MANILA— Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines (EOYP) 2022 Awards hailed
Converge Co-Founder and CEO Dennis Anthony Uy as the Entrepreneur of the Year and Master Entrepreneur at the EOYP Awards through the SGV Foundation on November 21 during the awards banquet at the Grand Hyatt Manila, for bringing digital connectivity to more Filipinos across the country.
“It is my distinct honor to receive this top entrepreneur award. We believe, at Converge, that digital access is not a privilege of a few but a right of everyone. Thank you for recognizing our mission and what we’ve been doing to make this a reality for Filipinos,” Converge CEO Dennis Anthony Uy said after receiving the award.
Uy added that Converge operates in an industry where access to technology means more opportunities for growth and wealth. The company strives to broaden this access and achieve inclusive digitalization because it believes that businesses should serve a higher purpose, not just to expand their bottom line.
With this recognition, Uy will represent the Philippines at the World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards to be held in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2023. The last and only time that a Filipino won this global award was in 2004 when Jollibee Foods Corporation President Tony Tan Caktiong was named World Entrepreneur of the Year.
With his wife, Grace, Uy founded Converge in 2007 at his hometown in Angeles, Pampanga with a vision to provide world-class ICT services to Filipinos. Using the latest fiber optic technology, Converge started providing internet services in 2012 and eventually expanded from Central Luzon to Metro Manila.
In 2021, at the middle of the pandemic, the Pampanga start-up built its own national domestic fiber broadband network that linked Luzon to the major islands of the Visayas and Mindanao.
Today, Converge has the biggest fiber to the home network in the Philippines with 6.7 million fiber ports deployed, serving 1.85 million customers.
With the theme of “Undaunted.Unstoppable.”, EOYP 2022 gathered 18 finalists that have exemplified excellence in management and leadership amid an increasingly challenging business environment with program support and co-presenters, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).
SGV Chairman and Country Managing Partner and SGV Foundation President Wilson Tan emphasizes the importance of resilience in the face of constant change.
“The current business environment is filled with immense challenges and opportunities, allowing us to see our country’s entrepreneurs transform with unprecedented speed and scale despite the global COVID-19 pandemic. Our finalists are examples of the undaunted and unstoppable individuals who thrive in this age of disruption. Mr. Uy innovated to stay ahead of the competition, putting his company in a perfect position to continue growing while many others struggled to survive during lockdown,” Tan shared.
Six category awards were handed out in the same evening: Young Entrepreneur-Leandro Antonio Leviste; Small Business Entrepreneur, Francisco Magsaysay; Technology Entrepreneur, Steve Sy; Woman Entrepreneur, Lisset Laus-Velasco; Emerging Entrepreneur, George Royeca; and Master Entrepreneur. Dennis Anthony Uy also took home the latter award before winning the top prize.
The Entrepreneur of the Year was founded in the United States by professional services firm Ernst & Young in 1986 to recognize the achievements of the most successful and innovative entrepreneurs worldwide.
In 2001, Ernst & Young expanded the program and launched the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards. In the Philippines, the SGV Foundation, Inc. established the Entrepreneur Of The Year in 2003. (Photos: Converge)
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