In 2017, MDBC made the decision to rename the Awards Program to the MDBC Innovation & Sustainability Awards (MISA), reflecting the integral part that innovation plays in sustainability.  MISA enabled us to reach out to an even larger segment of the business community as we continued to evolve our successful Awards Program.

Successful and sustainable innovation is about persisting when the going gets tough, and rethinking your business in the face of disruption.  In order for an organization to be sustainable, it must innovate.  Further, intentionally or not, innovations often result in sustainability gains, therefore resulting in our new focus being Innovation and Sustainability.

For MISA 2017, the Award categories were Best Service Innovation, Best Product Innovation, and Most Innovative Start – Up.  MISA stimulated healthy competition and saw a record number of submissions from eager participants.  It created exposure opportunities for participants and generated a platform for our members to expand their network outside of the MDBC community.

After an intense day of competition and tough deliberation by the judges the winners of MISA 2017 were announced at the Awards Ceremony and Dinner (held immediately after the day program).  With awards presented by VIP Guest YB Brig. Jen. Khairy Jamaluddin (Minister of Youth & Sports) and Chief Judge H.E. Karen Mössenlechner (Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands), the evening program proved to be an exciting, interactive, and learning experience for all attendees.

Held on Thursday, 26 October 2017 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur, the following emerged as winners of MISA ’17!

Audience Award: Akzo Nobel Paints (Malaysia) (By Live Vote)
Most Innovative Start – Up: GROM
Best Service Innovation: &samhoud
Best Product Innovation: Sime Darby Plantation

2017 Categories

Please note that as always, the expert panel of MISA judges have the right to move a participant from one category to another if the judges believe that a different category is more appropriate / applicable.  For more information on the Judges of MISA 2017, please see the Judges panel.

The Award Categories for MISA 2017 were:

Best Service Innovation

The winner has a service innovation that is new or has significantly improved characteristics.  The innovation adds user value, enables entry into adjacent markets, or creates new markets.

Examples & Quotes:
* “Innovation is the ability to convert ideas into invoices” – R.L. Duncan
* AirAsia was the innovation leader in baggage self – tagging, e – boarding passes, and multi-currency 
   payment cards.
* FedEx innovated their services by making the delivery process interactive with their customers.  
   You can now “live” track your package.

Best Product Innovation 

The winner has a product innovation that is new or has significantly improved characteristics.  The innovation adds user – value, enables entry into adjacent markets, or creates new markets.

Examples & Quotes:
* “Creativity is thinking up new things, innovation is doing new things” – Theodore Levitt
* Modern day tourism has not been the same after the invention of the selfie stick
* “Our solar roof compliments your homes architecture while turning sunlight into electricity” – Tesla
* “with our new machine we made it possible to board oil platforms even during rough and bad weather”

Most Innovative Start – up

The winner is implementing an innovative service, product, or business concept.  You can apply for this award if the company has existed for less than 3 years and has less than 10 employees; the organization must also be a registered business entity.

Examples & Quotes:
* “Our start-up transforms used cooking oil into fresh scented handmade soaps”
* “There are no old roads to new directions” – Boston Consulting Group
* “The best way to predict the future is to invent it” – Alan Kay
* “With our start up we have a technical solution for turning organic waste into animal feed”

All shortlisted nominees also competed for the ‘Audience Award’.  After the presentations at the day – program, each shortlisted nominee were invited to deliver a one minute elevator pitch in order to promote their project or start – up during the MISA Awards Ceremony & Dinner.  The audience was then invited to cast their vote for which nominee they thought deserved to win the ‘Audience Award’.  

The selection process in MISA 2017 proved to be difficult due to both the quality and the quantity of competitors (with a record number of entries for this, the sixth edition of the Awards Program).  Announced at a special press lunch hosted by the Chief Judge – H.E. Karin Mössenlechner (Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands), the following were announced as shortlisted entries for MISA 2017.  These shortlisted companies were then invited to present their projects during the MISA 2017 Day Program (which was open to the general public) for a Q&A session and final judging.

Please note: Shortlisted nominees are listed in alphabetical order; the order is NOT indicative of any ranking.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Service Innovation‘ category were:

* Air Liquide Business Services – Creates expertise teams based on data analytics to optimize their operations: Predictive analytics for maintenance and optimizing energy efficiency.

* LeadWomen – A platform in the board recruitment process providing a one stop solution for both boards looking for high caliber female candidates, and for female candidates looking for positions on corporate boards.

* &samhoud – Using serious gaming and virtual / augmented reality in their consultancy services.

* YTL Corporation – Holistic water treatment to reduce the impact of excess nutrients.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Product Innovation‘ category were:

* Akzo Nobel Paints (Malaysia) – A premium acrylic exterior paint which reduces the surface temperature of exterior walls resulting in cooler temperatures for interiors and a lower consumption in air – conditioning.

* HEINEKEN Malaysia – Tiger beer eco packaging made from discarded coconut husks.

* SBM Offshore – Software tools that allow offshore production crews, partners, and clients to work together to reduce flare volume from the company’s vessel, hence reducing the greenhouse effect of an operation.

* Sime Darby Plantation – A method to increase crop yield potential in palm oil plantations.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Most Innovative Start Up‘ category were:

* AppyKoins – A new way to solve the problem of left over foreign currencies after international travel.

* GROM – A B2B application in the healthcare IT space: using 3D scanning, mobile, and cloud computing to digitize the prescription process for custom medical devices.

* KLCSI Venture – KLCSI is dedicated to researching and developing new ideas for enhancing the livability and quality of life in the Greater KL region.

All MISA entries were judged by highly regarded, independent, expert individuals led by the Chief Judge – H.E. Karin Mössenlechner (Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands).  

After shortlisting entries to the top 3 in each category, judges do one final round of assessment during the MISA Day Program where each shortlisted nominee gives a presentation on their submission.  Judges and audience members alike are allowed to ask questions of each nominee before category judges meet privately to confer and tally up the points.  

Winners in each category are announced immediately after the Day Program at the MISA Awards Ceremony and Dinner.  This announcement is inclusive of a Judges Report on the winner’s submission highlighting the underlying core concept of MISA – the sharing of best practices which leads to an elevation in the understanding of Innovation & Sustainability.

CHIEF JUDGE – H.E. Karin Mössenlechner
Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands

The Ambassador started her diplomatic career in 1997.  She was first posted in The Hague, followed by a posting as Head of Political Section in New Delhi, India.  From 2006 – 2010, she was the Deputy Ambassador and Head of Economic Affairs in Berne, Switzerland.  From 2010 – 2011, she was Assistant Director for European Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague.  She then went on a transfer to the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB), where she worked as the Coordinator for Security Policy and Public Affairs, as well as Deputy Competition Leader for the Dutch Premier League (Eredivisie). From 2013 – 2016 she was back at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague as Deputy Director Security Policy and in the latter part of that period also as coordinator for MH17.  On 1 August 2016 the Ambassador took up her post here in Malaysia.

BEST SERVICE INNOVATION:

JUDGE A – Ir. Ahmad Hadri Haris
General Manager – Government Relations, Shell Malaysia

Ir. Ahmad Hadri Haris has made significant national contributions to Malaysia’s Green Technology and Sustainability efforts.  His most notable national contributions were the Malaysia’s Green Technology Policy and Malaysia’s Renewable Energy Policy and Action Plan. Ir. Hadri is widely recognised for his success in transforming solar and renewable energy industries in Malaysia and was the architect of the Malaysian feed-in tariff.  

***

JUDGE B – Biruntha Mooruthi (Biru)
Vice President – Commercialisation Specialist / Head of Intellectual Property & Commercialisation, PlaTCOM Ventures

Biruntha is an intellectual property management and technology commercialisation specialist with broad experience in technology transfer and commercialisation domains. She is also a registered patent, trademark and industrial design agent with the Malaysian Intellectual Property Organisation. Biruntha had an eventful career with reputable organisations in intellectual property management, open innovation, technology commercialisation, marketing strategy and managing national driven programs in the technology transfer and IP commercialisation areas by supporting and facilitating universities, research organisations and companies from various industries.

