KUALA LUMPUR: Silverlake Axis Ltd executive chairman Goh Peng Ooi was named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 and the Master Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 at a gala dinner officiated by International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed last night.

Goh will represent Malaysia and join more than 60 other country winners to compete for the coveted EY World Entrepreneur of the Year (WEOY) award in Monte Carlo, Monaco next year.

Commenting on his win, Goh said: “Of course, I am happy”.

“We are in a very interesting time now when we can see a generation gap... In fact, I told a young lady recently that the one thing that she should remember is that the norms that we are facing now will not be as applicable as before,” he told The Edge Financial Daily, when asked what he would say to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Goh, who is Silverlake’s founder, with his foresight of the banking industry’s future technology demands, built the company to become a leading provider of state-of-the-art digital economy solutions and services for the banking and financial services business, as well as the payments, retail, logistics and insurance sectors.

Today, Silverlake has grown into a multi-billion dollar company which is represented in over 20 countries across the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

Philip Rao, EY Malaysia partner and EOY Malaysia programme director, said Goh is an excellent example of entrepreneurs who have the foresight and vision to challenge the status quo and ask questions that some haven’t even thought of yet.

“He (Goh) has provided comprehensive tools, and business applications and technologies to help his customers capitalise on opportunities, thereby contributing to their success in the digital economy,” said Rao.

EY Malaysia country managing partner Datuk Rauf Rashid said the advisory firm is proud that through its EOY awards programme, it is able to showcase the best of Malaysia’s entrepreneurial spirit on a local and global scale, as well as promote principled entrepreneurial excellence.

“To us, entrepreneurs are exceptional people who help build a better working world for all of us. Their entrepreneurial spirit results in job creation, and new products and services that enhance the quality of our lives and help our economy flourish,” he said.

EY also presented three other awards  to the following individuals:

• Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 to Datuk Calvin Khiu, founder and group chief executive officer of MK Wedding Sdn Bhd

• Technology Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 to Ivan Teh, managing director of Fusionex Corp Sdn Bhd

• Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 to Pat Liew, group chief executive officer and founder of BTC Clothier Sdn Bhd

The recipients were selected by an independent panel of judges guided by a set of globally-benchmarked criteria.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 5, 2014.