Enterprise 50 Awards open for nominations of Singapore’s most innovative and competitive firms

SINGAPORE - Nominations are now open for the Enterprise 50 (E50) Awards 2025, which will recognise 50 of Singapore’s most innovative and competitive home-grown, privately owned businesses.

Jointly organised by The Business Times and KPMG in Singapore, the annual awards spotlight firms, regardless of sector, that have contributed meaningfully to Singapore’s economic development, both at home and abroad.  

Now in its 31st year, the E50 Awards are sponsored by OCBC Bank and supported by Enterprise Singapore, the Singapore Business Federation and the Singapore Exchange Group.

The awards honour excellence in enterprise, resilience and forward-looking leadership.

Applicants will be evaluated on a combination of quantitative and qualitative criteria, including financial performance, business strategy, governance, branding and growth potential.

Winners will be invited to attend the E50 Awards ceremony and gala dinner in November.

BT editor Chen Huifen encouraged firms to use the E50 Awards “as a sounding board”, with applicants evaluated by a diverse panel.

The process, she added, can also serve as a rallying point for staff to strive towards excellence.

“In turn, we hope that the winners we identify will inspire other entrepreneurs and businesses and contribute to Singapore’s economic growth,” said Ms Chen in a joint press release by BT and KPMG in Singapore. 

Innovation is not just about staying ahead of the competition, said Mr Chiu Wu Hong, partner and head of private enterprise at KPMG in Singapore.

“It’s about building enterprises that lead with purpose, seize opportunities and create exceptional value in an increasingly complex global landscape,” he said.

Amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty, bold transformation and a clear value proposition are even more critical for sustained relevance and growth, he added.

Resilience and progress

The theme of the E50 Awards in 2025 is “Building a Resilient Nation: Enterprises as Pillars of Progress”.

At the launch of the awards on April 3, Eu Yan Sang International group chairman Richard Eu stressed that true resilience ultimately lies in a company’s people.

“At the end of the day, it’s the people and the knowledge that’s retained in the company,” he said in a fireside chat at the launch.

“Resilience means being able to cope in difficult situations. And if we can learn from what’s happened in the past, then we may know better how to deal with it now.”

Eu Yan Sang has had no difficulty retaining staff, with some staying for over four decades despite having to adapt continuously to new systems and practices, he said.

“Once they see the purpose of what that change is for – that it’s for the betterment of the company and the customers – I think it’s not a problem.

“But overarching all this is that your vision... for the business has to be communicated to everybody, so everyone understands what you’re trying to do.”

In a wide-ranging discussion moderated by BT’s memberships editor Dylan Tan, Mr Eu said that participating in awards such as E50 helps companies build both external and internal confidence.

“It adds to the branding... It gives some comfort to your customers that the brand they follow is recognised by other parties,” he said.

“But, internally, people in the company also feel assured that there is recognition for what they’re doing.”

Since its inception, the E50 Awards have honoured more than 700 companies, of which over 100 have gone on to list on both local and overseas stock markets.

Top winners can expect extensive media coverage and publicity support, helping them to raise their public profile and unlock greater business opportunities. 

BT also publishes an E50 supplement in conjunction with the E50 Gala Dinner.

Interested companies can apply

here

. They have until June 30 to submit their applications.

More information on the awards can be found at the

E50 website

.

THE BUSINESS TIMES