15 Aug MNP Auctioneers (Central) Co. Ltd.’s founder, Mr. Stephen Soon was awarded with the 8th Global Outstanding Young Leader Award by Yazhou Zhoukan (Chinese Asiaweek)
Date: August 11, 2023
Penang, Malaysia — MNP Auctioneers (Central) Co. Ltd. is pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Soon, the Managing Director and Founder, has been awarded the 8th Global Outstanding Young Leader Award by Yazhou Zhoukan (Chinese Asiaweek) in Hong Kong on August 4th, 2023. This recognition celebrates his remarkable contributions to advancing the development of art, culture, and creativity. The award ceremony was graced by an official video speech by Honorable John Lee Ka-chiu, the Chief Executive of the Government of Hong Kong, and officiated by the Secretary for Security Bureau, Mr Chris Tang Ping-keung, GBS, PDSM, JP.
Established in December 1987 and based in Hong Kong, Yazhou Zhoukan is a renown international Chinese-language current affairs magazine. The magazine celebrated its 35th anniversary during the award ceremony.
The Yazhou Zhoukan Global Outstanding Young Leader Award is a prestigious international accolade aimed at recognizing exceptional individuals who demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovative thinking, and a proactive spirit of change across various fields. Mr. Stephen Soon’s exceptional achievements and active involvement in pioneering the creative auction sector in Malaysia has led him to receive this honor, making him one of the six distinguished awardees.
Mr. Stephen Soon has earned widespread acclaim for his outstanding leadership abilities and contributions to the creative realm. Since 2014, he has transformed MNP into the first official auction company appointed by the Central Bank of Malaysia (Bank Negara Malaysia). Furthermore, to drive innovation in the arts and cultural domain, he established the online creative asset bidding platform, Best2Bid.com, which has become a leading platform for online creative asset auctions. This innovative auction and trading platform offers fresh developmental opportunities for artists and the cultural and creative industries. His foresight and courage have positioned Best2Bid as a driving force behind artistic market innovation in the digital era, further fortifying the development of Malaysia’s cultural industry.
Under the leadership of Mr. Stephen Soon, MNP Auctioneers (Central) Co. Ltd. has exhibited remarkable resilience in the face of challenging circumstances and a limited awareness of the creative sector among the local population and even auction houses. They have successfully pivoted from their roots in traditional real estate foreclosure auctions, exerting a disruptive and profound impact on the entire auction industry. His innovative practices and exceptional performance are hoped to inspire more practitioners to continually explore and advance, propelling the auction industry toward greater modernization and diversification.
Upon receiving the prestigious Asia Weekly Global Outstanding Youth Leader Award, Mr. Stephen Soon expressed his unwavering commitment to promoting the development of Malaysia’s art and cultural endeavors. He aspires to lead MNP Auctioneers (Central) Co. Ltd. onto a broader international stage through innovation and collaboration, providing more opportunities for Malaysian artists and cultural promoters.
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