Source:
https://scmp.com/article/437775/entrants-get-best-treatment-panel-judges

Entrants get best of treatment from panel of judges

As chief executive of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Eden Woon Yi-teng wears two hats in relation to the DHL/SCMP Hong Kong Business Awards.

The HKGCC acts as advisers to the awards, and Mr Woon also sits on the judging panel, which gives him insights and an understanding of the prestigious annual business community acknowledgements.

'Hong Kong has lots of awards,' Mr Woon says. 'This clearly reflects a society that is keen on getting and giving recognition, and I think this is good as Hong Kong businesses strive for excellence and accomplishments.'

He says the negative side to having an abundance of awards is that one set of honours tends to dilute the glory of another. He believes the solution lies in combining awards or eliminating a few.

Mr Woon, who has been associated with the award for the past seven years, says the panel of judges includes six permanent panel members and six chosen from the previous year's award winners.

The mix, with half the panel serving as an anchor to the awards process and the other half always changing, is good for the programme, he says.

'With an ever-changing panel, the judging is always heated, with lots of lively, interesting and comprehensive discussion,' Mr Woon says. 'The judges are from different walks of life, so there is lots of information being imparted from personal knowledge and experience from around the business community, which adds to the awards' credibility.'

He says the wide range of competitors adds richness and variety to the programme.

'The applicants are quite varied. Some are nominated by the judging panel, some by other business people around Hong Kong, and some are self-nominated. We get new and interesting candidates every year.'

Mr Woon emphasised the special nature of the awards scheme.

'The other point to be made when comparing these awards with others is that other awards just do not have the stature of these awards,' Mr Woon says. 'These awards have a niche and a recognition that sets them apart. Also, because of the way the actual awards presentation ceremony is handled, with interesting and unusual speakers invited, the awards dinner itself is noteworthy and newsworthy.

'As far as the nominees and winners are concerned, there are some categories, such as Businessmen of the Year, where there is no question as to who is the right man or woman in any particular year,' Mr Woon says.

'Some other categories are tougher, such as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year, where recipients must have a track record of launching a business of their own and growing it through originality and innovation.

'The benefits of these awards are recognition for the individual winners of the various categories and their respective companies,' Mr Woon says.

'These awards also set a benchmark of excellence and instil incentive in others in the business community to try and achieve similar recognition for their efforts to grow and develop Hong Kong-based businesses.

'These awards travel well internationally. There is the perception that if an individual or company has been acknowledged by the Hong Kong business community, then that company must stand head and shoulders above others in its field of expertise.'