HAPPY SKIN FOUNDER BAGS PCCI’S INJAP SIA AWARD FOR YOUNG ENTREPS

ALLURE Asia, Inc. (Happy Skin) Founder and CEO Jacqueline Y. Gutierrez bested 59 other nominees in bagging the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)’s 2020 Injap Sia Outstanding Young Entrepreneur Award (ISOYEA),  which recognizes the invaluable role of young entrepreneurs in nation-building.

Gutierrez was cited for the innovations that she introduced to her company, allowing her to build a P250-million brand (combined Allure Asia and Happy Maven Retail Inc. – retail arm of Happy Skin) and a sustainable business that is continuously giving jobs to Filipinos at a young age of 35.  She has paved the way for local brands to have a voice in the beauty industry where previously only international players thrive.

The award was presented by PCCI president Amb. Benedicto V. Yujuico,  PCCI director for  innovation and the award’s benefactor Edgar “Injap”J.  Sia II,  PCCI honorary chairman  and treasurer Sergio R. Ortiz Luis, Jr., PCCI director for  SME Development Apolinar E. Aure, PCCI Philippine- US Business Council chair and 46th Philippine Business Conference & Expo chair Enunina V. Mangio, and PCCI deputy secretary General for Regional and International Affairs Edwin R. Glindro.

The PCCI named the award after Sia II, one of the most successful and respected young entrepreneurs in the country,

Adjudged as Outstanding Young Entrepreneur for Services Sector this year was  Ralph Vincent Regalado, CEO of Senti Techlabs Inc. Chosen as the Outstanding Young Entrepreneur for Agriculture Sector  was  Mark Gersava, Founder and Chief Executive Farmer of Bambuhay.

Regalado founded Senti Techlabs Inc. (also known as Senti AI), a pioneering Artificial Intelligence Company in the Philippines. It started by offering a proprietary social analytics tool which listened to Filipino conversations online and analyzed their emotions. Senti is now focused on continuously creating algorithms that would make computers understand and adapt to the way that Filipinos think and communicate.

Gersava, on the other hand, supervises and controls all strategic and business aspects of Bambuhay, a startup focused on circular economy and dedicated in innovating sustainable solutions to heal the planet which was recognized globally as the first Philippine-based social enterprise by leading media around the globe.

The ISOYEA is an annual award chaired by Sia II, Chairman of Double Dragon Properties Corporation and Director-in-Charge for Innovation of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and implemented by the PCCI SME Development Committee headed by PCCI Director for SME Development Apolinar E. Aure.