NADICORP Holding Sdn Bhd Executive Chairman Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh has been named as Malaysia's Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2003.

Chosen from a list of 14 outstanding entrepreneurs, he also received the master entrepreneur of the Year award from Deputy Minister of International Trade and industry Datuk Kerk Choo Ting who represented his minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz at the award giving ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.

Nadzmi was previously Chief Executive Officer of Edaran Otomobil Nasional Bhd (EON) and Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd (PROTON) before taking over the ownership and management of Mara Holdings.

Nadicorp is Malaysia's biggest bumiputra conglomerate at the forefront of land transportation industry, serving 60 million customers a year with 1,200 buses plying 234 route throughout peninsular Malaysia.

Other categories, namely Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year was given to Air Asia Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes who found Tune Air Sdn Bhd in 2001 which took over Air Asia, the country's second national air carrier.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of Caely Holdings Bhd Theresa Fong was named Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2003. Caely Holdings commenced operations in 1986 to manufacture and market lingerie products.

Founder of TimeCom Holdings Sdn Bhd Group, Alan Tan, was awarded with the ICT (information communication technology) Entrepreneur of the Year 2003, after pioneering the IT learning industry and now providing IT learning programmes to over 150,000 pupils in 200 schools. - Bernama (20 January 2004)