The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) is planning to launch a first-of-its-kind “pioneer of the year in business” award on the sidelines of the Youth Business Exhibition, which will take place between Feb. 17 and 20 under the patronage of Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah.

Ziyad Al-Bassam, vice-president of the Board of Directors at the JCCI, Ahmed Raza, head of Ernst & Young, Khalaf Al-Otaibi, member of the Board of Directors, Hassan Dahlan, deputy of the secretary-general at the JCCI, and others announced that the award aims to honor the creativity of individuals and institutions and encourage businesses to grow.

Companies from more than 140 cities and 50 countries will participate in the event on Sunday.

The official launching of the award will be held during the exhibition of young entrepreneurs, but the announcement for the winner of the award will take place on April 6.

“The international award, which will be launched for the first time, will reveal the thoughts of the JCCI and owners of small business enterprises, who established a SR100 million fund to support entrepreneurs. Around 75 percent of companies in the list of top 100 companies in the world are from Jeddah,” he said.

He further said that the work and success of young entrepreneurs needs to be consolidated to enhance their skills and to encourage their contribution and work. “This will encourage and inspire others to achieve their goals and will also bring the most talented individuals to the forefront,” he said.

He expressed his pride the JCCI’s participation in the launching of the award, which will open the doors for entrepreneurs from different sectors to nominate themselves.

“To launch this award, we need to set up a jury of three to five recognized individuals from the business sector, where we then choose 10 entrepreneurs as finalists for the award,” said Ahmed Raza.

He further said that Ernst & Young will represent the Kingdom in the “pioneer of the year from around the world” program to be held in Monte Carlo in June.