SBA to mark 35 years with new award for young business leaders

Singapore

INNOVATION, entrepreneurship and drive. These are but a few of the qualities that an outstanding business leader has, and have always been celebrated at the Singapore Business Awards (SBA), the oldest business awards here.

And next year, the SBA will mark its 35th edition with a new award dedicated to honouring young business leaders below the age of 45 who are driving innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Outstanding Young Business Leader of the Year will join four other accolades at the SBA, which has been recognising top business leaders in Singapore across various industries over the past 35 years.

Organised by The Business Times and DHL, the SBA is widely regarded as Singapore's most prestigious business award. First started in 1985, the awards has many notable alumni, including two-time Businessman of the Year (BOY) and banking veteran Wee Cho Yaw as well as its first recipient, Michael Fam.

The then-chairman of food and beverage giant Fraser and Neave, Mr Fam was the first to receive the coveted BOY - the only award of the SBA back then - three-and-a-half decades ago from guest of honour Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, then First Deputy Prime Minister.

Over the years, the SBA has added other awards to celebrate entrepreneurship. In 1986, the Enterprise Award was introduced to give recognition to small and medium-sized enterprises, and four years later, another new category was added in recognition of outstanding managers and chief executives.

In its 20th year, the SBA added a new award to give recognition to Singaporeans who worked overseas. Winners are decided by a panel of judges drawn from the business sector, public agencies and academia.

Each year, the black-tie gala event is a gathering of the who's who in Singapore business.

"The Singapore Business Awards has stood the test of boom and bust cycles, of disruption and transformation. It celebrates good business acumen and leadership, values that remain pivotal to success. Together with DHL, our partners for three-and-a-half decades, we will continue to celebrate the achievements of Singapore business in a changing world," said BT editor Wong Wei Kong.

DHL Singapore managing director Christopher Ong said: "The SBA was born out of a shared vision of recognising and rewarding the entrepreneurial spirit, business leadership and excellence in corporate governance in Singapore."

Mr Ong noted that both DHL and BT - partners of the SBA right from the start - are committed to shaping and contributing to a vibrant and increasingly digital business landscape in Singapore.

"We look forward to continue working with BT to celebrate business excellence," he added.

More information can be found at sbawards.com.sg.