This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 5, 2024 - August 11, 2024

This year, 27 public-listed companies took home 36 awards at the fourth edition of The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards that was held on July 22 at a hotel in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

The one that bagged the biggest award of the night — Centurion of The Year — was shipping and logistics player Harbour-Link Group Bhd (KL:HARBOUR), which emerged as the best overall performer from among 514 companies that met the market capitalisation criteria to be part of The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club by the March 31 cut-off date.

The group also bagged the award for Highest Return On Equity (ROE) Over Three Years under the transport and logistics sector. It was its fourth consecutive ROE award since the inaugural Centurion Club Corporate Awards in 2019. The awards recognise the outstanding performance of companies with a market cap of at least RM100 million but less than RM1 billion that are listed on Bursa Malaysia.

The selection of winning Centurion Club companies is based on published, measurable metrics of the companies in their respective sectors. These metrics are profit after tax (PAT) growth, ROE and returns to shareholders over the last three years. The computation is done by The Edge Malaysia and Asia Analytica, while the results are audited by Deloitte.

Other notable winners of the night included Kotra Industries Bhd (KL:KOTRA), Deleum Bhd (KL:DELEUM) and REDTone Digital Bhd (KL:REDTONE), which each scored a hat-trick under their respective sectors of healthcare, energy, and telecommunication, media and utilities. So, they swept all three awards for highest PAT growth, highest ROE, and highest returns to shareholders. There are a total of 12 sectors with three sectoral awards each. (See table of winners on Page S8.)

The Edge Media Group publisher and group CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat said the Centurion Club awards were created with one aim in mind: to recognise the achievements of companies listed on Bursa Malaysia with a market cap of under RM1 billion.

“We believe there are hidden gems among these companies that may not yet be on the radar of institutional investors. We hope that turning the spotlight on them will not only help get them wider investor interests, but will also encourage them to scale new heights in their business journey and to grow more sustainably. To the winning companies, tonight is a celebration of your successes,” Ho said as he congratulated the winners.

Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, who graced the event as the guest of honour, described the achievements of the Centurion companies as a “beacon of what can be aspired to”.

“And I hope it inspires you to not only pursue greater heights of success, but also to mentor and nurture others who are on their own growth journeys,” Amir said.

CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (KL:CIMB), which has been a steadfast supporter of the Centurion Club awards since 2019, returned as the main sponsor this year under the group’s newly appointed group CEO Novan Amirudin. “Syabas to all the winning companies! The awards will serve as benchmarks in the market for businesses as they strive to advance to the next level. The Centurion awards boost competitive participation and at the same time serve as testament to defining moments in the industry,” Novan said.

Harbour-Link Group executive chairman and group managing director Datuk Francis Yong Piaw Soon, who was grinning from ear to ear after his company’s latest wins, said the awards were unexpected.

“I feel splendid! We didn’t expect to win tonight, and we came all the way from Bintulu [to attend this awards dinner]. We will keep on progressing, and try to maintain our excellent performance. That has always been our vision. We hope to come back next year and win again!” Yong said.

As at the March 31 cut-off date for the Centurion Club awards this year, 514 companies qualified as members of the Centurion Club — the highest tally since the inaugural 2019 list was compiled. Collectively, these companies have a market cap of RM179.3 billion. Last year, there were 483 Centurion Club members, with a collective market cap of RM158.14 billion — as opposed to 488 members in 2022 and 423 members in 2019. The awards took a break in 2020-2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other than market cap, those eligible to be considered for the Centurion Club awards must have been listed for at least four years as at the March 31 cut-off date. They must also not be suspended or be under Bursa’s watch list, and must not be delisted before the date of the awards. To be considered for the highest ROE and PAT, the company must be profitable every year during the evaluation period, which is 2020 to 2023.

The Centurion of The Year is determined by evaluating companies’ overall weighted scores in terms of returns to shareholders (30% weightage), PAT growth (40%), and ROE (30%) over three years.

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