Nominations open for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2025 awards

Nominations for the annual EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ (EOY) awards in Singapore are now open until 1 April 2025. This is the 24th edition of the awards, which began in 2002 to coincide with the government’s focus on entrepreneurship. 

The new theme for the awards this year is “The Shapers”, which celebrates how entrepreneurs are shapers of the future, skillfully molding their businesses to realize bold ambitions. The public and business community are encouraged to nominate outstanding entrepreneurs for the award at www.ey.com/sg/eoy.

Mr. Liew Nam Soon, Singapore Country Managing Partner and EY Asean Regional Managing Partner, Ernst & Young Solutions LLP, says:  
“The work of entrepreneurs is a powerful reflection of EY’s new tagline ‘Shape the future with confidence’. Through the EOY program, we shine the spotlight on business founders who dare to think differently and whose relentless pursuit of excellence is driving positive change and sustainable growth. Having run this program for 24 years in Singapore, we continue to see nominations across a broad spectrum of industries, and it is clear that there is an increasingly strong digital and technology theme underpinning enterprises’ business models, product innovation and customer experience. There is also a growing articulation among outstanding entrepreneurs on the importance of purpose and making an impact on the broader slate of stakeholders and society, while pursuing commercial objectives.” 

To be a nominee, the candidate must be an owner-manager primarily responsible for the recent performance of a privately held Singapore-based company that is at least two years old; or a founder of a listed Singapore-based company who is still active in senior management. 

The nominees will be assessed by an independent judging panel across the four globally benchmarked criteria of entrepreneurial spirit, growth, purpose and impact (see fact sheet A). 

Entrepreneurs who excel across the four criteria will be honored as winners of award titles that are designed to reflect their unique qualities or achievements. The individual who ranks the highest across all four criteria will be selected as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Singapore to represent the country at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year (WEOY) award next year.  

Come June 2025, last year’s EOY Singapore winner, Mr. Zachary Wang, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Neuron Mobility, will be Singapore’s representative at the global award to compete with winners from close to 50 countries and territories. This year also marks the 25th edition of the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year award. 

On representing Singapore at the WEOY, Mr. Wang says: 
“This is an incredible honor and an opportunity to spotlight our mission to transform urban mobility more on a global stage. It would open doors to new partnerships that could help further our goal of contributing to the development of more sustainable, livable cities. Also, it will allow me to connect with other participants and past winners, whose advice and experiences could be invaluable as we continue to grow.” 

Mr. Wang was selected among four other EOY category winners last year: 

• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Environmental Services
  Mr. Edy Tan Wei Hock, PBM, Chief Executive Officer, Chye Thiam Maintenance 
• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Food and Beverage
  Mr. Samuel Yik, Managing Director, Dian Xiao Er Group  
• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Technology Solutions
  Mr. Anthony Chow, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, igloocompany 
• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Mobility
  Mr. Zachary Wang, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Neuron Mobility 

Partners and supporters of EOY awards

Bank of Singapore, the wholly owned private banking subsidiary of OCBC, is the platinum sponsor of the EOY awards for the second year. 

Mr. Jason Moo, CEO of Bank of Singapore, says:  
“Inspired by the remarkable success stories from last year’s awards, Bank of Singapore is proud to be the platinum sponsor of the EOY awards in Singapore for the second year running. Entrepreneurs are the drivers of economic transformation. They take risks and invest in new ventures, turning ideas into opportunities and stimulating economic development in the process. We look forward to honoring their outstanding achievements at this year's awards.” 

The Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) continues as a partner of the EOY awards for the sixth year. 

Mr. Pol de Win, Head of Global Sales and Origination, SGX Group, says: 
"The future belongs to those who dare to shape it. Entrepreneurs are the visionaries who push boundaries and seize opportunities. SGX Group is proud to support our homegrown trailblazers and, as a long-standing partner of the EOY awards, we want to celebrate the leaders who are not just imagining the future but building it with ambition, resilience and a pioneering spirit." 

The official media partners of the EOY 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. 

Two other awards presented on board the EOY program

The EY organization will be conferring two other honorary awards for family enterprise excellence and Asean entrepreneurial excellence.  

Bank of Singapore continues to be the presenting title sponsor for the two awards, namely the EY-Bank of Singapore Family Enterprise Award of Excellence and the EY-Bank of Singapore Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence Award. 

The award recipient for the EY-Bank of Singapore Family Enterprise Award of Excellence will be selected based on the family enterprise’s ability to successfully balance business and family issues, grow the business and show responsibility for others through philanthropic or social engagements (see fact sheet B for eligibility and judging criteria). 

