00:01The 16th Star, Outstanding Business Awards brought together the country's sharpest entrepreneurs,
00:08boldest brands and most resilient companies for one of the most celebrated nights on the Malaysian business calendar.
00:14Organised by Star Media Group and backed by major sponsors, this year's event drew key leaders and decision makers from
00:21across the nation.
00:22What makes this award meaningful is not just recognition but the process behind.
00:29It really does the strength of businesses and it opens doors to new opportunities, partnerships and growth.
00:39A staggering 84 accolades were handed out across three categories.
00:43Top of the Class, Outstanding Achievement and the Sober Micro Recognition Award.
00:50Celebrating companies of all sizes, from lean start-ups to established industry titans.
00:58Guest of Honour, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim,
01:02had a powerful message for the winners, calling them nothing less than the economic front-liners of the nation.
01:08You in this room, I'm confident, you are not the pessimistic and the cynical bunch.
01:16Because you know, you are the award winners, you are the economic front-liner.
01:24And for the survival of your own company, for the survival of our country, you know that success is not
01:31built upon cynicism or pessimism,
01:33but really by vision, positive thinking and hard work, a lot of hard work.
01:38You today, your award, your recognition is that proof of your determination, your grit and your hard work.
01:46The biggest winner of the night was Ice Holiday's Sendirian Berhad, a travel company with 35 years of industry experience,
01:53sweeping five awards in a single evening including Malaysian Business of the Year for Tier 2.
01:57Its managing director, Mitalim, credited his team and the 848 travel agents across Malaysia for the incredible achievement.
02:05The company is 35 years, and then tonight, we didn't expect, yeah, we have these five awards winner.
02:15And then I would like to thank you, my team, yeah, with my team, without my GD team, we won't
02:21be today.
02:22Yeah, and also I would like to thank you for my business partner, all my agents, 848 travel agents throughout
02:30Malaysia,
02:31and also of course our principal, airline, cruise, and then etc.
02:37So thank you very much, without it all, we won't be successful tonight.
02:42For Tier 1, the Malaysian Business of the Year title went to Fitogaya Sendirian Berhad,
02:47with advisor Leong Weng Hung paying tribute to the employees who made it possible.
02:52When we were awarded, I was very surprised, you know, obviously, you know, tonight, you know,
02:57in front of YB Steven Sim, and the first thing that came to mind was the employee.
03:03Because without them, we won't be able to achieve what we have achieved so far.
03:07So that is something that I always be mindful in terms of that the company is not me alone.
03:14It's always the team, it's always the employee.
03:16Female entrepreneurs also had their moment with Law Lee Kiao, of Homelux Interior Furnishing Sendirian Berhad,
03:23and Suryati Daman of Hegira.
03:25Sendirian Berhad taking home top honours, offering inspiration to women in business across the country.
03:30This award actually gives us a very high recognition as we are doing business in this industry for more than
03:3830 years.
03:39And this award is actually giving our team a very high motivation and inspiration for them to do it better.
03:46This gift tonight, it really means a lot, not to myself, but also the brand that I built, Hegira, because,
03:54first of all, it acknowledges the female leaders.
03:58So I think, I hope that this will inspire my team and the people who I coach in business, that
04:07they can also achieve it if they want to, and they put their hard work in.
04:12The Male Entrepreneur of the Year for Tier 1 was awarded to Marcus Chiu-Fai Hao, founder of MR Academy
04:19International Sendirian Berhad.
04:21We have worked through this for the past three years, and then this is a very big recognition for us.
04:26So we know that where we are now, so that in future we can do a better work for our
04:31customers and then help the community.
04:34The award's main sponsors, Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad, PKT Logistics Group Sendirian Berhad, RHB Bank Berhad, and U-Mobile
04:43Sendirian Berhad,
04:44as well as co-sponsor Great Wall Motor Sales Malaysia Sendirian Berhad, shared their advice for navigating today's turbulent business
04:51climate, from geopolitical risks to the rise of AI.
04:55You can see these days, geopolitical risk has a direct impact and sometimes immediate impact on the cost structures in
05:02businesses all over the world, and Malaysia is not excluded.
05:05So this is one of the biggest challenges I think facing Malaysian corporates today.
05:09So those who need to be able to navigate through such uncertainties and cost implications, needs to be very adaptable,
05:17very agile in building up the buffers in their business model to weather such storms.
05:23I think government has been advertising on AI, so AI and digitalisation is already ongoing, it's just like those days
05:31when we talk about Industrial 4.0, now it's Industrial 5.0 including AI inside.
05:37So AI and digitalisation is a trend that you should be looking at.
05:42My advice to entrepreneurs is to prioritise value creation over rapid expansion. Entering new markets or launching new products can
05:50be exciting.
05:51But without operational discipline and the right governance, it can stretch the business too thin.
05:57Good governance is not just for large corporations, it builds credibility and trust, and prepares businesses for sustainable growth.
06:04What is key for us is, besides having the ambition, they need to look at how to look at the
06:10next phase of growth, making sure they can be able to sustain their growth sustainably, and operate intelligently, right?
06:17So with the emerging technology in play, I think that's also key, the ability to adapt to new technology with
06:23the right infrastructure.
06:25My advice is, first one is, the entrepreneur must have a very clear business objective and strategy, which must be
06:35relevant to the current market situation.
06:37Then, from there, they can bring a proper business plan step by step on how to achieve the business objective.
06:46The second one is, you must understand your customer needs by staying close to them and listen to them directly,
06:55not through a third party.
06:57For the full list of winners, head to www.soba.com.my
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