This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 5, 2018 - November 11, 2018
Tan Sri Eddy Chen
He is the group managing director of MKH Bhd and chairman of PR1MA. Chen is also a patron and past president of Rehda Malaysia. He is serving on Rehda Malaysia’s national council and is a member of the executive committee for the 2016 to 2018 term.
Chen is past president of the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association and the Building Management Association of Malaysia. He chairs the construction and property committee of the Association of Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia.
(Note: Chen abstained from judging for MKH Bhd)
It seems it was not so long ago that The Edge Malaysia Top Property Developers Awards was initiated. The awards have evolved from a limited quantitative scoring to one that is more holistic, reflecting the demands of the time and the changing taste of the market.
What makes a good developer is now captured with the multitude of awards to cover the big, the niche, the CSR-conscious and the environmentally friendly.
In today’s context, value and value creation are of paramount importance. Developers that can deliver value will be rewarded as the market becomes more savvy. No less, the top-ranked developers may not do all of the above and, hence, open the door for many with their own strength and passion to deliver what they do best.
My heartiest congratulations to all winners. Keep it up and may there more to come in the future.
Datuk Jeffrey Ng
He is a patron and past president of Rehda Malaysia. He has more than 30 years of experience in finance, corporate planning and executive management in the property and hotel industries in both Malaysia and Australia.
He is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a Fellow of Chartered Accountants, Australia and New Zealand and a member of the Malaysian Institute of Directors. He holds a capital markets services representative’s licence under the Securities Commission Malaysia.
He is the CEO of Sunway REIT and chairman of Rehda Institute. He is also a director of United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd and Urban Hallmark Properties Sdn Bhd.
(Note: Ng abstained from judging for Sunway Bhd)
It is delightful to note that most of the 2016 Top 10 property developers have improved their rankings in this year’s awards despite the tough property business conditions. IOI Properties Group Bhd and Tropicana Corp Bhd have done well to return to the Top 10.
Moving forward, as our property market conditions improve, in line with our country’s economic growth, there is a high probability that new winners currently ranked outside the Top 10 will emerge in the near future due to their aggressive marketing and display of unique selling points, resulting in strong market acceptance of their project launches. Only time will tell.
Datuk Soam Heng Choon
He is a trained civil engineer and has more than 30 years’ experience in the construction and property industry. He is currently the CEO and managing director of IJM Corp Bhd. Prior to his current position, he was the CEO and managing director of IJM Land Bhd from 2004 to April 2015. Apart from being involved in property development, investment and construction in Malaysia, he is also involved in China, Vietnam, India and the UK.
He is the president of Rehda Malaysia. He is currently an advisory member for research and development of the Construction Research Institute of Malaysia. He sits on the board of the Construction Labour Exchange Board, Malaysia.
(Note: Soam abstained from judging for IJM Land)
It keeps getting harder each year to narrow down the list and pick the Top 10 winners, and I congratulate all of this year’s well-deserving recipients of The Edge Malaysia Top Property Developers Awards. They have clearly raised the bar!
The top winners, overall, remain largely unchanged from 2016, with S P Setia maintaining first place. The strong showing by the top property players represents their progress and continued commitment to their branding efforts, bringing communities closer to the brand, and connecting and resonating with them on a deeper, emotional level.
The soft market has certainly impacted multiple industries, including the property sector. In the face of market challenges, it is crucial for property developers to step up by driving customer-centric innovations and quality standards to ensure that a brand evolves with customers’ needs and expectations.
It is heartening to witness property developers rising to the challenge, staying on course in challenging times and delivering greater experiences for all stakeholders.
I hope this recognition will encourage and inspire the winners to continue to work hard to deliver on product quality and excellence so they can be prepared for the upturn when it comes.
Datuk Seri F D Iskandar
He has more than 25 years of experience in the property development industry. He is the group managing director and CEO of Glomac Bhd and immediate past president of Rehda Malaysia and past chairman of Rehda Selangor.
He sits on the boards of several private limited companies, including Axis-REIT Managers Bhd as board member and serves on Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur’s City Advisory Board.
(Note: F D Iskandar abstained from judging for Glomac Bhd)
This is The Edge Malaysia Property Excellence Awards’ 15th year and the awards have grown in stature. The property development industry takes it very seriously and it has become a benchmark that many look forward to. Since it started 15 years ago, it has become tougher for developers to enter the Top 10, or even the Top 30, ranked developers.
