Samih Darwazah in the race for Ernst & Young's World Entrepreneur of the Year Award

The award ceremony will be held on 31 May 2008 at Monte Carlo, and the winner will be inducted into the World Entrepreneur of the Year Academy.

Darwazah was announced as the winner of the first Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) award for the Middle East at a Dubai ceremony earlier in the year. He was praised for his passion, hard work and persistence in creating a successful business.

His perseverance has contributed immensely to raising the profile of the Middle East, not only as an entrepreneurial region, but also as a manufacturing destination.

Hikma Pharmaceuticals was founded in Jordan in 1977. Today, it has a strong presence in the Middle East, North Africa, the United States and Europe. In 1996, Hikma became the first Arab company to export into the US, and in 2005, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange.

On participating in the World EOY awards, Darwazeh said:�"Being chosen as the Middle East Entrepreneur of the Year is an honour and a responsibility. I am proud to be representing my company and my country at the world event. Our region boasts entrepreneurial spirit and successful businesses, which position us to compete with our peers from around the world."

Fouad Alaeddin, Managing Partner of Ernst & Young Middle East said:�"The launch of the Middle East EOY program is a tribute to the vision, creativity and achievements of some of our region's greatest minds. We are delighted that Samih will be representing the Middle East in Monte Carlo. This is a clear demonstration that those who focus on fundamental business challenges build exceptional enterprises and become successful entrepreneurs."

Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) program aims to recognize and encourage entrepreneurship around the world. It seeks to build a forum for the exchange of ideas not just between entrepreneurs of one country, but also internationally.