This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on October 24, 2022 - October 30, 2022

THE Edge Media Group and partners are celebrating Corporate Malaysia’s best-performing listed companies and top responsible organisations at The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) awards ceremony for the 13th incarnation this year.

In anticipation of the event, Datuk Ho Kay Tat, The Edge Media Group publisher and CEO, says: “Everyone goes through rough patches; that’s life. Many BRC winners, past and present, are leaders that rose above negative events and made sure they built on existing strengths and developed new ones to take on future challenges. We look forward to celebrating Corporate Malaysia’s crème de la crème that proved resilient and contributed to the country’s economic growth and recovery from Covid-19.”

OCBC Bank Malaysia, a key partner since the award’s inauguration in 2010, is the main sponsor for the 13th consecutive year. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, the award’s official car, returns as a sponsor for the eighth year. Cartier by Cortina Watch Malaysia, which supported the awards in 2020, is officially a supporting sponsor for a second year in 2022.

“I thank our distinguished partners, OCBC Bank Malaysia and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, for their steadfast support and Cartier by Cortina Watch Malaysia for lending its weight to celebrate Corporate Malaysia’s continued excellence. Corporate Malaysia’s most anticipated corporate awards ceremony and gala dinner would not be the prestigious annual gathering that it has become without their fervent support,” Ho says.

Ho: Many BRC winners, past and present, are leaders that rose above negative events and made sure they built on existing strengths and developed new ones to take on future challenges (Photo by Patrick Goh/The Edge)

Paying homage to Corporate Malaysia’s best, Datuk Ong Eng Bin, CEO of OCBC Bank Malaysia Bhd, says: “The pandemic has shown us, in the words of Napoleon Hill, that whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve. We were all forced into a corner during the pandemic and were compelled to make uncomfortable decisions. Yet, the outcome demonstrated the extent of our latent creativity and sheer determination.

“[This year’s event is] a celebration of how the impossible became possible. And, beyond that, how the heart worked in tandem with the mind to birth a set of stronger companies that weathered the storm, innovated and persevered to deliver excellence to their stakeholders and the community comprising both their customers and non-customers.

“Their relentless quest to outdo themselves is testament to the lasting value and forward-looking posture that OCBC Bank holds as central to [its] own value system.” Ong notes that this year’s winners have strived to perform on all fronts — several of which have emerged stronger through digital innovation and sheer resilience.

Ong: We were all forced into a corner during the pandemic and were compelled to make uncomfortable decisions. Yet, the outcome demonstrated the extent of our latent creativity and sheer determination. (Photo by OCBC)

Sagree Sardien, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and head of region, South East Asia II, applauds Corporate Malaysia and the country’s rebound to firmer ground. “Although it was a challenging period for businesses from all industries alike, we are glad to see that the economy and market are back at their usual pace, and even showcasing promising growth.

“Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is honoured to be part of this award, as this overall showcases the nation’s market recovery and momentum,” she says, noting how the institution too has been inspired even as it pursues sustainable excellence. “The awards provide a great platform to recognise the efforts of Corporate Malaysia and their contribution to boosting the local economy. We applaud the efforts of the respective corporate businesses for their contributions.

“Mercedes-Benz Malaysia also takes inspiration from such efforts to continue to drive the transformation of the automotive environment through our focus on business digitalisation, electrification, luxury and entrenching sustainability efforts in our DNA. This is in line with our global direction and Ambition 2039 to lead in electric and accelerate an all-electric future by the end of the decade.”

Sagree adds that Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has launched four electric vehicles locally — the EQA, EQB, EQC and its flagship EQS — along with a services suite, and is upskilling its talent pool to affirm its “lead in electric” claim to encourage the local market to “flip the switch” and “embrace an electric future, the Mercedes-Benz way”.

Sagree: The awards provide a great platform to recognise the efforts of Corporate Malaysia and their contribution to boosting the local economy (Photo by Mercedes-Benz)

Tay Liam Khoon, managing director of Cortina Watch Malaysia, also looks forward to celebrating Corporate Malaysia’s best-in-class. “We’re both excited and proud to co-sponsor this gala yet again and we highly honour the entrepreneurial spirit of excellence from the top businesses in the country. Despite the challenging year, these companies have demonstrated great agility and dedication that have spurred them to success while maintaining best business practices.”

