News
Former scrap collector crowned Entrepreneur of the Year
17 November 2009
The Prince of Wales awards prestigious
international prize to Argentinean entrepreneur and former scrap
collector
Juan Ramón Nuñez, owner of an sound and lighting company
operating in a deprived area of Buenos Aires, has been named the
winner of an international competition for young entrepreneurs.
The 34 year old was named as the winner of Youth Business
International’s Entrepreneur of the Year competition at an event
last night at St James’s Palace. HRH The Prince of Wales hosted the
event, held to mark the first day of Global Entrepreneurship Week,
and commended Juan Ramón on his achievement.
Juan Ramón was orphaned at the age of one and had to collect and
sell cardboard to make a living before managing to set up first a
community radio station, and then an audiovisual company. He was
selected as the Entrepreneur of the Year by a high-profile judging
panel which included Deborah Meaden, entrepreneur and star of BBC
series Dragon’s Den.
The judges said: “We chose Juan Ramón because he displays a true
entrepreneurial spirit of not accepting his lot, striving against
adversity and identifying a market and then attacking that market
through a scaleable business. He is a true inspiration and we wish
him success in the future.”
Juan Ramón said: “This recognition is like a stepping stone for
me. Its the start of a new phase in my entrepreneurial career.”
Juan Ramón, who suffers from acute heart problems, has been able
to create a successful entrepreneurial career which has provided
real benefits to his local community.
For four years – in the thick of the Argentine economic crisis –
he saved every penny he earned as a scrap collector in order to set
up a community radio station. Following its success, he was then
able to launch his audiovisual operation with the help of Fundación
Impulsar, a local organisation which gives funding and mentoring to
young entrepreneurs in Argentina. His business, The Light of Sound
has not only become a successful business venture, but also plays
an important role in bringing the local community together.
Juan Ramón was competing against three other finalists in the
competition: Ghadah Baaqil, a Saudi Arabian entrepreneur who
established a centre for autistic children; Jorge Alberto Noverón,
an eco-friendly architect in Mexico; and Philip Ross and Martin
Izod, a pair of Scottish inventors who pioneered a safety door
hinge.
In addition to Deborah Meaden, the judges on the panel were:
Claire Young, runner-up in the 2008 BBC series The Apprentice;
Rachel Bridge, the enterprise editor for The Sunday Times
newspaper; Jake Meyer, a record-breaking mountaineer.
Juan Ramón will receive prize money of US$5,000 from Youth
Business International. Fundación Impulsar will also receive
US$5,000 in recognition of its work in supporting Juan Ramón.
Youth Business International’s Entrepreneur of the Year
competition celebrates young entrepreneurs around the world whose
businesses help to grow local communities, stimulate job creation
and provide essential products and services.