HE Vongsey Vissoth presides over the Khmer Enterprise Awards Night 2022 on December 9. PHOTO SUPPLIED
The Khmer Enterprise Awards Night 2022 held in Phnom Penh on December 9 saw outstanding Cambodian entrepreneurs honoured across three categories.
The event was presided over by HE Vongsey Vissoth, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister, Permanent Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Entrepreneurship Development Fund.
The Khmer Enterprise Awards Night 2022 was hosted by HE Dr Chhieng Vanmunin, the CEO of Khmer Enterprise, an implementation unit of the Ministry of Economy.
The competition – organised since the beginning of the year – celebrated Cambodian entrepreneurial success across three categories, with the SME Awards, Start-up Awards and High School Awards.
An additional Honorable Award went to Sela Pepper Cambodia in recognition of it being one of Cambodia’s most technically advanced pepper processing plants with innovative facilities and overseas exports.
All winners were presented with a trophy and a cash prize, with Plerng Kob taking first place in the SME Awards and receiving 28,000,000 riel (around $7,000), and 400 Farms coming second and getting 24,000,000 riel ($6,000).
In third place, Asia L&E Co, Ltd (Check-In Me) got 20,000,000 riel ($5,000), while PDAOV Market in fourth took away 16,000,000 riel ($4,000).
In the Start-Up Awards, FYFTH Coco came first and was presented with 20,000,000 riel ($5,000), while AGRO Nature was second and received 16,000,000 ($4,000).
UNSEENTRA took away 12,000,000 ($3,000) for coming third, with SUDrain awarded 8,000,000 riel ($2,000) for fourth place.
The High School Awards saw the CO2 Converter place first and receive 8,000,000 ($2,000), B Positive come second and take away 6,000,000 ($1,500), and Synergy finish third and be presented with 4,000,000 riel ($1,000).
In his opening speech, HE Vongsey Vissoth said this was the second year that Khmer Enterprise – which aims to build a vibrant and thriving ecosystem in which to promote entrepreneurship in Cambodia – had held the awards.
The event coincided with Cambodia’s recent successful hosting of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits.
“This historical moment reflects increased national prestige in the Kingdom’s capacity for taking part in international affairs, and Cambodia’s steady growth towards a brighter future, especially over the last two decades under the wise leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen,” he said.
In welcome remarks, HE Dr Chhieng Vanmunin said Khmer Enterprise, as a national platform for promoting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cambodia, had created numerous programmes to benefit SMEs and start-ups, as well as students.
“In the past three years, Khmer Enterprise has played a key role in supporting the Kingdom’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as by finding ways to fill any gaps and building trust among stakeholders.
“It has also co-created new programmes with partners and grown co-financing mechanisms to safeguard organisations’ competitive advantage,” he said.
