ED 53

COMMENTARY
COMMENTARY
Making a Mark
The Entrepreneur of
the Year Award 2013
Presentation Ceremony
unveiled the Entrepreneurs
who have made their
marks in their respective
industries
O
n the evening of 4 December
2013, 12 newly-minted
Entrepreneurs of the Year
received their trophies amidst
the raving cheers of their staff, colleagues
and business associates. These are the
exemplars of entrepreneurial excellence,
remarkable businessmen who have made
the nal cut in the Entrepreneur of the
Year Award 2013 A Rotary Singapore-
ASME Award.
Organised by the Association of Small
and Medium Enterprises (ASME) and the
Rotary Club of Singapore, the Award’s
Silver Jubilee saw the introduction of the
Young Entrepreneur Award Category,
a separate grouping tailored towards
emerging entrepreneurs. A new set of
criteria allows these Young Entrepreneurs
to participate on more even terms, whilst
the veteran businessmen competed in the
Established Entrepreneur Award Category.
“The nine Established Entrepreneurs
and three Young Entrepreneurs who are
being recognised today have achieved
success in your respective elds through
tenacity, creativity and hard work,” said Mr
Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister,
Coordinating Minister for National Security
and Minister for Home Affairs during his
welcome address that evening as the
event’s Guest-Of-Honour, “I hope that
many more Singapore SMEs will be
inspired by your achievements, so that we
build up a strong pool of SMEs that will
continue to make a signicant contribution
to Singapore’s economy, and create many
good jobs for Singaporeans.”
Following a Final Judging Session in
November 2013, the Overall Winners
for each Award Category as well as the
Sub-Category Award Winners were
determined. Led by Mr aqy Mohammad,
Member of Parliament, Choa Chu Kang
Group Representation Constituency
(GRC) for the Established Entrepreneur
Award Category and Mr Leslie Loh,
Managing Director of Red Dot Ventures
for the Young Entrepreneurs, the Final
Judging panel comprised eminent judges
who came from successful positions in
both the public and private sectors. During
the day-long session, the judges assessed
each Entrepreneur with precision and
depth, drilling down to the bedrock of their
business ideals, their core beliefs as well
as their plans for the future.
The two Overall Winners also won Sub-
Category Awards to complement their
already-impressive achievements. Mr
Neeraj Sundarajoo, Chief Executive
Ofcer of digital marketing solutions rm
Comwerks Pte Ltd clinched both the
Overall Winner for Young Entrepreneurs
as well as the EYA for Social Contribution,
while the Overall Winner for the
Established Entrepreneurs Mr Sun Lai
Fong, Chairman of Sunhuan Construction
Pte Ltd, also walked away with the EYA
for Info-Communications Technology.
Mr Neeraj Sundarajoo, the inaugural
Overall Winner for the Young Entrepreneur
Award Category, was willing to take the
risk on entrepreneurship, rather than
accepting one of his many job offers as
he came out of school. At the tender age
of 21, he started Comwerks Pte Ltd with
his brother and current partner Mr Keith
Tan with a mere $5000, venturing into the
relative unknown. Although he had the
drive and passion to move his business,
the young Neeraj lacked the necessary
experience, and without sound nancial
management, Comwerks struggled to
survive.
Nevertheless, he persevered, and his
turning point came when he invited Mr
Steven Seet, one of his ex-clients, to
chair the board. This mentorship instilled
nancial discipline within the company,
and brought the company to greater
26
ENTREPRENEURS’ DIGEST
JAN FEB 2014