Hartalega is The Edge’s BRC Company of the Year

Friday 04 Apr 2025

09 Dec 2020, 11:35 am

From left: The Edge Media Group publisher & group CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat, OCBC CEO Datuk Ong Eng Bin, Mercedes Benz Malaysia president & CEO Dr Claus Weidner, Hartalega founder & executive chairman Kuan Kam Hon, Hartalega CEO Kuan Mun Leong, Hartalega executive director & chief commercial officer Kuan Mun Keng and Hartalega chief financial officer Loh Kean Wooi. (Photo by Kenny Yap/The Edge)

PETALING JAYA (Dec 9): Hartalega Holdings Bhd won the coveted The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) Company of the Year award for 2020, the 11th edition of the award to honour Corporate Malaysia’s crème de la crème.

Due to the ongoing conditional movement control order (CMCO) in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, the annual gala dinner and award presentation was not held. Nonetheless, a total of 48 corporate awards were still presented to 35 companies this year to spur Corporate Malaysia on during the current tough patch.

“We started the awards in 2010, with the aim of encouraging Malaysian companies to be even better at what they do, to grow, invest, create jobs as well as be socially responsible. That, in turn, is hoped to inspire others to excel. The message that Corporate Malaysia is resilient and can strive on is all the more important during this time,” The Edge Media Group publisher and CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat said, adding that the award is coveted because the results are independently audited and they cannot be bought.

Datuk Ong Eng Bin, CEO of OCBC Bank Malaysia Bhd, concurred that the recognition of continued corporate excellence is of greater significance on the backdrop of challenging times in face of Covid-19: “Despite the environment caused by the pandemic, Corporate Malaysia has continued its sustainable initiatives. Climate change and social justice realities call for organisations big and small to embrace environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices even more wholeheartedly in all they do.”

There are 161 The Edge BRC members this year, down from 168 last year. The all-time high was 185 in 2011.

At RM1.41 trillion as at end-June, the total market capitalisation of the 161 BRC members was below the RM1.55 trillion among the 168 BRC members as at end-March last year. Even so, this year’s BRC members made a collective pre-tax profit of RM107.7 billion in financial year 2019 (FY2019), up 8.2% from the RM99.5 billion. Collective net profit was RM80.78 billion, up 10.6% from RM70.73 billion in FY2018.

BRC members continue to be major taxpayers, paying an estimated RM26.9 billion in taxes for FY2019 — more than 40% of the annual companies income tax collection estimated by the federal government.

Companies with at least RM1 billion market capitalisation as at March 31 each year are added to the annual The Edge-BRC membership list automatically and are evaluated on growth in profit, returns to shareholders and corporate responsibility (CR) commitments, among others. This year the cut-off date was changed to June 30 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last year, Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd was named Company of the Year, trailing Petronas Dagangan Bhd, which received the award in 2018. AirAsia Bhd was the award recipient in 2017, Nestle (Malaysia) Bhd in 2016 while Tenaga Nasional Bhd won it in 2015. Prior to that, it was Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd (2014), DiGi.Com Bhd (2013), Genting Bhd (2012), QL Resources Bhd (2011) and Supermax Corp Bhd (2010).

The Value Creator: Outstanding CEO of Malaysia award was not given out this year. Past winners of the Value Creator: Outstanding CEO of Malaysia award are Public Bank Group chairman Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow, former CIMB group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, AMMB Holdings Bhd chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim, AirAsia group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, former S P Setia Bhd president and CEO Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, former Malayan Banking Bhd president and CEO Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Axiata Group Bhd president and group CEO Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, Sunway Group chairman Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, Khazanah Nasional Bhd former managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, Westports Holdings Bhd executive chairman Tan Sri G Gnanalingam, Dialog Group Bhd executive chairman and co-founder Tan Sri Ngau Boon Keat and QL Resources Bhd executive chairman Dr Chia Song Kun.

OCBC Bank Malaysia, a key partner since the award’s inauguration in 2010, returns as the main sponsor for the eleventh year this year. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is the official car.

“I thank OCBC and Mercedes-Benz for their steadfast support of the BRC. We hope this prestigious annual gathering, which we have had to halt for the first time this year, would continue to be Corporate Malaysia’s most anticipated corporate awards ceremony as the world recovers from the pandemic,” Ho said.

Details on The Edge BRC members and award winners will be published in a special supplement in the Dec 14 issue of The Edge Malaysia, available on newsstands and digital subscribers this Saturday, Dec 12.

The Edge Billion Ringgit Club Corporate Awards 2020 list of winners

Construction sector

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — Kerjaya Prospek Group Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — Sunway Construction Group Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Widad Group Bhd

Consumer products & services sector

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — Guan Chong Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Guan Chong Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd

Energy sector

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — Dialog Group Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Dialog Group Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — Petron Malaysia Refining & Marketing Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Dayang Enterprise Holdings Bhd

Financial services sector
Below RM10 billion market capitalisation

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — Malaysia Building Society Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Keluarga Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Keluarga Bhd

Financial services sector
RM10 billion and above market capitalisation

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — RHB Bank Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — RHB Bank Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — Public Bank Bhd

Healthcare sector

Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Supermax Corporation Bhd
Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — Hartalega Holdings Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — Hartalega Holdings Bhd

Industrial products & services sector

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — UEM Edgenta Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — Uchi Technologies Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Dufu Technology Corp Bhd

Plantation sector

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — IOI Corporation Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — IOI Corporation Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Far East Holdings Bhd

Property sector
Below RM3 billion market capitalisation

Highest return on equity over three years — Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd

Property sector
RM3 billion and above market capitalisation

Highest return on equity over three years — UOA Development Bhd

REIT sector

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — Axis REIT
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Axis REIT
Highest return on equity over three years — IGB REIT

Technology sector

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — Frontken Corporation Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Frontken Corporation Bhd
Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — Pentamaster Corporation Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — My E.G. Services Bhd

Telecommunications & media sector

Highest return on equity over three years — DiGi.Com Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — TIME dotCom Bhd

Transportation & logistics sector

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — Lingkaran Trans Kota Holdings Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — MISC Bhd

Utilities sector

Highest growth in profit after tax over three years — Mega First Corporation Bhd
Highest returns to shareholders over three years — Mega First Corporation Bhd
Highest return on equity over three years — Gas Malaysia Bhd

Big cap companies
Companies with RM10 billion to RM40 billion market capitalisation