3rd BMCC Business Excellence Awards

It was a night to remember. After months of planning and much anticipation, the BMCC Business Excellence Awards 2022 concluded with a spectacular Awards Gala Night. This year’s awards gala was more meaningful as the awards returned after a two-year hiatus to celebrate and recognise companies that have succeeded amid unprecedented times.

Over 430 guests attended from all strides with government officials, heads of companies, industry leaders and business professionals gracing the event dedicated to celebrating the success of UK – Malaysia businesses and partnerships.

YB Dato’ Sri Dr Adham Baba, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia (MosTI), Malaysia and Richard Graham, the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Malaysia graced the evening as the Guests of Honour.

Amidst exciting performances and lucky draws, guests were served a fabulous three-course meal exquisitely prepared by the chefs from the soon to be opened Gordan Ramsay Bar & Grill, Sunway Resort in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur. In addition, the guests were also surprised by a special video message by the famous Chef Gordon Ramsey himself before the dinner was served.

The pinnacle of the night came at the announcement of the winner of the UK-Malaysia Business of the Year, where the coveted title was claimed by Owen Mumford Malaysia. Incorporated in 2014 as the 1st manufacturing hub outside of the UK and as a regional HQ for the Asia Pacific, Owen Mumford Malaysia has seen consistent growth over the past few years, with the expansion of their investments over the last couple of years.

Owen Mumford Malaysia is the first medical device company certified with B Corp certification in recognition of corporate responsibility. Being a B Corp organisation carries much responsibility, not least the commitment to continual assessment of progress in the sustainable agenda and have anchored all the efforts to a single goal – a pledge to achieve net-zero by 2045.

AstraZeneca Malaysia, out-rivalled strong competition to claim the UK-Malaysia Partnership of the Year award. Astra Zeneca’s win is in recognition of their partnership with Sunway University to establish the Health Innovation Hub in 2021. The partnership has opened doors for more collaborations with other stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation as well as the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation to help Malaysia’s strategic thrust towards making healthcare more accessible and affordable through digital healthcare.

Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia won the Diversity and Inclusion Award, a highly competitive award category with a total of 11 nominations received. The judges deliberated hard and long over the submissions for this category and were glad to see more and more companies putting diversity, equity and inclusivity on their business agenda. Standard Chartered Bank Berhad’s overall submission demonstrating outstanding commitment to fostering the spirit of diversity and inclusion in the workplace through effective strategies and initiatives gave them a slight edge over the others.

Technology and Innovation Award went to Arup Malaysia, for their use of disruptive innovative technologies to increase efficiency and integration of Virtual Reality into their engagement with stakeholders creating the differentiating factor to secure this award.

Two new award categories made their first appearance this year – UK Malaysia Education Institutional Partnership and Outstanding ESG.

Lancaster University was named the winner of the inaugural UK-Malaysia Education Institutional Partnership. The award was introduced to recognise UK higher or further education institution that has partnered with Malaysian organisations to deliver significant impact in the last 5 years. Lancaster University bagged this award for their partnership with Sunway University in establishing the Future Cities Research Institute as well as for their multidimensional partnerships in creating jobs and encouraging knowledge transfer, which benefits both Malaysia and the UK over a longer term.

The Outstanding ESG Award was won by Sime Darby Property. The award is aimed to recognise the achievements of a company that has demonstrated outstanding achievements in adopting ESG practices, and ultimately contributing significantly toward the environment and communities, as well as advocating for these initiatives within their industry, supply chains, and clients. Sime Darby Property stood out with their clear sustainability framework, commitments as well as more importantly, being a strong advocate and their active external participation in championing the sustainability agenda.

In his welcome remarks, Abrar A. Anwar, BMCC Chairman, and CEO and Managing Director of Standard Chartered Malaysia commented:

“Much has changed in the business world since the last awards, which makes this edition all the more significant and timely — for the British and Malaysian brands we are honouring tonight are truly dynamic winners in every sense of the word; companies that have made great stories across the industry and scale, despite challenging times. As we move into the recovery phase, these brands will certainly have a bigger role to play in promoting Malaysia as a priority destination for global investors, where even in the throes of the pandemic, opportunities never ceased for businesses that were quick to adapt and innovate,”

Congratulations to all the winners that were selected amid stiff competition. Not only did we see an increase in the number of nominations, but many of the submissions also demonstrated agility and innovation in their business strategy. The BMCC thanks our panel of independent judges comprising His Excellency Charles Hay, The British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Mr Sivasuriyamoorthy Sundara Raja, Deputy CEO of MIDA and Datin Seri Sunita Rajakumar, Chairperson & Director, Climate Governance, Malaysia as well as the Judging Panel Advisory Board from the University of Nottingham Malaysia, who that momentous task of selecting the award winners.

To all our nominees, we commend your strengths and are proud to showcase your achievements as a reflection of the continuous strengthening of UK-Malaysia business relations. We also applaud all our nominees for stepping up to showcase their successes and we look forward to seeing your progresses next year.

Finally, the BMCC thanks all our Sponsors, Partners, Exhibitors, and guests for making it the memorable and spectacular night it was.

The BMCC Business Excellence Awards will return in 2023.