BEST PRODUCT INNOVATION:

JUDGE A – Susan van Boxtel
Advisor for Innovation, Technology & Science, Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands – Singapore

Susan van Boxtel heads the regional team of the Holland Innovation Network, reporting to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.  She is trained as a biomedical scientist at the Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands and has worked for ten years in the pharmaceutical industry (Solvay and Organon). Her expertise is in pre-clinical pharmacology and translational biomarker research. She was part of the pioneering team to set up the MSD Translational Medicine Research Centre in Singapore before joining the Embassy in 2012.  

MOST INNOVATIVE START – UP:

JUDGE A – Kees Slingerland
Business Director, AMS Institute (Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions)

Kees Slingerland was Director General of the Environmental Sciences Group (ESG), Wageningen University and Research. Prior to this role, he worked as an Advisor for the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), as well as Project Manager for Nehem Intl., a leading consultancy promoting international development. He was the Managing Director of ARCADIS Netherlands, a leading engineering firm in environment, buildings and infrastructure.

***

JUDGE B – Chua Hsui Lin
Head of Advisory, InvestKL

Chua Hsui Lin holds a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from the University Putra Malaysia and international MBA from the EuropeseHogeschool Brussel.   To date, she has more than 15 years of experience mainly in corporate recovery, corporate advisory as well as strategic planning and management. Her functional expertise in the course of her career includes business diagnostic review, business process improvement, financing, financial modeling, R&D, benchmarking, strategic business development, risk management and corporate social responsibility, to name a few.  Her work has enabled her to gain insights into key industries such as hydroelectric power station, public sector education, public sector home loan, corporate investment, land transportation, construction, plantation and ecotourism.

MSA 2017 Supplement

VIDEOS
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MISA ’18 focused on organizations who are working on innovaitons that make the world a better place.  Innovations that tackle social and environmental challenges.  It is often predicted that in order to keep up with the accelerating rate of innovation, collaboration with start – ups and other stakeholders is a necessity.  We therefore, focused on connecting and engaging start – ups / scale – ups, investors, corporates, and other innovators.

The award categories this year (Best Start – Up / Scale – Up in Sustainable Innovation, Best Environmental Innovation, and Best Social Innovation), gave a wide range of companies the opportunity to participate.

Part of this year’s program was comparable with the famous “Shark Tank” concept.  We invited shortlisted contestants in the category Best Start – Up / Scale – Up in Sustainable Innovation to pitch their solution to some of the leading organizations in the field of innovation, venture capital management, government, and corporate, who considered the long term growth potential of the presented business concepts.

Our event partners made award prizes and rewards available.  These ranged from mentoring and fund raising advice sessions with experts, to patenting assistance, or providing office space and facilities.  With this part of the program, we created a low barrier platform for different stakeholders to connect an engage.  The goal was to help these start – ups, or scale – ups, fill any gaps in taking their concept and business model to the next (realization) stage.

Thanks to this program extension, MISA ’18 has certainly reached out to a larger segment of our community and far beyond.  All award categories were open to both MDBC members and non – members who had an innovative project or business concept to participate with.  MDBC stimulated a healthy competition, created exposure opportunities for participating companies, and provided a platform for companies to expand their network, both within and outside of the MDBC community.

MISA ’18 took place on Friday, 12 October 2018 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur.

2018 Categories

Please note that as always, the expert panel of MISA judges have the right to move a participant from one category to another if the judges believe that a different category is more appropriate / applicable.  For more information on the Judges of MISA 2018, please see the Judges panel.

The Award Categories for MISA 2018 were:

Best Start – Up / Scale – Up in Sustainable Innovation

The contestant is a start – up or scale – up that has an innovative and sustainable business concept or project.  The start – up / scale – up focuses on creating new market space, products, services, or processes driven by social, environmental, or sustainability issues.

We define a start – up as a young company that has thoroughly canvassed and tested the business idea and is ready to launch or is launched.  It has the ambition of growing fast with a scalable business model.

We define a scale – up as a development stage business that is looking to grow in terms of market access, revenues, and number of employees, adding value by identifying and realizing win – win opportunities for collaboration with established organizations. The business is considered a scale – up if it shows an average annualized growth greater than 20% per annum (measured by number of employees or by turnover), over a three year period.

This category’s format differs slightly from the other two categories. Shortlisted contestants pitch their solution to some of the largest organizations in the field of innovation, venture capital management, government and corporate, who considered the long – term growth potential of the presented business concepts. Our event partners made award prizes available to help these start – ups or scale – ups fill any gaps in taking their concept and business model to the next stage. You were allowed to enter the competition if your business is an officially registered entity, and is defined as a start – up or scale up according to our definitions.

Best Environmental Innovation 

The winner has an innovation that is new or has significantly improved characteristics, which benefits the environment and contributes to environmental stability.

“This clothing brand uses old plastic materials in their new clothing, making their jeans more sustainable.“

“Our solar roof compliments your homes architecture while turning sunlight into electricity.” – Tesla

Best Social Innovation

The winner has an innovation that is new or has significantly improved characteristics, and meets social needs or creates new social relationships or collaborations.

“This company was founded with the intention of donating a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that was purchased from the company.” – Blake Mycoskie

“The time is always right to do what’s right.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

All shortlisted nominees also competed for the ‘Audience Award’.  After the presentations at the day – program, each shortlisted nominee were invited to deliver a one minute elevator pitch in order to promote their project or start – up during the MISA Awards Ceremony & Dinner.  The audience was then invited to cast their vote for which nominee they thought deserved to win the ‘Audience Award’.  

The quality and quantity of submissions for MISA 2018 guaranteed that the finalists were in for a battle to be crowned Innovation & Sustainability Champions of 2018.  An independent, expert panel of judges led by the Chief Judge – H.E. Karin Mössenlechner, announced the following as shortlisted entries for MISA 2018.  These companies were then invited to present their projects during the MISA 2018 Day Program (which was open to the general public) for a Q&A session and final judging.

Please note: Shortlisted nominees are listed in alphabetical order; the order is NOT indicative of any ranking.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Start – Up / Scale – Up in Sustainable Innovation‘ category were:

* Abmanan Biomedical Sdn Bhd – Specializing in the production and development of Haruan’s extract.

* Bayz Parking – Allowing residents and mall operators to rent out idle parking spaces.

* MikeBikes – Offering guided bicycle tours through Kuala Lumpur, focusing on heritage sites in partnership with local companies.

* Malaysia Institute for Supply Chain Innovation – Leading a project aiming to increase independent small holder farmer’s livelyhood through logistics optimization.

* MN Empire Sdn Bhd – Creator of a solar powered mosquito eliminator.

* Serv Technology Sdn Bhd – Online car service platform.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Environmental Innovation‘ category were:

* Expleco Ltd – Developer of compact glass bottle crushers converting glass to sand.

* HEINEKEN Malaysia – The CRM arm of HEINEKEN Malaysia Global Environment Centre collaborates with the SPARK Foundation, government agencies, and communities to bring about the W.A.T.E.R. Project for River and Water Conservation.

* Paques Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd – Offering circular sustainable solutions for toxic biogas.

* Sime Darby Research Sdn Bhd – Creating Zero Discharge Technology featuring advanced membrance filtration and oxidation technology for palm oil wastewater treatment to enable the production of recyclable water.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Social Innovation‘ category were:

* Arcadis Malaysia – Deep Orange is a global co – creation and innovation program to address key issues around affordable housing, mobility, and construction safety to improve liveability in KL.

* Digi Telecommunications – Yellow Heart for Safer Internet provides engaging and interactive education programs to teach children to recognize cyber risks and how to act accordingly.

* Make It Right Movement (MIRM) – MIRM supports over 200 charity and CSR related projects, supporting and empowering internal stakeholders and the community by fund raising management, capacity building, strategic planning, project management, and social media management.

* Shell Malaysia Limited – #MyGeekMovement helps embed interest in sciences among lower secondary school students nationwide, immersing them into a world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through STEM education tools.

All MISA entries were judged by highly regarded, independent, expert individuals led by the Chief Judge – H.E. Karin Mössenlechner (Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands).  

