Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised a special award presentation ceremony to honour global winners of the Youth Business International’s Young Entrepreneur Awards at the Park Hyatt hotel in Dubai on Tuesday evening.

The Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 was presented to Viola Lam, an entrepreneur from Hong Kong who is running FS Education, specialising in a unique form of teaching mathematics using images, helping students to grasp concepts much quicker than via traditional methods.

Li Feng of China received the Mentor of the Year award while the category awards went to Arun Awatade, Social Entrepreneur of the Year for developing more sustainable forms of agriculture by using plastic mulch, Susan Ogwengo, Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year for setting up a day care centre for children of working mothers, and Sonal Patil, Woman Entrepreneur of the Year for restarting her garment manufacturing factory devastated by a fire.

The Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards were also presented to three finalists including Judith Mendoza of Peru for her business of creating products from natural salt, Kendal Netmaker from Canada for setting up a lifestyle clothing brand, and Igor Zaboev, from Russia for his recycled household waste business by H.E. Hisham Al Shirawi, 2nd Vice-Chairman, Dubai Chamber, and Head of Tejar Dubai Selection Committee Panel, and Sir Malcolm Williamson, Chairman, Youth Business International and chair of the judging panel.

The award ceremony, held in partnership with Barclays, was attended by H.E Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman, and H.E. Hamad Buamim, President and CEO, Dubai Chamber along with an audience from Canada, Hong Kong and India in addition to the prominent presence of representatives of the private sector and the business community in Dubai and entrepreneurs from the UAE and the world over.

Congratulating the award winners, H.E. Al Shirawi, said: “Hosting of this award in the region for the first time reflects on Dubai’s status as a leading destination of entrepreneurship as well as one of the world’s most dynamic and sophisticated cities committed to encourage enterprise and innovation under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, which emphasises that entrepreneurship is the shortest route to a bright future.”

Lauding the winners’ contribution in creating innovative projects, H.E. Al Shirawi stated that these talented entrepreneurs made an impact in their communities by generating employment opportunities through the establishment of sustainable businesses that meet market demands and go on to contribute to the economic growth of their respective countries.

He further stated that Dubai Chamber’s partnership with Youth Business International which seeks to increase the efficiency and scale of support to young entrepreneurs to create their own business will also allow budding Emirati entrepreneurs to share best practices and exchange expertise with their global counterparts.

H.E. Al Shirawi informed that the Dubai Chamber initiative of Tejar Dubai has launched 6 commercial projects so far out of the 21 projects approved by the judging panel, while the program organised more than 25 training workshops on various topics related to the establishment and management of commercial projects, and held 170 business networking meetings for the participants of the program, as part of the Chamber’s commitment to facilitate the entry of young entrepreneurs into the competitive world of business.

Sir Malcolm Williamson, Chairman of Youth Business International and chair of the judging panel, said: “The judges were impressed by the achievements and potential of all four finalists. But the judges selected Viola Lam because of her vision, clear business model and her ambitious plans for growth. We look forward to seeing her business grow.”

Andrew Mortimer, Managing Director, CEO and Country Manager, Middle East Barclays Plc, said, “Entrepreneurs play an important role in shaping the economy and each year we are overwhelmed with the quality of participants in these awards. At Barclays we are committed to enable the next generation of young entrepreneurs and support their ideas by providing mentoring, access to resources and professional training. By partnering with YBI, we hope to encourage more and more Emiratis and regional participation towards the initiative in the upcoming years.”

Randa Al Himyari, an Emirati female participant of Tejar Dubai, spoke on the side-lines of the award ceremony describing her experience of realising her dream of entering the business world and owning and co-founding four businesses.

Essa Al Zaabi, Senior Vice-President, Institutional Support Sector, Dubai Chamber, and General Coordinator of Tejar Dubai, informed that Tejar Dubai’s joining hands with Youth Business International will fuel future entrepreneurial success across the emirates as this will provide global exposure to the participants of the entrepreneurship development program which supports Emiratis to have their own successful business.

The recent signing of MoU between Tejar Dubai and YBI will also allow the exchange of experiences and knowledge on global best practices, besides providing young UAE entrepreneurs with mentoring support in starting their own business. It will also encourage their participation in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award organised by YBI. In turn, the contribution of Tejar Dubai participants in the economic growth of Dubai will also be highlighted to a global audience, he said.

The Tejar Dubai initiative launched by Dubai Chamber offers a specialised programme and platform for youth to help them establish their own small-to-medium-sized businesses. With its commitment to the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, which emphasises that entrepreneurship is the shortest route to a bright future, the training programme aims to find and train creative and commercially-minded youth to help them turn their business ideas into a reality.

Under its three key pillars of assess, assist and attain, the Tejar Dubai initiative provides youth with access to an extensive development programme, including classroom learning, on-site training, mentoring and business advice, as well as networking opportunities with local and international business leaders and access to investment capital.

Tejar Dubai becomes the fourth Middle Eastern member of Youth Business International’s network, joining The Centennial Fund in Saudi Arabia, Enda Inter-Arabe in Tunisia and Tamweelcom in Jordan.

Founded in 2000 by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, Youth Business International (YBI) is a global network of independent, non-profit initiatives operating in more than 40 countries to help young people start and grow their own businesses and create employment through a combination of financial and non-financial support.