Every year in Monaco, trailblazing business leaders are honored in the frame of the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Arguably the most prestigious award in the world, it was created to recognize the important impact entrepreneurs have in their communities, businesses, local and global economies. Thus, it puts the spotlight on the visionaries from various business sectors and industries.
Multinational professional services provider and auditing firm Ernst & Young (EY), started the Entrepreneur of the Year Award (EOY) in 1986, recognizing entrepreneurs through regional and national programs in more than 145 cities and more than 60 countries. The World Entrepreneur of the Year (WEOY) is the culmination of the over 60 individual country winners (46 this year due to the Covid-19 crisis) competing for the coveted overall WEOY winner. While EOY has been around for over 30 years, the WEOY program started 20 years ago. Right from its inception, Monaco was elected as the stage of choice for the WEOY, a nod to its unmatched reputation for excellence, experience and success.
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The country winners are chosen first by independent (i.e. not EY) judges who are primarily past winners, entrepreneurs and key members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The global winners are selected by an elite panel of independent judges including former world winners and high-profile entrepreneurs from around the world. This panel encompasses diversity from every angle. The award is given on the basis of six criteria, giving all country winners an equal opportunity to compete: entrepreneurial spirit, value creation, strategic direction, national and global impact, innovation, and personal integrity/purpose-driven leadership.
Last year’s edition was presented by EY Global Chairman and CEO Mark Weinberger, who kicked off the ceremony highlighting all the entrepreneurs who create not only new ideas, but also hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Amongst the ones awarded in 2019 is Dr. Liu Jiren, Chairman and CEO of Neusoft Corporation, with its Alumni Special Award for Societal Impact. Neusoft, one of China’s leading IT solutions and services providers, is dedicated to bringing quality healthcare services to the most marginalized and poorest areas of the world. Its research and development initiatives led to the establishment of China’s first Cloud Hospital, a third-party medical collaboration and health management platform.
Photo credits: Ken Lennox
Due to the Covid-19 sanitary crisis, the 2020 edition took place on the 4th of June as a virtual experience. It partnered with CNBC Catalyst which live streamed it on their platform and other social media platforms, honoring unstoppable entrepreneurs joining from around the globe.