After shortlisting entries to the top 3 in each category, judges do one final round of assessment during the MISA Day Program where each shortlisted nominee gives a presentation on their submission.  Judges and audience members alike are allowed to ask questions of each nominee before category judges meet privately to confer and tally up the points.  

Winners in each category are announced immediately after the Day Program at the MISA Awards Ceremony and Dinner.  This announcement is inclusive of a Judges Report on the winner’s submission highlighting the underlying core concept of MISA – the sharing of best practices which leads to an elevation in the understanding of Innovation & Sustainability.

CHIEF JUDGE – H.E. Karin Mössenlechner
Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands

The Ambassador started her diplomatic career in 1997.  She was first posted in The Hague, followed by a posting as Head of Political Section in New Delhi, India.  From 2006 – 2010, she was the Deputy Ambassador and Head of Economic Affairs in Berne, Switzerland.  From 2010 – 2011, she was Assistant Director for European Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague.  She then went on a transfer to the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB), where she worked as the Coordinator for Security Policy and Public Affairs, as well as Deputy Competition Leader for the Dutch Premier League (Eredivisie). From 2013 – 2016 she was back at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague as Deputy Director Security Policy and in the latter part of that period also as coordinator for MH17.  On 1 August 2016 the Ambassador took up her post here in Malaysia.

BEST START – UP / SCALE – UP IN SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION:

JUDGE A – Matt van Leeuwen
Director – Innovation & Commercialisation, Sunway University

Matt has significant entrepreneurial experience with start – ups in the UK, Singapore, and Malaysia.  Most notably, he was co – founder of SimuGen (an international genomics company), Camtech (Singaporean incubator), and Science Bridge Academy (leading provider of STEM educational programs and teaching kits in the ASEAN region.  Previously, he was a Commercialisation Specialist in PlaTCOM Ventures.  Matt trained at the University of Cambridge (UK) and the University of Utrecht (The Netherlands), where he gained a BSc in Biomedical Sciences and MSc in Science & Business.  

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JUDGE B – Azman Hassan
Vice President – PEMANDU Associates

Azman’s work utilises the Big Fast Results (BFR) Methodology and he was involved in cabinet level prioritisation workshops, problem solving laboratories, enabling implementation through capacitating and coaching of local staff, and transforming national and sub – national delivery offices.  Prior to PEMANDU, he worked at a Fortune 500 MNC in various capacities from head of country office, to global logistics network strategy, supply chain re – engineering, and business unit functions at the corporate HQ.

BEST ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION:

JUDGE A – Timothy Ong
Senior Vice President – Strategic Impact Projects & Head of National Biomass Strategy Delivery Unit (1MBAS), Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM)

Timothy has led the development of State level biomass development action plans for Sabah and Sarawak with the local State government to help accelerate commercial progress of biomass related projects through full implementation support.  He is currently a leading member in state level biomass working committees for both Sabah and Sarawak to execute the respective plans.  He works actively with foreign governments to advance their interest in Malaysia for biobased projects and is an active member in United Nations – FAO Working Group on Sustainable Bioeconomy Policies and Strategies.   

***

JUDGE B – Melissa Sandhu
Marketing & Communications Director, Basis Bay

Melissa leverages the dynamics of driving sustainability through corporate responsibility efforts, including strategic evaluations and their contributions towards business outcomes.  An early adopter of practical change and purposeful collaboration, her 17 years of marketing and communications experience sees her spearheading Green initiatives from across a diverse range of industries internationally.

BEST SOCIAL INNOVATION:

JUDGE A – Freda Liu
Producer / Presenter – Enterprise, BFM

Freda has conducted over 5,000 interviews with some prominent names including author Stephen Covey, motivational speaker Nick Vijucic, former GE CEO Jack Welch, the Duke of York HRH Prince Andrew, and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.  She has been with BFM since its inception in 2009 and previously worked at Edelman PR, and IBM in the Communications Department for Asia Pacific.    Freda was awarded the ASEAN Rice Bowl Award for Malaysia Startup Journalist of The Year and was a nominee for MAGIC’s Social Enterprise Journalist.  She is a member of the National Association of Women Entrepreneurs Malaysia (NAWEM) and the Malaysian Association of Professional Speakers (MAS).  She is an alumni of the Cherie Blair Foundation For Women (Mentor for Women in Business).

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JUDGE B – Michael Warren
Director – Strategy, Advisory & Services, InvestKL

Michael brings with him over 30 years of corporate leadership and management experience mainly in Asia Pacific countries.  He has been instrumental in pioneering the start – up, operations, and restructuring of entrepreneurial, regional, and multinational organisations across a variety of industries including telcos, financial services, energy & utilities, manufacturing, and the public sector.  His career path also includes experience with MDEC, the NTT Group, Fujitsu, LogicaCMG, the Sampoerna Group, the Keppel T&T Group, Wang, 3Com, and Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).  Currently, he is also an adjunct professor at the national university of Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, promoting industry – academia collaboration.  

Thank you to the following supporters of MISA 2018

MSA 2018 Supplement

VIDEOS
Please click here to visit the MDBC YouTube Channel

In 2019, MDBC was invited by GreenTech Malaysia to make the MDBC Innovation & Sustainability Awards (MISA) part of the IGEM program.  Held at both the IGEM Exhibition Hall in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center and at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur for the evening program, MISA 2019 also featured participation of a trade mission from the Netherlands.

Shortlisted finalists had the opportunity to present their projects to a panel of judges and a general audience during the MISA Day Program, held at the IGEM Exhibition Hall.  The day program (as always, open to all) served as the final round of judging and a platform for the sharing of best practices.  Ensuring transparency in the awards, judges and audience members had the opportunity to ask questions of the finalists regarding their projects, something that also ensured a learning experience for attendees.

The evening program, held at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur ballroom, saw the crowning of winners in several strongly contested categories.  The categories for MISA 2019 were: Best Innovative Waste Management Program, Best Digital Green Tech, Best Practice for Renewable Energy, and the Audience Award.

With awards presented by VIP Guest YB Yeo Bee Yin (Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change (MESTECC) and Chief Judge H.E. Aart Jacobi (Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands), the evening program proved to be an exciting, interactive, and learning experience for all attendees.

Held on Wednesday, 9 October 2019, the following emerged as winners of MISA ’19!

Audience Award: BESI APac (by Live Vote!)
Best Innovative Waste Management Program: Better – Bev
Best Digital Green – Tech: Satelligence
Best Practice for Renewable Energy: Concord Group

2019 Categories

Please note that as always, the expert panel of MISA judges have the right to move a participant from one category to another if the judges believe that a different category is more appropriate / applicable.  For more information on the Judges of MISA 2019, please see the Judges panel.

The Award Categories for MISA 2019 were:

Best Innovative Waste Management Program

Waste Management contains the activities and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.  Companies in this category manage their waste with an innovative program (new to market) and take into account the impact their waste is having on their environment.

Best Digital Green Tech

In this category, we showcase digital technology used for achieving green and clean goals; tech that results in transformational innovation through data.  Now, more than ever, achievements in green tech are necessary to address some of the most pressing issues brought about by problems such as climate change and food shortages.  Recent advancements in digital tech, such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, and blockchain, mean that new and exciting solutions are appearing in green tech.  As digital tech itself is not sustainable (consuming a lot of energy), the digital green tech innovation in this category needs to add value to conducting sustainable business.

Best Practice for Renewable Energy:

In this category, we were looking for companies who implement and encourage a broad based innovative and sustainable use of renewable energy models.  Renewable energy is energy from, but not limited to, renewable resources.  For example: sunlight, movement, wind, rain, rides, waves, and geothermal heat.

All shortlisted nominees also competed for the ‘Audience Award’.  After the presentations at the day – program, each shortlisted nominee were invited to deliver a one minute elevator pitch in order to promote their project or start – up during the MISA Awards Ceremony & Dinner.  The audience was then invited to cast their vote for which nominee they thought deserved to win the ‘Audience Award’.  

