The finalists of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 have been determined

Traditionally, the award ceremony for the "Entrepreneur Of The Year" takes place as part of a festive gala event. Due to the current situation, EY has decided to hold this year's competition anyway, but to announce the award ceremony in the form of an online gala on October 30. The award show will be broadcast live via the Internet from a virtually recreated gala location, and guests will also be able to find out virtually about the nominated entrepreneurs and communicate with each other through a live chat.

The 15 finalists will compete for the title of "Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020" in four categories.

Category "Service/Trade

Jan Schibli, CEO, Hans K. Schibli AG

33-year-old Jan Schibli took over the 3rd generation of the company, which was founded in 1937. Schibli specializes in electrical engineering, building services, IT, communications and automation. In 15 years, Jan doubled the workforce and is now one of the largest building services engineers in the German-speaking region. Jan Schibli is chosen as a finalist because he proves that traditional craftsmanship is also an important part of our future.

Marek Dutkiewicz, CEO & Founder, HR Campus

Marek came to Switzerland as a Polish refugee and started his company HR-Campus in 1998 as a technology provider for HR departments. Today, with more than 160 employees, the company is the leading service and IT provider dedicated to HR excellence. Its tools, solutions and platforms cover the entire employee lifecycle for HR professionals. Marek Dutkiewicz became a finalist because his resume shows that true entrepreneurship is limitless.

Vincent Gonet, CEO, Point Prod' SA

Vincent Gonet founded Point Prod in 1996 with the aim of developing entertainment programming. Today, the company is a broad-based audiovisual content provider for the major European broadcasters as well as the private sector. Point Prod successfully manages the entire audiovisual production cycle, from design to financing and from production to broadcast. Vincent Gonet is honored as a finalist for his visionary leadership as well as his foresight in implementing audiovisual and digital synergies.

Emerging Entrepreneur Category

Raphaël Gindrat, CEO & Founder and Anne Mellano, Founder, Bestmile SA

Bestmile was founded when its founders were working on conducting one of the first pilot tests for autonomous vehicles in Europe. The company offers cloud technology that harnesses the full potential of autonomous vehicles to address global mobility challenges. Bestmile enables fleet operators to move more people with fewer vehicles, reducing congestion and pollution in cities. Raphaël Gindrat and Anne Mellano are finalists based on their impressive track record as pioneers as global leaders in the autonomous mobility industry.

Urs Frey, Co-Founder & CEO, MaxWell Biosystems AG

Urs Frey learned about stem cell research in Japan and founded his company in this field in 2016. Today, MaxWell Biosystems is a world-leading platform for brain cell imaging to investigate the clinical potential of drugs. The research centers on a new camera that can display 26,000 pixels instead of the previous 8 x 8 pixels. Urs Frey became a finalist because it is precisely this kind of research and development that makes Switzerland a global brand.

Michael Born & Karim Nemr, CEO & CBO, PXL Vision AG

Michael Born and Karim Nemr met at Dacuda (2012 EOY winner) and decided to develop this technology further. Today, PXL Vision provides a technology platform for secure identity verification and trusted digital identities. The platform is a scalable business model that is only at the beginning of a large and global application space. The two are honored as finalists because they have set up an absolutely compelling future technology.

Category "Family Business

Patrick Firmenich, Chairman, Firmenich SA

Patrick Firmenich is the family delegate and chairman of a traditional family business founded back in 1895. Firmenich is the world's largest privately held fragrance and flavor company. In 160 countries, 8,000 people represent fragrance and flavor ingredients around the world. Patrick Firmenich is honored as a finalist for holding his family tradition together so successfully that it is one of the top companies in the world.

Caroline Studer, CEO & VR Del., Mila d'Opiz

Mila d'Opiz was founded in 1938 by a woman and is still in the hands of a woman in the third generation. The company is a manufacturer of high-end cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Caroline Studer is now working with her daughter to prepare the company for the 4th female generation. Caroline Studer is chosen as a finalist because she continues a family tradition that is very rare and very valuable in Switzerland.

Andreas Michel, VRP & CEO, Michel Gruppe AG

Andreas Michel took over the family business as a career changer, which is rare in the medical field. The group operates clinics and other healthcare facilities. Andreas Michel is one of the largest employers in the Bernese Oberland and is constantly expanding his medical expertise. He became a finalist because he shows entrepreneurial strength and foresight even in an economically fragile region.

Industry/High-Tech/Life Sciences" category

Avni Orllati, Managing Director, Groupe Orllati SA

In 1997, at the age of 21, Avni and his twin brother founded their own company by renting a machine that breaks up concrete. Today, Orllati is a leader in the field of construction in Suisse Romande and employs over 850 people. The company specializes in all areas of preparatory construction work, such as demolition, earthworks, sewage disposal, and drilling. Avni Orllati is honored as a finalist for his hard work that led to an inspiring founding story.

Hans Nagel and Gregor Stücheli, Partner & Owner, Inventx AG

Hans Nagel and Gregor Stücheli founded Inventx as an IT business partner for the financial sector. Today, Inventx is a leading service provider for the banking, finance and insurance sector with over 250 employees. The main focus is on continuous business transformation and digital transformation, where the company is an innovation leader. The two entrepreneurs became 2020 finalists because their solutions set reliable standards for our financial industry worldwide.

Wim Ouboter, CEO, Micro Mobility Systems AG

Wim Ouboter founded the company in 1999 and today works with his two sons Merlin and Oliver to remobilize the world. Today, Micro Mobility Systems is the world's leading brand for short-range mobility; scooters, e-scooters and kickboards. And the pioneering work continues: in 2020, the family presented the Microlino, a small car for urban mobility. Wim Ouboter is honored as a finalist for his tireless efforts to shape a trend into a global brand.

The jury

An eleven-member jury is responsible for evaluating the candidates and awarding the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards. It reviews the candidates independently of EY. In 2020, the jury will be composed of:

• Dr. Adrienne Corboud Fumagalli (Member of the Board of Directors of Swiss Life Holding AG, Vice-Chairwoman of ComCom)
• Claude Cornaz (Chairman of the Board of Directors Vetropack Holding Ltd, Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012)
• Thomas Hanan (CEO Webrepublic AG, Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017)
• Dr. Paul J. Hälg (Chairman of the Boards of Dätwyler Holding AG and Sika AG)
• Dr. Sara and Christoph Hürlimann (Founders zahnarztzentrum.ch AG, Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010)
• Dr. Jan Lichtenberg (CEO InSphero AG, Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015)
• Didier Maus (CEO Maus Frères SA)
• Simon Michel (CEO Ypsomed AG)
• Jean-Marc Probst (Chairman PROBST MAVEG)
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Zellweger (Director Center for Family Business of the University of St. Gallen HSG)

EY is supported in the "Entrepreneur Of The Year" program in Switzerland by Credit Suisse as program partner, as well as by Amag, the watch manufacturer H. Moser & Cie, Die Mobiliar and Swiss.