Press release

8 Mar 2018 Hong Kong SAR

EY selects promising and innovative businesswomen to its 2018 EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Asia-Pacific program

Coinciding with International Women’s Day, EY announces its 2018 EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Asia-Pacific and Japan classes.

  • Selected women entrepreneurs in Asia-Pacific generated a combined revenue of more than US$687m in 2017, employing more than 4,300 people across the region
  • Sectors represented in 2018 include biotech, education, mining, luxury consumer products and the food and beverage industry
  • This year’s program includes participants from Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka

Coinciding with International Women’s Day, EY announces its 2018 EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Asia-Pacific and Japan classes. This year’s participants represent 23 rising female entrepreneurs from 11 countries who run high-growth businesses across a wide variety of sectors including biotech, education, mining, luxury consumer products and the food and beverage industry. This year’s Asia-Pacific participants represent a combined revenue of more than US$687m in 2017 revenues and more than 4,300 employees.

The program is designed to help women entrepreneurs who are leading thriving organizations break through existing barriers to scale their businesses to their full potential and to become global market leaders. The program will provide participants with strategic support, training and access to the global EY entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The 2018 EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Asia-Pacific class includes businesswomen from Australia, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka. This year also marks the first time that participants from the EY Japan Area class are involved in the wider Asia-Pacific program.

Annette Kimmitt, EY Global Growth Markets Leader, says:

“What we’re seeing in the market today is that innovation is a critical driver of economic growth and job creation. And it’s clear that women entrepreneurs, when empowered with the right support and resources, are leading the way. The EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program is so important because it’s all about helping women entrepreneurs to scale their businesses. We take the lessons from our unrivaled 32 years of experience in guiding, advising and recognizing entrepreneurs, to provide these talented women entrepreneurs with the insights and support they need to accelerate their business’ growth.”

This year’s classes will convene for the first time at a two-day conference in Tokyo on 28-29 May 2018, and they will also take part in a series of e-conferences, in-country business sessions and workshops throughout the year. The customized program focuses on areas such as:

  • Delivering actionable guidance on growth, talent, operations, leadership and more
  • Identifying and building strategic alliances, partnerships and new sales channels
  • Access to networks of award-winning entrepreneurs and business leaders
  • Introductions to potential investors
  • Building a public profile for the entrepreneurs and their companies.

The wider Asia-Pacific program is part of a worldwide community of EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™. Launched in the US in 2008, the program now numbers more than 430 women entrepreneurs building companies in 50 countries across all industries. According to an EY global impact study on the program released at the end of 2017, EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ companies have averaged a CAGR of 35% and 166% headcount growth since joining the program.

Asia-Pacific and Japan classes of 2018

Selection criteria for the program targets high-potential women entrepreneurs with established businesses that are at least five years old; have annual revenues in excess of US$2m for the last two years; 51% owned by women entrepreneurs and for their readiness to scale their businesses and develop or expand their global footprints to be market leaders. The 2018 members of the Asia-Pacific EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program are:

