Judges assembled: (Seated from left) MCMTC vice-president Patrick Sim, MRCA vice-president Dr Afendi Dahlan, ARFF president Datuk Mike Loh, BAM vice-president Datuk Jennifer Ong, Chan, PUMM president Datuk Teh Tai Yong, Wang, MRCA vice-president Datuk Vincent Choo, Pikom adviser Woon Tai Hai, ACCCIM secretary-general Datuk Jeffery Tan. (Back row, from left) JCI Malaysia national treasurer Cynthia Chiam, KLMCC deputy president Rizal Abdul Rahman, committee member Amirza Abdul Razak, MDCC general secretary Arlene Tan, MAICCI management council member Selva Nagappan, MEF vice-president Dr Mohd Syukri Ahmad Sudari, MCMTC secretary-general Mag Ng, council member Sharifah Zaida, NAWEM Governance and Compliance vice-president Soh Eng Hooi and BDO director Ong Weng Jin at Menara Star, Petaling Jaya. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star
THE second judging session for the Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) concluded on Dec 9 at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya.
The session began at 9am with a briefing by auditor BDO, after which participants presented their business models, challenges, achievements and future plans to the judging panels.
Finalists were assessed under two tiers – companies with annual turnover of up to RM25mil and those above RM25mil.
As in previous years, the judges were divided into seven separate teams, each tasked with evaluating the presentations online.
Each finalist was given 10 minutes to present, followed by deliberations by the judges.
Judges were grouped according to their expertise and experience across 11 SOBA categories, namely Best Brand, Best in Corporate Social Responsibility, Best in Customer Service, Best in e-Retail, Best Employer, Best Green Initiative, Best Halal Product or Service, Best Innovation, Best in Marketing, Best in Retail and Best Use of Technology.
In addition to the above categories, participants will be in the running for seven Outstanding Achievement Awards.
These comprise three Entrepreneur of the Year awards for the Male, Female and Young categories, with one winner in each tier, the Malaysian Business of the Year award, also with one winner per tier, and the Rising Star award.
As with past editions, the SOBA judging panel comprises industry experts who are also leaders within their respective fields and professional associations.
Several judges are business owners themselves and have experienced the entrepreneurial journey first-hand.
A total of 19 judges were present during the session, representing SOBA’s strategic partners, which include 16 statutory bodies drawn from Malaysia’s business chambers and industry associations.
These bodies include the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM), Asean Retail Chains and Franchise Federation (ARFF), the Branding Association of Malaysia (BAM), Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (DPMM), Junior Chamber International Malaysia (JCI Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur Malay Chamber of Commerce (KLMCC), Malaysia Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MAICCI), the Malaysian Consortium of Mid-Tier Companies (MCMTC), Malaysia Chinese Women Entrepreneurs Association (MCWEA), Malaysian Digital Association (MDA), Malaysia Digital Chamber of Commerce (MDCC), Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), Malaysia Retailer Chain Association (MRCA), National Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia (NAWEM), the National Tech Association of Malaysia (Pikom) and Malaysia Entrepreneurs’ Development Association (PUMM).
Also present to welcome the judges were Star Media Group (SMG) chief executive officer Chan Fatt Seng and chief operating officer Lydia Wang.
SOBA 2025 is organised by SMG with Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Bhd, PKT Logistics Sdn Bhd, RHB Bank Bhd and U Mobile Sdn Bhd as main sponsors. Great Wall Motor Sales Malaysia Sdn Bhd is the co-sponsor, while the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation serves as the official trade promotion partner and SME Corp Malaysia as supporter.
The awards are audited by BDO, with radio stations 988 and Suria as official media partners.
For more information, call the SOBA hotline at 017-231 1789 or visit www.soba.com.my.
The Best in Customer Service category is open for public voting. Cast your vote at www.soba.com.my/vote by Dec 24.
