The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Singapore – Charles Wong of Charles & Keith International Pte Ltd was crowned the Overall Winner, The Entrepreneur of the Year 2008 ~ a Rotary-ASME Award, at the Award Presentation Ceremony on Wednesday, 22 October 2008. Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence, was Guest-of-Honour at the event.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, The Entrepreneur of the Year ~ A Rotary-ASME Award, is Singapore’s oldest Award for entrepreneurship. As an established and prestigious business accolade, the Award serves to acknowledge outstanding local entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and drive in their field of business, while making social contribution a significant part of their business philosophy.

Four Sub-Category Awards – EYA for Enterprise, EYA for Innovation, EYA for eCommerce and EYA for Social Contribution were also given out.

This year, because of the exceptional quality displayed by the Top Entrepreneurs, the Judges decided that more than one deserved EYA for Enterprise.

EYA for Enterprise went to Charles Wong of Charles & Keith International Pte Ltd, Ivan Lee of ThaiExpress Concepts Pte Ltd, and David Loke of Tru-Marine Pte Ltd, for their exceptional entrepreneurial performance in establishing their businesses, including vision and mission, leadership, teamwork and training, communications, and business structure.

EYA for eCommerce went to Mohamed Ismail of P & N Holdings Pte Ltd for his compelling strategic approach to the use of the Internet platform to drive his business.

EYA for Innovation went to Susan Chong of Greenpac (S) Pte Ltd for her high level of engagement in adopting information and process technologies well in his business strategy.

EYA for Social Contribution went to Patrick Liew of HSR International Realtors Pte Ltd for incorporating Social Enterprise as a part of his business strategy.

At the Award Presentation Ceremony, Mr Lawrence Leow, President of ASME, said, “The Entrepreneur of the Year Award has grown tremendously from its humble beginnings, fulfilling its purpose with greater efficacy year after year. It is an established and prestigious business accolade recognised for its high standards. This makes the Award a highly coveted title to all entrepreneurs.”

"The quality of the submissions that we have received each year continues to delight us. We are certainly heartened to see that the development of SMEs here is on an upward trend,” he added.

ASME and Rotary Club of Singapore are proud to be in partnership again, working together to acknowledge the accomplishments of local entrepreneurs who epitomise the true meaning of entrepreneurship.

Mr Paliath Mohandas, President of Rotary Club of Singapore, said, “The Entrepreneur of the Year Award is an excellent conduit for the promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility in Singapore. All-roundedness is very important, and we hope to see more entrepreneurs take the lead to be the epitome of good corporate citizenry in Singapore.”

Guest-of-Honour Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence, presented the Awards.

"A strong entrepreneurial base is needed to sustain and drive this vibrant enterprise environment. Over the last twenty years, the Rotary-ASME Entrepreneur of the Year Award has helped to enhance that environment by giving due recognition to our entrepreneurs and their contributions to Singapore,” said Minister Teo.

"While there are many challenges ahead, I am confident that our economy and our SMEs can weather this period, through continued efforts in training, developing key capabilities and seizing opportunities in emerging markets,” he added. 

Showing its commitment to the local entrepreneurial scene, OCBC Bank has returned as the Main Sponsor of the Award for the seventh consecutive year.

Said Mr Linus Goh, Global Head of Enterprise Banking and Financial Institutions, OCBC Bank, “In its 20th year, it is fitting that the Award is celebrated with an outstanding line-up of Winners. Having successfully established their brands and presence in international markets, today’s Winners have raised the bar for entrepreneurship in Singapore.”

The organisers are very encouraged by the quality of this year’s Top Entrepreneurs. They hope to see more entrepreneurs of such calibre next year.