This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 10, 2019 - June 16, 2019

IT has been almost a year since the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce’s (BMCC) inaugural Business Excellence Awards, which recognised business excellence and was held in conjunction with the Chamber’s 55th anniversary.

This year, the BMCC will be hosting the much-anticipated second Business Excellence Awards, at the St Regis Hotel Kuala Lumpur on June 20.

The Awards are a heightened standard of recognition offered to companies and individuals who have excelled and progressed in the business landscape of the UK and Malaysia.

Some of the big winners from last year include renowned brands, such as Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, YTL Corp Bhd, Shell Malaysia Ltd and Dyson Manufacturing Sdn Bhd.

YTL Corp was recognised as the Malaysian Investor of the Year in the UK while Tesco was hailed as the UK Investor of the Year in Malaysia for its track record of investment in Malaysia, having built on its success in the UK, and bringing mutual economic benefits to both countries.

Shell Malaysia won the Investing in People Award for its commitment to the upskilling of its workforce while Dyson Manufacturing and not-for-profit organisation The Lost Food Project emerged as winners under the Technology and Innovation category.

This year, the BMCC is opening up all its categories for nominations, encouraging a more level playing field for any and all companies seeking an accolade for their efforts in innovation, partnerships and growth achieved in recent years.

A total of seven award categories await to be claimed, including two new divisions — Social Enterprise of The Year and SME of The Year.

The Awards coincide with the BMCC’s flagship annual Gala Dinner, which is the grandest of its kind, hosted among more than 40 social networking events and talk in the Chamber’s calendar year.

Returning as the main sponsor for the Awards is HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd.

Seeing the value of associating its brand with the Awards, HSBC Malaysia CEO Stuart Milne says the group is delighted to be the main sponsor for the Business Excellence Awards, which recognises the best of British and Malaysian businesses.

“HSBC, the UK’s largest banking organisation, has a long history in Malaysia, going all the way back to 1860. Then, as now, our role has been to foster the development of trade and investment between Malaysia and the wider world.

“We look forward with optimism as the UK and Malaysia continue to build on what is already a deep and abiding relationship, and we congratulate the nominees on their achievements,” he says.

Joining the sponsorship ranks this year is Sunway Medical Centre.

With several large investments made in the past year, including facility expansions and adoption of new medical technologies, Sunway Medical Centre sees the Awards as a platform to raise awareness of the great strides it has been making.

“As part of Sunway Medical Centre’s commitment to improving patient care and treatment standards, we are collaborating with several world class institutions, such as the Royal College of Physicians (London), Harvard Medical School, Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Royal Papworth Hospital under the Cambridge University Health Partners.

“These affiliations will allow the sharing of academic excellence and enable us to learn and apply the best international practices, not just in patient care but also in clinical service development and joint clinical trials and research,” says Sunway Group Healthcare Services managing director Lau Beng Long.

The BMCC also expressed appreciation for the support of sponsors Henry Goh & Co Sdn Bhd, EcoWorld International Bhd, Petrofac Malaysia Ltd, Tesco, DDGI Ltd and CIMA SE Asia Sdn Bhd while acknowledging its partnerships with the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Royal Selangor, The Edge, British Airways, Malaysia Airlines Bhd, Triumph and MINI Malaysia.

Established in 1963, the BMCC is driven by the sole ordinance of advancing bilateral trade relations between the UK and Malaysia.

Over the past five decades, the Chamber has been a catalyst in providing Malaysian businesses with networking and exposure opportunities, knowledge exchange and bilateral trading support services.

Today, the BMCC prides itself as one of Southeast Asia’s most prolific chambers.

It was also appointed by the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) as its service delivery partner for British SMEs seeking to export or establish a presence in Malaysia.

The BMCC Trade Team — comprising dedicated sector specialists — provides a range of customised services, from market intelligence, business matching and event management to sourcing assistance of UK goods and services.

For table bookings and more information, visit www.bmcc.org.my.

The Edge is the media partner for the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards 2019

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