Co-founder of gaming chair maker Secretlab is EY Entrepreneur of the Year
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Charmaine Ng
The co-founder of gaming chair maker Secretlab, Mr Ian Ang, was named Singapore's Entrepreneur of the Year by professional services firm EY at a virtual awards ceremony yesterday.
The 28-year-old, who is also Secretlab's chief executive, will represent Singapore against entrepreneurs from more than 60 countries for the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year award in June.
Mr Ang was up against two others for the award: Mr Richard Koh, 48, founder and CEO of fintech start-up M-DAQ, and Mr Eric Leong, 34, managing director and co-founder of foundation steel solutions company Mlion.
Mr Koh was named Entrepreneur of the Year for financial technology, while Mr Leong was the Entrepreneur of the Year for industrial solutions.
Mr Ang was also named EY Entrepreneur of the Year for consumer products.
The trio were selected from nearly 50 nominations based on six judging criteria: entrepreneurial spirit; financial performance or value creation; strategic direction; national and global impact; innovation; and personal integrity or purpose-driven leadership.
The judging panel's chairman, Mr Png Cheong Boon, who is CEO of Enterprise Singapore, said Mr Ang embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and has the business acumen of a seasoned entrepreneur.
Meanwhile, chairman of Truong Hai Auto, Mr Duong Ba Tran, 60, was presented with the EY Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.
The Hong Leong Group received the EY Family Business Award of Excellence.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, speaking at the virtual event, said having an entrepreneurial spirit is even more crucial today, as Singapore is in the midst of the most severe economic disruption since its independence.
He also urged entrepreneurs to make an impact on the wider community, as "the best environment for a business to thrive is a community that is also thriving".
60 Approximate number of countries that will have entrepreneurs representing them in the competition for the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year award in June.
50 Approximate number of nominations for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year in Singapore.
