The Second Deignan Award for Responsible Entrepreneurship distinguished fourteen companies from Macau and Hong Kong—seven in each SAR—at a ceremony held on Saturday at the University of Saint Joseph.
The Deignan Award aims to promote ethical business practices and encourage enterprises to adopt sustainable business models that adhere to the principles of respecting human dignity, fairness, the environment, business ethics, and upholding an entrepreneurial spirit.
Food and beverage company Pizza Express Macau received the Golden Award for its commitment to ethical innovation, community impact, and sustainability practices.
The organiser praised the company’s competitive wages, wellness benefits for staff, and use of biodegradable straws. “We try our best to treat our staff as family and hold charitable activities,” said Keith Chan, Pizza Express Macau restaurant manager.
The city’s F&B sector is going through a number of challenges due to changing consumption patterns, with the ease of driving access across the border to mainland China and Hong Kong.
“It’s a very challenging environment because people’s dining behaviour has changed. In the face of this, we have to try to find our position, create new pizzas with a local touch, and make use of marketing tools,” Chan added.
The chairman of the Deignan Awards Steering Committee, Stephan Rothlin, stressed the importance of recognising SMEs’ efforts amid an ongoing crisis affecting many small businesses. “Against this background, it is even more meaningful and encouraging to see this strong focus on the need for entrepreneurship, innovation, and social responsibility. This proves how important it is to cultivate these values,” noted Fr Rothlin, who is also director of the Macau Ricci Institute.
Co-organised by the Macau Ricci Institute, the University of Saint Joseph’s Faculty of Business and Law, and Wofoo Social Enterprises, the Deignan Awards for Responsible Entrepreneurship could be expanded to the Greater Bay Area in the future, Rothlin told MNA.
Meat the Next, a Hong Kong start-up focused on sustainable food innovation, was the Hong Kong recipient of the Gold Award.
Macau company Wing Best Cleaning received the Silver Award, which was also awarded to Hong Kong garment firm Hanin Enterprises.
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