EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 contest opens – Application by November 15

The professional services company EY (Ernst & Young) today opened the seventh contest for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (TM) program, which will last until November 15, 2018. The winner of the contest in Serbia will be pronounced in February 2019 and, as always, take part in the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year (TM) contest and attend the official ceremony in Monte Carlo in June 2018 together with other country winners, the company announced.

As last year, the program is supported by the Ministry of Economy of Serbia and ProCredit Banka as the general sponsor, Radio-Television of Serbia, Biznis & Finansije magazine and eKapija.

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year award is organized in more than 150 cities and nearly 60 countries worldwide. It has existed for over 30 years, and was first established in 2012. In the past years, over 165 entrepreneurs, representing 150 fast growing companies, which employ over 15,000 people combined, have taken part in the program in Serbia.

An independent jury will select the winner, and their decision will be based on key success factors, such as entrepreneurial spirit, financial indicators, strategic orientation, presence in the regional or the international market, innovations and personal integrity.

By taking part in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program, the best entrepreneurs in Serbia have an opportunity to expand the network of contacts and establish relations with local and global leaders in entrepreneurship, they say. The company's website at www.ey.com/rs/eoy contains all the info on applying and participating in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program, as well as the application form. Applications can also be made at https://geoy.ey.com, where visitors can also propose candidates.

– Since we introduced the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program in Serbia seven years ago, I have believed that the project will only progress further and give us an opportunity to see how the best think. Honestly, I couldn't even guess at the time how this program would mature and develop. We can say now that we are well familiar with the details of the operations of over 150 enterprises. What we've hear about the challenges our entrepreneurs have faced has left us breathless and I can claim that our national winners are making an increasingly great impression, and even the other candidates are fascinated with their success stories, the challenges they overcame in times of sanctions. I am extremely proud that I can says that EY will once again promote the successes of entrepreneurs in Serbia – stated Ivan Rakic, the leading partner of EY for Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

– EY Entrepreneur of the Year is a project which promotes innovations, entrepreneurial energy, courage and perseverance, which are some of the key values that ProCredit Bank has been advocating, supporting and inciting since its founding. For that reason, we are glad to once again actively participate in this contest and, together with the other partners, present local companies which are characterized by great business and financial success and many leadership qualities. We believe that the number of participants in this year's contest will exceed last year's selection and that this year's contest will once again confirm the fact that Serbia has very successful companies and inspire and incite many other entrepreneurs and business people to continue innovating and developing their business – pointed out Svetlana Tolmaceva Dingarac, the chairperson of the Executive Board of ProCredit Bank.

As EY adds, support to entrepreneurship is one of the company's contributions to creating a better business environment, which is also the company's motto. With this program, EY wants to contribute to the affirmation of the best Serbian entrepreneurs and give them an opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's best entrepreneurs. The first and the only global award of this type, EY Entrepreneur of the Year is awarded to remarkable individuals who are building and developing successful, growing and dynamic companies, they point out.

More about the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program can be found at www.ey.com/rs/eoy.

Ernst & Young d.o.o. Beograd

ProCredit Bank a.d. Beograd

Radio televizija Srbija-RTS Beograd

eKapija.com Beograd

Ernst Young

Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year

best entrepreneur contest

EY Entrepreneur of the Year award

Ivan Rakic

Svetlana Tolmaceva Dingarac