Eugene Chan, Managing Director and Executive Director of Man Yue International Holdings Ltd, joined the Company in 1998 and is now responsible for the formulation and execution of the Company's key business strategies. Founded in 1979 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1997, the company is the fifth largest manufacturer of Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors ("E­Caps") in the world. Headquartered in Hong Kong, it operates five state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the Mainland, and employs over 5,000 staff.

After joining Man Yue International, Mr Chan successfully transformed the company from a electronic components distributor into a world-class manufacturer, boasting its own brands SAMXON and X-CON, both commanding industry recognition. Placing great emphasis on R&D, he initiated a research programme in material science and chemical engineering in 2004. The programme involved setting up of a research centre in Shenzhen and joining force with the Tsinghua University in Shenzhen in developing new materials and products, such as conductive polymer aluminum solid capacitors (Polymer Caps). The Company was amongst industrial pioneers to introduce Polymer Caps to the market. To produce aluminum foils for supporting E-Caps production, Mr Chan established two plants in Qingyuan and Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region within two years.

Mr Chan is devoted to green manufacturing and compliance with environmental protection directives. In 2007, he started to embark on development of the Electric Double-layered Capacitor (EDLC), which is a device for facilitating energy saving and storage. The product is due to launch by the end of 2008.

Led by Mr Chan, the Company was accredited with ISO14001 in 2004. It was also recipient of Hong Kong Awards for Industry: Export Marketing Grand Award, and Hong Kong Productivity Council's Productivity and Quality Certificates of Merit in 2005. The SAMXON brand was awarded the 'Top 10 Well-known Brand Capacitors 2008' (In China) organised by HC International, plus the highest ranking electrolyte capacitor manufacturers.

Judges 'comments:

-  Committed to green manufacturing

-  Emphasises on R&D

-  Demonstrates good business acumen

Clara Chan is the Executive Director and CEO of Lee Kee Holdings Ltd, which was established in Hong Kong in 1947 as a scrap metal recycling and trading company and is now a leading non­ferrous metals supplier in Greater China.

Ms Chan joined the family business in 1995 and transformed Lee Kee through the introduction of new products and services and the development of an IT platform covering its key operations Lee Kee is now an international metal supply chain management company of high repute, with a large customer base and secure supply arrangements with a number of international non-ferrous metals producers. In 2006, Ms Chan led Lee Kee to a highly successful public listing on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

In 2001, Ms Chan initiated a joint venture zinc alloy production facility in China, Genesis Alloys (Ningbo) Ltd, with the world largest zinc producer. This was the first foreign-invested zinc diecasting alloy plant in China, and the production of Genesis Alloys is now over 20,000 tonnes per annum, with further expansion planned. She also created an impressive range of products and services for Lee Kee customers known as the 'Integrated Value-Added Services (IVAS)' which include metal processing, global sourcing, shipping and transportation, inventory management, customer services, technical support and market intelligence.

Apart from her career achievements, Ms Chan is actively engaged in promoting and nurturing a new generation of professionals to join the metal industry. She is currently the Honorary President and Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Die Casting and Foundry Association and often takes a key role in organising and leading overseas trade missions and activities to enhance communication and cooperation with fellow industrialists in the field.

Ms Chan has been working with many institutions on education funds and scholarships for young people. In 2007, she founded the Lee Sang Charity Foundation Co with an objective of helping the poor and underprivileged in rural Chinese provinces.

Judges' Comments:

-  Strategic thinking

-  Devoted to the industrial development

-  Excellent entrepreneurial spirit

Chow Yuen-mei is the Director and CEO of Seven Sea Chemicals (Holdings) Ltd. Established in 1987, Seven Sea Chemicals Holdings specialises in producing, wholesaling and retailing a wide range of premium quality household products, including mattresses, pillows, bedding, sofas and other furniture. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Seven Sea Group has three production facilities, four logistic centres and over 100 outlets employing over 1,500 staff worldwide. The Group's Sea Horse and HECOM are renowned brand names in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ms Chow joined Seven Sea Chemicals Holdings in 1995. Since then, she has elevated Seven Sea to become one of the market leaders in Greater China, and has expanded the Group's business to Canada, the UK, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. In parallel to expanding the business, Ms Chow overhauled the manufacturing process and streamlined the Group's operations to sustain growth. Besides being at the forefront in branding and marketing, Ms Chow has devoted great efforts to R&D. Even during economic downturns, resources have been allocated to develop state-of-the­art machinery and high-tech production. Ms Chow regularly attends trade fairs and organises laboratory visits to overseas chemicals suppliers, so as to facilitate improvements in production technology. She also instituted key performance indicators in retail and logistics operations to ensure quality customer service.