Citing two aspects of OCBC Bank’s five-part LIFRR (lasting value, integrity, forward-looking, respect and responsibility) value system — providing lasting value and being forward-looking — Ong emphasises the importance of having the right values in building sustainable resilience for all stakeholders.

“We believe that holding to values like these naturally leads to innovation and excellence, as we will no longer be drawn back to doing things otherwise. Driving innovation on the back of technological advances, coupled with a responsible and sustainable posture that is indicative of lasting value, will ensure we strive ahead for the greater good. We must remain relevant and pursue greatness together as Corporate Malaysia. We need each other to grow so that we can collectively thrive in the years ahead,” he says.

“What we would like to see more of is greater emphasis on ESG (environmental, social and governance)-related efforts where companies do well by doing good. As a strong financial institution backed by regional support, a key indicator of our own commitment to the task at hand was our participation in late 2021 in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bursa Malaysia to collaborate on an initiative to improve ESG adoption practises among Malaysian public-listed companies (PLCs).”

Tay: Despite the challenging year, these companies have demonstrated great agility and dedication that have spurred them to success while maintaining best business practices (Photo by Cortina Watch)

Speaking in support of sustainability, Mercedes-Benz’s Sagree says: “Sustainability is now, and it’s something that can no longer take a back seat. The climate crisis is real, and it is up to us to make changes for future generations. Meaningful actions today are needed to achieve a responsible balance for tomorrow. We applaud the winners for leading this change and paving the way towards a sustainable future.

“At Mercedes-Benz, we pursue a sustainable, integrated business strategy with sustainability as our guiding principle and at the core of our business. Through our global Ambition 2039, our goal is to move from ‘Electric first’ to ‘Electric only’ and aim for zero-emission mobility to pave the way for a carbon neutral future. There cannot be luxury without sustainability in the future and we want to entrench sustainability in everything we do.”

Cortina’s Tay also hopes to see corporations in Malaysia put in place “more inspiring strategies” that will, in turn, inspire others to follow suit.

“With the increasing focus on both sustainability and innovation in business practices, both Cartier and Cortina Watch are constantly looking at ways to improve our business implementation. In October 2021, for example, Cartier launched the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030, uniting members of the watch and jewellery industry in a commitment to ambitious goals while collaborating on projects that impact the entire value chain. The initiative hopes to create an entirely sustainable watch and jewellery sector by building climate resilience, preserving resources and fostering inclusivity,” Tay says.

Besides being a signatory of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures since 2019 and Equator Principles since 2020, the OCBC Group also supports the delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through the various initiatives tied to the 15 material ESG factors in the OCBC Group Sustainability Strategy.

The Edge BRC recognises excellence in companies with a market capitalisation of above RM1 billion. The billion-ringgit cut-off serves as an aspirational target for dynamic smaller companies. Companies are added to the annual list automatically at the cut-off date of March 31 and evaluated on growth in profit, returns to shareholders and corporate responsibility (CR) commitments, among others.

Apart from their respective Bursa Malaysia-defined industry peers, BRC members are also ranked against companies with similar market capitalisation through the creation of the Super Big Cap (companies with more than RM40 billion market capitalisation) and Big Cap (companies with RM10 billion to RM40 billion market capitalisation) categories.

The awards to be given out include Value Creator: Malaysia’s Outstanding CEO; The Edge BRC Most Profitable Company; The Edge BRC Highest Profit Growth Company; The Edge BRC Best Performing Stock; The Edge BRC Best CR Initiatives; and the coveted The Edge BRC Company of the Year.

Previous Company of the Year winners have been ViTrox Corp Bhd, Hartalega Holdings Bhd, Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd, Petronas Dagangan Bhd, AirAsia Bhd, Nestlé (M) Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd, Digi.Com Bhd, Genting Bhd, QL Resources Bhd and Supermax Corp Bhd.

Past winners of the Value Creator: Malaysia’s Outstanding CEO award have been Public Bank Group chairman Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow, CIMB group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, AMMB Holdings Bhd chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim, AirAsia group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, former S P Setia Bhd president and CEO Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, former Malayan Banking Bhd president and CEO Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Axiata Group Bhd president and group CEO Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, Sunway Group chairman Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, Khazanah Nasional Bhd managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, Westports Holdings Bhd executive chairman Tan Sri G Gnanalingam, Dialog Group Bhd executive chairman and co-founder Tan Sri Ngau Boon Keat, QL Resources Bhd executive chairman Chia Song Kun and Maybank president and CEO Datuk Seri Abdul Farid Alias.

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