Young Business Entrepreneurs Feted
By P. Marilyn

Bandar Seri Begawan - Winners in the LiveWIRE Brunei Business Award Competition 20052006, which recognises and rewards young entrepreneurial Bruneians, were announced at a prize presentation ceremony yesterday.

The guest of honour, Pehin Dato Dr Awg Haji Ahmad bin Hj Jumat, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, presented prizes to the winners.

Dato Paduka Haji Hamdilah Hj Abd Wahab, Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Haji Zainal Abidin bin Haji Mohd Ali, Chairman of LiveWIRE Brunei cum Deputy Managing Director of BSP and Guy Priestley, CEO of HSBC Brunei, also attended.

Leong Yee May's business plan, "StarImage Hair and Beauty Saloon, won the Upper Secondary School (Form 4-5) category, and a $1,000 prize.

Muhd Hazmi Rafie bin Hassan and Muhd Khairuz Izzat bin Ismail's business plan, "Candy Castle Enterprise," won first prize and $1,200 in the Sixth Form category.

In the Technical and Vocational Colleges category, Hayatul Aqidah bte Mohd Eusoff, Nurdiyana Hj Sulaiman, Dk Nur Masliyana Pg Hj Dam it and Hjh Nurul Hayati bte Hj Razali won first prize and $1,200 for their business plan, "Tick-Tock 24/7".

Category B Business Start-Ups runnerups were "Viral Marketing" by Hj Md Rano IskandarAbdullah and "Lemonadenan Hair and Beauty" by Nadia binti Haji Adenan. Each won $4,000 for their entrepreneurial proficiency.

There were also incentive prizes for the finalists and normal entries.

Ninety business plans were submitted for this year's award, divided into two categories.

The Business Plan is open to upper secondary schools, technical and vocational colleges and LiveWIRE course participants.

The Business Start Up category has participants who have a legal business operating in Brunei for at least six months or more but less that five years.

Haji Zainal Abidin, Chairman of LiveWIRE Brunei, said since the inception of the LiveWIRE Brunei Programme in 2001, there have been progressive results in young and dynamic Bruneians participating and developing into young entrepreneurs.

"The LiveWIRE Brunei Programme is one of the flagship strategic social investment activities of BSP similar to our Oil and Gas Discovery Centre. We will continuously commit ourselves to these projects and ensure they sustain in the long run.

"The recently launched LiveWIRE "Brunei Networking Programme serves as a platform for entrepreneurs to communicate and contact one another in terms of support, knowledge and experience sharing. It is also as part of our monitoring process to observe their progress," he added.

He said the challenge for LiveWIRE Brunei is to remain dynamic. One of the pipeline developments identified is a project in Temburong, which will be revealed soon.

"We will introduce a new programme called LiveWIRE Leadership Camp 2007 to enhance the involvement of our entrepreneurs who have set up their businesses," he said.

"At a more strategic level, together with UBD, LiveWIRE Brunei is sharing a mutual interest to carry out research focusing on finding out what are the interests of our young Bruneians and how to develop their interest in entrepreneurship."

On the LiveWIRE Business Award Competition, he acknowledged that the competition will attest the participants' abilities to present their business ideas and at the same time, to promote them as role models.

The LiveWIRE Brunei Award presentation is jointlysponsored by Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd and HSBC. This is the fifth time the LiveWIRE Brunei Business Award was organised and the fourth time in succession jointly sponsored by BSP and HSBC in their continuous commitment to support the economic and entrepreneurship development in Brunei.

The panel of judges for the competition comprised of business figures and academics.

Young entrepreneurs motivated to present their business ideas and business activities can take part in the LiveWIRE Brunei Business Award competition for 2006-2007 by filling in the registration forms available from the LiveWIRE centre.

The LiveWIRE Brunei programme, adapted from Shell UK, is one of the strategic social investment programmes fully funded by Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP). -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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