Retail Pioneer Henry Sy Sr., and the trophy he received – a Lifetime Achievement Award – from the Malaysia-based Enterprise Asia. HANDOUT PHOTO

MANILA – A regional NGO honoring business leaders who have shown outstanding performance and tenacity in developing successful enterprises has given retail pioneer Henry Sy Sr. a Lifetime Achievement Award, making him the first Filipino to receive it.

The recognition came from Enterprise Asia, a nongovernment organization based in Malaysia which organizes the world‐class Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards (APEA).

Enterprise Asia is on its third year of organizing the awards in the Philippines. The APEA also aims to gather leading entrepreneurs across Asia to spur greater innovation, fair practices and growth in entrepreneurship. Today, the awards covers Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, China and the Philippines.

“On behalf of Mr. Henry Sy, Sr. and his family, we thank Enterprise Asia for this honor and prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award,” said  Jose T. Sio, SM Investments Corporation (SM) Executive Vice President and Chief Finance Officer.

Among the notable recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award for the past 10 years were: Mr. Yeoh Tiong Lay, the founder of YTL Corporation, the largest conglomerate in Malaysia; Mr. Teh Hong Piow, the founder of Public Bank Berhad, one of the largest banks in Malaysia; Food magnate Mr. Sam Goi, Chairman of Tee Yih Jia Group of Singapore; Dr. Ciputra of PT. Ciputra Group, one of the leading property developers in Indonesia; Dr. Mokhtar Riady, founder of the Lippo Group of Indonesia; and real estate magnate Mr. Hui Wing Mau of the Shimao Group of Hong Kong to name a few.

Sy is the founding Chairman of SM. To many, he is the Father of Philippine Retail, having successfully built SM into a dominant player in the country’s retail industry with its highly progressive and innovative approach. Sy transformed Shoemart, from a humble shoe store, into SM, now a highly recognizable brand and icon with interests and presence in retail, banking, and property development.