensive offline to online solutions combining advertising, payment, and distribution services, incorporating smart data for optimizing insight and customer satisfaction.

Under the sharing economy concept, BTS Group provides a unique Match solution to its partners; sharing access to both its Move network (providing access to customers) and its Mix network (providing broad and customized audience reach).

Moving forward, BTS Group aims to be a solutions company, sharing its strong physical and digital platforms together with unique and useable data to amplify the values of the group and its partners, as outlined in the slogan “borderless transform solutions”.

About Mr. Keeree Kanjanapas

Mr. Keeree Kanjanapas, Chairman of BTS Group, is one of Thailand’s most influential and visionary business leaders, distinguished by his ability to create successful business enterprises, particularly in the mass transit and property development spaces. His early business successes included heading the Hong Kong-listed Hwa Kay Thai Holdings Ltd. and its group of companies, as well as founding and managing the Seiko football team.

Returning to Thailand in 1988, he established Tanayong Public Company Limited, the major real estate developer behind the Thana City project in Bangkok, a satellite city development of hotels, condominiums, residential housing and office buildings.

In 1992, he led the Tanayong Group to shift its focus to mass rapid transit through winning the concession contract to construct and operate Thailand’s first and only privately funded elevated mass transit railway system, which set the company on a path toward mass transportation. In 2010, the company was renamed BTS Group. Over the years, under Mr. Keeree’s leadership, the BTS Group won numerous concession contracts to design, build and operate Bangkok’s mass transit as well as the city’s first monorail lines, together with operating or owning a network spanning bus, ferry, motorway, and airport segments, and expect to carry 3,000,000 daily passengers across rail and non-rail by 2025.

Today, the BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited is one of Thailand’s top 50 listed companies and the first and only carbon-neutral rail transportation company. It has been ranked first globally in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices Transportation and transportation infrastructure sector for two consecutive years.

Mr. Kanjanapas is 72 years old.

Factsheet D: EY Family Business Award of Excellence
     Winner profile, eligibility and selection criteria
     (Information provided by winners’ companies)

EY Family Business Award of Excellence
Agrocorp International Pte. Ltd.
 

Quote by Mr. Vijay Iyengar, Chairman and Managing Director, Agrocorp International Pte. Ltd.

“As a business and a family, we’ve always felt that in making the most important decisions for Agrocorp, we always refer to the compass of environmental sustainability, social responsibility and impact potential. While the results are not always immediately apparent, both tangible and intangible value tend to follow suit and not just for ourselves, but for all our vital stakeholders, including our staff and customers.”

About Agrocorp International Pte. Ltd.

Agrocorp International is an integrated agricultural commodity and food solutions provider. Established in Singapore in 1990, Agrocorp has offices in 15 countries with around US$3b in revenue. The company ships over 12m tonnes of product to its customers in Southeast Asia, South Asia, China, the Middle East and East Africa. Its product offerings include traditional agri-commodities such as grains, pulses, sugar, oilseeds, cotton, rice and edible nuts as well as a growing portfolio of nutritional products such as plant-based proteins, organics and specialty food ingredients. Agrocorp also has a growing food processing business with plants located in Canada, Australia, India and Myanmar. Agrocorp is committed to sourcing agri-food products with traceability, value, and providing innovative solutions to fulfil the needs of an ever-changing world while striving to always be the customers’ supplier of choice.

About the award

The EY Family Business Award of Excellence was launched in 2013 to recognize family enterprises that have made significant socio-economic contributions and demonstrated the ability to harmonize between business and family matters. It is jointly selected by knowledge partners, Business Families Institute @ Singapore Management University and the INSEAD Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise.

Family enterprises that have been honored include Goldbell Group, Hong Leong Group, Far East Organization, Sing Lun Holdings Pte Ltd, Tolaram Group, Jebsen & Jessen (SEA), Eu Yan Sang International, B.P. de Silva Holdings, and the Kewalram Chanrai Group.

Eligibility

• Leadership of the company includes family member(s) from second or subsequent generations, or has multiple branches of a family involved in leadership. (i.e., one individual and first generation would not qualify for the award).
• The family still has a significant ownership and voting stake and is primarily responsible for setting the strategic direction and values for the firm.
• The legal form of the company or group of companies is not relevant.
• Companies may be private or publicly traded.
• If the shares and voting rights have been transferred to a trust, it will remain to be considered as family enterprise if the family has dominant influence on the trust in a way described above.
• The business or headquarter of the business is located in Singapore.

Judging criteria

• Company shows evidence of a successful, sustainable and long term-oriented strategy.
• Company has adopted an effective and transparent corporate governance approach, enabling the execution of the desired strategy and living out of family values.
• Company governance enables unity among the ownership family (i.e., little evidence of significant family disputes impacting the business).
• Demonstrated the ability of the family to preserve company culture, tradition and values and maintain the entrepreneurial spirit and continued innovation over generations.
• Evidence shown of exceptional personnel management.
• Commitment to philanthropic causes or corporate social responsibility.
• Other exceptional achievements such as business awards, public service etc.