Out of more than 2,000 entries, 300 entrepreneurs, innovators, and “game-changers” from 23 countries and territories were chosen to feature on this year’s edition of Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, with 23 Singaporeans among them. Announced yesterday, the 2019 list included 30 names in each of the 10 industries, including The Arts, Enterprise Technology, Retail and E-commerce, and Media, Marketing and Advertising.
Most notably, at least to the general public, was the appearance of popular local music outfit The Sam Willows on the list. The quartet have been making melodies since 2012, growing their popularity from indie gigs to international festivals in the years since.
Also in the Entertainment and Sports category was local bowler Shayna Ng, so named for her sporting achievements in repping the country on the world stage. Photographer Charmaine Poh, Kenny Wang from smart lock company igloohome, Park N Parcel’s Erik Cheong, Christel Quek of mobile entertainment app Bolt, and Germaine Tan from Found8, the biggest co-working entrepreneurial community in the country, also made it on the coveted list.
All in all, Singapore had the fifth most number of names on the list. China dominated with 61, followed by India (59), Japan (30), and South Korea (28).
Elsewhere around the region, Japanese tennis champion Naomi Osaka featured on the rankings, alongside K-pop band Blackpink, Chinese actor Liu Haoran, Taiwanese musician Nana Ou-Yang, and South Korean actress Kim Tae-ri.
The process of putting together the list included vetting by “A-list judges and industry experts,” as well as looking at criteria like demonstration of leadership, impact, potential of success, and entrepreneurial spirit.
