Kamarul, 53, will represent Malaysia and join more than 60 other country winners to compete for the coveted EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year (Photo: EY Malaysia)
Kamarul A Muhamed, founder and CEO of Aerodyne Group (Aerodyne) was named the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) 2020 Malaysia at a virtual award ceremony hosted by EY earlier this evening. Kamarul, who was also named the winner of the Technology Entrepreneur category, was picked from among 15 top nominees vying for the title.
Kamarul, 53, will represent Malaysia and join more than 60 other country winners to compete for the coveted EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year (WEOY) award at the annual WEOY event in June this year.
Kamarul left the corporate world to pursue his passion in technology and digital innovation, founding Aerodyne in 2014 with a specialty in aerial imagery. The company has since pivoted to data intelligence, integrated solutions and now, Drone Tech, Data Tech and Digital Transformation (DT3). Ranked second in the world by Drone Industry Insights of Germany, Aerodyne has over 400 drone professionals operating in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAS) services sector, managing more than 300,000 infrastructure assets with 110,000 flight operations across 35 countries globally.
According to Tan Sri Dr. Rebecca Sta Maria, executive director of APEC Secretariat and chief judge of the EOY 2020 Malaysia judging panel, Kamarul was the top choice among a list of extremely qualified and successful nominees.
“The panel of judges was unanimous in its decision and agreed that Kamarul is a trail-blazer in his purposeful endeavour to shape and impact not only his business but lead the industry at large. We were very impressed with the Top Nominees this year. Despite the extreme challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, they have demonstrated great perseverance, resilience and ingenuity in sustaining and growing their business, while supporting their people, industries and communities during the past year.”
Philip Rao, Partner, Ernst & Young Advisory Services Sdn. Bhd. and EOY Malaysia Programme Director agreed. “Kamarul is an inspiring role model and embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of the “unstoppables,” he says, referring to the theme of this year’s event, unstoppable.
“His passion in innovation and disruptive technology, coupled with his determination to challenge and reinvent the status quo has contributed significantly to redefining the industry landscape for drone technology in Malaysia and around the world.”
In addition to the top honour, EY also presented four other awards for entrepreneurial excellence in all four categories:
• EY Emerging Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Malaysia – Eric Cheng, Carsome Sdn Bhd
• EY Technology Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Malaysia – Kamarul A Muhamed, Aerodyne Group
• EY Woman Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Malaysia – Fiona Rebecca Limus, CompuMed Services Sdn Bhd
• EY Master Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Malaysia – KH Lim, Senheng Electric (KL) Sdn Bhd
