Bench founder and CEO, Ben Chan was declared as the winner of the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2013, besting 11 other finalists in the 10th anniversary of the competition.
Photo Credit: Ben Chan Instagram Account
The clothing mogul Ben Chan was also the winner in the Master Entrepreneur category. Ben Chan is the chairman of the Board of Suyen Corporation, the company behind world-renowned brand BENCH.
Ben Chan was recognized for growing Suyen from a small local shop to an international brand with more than 1,000 stores across the Philippines and overseas stores located in various parts of China, the Middle East, US and Guam.
Here are the other winners of the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards:
- Serenitea President Juliet Herrera = Young Entrepreneur of the Year
- Leonarda Capuyan of Baguio’s Narda’s Handwoven Arts = Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year
- Milagros How of Universal Harvester = Woman Entrepreneur of the Year
The twelve finalists of the Entrepreneur of the Year awards urged their fellow Filipinos to start their own business, especially now that the country is experiencing robust economic growth.
Here’s one of the advice given by Ben Chan to aspiring entrepreneurs:
“If you love what you’re doing you can overcome everything… Follow your p(–foul word(s) removed–)ion, never be afraid to fall down,” he said.
Chan will now represent the country in the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards, which will be held in Monaco next year.