This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on September 3, 2019
The Edge Media Group and partners will be celebrating Corporate Malaysia’s best-performing companies and most responsible organisations at
The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) gala dinner for the 10th straight year.
“Uncertainty may well be the new normal but when the going gets tough, the tough get going, as many BRC members have consistently proved in the past decade. We look forward to celebrating Corporate Malaysia’s top-performing companies in the various categories,” says The Edge Media Group publisher and group chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Ho Kay Tat.
OCBC Bank (M) Bhd, a key partner since the award’s inauguration in 2010, returns as the main sponsor for the 10th year. Swiss luxury watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre is a supporting sponsor while Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is the official car.
“I thank OCBC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Mercedes-Benz for their steadfast support of the BRC. This prestigious annual gathering would not have become Corporate Malaysia’s most anticipated corporate awards ceremony without these excellent partners,” Ho says.
One of the world’s most highly rated banks, OCBC has also won numerous awards for being an excellent institution, corporate citizen and employer, and is a huge believer in sustainability and inclusivity as it pushes back the boundaries of technology and innovation.
“A decade has come and gone since we, at OCBC Bank, first started sharing the vision with The Edge to showcase both the head and heart of the country’s finest corporations. The Edge Billion Ringgit Club remains as relevant today as it was then. Most heartening is the continuing shift in emphasis to a corporate responsibility posture that integrates itself with the advantages of digital solutions that help enhance the lives of every community out there. Inclusive access with relentlessness will remain the staple way of achieving the goals of becoming a skilled and high-income country … responsibly,” says Jeffrey Teoh, OCBC Bank (M) Bhd’s managing director and head of corporate and commercial banking.
“Our heartiest congratulations to The Edge Billion Ringgit Club on reaching this milestone, and in the process raising the bar by rewarding Corporate Malaysia’s crème de la crème for a job well done,” he adds.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Jaeger-LeCoultre is another strong believer in excellence and strong leadership, as reflected by the Swiss master watchmaker’s passion, vast heritage, ingenious design and constant quest for technical perfection. The reversing case of the classic Reverso, for instance, was conceived as a challenge to make a timepiece that exuded class and could withstand possible mallet strokes in the polo matches of British Army officers in India in the 1930s.
“At Jaeger-LeCoultre, we believe an organisation’s core values are key to shaping its culture and support its vision, and we are proud to be partnering The Edge Billion Ringgit Club for the fifth consecutive year to recognise organisations with values that have stood the test of time and been allowed to shape their future,” says Iñigo Ohlsson, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s managing director for Southeast Asia and Oceania.
“This year, Jaeger-LeCoultre is paying tribute to the art of precision, one of the founding principles upon which our maison was established 186 years ago in the Swiss Vallée de Joux. Its serene and calm atmosphere in the midst of the surrounding forest has been inspiring our watchmakers to bring precision to another level, where every gesture is built on a unique balance of technical and artistic skills,” he adds.
The BRC Value Creator: Outstanding CEO of Malaysia 2019 will receive the Master Ultra Thin Réserve de Marche timepiece, courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre. An exemplary marriage of form and function, the Ultra Thin line’s legendary reliability and minimalist aesthetic need no introduction.
Also returning as a sponsor is Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, whose steadfast pursuit of excellence has been duly recognised with multiple prestigious awards, including being named a winner in no fewer than four categories at the prestigious Motor Klassik Award 2019.
The serial victory is not just for dream cars (Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster and Mercedes-Benz 300 SL) and breathtaking, forever-young off-road classics (Mercedes-Benz G-Class ) but also for Mercedes-Benz genuine spare parts.
“We are honoured to be part of The Edge Billion Ringgit Club for the fourth year, celebrating the successes of Malaysia’s gilt-edged organisations. At Mercedes-Benz, we are committed to be the best, carrying the spirit of excellence, which we believe is also the characteristic of each member of the organisation,” says Dr Claus Weidner, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia.
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 (March 31) and are evaluated on growth in profit, returns to shareholders and corporate responsibility (CR) commitments, among others.
Awards to be given out include Value Creator: Outstanding CEO of Malaysia; 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 are Petronas Dagangan Bhd, AirAsia Bhd, Nestle (Malaysia) 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: Outstanding CEO of Malaysia award are Public Bank Group chairman Tan Sri Dr Teh Hong Piow, former 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 Dr Jeffrey Cheah, former Khazanah Nasional Bhd managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, Westports Holdings Bhd executive chairman Tan Sri G Gnanalingam and Dialog Group Bhd executive chairman and co-founder Tan Sri Dr Ngau Boon Keat.
Other than Bursa Malaysia-defined industry peers, BRC members are also ranked against companies with similar market capitalisation with 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).
COMPANY OF THE YEAR
2010 Supermax Corp Bhd
2011 QL Resources Bhd
2012 Genting Bhd
2013 Digi.Com Bhd
2014 Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd
2015 Tenaga Nasional Bhd
2016 Nestle (Malaysia) Bhd
2017 AirAsia Bhd
2018 Petronas Dagangan Bhd
2019 To be revealed soon!