The selection process in MISA 2019 was as difficult as always due to both the quality of the competitors.  With a significant amount of applications coming in from the wider (non – member) audience, it highlighted the growing importance and recognition of the MISA program as a platform for the sharing of best practices, as well as ‘one of the awards to be won’.  The following were announced as shortlisted entries for MISA 2019.  These shortlisted companies were then invited to present their projects during the MISA 2019 Day Program (which was open to the general public) at IGEM for a Q&A session and final judging.

Please note: Shortlisted nominees are listed in alphabetical order; the order is NOT indicative of any ranking.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Innovative Waste Management‘ category were:

* Better – Bev – By adopting a circular economy approach, Better – Bev offers a cup – as – a – service initiative that allows beverage retailers and their loyal customers the opportunity to opt – out of wasting and opt – in to reusing.

* Big Dutchman – Offering a waste management solution called the CompoTower, a vertically enclosed high – quality fermentation system which evaporates the moisture in manure and slurry through a high – temperature fermentation process.

* HQ Pack – Designs and produces reusable customer specific packaging solutions for high – tech and sensitive industrial equipment, eliminating waste generated from packaging material.

* Invest Energy – Operates a 2MW Organic Ranking Cycle (ORC) Waste Heat Recovery Power Project at Safran Landing Systems Malaysia (SLSM) in Bandar Sri Sendayan, Seremban, Malaysia.  

* Recycle for Life / Cenviro – Recycle for Life (RFL) system developed in collaboration with MyKasih Foundation.  Through RFL collection, recyclables are weighed and a cash value credited into the RFL smart card based on the current market price.  The RFL card can then be used for the purchase of goods at participating school canteens, bookshops, hypermarkets, and merchant partner outlets.

* SWCorp – Zero Waste Community Initiative (ZeComm) is designed to facilitate residents earning rewards by carrying out the separation of food waste and recyclable items, and sending them to a ZeComm centre.  

* Teleplan Technology Services – NAND flash chips harvesting to re – utilize SSDs.  Teleplan can generate 29,700 NANDs at 99% processing yield – equivalent to 950,000 GB of memory.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Digital Green Tech‘ category were:

* Cybiant Asia Sdn. Bhd. – Advanced Detection Analysis (ADA®), Cybiant’s flagship production for the detection and interpretation of irregular patterns.   ADA® can be used by any organization looking for irregular patterns and outliers, frequently the result of fraud, intrusion, or failure.

* Intel Technology Sdn. Bhd. – The Intel Penang Warehouse has SMART Internet of Things (IoT) LED Lighting System which has Intel’s ATOM Processor embedded in the Long Range (LoRa) module as part of the LED driver and gateway.  The SMART IoT LED High Bay Prabolic Lighting Solution Has the ability to control light output based on occupancy and lux control, resulting in annualized energy savings of 572,904 kWh.

* Satelligence – Highly detailed, semi – automated satellite based insights and actionable results over large areas.  The platform performs big data analysis on thousands of images with advanced AI to pinpoint the highest risk areas and enable users to do a follow up engagement and risk mitigation using independent facts.

* Shell Malaysia – Smart EV charging parking bays that connect to phones via an app for users to easily find available EV bays and guarantee parking upon reservation.  A first in market innovative solution that promotes electric mobility, it provides charging and parking convenience to users and eliminates unsolved EV charging challenges where there is limited opportunity to charge.

* Telekom R&D (CD) – Development of Reusable Cable Drum (DR – CD) innovates the reusable cable drum design by eliminating wooden drum dependency and is equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) for intelligent drum management via a mobile and web based application.  DR – CD provides online tracking and monitoring features to locate the drum’s geographical location and record the drum ownership in a system via QR code scanning.  

* Telekom R&D (EENT) – Enterprise Electricity Management System (EENT) is an end – to – end electrical digital twin of a physical building.  EENT models the energy utilization and triggers user awareness to reduce total energy cost – reducing green house effect impact on the environment.  Novel gamification methodology helps to sustain user behavior and encourages users to actively take responsibility of their building area and actively improve energy conservation efforts.  The analytics engine subsequently crunches data to propose actionable insights for electricity / building managers.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Practice for Renewable Energy‘ category were:

* Antah Renewables –  Installed the largest solar PV system on a private / international school.  What initially began as a 70 kw system three years ago, has now been expanded to a 1 MW PV system at the Kolej Tuanku Jaafar Mantin, making maximum use of the roof space available at the school.

* Cenergi – SEA –  Designs, develops, finances, builds, owns, and operates bioenergy (biomass and biogas) projects that generate renewable energy from organic waste streams.    

* Concord Group –  The Lepar Hilir Biogas Power Plant is a waste – to – wealth project, conceptualized by Concord under the Build – Own – Operate (BOO) model.  The plant treats palm oil mill effluent (POME), captures its biogas for power generation, and sells 1.5 MW of electricity to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

* Intel Technology –  Intel has the largest solar thermal system in a semiconductor factory for domestic hot water application.  240 units of solar thermal collectors were installed with 453 m2 of aperture area used for solar thermal collection, resulting in 23,500 liters / day of hot water generated.

* Suncrox Solar –  Social enterprise that advocates cross – subsidization to connect the growth of the solar energy industry and off – grid community by subsidizing one person electrification rate for every kilowatt installed.  They have installed more than 75 commercial projects in Southeast Asia, having served more than 1,250 direct beneficiaries with fully subsidized (free) solar energy systems, mostly Tier 1 solar home systems.  

All MISA entries are judged by highly regarded, independent, expert individuals led by the Chief Judge – the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Malaysia.

After shortlisting the top entries in each category, judges do one final round of assessment during the MISA Day Program where each shortlisted nominee gives a presentation on their submission. Judges and audience members alike are allowed to ask questions of each nominee before category judges meet privately to confer and tally up the points.

Winners in each category are announced immediately after the Day Program at the MISA Awards Ceremony and Dinner. This announcement is inclusive of a Judges Report on the winner’s submission highlighting the underlying core concept of MISA – the sharing of best practices which leads to an elevation in the understanding of Innovation & Sustainability.

CHIEF JUDGE – H.E. Aart Jacobi
Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands

Joining the Embassy here in Malaysia after his posting to Japan, the Ambassador brings with him a wealth of experience in the Asian region.  Skilled in Intercultural Communication, Political Science, Government, Dutch and International Relations.  He is a strong community and social services professional with a Master of Arts focused in Japanese Constitutional Law from Kyoto University.

BEST INNOVATIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Judge A – Herman Huisman
Senior Advisor / Expert, RWS Environment

Herman Huisman is the Senior Advisor / Expert and Coordinator International Projects of RWS Environment’s department.  An environmental biologist by training, Herman began his career at the Scientific Council for Government Policy, a think tank of The Netherland’s Prime Minister.  After seven years, he was assigned to build up the Commission on Environmental Impact Assessment.  In 1991 he was asked to set up the Bureau of the Waste Management Council.  In 2001, he was appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Council and Managing Director of the Bureau.  The Bureau was then merged with NL Agency before the Environment Division was transferred to RWS (an Agency of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment) in 2013.  

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Judge B – Kasturi Nathan
Executive Director, KPMG Management & Risk Consulting

Kasturi Nathan is a Partner of KPMG in Malaysia and an Executive Director with Governance & Sustainability (G&S) practice of KPMG Management & Risk Consulting Sdn Bhd.  She is an MIA Chartered Accountant and a Fellow CPA, Australia, who has been with KPMG for more than 20 years, specializing in Corporate Governance Advisory, Sustainability & Climate Change Advisory & Assurance related services, and Sarbanes – Oxley (both USSOC and JSOX).  Kasturi led the development of the Corporate Governance Guide commissioned by Bursa Malaysia across three editions, and the development of the Sustainability Reporting Guide, and Sustainability Toolkits (published in October 2015 by Bursa Malaysia).

BEST DIGITAL GREEN TECH

Judge A – Freek van Eijk
CEO, Holland Circular Hotspot

Freek van Eijk is one of the more senior Dutch experts in the field of Waste Managmement and Circular Economy and a frequent jury member in innovation challenges.  He also serves as Managing Director of Acceleratio and as an Advisory Board Member of the World Biogas Association.  He served for over a decade as Director of Strategy and PA at multinational SUEZ.  He has also served as a board member at the Dutch Waste Management Association, the Society and Enterprise Foundation (SMO), and was a member of the EU Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials. 

