This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 17, 2026 - August 23, 2026

It was a vibrant gathering of Corporate Malaysia’s top mid-market performers, as industry leaders from across the country converged for The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards 2026 gala dinner at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur on Aug 4.

The room buzzed with anticipation and camaraderie, as corporate captains gathered to celebrate shared milestones before the night’s coveted honours were revealed.

For table egg producer Teo Seng Capital Bhd (KL:TEOSENG), the evening was originally meant to be a relaxed celebration. Having won sectoral trophies in 2024 and 2025, the team arrived simply expecting to network, enjoy the festivities and collect another sector award.

They were already contentedly clinking glasses and snapping wefies after picking up the award for Highest Growth in Profit After Tax Over Three Years in the consumer products and services sector, when the night’s biggest announcement came: Teo Seng being crowned Centurion of The Year (COY).

The honour, reserved for the overall top performer among 501 qualifying Bursa Malaysia-listed companies this year as at the end-March cut-off date, was also Teo Seng’s fourth trophy since the Centurion Club awards debuted in 2019, transforming an already joyful night of celebration for the group into a historic triumph.

“This is totally unexpected for us,” said Teo Seng’s beaming executive chairman Lau Jui Peng after receiving the grand prize. “Honestly we tried our best and we’ve been improving our quality. We are very honoured [by this]. Thank you for this recognition. It’s all [possible] with teamwork, with our top management here — our young and aggressive team.”

A total of 28 companies won awards this year, including the newly introduced Sustainability Award, which recognises outstanding sustainable business practices based on the highest FTSE Russell ESG Rating. The award went to Bermaz Auto Bhd (KL:BAUTO), which also picked up the sectoral award of Highest Return on Equity Over Three Years in consumer products and services.

The sectoral honours are based on three categories across 12 business sectors: profit after tax (PAT) growth, return on equity (ROE) and returns to shareholders over the last three years.

Apart from Teo Seng and Bermaz Auto, six other companies secured double wins: Crescendo Corp Bhd (KL:CRESNDO), KIP Real Estate Investment Trust (KL:KIPREIT), Mitrajaya Holdings Bhd (KL:MITRA), Pappajack Bhd (KL:PPJACK), Pekat Group Bhd (KL:PEKAT), and Ramssol Group Bhd (KL:RAMSSOL).

The Edge Media Group publisher and group CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat noted that the 501 qualifying companies held a collective market cap of RM170.4 billion as at the end-March cut-off date, and generated around RM16 billion in profit attributable to shareholders from FY2023 to FY2025, the award’s evaluation period.

“To all the winning companies, big congratulations! Your agility, hard work and vision are what drive your industries as well as the country’s economy forward,” Ho said in his welcome address, before teasingly adding, “I also know all of you, like every business, are looking at using AI (artificial intelligence) and even robots to increase efficiency and productivity. That’s important. But please continue growing your business so you can continue to hire humans by creating new jobs!”

The event was graced by Minister of Finance II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, who returned as the guest of honour after first joining the celebrations in 2024. In his keynote address, he commended the winners and described their success as clear evidence of a stronger, more resilient Corporate Malaysia.

“Congratulations, your success is your own, earned through discipline, enterprise and perseverance. But it is also part of a larger national story: a Malaysian economy growing not from one towering tree alone, but from a richer, stronger Corporate Malaysia. May the recognition tonight encourage you to keep reaching higher, and may your growth help Malaysia do the same,” he said.

Joining the minister in commending the winners, Bursa Malaysia CEO Datuk Fad’l Mohamed — who presented the inaugural Sustainability Award — emphasised the importance of long-term strategy. “Sustainability, at its core, is how a company plays the long game, building trust, responding to change and creating a positive impact beyond the balance sheet. That, ultimately, is what corporate excellence looks like,” he said, adding that Bursa Malaysia will continue supporting and engaging companies to help them navigate sustainability reporting and strengthen disclosures.

CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (KL:CIMB), the steadfast partner of the awards since its inception, returned as the event’s main sponsor. Congratulating the winners, the bank urged them to continue thinking boldly amid rapid global shifts.

“This recognition is a testament to your vision, resilience and relentless pursuit of excellence,” said CIMB co-CEO of group commercial and transaction banking Ahmad Shazli Kamarulzaman, who attended the event alongside fellow co-CEO Lawrence Loh.

Noting that local companies have never been better positioned to compete regionally through AI, digital transformation and evolving supply chains, he added: “The companies that thrive in the years ahead will be those that remain agile, continuously evolve and invest in innovation, talent, technology and strong leadership … As this year’s winners, you are not only building successful businesses, you are helping to define what Malaysian business excellence looks like — setting the benchmark for others to follow while inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

The banking group also acknowledged the critical role Centurion Club companies play in the economy, and the importance of the new Sustainability Award in driving corporate accountability and encouraging businesses to integrate sustainable practices into their core strategies.

“Many of these businesses are scaling quickly, increasingly integrated into regional and global supply chains, which exposes them to evolving ESG (environmental, social and governance) expectations from customers, regulators and investors. Encouraging and recognising their sustainability journey is important, not just to meet these expectations but to strengthen business resilience, improve operational efficiency and support long-term growth and profitability,” said Ahmad Shazli.

The event this year also welcomed trophy maker ARTELIA as a first-time partner sponsor. “To the winning companies, congratulations on reaching an important milestone. May this recognition inspire you to continue raising the standards of excellence within your organisation and your industry,” said managing director Alex Toh.

The Centurion Club awards are now in their sixth edition, having taken a two-year break due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The awards recognise the country’s best-performing companies listed on Bursa Malaysia with a market capitalisation of at least RM100 million but below RM1 billion as at the last trading day of March of the evaluation year.

To qualify for the awards, a company must have been listed for at least three years as at the end-March cut-off date — down from four previously. It must also not be suspended or be on Bursa Malaysia’s watch list, and must not be delisted before the date of the awards. To be considered for highest ROE and PAT growth, the company must have been profitable every year during the evaluation period, which spans 2023 to 2025 for this year’s awards.

The COY is chosen by evaluating members’ overall weighted scores of all three categories of ROE, PAT and shareholder returns, while the winner of the new sustainability category is selected from the top three performers of each category across the 12 business sectors, based on the highest FTSE Russell ESG Rating for December of the previous calendar year under the FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia framework.

The results are independently audited by Deloitte Malaysia.

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play.