Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Event

A graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Douglas Austin is an architect. Based in San Diego, he serves as AVRP Studio’s chairman and CEO. Douglas Austin has received several awards for his work, including the People to Watch award from San Diego Magazine and the San Diego Big Hitters Award. However, one of his most significant honors came when Ernst & Young named him a finalist for its 2001 Entrepreneur of the Year event.

Held annually, the Entrepreneur of the Year event welcomes business leaders and disruptive startup founders from over 60 countries each year. While the awards granted at the event are great honors, many participants attend for the many keynote speeches, discussions, and debates that the event facilitates.

The event offers attendees the opportunity to meet like-minded business people, allowing them to build their networks so they can move closer to realizing their ambitions. It also hosts peer-to-peer interactive sessions, which bring attendees up close and personal with some of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs. Of course, the awards are the event’s highlight, with each iteration hosting a black-tie awards gala to celebrate the success of its finalists.