As Rehda Malaysia president, I urge more property developers to pay attention to the criteria set by the awards, which are product quality, innovation and creativity, value creation for buyers, image and expertise.
Tan Sri Teo Chiang Kok
He is a patron and past president of Rehda Malaysia and also a past president of FIABCI Malaysia and a Trustee of Rehda Institute. Teo is the current President of the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association and Building Management Association of Malaysia.
He is a director of See Hoy Chan Holdings Group in Malaysia and has over 47 years of experience in the property development industry. He oversaw the development of the Bandar Utama township. To date, the company has developed 30,000 residential units and 20 million sq ft of commercial properties.
It is good to see that the top property developers are still leading the pack in spite of challenging times over the past couple of years. The changing demographics and affordability levels have challenged all developers to review their designs and products to meet the changing marketplace.
It has created opportunities for boutique and innovative developers to rise in the rankings to challenge the present set of top developers.
The next few years will see the completion of these projects and there is the possibility of new players entering these highly sought-after [awards] for recognition and accolades.
Datuk Seri Michael Yam
He is a patron and the past president of Rehda Malaysia. His experience in the real estate and corporate sectors includes being CEO of two Bursa Malaysia listed companies. Now, he manages his own private equity, corporate advisory and development consultancy firm.
He is currently chairman of InvestKL Corp and an independent non-executive director of Standard Chartered Saadiq Bhd, Paramount Corp Bhd, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd, Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd and Kwasa Land Sdn Bhd. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
(Note: Yam abstained from judging for Paramount Corp Bhd and Sunway Bhd)
As usual, this is the time of the year when almost all developers in town await with bated breath the outcome of The Edge Malaysia Property Excellence Awards (TEPEA).
It is the Oscars of the many real estate competitions in the country and the award is a hard-fought one, as any aspiring developer would clamour to be on the leader board. Oftentimes, many a chief executive would be richly rewarded for positioning his company in the rankings, while some would have their key performance indicator marked down if the company is unplaced. Like all competitions, there will be winners and losers. So long as TEPEA maintains its exacting standards, it serves to compel winning developers to strive to better their peers in the next round while losers would do well to observe, learn, improve and excel on their journey towards being a resilient and robust player.
Congratulations to the team at The Edge Malaysia for maintaining the high standing and transparency in standards, so all stakeholders in the property industry look upon TEPEA as the gold benchmark of excellence.
Kumar Tharmalingam
He is a past president of FIABCI Malaysia and a past board member of FIABCI International, a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Fellow of the Institution of Surveyors Malaysia and a registered real estate valuer and property consultant with the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents, Malaysia. He has been in the real estate industry for more than 35 years.
From 2010 to 2013, he was CEO of Malaysia Property Inc and an executive director in Sunway Bhd. In 2016, he was appointed as an independent director in Public Islamic Bank. He is currently the senior adviser to Area Management Sdn Bhd, a private equity fund developing gated industrial projects in Malaysia.
It is interesting to see that the familiar names in The Edge Malaysia Top Property Developers Awards Top 10 are playing musical chairs this year. All the Top 10 players have substantial land bank in Peninsular Malaysia and overseas. S P Setia, Sime Darby Property and UEM Sunrise are the three government-linked corporations in the Top 10. That’s a good start.
Over the last decade and a half of The Edge Malaysia Top Property Developers Awards, we have noticed that reputation feeds perception. Perception is based on the last-mile effort to deliver a seamless purchasing and delivery system that gets others wanting to come over and experience the same emotion.
Property developers who practise that mantra will always be marching towards this top-tier status.
Ho Chin Soon
He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Surveyors, Malaysia, and a registered valuer with the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents, Malaysia. He holds a professional diploma from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (UK). He is currently the chairman of Ho Chin Soon Research, a property information company that specialises in land use and ownership maps. He has authored several property-related books.
This year was tough for property developers. There was uncertainty in the air due to the weakness of the ringgit and the date of the general election, which has yet to be decided. Submissions by developers were not as bulky as in previous years. Nonetheless, some submissions were meticulous and of high standard. The discussions and debates among the judges were lively and informative. The Edge Malaysia Top Property Developers Awards ranking is the benchmark for the property sector and to be placed in the Top 10 is much sought after. To be ranked highly in the awards would mean that a developer has achieved the status of a “branded developer”.
Congratulations to all the winners.
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