This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 25, 2024 - December 1, 2024

Sime Darby Property Bhd (KL:SIMEPROP) took the No 1 spot at this year’s The Edge Malaysia Top Property Developers Awards (TPDA). This is the second time it has done so, the first time being in 2009. It was also the joint winner of the Best in Qualitative Attributes sub-award this year.

The 22nd TPDA anchors The Edge Malaysia Property Excellence Awards (TEPEA) 2024. The winners were honoured at a gala dinner on Nov 11 at the Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur. The event was graced by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.

Sime Darby Property group managing director Datuk Seri Azmir Merican attributed the company’s achievement to the hard work and dedication of his team. Sime Darby Property was placed third last year.

“We are honoured and humbled to be recognised as Malaysia’s top property developer. It has been 15 years since our last win. We extend our thanks to the esteemed panel of judges and The Edge Malaysia for acknowledging our efforts. This recognition drives us to continue multiplying value for people, businesses, economies and the planet.”

Rounding up the Top 10 winners were Sunway Bhd (KL:SUNWAY) — Property Division (Sunway Property) and Gamuda Bhd (KL:GAMUDA) — Property Division (Gamuda Land) (joint No 2); S P Setia Bhd (KL:SPSETIA) (No 3); UOA Development Bhd (KL:UOADEV) (No 4); IJM Land Bhd (No 5); IOI Properties Group Bhd (KL:IOIPG) (No 6); Eco World Development Group Bhd (KL:ECOWLD) and Mah Sing Group Bhd (KL:MAHSING) (joint No 7); UEM Sunrise Bhd (KL:UEMS) (No 8); IGB Bhd (KL:IGBB) (No 9); and Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd (KL:MATRIX) (No 10).

Gamuda Land was also a joint winner of the Best in Qualitative Attributes sub-award.

Meanwhile, the Best in Quantitative Attributes sub-award went to KSL Holdings Bhd (KL:KSL).

The TPDA is evaluated based on qualitative and quantitative attributes. In the qualitative category, judges evaluate each company on its expertise, image, innovation and creativity, product quality and the value it creates for buyers.

In the quantitative category, companies are evaluated based on their shareholders’ funds, turnover, profitability and cash or gearing.

The scores and rankings of the TPDA are audited by Deloitte Malaysia.

In his welcome address, The Edge Media Group publisher and group CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat said that annual rankings are a good indication of how each company has performed.

“Rankings are like the report cards we had in school. One year we can be top in class and the next we can drop — and the reverse. What is more important is to be strong and good to last the test of time,” he said.

“Property development is after all a long game, and buyers and investors look for those who can sustain through the up-and-down cycles. In that respect, I believe that the benchmark we have set has been beneficial to all the stakeholders of the industry.”

Meanwhile, Nga noted that as Malaysia continues to experience rapid urbanisation, with more than 80% of the population expected to live in urban areas by 2030, it is essential that sustainable and inclusive developments are prioritised.

“We must avoid a tale of two cities — where one part of the city is for the poor and one part for the rich,” he said in his keynote speech.

“In line with the Madani Economy Framework, we aim to ‘raise the ceiling’ in growing the wealth of the nation while ‘raising the floor’ to improve quality of life and ensure equal opportunities that benefit all. This includes providing access to affordable, quality housing to all citizens, particularly the low- and middle-income households, as well as empowering them with business and job opportunities.

“While the government plays a crucial role in implementing the right policies, I firmly believe that achieving our goals can only be realised through the 4P model — People-Public-Private Partnerships. This approach requires the collective efforts of all stakeholders.”

On the ministry’s aim of building 500,000 affordable housing units by end-2025, Nga said 89% of that goal has been met and urged property developers to partner with the government in achieving the target.

“Our goal for affordable housing is to go beyond being merely liveable — it should be lovable too. With initiatives like the newly launched People’s Residency Programme, we want affordable housing that not only meets basic needs but is also well-connected, offering easier access to job opportunities, and incorporating sustainable design features like green technology.”

TEPEA 2024 also features nine other awards: The Edge Malaysia-PAM Green Excellence Award; The Edge Malaysia-PEPS Value Creation Excellence Award; The Edge Malaysia Affordable Urban Housing Excellence Award; The Edge Malaysia Outstanding Property CEO Award; The Edge Malaysia Outstanding Contribution to the Real Estate Industry Award; The Edge Malaysia Property Development Excellence Award — Master Plan Excellence; The Edge Malaysia Property Development Excellence Award — Global Icon of Malaysia; The Edge Malaysia Excellence in Conservation & Adaptive Reuse Award; and The Edge Malaysia Outstanding Overseas Project Award.

The Edge Malaysia Outstanding Contribution to the Real Estate Industry Award was awarded to Datuk Jeffrey Ng, the Real Estate Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia (Rehda) Institute chairman, Rehda patron and past president, and former Sunway Real Estate Investment Trust (KL:SUNREIT) CEO; MKH Bhd (KL:MKH) group managing director, Rehda patron and former PR1MA Corp Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Eddy Chen; as well as Glomac Bhd (KL:GLOMAC) group managing director and CEO, Rehda patron and Malaysia Property Incorporated (MPI) founding director Datuk Seri Fateh Iskandar Mohamed Mansor.

Tengku Datuk Ab Aziz Tengku Mahmud of PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd won The Edge Malaysia Outstanding Property CEO Award.

The winners of The Edge Malaysia-PAM Green Excellence Award were The Night Shelter and One Shell Square Miri. The award recognises projects that demonstrate sustainable design innovation while contributing positively to the community.

Meanwhile,The Edge Malaysia-PEPS Value Creation Excellence Award (residential category) went to Park Regent. This award measures the capital appreciation of properties, from the developer’s selling price to the resale price in secondary transactions.

For The Edge Malaysia Property Development Excellence Award (Master Plan Excellence), Eco Botanic in Johor; City of Elmina, Shah Alam in Selangor; and Sunway City Ipoh in Perak were the winners. The Edge Malaysia Excellence in Conservation & Adaptive Reuse Award, meanwhile, went to The Zhongshan Building in Kuala Lumpur and The Edison George Town in Penang. The Merdeka 118 tower in Kuala Lumpur, developed by PNB Merdeka Ventures, received The Edge Malaysia Property Development Excellence Award — Global Icon of Malaysia.

There were three winners and four special mentions for The Edge Malaysia Affordable Urban Housing Excellence Award. The winners were Residensi Aman Bukit Jalil and SkyAwani 5 Residences in Sentul, both in Kuala Lumpur; as well as Iconia Garden Residence (Precinct B), Taman Impian Emas in Skudai, Johor. The special mention recipients were Residensi Pauh Permai in Seberang Perai, Penang; Residensi Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan; Residensi Bintawa Riverfront in Kuching, Sarawak; and Bandar Botani Parkland Phase 2A, Melaka.

Lastly, there were two winners for The Edge Malaysia Outstanding Overseas Project Award, namely Celadon City in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Sapphire by The Gardens in Melbourne, Australia.

The awards were presented by City & Country, the property pullout of The Edge Malaysia weekly, and supported by EdgeProp.my.

GSPARX Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA), is the official solar partner. The official car partner is Porsche

Malaysia, through its Malaysian dealer Sime Darby Auto Performance Sdn Bhd. The event’s other partner is China Pottery (M) Sdn Bhd’s Artelia, which is the official distributor of Noritake in Malaysia.

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