The French Chamber presented its second SME Awards during the Chamber’s Annual Gala dinner which took place on May 22, at the Grand Hyatt.

Originally created by Christine Lagarde, French Minister for the Economy, Industry and Employment, the SME Awards aim to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit and development of SMEs created by French entrepreneurs in HongKong.

The French Chamber awarded two prizes this year: the “Excellence SME Award” and the “Start-up SME Award”.

Seventeen dynamic SMEs, from various industries and with very different profiles, participated in this year’s awards:

A jury of 11 key personalities of HK and professionals evaluated each company according to six criteria: Strategy, Innovation, Performance, Leadership, Social Responsibility and Contribution to the development of the business between Hong Kong and France.

This year’s SME Awards were sponsored by Invest HK, HKTDC, Coface, Ernst & Young, Fortis Commercial Finance, Groupama, Hong Kong France Business Partnership and Mazars

Qeelin, Excellence SME Award winner

Qeelin was selected as the winner of the 2009 Excellence SME Award. The company’s co-founders, Guillaume Brochard and Dennis Chan, were officially presented with the award by Simon Galpin, Director-General of InvestHK.

Created in 2004, Qeelin is the first independent international luxury jeweler to blend the rich aesthetics of Chinese culture with the excellence of French craftsmanship.

The dream of its founders was to capture the mythical essence of China’s cultural heritage through the medium of contemporary, luxury jewellery design.

The partnership between Guillaume Brochard and Dennis Chan illustrates the best of a Hong Kong-French collaboration and translates its East meets West philosophy.

Qeelin has become, in less than five years, a recognized brand in its industry and has developed a very strong brand identity expressed through a contemporary Chinese environment in its boutiques.

Qeelin collections are available in Hong Kong, Beijing, Los Angeles, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, London and Paris.

FB Solution, Start-up SME Award winner of the year

The jury selected FB Solution as winner of the 2009 Start-up SME Award.

The company’s Operations Manager Etienne Gad was officially presented with the award by Christopher Jackson, Assistant Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

Attracted by Hong Kong’s market potential and the good quality of life, FB Solution’s Operations Manager Etienne Gad came here three years ago and decided to start his own business.

FB Solution is the first Hong Kong bakery to provide fresh French breads and Danish pastries by importing high-quality frozen dough from France.

The company employs 10 people in Hong Kong and bakes more than 5,000 products a day, 365 days a year.

FB Solution specializes in AOC Butter Charentes-Poitou Danishes and also offers a range of products in partnership with the famous Lenotre School of cuisine.

After less than two years of production, FB Solution managed to become one of the main bakery product suppliers for hotels in Hong Kong.

This award-winning start-up company shows how a clear long term strategy based on the highest quality of a basic product can be key to success in a fiercely competitive industry.