THE Edge Media Group and its partners are celebrating Corporate Malaysia’s crème de la crème and top responsible organisations at The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) gala dinner for the eighth straight year this year.

“We look forward to celebrating Corporate Malaysia’s best-performing companies in the various categories on Aug 21,” says Ho Kay Tat, publisher and group CEO of The Edge Media Group.

OCBC Bank (M) Bhd returns as the main sponsor. Swiss luxury timepiece-maker Jaeger-LeCoultre is supporting sponsor for the third year, while Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and Qatar Airways are the official car and airline respectively.

“I would like to thank OCBC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Qatar Airways and Mercedes-Benz for their continuous support of BRC. This prestigious corporate awards event would not be what it is without these partnerships,” says Ho.

Banking giant OCBC, which has been the main sponsor since the event’s inception in 2010 and is one of the world’s most highly rated banks, is a huge believer of sustainability.

“Sustainability, in every sense of the word, must be recognised as the uniting thread that binds the collective conscience of the members of The Edge Billion Ringgit Club. It is by having a sustainable mentality that socially responsible cultures are ultimately created and then entrenched in society,” says Jeffrey Teoh, OCBC’s senior vice-president and head of corporate and commercial banking.

“This gathering of the top businesses in the country is an opportune setting to create our desired Malaysian business culture and to have best practices cascade,” adds Teoh.

Jaeger-LeCoultre is another believer of excellence and sustainability, as reflected in the master watchmaker’s vast heritage, passion and constant quest for technical perfection.

“We are proud to be a part of The Edge Billion Ringgit Club. We appreciate the fact that Malaysia’s best companies are recognised in their effort in contributing to the country’s economic development,” says Maxence Kinget, managing director of Southeast Asia and Oceania at Jaeger-LeCoultre.

“At Jaeger-LeCoultre, we highly honour the entrepreneurial spirit of excellence, which is a reflection of our manufacture’s rich legacy and continued pursuit of excellence that often serves as a source of inspiration over the centuries,” he adds.

The BRC Value Creator: Outstanding CEO of Malaysia 2017 will receive the Master Ultra Thin Perpetual pink-gold timepiece, courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Just as how producing ultra-thin calibres represents a major technical challenge in watch-making that is all the more daunting when movements comprise additional complications, the successful result befits a leader in these challenging times.

Jaeger-LeCoultre fulfilled a long-cherished dream of brand aficionados by unveiling its first ultra-thin automatic perpetual calendar watch. A single glance is enough to confirm the new Master Ultra Thin Perpetual’s prestigious lineage, whose understated beauty is a magnet for devotees and connoisseurs. The clear and self-evident layout avoids any risk of confusion — mirroring the mark of clear direction in a leader.

Also returning as sponsors for the third year are Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and Qatar Airways. These companies’ steadfast pursuit of excellence has been duly recognised with multiple prestigious awards.

In March, Qatar Airways, a member of the oneworld global alliance, was named Airline of the Year at the 2017 Air Transport Awards.

In May, Mercedes-Benz was named the most innovative premium brand in the trendsetting category of Autonomous Driving and Safety at the AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Award 2017.

With The Edge BRC Corporate Awards, they celebrate the outstanding performance of corporations in Malaysia.

“This prestigious award, which recognises Malaysian corporates par excellence, is certainly in line with our own practices of pursuing the ambition to be the best or nothing. We applaud the hard work and dedication involved as companies strive for continuous success while maintaining best business practices,” says Mark Raine, vice-president of sales and marketing at Mercedes-Benz Malaysia.

“BRC recognises those who are the epitome of success — success, which is no longer solely defined by business revenues, but also by one’s pursuit of innovation and excellence. We are delighted to be a part of this meaningful initiative again to pay tribute to these titans,” says Datuk Muzammil Mohamad, Qatar Airways’ country manager of Malaysia and Brunei.

The Edge BRC recognises excellence in companies with a market capitalisation of above RM1 billion. The billion ringgit cut-off serves as an aspirational target for dynamic smaller companies. Companies are added to the annual list automatically at the cut-off date (March 31) and are evaluated based on growth in profit, returns to shareholders and corporate responsibility (CR) commitments, among others.

Awards to be given out include Value Creator: Malaysia’s Outstanding CEO, The Edge BRC Most Profitable Company, The Edge BRC Highest Profit Growth Company, The Edge BRC Best Performing Stock, The Edge BRC Best CR Initiatives and the coveted The Edge BRC Company of the Year.

Previous Company of the Year winners are Nestle (M) Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd, DiGi.Com Bhd, Genting Bhd, QL Resources Bhd and Supermax Corp Bhd.

Past recipients of the Value Creator: Malaysia’s Outstanding CEO award are Public Bank Group chairman Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow, CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, AMMB Holdings Bhd chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim, AirAsia Bhd group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, former S P Setia Bhd president and CEO Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, former Malayan Banking Bhd president and CEO Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Axiata Group Bhd president and group CEO Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, Sunway Group chairman Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah and Khazanah Nasional Bhd managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar.

Other than Bursa Malaysia-defined industry peers, BRC members are also ranked against companies with similar market capitalisation, with the creation of the Super Big Cap (companies with a market capitalisation of more than RM40 billion) and Big Cap (companies with a market capitalisation of between RM10 billion and RM40 billion) categories.