Click on the above 73-second Youtube slideshow on the E&Y Entrepreneur event held on the night of 27 November 2012 at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. (For higher resolution, move your mouse cursor over the base of the slideshow and click on 'Change Quality'.)
John Lim, Group CEO of ARA Asset Management, clinched the overall E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 Singapore award.
The win caps a year during which the Singapore-listed company celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Said Mr Lim: "Ten years ago, I took the plunge and started ARA when the economy was depressed. I can still recall the anxieties, hopes and energy when we started with a 4-person outfit in Hong Kong in 2002, with the support of Cheung Kong Holdings as co-founder and partner.
"It was truly hard work, with many challenging and rewarding experiences. Time has passed quickly. A decade is a long period; it makes up almost three Olympic games, including the one that is on-going in London now!. ARA has succeeded beyond our best expectations."
Earlier, he was among 5 who had won in various categories:
> Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year – Financial Services
John Lim, Group CEO, ARA Asset Management Limited
> Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year – Lifestyle and Retail
Douglas Benjamin, COO, F J Benjamin Holdings Ltd
> Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year – Commercial and Industrial Services
Martin Gui, Managing Director, Facility Link Pte Ltd
> Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year – Engineering
Dr. Shahzad Nasim, Global CEO, Meinhardt Group International Ltd
> Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year – Business and Consumer Products
Mohamed Salleh Marican, Founder and CEO, Second Chance Properties Ltd
At ARA Asset Management Limited, the team is not afraid to push the boundary during a time when REITs listing was still relatively new in Singapore.
“ARA was an early leader with many ‘firsts’. For example, Fortune REIT was successfully listed in 2003 as the first cross-border REIT listed in Asia, and subsequently the only REIT with a primary dual-listing in Hong Kong in 2010,” said Mr Lim.
He will represent Singapore at the annual Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year award in Monte Carlo in 2013 to compete with contenders from over 50 countries.
For more on ARA, read our recent story: ARA ASSET MANAGEMENT celebrates 10 years of extraordinary success
