The Armenian Trade Network – Global Armenian Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the recipients of its global business excellence awards for 2019. The ATN Business Awards recognize outstanding Armenian entrepreneurs both globally and in the homeland. Candidates are selected in four distinct categories based on achievements reflecting exemplary business and community values.
The 2019 ATN Business Awards were presented during a special ceremony that followed the biennial ATN Business Forum in Armenia in the presence of Diasporan delegates from over 20 countries, as well as honored guests including the High Commissioner for Diasporan Affairs Zareh Sinanyan and the National Assembly’s Chair of the Standing Committee on European Integration Arman Yeghoyan.
Hovhannes Avoyan, Founder and CEO of PicsArt, received the Global Achievement Award. After graduating from the State Engineering University of Armenia, Avoyan completed a MS degree at the American University of Armenia and attended the Bertelsmann Executives Program at Harvard Business School. In 2011, he founded the social photo editing startup, PicsArt, which now boasts more than 130 million active users worldwide, employing more than 400 people. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company’s objective is to reach a billion users. Avoyan supports artificial intelligence development in Armenia, as well as education and best practices in the country to help data scientists compete globally. He is a regular author and speaker on AI topics and advocates the establishment of machine learning and data science schools in Armenia. The award was presented by Alec Baghdassarian, ATN and American Armenian Business Council board member.
The Investor in Armenia Award was given to Yervant Zorian, President of Synopsys Armenia and Chief Architect at Synopsys (int’l). Dr. Zorian received an MS degree from the University of Southern California, a PhD from McGill University, and an MBA from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds 35 U.S. patents, has authored four books, and published over 350 refereed papers. A Fellow of the IEEE since 1999, he was the 2005 recipient of the prestigious Industrial Pioneer Award for his contribution to BIST, and the 2006 recipient of the IEEE Hans Karlsson Award for diplomacy. Synopsys Armenia has been constantly increasing its activity and expanding its operation framework. It employs over 600 engineers and plans to increase the number by 100 annually. The award was presented by the High Commissioner for Diasporan Affairs, Zareh Sinanyan.
Vahan Kerobyan, Founder and CEO of Menu Group, received the Armenia Business Excellence Award. Following graduation from the Yerevan State University, Kerobyan headed the department of international trade relations at HSBC Bank from 1999 to 2004. He then managed a supermarket chain in Armenia while also consulting EBRD on projects related to the retail industry. He founded his startups Menu Group and Menu Group UK Ltd., which for the past 6 years have been operating in the food-tech and e-commerce sector. The company operates across 15 cities in Armenia, Georgia, and Belarus, cooperates with more than 1,500 partner restaurants, and employs hundreds of people. The company ranks second in the CIS in the total number of orders. Kerobyan is considered as one of the bright spots of today’s new and dynamic generation of business leaders. The award was presented by Arsen Ghazaryan, ATN board member and President of the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia.
The 2019 Distinguished Business Personality Award recipient is renowned Armenian Argentinian businessman and philanthropist Eduardo Eurnekian, President of Corporacion America. As one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Latin America, his business activities span over infrastructure, agriculture, energy, retail, and banking. Starting from the textile industry, Eurnekian diversified into communications and media by taking over Cablevision and creating a modern multimedia network. In 1998 he won the concession to manage and control 33 airports in Argentina, which expanded into 53 airports in 6 other countries. In Armenia, the company invested an estimated $600 million in airports, agriculture, banking, and other sectors employing about 6,000 people. Aside from the concessions to run the Yerevan and Gyumri airports, investments include the Tierras de Armenia winery, Converse Bank, and Armenian Post. Eurnekian’s life trajectory also includes impressive philanthropic goals especially in education. In 2017, he was awarded the National Hero title for his exclusive service of pan-Armenian importance and patriotic activities aimed at the development and prosperity of Armenia. The award was presented to the recipient’s representative Grant Akopian, CFO of Converse Bank, by Miguel Harutiunian, ATN board member and VP of the Argentine Armenia Chamber of Commerce and Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Argentina Miguel Tchilinguirian.
“ATN is proud to recognize four distinguished entrepreneurs who have demonstrated extraordinary achievements in their domains. We celebrate worldwide Armenian business talent and continue to build our global community. We also aim to inspire the new generation of Armenian business leaders,” said ATN President Hrach Kaspar.
ATN is the only cross-sectoral pan-Armenian business organization counting 19 associations in 15 countries. It aims to rebuild the centuries-old Armenian trade networks by promoting new linkages. ATN provides a platform for Armenian chambers of commerce and business associations to exchange knowledge and experiences, as well as promote the economic development agenda in Armenia.
