Debuting 4 years ago, the SME and Entrepreneurs Business Awards (SEBA) was created by Yayasan Usahawan Malaysia to recognise exemplary individuals and companies within our SME business landscape.
Just this November 8, SEBA 2019 wrapped up its Recognition Gala Dinner, officiated by YBhg Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan, Minister of Entrepreneur Development.
Although nearly 100 awards were given out that night, we took a look at 17 specific recipients under the ‘Entrepreneurs of The Year’ category.
1. Entrepreneur Of The Year: Dato’ Seri Ivan Teh
Prior to founding Fusionex and becoming Group CEO, Dato’ Seri Ivan Teh has had over 18 years of experience in the ICT industry, leading teams in HP as well as Accenture.
Now, he helms one of the largest tech companies in the region, specialising in analytics, big data, machine learning, and AI. A multi-award winning technology provider, Fusionex has obtained a long, impressive list of clients from various industries, such as OCBC Bank, Celcom, and Intel.
2. Entrepreneur Of The Year (China-Malaysia): Mark Ding
Mark Ding is the managing director and CEO of XiDeLang Holdings, a China-based but Malaysian listed casual and sports apparel maker.
Their primary focus is the design and production of shoes, made for running, basketball, tennis, skateboarding, hiking, trekking, and casual-wear.
3. The Olive Tree Group Presents — Celebrity Entrepreneur Of The Year (M): Mohd Razizan Ab Razak
Perhaps better known as Zizan Razak, Zizan is a comedian, singer, and action hero known for his roles in local movies such as Abang Long Fadil 2 and Polis Evo 2.
He will be reprising his role as a heroic gangster in Abang Long Fadil 3, once again directed by Syafiq Yusof.
He also recorded a new R&B single earlier this year, a duet with fellow artist Ismail Izzani, called “Berserah”.
4. Celebrity Entrepreneur Of The Year (F): Nurul Elfira Loy Ahmad Sabri
Popular actress and TV host Elfira Loy started her career at the young age of 12, debuting in a local television drama called Cinta Itu Buta. Since then she has starred in numerous series and movies including a role as Qalesya in a hit drama of the same name.
She is the brand ambassador for Maybelline New York (Malaysia 2021) and even runs her own café, Love Me Sevendays, and a fashion line called El by Elfira Loy.
5. Youth Icon Of The Year (F): Christy Ng
Recently hitting the headlines due to her outspoken opinions on the government’s 90-day maternity leave announcement, Christy Ng can be considered a prime example of a self-made entrepreneur.
Christy started out in an average family and was armed with only a childhood dream to design shoes for a living. She has built her brand up from scratch, turning it into a fully-fledged e-commerce store that caters to shoe lovers worldwide.
6. Youth Icon Of The Year (M): Ariz Ramli (Caprice)
Putting aside his recent claims that he was the victim of black magic, you might know Caprice as a local rapper who founded his own record label called What’s Up Entertainment Records.
What you may not know is that he is also a technopreneur heavily involved in the education industry, founding Caprice Technologies and Classruum.com, a platform for tutors and digital educational tools.
He also gave a series of motivational talks titled ‘Jihad in Education’ for youths at several universities.
7. Edu-preneur Of The Year: Prof Tan Sri Dato’ Wira Dr. Mohd Shukri Ab. Yajid
He’s the founder of one of Malaysia’s leading private institutions of higher learning, the Management & Science University (MSU).
His efforts led to MSU becoming an award-winning university, receiving the Best Entrepreneurial Private University and the Tier 5 Excellent University status awards by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia.
He was also appointed to the National Implementation Task Force and the Human Resources Cluster Working Group under the Prime Minister’s Department, and serves as a board member for the National Higher Education Fund.
8. Homegrown Film Entrepreneur: Prakash Murugiah
Prakash is the director of Suatu Ketika, a film set in 1952 where a group of young local boys aspired to beat an elite British team in a football match.
The tale about racial unity among the people of Malaya during the British occupation touched the hearts and minds of Malaysian cinema-goers when it was screened last September, propelling Prakash into the limelight. Not bad for his first feature film.
9. Wellness-preneur Of The Year: Kevin Zahri Abdul Ghaffar
Kevin Zahri, also known as ‘Cikgu Fitness’ is an award-winning fitness and wellness influencer who dedicates his time to health workshops and seminars on diverse topics such as employee wellness, lifestyle changes, exercise, and diets.
Kevin is also the author of a number of fitness-related books, and founded a weight loss movement called Jom Kurus.
10. Entrepreneur Influencer Of The Year: Dr Hj Azizan Osman
You may know his name due to the controversy surrounding his doctorate in Psychology, which the University of Hertfordshire denied giving him.
Despite all this, Azizan remains a popular conductor of entrepreneurship and business courses as well as a popular motivational speaker, with numerous endorsements from local celebrities.
11. Technopreneur Of The Year: Kamarul A Muhamed
Kamarul is the Group CEO of Aerodyne, an international drone solutions provider with offices all over the world.
Initially just a drone division of a media company he founded, Aerodyne has since grown into an enterprise of its own. Starting with just 3 people, they now have over 260 Aero Rangers in 21 countries.
12. Performing Arts Of The Year: Harith Iskander Musa
Having been awarded Asia’s Best Stand-Up Comedian 2014 and Laugh Factory’s Funniest Person in the World 2016, Harith certainly is the “Godfather” of Malaysian stand-up comedy.
He is also heavily involved in a number of charitable causes through his own ‘Give Back’ Programme, where he makes himself available to support NGOs and/or charity fundraising events.
13. Life Achievement Award (Music): Datuk Zainal Abidin Mohamed
Arguably one of the greatest Malaysian musicians, Datuk Zainal Abidin Mohamed’s 37-year career saw him producing 17 albums including 6 albums with the band Headwind, 4 solo albums, and several singles.
Famous for his songs on humanity and the environment, some of his most popular songs include Manis, Bongkar, Damai, and of course, his career-defining song Hijau.
14. Enterprising Entrepreneur Of The Year: Farhash Wafa Salvador
Farhash co-founded Swag, a Malaysian company that patented a portable WiFi hotspot that can combine the internet connectivity of 3 different mobile providers.
Besides also serving as Swag’s Executive Chairman, he is the Perak PKR Chief and political secretary to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.
15. Lifetime Achievement Award (Sports): Dato’ Mirnawan Datuk Haji Nawawi
Also known as “The Boss”, Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi is a hockey legend and our former national captain for the 2000 Olympics. He has competed in three Olympics, Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), and Sydney (2000).
Even now, he is a vocal advocate for Malaysia to once again compete in the Olympics, which we have not done since the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
16. Healthcare Sector Provider Of The Year: KPJ Healthcare Berhad
KPJ Healthcare has become one of Malaysia’s leading private health care providers, with more than 25 specialist hospitals throughout the nation, 2 in Indonesia, and sizable shares in a hospital in Bangkok and Bangladesh.
They were the first in Malaysia to introduce ‘Watson for Oncology’ a computing platform developed by IBM Watson which allows oncologists to better design treatment plans for cancer patients.
17. Fashion Icon Of The Year: Rizman Ruzaini
This is a brand made up of the dynamic duo of Rizman Nordin and Ruzaini Wan Jamil. Their partnership began back in UiTM, when they were in the same Bachelor Of Fashion Design course.
Despite their self confessed contrasting personalities, their differences drove them to become the industry icons they are today, by combining old-fashioned styles with experimental themes.
- You can view the full list of award winners here.
- You can read more about what we wrote on entrepreneurs here.
Featured Image Credit: Fusionex website / Christy Ng Facebook / Hype