Knowledge Partners, Business Families Institute @ Singapore Management University (BFI @ SMU) and the INSEAD Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise will select the winner. 

The EY-Bank of Singapore Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence Award recognizes successful Southeast Asian businesses that contribute to the economy and community in the region (see fact sheet C). Recipients of the two honorary awards do not compete for the EOY Singapore 2025 title. 

For more information on the EOY awards, visit www.ey.com/sg/eoy.

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Note to editors

About EY

EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets. 

Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow. 

EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories. 

All in to shape the future with confidence. 

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 only global program of its kind that supports entrepreneurs as they unlock their ambitions. Established in 1986, this flagship program operates across more than 60 countries and jurisdictions and boasts a global ecosystem of over 30,000 distinguished entrepreneurs. Program participants benefit from lifelong connections, learning resources and insights to help navigate their growth journey, and opportunities to raise the profile of their companies. Each program concludes with a competition and announcement of a winner who goes on to represent their country or region in the ultimate global competition and event for entrepreneurs: EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™. ey.com/eoy

About Bank of Singapore

Bank of Singapore is the dedicated private banking subsidiary of OCBC. Backed by OCBC’s strong credit ratings of Aa1 by Moody’s and AA- by both Fitch and S&P, it offers a unique value proposition as a safe Singapore-registered private bank. 

Its open-architecture product platform backed by strong research capabilities provides clients with first-class private banking and bespoke wealth planning solutions. It is also able to leverage OCBC’s capabilities to extend its clients a broad array of services across the OCBC’s regional and international network. 

Bank of Singapore serves high net worth individuals and wealthy families in its key markets of Asia, Greater China, the Indian subcontinent and other international markets. 

Headquartered in Singapore, Bank of Singapore and its subsidiaries have offices in the Dubai International Financial Centre, Hong Kong, London, Malaysia and Manila. Its strong performance has won it numerous industry recognitions. Bank of Singapore was named Best Chief Investment Office in Private Banking in Asia by PWM/ The Banker and Best Digital Innovator of the Year in Asia by PWM in 2024. 

For more information, please visit www.bankofsingapore.com.

About Singapore Exchange (SGX Group)

SGX Group seeks to serve as the world’s most trusted and efficient international marketplace, operating equity, fixed income, currency and commodity markets to the highest regulatory standards. As one ecosystem with global relevance and influence, we offer multiple growth avenues to our stakeholders through listing, trading, clearing, settlement, depository, data and index services. We are committed to lead on climate action by developing a world-class transition financing and trading hub through SGX FIRST (Future in Reshaping Sustainability Together), our multi-asset sustainability platform. Headquartered in AAA-rated Singapore, we are globally recognized for our risk-management and clearing capabilities. Find out more at www.sgxgroup.com.
 

Fact sheet A: Nomination and judging criteria

Nomination criteria:

To be a nominee, the candidate must be: 

• An owner-manager primarily responsible for the recent performance of a privately held Singapore-based company that is at least two years old, or 
• A founder of a listed Singapore-based company who is still active in senior management. 

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. 

Fact sheet B: EY-Bank of Singapore Family Enterprise Award of Excellence

The Family Enterprise Award of Excellence was launched in 2013 to recognize family enterprises that have made significant socioeconomic 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 Tecity Group, Ho Bee Land, 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:

• Companies 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 family ownership (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 maintained 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. 

Fact sheet C: EY-Bank of Singapore Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence Award

The EY Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence (AEE) awards honors Asean leaders who make a difference, inspire and motivate the business community to achieve excellence in their respective industries. 

Launched in 2015, this honorary award is especially appropriate following the formation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC), which calls for the economic integration of the 10 members of ASEAN. 

The AEE is a special recognition and honorary award that is presented and celebrated on board the EOY platform. The award takes the form of a closed nomination and the recipient is conferred and awarded by EY. 

Eligibility criteria:

• The business may be private or publicly traded. 
• The business must be headquartered in Asean. 
• The business must have an Asean footprint and made an impact in the region and/or beyond. 
• The nominee has demonstrated the ability to lead and grow the business. 
• The nominee displays high levels of integrity, business acumen as well as leadership. 
• The nominee, through the business, has successfully demonstrated: 
  • A sustainable and long-term oriented strategy 
  • Exceptional personnel management 
  • Commitment to philanthropic causes or corporate social responsibility in the Asean region 
  • Other exceptional achievements such as business awards and public service awards etc.