Adelaide ophthalmologist takes out top honour in 2015 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards

MEDIA RELEASE

Sight For All founding chairman, Dr James Muecke AM, was last night named the 2015 National Social Entrepreneur of the Year at a prestigious awards ceremony in Sydney.

Judges for the 2015 EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards recognised the wide-reaching social impact the ophthalmologist, husband, father and humanitarian has made through Sight For All and its work in preventing and treating eye disease overseas.

Dr Muecke is a driving force behind the not-for-profit Adelaide-based organisation, which has helped more than 500,000 patients in some of the world’s poorest community over the past 12 months. Sight For All uses a network of eye care professionals who volunteer their time to train eye surgeons based throughout Asia.

“The awards pay tribute to some of Australia’s top entrepreneurs and it’s a great honour to be recognised with them on behalf of the many people who help make Sight For All a success,” Dr Muecke said.

“Blindness impacts the individual, family and community and has a profound socio-economic impact on the countries we work in.

“We want to continue to expand the programs and support we provide in developing countries and an award win like this helps us spread our important message about eye health further.”

Dr Muecke was named as the SA and NT candidate for the award in June. At the national awards ceremony last night, seven other category winners were named, including fellow South Australians Kayla Itsines and Tobias Pearce, who took home the 2015 National Emerging Entrepreneurs award for their business, the Bikini Body Training Company.

Dr Muecke’s passion for eye health in developing countries started at age 24, when he worked as a voluntary doctor in Central Kenya and witnessed how life-changing cataract operations could be.

Dr Muecke returned to Adelaide to train in ophthalmology and embarked on a career which included stints working in East Jerusalem and studying at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

Sight For All started in 2009 and comprises a team of more than 100 ophthalmologists, optometrists, orthoptists, ophthalmic nurses and scientists from Australia and New Zealand to support eye care programs. Together, they make a measurable difference in Asian countries and Aboriginal communities here at home.

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year initiative is considered the world’s most prestigious business award and is the only truly global program of its kind, with entrepreneurs from more than 60 countries taking part each year.

ENDS

About Sight For All

Sight For All is an Adelaide-based charitable organisation working towards the elimination of avoidable blindness in Australia and eight partner countries in Asia. The not-for-profit’s work includes conducting focussed research, undertaking sustainable teaching programs and providing modern equipment, which helps it to achieve the organisation’s goal of Sight For All. For more information visit the Sight For All website.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognises the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognising them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries.

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program, launched in Australia in 2001, is one of the country’s leading business awards programs. It has so far recognised over 1,400 leading Australians for their entrepreneurial business success and each year, through its global program, acknowledges thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide. Founded and produced by EY, the program in Australia is sponsored by Commonwealth Bank (Principal Sponsor), Qantas (Sponsor) and Austrade (Supporter). For more information visit the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year website.