From left: Vice dean of education and curriculum of NUS Business School Jumana Zahalka, Head of Red Club Singapore chapter and founder of Carta Genomics Dr Chee Yang Chen; head of Sydney chapter and July founder Richard Li; CEO of Cartier SEAO Yanina Novitskaya, Global president and CEO of Mulan Group Giada Zhang, and USBS deputy dean Professor Suresh Cuganesan (Photo: Cartier)
To be a leader is a form of personal realisation that many desire, but few, in truth, achieve. Employees are no longer undifferentiated cogs in a workplace or industrial machine — they are now looking up to leaders who not only delegate tasks but also inspire and define the company with purpose.
Such motto fuelled the reason behind Red Club x Cartier, established in 2019 by a community of young multicultural entrepreneurs which strives to create a positive impact on society through their businesses. Aged 20 to 40 years old, these visionaries are driven by a common ambition of conscious leadership and willingness to make a difference.
To provide these aspirants with support to grow their ventures, Red Club x Cartier subsequently launched the Young Leader Award (YLA) in 2021. The annual international prize is open to emerging social entrepreneurs who are running impact-driven business or non-for-profit organisations.The winner of the 2023 edition, Dr Bea Bakshi, founder of UK-based C the Signs, has used the award’s exposure to enhance the visibility of her clinical platform that uses artificial intelligence to identify patients at risk of cancer at the earliest and most curable stage.
The 2024 edition of YLA is hosted by the Southeast Asia and Oceania (SEAO) chapter of Red Club x Cartier, with “Tech for a Sustainable Future” as its theme.
“It helps you realise you’re not alone, and many others have failed before you. You don’t need to leave your success to chance. The best way to predict the future is to create it,” says Giada Zhang, Red Club x Cartier global president and founder of food distribution company Mulan Group, during an interview with Options at the YLA 2024 launch in Singapore last year.
Apart from taking home a grant of €50,000 (about RM250,000), the winner will also benefit from tailored mentorship provided by academic partners National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School and University of Sydney Business School (USBS), as well as ad-hoc coaching from the club’s networks. Three runners-up will each receive €10,000.
Applications for the 2024 Young Leader Award are being accepted until Jan 31. Submit here.
