Since 2002, the EY Entrepreneur Of the Year Malaysia Awards has sought to honour the shining lights driving the business landscape within the country and even abroad. Its list of luminaries which kicked off with Tan Sri (Sir) Francis Yeoh has also included household names in Malaysian business; Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee-Chai of Top Glove, the late Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing of Limkokwing University Colllege of Creative Technology, Tan Sri AK Nathan of Eversendai Corporation, Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin of Eco World Development Group, Dr Chia Song Kun of QL Resources, Goh Peng Ooi of Silverlake Axis, Kamarul Muhamed of Aerodyne Group and most recently, Datuk Parmjit Singh of Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation who wrested the award in 2011.
On a recent Wednesday, in the ballroom of the Hilton Kuala Lumpur, an invited group of business personalities gathered for the announcement of the top nominees for this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year Malaysia awards, as adjudged by a panel. The panel of judges comprises past winners and corporate names; Low Ngai Yuen – Group Chief Merchandise and Marketing Officer, AEON (M) Berhad, Kamarul A Muhamed – Founder and Group CEO, Aerodyne Group, Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Sta Maria – Executive Director, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat, Datuk Parmjit Singh, CEO, Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift – CEO, Bursa Malaysia Bhd, Dato’ Hazimah Zainuddin – Founder and Group Managing Director, Hyrax Oil Sdn Bhd and Raymond Siva – Senior Vice President Digital Investment, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
“The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards programme is privileged to be able to showcase many of Malaysia’s remarkable entrepreneurial journeys on a national and global platform over the last 20 years,” Dato’ Abdul Rauf Rashid, Malaysia Managing Partner, Ernst & Young PLT said. “In this transformative age, it is gratifying to see entrepreneurs paving the way in reshaping the way business models integrate sustainability along the entire value chain. They do this by challenging the status quo and reimagining how ‘how we can do things better’. It takes courage and an entrepreneurial mindset, and by continuously doing this, they are able to identify and unlock new opportunities for value-led sustainability in their businesses. We are proud to be able to share their success stories and more importantly, their enduring legacies and far-reaching impact on our communities and country.”
Philip Rao, Partner, Ernst & Young Consulting Sdn Bhd and Programme Director of EY Entrepreneur of the Year Malaysia said, “Through the years, the EOY programme in Malaysia has grown in prestige and reach with diverse nominations representing different generations, industries and sectors. This is testament to the high standards maintained by the programme since its inception in Malaysia, and around the world. Among others, these standards include the robust judging criteria and due diligence, as well as the rigorous and independent judging process that we have in place. It was a tough task for the panel of judges to determine this year’s Top Nominees and looking at the results, we are convinced the celebration of their stories and persons is truly well-deserved.”
Following a spirited discussion on how Environmental, Social and Governance practices can be applied to benefit businesses, guests enjoyed a networking session before the highlight of the evening. A total of 14 top nominees were announced by Low Ngai Yuen of this year’s panel of judges, with the names representing four awards categories – Emerging, Technology, Woman and Master. The nominees, for 2022, are as below;
Emerging Entrepreneur category:
- Nicole Lim, Empire Sushi Sdn Bhd
- Chin Jiun How, Illegear Sdn Bhd
- Dr Lim Geng Yan, Jasper Healthcare Sdn Bhd
- Satish Kumar Raguchandran, Russell Taylors
Technology Entrepreneur category:
- Sashi Kumar A. Kovindasamy, ATX Distribution Sdn Bhd
- Choo Yan Tiee, Auto Count Sdn Bhd
- Casey Teh, TenAsia Corporation Sdn Bhd
Woman Entrepreneur category:
- Anna Teo, Hernan Corporation Sdn Bhd
- Pennie Lim, HOMA Sdn Bhd
- Lim Yuet Kim and Suzanne Ling, PichaEats
Master Entrepreneur category:
- Ali Hassan Mohd Hassan, Al-Ikhsan Sports Sdn Bhd
- Choy Peng Yew, PETWORLD
- Chu Jenn Weng, ViTrox Corporation Bhd
Winners of the four categories, as well as the coveted EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 Malaysia award, will be announced and celebrated at an awards ceremony in January 2023. The Malaysian EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 will then join country award recipients from around the globe in June 2023 to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year (WEOY) 2023 award in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
