LONDON, June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JungJin SEO,
Honorary Chairman of South Korea-based Celltrion Group, was
this evening named EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2021 during a
virtual awards ceremony broadcast live around the world. JungJin
was picked from among 45 award winners from 38 countries and
territories competing for the global award. He is the first winner
from South Korea in the award's
21-year history.
JungJin, 63, founded Celltrion, a biopharmaceutical firm, in
2003 with only US$45,000. In the
nearly 20 years since its founding, Celltrion has lived up to its
ambition to advance health and welfare for all by developing
groundbreaking drugs to treat autoimmune diseases, different forms
of cancer and, most recently, COVID-19. The company, which JungJin
started with five of his colleagues, has grown to more than 2,100
employees with sales permits in more than 90 countries and revenues
exceeding US$1.69b.
His Royal Highness (HRH) The Prince of Wales first recipient
of the EY Social Entrepreneurship Award
This evening, EY also honored HRH The Prince of Wales, of the
United Kingdom, with an inaugural
EY Social Entrepreneurship Award. This award was given in
recognition of the tremendous social value created by The Prince of
Wales' leading initiatives, including The Prince's Trust
and Business in the Community, the exciting progress of
the bold, global Sustainable Markets Initiative and this
year's unveiling of the Terra Carta, which provides a road map
toward putting nature, people and planet at the heart of global
value creation over the next decade. The new award will remain an
annual feature and was established to recognize leaders who are
focused on creating a purposeful business in society.
Carmine Di Sibio, EY Global
Chairman and CEO, says:
"After a year of incredible challenges, I'm excited to be able
to recognize these two remarkable individuals for their
contributions to society. Throughout his life, His Royal Highness
has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to building a better
world and I couldn't envision a more worthy honoree for the
inaugural EY Social Entrepreneurship Award.
"Likewise, JungJin SEO has spent his career representing
everything an unstoppable entrepreneur should be. From taking on
the world's biggest health care challenges to consistently creating
long-term value for his company, JungJin is a model EY World
Entrepreneur Of The Year winner. Congratulations to both on their
worthy distinctions."
Rosaleen Blair CBE, Founder and
Chair of AMS, and Chair of the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year
judging panel, says:
"The judging panel is honored to award JungJin with this
prestigious title and recognize him following one of the most
trying years the world has ever seen. The panel was moved by his
incredible journey and his purpose-driven leadership, innovative
mindset and entrepreneurial spirit are the embodiment of an
unstoppable entrepreneur."
JungJin SEO, Honorary Chairman, Celltrion Group, says:
"Entrepreneurship to me has always been about bringing together
a group of people toward a common vision, embracing challenges as
opportunities and committing oneself to contribute to the greater
good. When I first started, my vision was to help patients gain
access to safe, effective and affordable medicines and thereby
enhance the quality of people's lives. The success of Celltrion has
enabled me to expand on this while finding new ways to fuel my
entrepreneurial drive. I am humbled and honored to join the
prestigious group of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year winners who
came before me and I intend to use this wonderful platform to
continue to make this world a better place for future
generations."
Stasia Mitchell, EY Global
Entrepreneurship Leader, says:
"JungJin's story is one of incredible tenacity and perseverance.
He's taken breathtaking risks, both personal and
professional, to found Celltrion and grow it into one of the
world's leading biopharmaceutical companies. His passion for
creating affordable, life-saving health care and flair for tackling
global problems has led to many treatments that have
helped millions of people worldwide and was especially evident
this past year through the creation of a COVID-19 antibody
treatment. Above all, JungJin's story is a shining example of
the power of an unstoppable entrepreneur to change the world."
About JungJin SEO, Honorary Chairman of Celltrion
Group
JungJin's entrepreneurial journey started at an early age when
he worked as a taxi driver to get himself through Konkuk University
in Seoul, South Korea. After
studying industrial engineering, he rose through the ranks
of Daewoo Motor Co. until he suddenly lost his job amid
the automaker's financial troubles following the 1997 Asian
economic crisis.
In the years that followed, JungJin would collaborate with
colleagues to explore business opportunities in numerous
industries, many of which seemed promising at the time but failed
to deliver lasting success. Finally, after attending a discussion
hosted by several renowned scholars, he decided to focus on the
biopharmaceutical sector, believing that it had the potential to be
the next great growth engine.
With this inspiration in mind, he founded Celltrion with only
US$45,000. Despite its humble
beginnings, the company would quickly become a leading force in the
South Korean pharmaceutical industry. The launch of Remsima, the
"world's first" antibody biosimilar, quickly moved Celltrion up the
ranks of the country's relatively underdeveloped pharmaceutical
sector. Celltrion followed this success with the launch of drugs
for breast cancer and lymphoma that are now used worldwide.
With a focus on being "the world's first," Celltrion has
pioneered numerous uncharted areas to stellar success over the past
two decades. Most recently, it responded to the global pandemic by
successfully developing an antibody treatment for COVID-19 and
works to ensure a timely supply of the safe and effective
treatment.
About the judging panel
The independent judging panel was chaired by Rosaleen Blair
CBE, Founder and Chair of AMS. Joining her were:
- Girish Jhunjhnuwala, Founder and
CEO, Ovolo Hotels
- Susan Chong, Founder and CEO,
Greenpac Pte Ltd.
- Hernan Kazah, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Kaszek
Ventures
- Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, Founder and CEO, Malaika
- Alexey Repik, Founder and
Chairman, R-Pharm
- Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw,
Executive Chairperson, Biocon Limited
- Brad Keywell, CEO, Uptake
Technologies, Inc.
Broadcast coverage and high-resolution content are
available here for download for broadcast and online
use.
About EY
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This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of
the global EY organization that also does not provide any services
to clients.
About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is the world's most prestigious
business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These
visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that
transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with
insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with
their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. EY
Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards
program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional
and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60
countries. Winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur
Of The Year™ title. ey.com/eoy
Eric
Minuskin
|
Yvonne
Diaz
|
EY Global Media
Relations
|
EY Global Media
Relations
|
+1 908 770
9758
|
+44 (0)799 056
0615
|
eric.j.minuskin@ey.com
|
yvonne.diaz@uk.ey.com
|
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