Ms Chow extends her philosophy of safety and eco-friendliness to Seven Sea's manufacturing She promotes industrial safety with equal emphasis on environmentally friendly, non-polluting and non-hazardous production. Ms Chow has worked closely with the Hong Kong fire Services Department, the purchasing departments of hospitals, elderly homes, universities and other public institutions to promote the importance of using fire-retardant foam materials. Seven Sea Chemicals was the first local manufacturer to supply fire-retardant foam products that meet British and other international safety standards.

Ms Chow also is engaged in community service. She is a volunteer for Junior Achievement, an international non-profit organisation which encourages students to pursue careers and realise their potential. As member of the Hong Kong and American institutes of certified public accountants, she is keen on inspiring youth and offers internships to university accounting students. Ms Chow also encourages women professionals to excel in their professions.

Judges' Comments:

-  Pragmatic and visionary

-  Clear vision of the Mainland market

-  Successful with brand building and developing markets worldwide

Benny Do is the Chairman and CEO of WCJ (Holdings) Co Ltd. WCJ is engaged in jewellery design, manufacturing and sales, and has distribution channels in China, US, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific.

Mr Do started as an apprentice and salesman, then set up his own business in 1983. Over the years, he transformed WCJ from a tiny home office to a sizeable company with more than 600 employees. To seize business opportunities in the middle East, he was a pioneer in the industry to establish a regional office in Dubai . WCJ eventually became one of the biggest fine jewellery exporter in Hong Kong. He also led WCJ to upgrade from OEM to ODM.

Mr Do focuses on R&D and is keen on seeking technological advancement. Under Mr Do's leadership, the new concept of production management - MYCROLOGY_™ was developed in 2005. It was registered as trademark and represents the drive for perfection in product quality and corporate management. Furthermore, he established the Internal Information System (IIS) in 2005, which facilitates internal communication between staff in Hong Kong and China. The IIS also enables important functions including CRM, production and logistics management, product tracking etc.

Mr Do emphasises on internal communication and staff development. He established an in-house training centre and publishes internal newsletters. He always encourages and supports his staff to participate in local and international jewellery design competitions and trade shows. Thus, many of his staff won a number of awards over the years.

As an active committee member of the Hong Kong Jewellery Manufacturers' Association, Mr Do set up the Executive Diploma course in Management (Jewelry) with Hong Kong Polytechnic University when he was the team leader of education and training group.

Mr Do has been an active volunteer in helping cancer patients at the Queen Mary Hospital since 1992. He is also the Vice-President of the Otic Foundation Ltd, which offers care for the hearing impaired.

Judges' Comments:

- Committed to the industry

- A good example of self-made industrialist

- Believes in human resources development

Benny Foo is the Managing Director of BannerSHOP Co Ltd, which specialises in inkjet digital printing. Founded in 2003, Mr Foo has successfully expanded BannerSHOP from a small workshop to a company with 10 branches in Hong Kong and Macau.

Mr Foo has successfully created a new and dynamic business model in digital printing. He popularised traditional banner printing industry by improving service standard while offering reasonable prices. To make inkjet banner printing more accessible to the mass public, he developed techniques that significantly increased printing capacity but reduced production lead time. Under his leadership, BannerSHOP provides innovative services that are new to the market; for instance, speed printing, 24-hour production service, tailor-made services, online ordering and all-round technical support.

In the past several years, Mr Foo has successfully promoted the brand awareness of BannerSHOP and turned the business into an industry leader. He introduced effective marketing strategies to expand the customer base and he has achieved technological breakthroughs. Moreover, he insists on making Hong Kong his production base and has invested in advanced machinery for his production plants. He firmly believes 'Made in Hong Kong' products are of excellent and guaranteed quality. The innovative business model of BannerSHOP has already been recognised by various awards in Hong Kong.

Mr foo has introduced many environmental initiatives recently such as using UV ink for printing Apart from business development, Mr Foo is involved in various community services. He is actively engaged in a number of charitable activities to help the needy. Also, as a frequent guest speaker at universities and educational programmes, he is willing to share his experience with young people.

