I already feel like a ‘winning woman’ – having been selected to participate in the inaugural EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ (EWW) Asia-Pacific program. 2015 will be an exciting and massive year. I also know that to stay at the top of the game I have to keep learning… reading, listening, discovering. And one of the best ways is to meet like-minded people who have deep experiences that they are willing to share.
And whilst I have been speaking with EY for a few months about the program – I only today discovered who else had been selected… EY today announced the 14 women entrepreneurs selected from Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea. How amazing…
Participants in the EWW Asia-Pacific Class of 2015 were selected for their readiness to grow their businesses and develop or expand their global footprints. These women own companies across a wide variety of industry sectors, including media and entertainment, education, lifestyle and luxury brands, textiles, and food and beverage.
Annette Kimmitt, EY Global Middle Market Leader is Executive Sponsor of the program – I met her initially when I participated in the Entrepreneur of the Year program back in 2011 – and since then I have got to know her through her work at Scale Investors. I know of her deep commitment to growing female lead businesses and the entrepreneurial community.
“The EWW program” she said “bridges that gap for female entrepreneurs by providing access to guidance, insights, financial support, market visibility and the right business partnerships to help women business leaders to achieve their massive economic potential.”
“The program is based on EY’s highly successful North American program. It is a year-long program which focuses the women entrepreneurs on growing their businesses fast
and sustainably, equipping them with the tools and information needed to break through common barriers that can often keep thriving second-stage businesses from scaling to their full potential.”
How great is this – just some of the noted benefits:
- We will have access to a program that has driven 63% uptick in revenue among North American participants
- Potentially we could contribute more than US$720m in additional revenue to the Asia-Pacific economy and create an additional 2,200 jobs over 3 years
- I will get to meet women throughout Asia with the potential of building strategic alliances
The full list of EWW Asia-Pacific Class of 2015 participants:
Lovinia (Lulu) Chiu | Medialink Group of Companies (Hong Kong, China): Distributes TV programs and handles brand and merchandise licenses. Its portfolio includes international heavyweights like My Little Pony and Transformers, as well as a number of popular Asian brands.
Susan Chong | Greenpac (Singapore): A knowledge-based company that specializes in reengineering, designing and distributing innovative, environmentally friendly packaging products
and solutions. Today, it serves Fortune 500 companies and is the market leader for environmentally friendly packaging solutions in Asia.
Stella Fung | Beijing Tong Ren Tang Fook Ming Tong Chinese Medical Center (Hong Kong, China): Provides traditional Chinese medicine, health care, and treatment services in a modern
and safe environment.
Prita Kemal Gani | The London School of Public Relations, Jakarta (Jakarta, Indonesia): Founded in 1992, the company offers Bachelor and Master Degrees in communication studies
(including public relations, and performing arts), short courses and corporate training, as well as education for students with special needs.
Vanessa Garrard | E3 Style (Brisbane, Australia): A product development business for major retailers and distributors of consumer electronics, stationery and pet products in Australia and worldwide. The company develops products using retailer brands, its own brands and through the licensing of popular characters including Star Wars, Batman, and Peppa Pig.
Jiang Peizhen | Golden Throat Group (Guangxi, China): A pharmaceutical and health products company that is among the top 50 traditional Chinese medicine businesses in China. The
Golden Throat Lozenge, its feature product, has enjoyed the biggest market share among like products in China for almost 20 years. The company exports its products to 27 countries
worldwide.
Mi Kyung Kim | EOS Corporation (Incheon, South Korea): Designs and produces printed circuit boards that are used to build electronic devices.
Bobbi Mahlab | Mahlab Media (Sydney, Australia): A content marketing agency that produces content and content strategies for associations and brands across multiple platforms – content hubs, magazines, video, blogs, social media and e-newsletters. The company helps organizations to become publishers by developing their content platforms.
Nicola Mills | Pacific Retail Management (Sydney, Australia): Owns and manages over 50 retail stores and commercial kitchens including Australia’s No.1 Sushi franchise – Go Sushi, the
fresh juice brand – Kick Juice Bars and the sushi brand with a green heart – Wasabi Warriors. The Wasabi Warriors franchise is established in Hong Kong and the Philippines.
Jo Pennycuick | Redesign Group (Christchurch, New Zealand): A multi-disciplinary design practice founded in 1998 that offers a range of services including spatial design, retail, food and
beverage, commercial office planning, airport and mall interior design, graphic design and branding, franchise set-up and management, and project management and construction. The
company is located in New Zealand, India, the Middle East and Vietnam.
Qi Lin | Chexun.com (Beijing, China): Guides vehicle buyers before, during and after the purchase process. The portfolio of businesses includes an online automotive information and car sales store with after-care service, an automotive-safety testing service, an e-commerce business including O2O e-commerce for auto accessories and products, and a mobile app.
Me | RedBalloon (Sydney, Australia): RedBalloon is an online experience retailer which allows its customers to give the gift of memories to friends, family and colleagues. The business provides more than 2,500 experiences, selling everything from skydiving to cooking classes and flying trapeze lessons. Founded in 2001, the company has sold 2.5 million
experiences.
Xia Hua | Eve Group (Beijing, China): Specializing in high-grade men’s clothing, it owns five original brands—EVE de UOMO, EVE de CINA, Kevin Kelly, NOTTING HILL and JAQUES PRITT—and is the agent for Versace, Kenzo and Fendi.
Bhg Dato’ Hazimah Zainuddin | Hyrax Oil Sdn Bhd (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia): Established in 1991, the company produces a broad range of lubricants and exports them to more than 40
countries worldwide.
The program runs throughout the year – and we are all meeting for the first time (with our hosts) in April this year in Singapore… Thanks EY for your continued support of entrepreneurs through all your programs – and especially for your commitment to the 14 of us in the Asia Pacific EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ 2015 program. Let the learning begin.