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

When The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards was established in 2019, the goal was simple: turn the spotlight on outstanding under RM1 billion companies, many of which were little-known hidden gems that quietly power Corporate Malaysia’s growth engine.

Today, it is clear that the awards platform, in its sixth year now after a two-year hiatus (2020 and 2021) due to the pandemic, has evolved into a showcase of sustained excellence. This is reflected in the growing group of repeat winners, proving that success is rarely a fluke.

A total of 109 companies have been honoured through this platform since 2019, of which 45 have won more than one award. The top three highest award earners overall are: Kotra Industries Bhd (KL:KOTRA) with 15 awards, Deleum Bhd (KL:DELEUM) with 10, and Harbour-Link Group Bhd (KL:HARBOUR) with nine.

Of the 28 companies that won awards this year, half were repeat winners, including Centurion of the Year (COY) Teo Seng Capital Bhd (KL:TEOSENG), which now has a total of four trophies after its latest addition of two. Leading the pack by trophy count this year was Harbour-Link, which was also COY in 2024, followed by REDtone Digital Bhd (KL:REDTONE), KIP Real Estate Investment Trust (KL:KIPREIT) and Innoprise Plantations Bhd (KL:INNO).

REDtone now holds a total of eight awards after securing a new trophy this year, while KIP REIT — last year’s hat-trick winner that swept all three sectoral awards under the REIT sector — has received seven awards so far after bagging two new ones. Likewise, Innoprise Plantations’ trophy tally has reached seven after picking up another award this year. Notably, both Harbour-Link and Innoprise Plantations have won at least one award in every edition of the Centurion Club awards since its inception.

Yet, the platform — like the ecosystem from which it draws the top performers — remains as dynamic as ever, consistently making room for agile newcomers. Among the new names on this year’s winners’ list were Pappajack Bhd (KL:PPJACK) and Ramssol Group Bhd (KL:RAMSSOL), young Centurions listed just a few years ago that are already staking their claim among the top performers by sweeping two awards each.

This year, based on the end-March 2026 cut-off date, 501 companies qualified as Centurion Club members based on the market capitalisation criteria of at least RM100 million but below RM1 billion. Together, they represented RM170.4 billion in market value.

The latest membership count marks an increase of 73 companies from the 428 the club started with in 2019, though it is down by 18 from last year’s record high of 519.

The fluctuating headcount happens as fresh blood joins while those whose market caps soar move on to the billion-ringgit echelon, whereupon they are evaluated at he Edge Malaysia Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) — the sister platform that recognises top-performing large- and mega-cap companies.

From FY2023 to FY2025 — the evaluation period for the Centurion Club awards this year — these 501 companies delivered an estimated RM16.2 billion in aggregate net profit attributable to shareholders.

The top 10 profit makers, based on FY2025 alone, were: Crescendo Corp Bhd (KL:CRESNDO), Mulpha International Bhd (KL:MULPHA), Chin Teck Plantations Bhd (KL:CHINTEK), Vantris Energy Bhd (KL:VANTRG), Sungei Bagan Rubber Co (M) Bhd (KL:SBAGAN), Shin Yang Group Bhd (KL:SYGROUP), Wasco Bhd (KL:WASCO), DKSH Holdings (M) Bhd (KL:DKSH), Bermaz Auto Bhd (KL:BAUTO) and Teo Seng.

The top 10 market cappers as of end-March 2026, the ones most likely to push onto the billion-ringgit bracket, were: Chin Teck, Bermaz Auto, EG Industries Bhd (KL:EG), Orkim Bhd (KL:ORKIM), Ancom Nylex Bhd (KL:ANCOMNY), Dagang NeXchange Bhd (KL:DNEX), Crescendo, Innoprise Plantations, Supermax Corp Bhd (KL:SUPERMX) and Hi Mobility Bhd (KL:HI). Indeed, save for Chin Teck, Orkim and Supermax, the rest had crossed over into the BRC as at market close on Aug 5.

As at March 31, 2026, 48 Centurion Club members had earned their place in the BRC, up from 33 last year. Of those that secured their spot, eight were previous Centurion Club award winners: Sarawak Plantation Bhd (KL:SWKPLNT), Pecca Group Bhd (KL:PECCA), Southern Score Builders Bhd (KL:SSB8), HCK Capital Group Bhd (KL:HCK), RCE Capital Bhd (KL:RCECAP), Malaysia Smelting Corp Bhd (KL:MSC), VSTECS Bhd (KL:VSTECS) and PMB Technology Bhd (KL:PMBTECH).

As mentioned earlier, movement across the RM1 billion threshold goes both ways, as the Centurion list also absorbs companies reclassified from higher market tiers when their market valuations contract. There were a total of 98 such movers as at end-March this year, including Bermaz Auto, Supermax, Taliworks Corp Bhd (KL:TALIWRK), APM Automotive Holdings Bhd (KL:APM), Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd (KL:ASTRO), Vantris Energy and DKSH.

Ultimately, no companies are immune to cyclical or structural headwinds.

Centurion winners are rewarded for their historical performances and their managements’ mastery, honouring what was achieved under the conditions prevailing at the time. Yet past success offers no guarantee against shifting economic tides.

Whether today’s winners can navigate the next cycle is not a question a trophy can answer. Instead, what’s certain is that these agile companies will continue to push boundaries, scale up, and show us that Corporate Malaysia’s most compelling growth stories are still being written.

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