Kuala Lumpur, 9 August 2021 - The sixth installment of SME and Entrepreneurs Business Award (SEBA), an annual initiative by Yayasan Usahawan Malaysia and supported by Ministry of Entrepreneur Development & Cooperatives Malaysia (MEDAC), that aims at recognising Malaysia's most notable SME’s, SMI’s and entrepreneurs is back again this year and accepting nominations. Beginning with the Early Bird Entries which started on 1st March June until 1st June 2021, the nominations for the Final Entries are open from 1st June 2021 to 31st August 2021, before the Award Gala Night, tentatively set on 22nd October 2021.
The award is divided into two segments - Entrepreneur Awards and SMEs, Enterprises & Start – Ups Awards. For the Entrepreneur Awards segment, among the key categories are Most Innovative Entrepreneur, Youth/Rising Entrepreneur, Strategic Entrepreneur, and Leading Entrepreneurs. For the SMEs, Enterprises & Start – Ups Awards segment on the other hand, among the key categories are Premium Top 10, Most Innovative, SME Brand Excellence of the Year, and Best SME.
The award categories are based on the best merit, depending on accomplishments and track records of the organisation. These are selected by a Board of Advisors upon a complete audit and review process, involving both qualitative and quantitative benchmarks.
With the changing times and the constant drive to adapt and evolve, this year, SEBA is also introducing several new categories. Recognising the new rising segment within the industry, SEBA this year will be introducing the Halal-Preneur Award, in order to honour the entrepreneur who has successfully empowered their employee and community in the Halal industry.
SEBA is also introducing the “Business For Good” Award, which recognises and honours the deserving individual for outstanding community services through their projects and programmes implemented in the past or present. To qualify, these organisations should demonstrate the company’s leadership, sincerity and on-going commitment in incorporating ethical values, compliance with legal requirements, and respect for individuals, communities and the environment in every way they do business.
SEBA 2021 - Thriving The Waves with Malaysian SMEs and Entrepreneurs
“Thriving The Waves is our theme for SEBA 2021. 2020 saw the biggest chaos in this century and it has changed our lives in many ways. However, I firmly believe that this is not a bad thing, but an opportunity to build a better life. Entrepreneurs are like surfers; we learn to thrive in the waves by assessing the tide and weather cycles. This insight, developed over time, will allow us to make better decisions, and everything we previously considered a challenge is now an opportunity. Given the challenges many SMEs and entrepreneurs are going through at this moment, it is our mission to continue to inspire and support them in their entrepreneurship journey by providing a strong, solid platform for networking and continuous growth,” said Nitesh Malani, Chairman of Yayasan Usahawan Malaysia.
“SEBA 2021 celebrates changes and challenges. We believe in thriving under pressure and rising up in glory. With the external challenges that many have had to experience in these trying times, businesses that managed to turn the tide and achieve their vision and mission need to be celebrated and recognised more so now than ever,” said Lyndia Wong, Organising Chairperson of SEBA 2021.
Past winners include luminaries from the industry such as Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza (Celebrity Entrepreneur of The Year 2017/2018), Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew (Lifetime Achievement Award 2018), Datuk Ramli Ibrahim (Performing Art Entrepreneur of the Year 2018), Carsome Malaysia’s Eric Chang and Teoh Jiun Ee (Technopreneur of the Year 2020), Spirit of 57’s Syed Sadiq Albar (Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2020), Bubblebee’s Shahmira Muhamad (Shuib Sepahtu - Celebrity Entrepreneur of the Year 2020) and Aerodyne Group’s Kamarul A Muhamed (Entrepreneur of the Year 2020).
Kamarul A. Muhamed, the CEO of Aerodyne Sdn Bhd and Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 says, “I am extremely honoured to have received this recognition from SEBA. To me, it is a testament to the time and effort that have been put in by me and my whole team, in driving brand excellence and putting Malaysia on the world map in the dronetech industry.”
Last year, the awardees were taken on a night full of extravagant senses, and simulations with a one-of-a-kind inflight theme, with Minister for Entrepreneurship Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC), YB Dato’ Sri Dr Haji Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar in attendance to officiate the event. This year, the theme is Thriving The Waves, in line with the challenges faced and recovery that many economic sectors are starting to show.
A distinguished award ceremony for the crème de la crème of Malaysian SMEs and Entrepreneurs, SEBA will be hosting their annual sixth installment this year to honor the most outstanding SMEs and entrepreneurs of the year.
SEBA is an impartial, independent and objective business recognition that has uncovered and recognised deserving small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs), Enterprises and Entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia. It aims to provide entrepreneurs with a solid platform for recognition, networking and continuous growth and seeks out exemplary companies and entrepreneurs that excel in their industry in the area of business strategy, growth metrics and best practices. The nominees undergo a strict 8-phase qualifying and verification framework by SEBA’s research committees and Board of Advisors.
To find out more about SEBA, visit https://seba.asia/. To get nominated for SEBA 2021, submit an entry at https://nomination.seba.asia/apply-quick.