  • Elidawati Ali Oemar, Elcorps (Indonesia): A leading global Muslim lifestyle company with a reputation for its integrity and commitment to products that benefit all mankind.
  • Sharala Axryd, The Center of Applied Data Science (Malaysia): ASEAN’s first and only one-stop platform and incubation center for data science. The organization aims to deliver the highest standards of data science education and works to cultivate and mentor the next generation of data professionals in Asia.
  • Yueqiong Cao, Shanghai Genechem Co., Ltd. (China): The leading gene therapy and cancer research platform in China and the only one able to provide genetic services at multiple cellular levels. It provides a wide range of gene function research products and services for domestic medical institutions, research institutes and companies. 
  • Weiyu Chen, Atzuche (China): Encourages the country’s 300 million licensed drivers to share cars, which also reduces the pressure on roads and the environment. Today, Atzuche covers 60 cities in China and has more than 500,000 registered cars.
  • Jocelyn Chng, JR Group Holdings (Singapore): An innovative, ready-made meal provider that encourages a healthy diet. It launched the world’s first fully automated and unmanned vending machine cafe, the Chef-In-Box Vendcafé, in 2016.
  • Melesa Chua, CDC Holdings, Inc. (Philippines): A group of real estate companies engaged in the development, marketing and management of residential and mixed-use projects catering to middle- and upper-income markets.
  • Abigail Forsyth, KeepCup (Australia): Provides a solution to disposable cup waste. Today, more than 10 million people are KeepCup converts. Launched in Melbourne, Australia, the company now has offices in London and Los Angeles and serves customers in more than 65 countries.
  • Mariko Hashimoto, Delighted Inc. (Japan): Provides highly effective receptionist services in a wide range of areas. In 2017, the company released a cloud-based receptionist system called Receptionist – the first of its kind in Japan.
  • Linda He, Wailian Group (China): An established global company with service offerings in business immigration, overseas investment and international education. It has helped numerous Chinese people fulfill their dream of going abroad and has become a proven leader in the overseas investment industry.
  • Marina Hirst Tristram, Tasman Bay Food Group (New Zealand): The company behind Juicies – the brand of frozen treats. Juicies are made from freshly pressed apples, real fruit juice and have no added sugar.
  • Kelly Jamieson, Edible Blooms (Australia): An online gift delivery service that started in Australia with a small range of nine fresh fruit bouquets and has grown to include a wide range of gifts. With offices also in Geneva and London, it means customers can send and receive an Edible Bloom in many major markets around the world.
  • Kaoru Joho, TableCross Inc. (Japan): A philanthropic app for restaurant reservations. When a customer makes a restaurant reservation with the app, the restaurant is charged an advertising fee and this fee then goes toward the cost of school lunches for poor children in seven countries via nonprofit organizations.
  • Fumiko Kato, WAmazing Inc. (Japan): Provides services for international travelers to Japan via its “WAmazing” smart phone app. With a free SIM card included, the app offers ready-to-use internet access and services that allows tourists to book accommodation and experiences.
  • Elizabeth Lee, Golden Bridge United Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (China): Through cooperation with financial institutions in China and abroad, the company primarily provides customized asset-based finance lease services to state-owned enterprises, publicly listed companies and urban infrastructure operators.
  • Denise Meyerson, The Focus Learning Group (Australia): Provides a range of digital and classroom-based platforms that are transforming the way students and corporate team members gain skills and knowledge.
  • Nasaa Narmandakh, Monpolymet Group (Mongolia): Mongolian mining, land rehabilitation and construction group that puts responsible mining at the heart of its business practices. Successfully commissioned Mongolia’s first environmentally friendly cement plants, negating the need for imports. 
  • Sarah Timmerman, Beginning Boutique (Australia): One of Australia’s most successful online fashion retailers. Complete with the brand’s three exclusive in-house labels, the company sells stunning designer and wholesale items, going above and beyond for their customers with attention to detail, quality, products and unique packaging.
  • Kiyomi Tsuchiya, Sound-F Co., Ltd. (Japan): Builds business solutions for financial institutions. Recently launched a FinTech-related service to provide specialized support for complex business needs.
  • Kahoko Tsunezawa, KIDSLINE Inc. (Japan): An online babysitter matching service. The company offers an on-demand safe and reliable childcare platform, with the goal of cultivating a babysitting culture across Japan and establishing flexibility for women.
  • Anneke van den Broek, Rufus & Coco (Australia): A health and beauty brand for pets. The organization helps pets around the world to look good and feel great by offering product solutions that help improve their lives and the lives of their owners.
  • Sandra Wanduragala, Selyn Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka): Fair trade producer enhancing the livelihoods of rural women in Sri Lanka by supplying toys, fashion, fashion accessories and home goods to fair trade and commercial customers all over the world.
  • Young-mi Youn, Highland Foods (South Korea): Importer and distributor of foods that aims to serve society by putting food safety first. Embraces corporate social responsibility to become an organization that is worth working for, worth doing business with and is admired by customers.
  • Rachel Zhu, Riqing Group (China): A market leader in luxury retail and hospitality management in China. The company works with leading global luxury brands to bring their products to Chinese customers through its own network of boutiques and department stores and by working with luxury hotels throughout the country.

For more information on the Asia-Pacific Program, visit ey.com/ewwasiapacific

For more information on the global program, visit ey.com/gl/en/services/strategic-growth-markets/ey-entrepreneurial-winning-women

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Notes to editors

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