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Judge B – Karamjit Singh
Founder, Digital News Asia

After 19 years as a print journalist, Karamjit moved to launch an online news portal focusing on technology and innovation news.  He encouraged remote working to help reduce the carbon footprint of DNA journalists and installed solar panels on his roof.  He founded DNA with a vision that media should play its role as the Fourth Estate, and on the belief that timely, insightful, and analytical coverage can help the tech ecosystem in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, grow and develop.  He was the winner of the Malaysian Press Institute Award for Best Telecommunications Writer (English category) in 2002, the Digi Telecommunications Journalist of the Year (Magazine category) 2004, and the Malaysian Customer Relationship Management and contact Centre Association Journalist of the Year in 2009.

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Judge B – Navin Sinnathamby
Senior Program Manager – Data Economy Division, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

Navin oversees disruptive technologies such as IoT, Big Data, and AI as key innovation enablers across industry verticals to drive digital adoption towards realizing the Digital Economy in Malaysia.  He brings with him over 13 years of industrial experience as a wide spectrum of roles covering stakeholders engagement, professional training, networking communication, business development, and talent enablement with significant exposure to program management.  He also leads one of the key national initiatives: sustainable agriculture technology (agtech) by catalyzing digital adoption to transform traditional farming into a High Income Digital Economy Farming Profession.

BEST PRACTICE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY

Judge A – Azah Ahmad
Senior Director – Strategic Planning Division, Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA Malaysia)

Azah has been in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industry for 17 years and is currently in charge of net – metering implementation, RE industry development & support, and human capital development in RE.  At the international level, she has served as the Chairman of the ASEAN Energy Awards – RE category since 2012 and represents Malaysia as the focal point to the ASEAN Renewable Energy & Sub – Sector Network (RE – SSN).  She also represents Malaysia to the APEC Experts Group on New and RE Technologies (EGNRET).

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Judge B – Kees W. Kwant
Senior Expert – Bioenergy & Biobased Economy, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl)

Kees has a background in Fluid Dynamics and Technology Development from the Technical University Twente.  His industry experience includes work at Dutch multinational DSM and being the Program Manager of the National Solar Energy Program of The Netherlands.  He has extensive experience in innovation and enabling the development of a sustainable Bio – based Economy and Renewable Energy.  He was the Chair of the IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Program until 2018 and is the Executive Member for The Netherlands.  He participates in bilateral collaboration on Bio – Energy between The Netherlands, South Africa, Malaysia, Brazil, and Ukraine.

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Judge C – Sibrandes Poppema
Member of the Board, Sunway University

Sibrandes Poppema is a Dutch Canadian clinician scientist and higher education leader.  He is a TS Jeffrey Cheah Distinguished Professor, a member of the Board of Sunway University, Special Advisor to the Chancellor and the CEO of Sunway Education Group, Knight in the Order of The Netherlands Lion, and President Emeritus University of Groningen.  From 1999 – 2018, he was Dean of Medicine and next President of the University of Groningen.

Thank you to the following supporters of MISA 2019

MSA 2019 Supplement

VIDEOS
Please click here to visit the MDBC YouTube Channel

A well known and respected awards program, MISA continues to grow and evolve.  In addition to being the ninth edition of the program, MISA 2023 was also a delayed (due to the pandemic lockdown) celebration of MDBC’s 25th anniversary which took place in 2021.  To mark the occasion, this special edition of MISA was expanded to seven (7) categories which ranged from investment to export.

With the expanded program of the 2023 Special Edition, MISA was held across two days for the first time.  Open to all, the Day Program with presentations by shortlisted finalists took place throughout the day on Monday, 27 February at Sunway University.  Guests joined the event to learn from the leaders in the wide array of competition fields, network with peers, and lay the groundwork for future partnerships.

Organized in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it also featured venue partners Sunway University and Sunway Resort Hotel, award category partners – NLinBusiness and TalentCorp, as well as event sponsors – Quill Automobiles, Control Union, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, TMF Group, MIDA, InvestKL, and nexperia.  The Special Edition was also supported by 25th Anniversary Sponsors – Besi APAC, HQ Pack, Shell Malaysia, and Signify.

At this special occasion, attendees ‘checked in’ at registration and received a special MDBC / KLM boarding pass as they commended their ‘journey through history’ with elements of MDBC’s 25 years of history being on display throughout the event.  Highlights of that journey were also shown during an MDBC 25 Year History video, courtesy of Pico International.  Excitement came not only from the announcement of MISA winners, but also from two special BMW vehicles on display.

According to BMW, “The future of cars globally is undoubtedly fully electric. BMW Group have a definite plan on how to go further in this direction. By 2030 at least half of the BMW Group’s global deliveries should be fully electric. This is the world premiere of the new BMW 7 series. It’s the most innovative, cutting – edge automobile in the luxury segment and for the first time in the history of the 7 series, the top performance model will be fully electric. The new BMW i7 moves body, hearts, and mind.”

Winners of the Special Edition were announced at the MDBC 25th Anniversary Celebration & MISA ’23 Awards Ceremony & Dinner which took place the day after (Tuesday, 28 February) at Sunway Resort Hotel and featured guest of honor, Jaya Singam Rajoo (Senior Director – Trade (Multilateral Policy & Negotiation Division), Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI)), representing YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz (Minister of International Trade & Industry).

Awards were presented by the VIP Guest as well as MISA Chief Judge, H.E. Jacques (Jaap) Werner (Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) in an exciting evening program to the following winners of MISA ’23:

• Outstanding Dutch Investor in Malaysia (MNC) [MDBC MEMBERS ONLY]:
  HEINEKEN Malaysia
• Outstanding Dutch Investor in Malaysia (SME) [MDBC MEMBERS ONLY]:
  Enza Zaden Asia
• Outstanding Malaysian Investor in the Netherlands:
  Sime Darby Plantation
• Promising (new) Dutch SME to Malaysia [MDBC MEMBERS ONLY]:
  Hoogendoorn Growth Management
• Outstanding Dutch – Malaysian Partnership:
  Kloth Malaysia
• Best Flexible Work Arrangements Program:
  Dutch Lady Milk Industries (DLMI)
• MDBC Penang Chapter Recognition Award:
  Actiforce Mechatronics Technology
• MDBC Johor Chapter Recognition Award:
  Terberg Tractors Malaysia

2023 Special Edition Categories

The 2023 Special Edition featured an expanded one off expanded program of seven (7) categories which ranged from investment to export.  The seven categories were:

Outstanding Dutch Investor in Malaysia (MNC) [MDBC MEMBERS ONLY]:
Being an ‘Outstanding Dutch Investor in Malaysia (MNC)‘ means that you are a multinational company established in Malaysia which invests and owns a large number of physical and financial assets. You have your headquarters in the Netherlands and do business in two or more countries (with Malaysia being one of them) with locals and internationals working together. 25% of your revenue is from foreign operations, you have more than 250 employees and an annual sales turnover of over RM 20 million. Your organization should be eligible to be registered under SSM. Additionally, you are a member of MDBC and your organization values positive change and is investing money back into the well – being of the Malaysian public. If you fit into this category and looking to gain wider knowledge of a variety of industries, compete in this category.

Outstanding Dutch Investor in Malaysia (SME) [MDBC MEMBERS ONLY]:
One of the main goals of MISA this year is to celebrate the contributions of ‘new’ Dutch small and medium sized enterprises. For the manufacturing sector, the SME should not have more than 200 full – time employees, or an annual sales turnover exceeding RM 50 million. For the services sector, there should not be more than 75 full – time employees or an annual sales turnover exceeding RM20 million. For both sectors, the organization should be eligible to be registered under SSM.The contributions made should be to the Malaysian economy and society as a whole, as well as to trade relations between the Netherlands and Malaysia. Being an ‘Outstanding Dutch Investor in Malaysia (SME)‘ means that you are an SME that has proven to have had a beneficial impact on the Malaysian economy and community. To compete in this category, you must be a member of MDBC. If you fit into this category and would like to strengthen your organization’s network and skillset, compete in this category.

