Three New Directors from Europe, Asia Elected to Entrepreneurs’ Organization Global Board

Entrepreneurs Steve D. Benitez, Alan Cheung, and Taunya Renson-Martin are elected to three-year terms serving the nonprofit organization beginning FY2024/2025

18 December 2023 (Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.) – The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is pleased to announce three new Directors-Elect to its Global Board for three-year terms, which begin on 1 July 2024. Steve D. Benitez (EO Philippines), Alan Cheung (EO Hong Kong), and Taunya Renson-Martin (EO Belgium) have each forged a remarkable path of leadership locally and globally since joining EO, culminating in their appointment to the Global Board for the nonprofit membership network next year. 

EO’s current Global Board voted for the three new Directors during its November meeting and its international community of 18,000+ members ratified their election earlier this month. Together, the incoming Directors bring almost 40 years of collective service to the global network of entrepreneurs. The incoming Directors are:

• Steve D. Benitez (EO Philippines): Steve’s EO journey includes 20 years of dedicated membership and service within the Entrepreneurs’ Organization community in the Philippines, APAC region, and worldwide. He is the CEO of WS & Landin, Inc, the portfolio of which includes Bo’s Coffee, a company Steve started in 1996 as a coffee cart and is now the Philippine’s largest homegrown coffee chain with more than 140 locations. Within EO, he is a former Regional Chair for the Asia Pacific region and currently serves as a Global Learning Ambassador. He speaks English, Tagalog and Cebuano.

• Alan Cheung (EO Hong Kong): The current Regional Chair for EO in North Asia, Alan began his EO journey with EO Hong Kong in 2009. He subsequently founded and served as Presidents of both EO Tokyo Metropolitan and EO Greater China Bridge Chapters. He is still a member of all three chapters today. Alan is a serial entrepreneur who recently founded GreenAcre Capital Management Ltd., a property fund that focuses on property development in Asia, Japan, US and UK. He also founded Blink Community, a leading international co-working space and business services provider with locations across Tokyo, Japan. Alan speaks English, Chinese, and some Japanese.

• Taunya Renson-Martin (EO Belgium): EO’s twice-serving Regional Chair for Europe, Taunya’s rapid rise within the organization’s Path of Leadership has included serving as President of EO Belgium in 2020-2021 and as Member Experience Director in Europe in 2021-2022. An American expat living in Ghent, she is the successful Founder and Managing Partner of Mach Media, a marketing and strategic communications firm part of the independent global agency network Worldwide Partners Inc. She speaks English as well as intermediate Dutch and French.

   

Reflecting on the incoming Board Directors, Lynn Anstett, EO’s Global Chair and a member of EO Cincinnati, congratulated the three leaders, further noting that the selection of Global Board members has long been one of that body’s most important functions. “As I prepare to complete my own board service in 2024, I am tremendously encouraged by the leadership our diverse organization will gain with our continuing Directors and these truly impressive, new board members. Their combined four decades of experience in EO, their commitment to our core values, and their deep regional insights and perspectives will help us shape the future of EO.”

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization Global Board is currently composed of 10 Directors from seven countries who are each active members of the network. Successful business owners themselves, they represent the multinational and multicultural diversity of EO’s global membership across markets and sectors. Board Directors are nominated and elected by their peers to serve three-year terms, while participating in EO’s multi-year Path of Leadership. This path begins at the chapter level, and then advances to regional and global opportunities within the organization, with Global Board service as its pinnacle. An 11th Ex-Officio Director is the nonprofit organization’s current Chief Executive.

Interest in board service this year came from across the organization’s global network, with applications representing six different EO regions. Incoming Board Chair for FY2024/2025 Jamie Pujara, of EO Kenya, said: “While choosing between outstanding entrepreneurs and member-leaders is never an easy process, our careful selection process allows us to feel confident that each of these new leaders is exceptional. They have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to growth, learning, and service to EO, with the utmost trust and respect for our peers. I am proud that we selected leaders who have nurtured many relationships across every level of this organization.”

Deborah Rainey, Interim Chief Executive and Ex-Officio Director of EO, added, “Our incoming board leaders are inspiring examples of the rich diversity of members across our global community. Their wealth of experiences as business owners, and as members and volunteer leaders in EO —locally, regionally, and globally— will only add to our ability to serve entrepreneurs everywhere. EO’s staff and I look forward to partnering with Alan, Steve, Taunya and the rest of the Global Board to unlock our members’ full potential and move the world forward in the coming years.”

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About Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO): The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a high-quality support network of 18,000+ business founders and owners in 80 countries on six continents, who participate as members in one or more of the organization’s 220 chapters worldwide. EO helps entrepreneurs achieve their full potential through the power of life-enhancing connections, shared experiences, and collaborative learning. EO has been helping entrepreneurs achieve transformational growth since 1987 and its member network is committed to learning and helping each other succeed. For more information or to get involved, follow us on Linkedin, Instagram or Facebook and visit our website: www.eonetwork.org