The finalists will be competing in the following categories; Master, which honours individuals whose achievements have made them world-class entrepreneurs and the Emerging, which credits those individuals who are building young businesses with high potential.
We are excited to announce, in alphabetical order, by first name, the finalists under the two categories:
Master category
• Ashok Shah – Group Chief Executive Officer, Apollo Investment Limited (APA Insurance & Associates)
• Abid Alam – Group Managing Director, Alam Group Limited
• Dr Jennifer Nkuene Riria – Group Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Women Holding Limited
• Manoj Shanker – Chief executive Officer, Techno Brain Limited
Emerging category
• Jullian Nyamahunge Omalla – Managing director, Delight (Uganda) Limited
• Esther Muchemi – Chief Executive Officer, SAMCHI Group
• Jyoti Mukherjee – Chief Executive Officer, Software Technologies Limited
Gitahi Gachahi, CEO EY Eastern Africa asserts, “These finalists are a great illustration of the entrepreneurial wealth in East Africa. Their strength, vision and determination to re-shape the business environment in achieving economic growth should be celebrated. The stories of their journeys to success should be shared in order to inspire other entrepreneurs and the youth.”
The Master category winner will represent Eastern Africa at the global awards ceremony, to be held in Monte Carlo in June this year. The winner will be inducted into the World Entrepreneur Hall of Fame and compete with over 50 other country finalists for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award™, one of the most coveted global business awards.
Previous winners from Africa include, Dr. James Mwangi, CEO and Managing Director of Equity Bank Group, who took the 2012 global title and the late Bill Lynch of Imperial Holdings, who in 2005, went on to become the first African to win the title. Emmanuel Katongole, of Quality Chemical Industries Group, Uganda represented the region in 2013.
Gitahi concludes, “This year’s program boasts a great calibre of finalists. It is encouraging to see that all finalists in the Emerging category are women. In Africa women are an untapped economic force for growth, driving social and economic progress. Each finalist should be celebrated for the contributions they are making in leading our continent into a new future.”
This year’s winners will be announced at a gala event to be held on the 27 March 2014.
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award Programme, which is the world’s most prestigious award for entrepreneurs, was launched in East and West Africa in 2011.