Outstanding Malaysian Investor in the Netherlands:
Being an ‘Outstanding Malaysian Investor in the Netherlands‘ means that not only are you a Malaysian company investing responsibly in the Netherlands, you’re also establishing yourself in the Dutch business environment and community. For businesses looking to accelerate and expand, the Dutch public – private partnership offers a conducive environment. Are you a unique Malaysian business investing in the Netherlands and looking for further exposure and knowledge? If you are then compete in this category.

Outstanding Malaysian Exporter to NL / EU:
Geographically, the Netherlands is centered in Europe making it a viable country to use as a gateway for Malaysian exporters. Being an ‘Outstanding Malaysian Exporter to NL / EU‘, you would already understand the value of this and made use of the Netherlands’ ideal location. Outstanding Malaysian exporters stand out with their innovation and effective supply chain management to make the process more sustainable and efficient. The focus for many organizations is innovation and sustainability within the supply chain but the nominee knows how to convert this from theory and goals into practical processes and achievements. If this is your organization, compete in this category.

Promising (new) Dutch SME to Malaysia [MDBC MEMBERS ONLY]:
Dutch Entrepreneurs play an essential role in bringing new ideas, knowledge, and practices in terms of innovation, sustainability, and circular economy to the market, which is advantageous for the ASEAN community by encouraging research, technology, and innovation. As a ‘Promising (new) Dutch SME to Malaysia‘, you are a member of MDBC and have been operational in Malaysia for less than five (5) years, but clearly, have set your focus on long – term sustainability and social value for Malaysia and ASEAN. If you want to gain recognition for this and increase your network, compete in this category.

Outstanding Dutch – Malaysian Partnership:
The partnership agreement must be between at least one (1) Dutch organization AND one (1) Malaysian organization.  The partnership must include at least one company and may also include government, knowledge institutions, or civil society organizations.  To be recognized as an ‘Outstanding Dutch – Malaysian Partnership‘, you must, in addition to being in a partnership, showcase differentiation in terms of innovation and sustainability while strengthening the Malaysian – Dutch relationship. Highlight how the partnership solves an issue in Malaysia and / or the Netherlands. This Dutch – Malaysian business partnership can be any kind of cooperation such as a joint venture, agency, distributor, system integrator, consultancy, or project management, knowledge exchange, and more. If your partnership stands out and you are looking to be nominated together with other organizations, then compete in this category.

Best Flexible Work Arrangements Program:
Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) Programs are alternate arrangements or schedules from the traditional work day and week. Employees may choose a different schedule to meet personal and / or family needs. Employers have been offering FWA programs as a way to increase their ability to attract and / or retain high performing and experienced employees.During the pandemic, the well – being of employees increased in importance; In recognition, MDBC is looking for the organization with the “Best Flexible Work Arrangements Program“.These organizations have implemented and encouraged FWA for long term retention, showcasing workplace strategies that demonstrate a strong drive and commitment to achieving diversity and inclusivity, to the benefit of their employees. They will be able to demonstrate business compliance, company policy and procedure, as well as the organization’s culture and permanent arrangements.

If you want to highlight your FWA Program, demonstrating that it is the best way you can support your employees, then compete in this inspirational category.

CHAPTER RECOGNITION AWARDS:
MDBC takes great pride in its Chapters – In Penang (launched in 2010) and Johor (launched in 2017). In recognition of our chapter members, MDBC is introducing the Penang and Johor Chapter Recognition Awards. MDBC members from these chapters who participate in any of the MISA award categories were automatically entered into their respective Chapter Award. Although the categories, and therefore submissions, may be different, each organization’s submission will be put through the same rigorous judging process to determine who is crowned the winner.

As always, MISA ’23 Special Edition shortlisted finalists faced a strict, highly competitive, and difficult selection process.  The following organizations were announced as shortlisted finalists and were invited to present their projects during the MISA ’23 Special Edition Day Program, which was open to the general public, at Sunway University for final judging.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Outstanding Dutch Investor in Malaysia (MNC)‘ category were:
– ATT Tanjung Bin
– Control Union (Malaysia)
– Dutch Lady Milk Industries (DLMI)
– HEINEKEN Malaysia

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Outstanding Dutch Investor in Malaysia (SME)‘ category were:
– Actiforce Mechatronics Technology
– Brunel – Energy (Malaysia)
– Enza Zaden Asia
– HITTECH Wemac

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Outstanding Malaysian Investor in the Netherlands‘ category were:
– Basis Bay
– Cornerstone Group
– Kuala Lumpur Kepong
– Sime Darby Plantation

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Promising (new) Dutch SME to Malaysia‘ category were:
– Creating Winners
– Hoogendoorn Growth Management
– Incitement
– Orbis Business School

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Outstanding Dutch – Malaysian Partnership‘ category were:
– Centre of Water Engineering Technology
– Dutch Lady Milk Industries (DLMI)
– Kloth Malaysia
– Pengerang Independent Terminals
– Sime Darby Plantation
– Terberg Tractors Malaysia

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Flexible Work Arrangements Program‘ category were:
– Agensi Pekerjaan Randstad
– Dutch Lady Milk Industries (DLMI)
– Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia
– Tenaga Nasional
– Unilever Malaysia

Led by a Chief Judge – the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Malaysia, a panel of highly regarded, independent, expert individuals review and judge all MISA submissions.  Each category has a panel of three judges who do a final round of assessment during the MISA Day Program where finalists present their submission.  Judges and audience alike are allowed to ask questions of each nominee before the panel meets privately to confer and tally up the points.

Winners of each category are announced at the MISA Awards Ceremony and dinner.  This announcement is inclusive of a Judge’s Report on the winner’s submission, highlighting the underlying core concept of MISA – the sharing of best practices.

CHIEF JUDGE – H.E. Jacques Werner
Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Ambassador is acquainted with Malaysia and the region, having visited the country in 1988 and having been posted as Ambassador to Singapore from 2013 to 2017. Having previously served in Iran, Singapore, Romania, Bulgaria, and India, he is keen to initiate and catalyze tangible partnerships in areas such as agro, water, business, entrepreneurship, and culture.

OUTSTANDING DUTCH INVESTOR IN MALAYSIA (MNC)

Judge A: Aidil Azman (Senior Manager of Investor Relations – EMEA, InvestKL) Aidil brings a wealth of experience covering Fintech, Global Equities, Property Investment, Media Planning, and Country Advertorial Reports.  Prior to InvestKL, Aidil was part of Sime Darby Property’s Vision Valley Malaysia tasked with attracting global catalyst investments into various development components.  He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic Society and Media Studies from Swinburne University, Melbourne.

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Judge B: Datin Dr Vijayalakshmi Samuel (Director, AGV Environment) Datin Dr. Vijayalakshmi Samuel has more than 25 years of experience in environmental, health & safety (EHS) and sustainability / ESG consulting services; she also holds a PhD in Sustainability Studies.  Currently, she is the CEO and co – founder of AGV Sustainability & ESG Services Sdn. Bhd. and an Executive Director at AGV Environment Sdn. Bhd.  Prior to AGV, she held various senior positions at a US environmental consulting firm for more 18 years and was a Partner during the last 3 years.

OUTSTANDING DUTCH INVESTOR IN MALAYSIA (SME)

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Judge B: Lim Lee Kuan (Managing Director, TMF Group) Lee Kuan joined the TMF Group in 2012 as Director – Corporate Secretarial, before being promoted to Managing Director of TMF Malaysia (KL and Penang) in 2021.  She has more than twenty five (25) years of experience in corporate management and administrative services and has served in various capacities which include, but are not limited to, corporate restructuring exercises, initial public offering, and applications to various regulatory authorities.

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Judge C: Sashi Ambihaipahan (Head of Corporate Communications & Sustainability, BMW Group Malaysia) A marketing, media and corporate communications expert with over two decades of experience in the innovation, lifestyle, luxury, and automotive industry, Sashi is a subject matter expert on the topics of Future Mobility as well as Technology and Development in the premium automotive industry.

