Furniture designer named
Innovation Entrepreneur
KENNETH C. Cobonpue, CEO of Interior Crafts of the Islands, Inc., was named the Innovation Entrepreneur in the recent Entrepreneur Of the Year Philippines 2009 awards banquet. He was cited for bringing pride and prestige to Philippine furniture exports by designing and manufacturing the only internationally recognized Filipino furniture brand, producing them from indigenous materials using innovative handmade production techniques.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year was founded in the United States by professional services firm Ernst & Young in 1986 to recognize the achievements of the most successful and innovative entrepreneurs worldwide. In 2001, Ernst & Young expanded the program and launched the World Entrepreneur Of The Year awards.
In the Philippines, the SGV Foundation, Inc. established the Entrepreneur Of The Year in 2003. Supporting the program as co-presenters are the Department of Trade and Industry, Ateneo Graduate School of Business, Development Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Philippine Stock Exchange, and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
Program sponsors were SAP Philippines, William J. Shaw Foundation, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Universal Motors Inc. Official airline was KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air France-KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors were BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. Banquet sponsors are Globe Business, Philex Mining Corp. and Victorinox.