Brimming with potential and energy, entrepreneurial activities – if nurtured and supported properly – can lead to high growth rates, jobs and success. And as recent history has shown, the success of business is essential for the flourishing of social well-being, democracy and creativity. Having said that, can entrepreneurship be taught? According to an EY study conducted in 2013 in G20 countries, entrepreneurs are indeed made, not born.
Always conscious of these trends, EY global has been holding the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards programme to celebrate successful entrepreneurs for three full decades. The programme has now spread across the globe and become the benchmark for judging where the future of business lies. A yearly EY event in Monaco gathers all the winners to pick the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year.
Over the past five years, more than 6,500 entrepreneurs joined the Entrepreneur of the Year alumni, including many household names around the globe. Over half of today’s top 100 NASDAQ companies have won EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and most received the award before they achieved top 100 status.
During all these awards competitions around the world, entrepreneurs from all walks of business life share their stories, inspire others and receive the recognition they deserve. The first awards were given in 1986 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the US. In 1993 they started to expand internationally, and today the programme spans across more than 60 countries. Collectively, these countries represent more than 90 per cent of the global economy.
EY also launched Accelerating Entrepreneurs, a programme through which six high-potential entrepreneurs from around the world are supported with the ultimate aim of scaling up their business, by receiving expert one-to-one guidance, networking and insight sharing opportunities at EY’s World Entrepreneur Of The Year event in Monte Carlo.
These companies are also connected through the year to influential business and government leaders, investors and advisors from across the globe. Complementing this, EY also has its Exceptional Magazine which is aimed for fast-growth companies and focuses on entrepreneurs who have taken their company beyond the traditional model – into new markets, new products, new segments, new investments and new patterns of international trade.
We at EY Malta are now very proud to bring home our very own chapter of Entrepreneur of the Year. Launched this month, we hope that it will give local businesses an incentive to shine with the best in Europe and the world. Nominations are open to entrepreneurs across all sectors and will remain open until February 20.
The judging panel, made up of some of Malta’s most prominent entrepreneurs, stakeholders and influencers, will be looking for evidence of eight specific entrepreneurial traits: entrepreneurial spirit and vision; financial performance; innovation; strategic direction; sustainability and growth in employee numbers; industry impact; community impact and personal integrity; and risk management.
We are very excited about this initiative and it is our sincere hope that local entrepreneurs recognise its value for themselves and their businesses. Full details and application forms are available on www.eoymalta.com.
Finally, it is with deep gratitude and pride to announce that EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year Malta is sponsored by HSBC and supported by the Malta Stock Exchange and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry.
Ronald Attard is EY Malta Country Managing Partner.