SOBA 2024: Silver Award for Best Innovation!
We’re delighted to receive the Silver Award for Best Innovation at the SOBA 2024 Awards Night last week!
Congratulations to all nominees and winners—your creativity, bold vision, and commitment to excellence continue to inspire our business community to reach higher and push boundaries.
While we celebrate outstanding achievements, events like SOBA are opportunities to gain industry insights, benchmark progress, and reflect on the future of sustainable business.
Here are our key takeaways from the evening:
1. Sustainability + Innovation as a Competitive Advantage
As Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof highlighted in his speech: “Businesses that embrace ESG, drive innovation, and remain steadfast in their vision will lead Malaysia’s economic transformation.”
This confirms what forward-thinking businesses have long realised—sustainability-driven innovation is no longer optional; it’s a strategic imperative for both local and global competitiveness.
In today’s evolving market, businesses that rely solely on traditional approaches without integrating innovation and sustainability will become vulnerable as international markets continue to open up.
Not only that, competing at this level drives economic growth, enables better ways of working, and uplifts industries as a whole.
Events like #SOBA push companies to rethink their business models, ensuring they remain relevant while also setting new benchmarks for others to follow.
With over 650 submissions across multiple categories at SOBA 2024, it’s clear that Malaysian businesses are rising to this challenge, recognising that digitalisation, ESG compliance, and adaptability will define the future of our economy.
2. Sustainability + Innovation to Empower Your People
“Businesses should incorporate innovation and sustainability as core elements of their growth strategy,” shares our Managing Director, Ken Chong. “This approach enables teams to create value beyond financial metrics—addressing environmental sustainability, developing human potential, and delivering positive social impact.”
When organisations embed sustainability into their culture, employees gain a deeper sense of purpose beyond just financial targets. This alignment helps teams—especially internal teams—understand the bigger picture: that business success isn’t just about profit, but also about driving meaningful change.
Empowering your people to champion sustainability and experiment with new ways of working enables a culture of innovation that goes beyond survival—it becomes a catalyst for long-term impact and business growth.
3. Characteristics of Transformative Innovation
The most impactful innovations among SOBA winners shared three key characteristics:
– Design thinking – addressing interconnected business and environmental challenges holistically rather than in silos
– Data intelligence – transforming environmental metrics from reporting tools into powerful decision-making engines
– Collaborative design – involving stakeholders across the value chain to drive meaningful change
WynKids Education Group, exemplifies this approach—constantly pushing boundaries, redefining education, nurturing talent, and driving significant business growth. Their recognition as Malaysia’s Business of the Year is proof of what’s possible when innovation and purpose align.
At Collexe, we remain committed to continuous improvement, pushing the boundaries of innovation, and driving sustainable business transformation. Beyond awards and recognition, our goal is to refine strategies, discover best practices, and empower our customers to lead the way in sustainability and profitability.
By embracing innovation and sustainability at every level, businesses will set the benchmark for others to follow. As we move forward, we aim to help our clients become sustainability leaders in their industries, shaping a future where profitability and positive impact go hand in hand.
