MESSAGE FROM ORGANISING CHAIRPERSON, SEBA 2021

LYNDIA WONG

Organising Chairperson, SEBA 2021

I am grateful to have the opportunity to again celebrate SMEs, entrepreneurs, and enterprises for their accomplishments with all of you. This year, the 9th of December marked the day we held our 6th annual SME and Entrepreneurs Business Awards (SEBA). We are grateful for all the support we have received from our partners, sponsors, and fellow organisers.

Since its inception in 2016, our meticulous judging phase has made SEBA a premier and prestigious regional award. We want to make sure that when your name is associated with our awards, whether you are a winner or a nominee, it signifies that you have accomplished a remarkable feat that deserves to be celebrated. We want you to be represented with the utmost quality and excellence. The 6th SEBA’s theme is “Thriving the Waves.” Entrepreneurs, we believe, are like surfers. Our survival depends on how smart and resourceful we are while stranded on open water where anything might happen. Several factors influence wave size and to be a good surfer, to survive a wave, we need to understand it, we cannot dread and run away from it. As only through adversities can we see growth.

It has been an arduous year, yet these obstacles have driven many SMEs, entrepreneurs, and businesses to burst through their barriers. Entrepreneurs must be tenacious and resilient to avoid being shut down by the pandemic. The need to improve has created a lot of meritorious SMEs, entrepreneurs, and enterprises. It is my honour to announce that we have seen a surge of nominees this year. I am thrilled to see our SMEs sector and entrepreneurs thriving in the waves and finding success in these times of trouble.

At this moment of celebration, I congratulate all successful recipients of the 6th SEBA and thank you for your contribution to our community and economy. The uncertainty in the economy has not made it easier for business owners to run their businesses, but you have done it, and you have done it well. We cannot see what the future holds, but we can take the initiative to shape it; in the words of Peter Drucker, “The best way to predict the future is to create it”. I am hopeful for our nation’s future, seeing the number of nominees this year. Our small-scale, start-up and private-sector organisations are solid and capable, and their impact can lead our country to a better future with a healthy economy.