Andrew Benedek, who left Hungary for Canada at age 13 in 1956 and who founded one of the world’s most successful water filtration companies, has been named the inaugural winner of an international award.
Benedek, a former chemistry professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, is the first winner of the Singapore government’s Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize for his outstanding contribution to water management around the world. The award also carries a cash prize of $219,240 (CDN). He founded Zenon Environmental Inc. in his Hamilton home and developed innovative technology to filter water using hollow-fibre membranes, instead of the traditional methods of sand or chlorine. The company grew from its modest start to 1,400 employees with plants in Burlington, Oakville and Hungary. Two years ago, General Electric purchased Zenon for $760 million.