GEORGE TOWN: Business awards can serve as more than recognition, giving small and medium enterprises (SMEs) a benchmark to measure their progress, identify areas for improvement and set targets for the year ahead, said fourth-generation entrepreneur Jonathan Chan Heng Liang.
Chan, 34, the fourth-generation successor of Sin Boon Kee Coffee, said the guidelines under the Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) categories provided companies with an indication of where they stood and what they could work towards next.
“Joining SOBA is actually kind of one indicator for us, whether we improved since last year, what we are doing in the future and what we are aiming to hit next year.
“Winning awards could also generate publicity and give customers greater confidence in a brand,” he said during SOBA Connect Penang at The Ship Campus in Batu Kawan on Sept 29.
Organised by Star Media Group (SMG) and themed “Connections That Matter, Strategies That Scale”, the event attracted over 100 business owners, entrepreneurs and industry representatives for discussions on business growth, financing, technology and cybersecurity.
Chan’s company, SBK Concept Store Sdn Bhd, received five recognitions at SOBA 2025, including Platinum awards for Best Employer, Best in CSR and Best in Halal Product/Service, Gold for Best Use of Technology and a Meritorious Achievement for Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
He was among three speakers in the “Funding Growth: Unlocking Capital” panel, together with RHB Bank Bhd (RHB) SME Product and Programme Lending Management (PLM) development head Ian Chua and National Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia (Nawem) Penang chairman Bharati Suresh Chand.
“Businesses should maintain cash reserves equivalent to three to six months of operating expenses.
“This provides an important buffer to help them navigate periods of cash-flow pressure and manage their day-to-day obligations with greater confidence,” said Chua.
He added that RHB views itself as a partner to SMEs, offering financing solutions tailored to their evolving business needs, whether to support short-term working capital requirements or longer-term expansion plans.
“We see ourselves not just as a financier, but as a partner to SMEs. Whether businesses require short-term working capital to bridge temporary cash-flow gaps or financing to support expansion and asset acquisition, we are committed to providing solutions that meet their specific needs,” he said.
The event also covered cybersecurity and data protection, an area increasingly tied to business growth. Titled “Cybersecurity & Data Protection for Business Growth”, the panel featured BitRanger Sdn Bhd chief executive officer and founder as well as Universiti Sains Malaysia Cybersecurity Research Centre (Cyres) deputy director Assoc Prof Dr Shankar Karuppayah, EY Consulting association partner Jerry Ng and Crest Asia Council chairman BK Soon and examined cybersecurity and data protection from a business perspective, as companies increasingly relied on digital systems for operations, customer engagement and growth.
The programme subsequently moved to an Alumni Spotlight featuring business growth stories, with speakers sharing practical examples from their own companies.
Berry Group founder and managing director Victor Tan presented his session on “Tech-Driven Growth: Turning Digital Tools into Business Advantage”, highlighting how the education group expanded from 200 students in 2020 to 10,500 in 2026.
The 50-fold growth was achieved with a lean core team of 30 full-time staff while the group managed 147 tutors.
He explained how the company connected six systems covering operations and culture, workforce accountability, virtual classrooms, customer engagement, enrolment automation and AI-supported teaching.
Solar House business development director Ong Yong Qiang, who presented Cash Flow Mastery: Strengthening Business Stability & Growth, highlighted three factors putting pressure on business margins – the impact of the Sales and Service Tax (SST), rising material costs and changes in industry policies.
He cited the July 2025 electricity tariff restructuring for medium-voltage users as an example, with lower charges per
kilowatt-hour but higher charges based on maximum demand.
Collaborative Excellence Sdn Bhd founder and managing partner Chong Li Ken, who presented “Future-Ready Workforce: Building Agile & Adaptive Teams”, highlighted the importance of turning individual expertise into organisational capability by capturing knowledge, processes and data, enabling businesses to build more adaptive teams and retain critical know-how as people and technology evolve.
The event also saw services business pitches by the four main SOBA sponsors: Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Bhd (CGC) Prai branch manager Nori Harni Juhari, U Mobile Sdn Bhd (U Mobile) head of SME Caroline Chin, RHB regional sales head SME Darren Lau and The Ship Campus chief executive officer Jasmon Lim, representing PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd (PKT).
Lim said The Ship Campus’ role in Batu Kawan went beyond providing space for events, with the campus focused on developing an ecosystem linking businesses, education and entrepreneurship.
“Our core and primary role being located in Batu Kawan was to ensure that we could build an effective ecosystem.
The campus, established in 2020, engaged businesses and potential clients to understand their needs and connect them with potential suppliers, customers and other business opportunities.
“The ecosystem also included Peninsula College, which offers certificates, diplomas and degrees, and Penn Skills, an accredited training centre focused on skilling, upskilling and reskilling.
“Having the campus in Batu Kawan’s industrial area also placed it close to manufacturers and other companies, allowing it to understand their talent requirements and connect industry with education and skills training,” he said.
SOBA 2026 is organised by SMG with CGC, PKT, RHB and U Mobile as main sponsors, while Great Wall Motor is co-sponsor, with
the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) being the official trade promotion partner.
It is audited by BDO while radio stations 988 and Suria are official media partners.
For more information, call the SOBA Hotline at 017-231 1789or visit www.soba.com.my
