This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on September 12, 2022 - September 18, 2022

THE Edge Media Group, together with CIMB Group Holdings Bhd, is bringing back The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards to honour the best-performing publicly listed small and mid-sized companies in the country. The awards, launched in 2019, return after a two-year hiatus due to the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are very happy to bring back The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards this year. We believe the event this time will be particularly noteworthy, as it celebrates companies that have not just performed well under normal circumstances, but also proven themselves remarkably resilient and agile in the face of one of the toughest periods in human history,” says Datuk Ho Kay Tat, The Edge Media Group publisher and CEO.

The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards mark the second awards event under The Edge’s banner to recognise the achievements of Corporate Malaysia.

While the first — The Edge Billion Ringgit Club, which is in its 13th year now — celebrates companies with a market capitalisation of at least RM1 billion, The Centurion Club Corporate Awards aim to uncover hidden gems and turn the spotlight on deserving smaller companies whose performance and potential match that of larger conglomerates.

“CIMB first became a key partner of The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards in 2019, during its inaugural edition, and we are pleased to return after a two-year hiatus to play an active role in Malaysia’s economic recovery, supporting the government’s efforts for business rejuvenation in a new environment for commerce and business,” says Victor Lee, CEO of CIMB Group’s Commercial Banking business.

“The awards are an important validation of companies that met and rose above the challenges brought about by the pandemic,” he says, noting how the celebrated companies have shown exceptional resilience, determination, adaptability and innovation during a very difficult period.

“It plays an important role in recognising firms at the start of their journey towards becoming larger players in their respective fields,” he adds, describing the Centurion as a one-of-a-kind platform to recognise and spur on companies in their growth journey towards RM1 billion and beyond.

CIMB Group is a firm believer that “no man is an island”, says Lee, and that it is essential for businesses across all sectors to have a wealth of support on which to leverage to further strengthen their capabilities, in order to remain competitive and leaders in their segments.

The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards, Lee says, are “very much in line with CIMB Group’s new brand proposition, ‘Moving Forward With You’” — likening the spirit of the awards to how the banking group works with its clients.

“We work with our clients, big and small, to realise their potential towards ultimately becoming important backbones for the national economy,” says Lee. “With CIMB’s support, we hope The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards can continue to play a role in inspiring the business community while adding impetus to the overall economy at large.”

Companies that qualify for inclusion in the Centurion Club must be listed on Bursa Malaysia as at end-March of the current calendar year, must not be suspended or be under Bursa's watch list, and must not be delisted before the date of the awards. They must also have a market capitalisation of at least RM100 million but less than RM1 billion.

As of March 31, there are 488 Centurion Club members, one of which will take home the grand award of Company of the Year at The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards 2022 gala dinner and awards ceremony on Sept 19.

The awards will also honour companies across 12 sectors for achieving: (i) The Highest Growth in Profit After Tax (PAT) over Three Years; (ii) The Highest Returns to Shareholders over Three Years; and (iii) The Highest Return on Equity (ROE) over Three Years. The 12 sectors are: construction; consumer products and services; energy; financial services; healthcare; industrial products and services; plantation; property; real estate investment trust; technology; telecommunications, media and utilities; and transport and logistics.

The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Company of the Year will be determined by evaluating their overall weighted scores in terms of: returns to shareholders over three years (30% weightage), growth in PAT over three years (40%) and ROE over three years (30%).

Members eligible to be recognised for achieving the highest ROE and PAT over the evaluation period must be profitable for every year during that period. For this year’s awards, the evaluation period is from financial years 2018 to 2021.

Financial data used by The Edge to determine the member companies of The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club and the winners of the awards is provided by Asia Analytica Data Sdn Bhd (formerly known as The Edge Markets Sdn Bhd).

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