TAIWAN’S Doris Hsu, the chief executive officer (CEO) of GlobalWafers – the world’s third-largest silicon wafer supplier – was named the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year. She is the third woman to hold the title in the award’s 23-year history.

The annual award celebrates the accomplishments of visionary leaders who are transforming industries, growing the economy and answering the call to address global challenges. It is part of an event by the professional services firm, which gathers founders, CEOs and business leaders for a series of networking opportunities and workshops, this year at Monaco’s Salle des Etoiles.

EY said Hsu was picked from nearly 5,000 programme participants that included the 49 winners across 45 countries and jurisdictions competing for the global title as she is a visionary “with an unwavering passion for innovation and commitment to sustainability”.

In its statement announcing the winner on Friday (Jun 9), EY said: “For more than a decade, she has been the driving force behind GlobalWafers’ meteoric rise, overseeing a series of successful mergers and acquisitions that transformed the company’s product portfolio and expanded operations into Europe.”

EY noted in particular that in 2015, Hsu took GlobalWafers public with a highly successful initial public offering. Today, it is the world’s third-largest wafer manufacturer.

“She has continuously created value and sustainable growth for shareholders while always staying true to her core values of putting people first while leading with honesty, integrity, enthusiasm and hard work,” EY added.

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EY global chairman and CEO Carmine Di Sibio called Hsu a “complete embodiment” of a purpose-driven entrepreneur who leads the charge in taking on global challenges.

“Doris’ vision and drive not only built an industry-leading company that has created thousands of jobs and helped generate significant local and global economic impact, but her passion for building a better working world is really what this event is all about,” he said.

In accepting the award, Hsu said there is an under-representation of female leaders – especially in the high-tech industry – and her win shows that “anyone can succeed” regardless of gender. 

Noting that entrepreneurs often find themselves on the front lines of addressing many of today’s most pressing issues, she added that she wants to continue to help “come up with big new ideas”, while driving the conversation and bringing in new voices along the way.

Hsu was assessed on four criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact. The panel of judges – chaired by Kaszek Ventures’ co-founder and managing partner Hernan Kazah – fielded a diverse and esteemed group of entrepreneurs from around the world, said EY.