[PHOTOS] Prestige Malaysia's 8 Most Successful Young Trailblazers From All Walks Of Life
Since 2005, Prestige Malaysia, through its Top 40 Under 40 awards, has been identifying and honouring young entrepreneurs from various industries. This year, in 2014, for their 10th anniversary of the awards, they decided to switch things up a little and with the help of an esteemed panel of judges who deliberated over 360 candidates' profiles from the past nine years, picked up eight of the most successful ones.
By Sadho Ram — 24 Nov 2014, 02:54 AM — Updated almost 10 years ago
1. 29-year-old Bryan Loo, Managing Director of Loob Holding, who back in 2010 brought Chatime, an insanely popular Taiwanese tea brand, in Malaysia and quickly made it a household craving, is today aptly recognised as Malaysia's bubble tea king
Bryan Loo is responsible for introducing Chatime – a Taiwanese tea brand – to Malaysia at the tender age of 24 and has singlehandedly expanded the tea culture experience in Malaysia beyond teh tarik and the traditional English afternoon tea.
Five years since its introduction, Chatime is still going strong with no less than 130 outlets across the country. Possessing a strong will to succeed and a burning desire to chart his own course in life, Bryan is showing no sign of stopping as he embarks on an ambitious plan to expand his F&B portfolio with the introduction of some new brands.
2. Chan Kee Siak, Founder & CEO of Exabytes Network, who calls himself an accidental entrepreneur, single-handedly founded Exabytes in 2001 and within few years he managed to turn it into Malaysia's leading web-hosting company
As the CEO of Exabytes, Kee Siak is a pioneer and the head of the country’s leading web-hosting company. With offices in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Kee Siak recently crossed borders into Singapore with the acquisition of web-hosting firm Usonyx.
His company is set to become the largest hosting provider in Singapore by 2015 with two other acquisitions in the pipeline.
3. 28-year-old David Lai, Director of Tess Management, who calls himself a Mentalist, has successfully translated his talent in the art of magic into a thriving business
His career officially kicked off when he clinched a million-dollar deal to put on a massive illusion show in Egypt while he was still an undergraduate!
The self-motivated 28-year-old rarely performs these days as he is focused on producing and directing shows, including Sesame Street Live – Elmo Makes Music, which makes its debut at Genting Highlands Resort end of this month.
4. Ken Lim, Managing Director of Esplanade Avenue, whose passion for scent drove him to greater heights in the beauty industry, is the cynosure of Malaysia's beauty devotees
The founder of Kens Apothecary, Ken specialises in premium beauty brands that include Laura Mercier, By Terry, Caudalie, Annick Goutal and Dr. Brandt, all of which are coveted by those in-the-know.
Ken recently opened an all-fragrance store called KENS in Bangsar that showcases his love for French scents and its new Caudalie boutique spa is set to open really soon in Bangsar Shopping Centre.
5. Kenny Goh, CEO of Macro Kiosk, who leads the multi-million ringgit mobile technology enabler Macrokiosk, which he founded in 1998 with his two brothers, has set his sights on getting the company listed on the stock market next
Together with his brothers, Kenny set up Macrokiosk, a mobile technology enabler, with minimum capital and sheer grit and determination. The beginning was tough but after they shared their struggles with the press, it caught the attention of a prominent investor.
Today, the firm services some of the biggest banks and airlines in Malaysia, and has a presence in 40 countries.
6. Khoon Hooi, Director of Clothier Creation, whose eponymous label is everywhere, from as far as France and Switzerland to neighbouring Singapore and Indonesia, owns a retro-minimalist boutique in the luxurious Starhill Gallery
The name Khoon Hooi is synonymous with beautiful clothes that are understated yet stylish and elegant. The designer is also making inroads on the fashion stage abroad with regular trade shows in Paris and points of sales around the world.
For the affable, soft-spoken Khoon Hooi, the ultimate dream would be to get on the main schedule of the Paris Fashion Week, something we believe may just happen in the near future if he keeps the momentum up.
7. Mac Chung Lynn, Group CEO of Nando's Malaysia & Singapore, who is an architect by training, found success in the food business by helping grow the South African restaurant brand into 59 outlets in Malaysia and nine in Singapore
The group CEO of Nandos is an architect by training but chose to venture into the food business when the opportunity arose. Under her stewardship, she has grown the South African restaurant brand into 59 outlets in Malaysia and nine in Singapore.
Chung Lynn is unstoppable as she has expressed her interest in spreading her wings into the rest of Southeast Asia soon.
8. 30-year-old Timothy Tiah, Co-founder of NuffNang, the world's leading blog advertisement community with over one million bloggers worldwide, has been collecting one accolade after another, including being shortlisted for the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year recently
As the co-founder of Netccentric Pte Ltd, Timothy runs a multi-million ringgit business that includes Nuffnang, the world’s leading blog advertisement community with over one million bloggers worldwide. Netccentric then diversified its portfolio to include various internet-based companies including an e-commerce retailer and a video content creator, all of which are doing roaring businesses. 30-year-old Timothy has also been collecting one accolade after another, including being shortlisted for the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year recently.
The RHB Excellence awards were conferred to Timothy Tiah for the Business category and David Lai for Talent category. All winners took home plaques, RHB Visa Signature cards, Johnnie Walker Blue Label Special Crystal Editions, BlackBerry Passport smartphones, Montblanc watch winding boxes, Bric’s trolley luggage and Kérastase hair care hampers.