Ammon News - Akram Khreis of International Beverages Consultancy Competes for Prestigious Award Recognizing the World’s Leading Entrepreneurs at Ernst & Young’s World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monte Carlo

AMMONNEWS – Akram Khreis of International Beverages Consultancy (IBC), winner of the Ernst & Young Jordan’s Entrepreneur Of The Year Award, will soon be headed for Monte Carlo, Monaco, for the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award. Khreis will be among 49 country winners representing 47 countries who will be inducted into the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Hall of Fame and vie for the world title. The winner will be announced at a gala on the evening of Saturday 8th June in Monte Carlo.

Khreis commenced his entrepreneurial venture with a team of 10 recently-graduated Jordanian engineers, which later grew to become one of the top four leading international companies operating in its field and the number one company in the MENA region, with 80% market coverage. Today, IBC employs approximately 350 employees who operate under its seven subsidiaries located across Jordan, Dubai, Germany, India, Pakistan, Russia and South Africa.

IBC and its subsidiaries offer an array of technology, technical, executive and consultancy services, as well as support services in the field of carbonated and non-carbonated beverage manufacture and packaging, in addition to the production of dairy products and juices. Today, IBC manages more than 150 projects in 38 countries worldwide and boasts a footprint spanning Japan, China, Russia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and Lebanon.

Commenting on Khreis’ participation and the upcoming Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award, Waddah Barkawi, Partner at Ernst & Young and Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Leader at Ernst & Young Jordan, said, “Khreis is a prime example of a high-growth entrepreneur who has demonstrated excellence and outstanding success in the field of engineering services. His commendable efforts have helped place Jordan on the map in such a specialized market. I would like to wish Khreis the best of luck during the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award ceremony, and I am confident that his representation of Jordan will help further position our country’s standing as a key player in the global entrepreneurial arena.”

This year we have expanded World Entrepreneur Of The Year to include additional sessions of special interest to entrepreneurs and other influential business leaders. Guest speeches and presentations will be given by renowned speakers as Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General; Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web; Dr. Amjad Aryan, CEO of Pharmacy1 and previous winner of Ernst & Young Jordan’s Entrepreneur Of The Year Award; Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Founder and Chairman of the The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation and UK Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2001; Dambisa Moyo, internationally renowned economist and best-selling author; and Mika Häkkinen, two-time Formula One World Champion. Key themes will include emerging markets, contributions to society, the workplace of the future, cleantech and sustainability, private equity and family businesses.

Previous winners of the prestigious award include: Dr. James Mwangi, CEO and Group Managing Director of Equity Bank (Kenya); Olivia Lum, Group CEO and President of Hyflux Limited (Singapore); Guy Laliberté, Founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil (Canada); Narayana Murthy, Founder and Chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited (India); and Cho Tak Wong, Chairman of Fuyao Glass Industry Group (China).

The overall winner is chosen by an independent judging panel consisting of a distinguished group of former Entrepreneur Of The Year winners. The award is given on the basis of six criteria allowing all country winners an equal opportunity to compete: entrepreneurial spirit, financial performance, strategic direction, innovation, global impact and personal integrity/influence.

The independent judging panel will be chaired by Rodrigo Alonso Herrera of Genomma Lab Internacional (Mexico). Joining him will be: Dr. James Mwangi of Equity Bank Limited (Kenya), Liam Casey of PCH International (Ireland), John Spence of The Karma Royal Group (Australia), Daniel Novegil of Ternium (Argentina), Hüsnü Özyeðin of Fiba Holding (Turkey), and Sheila Johnson of Salamander Hotels and Resorts (United States).

A full list of the 49 country winners competing this year is available at www.ey.com/weoy. For broadcast quality and downloadable video content, visit our broadcast newsroom https://broadcast.ey.com. The videos are B Roll and web videos, non-branded, sound bites.

The World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award will be streamed live from Monte Carlo via webcast. Coverage starts at approximately 07:45 pm local time (19:45 GMT). Learn more at www.ey.com/weoy.