World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award Marks Its 25th With Female Entrepreneur

For the first time in the 25 years of the World Entrepreneur of The Year award, a female entrepreneur has been honoured. Olivia Lum, Group CEO and president of Hyflux Limited, was the chosen one. Olivia Lum founded Hyflux in 1989 in Singapore with two staff and a start-up capital of USD 15K. Today Hyflux has become one of the world’s leading desalination suppliers. It is publicly traded with revenues of about USD 450m yearly employing more than 2,300 people in operations and projects across Southeast Asia, China, India, the Middle East and North Africa.

This year award marks the 25th award since it began in 1986 which took place in a single US city. Jim Turley, Global Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young has this to say, “Over the past 25 years, entrepreneurs have done more than any other group to stimulate innovation, job creation and prosperity during both periods of growth and in challenging economic conditions. Olivia demonstrates the vision and determination that set entrepreneurs apart and is very worthy of the title Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011.”

Past award winners include Guy Laliberté of Cirque du Soleil (2007) and Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee Foods Corporation (2004). Check out the past winners here.

SGE congratulates Olivia and if you’re inspired by her, do join in tonight for the first mixer for female entrepreneurs and geeks, organized by SGE, Women 2.0, PlayMoolah and supported by SmartSpace.sg.

Image credit: Ernst & Young