OUTSTANDING MALAYSIAN INVESTOR IN THE NETHERLANDS

Judge A: Supun Nigamuni (Managing Director, Control Union (Malaysia)) Supun is an accomplished forestry and environmental specialist with experience in compliance auditing, training, certification, program management, and environmental assessments.  He serves as the Managing Director for Control Union Malaysia and is responsible for managing certifications for Control Union Malaysia. In addition to the local responsibilities Supun also chairs the global expert team overseeing certification activities related to Forestry, Palm, Sugar, Soy, Rubber, and Tourism.

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Judge B: Dato’ Dr. Yazid Manap (Associated with the Embassy of Malaysia to the Netherlands) Dato’ Dr. Yazid Manap is a Mechanical Engineer and Food Technologist by qualification and a Researcher / Academician by profession.  He graduated from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and the University of Glasgow, Scotland.  Dato’ spent many years as a professor at the University Putra Malaysia (UPM), as the Dean of Faculty of Food Science and Biotechnology (UPM), and as the Director of the Halal Research Institute.

PROMISING (NEW) DUTCH SME TO MALAYSIA

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Judge B: Matthijs van Leeuwen (Chief Innovation Officer, Sunway Group) In addition to being the CIO of Sunway Group, Matt is also the Founding Director of Sunway iLabs.  Previously, he was a commercialisation specialist in PlaTCOM Ventures and gained significant entrepreneurial experience through three start – ups he co – founded in the UK, Singapore, and Malaysia. Before that he was a consultant at the Cambridge – MIT Institute and Library House in Cambridge (UK) and an Analyst at Imperial Innovations in London (UK), one of Europe’s leading Tech Transfer Offices and Venture Capital firms.

OUTSTANDING DUTCH – MALAYSIAN PARTNERSHIP

Judge A: Prof. Dr. Rob van Tulder (Professor of International Business, RSM Erasmus University) Professor van Tulder has published extensively on the topics of European business, multinationals, high – tech industries, corporate social responsibility, issues management, skills, network strategies, smaller industrial countries (welfare states) and European Community / Union policies. He is co – founder of RSM’s Department of Business – Society Management, a world – leading department on the issues surrounding sustainability.  He is the Academic Director of The Partnerships Resource Centre and the founder of Scope, an expert centre at Erasmus University in International Business and Sustainable Development. Together with UNCTAD, Scope compiles the widely – published lists of the largest Transnational Corporations worldwide from developed and developing countries, published annually in the World Investment Report.

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Judge B: Prof. Sibrandes Poppema (President, Sunway University) Professor Sibrandes Poppema has been the President and Vice – Chancellor of Sunway University in Malaysia since January 2021. He is a Dutch Canadian Citizen and studied Medicine at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He trained as a pathologist and holds a doctorate in Immunopathology from the University of Groningen. He held postdoc positions at the University of Kiel in Germany and Harvard University in the USA. He has widely published on subjects in immunology, haematology, oncology, and transplantation and is among the top 2% cited authors in immunology. He held several leadership positions in healthcare and in education institutions, including as Director of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, Alberta and later at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in the Netherlands. He was Dean of UMCG for nine years and next President of the University of Groningen for 10 years. He was awarded a knighthood in the Order of the Netherlands Lion by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and an Officers Cross in the Order of Merit by Frank – Walter Steinmeier, the President of Germany.

BEST FLEXIBLE WORK ARRANGEMENTS PROGRAM

Judge A: Puan Mahuran (Vice President Group Research, Development & Policy, and Malaysian Professional Talent, TalentCorp) Mahuran has more than 20 years of experience in human resources management, having started out at the Ministry of Human Resources.  She also has a wide knowledge and experience in human capital strategy & development, as well as industrial relation management.  In her current capacity, she works closely with stakeholders from federal and state government / agencies, industry players, employer federations, labour unions, and international agencies in conducting research studies on human capital requirement, including demand and supply talent / skills.

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Judge B: Dato’ Nathan K. Suppiah (Vice President, Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM)) Dato’ Nathan Suppiah graduated from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth with a Bachelor of Laws LLB (Hons) degree.  He has had an illustrious career spanning more than 30 years in the manufacturing and retail industries.  In July 2022, he was elected into the General Council of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCIM) as Vice President.

Thank you to the following supporters of MISA 2023 Special Edition 

MSA 2023 Supplement

VIDEOS
Please click here to visit the MDBC YouTube Channel

The tenth edition of the MDBC Innovation & Sustainability Awards (MISA) took place on Thursday, 21 November at the Sunway Resort Hotel.  For the first time, MISA was held concurrently with the Sustainable Action Conference (SAC) 2.0, organized by well known Dutch company, Control Union.  With the theme of “Turn Commitment into Action: Realizing a Sustainable Future” the conference proved to be a good pairing with MISA.

The Day Program, open to all audience members at SAC 2.0 saw the final round of judging during three pitching sessions and was held during SAC 2.0.  The MISA and SAC opening ceremony was attended by Datuk Chan Foong Hin (Deputy Minister of Plantations and Commodities, Malaysia), H.E. Jacques Werner (Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands), H.E. Rafael Tristan Daerr (Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union), TS Shamsul Bahar (Group Chief Executive Officer, MGTC), Dirk Teichert (Managing Director, Control Union Asia Holdings), Supun Nigamuni (Managing Director, Control Union Malaysia), Zainul Rahim (Chairman, MDBC), and Marco Winter (Executive Director, MDBC).

Attendees and participants were afforded the opportunity to listen to the leading case studies, share info, and troubleshoot with their peers. Participants not only gained attention for their project(s) or business concept(s), they were also able to connect and engage with different stakeholders who could help them realize their project or business concept. With each edition, MDBC continues to grow and evolve the awards program, building on its reputation and proven track record.

The winners of MISA ’24 were announced at the Awards Ceremony & Dinner, attended by Guest of Honor YB Wong Chen (Chairman of the Parliament Select Committee for International Relations & Trade) which took place immediately after the Day Program.  Congratulations to the following winners of MISA ’24:

BEST SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: HEINEKEN MALAYSIA

BEST WORKFORCE SUSTANAINABILITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM: JUNGHEINRICH LIFT TRUCKS MALAYSIA

BEST SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNICATION: BESI APAC

MISA ’24 AUDIENCE AWARD: TERBERG TRACTORS MALAYSIA

The three categories for competition in 2024 were:

Best Sustainable Built Environment (ESG Category: Environmental)
Our understanding of sustainability is improving and organizations are daring to look further than cutting their emissions or recycling plastic waste.  Various approaches have been adopted and are being explored in the advancement of sustainability; one of these approaches is a sustainably built environment – encompassing innovative building designs, sustainable resource management, and eco – friendly infrastructure that minimizes environmental impact and has a positive social impact.  A sustainable built environment protects our natural environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, supporting circular economy principles, and tackling the climate crisis – World Green Building Council

Who Should Apply?
In the “Best Sustainable Built Environment” category, competitors can demonstrate their commitment to innovative and sustainable building design, resource management, and infrastructure.  Competitors should highlight the creative strategies they have implemented to enhance their own office or the surrounding environment in an environmentally conscious way.  They may showcase how these efforts have positively impacted the local ecosystem, such as improving the physical and mental well – being of employees and boosting overall productivity.

Examples:
– Buildings with high energy efficiency
– Sustainable construction practices
– Smart technology in the office
– Employee engagement programs
– Collaborative workspaces
– Green commuting program (carpooling / bike sharing)
– Use of Renewable Energy in the Built Environment and / or in the supply chain
– Electric vehicle charging stations at the office / Green transportation

Best Workforce Sustainability Engagement Program (ESG Category: Social)
Sustainability initiatives are oftentimes more effectively adopted with a top down approach. However, the success of any organization’s sustainability efforts are dependent on their employees commitment and requires widespread support and participation throughout all layers of the organization. Informing, rewarding, and providing training programs helps incentivize employees to take up these sustainability initiatives.

Who Should Apply?
In the “Best Workforce Sustainability Engagement Program” category, nominees share the innovative programs that motivate and empower employees to actively participate in achieving the organization’s sustainability goals. It showcases the programs and initiatives that have helped the organization make an impact, and proved effective in incentivizing and mobilizing their workforce.

