Zachary Wang, co-founder and CEO of Neuron Mobility, was named EY’s 23rd Entrepreneur Of The Year (EoY) 2024 Singapore. The award was presented at the dinner held at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.
“It is a great honour to receive the prestigious EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Singapore award. My journey at Neuron has been incredibly exciting, with its fair share of challenges, but also immensely satisfying. I must thank the excellent Neuron team. I could not have achieved this alone,” says Wang on his win. The 39-year-old is a serial entrepreneur who seeks to improve urban living through sustainable technology, notes Jason Moo, CEO of Bank of Singapore (BoS), when introducing Wang as the category winner in mobility.
Neuron Mobility is a leading e-scooter operator in Australia and New Zealand. Co-founded by Wang and the company’s chief technology officer (CTO), Harry Yu, the company, which also owns the technology that runs these e-scooters, is now present in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. The company has so far introduced a number of world firsts and pioneering innovations including e-scooter battery swapping, geofencing control and integrated helmets.
Wang beat three other category winners and will go on to compete with winners from other countries at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year award in June next year.
Four category winners were selected at this year’s EoY Singapore awards from over 80 nominations.
They are Edy Tan Wei Hock, CEO, Chye Thiam Maintenance, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year — Environmental Services; Samuel Yik, managing director of Dian Xiao Er Group, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year — Food and Beverage; Anthony Chow, co-founder and CEO of smart access solutions company igloo, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year — Technology Solutions; and of course, Wang. The winners were chosen as they were deemed to have fulfilled EY’s four globally benchmarked criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, growth, purpose and impact.
See also: Key to successful business is to be an unreasonable optimist: igloo founder Anthony Chow
Susan Chong, founder and CEO of Greenphyto and chairperson of the panel, noted that this year’s winners reflected an “interesting mix” of traditional industries and new sectors stemming from the rise of the digital and sharing economy. Chong had previously served three times as a judge at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year award. She was also the category winner for EY EoY 2014 — Sustainable Packaging Solutions.
“Be it investing in technology and innovation to redefine established ways of operating, venturing into foreign markets beyond Singapore or carving a niche for themselves, these entrepreneurs have changed the face of their industries, created new consumer demands and uplifted quality of lives in communities,” she adds.
Chong also lauded Wang for his “commitment to a strong purpose, sustainability and serial entrepreneurial and innovative traits”.
See also: Dian Xiao Er tastes success with automation and Cambodia plans
“With Neuron, he introduced a number of world firsts and pioneering innovations and has expanded to over 30 cities worldwide, pushing progress in personal mobility for smart cities. This admirable combination of impact, innovation and business acumen puts him in good stead to represent Singapore on the world stage at [the] World Entrepreneur Of The Year [awards],” she continues.
“Every year, we witness remarkable stories of entrepreneurs who have transformed their visions into impactful ventures, proving that entrepreneurship is as much about strategy and execution as it is about heart and purpose. Our class of winning entrepreneurs this year certainly embody this,” said Liew Nam Soon, EY’s Asean regional managing partner and Singapore and Brunei managing partner, at the dinner on Nov 18.
“Having worked with the entrepreneurial community for over two decades, we’ve seen the importance of supportive stakeholders in order to foster a thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem that underpins Singapore’s economic growth,” he added in a statement released on the same day. “Beyond the work of government and trade associations, entrepreneurs play a vital role in mentoring the next generation, promoting collaboration, and providing access to resources such as funding, networks, and education, given their direct experience in building a successful business from start to scale.”
This sentiment was echoed by Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law, who was the guest of honour at this year’s gala.
In his speech, Tong noted that entrepreneurs play an important role in Singapore’s society as they create jobs and contribute to the country’s economy.
He added that the “repainting and reframing” of Singapore’s economy is a never-ending process amid the constant shifts in the global economy and advancing technology. Today, Singapore is facing geopolitical tensions leading to trade disruptions, reduced investments and economic slowdowns. Internally, the country will always be restricted by its size and issues such as an ageing population, declining birth rate and shrinking workforce.
“As a small and open economy, like it or not, we must adapt to these changes to ensure that we remain resilient and relevant. We cannot afford to stay stagnant. Standing still is moving backwards,” he warns.
“I am glad that many of our Singapore entrepreneurs are cognisant of this. The four winners of this year’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Singapore awards are sterling examples of keeping up with [the] times. They emphasised a lot on innovation, and on continuous learning and re-learning, to meet their customers’ needs,” he continues.
In addition to the four category winners, EY gave out two honorary awards with Bank of Singapore (BoS) as the presenting title sponsor and platinum sponsor for the first time. This year, the EY-Bank of Singapore Asean Entrepreneurial Excellence was presented to Lance Y Gokongwei, president and CEO of JG Summit, while the EY-Bank of Singapore Family Enterprise Award of Excellence was awarded to Tecity Group. The award was jointly selected by knowledge partners, knowledge partners, Business Families Institute @ Singapore Management University and the INSEAD Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise.
“Bank of Singapore is pleased to be the platinum sponsor of the EY EoY awards in Singapore. Entrepreneurs are an important driving force of the economy, and many of them have pioneered innovations that have significant social and economic impact,” says Jason Moo, CEO of BoS, in EY’s September statement. “We are proud to partner EY to celebrate these entrepreneurs’ tenacity and perseverance in building and sustaining successful businesses.”
The Singapore Exchange S68 (SGX) marks its fifth year as the official partner of the EoY awards.
“In an era marked by rapidly shifting macroeconomic and business landscapes, Singapore entrepreneurs are navigating through unprecedented challenges. These challenges demand not just resilience but innovation. Through programmes like the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award, now into its fifth year of sponsorship by the SGX Group, we continue to shine a spotlight on the remarkable achievements of our homegrown champions,” says Pol de Win, head of global sales and origination, SGX Group.
Besides The Edge Singapore, Portfolio Magazine and The Business Times are the official media partners. The event is supported by Action Community for Entrepreneurship, Enterprise Singapore, the Singapore Business Federation and SkillsFuture Singapore.
