I bid you a warm welcome to the 2023 chapter of The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) Awards. This once-a-year gala dinner started in 2010 as an initiative by The Edge Malaysia to recognise, honour and celebrate the biggest and best of Corporate Malaysia — we believe this is possibly the only time in the year that top executives of companies across all sectors listed on Bursa Malaysia are gathered together for an evening like this.

Building value that lasts beyond quarterly performances

The evening shower and Kuala Lumpur traffic faded away as old friends and business associates caught up at The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (The Edge BRC) Awards 2023, Corporate Malaysia’s biggest and most anticipated awards night, on Oct 23.

Celebrating Corporate Malaysia

Keynote Speech by Yang Berhormat Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz

Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, Oct 23, 2023)

Championing a mission-oriented approach to innovation

Reflecting the heightened market volatility, it has been a sea of red in terms of the share price performance and total returns of the 14 companies named as The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) Company of the Year over the years.

Saluting sustainable excellence for the 14th year

Mega First Corp Bhd (MFCB), a member of The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) since 2017 and placed on its winners’ list every year since 2018, has secured a spot in its Hall of Fame with the highly-coveted BRC Company of the Year award for 2023.

Company Of The Year: Mega First Corp Bhd - Powering growth with renewable energy and more

Companies that were scored highly on corporate responsibility (CR) initiatives continue to be those that not only create lasting impact for multi-stakeholders but know how to measure and communicate them well, say The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) panel of CR judges.

Creating lasting impact for multi-stakeholders and measuring them well

Financial education is the basis for wealth accumulation, retirement planning and stock investing

It all starts with financial literacy

It came as no surprise when Malaysia’s largest financial services group, Malayan Banking Bhd, again took home the Best CR Initiatives award for the Super Big Cap (above RM40 billion market capitalisation) category of The Edge Billion Ringgit Club Awards 2023 — marking the third time it has won the award after first bagging it in 2015 and 2019.

BEST CR INITIATIVES: SUPER BIG CAP — ABOVE RM40 BILLION MARKET CAPITALISATION: Malayan Banking Bhd - Mobilising change with thoughtful sustainability agenda

With fleets of aeroplanes almost completely grounded and international air travel curbed as governments around the world imposed various degrees of movement controls to combat the spread of Covid-19, shares of airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) naturally nosedived.

HIGHEST RETURNS TO SHAREHOLDERS OVER THREE YEARS: TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd - Resuming its ascent post-pandemic

United Plantations Bhd (UP), the world’s first producer of sustainable palm oil certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil in 2008, has always taken pride in taking a sustainable, responsible and ethical approach to all aspects of its operations — a commitment that it oft said can be traced back to its founder, Danish engineer and entrepreneur Aage Westenholz, who established the group in 1906.

BEST CR INITIATIVES: BELOW RM10 BILLION MARKET CAPITALISATION: United Plantations Bhd - Facilitating the journey towards a more sustainable society

Westports Holdings Bhd has clearly weathered the global supply chain disruption, continuing the legacy of its late founder Tan Sri Gnanalingam Gunanath Lingam.

HIGHEST RETURN ON EQUITY OVER THREE YEARS, HIGHEST GROWTH IN PROFIT AFTER TAX OVER THREE YEARS: TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS: Westports Holdings Bhd - Weathering supply chain headwinds on strong foundation

In the face of natural disasters occurring in all corners of the world, IOI Corp Bhd recognised that the concept of “do no further harm” is increasingly insufficient in addressing the loss of natural capital and the onset of climate tipping points.

BEST CR INITIATIVES: BIG CAP COMPANIES — RM10 BILLION TO RM40 BILLION MARKET CAPITALISATION — JOINT WINNER: IOI Corp Bhd - Taking it further than ‘do no further harm’

It is a constant balancing act for Telekom Malaysia Bhd, which supports nation building and advances the country’s digital transformation agenda as a government-linked corporation (GLC) while also needing to deliver good returns as a public-listed company (PLC).

HIGHEST GROWTH IN PROFIT AFTER TAX OVER THREE YEARS: TELECOMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA: Telekom Malaysia Bhd - Delivering profits while accelerating the Digital Malaysia aspiration

RHB Bank Bhd seems well on track to achieve its aim to mobilise RM20 billion in sustainable financial services by 2026, having already hit RM12 billion in sustainable financial services as at December 2022, exceeding its year-to-date target by more than 40%.

BEST CR INITIATIVES: BIG CAP COMPANIES — RM10 BILLION TO RM40 BILLION MARKET CAPITALISATION — JOINT WINNER: RHB Bank Bhd - Building a sustainable future with responsible financing

(May 2): Elon Musk’s latest cost-cutting victims: Summer interns.

Tesla Inc. is rescinding offers just weeks before internships were set to start, prompting aspiring employees to take to LinkedIn to appeal to other employers to take them in.

“At 8:46am, I opened a Tesla email ...

Tesla interns say offers are getting revoked weeks before their start date

(May 2): National Australia Bank Ltd. said it will buy back up to A$1.5 billion (US$1 billion) of its own stock as profit at the lender came in line with expectations.

