by KT Leong
The three winners of the Junior Chambers International (JCI) Malaysia’s Creative Young Entrepreneur Award (CYEA) were announced on 26 September, in an event hosted by JCI Kinta at the RTM Auditorium in Ipoh, Perak.
Initiated globally by JCI in 2005, the award was officially adopted as a National Programme by JCI Malaysia in 2007. This year marks its 20th presentation, which coincides with JCI Kinta’s 10th anniversary.
Among the three awards presented by JCI Malaysia, the CYEA is the most competitive. The inaugural 2007 CYEA winner was Chan Kee Siak, the founder of Exabytes, which illustrates the prominent lineage of the award.
The three winners were Marcus Chew Phai Hau of MR Academy International Sdn Bhd, one of Malaysia’s leading education platforms for the retail industry. Andy Lim Jin Xiong of One Hair Group Sdn Bhd, a prominent hair care, salon and beauty education company. And Dr. Low Min Yew of Systech Digital Solutions Sdn Bhd, who after 5 tries, has finally succeeded in becoming a winning recipient of the CYEA.
The 5 other finalists were Yanice Cheong Ming Yan of CWP Food Manufacturing Sdn Bhd. Not only is she the only finalist based in Ipoh, but is also the only woman in the top 8. Ng Kim Heng of Ng Kim Heng Advisory Services Sdn Bhd, Danson Tang Kia Ching of Ins Tech International Sdn Bhd, Low Wei Cheong of Thermoex Engineering Sdn Bhd and Goh Yik Hon of Kow Hock Building Materials (M) Sdn Bhd.
All finalists, including those not in the top 8, have not only gone through a tough evaluation process, but have been put through stringent background checks to ensure that their companies were profitable, well run and that there were no legal issues, on top of being creative and innovative while serving the community.
