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SINGAPORE: Secretlab CEO and Co-Founder Ian Ang was named EY Singapore Entrepreneur of the Year for Consumer Products on Wednesday (September 30).
The 28-year-old is the youngest winner in the history of the awards since they began 18 years ago.
Ang co-founded Secretlab, a gaming chair company, with Alaric Choo in 2014.
Mr. Ang thanked Mr. Choo and his team at Secretlab for their trust and support after winning the award.
“It is a true and very kind honor of the people at EY to bestow this on me, but let’s not forget that even though the architect gets most of the recognition at the end of the day, it is nothing without a strong and capable team,” said Mr. Ang told CNA.
The company has the United States, Canada and Europe as some of its main markets.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretlab has continued to grow as people began working from home and opted for more comfortable chairs.
In an interview with TODAY in July, the company said it had to hire more staff to cope with what it described as a “multiple” surge in global orders.
In Singapore, for example, Secretlab recruited more than 30 Singaporeans for various positions in areas such as operations and product development during the “circuit breaker” period from early April to June.
The office now has more than 100 employees, with an average age of 28.
Secretlab is backed by Heliconia Capital Management of Temasek Holdings.
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is an annual awards program that honors Singapore’s top entrepreneurs for their contributions to the economy and society, highlighting local innovators and brands who have made a mark in the global marketplace.
EY named two other winners: Richard Koh, founder and CEO of M-DAQ, who won in the fintech category, and Eric Leong, CEO and co-founder of Milon Corporation, who received the nod in the solutions category. industrial.
The three winners were chosen from nearly 50 nominations by an independent panel of judges.
In November, one of the three winners will be named EY Singapore Entrepreneur of the Year 2020.
The overall winner then represents Singapore in the annual EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2021 to compete with contenders from more than 60 jurisdictions.
