KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 23): Sunway Construction Group Bhd (KL:SUNCON) was crowned Company of the Year (COY) at The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) Awards 2026, the financial publication's flagship event to honour the best of Malaysia's listed companies. 

National oil and gas company Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS) received this year’s special award in recognition of its outstanding contributions to nation building. 

Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, graced the gala dinner and awards ceremony at the St Regis Hotel here on Wednesday night, accompanied by Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim. 

In his welcome address, The Edge Media Group chairman Tan Sri Tong Kooi Ong highlighted that Malaysia needs companies that succeed through competition and merit — not protection, privilege or connections.

“Competition forces companies to learn and improve. Companies that learn to compete successfully at home are better equipped to compete globally. That is how productive capability is built.” 

Tong, in congratulating the BRC winners, said “performance should be recognised, merit should be rewarded, and success should be earned and celebrated”.

“Because institutions shape incentives. Incentives shape behaviour. Behaviour shapes companies. Companies shape economies. And economies ultimately shape the prosperity and wellbeing of our people,” he added.

Membership of The Edge Billion Ringgit Club comprises Bursa Malaysia-listed companies with at least RM1 billion market capitalisation as at end-March each year. The companies are split into 18 categories and are awarded for growth in profit after tax (PAT), return on equity (ROE) and total return to shareholders over a rolling three-year period. 

As at March 31, there are 183 companies in the BRC with a combined value of RM1.9 trillion, representing 91% of the combined market capitalisation of all Bursa-listed companies.

Thirty-four companies won the 59 awards up for grabs, which include recognition for corporate responsibility (CR). 

This year — the awards' 17th — a category for non-bank financial services companies was introduced. The other two categories for financial services companies are for banks with market capitalisation of RM10 billion and above, and banks valued at below RM10 billion.

The COY is selected based on overall weighted scores across three financial performance indicators — ROE, PAT and shareholder returns — together with their CR commitments. 

In addition to the COY honour, Sunway Construction also took home awards for highest ROE in the construction sector and for the best CR initiative among companies with a market capitalisation of below RM10 billion.

After winning the award, Sunway Construction group managing director Liew Kok Wing told The Edge: “We have been working very hard for it. I think consistently we have been the highest ROE winner for the last [eight] consecutive years. It was always our aim to have a clean sweep of our sector. We didn't manage to do so this year, but I think we snagged a better one.”

Solarvest Holdings Bhd (KL:SLVEST), Westport's Holdings Bhd (KL:WPRTS), KPJ Healthcare Bhd (KL:KPJ), KSL Holdings Bhd (KL:KSL), United Plantations Bhd (KL:UTDPLT) and Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd (KL:ABMB) secured clean sweeps in their categories — energy, transportation & logistics, healthcare, property (RM3 billion and above market capitalisation), plantation and financial services (Banks — below RM10 billion market capitalisation).

BRC debutants MN Holdings Bhd (KL:MNHLDG) and Southern Cable Group Bhd (KL:SCHBHD) also won awards. 

The BRC Awards results are independently audited by Deloitte Malaysia.

OCBC Bank Malaysia, Mercedes-Benz Cars Malaysia and ARTELIA are the key partners of The Edge BRC Awards.

OCBC Bank Malaysia chief executive officer Tan Chor Sen said the qualities of a good company are also those recognised by The Edge BRC. 

“While financial performance remains a key measure of success, what truly sets leading companies apart is their ability to deliver sustainable results over time. In today's increasingly volatile environment, strong fundamentals, resilience, adaptability and disciplined execution have become more important than ever.” 

Martin Schulz, Mercedes-Benz Cars Malaysia CEO and president and Mercedes-Benz Cars Southeast Asia head of region, said a good company should have the discipline to make responsible decisions for the long term, while developing its people and capabilities to strengthen the business for the future.

“Technology is an important part of this, particularly as artificial intelligence continues to reshape how businesses operate. But what matters is how we use these technologies to create meaningful value and better experiences for customers. Innovation should be purposeful and translate into tangible outcomes,” he said. 

ARTELIA managing director Alex Toh said financial performance should be supported by strong governance, ethical leadership and a clear long-term vision.

“We believe that the strongest companies combine ambition with responsibility. They are innovative yet grounded, commercially successful yet purpose-driven, and capable of making decisions that create lasting value beyond immediate results. Ultimately, a good company is defined not only by what it achieves, but also by how it achieves it and the positive impact it leaves behind,” he said. 

Details of The Edge BRC members and award winners will be published in a special supplement in the Oct 5 issue of The Edge Malaysia weekly, available on newsstands on Saturday, Oct 3.