Business China Awards: For the Outstanding Who Made the Moves and Built the Ties

Business China is pleased to announce the launch of Business China Awards, these awards are first of its kind to honour outstanding businessmen, entrepreneurs, professionals and enterprises with notable contributions to enhancing relations between Singapore and China.

At the media launch, Chairman of Business China, Mr Chua Thian Poh said, “Business China aims to strengthen ties between Singapore and China through nurturing young Singaporeans to develop deeper links with China engaging it in all facets. The Business China awards will recognise individuals and organisation whose efforts have helped to realise this vision.”

The awards have been in conception for the past one year, and the inaugural Business China Awards will be held this year, to mark 20years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China.

Open to CEOs, entrepreneurs, professionals and organisations in Singapore or Greater China, the three categories for Business China Awards are: Business China Excellence Award, Business China Young Achiever Award and Business China Enterprise Award.

Candidates of Business China Young Achiever Award should be below 40 years old.

The third category, Business China Enterprise Award, is open to organisations in Singapore or Greater China.

Chairman of Business China Awards Organising Committee, Mr Alan Chan said, “The unique criterion across all categories is ‘Contribution to Singapore-China relationships’. This contribution of the candidate can be in the areas of business, economic, social or culture. With the Business China Awards, we hope that more will be encouraged to do more in the relationship-building between Singapore and China.”

This programme is organised by Business China, and jointly presented by OCBC Bank. 

Mr Samuel Tsien, OCBC Bank’s Global Head of Global Corporate Bank said, “Despite significant differences in market practices, many businesses have done well in establishing a strong foothold in China.  They deserve to be recognized not only for their leadership and business success, but also for the role they play in promoting stronger Singapore-China ties.  The Business China Awards are designed to honour them and inspire others to reinforce the connectivity between the two countries.”

Nominations will be open from 3 May to 4 June, and the forms will be available online at www.businesschina.org.sg/bcawards/. The awards gala dinner will be held on 23 November, in conjunction with Business China 3rd Anniversary celebrations. Guest of honour will be Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

Supporting media for Business China Awards are Lianhe Zaobao and The Business Times.

Media Launch details
Date: 3 May 2010, Monday
Time: 3:00 pm to 4.30 pm
Venue: Shangri-la Hotel Singapore, Level 2, Hibiscus Room
(22 Orange Grove Road Singapore 258350)

For further enquiries, you may contact:
Julia Tan
Executive (Corporate Communications)
Business China
Tel: 6842 1233
Fax: 6842 2633
Email: julia@businesschina.org.sg

About Business China
Business China was launched in November 2007 by our Patron Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. We are a platform integrating language, economic and cultural elements. Our mission is to nurture an inclusive bilingual and bi-cultural group of Singaporeans through extensive use of the Chineselanguage as the medium of communication, so as to sustain our multi-cultural heritage, and to develop a cultural and economic bridge linking the world and China.

About OCBC Bank
OCBC Bank, Singapore’s longest established local bank, is the second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets. With a long history of serving corporate customers in its key markets of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Greater China, OCBC Bank has a network of more than 500 branches and representative offices in 15 countries and territories, including the Chinese cities of Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin and Xiamen. Committed to making business banking easy for its customers, the Bank offers a comprehensive suite of simple, fast and convenient financial solutions tailored to meet the needs of entrepreneurs. For more information, please visit www.ocbc.com.

Business China Factsheet
The Business China Awards aim to honour outstanding businessmen, entrepreneurs, professionals and organisations for their successes and contributions to Singapore-China relationships and the appreciation of the Chinese language and culture.

There are three award categories, namely:
·         Business China Excellence Award
·         Business China Young Achiever Award 
·         Business China Enterprise Award

Who can participate
Business China Awards are open to CEOs, entrepreneurs, professionals and organisations in Singapore or Greater China in a broad variety of fields. Please refer to Awards criteria for eligibility.

Who can nominate
Any individual or organisation in Singapore or Greater China can submit their nominations to Business China Secretariat.

How to nominate
You may download the nomination form from www.businesschina.org.sg/bcawards/ or call the secretariat at 68421233.

For enquiry, you may contact Business China Awards Secretariat at 6842 1233 or email bca@businesschina.org.sg.

Important Dates:
3 May: Media Launch
3 May: Calling for Nominations
4 June: Nominations close
Aug/Sep: Judging
23 Nov: Awards gala dinner

For further details, visit: bcawards.businesschina.org.sg/en.

About the Business China Awards logo
The silver and red waves symbolize the long lasting friendship between Singapore and China, always moving to greater heights.The ten dynamic-looking waves also represent the multi-faceted platforms initiated between business leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals and organizations of both countries. These platforms build an important reservoir of mutual understanding and deep engagement, which energise and strengthen links between the two countries at all levels in all fields.

Judging Criteria
The judging criteria for the awards are as follows.

BUSINESS CHINA EXCELLENCE AWARD
This award will go to an outstanding Singapore citizen, permanent resident, or resident of Greater China who can best demonstrate exceptional vision and leadership in the development and sustained growth of a business or profession in China or Singapore, respectively.
The candidate must also be an exemplary role model to other Singaporeans in the learning and appreciating of the Chinese language and culture.

Nominees for the Business China Excellence Award are assessed in 4 key areas:
1.     Financial Performance
2.     Contribution to Singapore-China relationships
3.     Managerial Skills
4.     Personal Qualities

Eligibility
·       The candidate should be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident, or a Resident of Greater China.
·       If the candidate is a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, he/she should be involved in a business enterprise or profession in China.
·       If the candidate is a Resident of Greater China, he/she should be involved in a business enterprise or profession in Singapore.
·       There is no restriction on gender, age or race.

BUSINESS CHINA YOUNG ACHIEVER AWARD
This award will go to an outstanding young Singapore citizen or permanent resident, or a resident of Greater China who has best demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision in the development and sustained growth of a business or profession in China or Singapore, respectively.

Nominees for the Business China Young Achiever Award are assessed in 4 key areas:
1.     Financial Performance
2.   Contribution to Singapore-China relationships
3.     Managerial Skills
4.     Personal Qualities

Eligibility
·       The candidate should be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident, or a Resident of Greater China.
·       If the candidate is a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, he/she should be involved in a business enterprise or profession in China.
·       If the candidate is a Resident of Greater China, he/she should be involved in a business enterprise or profession in Singapore.
·       The candidate must be below the age of 40.
·       There is no restriction on gender or race.

BUSINESS CHINA ENTERPRISE AWARD
This award will go to a Singapore company or a Chinese company registered in Singapore which has best demonstrated exceptional drive and vision as well as enjoyed substantial growth in its business in China or Singapore, respectively.
Nominees for Business China Enterprise Award are assessed in four key areas:
1.     Financial Performance
2.     Contribution to Singapore-China relationships
3.     Innovation
4.     Company Management

Judging Panel