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The Star
  • 3/13/2024
The 14th run of the Star Outstanding Business Awards, SOBA, has concluded in a resounding success with 122 awardees honoured with the prestigious business accolades.

Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick, who was the guest of honour, described the awards as a prestigious programme that recognises and celebrates the exceptional contributions of micro, small and medium enterprises to the Malaysian economy.

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Transcript
00:00 The 14th run of the Star Outstanding Business Awards, SOBA, has concluded in a resounding
00:07 success with 122 awardees honoured with the prestigious business accolades.
00:13 The biggest winner of the night was woodpeckers group Sendirian Bahat, taking home 6 trophies,
00:18 which included the Male Entrepreneur of the Year, Par Excellence Achievement Award for
00:23 its CEO, Tan Kai Young, and the most coveted Malaysian Business of the Year Award in the
00:28 25 million ringgit and above category.
00:31 We are very, very happy to win the SOBA awards.
00:34 To us, it's the biggest award in Malaysia.
00:37 And it also tells us that for operating in 10 years, we are doing what is right.
00:42 All our hard work are being appreciated and we are doing everything we can to, you know,
00:47 answer to the market's needs and wants.
00:50 In the up to 25 million ringgit category, the biggest winner was Juara Partners Sendirian
00:55 Bahat, which garnered four awards that included Best Use of Technology Silver Award and the
01:02 Malaysian Business of the Year Award.
01:04 Future plans for the company, a lot of plans for the company, going looking at AI, the
01:09 awards we've won for technology, of course, we're developing our own AI systems in-house.
01:14 So I think we are working towards that, working towards speed and technology.
01:22 The Elite Entrepreneur of the Year Award went to Alan Lee, who also won the Male Entrepreneur
01:27 of the Year PAR Excellence Achievement Award for his company, PeopleLogy Development Sendirian
01:32 Bahat, which had won the Platinum Award for Best Innovation.
01:36 Oh, it means a lot to me, man.
01:39 Actually, Elite Entrepreneur of the Year testified three things that actually happens in SME.
01:48 If you want to drive, you must have actually an innovative business model.
01:52 You must always actually work with your people and you must always have actually the spirit
01:59 of never give up.
02:01 The Rising Star Grand Winner was Imagine AI Sendirian Bahat.
02:04 Actually, when it comes to cutting edge technology, sometimes, right, it seems that there is a
02:10 preference for foreign technology overseas company.
02:13 It seems that they could be better or more superior.
02:16 And winning this award is a vindication that local technology and local talents are just
02:19 as good as the foreign.
02:21 And we are very proudly Malaysian, made in Malaysia for Malaysians.
02:25 Entrepreneur and cooperatives, Development Minister Datuk Iwan Benedik, who was the guest
02:30 of honour, described the awards as a prestigious programme that recognises and celebrates the
02:35 exceptional contributions of micro, small and medium enterprises to the Malaysian economy.
02:41 For 14 years, SOVA has recognised some of the most successful enterprises and built
02:49 a community for the MSMEs to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship, nurture businesses to
02:56 compete in the next level and encourage knowledge sharing among its alumni.
03:04 Star Media Group Group Chief Executive Officer Chan Seng Fatt said the occasion marks a significant
03:09 milestone as awardees are recognised for their contributions to the nation and the economy.
03:14 Since making its debut in 2010, SOVA has evolved into a very well-respected and credible platform
03:23 that goes beyond just an award recognition programme.
03:27 Through the years, it has consistently cultivated a community of high-critical leaders who are
03:34 always ready to share their expertise for mutual advancement.
03:39 With a cumulative total of 1,005 nominations from SMEs, we have recognised 400 entrepreneurs
03:46 and businesses for their outstanding contributions to the economy over the years.
03:52 SOVA sponsors who were present at the event echoed the sentiment that MSMEs have to continue
03:57 to strive for excellence to expand their footprints on the international stage.
04:01 Firstly, for those that win tonight, congratulations.
04:06 For those that miss out tonight, my advice to them is to come back stronger, continue
04:11 to innovate, stay true to your passion, stay true to your purpose of what you are doing
04:17 and really come back strong and who knows you will be the next big winner next year.
04:21 I really hope that we can place more emphasis on sustainability practices.
04:28 So in the coming years, I hope that we will place more priority for businesses that commit
04:36 to deliver social responsibility, have good, strong ethical governance and just make it
04:43 a platform for us to grow and connect.
04:46 One of the things that is missing out in the SME sphere is talking about ESG.
04:52 So they are very concerned because all the MNCs are talking about ESG, so they are not
04:57 ready and many people are still asking what is this ESG all about.
05:04 The phenomena about ESG is the whole world is moving towards a direction of net zero.
05:10 If the SME do not know that they have to also move towards that direction, then they will
05:15 be missing out because if no ESG, no MSG means no business for multinational companies as
05:23 well.
05:24 So I would like to give a message to all the recipients today, even though you have
05:27 won a big award today, don't forget to start embarking into ESG to make sure that you have
05:34 a roadmap planned out for you to achieve net zero by the year 2050.
05:39 Otherwise you will not be able to scale your business to another level because the winner
05:44 for SOPA will always move to another level to become a larger SME or public research
05:49 company.
05:50 If you don't have ESG, no MSG.
05:53 That's my message.
05:54 I would say in terms of improvement, not SOPA per se, but what we can do for the MSME community.
06:01 So firstly, in the spirit of Malaysia, I would like to propose that we promote substantive
06:08 partnership between Buhiputera and non-Buhiputera MSMEs so that we can build a better and stronger
06:15 Malaysia.
06:16 That's number one.
06:17 And number two, this is with regard to GEEK and MICRO.
06:22 I think we should also continue to promote the growth and development of the MICRO businesses
06:28 as well as those in the GEEK economy because that is the way forward.
06:32 My message to them, to the participants, especially the winners, is to continue to improve your
06:38 business environment, grab the opportunities around the world, focus more on exports, there's
06:45 a bigger market outside Malaysia.
06:48 Continue investing on product innovation, production efficiency, investing on new talents
06:55 and also try to upskill, reskill your marketing, your product qualities and so on.
07:04 And also more importantly, take advantage of the various free trade agreements that
07:08 Malaysia has signed to export around the world.
07:11 You can go to new markets like Mexico, Canada with lower tariffs and also work with MATRED
07:17 to go to more countries abroad, to export to more countries abroad for this year and
07:21 next year to come.
07:23 SOBER 2023 is organised by Star Media Group with Celcom DG Berhad, Credit Guarantee Corporation
07:30 Malaysia Berhad, PKT Logistics Group, Sendirian Berhad and RHB Bank Berhad as main sponsors
07:35 and MATRED as official trade promotion partner.
07:39 Supported by Bursa Malaysia, SOBER is audited by BDO while radio stations 988 and Suria
07:44 are official media partners.
07:47 For more information, go to sober.com.my
07:50 Welcome ladies and gentlemen, look at the gentleman at the...
07:52 [Audio cut]
07:54 [Audio cut]
07:56 [Audio cut]
07:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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