Glittering climax to Enterprise 50 Award 2012
KUALA LUMPUR: Last Friday was a glittering night for winners of Enterprise 50 (E50) Award 2012, befitting the theme of the gala dinner - black and gold.
The atmosphere after the E50 winners was announced was filled with excitement, with the glowing, proud faces of the entrepreneurs and captains of 50 home-grown small and medium enterprises (SMEs) still visible outside the ballroom as they posed with their trophies against the E50 award backdrop.
The E50 trophy and logo are for them to use on their companies' materials such as buntings, brochures, call cards and catalogues, for a year.
The logo bears testimony to their achievements as they have undergone stringent evaluation, in terms of business performance, management capability, innovation, technology adoption, investments in training and research and development, as well as sales and profitability.
Winners of the award, which was introduced in 1996, have their own stories to tell, of how they overcome the obstacles and, for some, how they rebounded from failures.
They are what or whom International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed described as entrepreneurial pioneers who embody the spirit of endless possibilities and those who have taken bold steps.
"These entrepreneurs are Malay- sians with tireless work ethics, ordinary Malaysians who started their business with a dream, and those who had dared to dream for a better future. These are the men and women who were willing to take a chance on their dreams," he said at the E50 Gala Dinner in Petaling Jaya on Friday.
The minister said some of these companies started as mom-and-pop stores and at the backyards of their homes.
"What is common among them is ... they dared to dream, and today, that dream has led them to become some of the most successful Malaysian companies," he said.
Mustapa said getting listed on Bursa Malaysia is a dream of all companies, especially the SMEs. Today, there are 46 of E50 winners alumni listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia, and 14 on the ACE Market.
Meanwhile, Deloitte Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd country managing partner Tan Theng Hooi said this year's E50 winners showed that they have in-depth understanding of the industries, market trends, opportunities, challenges, as well as key players and their competitors.
"All the winners, especially the Top 10s, have leveraged extensively on technology and innovation to differentiate themselves from competitors," he said in his speech.
Tan also shared the top three actions taken by the 50 companies in facing economic difficulties, namely effective cost management, customer segmentation to understand their needs, and focus on investments that yield higher returns.
In a news conference earlier, SME Corp Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Hafsah Hashim said the focus this year was to give greater recognition to companies that are well- positioned for the future, competitive and resilient, and capable of facing global challenges in true entrepreneurial spirit.
She said there is a 210 per cent increase in the participation of Bumiputera-led companies in the E50 programme this year to 31 companies from 10 in 2011.
About 40 per cent of the E50 winners are from the manufacturing sector, followed by services, healthcare, consultation and interior design sector (22 per cent), professional services (14 per cent) and real estate/construction (10 per cent).
It is jointly organised by SME Corp and Deloitte Malaysia, with the support from RHB Bank, Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Exim Bank and Malaysian Industrial Development Finance. Business Times is the official publication, while Media Prima Bhd and Malaysia SME are media partners.
Source : New Straits Times
Date : 12 November 2012
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