Cash earnings fell 13% to A$3.55 billion in the six months ended March 31, the Melbourne-based firm said in a statement...

National Australia Bank to buyback US$1 billion as profit dips

(May 2): Alphabet Inc. paid Apple Inc. US$20 billion in 2022 for Google to be the default search engine in the Safari browser, according to newly unsealed court documents in the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against Google.

The deal between the two tech giants is at the heart o...

Google’s payments to Apple reached US$20 billion in 2022, antitrust court documents show

NEW YORK (May 2): U.S. stocks closed mixed on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged, as expected, and indicated that while its next move will likely be a rate cut, continued progress on inflation is not assured.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq ended low...

S&P 500, Nasdaq end lower after Fed rate decision, Powell press conference

NEW YORK (May 2): A gauge of global stocks fell on Wednesday while the dollar weakened against a basket of peers after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and indicated it is still leaning toward eventual rate cuts.

But the U.S. central bank put a red flag on recent disapp...

Stocks, dollar decline after Fed holds rates steady

(May 2): Chelsea's bid to make it five Women's Super League titles in a row suffered a huge setback on Wednesday as they lost a 4-3 thriller to Liverpool, seriously denting the possibility of the Blues giving manager Emma Hayes a winning send-off.

Liverpool secured their second successi...

Chelsea WSL title hopes derailed by stunning 4-3 loss to Liverpool

(May 2): Apple's plan to add generative AI to its iPhones and revive sagging sales in the crucial Chinese market will be in focus on Thursday, when the tech giant is expected to report its biggest quarterly revenue decline in more than a year.

Long considered a must-own stock on Wall St...

Apple set for big sales decline as investors await AI in iPhones

DORTMUND, Germany (May 2): Borussia Dortmund's Niclas Fuellkrug fired in a first-half goal to seal a 1-0 victory over visitors Paris St Germain in a compelling Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

Nico Schlotterbeck floated a pass into Fuellkrug's path and the Germany for...

Fuellkrug earns impressive Dortmund 1-0 first-leg win over PSG

WASHINGTON (May 2): Hackers who breached UnitedHealth's tech unit in February potentially stole a third of Americans' data, the largest U.S. health insurer's CEO told a Congressional committee on Wednesday.

Two Congressional panels grilled CEO Andrew Witty about the cyberattack on the c...

UnitedHealth says hackers potentially stole a third of Americans' data

The government will continue to monitor the impact on inflation in the country following the announcement of a more than 13% increase in civil servants' salaries this December.

Anwar: Putrajaya will keep eye on inflation rate following civil service pay hike

The government will continue to monitor the impact on inflation in the country following the announcement of a more than 13% increase in civil servants' salaries this December.

NEW YORK (May 2): U.S. stocks closed mixed on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged, as expected, and indicated that while its next move will likely be a rate cut, continued progress on inflation is not assured.

The S&amp;P 500 and the Nasdaq ended low...

US private payrolls increased more than expected in April, suggesting that the labor market maintained its momentum early in the second quarter.

US private payrolls beat expectations in April 

(May 2): Elon Musk’s latest cost-cutting victims: Summer interns.

Tesla Inc. is rescinding offers just weeks before internships were set to start, prompting aspiring employees to take to LinkedIn to appeal to other employers to take them in.

“At 8:46am, I opened a Tesla email ...

NEW YORK (May 2): A gauge of global stocks fell on Wednesday while the dollar weakened against a basket of peers after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and indicated it is still leaning toward eventual rate cuts.

But the U.S. central bank put a red flag on recent disapp...

(May 2): Alphabet Inc. paid Apple Inc. US$20 billion in 2022 for Google to be the default search engine in the Safari browser, according to newly unsealed court documents in the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against Google.

The deal between the two tech giants is at the heart o...

(May 2): Apple's plan to add generative AI to its iPhones and revive sagging sales in the crucial Chinese market will be in focus on Thursday, when the tech giant is expected to report its biggest quarterly revenue decline in more than a year.

Long considered a must-own stock on Wall St...

(May 2): National Australia Bank Ltd. said it will buy back up to A$1.5 billion (US$1 billion) of its own stock as profit at the lender came in line with expectations.

Cash earnings fell 13% to A$3.55 billion in the six months ended March 31, the Melbourne-based firm said in a statement...

WASHINGTON (May 2): Hackers who breached UnitedHealth's tech unit in February potentially stole a third of Americans' data, the largest U.S. health insurer's CEO told a Congressional committee on Wednesday.

Two Congressional panels grilled CEO Andrew Witty about the cyberattack on the c...

(May 2): Chelsea's bid to make it five Women's Super League titles in a row suffered a huge setback on Wednesday as they lost a 4-3 thriller to Liverpool, seriously denting the possibility of the Blues giving manager Emma Hayes a winning send-off.

Liverpool secured their second successi...

DORTMUND, Germany (May 2): Borussia Dortmund's Niclas Fuellkrug fired in a first-half goal to seal a 1-0 victory over visitors Paris St Germain in a compelling Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

Nico Schlotterbeck floated a pass into Fuellkrug's path and the Germany for...

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