On June 13 2008, Alibaba.com held its inaugural EMEA e-Business Champions of the Year 2008 Award Ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, Holland Park, London, UK. Held in partnership with the International Chambers of Commerce (ICC), Italian Association of Foreign Trade (AICE), and EU-China Business Association (EUCBA), the awards celebrated the growth and innovation of five winning companies from five different countries covering various industries. Each of the five EMEA e-Business Champions, chosen from thousands of participant, successfully utilized the internet to grow their businesses. They are: Mr. Luca Borinato of Italy, Mr. Rory McLoughney of Ireland, Mr. Panos Dimitriadis of Greece, Mr. Aamir Farooq of U.A.E and Mrs. Eva Reñé Bañeres of Spain
The contest was judged by Mr. David Wei, CEO Alibaba.com, Mr. Peter Bishop, Deputy Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce ATA Carnet Council and ATA Administrative Committee and Mr. Pierantino Cantoni, International Relations Manager of AICE (Italian Association of Foreign Trade).
The annual contest recognizes the credibility, achievement, social responsibility and innovation among entrepreneurs using the Internet as a tool to do business.The ceremony was a brilliant event. The ballroom of the Hilton Kensington Hotel was decorated with orange and white balloons and flowers as well as branded banners which gave a look and feel of an Alibaba.com community event. The atmosphere was convivial and members meet and shared experiences. The event closed with another networking session with members taking the opportunity to talk to the winners and to Alibaba.com senior management team.
