Ernst & Young named George Azih, CEO and founder of LeaseQuery, as an Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 Southeast Award finalist. Azih was selected as one of 30 finalists from a competitive pool of nominations by a panel of independent judges.

More than a decade ago, George—a previous accountant himself—saw a problem within the lease accounting industry that needed to be solved. Since 2011, George has dedicated his career to setting the foundation for LeaseQuery, a purpose-built, cloud-based lease accounting solution that provides specific disclosure reports and journal entries required for organizations across all sectors reporting under the FASB ASC 842, IFRS 16, and GASB 87 lease accounting standards. Thanks to George’s original vision and the team of nearly 200 he has built along the way, LeaseQuery now helps accountants and financial professionals unlock financial insights, discover new business opportunities and solve the multi-trillion dollar problem caused by the new compliance standards.

“I am delighted to be considered as a finalist for this award and placed among so many other inspirational entrepreneurs,” said George Azih. “Accountants are currently faced with the most comprehensive change to lease accounting in over four decades. At LeaseQuery, I have the pleasure of working alongside amazing leaders and innovative team players every day who believe wholeheartedly in our mission of providing a reputable solution to ease the burden of this regulatory reform.”

Now in its 34th year, the Entrepreneur of the Year program honors entrepreneurial business leaders whose ambitions deliver innovation, growth and prosperity as they build and sustain successful businesses that transform the world.

Entrepreneur of the Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated based on six criteria, including overcoming adversity; financial performance; societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company; innovation; and talent management. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards, to be announced in November during a virtual awards gala. The Entrepreneur of the Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year™ Award in June 2021.

Entrepreneur of the Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.