Since the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI) first launched its annual Young Industrialist Awards of Hong Kong in 1988 to give public recognition to the young industrialists who have made outstanding achievements in the manufacturing sector, a total of 164 industrialists have been honoured. Industrialists who have resided in Hong Kong for more than seven years and are between the age of 21 and 45 are eligible for nomination. Each year, winners of this award give Hong Kong manufacturing industries inspiration and encouragement; they also motivate other young people to choose manufacturing as a career. The FHKI is keen to acknowledge those individuals who have contributed to Hong Kong’s success through their hard work, vision, perseverance, determination and prompt response to changing market conditions. As market conditions continue to change, manufacturers need to adopt higher value-added production and technology-intensive manufacturing to be competitive.　Awardees of the recent years have recognised this need and led the way, introducing innovative technology-driven solutions into their companies. An important factor in the success of the Young Industrialist Awards of Hong Kong has been the strict and thorough judging process. Each year the FHKI invites senior Government policy makers, experienced industrialists and leading academics to participate in the judging panel. The panel interviews candidates in person, and their achievements and contributions to industry and society are stringently assessed to ensure the awards are conferred to the best candidates. For the ninth year, the FHKI opened nominations for the Industrialist of the Year (IOY) Award. This Award distinguishes a single industrialist each year for his/her truly tremendous contributions to Hong Kong’s industries, economy and community. Winners of the IOY are characterised by their pioneering spirit that has been monumental to the development of Hong Kong. This Award is open to industrialists of all ages. The 2009 IOY Award goes to Lee Man-tat, Chairman of Lee Kum Kee Group, in recognition for his exceptional contributions to the food industry and the Hong Kong community as well as for turning the Lee Kum Kee brand into a household name around the world. The FHKI would like to thank the sponsors – Bank of China (Hong Kong), Hong Kong Q-mark Council, The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation, Hong Kong Young Industrialists Council and Shanghai Commercial Bank Ltd, as well as trophy sponsor – WCJ (Holdings) Co Ltd, and the supporting organisations – Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation, Hong Kong Productivity Council, Hong Kong Trade Development Council & The Professional Validation Council of Hong Kong Industrie.