Breakdown of categories

SOBA pays tribute to SMES striving to carve a niche for themselves in the world of business. It aims to inspire and drive Malaysian enterprises towards excellence and outstanding achievement.

The key objectives are to recognise the contributions of outstanding businesses towards the growth of the nation, community and overall economy, and to reward Malaysian companies that have proven their worth, created an impact and made a difference in the lives of the people.

The SOBA 10th Anniversary Celebration was the culmination of its voyage thus far. As such, the awards traced its roots to bring together its alumni to celebrate the milestone and further its goal to boost business excellence to the next level among the SME community.

During the night, there were nine recognition categories presented for the achievements of a score of past SOBA winners. The categories include:

SME Advocate

Those who have contributed to the SME community by sharing their knowledge and business knowhow at SOBA engagements, to help chart a new path for SMES to move forward.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Those who continuously took part in SOBA for at least three years, showing an entrepreneur’s spirit of determination and a focus on improvement based on benchmarking against their peers.

Pioneer (Gold)

Companies that led the way by participating in the inaugural awards back in 2010 and won the Gold Award.

Pioneer (Platinum)

Companies that led the way by participating in the inaugural awards back in 2010 and won the Platinum Award.

Most Awards Won

Those who have won three or more awards, regardless of category, in the past 10 years.

Growth Excellence

Companies that received the Most Promising Award when they first participated and then went on to win a Platinum, Gold or Silver Award in the following years.

Highflyer

Those who have clinched more than three Platinum, Gold or Grand Winner Awards over the last decade.

Powerhouse

Those who have won more than three Platinum or Grand Winner Awards in the last 10 years.

Zenith Achiever

Those who have gone the distance and transitioned from an

SME to a listed company on Bursa Malaysia in the past decade, in the spirit envisaged by SOBA for its winners to list on the Malaysian stock exchange.

This year’s SOBA 2019 is organised by Star Media Group with Digi, PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd and RHB Bank Bhd as main sponsors, Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Bhd as co-sponsor and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation as official trade promotion partner. It is endorsed by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, supported by Bursa Malaysia and audited by BDO, with dimsum as official media partner.

For more information on SOBA 2019, call The Star Events Business Unit at 03-7967 1388 ext 1857 (Pei Wen) or visit www.soba. com.my