SOBA 2024 winners share their success journeys

PETALING JAYA: It was a gala night of cheer and celebration as the winners were announced for the Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2024.

The 15th anniversary Gala Night for the awards was held at the One World Hotel grand ballroom on Feb 26 in honour of the nation’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) achievements.

It also provided a platform for them to showcase their innovation, resilience and growth.

Malaysian Business of the Year Award winner Wynkids Education Group founder and chief executive officer Elwin Goh Kok Chye also clinched five other awards.

These include the Elite Entrepreneur of the Year, Par Excellence Male Entrepreneur of the Year, a gold each for Best in Marketing and Best in CSR categories, and a platinum in Best Brand category, all in the below RM25mil tier.

Goh shared that the Covid-19 pandemic was the toughest challenge in all his 14 years in the education business.

As a result, he created strategies with the aim of achieving two missions for the group – one, being zero retrenchment and, the second, ensuring the safety of his staff during the pandemic. He aims to set up 100 self-owned centres by 2030.

Similarly, VitaHealth Malaysia Sdn Bhd, which also won the Malaysian Business of the Year Award in the RM25mil and above tier, also won a Meritorious award for Best Brands, a silver in Best in CSR and also and a platinum in Best Halal Product / Service.

Chief executive officer Dr Beh KS said, “One of the biggest challenges I faced was shifting the way people think about supplements. Many still believe they are only for the sick or elderly.”

But she pointed out that supplements are not just to address deficiencies but also to optimise health and enhance the way people feel every day.

“Health and wellness are constantly evolving. That’s what drives us to provide science-backed, high-quality solutions that help people take charge of their health with confidence and ease.”

In the RM25mil and above tier, Fitline (M) Sdn Bhd’s Paul Yung Ken Hoe won Par Excellence in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

“When I first took over the company in 2015, our company faced an existential crisis, from cashflow problems, lack of new leaders and dated management practices.”

To learn more, he travelled with his leaders to understand the challenges they faced. With enthusiasm and hard work, he conducted 100 roadshows annually for the first three years with his leaders and distributors.

“That was the most challenging experience I have been through, but it helped me understand how to be successful.”

In the same tier, Kanika (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Vinnie Ang won Par Excellence for Female Entrepreneur Of The Year as well as a silver for Best Employer, as well as two golds in Best Halal Product / Service and Best In Marketing.

She has been a SOBA participant since 2021 and shared that one of the toughest challenges she faced was when she scaled Kanika Malaysia from a small business into a structured, growth-driven company.

“Initially, I struggled with delegation and trusting others to execute my vision. Later on, I realised that sustainable growth required a strong team and focused on hiring the right talent, improving leadership training and fostering a culture of accountability and innovation,” she said.

For Par Excellence winner of Male Entrepreneur Of The Year, Cavalier Capital Holdings Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Roland Choong, leadership development has been a continuous challenge.

“When we first started as a small setup, it was difficult to retain talent. I invested time to nurture and grow my team. In doing so, I learnt and transformed as a more complete leader.”

He explained that the company has a methodology of multigenerational and multifunctional leadership development working through strong inner circles. Cavalier Capital also won a platinum in the Best Employer category.

In the below RM25mil tier, Quinton Baby (M) Sdn Bhd director Jeff Loi, who won the platinum Young Entrepreneur of the Year award said the biggest challenge he faced when starting the company was competing against big, well-known international brands.

“Most Malaysian parents naturally trusted familiar global brands, which made it challenging for us as a new, local brand to gain recognition and trust,” he explained.

To overcome that, the management shifted its strategy to focus on building genuine connections with its customers via social media platforms and direct engagement with parents.

Winning the Female Entrepreneur of the Year in the same tier was Homlux Interior Furnishing Sdn Bhd’s managing director Law Lee Kiau. She said she found that navigating through the cycles of economic crises to be difficult.

“During such times, growing sales becomes a massive hurdle, however businesses still face the risk of having no revenue. Yet, operational expenses must be met.

“However, I believe we can change the situation if we are prepared to face the crisis.”

She said this meant building a strong foundation by cultivating good client relationships, preparing employees for upcoming challenges and maintaining a proactive mindset.

SOBA 2024 is organised by Star Media Group with Credit Guarantee Corp Bhd, PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd and RHB Bank as main sponsors, with Matrade being the official trade promotion partner.

U Mobile was the telecommunications sponsor on the Gala Night event. It is audited by BDO while radio stations 988 and Suria are official media partners.