Examples:
– Training programs on sustainable practices
– Recognition and reward programs for employee contributions to sustainability
– Initiatives led by employees to reduce waste or conserve resources
– Green week to create extra sustainable awareness

Best Sustainability Communication (ESG Category: Governance)
A key aspect of good governance is communication, especially when addressing sustainability. It ensures transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness, which are vital for building trust and engaging with stakeholders. By communicating your organization’s sustainability objectives, you foster informed decision – making and empower stakeholders to contribute meaningfully to sustainability goals. Internally, communication helps align the organization’s mission and vision on sustainability, while enhancing collaboration and driving engagement. Externally, it strengthens your reputation, differentiates your organization, and builds long – term loyalty by showcasing your commitment to responsible practices.

Who Should Apply?
In this category, we invite organizations that prioritize effective communication on their sustainability objectives and ensure that their goals are clearly communicated, understood, and supported by all stakeholders. These organizations demonstrate transparency, accountability, and active engagement, through clear, consistent, and inclusive communication and are therefore driving better governance outcomes. This category celebrates organizations that make communication a core part of their governance strategy, fostering a culture of openness, collaboration, and accountability in sustainability efforts.

Examples:
– Reporting on sustainability performance with transparency and accountability
– Organizing multi – stakeholder dialogues and forums to collaboratively address sustainability challenges
  and solutions
– Actively involving stakeholders in the planning and execution of sustainability initiatives
– Keeping stakeholders continuously informed through diverse communication channels, ensuring
   inclusivity and clarity
– Utilizing real – time sustainability dashboards to track and share progress on sustainability goals
– Launching sustainability – focused social media campaigns to engage a broader audience and raise
   awareness
– Sharing independent assessments to promote accountability and highlight sustainable performance
– Publishing detailed case studies to illustrate the tangible impacts of sustainability projects

MISA ’24 shortlisted finalists participated in pitching sessions during the co – organized Sustainable Action Conference (SAC) 2.0, by well – known Dutch company, Control Union.   The following organizations were announced as shortlisted finalists and were invited to present their projects during the MISA ’24 Day Program.

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Sustainable Built Environment (ESG Category: Environment)‘ category were:

• Big Dutchman
• HEINEKEN Malaysia
• Terberg Tractors Malaysia
• Unilever (Malaysia)

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Workforce Sustainability Engagement Program (ESG Category: Social)‘ category were:

• BESI APAC
• Dutch Lady Milk Industries (DLMI)
• Jungheinrich Lift Truck Malaysia
• MY CO2 Group
• SD Guthrie

The shortlisted nominees and projects in the ‘Best Sustainability Communication (ESG Category: Governance)‘ category were:

• BESI APAC
• HEINEKEN Malaysia
• SD Guthrie

Led by a Chief Judge – the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Malaysia, a panel of highly regarded, independent, expert individuals review and judge all MISA submissions.  Each category has a panel of three judges who do a final round of assessment during the MISA Day Program where finalists present their submission.  Judges and audience alike are allowed to ask questions of each nominee before the panel meets privately to confer and tally up the points.

Winners of each category are announced at the MISA Awards Ceremony and dinner.  This announcement is inclusive of a Judge’s Report on the winner’s submission, highlighting the underlying core concept of MISA – the sharing of best practices.

CHIEF JUDGE – H.E. Jacques Werner
Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Ambassador is acquainted with Malaysia and the region, having visited the country in 1988 and having been posted as Ambassador to Singapore from 2013 to 2017. Having previously served in Iran, Singapore, Romania, Bulgaria, and India, he is keen to initiate and catalyze tangible partnerships in areas such as agro, water, business, entrepreneurship, and culture.

BEST SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT (ESG CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENTAL)

Judge A: Nelson Samuel (Director – Green Technology Division, Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)) Nelson Samuel is the Director of the Green Technology Division at the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).  He joined MIDA in 1992 with experience from various sectors and has covered Industrial Promotion Division, Foreign Investment Promotion Division – America Desk, was Deputy Director in MIDA Tokyo and in Strategic Planning Division MIDA, appointed Director of MIDA Seoul in Rep. of Korea. After returning back from Rep. of Korea, Nelson was appointed as the Director of the Foreign Investment Promotion Division, MIDA which monitors MIDA overseas centers globally in attracting FDI to Malaysia.  Nelson Samuel was also previously the Investment Consul in MIDA New York.

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Judge B: Supun Nigamuni (Managing Director, Control Union Malaysia) Supun is an accomplished forestry and environmental specialist with experience in compliance auditing, training, certification, program management, and environmental assessments.  He serves as the Managing Director for Control Union Malaysia and is responsible for managing certifications for Control Union Malaysia. In addition to the local responsibilities Supun also chairs the global expert team overseeing certification activities related to Forestry, Palm, Sugar, Soy, Rubber, and Tourism.

BEST WORKFORCE SUSTAINABILITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM (ESG CATEGORY: SOCIAL)

Judge A: Annapooranee Suppiah (Head of Work – Life Sustainability, TalentCorp) In her current role, Annapooranee Suppiah supports TalentCorp in expanding its industry network and establishing partnerships to better address the talent needs of Malaysia’s economic transformation. She strategizes plans and brings them to action to ensure a sustainable talent pipeline, diversity, and mobility for Malaysia to be a preferred talent hub.  Annapooranee has over 15 years of experience in sales and marketing strategies from previous roles in Honda Malaysia and prior to that, she was a Relationship Officer at Maybank Berhad.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Anglia Ruskin University.

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Judge B: Malar Selvaraju (Head of Quality & Sustainability, Basis Bay) Selvamalar Selvaraju is the Quality and Sustainability for Basis Bay.  She is very passionate, impact – driven leader, social entrepreneur, and educator who has championed the development and empowerment of underprivileged women, children, and minorities in Malaysia.  With almost 15 years of work experience in multiple sectors, she is a certified trainer and acclaimed communicator, known for her engaging style of presentation and facilitation. She holds a Masters Degree in Human Resource Development, a First Class Hons LLB Degree from the UK, and has completed Harvard Summer School courses. Malar is focused on strengthening women’s economic empowerment and community – based entrepreneurship to tackle urban poverty and manage post – COVID effects.

BEST SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNICATION (ESG CATEGORY: GOVERNANCE)

Judge A: Karamjit Singh (Founder / Chief Executive Officer, Digital News Asia) Karamjit founded Digital News Asia with a vision that media should play its role as the Fourth Estate and on the belief that timely, insightful and analytical coverage can help the tech ecosystem in South – East Asia, especially Malaysia, grow and develop.  Karamjit was with The Edge for 14 years and is the technology editor with The Edge, specifically of [email protected].  This section covered the business impact of technology, technopreneurship, and policy.  In 2001, he won the Malaysian Press Institute Award for Best Telecommunications Journalist.

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Judge B: Paul Turner (Managing Director, ALD MHD Mobility Services Malaysia (To be rebranded as Ayvens) Paul Turner is the Managing Director at ALD MHC Mobility Services Malaysia.  With over 25 years of experience in the fleet management & finance industry, he was previously Commercial Director at LeasePlan International and has held multiple roles within the LeasePlan Group in various countries.  Originally from Canada, Paul most recently lived in Amsterdam for the last 12 years before moving to Kuala Lumpur.  Ayvens is the merger of ALD Automotive from France and LeasePlan from the Netherlands and is part of the Societé Generale Group. With 3,5 million vehicles under management across 44 countries, it is the leading global player in providing fleet management solutions & operational lease services to both local & multinational customers of all sizes. On the Malaysian market Ayvens has a joint venture with MHC Capital.

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Judge C: Norazlin Hassan (Head of Corporate Communications, MDEC) Norazlin Hassan is a dynamic professional with expertise in marketing, corporate communications, and data – driven strategy development.  Her experience encompasses strategic branding, public relations, digital transformation, and stakeholder engagement.  She has successfully implemented impactful communication initiatives across industries, aligning organizational goals with innovative approaches to reach diverse audiences effectively.  Norazlin’s passion lies in creating meaningful connections through effective communication strategies that bring value to organizations and their stakeholders. She is committed to fostering innovation and excellence in her professional endeavors.

Thank you to the following supporters of MISA 2024

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