Judges' Comments:

-  A pioneer in the field

-  Confident and creative

-  Energetic and determined

Gary Ma is the CEO of Royale Furniture Holdings Ltd. Established in 1995, it was formerly known as Chitaly Holdings Ltd. Royale Furniture specialises in the production of home furniture, from panel-based and solid wood products, to sofas, upholstery and mattresses. Knight and Simplified are the company's brand names. Royale Furniture has its headquarters in Hong Kong, production plant in Guangzhou and　employs over 3,000 staff.

In 2002, Royale Furniture was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In the same year, Mr Ma joined the company. He then transformed it from a furniture manufacturer into a corporation with over 1,500 franchised stores located in more than 400 Mainland cities. To expand business, he acquired a mattress manufacturer and sofa manufacturer to enrich company's product range. He also focuses on using advanced technology, such as automated machinery, to improve production efficiency.

In the past few years, he led the company to gain various recognitions. Royale Furniture is accredited with environmental standards; he advocates the use of fast-growing timber and non­toxic materials. In addition, Mr Ma is actively involved in promoting Hong Kong furniture brands by bringing industry players to participate in Mainland exhibitions. He takes up key roles in the industry's associations.

Under Mr Ma's leadership, Royale Furniture became the official and exclusive home furniture supplier for the Beijing Olympic Games 2008, the only Hong Kong-based company to become an exclusive supplier for the Olympic Games. As such, Mr Ma has been promoting Royale as a green company of Hong Kong.

Judges' Comments:

- Successful brand building

- Brilliant market sense

- Demonstrates superb leadership

Ricky Tsang is the Deputy Chairman and CEO of Gold lion Holdings Ltd. He takes up a strategic role in the development and operations of the corporation. He joined Goldlion in 1989 and was appointed as Deputy Chairman in 2003. In 2005, he was appointed as the CEO of the corporation.

Gold lion was established in 1968 as a family workshop for neckties. Over the decades, Gold lion has expanded to become a multinational corporation with its core business in apparel and accessories. Goldlion was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1992. With headquarter in Hong Kong, it employs over 1,500 staff worldwide.

Mr Tsang realised the rapidly changing market and initiated rebranding of Goldlion. He launched a series of newly designed products to target the younger segment of the market. He took the lead to introduce new elements for products, such as waterproof, insulating and UV proof features. To enhance corporate image, he employed famous interior designers to renovate the Group's outlets. Mr Tsang has been visionary in strengthening partnerships with its distributors; he has devised an appraisal system to help distributors upgrade their sales management and customer service.

Under Mr Tsang's leadership, the Group's apparel and accessories business has expanded into China, Singapore, Malaysia and Germany etc. Today, the Group has around 900 shops and sales counters in China. Mr Tsang has led Goldlion to achieve remarkable turnover and profit growth in recent years.

As a committed corporate citizen, Mr Tsang participates in many community services and charity events. Moreover, he is also an active member of various chambers of commerce and organisations and keen to promote Hong Kong's trade and business opportunities.

Judges' Comments:

- Dedicated to product development

- Responsive to market changes

- Committed to community services

Zhang Hwo-jie is the Chairman of EVA Precision Industrial Holdings Ltd. The company was established in 1993 and its major activities are metal mould making, metal stamping, plastic mould making and plastic injection for high-end precision components. EVA Precision's major clients include Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Canon, Epson and Fuji Xerox. With its headquarter in Hong Kong, the company has four production plants employing over 4,500 staff.

Mr Zhang oversees production and assumes overall management of the company. He emphasises on technological development and breakthrough, producing high-precision metal and plastic moulds and components for high-end office automation equipment and consumer electronics industries. He invests in advanced equipment, such as fully automated metal stamping presses, high-precision injection moulding machines, CNC wire cutting machines, EDM machines, precision grinders, CAD/CAM die and mould design stations. Realising the importance of R&D, he has a workforce of more than 200 staff that explores new technologies for medical equipment and automobile components.

In 2005, he led EVA Precision to list on the Main Board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Under his leadership, new plants in Zhongshan and Suzhou will commence operation in 2009. He has also invested in environmental protection facilities to collect and recycle metal scraps and plastic wastes.

Mr Zhang has made his mark in charity, especially in education. He supported the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Foundation to develop the Ultra-Precision Machining Centre in 2006. He is keen on sharing his experience and exchanging ideas with industry peers. By offering placements and training programmes to new graduates from various educational institutes, he is dedicated to nurture the next generation of industrialists.

Judges' Comments:

-  Committed to the industry

-  Dedicated to technological breakthrough

-  Emphasises on R&D