In Case You Missed It: The Finder's 2018 Expatpreneur Awards Event Was A Smashing Success!

(images: Phyllicia Wang and Scott Frank Sithu)

The Finder debuted its first Expatpreneur Awards last year to celebrate successful expat business owners who help people “live well in Singapore” – The Finder’s own core mission.

This year, the magazine tapped 23 new winners, who have all shown admirable vision and drive by establishing well-liked brands in and from Singapore.

The months-long nominee selection and judging process, followed by the work involved to create The Finder’s Issue 292 Collector’s Edition, culminated with a well-attended event hosted by Jones The Grocer at Great World City.

As the special occasion coincided with The Finder‘s 25th publishing anniversary, we used it as an opportunity to toast business success – including the long-running magazine’s – all around!

Click here to see who attended, check out the awesome event video below and then browse through the gallery below for all the best highlights.

The Awards and 25^th Anniversary celebration took place at Jones The Grocer Thursday, 17 May, 2018, from 3 to 6 p.m.

There were more than 100 guests in attendance and plenty of networking opportunities.

Guests were treated to delicious hors d’oeuvres and specialty drinks, all prepared by the top-notch team at Jones The Grocer.

The event kicked off with a speech by The Finder‘s publisher Eileen Chia, who was followed by editor-in-chief Sara Lyle Bow, who introduced a video about the original founders of The Finder and a congratulatory video from former editor Michelle Jones-White.

Dr. Yvonne McNulty, an award-winning international business scholar, senior lecturer at Singapore University of Social Sciences and founder of Expat Research, was the keynote speaker on the “next big thing for expatpreneurs” around the globe.

The originator of the term “expat-preneur” in 2015, Dr. Yvonne has been involved in the Expatpreneur Awards since the beginning, and served as an esteemed judge this year. Learn more about how she created the term “expat-preneur” here.

It was then time to give out the awards!

Elise Mawson, managing director of Taxi Baby, was the Most Innovative Awardee – the judges noted her big role in raising awareness about car safety for children in Singapore. Check out her video here.

Lucy Ashenhurst, founder and CEO of Upstart Alliance, nabbed the Small-but-Mighty Award. This refugee of corporate law firms is committed to making legal support accessible and affordable to startups in SG. Watch her exclusive video here.

The Pay-it-Forward Awardee was Peter A. Knipp, CEO of Peter Knipp Holdings and Foodservice Consultants Singapore.

Why’d he win? Not only is he paving the way in SG’s F&B industry with business ventures like World Gourmet Summit, he is also truly committed to giving back to the Singapore community – having raised $1.5 million for the National Kidney Foundation last year alone!

Learn more about Peter by watching his video here.

Best New Business Awardee Catherine Lesselin, owner of The New Luncher, won because of her singular entrepreneurial vision: to see kids and families eating real, fresh food, and only that. Check out her video here.

Longevity Awardees Justinna Pank and Emma Thomas are directors of White & Black Trading, which was founded 10 years ago out of a mutual love of Micro scooters. White & Black Trading is still the go-to source for scooters and other fun outdoor gear in SG. Watch their video here.

Business of the Year Awardee James Forrester, co-founder and former CEO of UFIT Singapore, won because of his role in the company’s tremendous success.

James and his partners have grown UFIT to nine locations around Singapore and nearly 100 team members. His award was received by his team, as James has recently repatriated back to the UK. Check out his video here.

Sasha Conlan, director of Sasha’s Fine Foods, received an Expatpreneur Award for her contributions in providing clean, ethically sourced meats for easy-ordering online in SG.

Grace Clapham and Solonia Teodros received their award for launching “lifelong learning institute” The Change School in 2013. The business offers non-boring career workshops and team programmes, immersive online courses and more, and has worked with 1,000 “humans of change”.

Betty Ashman is no stranger to entrepreneurship. Another recipient of an Expatpreneur Award, she is all about providing women entrepreneurs with a platform for their Singapore-based businesses through The Expat Fairs.

Co-founders of Pinnacle Chiropractor Health Group, Janelle Dong MacBay and Derek MacBay were awarded for their continued efforts in providing a safe space for chiropractic care, nutritional counselling, and other wellness services.

Cherylynne Clews, founder of To Be Calm shows off her award with The Finder‘s Sara and Eileen. To Be Calm retails luxe, clean-burning candles made from pure soy that are lead-free and use all-natural wicks.

Jackie Barkham turned her love for preschool-age children into the in-demand Swallows and Amazons kindy in Singapore. The secret to the school’s success? Avoiding lecture-based learning.

Jason Parke, director of ultra-cool cafe Schmear, and his marketing manager sister, Stacey, are winners because they’ve raised delish bagels to the next level on the Red Dot.

Junko Asano Addicks is the award-winning founder and CEO of MamaRazzi photo studio, which specialises in maternity, baby and family photography. Catering to both English- and Japanese-speakers, the brand has had more than 2,000 satisfied customers to date.

Samantha Dorri doesn’t create just any ol’ personalised art piece for children. Her colourful, creative prints at sammyeve give families a little piece of art to represent a beautiful time in their lives, which they can treasure for years to come.

Terri-Anne Leske needs no introduction. Not only is she a published author with three well-loved cookbooks under her belt, Terri-Anne also runs a popular blog and a new Carrotsticks and Cravings café.

Leah Lambert‘s stones not only rock, they tell a story. The owner of popular jewellery brand Stones That Rock, her collections are the “jewellery accessory of choice for local fashion shows,” and has a presence in some of Singapore’s best-known department stores.

There were also cool goodie bags and a special Jones The Grocer treat for guests – to end the evening on a sweet note.

Know someone – including yourself – deserving of an Expatpreneur Award? Tell us more at thefinder@sph.com.sg! Click here for a full list of 2018 Expatpreneur Awards winners.

About The Finder Expatpreneur Awards
In 2017, The Finder debuted its first-ever Expatpreneur Awards to honour foreign-born entrepreneurs running successful expat-owned businesses in or from Singapore. This 2018, a new batch of 23 Expatpreneur Awardees have been unveiled! All of them have one thing in common: Their brands help people “live well in Singapore” – The Finder’s core mission. (Find out more about the Expatpreneur Awards judge who coined the term “expat-preneur” in 2015 while you’re here!)