Cause for celebration: Tengku Zafrul (centre), SMG chairman Tan Sri Chor Chee Heung (fifth left) and Yeow (fourth left) with the winners at the Export Excellence Award 2023 Gala Night in Kuala Lumpur. Joining them are (from left) SMG’s chief business officer Lydia Wang and non-executive director Datuk Dr Mohd Aminuddin Rouse, Matrade CEO Datuk Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia chairman Datuk Yvonne Chia, Mak, PKT Logistics Group chief revenue officer Kuan Eu Jin, MDEC CEO Mahadhir Aziz, and Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia managing director Sammeer Sharma. (Inset) Tengku Zafrul arriving at the event. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The Export Excellence Awards (EEA) returns in its fourth year to honour Malaysia’s exporters from various sectors and geographical regions.
The glittering EEA 2023 Gala Night, held at Westin Hotel Kuala Lumpur, celebrated Malaysia’s top leaders in the export industry with over 30 awards handed out yesterday.
The prestigious gala night also saw GB Industries Sdn Bhd and Vepro Group Sdn Bhd capturing the Exporter of the Year for mid-tier and large companies and small and medium enterprises category respectively.
The EEA 2023 also named Datuk Anna Teo of Hernan Corporation Sdn Bhd as the Woman Exporter of the Year while the Halal Products special award went to Mac World Industries Sdn Bhd.
All 36 award winners were judged by 12 leading players in the business sector including Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry deputy secretary-general (management and investment) Datuk Bahria Mohd Tamil, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) deputy chief executive officer Abu Bakar Yusof and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) digital exports director A. Balasubramaniam.
Tengku Zafrul arriving at the event. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
The companies shortlisted were judged based on the awards categories, namely: Agriculture, Food & Beverage Award; Consumer Products Award; Industrial Products Award; Machinery, Electrical and Electronics Award; and Services Award.
The event’s guest of honour, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz was present to grace the annual awards ceremony.
Tengku Zafrul said the event recognised the importance of championing and promoting the country’s top local exporters to the global trade industry.
“We celebrate the impactful collaboration between established brands – Star Media Group and Standard Chartered Malaysia – working together, serving as enablers in elevating our country’s trade industry competitiveness status to the next level.
“This synergy has continued to strengthen year after year since its inception.
“The partnership not only recognises the importance of championing and promoting the country’s top local exporters but also builds and nurtures a stronger ecosystem for local exporters to support one another,” he said.
Star Media Group (SMG) group chief executive officer Alex Yeow said the EEA programme has evolved, driving a thriving ecosystem that fosters collaboration, capacity building and knowledge sharing among local exporters.
He said that EEA is not just an awards ceremony, but a platform dedicated to honouring and recognising exceptional local exporters, whose contributions have and continue to be pivotal in propelling the nation’s economic growth.
“In the face of global challenges such as rising interest rates, inflation and geopolitical tensions, Malaysia’s export sector continues to thrive as the winners exemplify the strength and resilience of the Malaysian spirit, contributing significantly to the nation’s trade stability.
“We have successfully launched the EEA Soiree to nurture and strengthen relationships among past winners, partners and sponsors this year,” he said.
Standard Chartered Malaysia chief executive officer Mak Joon Nien said the award has seen 20% growth in submissions since its inception in 2019.
Mak said the EEA has handed out 111 awards and introduced new categories like “Thriving in Adversity” to recognise exporters who demonstrated excellence in navigating global headwinds during challenging times.
“Highlighting the stories of successful Malaysian exporters inspires peers to strive to do better, and also paves way for networking and potential collaboration.
“The establishment of EEA alumni aims to build a community of Malaysian exporters, where participants can leverage on timely insights and best practices, as well as gain a better understanding of financial instruments that are available to help expand their business beyond borders,” he said.
The EEA 2023 is organised by Star Media Group in partnership with Standard Chartered Malaysia and PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd as co-sponsor, Matrade as patron, and MDEC as Technology Partner. It is audited by BDO.
For more information on EEA 2023, go to exportawards.com.my or email eea@thestar.com.my.
