World's leading entrepreneurs gather for 17th annual EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™

LONDON, June 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 17^th EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award and Forum will take place between 7 and 11 June 2017 in Monaco. This year 59 entrepreneurs representing 49 countries will compete for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2017, to be announced during a gala awards ceremony on 10 June.

This year's finalists are some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, and together they have:

• Combined revenues of approximately US$50b
• Combined revenue growth of 42% in the last three years (2013-2016)
• More than 420,000 employees combined and have job growth of 9% between 2013 and 2016
• Represent 21 industries
• 27% of these companies are public and 73% are private

In addition to the competition and award announcement, this year's program includes a series of summits, keynote interviews, panel discussions and events of special interest to entrepreneurs, government officials and business leaders in attendance, including EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ alumni. Sessions under the theme, Could uncertainty be your best opportunity for growth?, will give attendees the opportunity to share disruptive ideas, challenge conventional ways of thinking and discover new opportunities to channel disruption and drive growth together.

Bryan Pearce, EY Global Leader – EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™, says:

"For more than 30 years, EY has believed in the power of entrepreneurship to drive innovation and growth that help build a better working world. An entrepreneur's ability to take an idea and then build, scale and nurture a successful company inspires us. This is why each year we are proud to offer the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ program; the pre-eminent recognition of entrepreneurial excellence.

"While there can only be one EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ winner, all of our country winners have demonstrated the tenacity, agility, strategic vision and relentless focus on execution that are required to succeed as an entrepreneur. This event is not only a celebration of all of these inspiring individuals, but it is also an opportunity to recognize the power of entrepreneurship in today's business landscape. Entrepreneurs innovate new products, services and business processes, and positively disrupt industries, which leads to economic growth."

Among others, this year's country winners include J.W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr. of Marriott International, Inc. (US); Natalya Kaspersky of InfoWatch Group (Russia); Jacques-Antoine Granjon of Vente-Privee.com (France); and Peter Beck of Rocket Lab (New Zealand).

The overall winner is chosen by an independent judging panel of distinguished former EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ winners and other well-known entrepreneurs. The award is given on the basis of six criteria, giving all country winners an equal opportunity to compete: entrepreneurial spirit, financial performance, strategic direction, global (or community) impact, innovation and personal integrity/influence.

The independent judging panel will include:

• Rosario Bazán of DanPer (Peru)
• Judy Chan of Grace Vineyard (Hong Kong/Macau)
• Diane Foreman of Chelsea Group Ltd (New Zealand)
• Jim Nixon of Nixon Energy Investments (US)
• Ilkka Paananen of Supercell (Finland)
• Rosemary Squire of Trafalgar Entertainment Group (UK)
• Manny Stul of Moose Enterprise Holdings & Controlled Entities (Australia)

Keynote addresses and panel discussions will be delivered by speakers including Mark Cuban, Serial Entrepreneur, Investor and Owner of the Dallas Mavericks; Dr. Vishal Sikka, CEO, Infosys; Kate Winslet, award winning actress; William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.; Ofra Strauss, Chairperson of the Board, Strauss Group; Vivienne Ming, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Socos; Brad Parscale, President, Giles-Parscale; Dr. Pippa Malmgren, Founder, DPRM Group, and Co-Founder, H Robotics; and Ashish J Thakkar, Founder, Mara Group and Mara Foundation.

Previous winners of the prestigious EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award include: Manny Stul, Chairman and co-CEO of Moose Enterprise Holdings & Controlled Entities (Australia), 2016; Mohed Altrad, CEO of Altrad (France), 2015; Uday Kotak, Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (India), 2014; Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani, Inc. (US), 2013; Dr. James Mwangi, CEO and Managing Director of Equity Bank Limited (Kenya), 2012; Olivia Lum, Group Chairman and Group CEO, Hyflux Limited (Singapore), 2011; Cho Tak Wong, Chairman, Fuyao Glass Industry Group (China), 2009; Guy Laliberté, Founder and CEO, Cirque du Soleil (Canada), 2007; and Narayana Murthy, Founder and Chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited (India), 2003.  

A full list of speakers, panelists and the 49 country winners competing this year is available at ey.com/weoy.

Notes to Editors

About EY
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This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is the world's most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries. ey.com/eoy

Peter Kelley
EY Global Media Relations
+1 424 376 7227
[email protected]

SOURCE EY

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