The Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) held its annual Entrepreneur Awards in conjunction with its 95th anniversary at Marina Bay Sands to honor entrepreneurs and businessmen who have carved a niche for themselves through sheer hard work and determination. While seven awards were given out in various categories to nine businessmen at the SICCI Entrepreneur Awards 2019, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Mr Ameerali R. Jumabhoy, 94, who headed Scotts Holdings for 14 years and built Singapore’s first shopping mall in 1982.

According to Dr T Chandroo, Chairman, SICCI, the winners are fine examples of those who have proven capabilities and vision to create, sustain and expand a business. “They are role models for fellow aspiring entrepreneurs,” he said.

In his speech, guest-of-honor, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr Heng Swee Keat said, that the Indian community could help grow Singapore’s economy by foraying into the diverse Indian market that offers opportunities in areas such as medical technology, food technology and smart cities development. He also commended SICCI for deepening its business ties with India and encouraging its members to look for opportunities there.

He further added, “Innovation is key to our growing economy. A spirit of innovation is especially crucial for Singapore because our main resource is our people.” He said that just as Singapore has a thriving water industry, food could be the next water story. It could be a leader in urban agriculture and urban agriculture technology providing sustainable urban food solutions to the world. “Just like our water story, Singapore’s Food Story will be about how we overcome our land constraints to create a new growth sector and contribute to our food resilience. This includes our 30 by 30 goal to produce 30 per cent of our nutritional needs locally by 2030,” Mr Heng said.

SICCI has been at the forefront in helping enterprises adopt digital technologies such as online trading, e-payments and mobile apps. “I encourage more SMEs to explore how your business can benefit from new, innovative solutions,” he said. Besides seeking new opportunities, Mr Heng urged Indian business leaders to continue giving back to society, in the spirit of the community’s pioneers.

Here is the list of winners who were honoured at the Awards:

Mr. Jagdish Prasad Jaiswal for the Established Entrepreneur Award,

Mr. Shailesh Naik for the Promising Entrepreneur Award, and

Mr. Jayavarman Gnanansekaran for the Young Entrepreneur Award.

Four Special Awards were presented to the following:

Mr. Anil David for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility,

Mr. Mohana Kumar Pillai and Anurag Avula for Global Presence,

Mr. Maneesh Tripathi for Best Innovation and Technology, and

Mr. Mohana Kumar Pillai and Mr. Sai Kishore Mamidipaka for Foreign-Owned Business