PETALING JAYA (Dec 14): S P Setia Bhd clinched the top spot in The Edge Malaysia Top Property Developers Awards (TPDA) 2020, marking the fifth consecutive year the company won the spot. It dropped to third and fourth positions in 2014 and 2015 respectively, before regaining the title in 2016.

S P Setia president and chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Khor Chap Jen said the developer is elated to be awarded top honours for the 13th time.

“This would be impossible if not for the strong teamwork we have at Setia. It hasn’t been easy as we have been facing strong headwinds with the soft market and in addition to that, the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. No industry has been spared, but our team spirit persevered, and we rose up to overcome the odds by continuing to deliver our best. I would like to dedicate this win to Team Setia,” he added. 

It has also earned two other awards, namely The Edge Malaysia Affordable Urban Housing Excellence Award for Sri Pinang Apartments in Setia Alam and The Edge Malaysia Outstanding Overseas Project Award for Pargue in Melbourne.

S P Setia and Sunway Bhd — property division (No 3) are the winners of the Best in Qualitative Attributes sub-award.

Rounding the top 10 are Sime Darby Property Bhd (No 2), UOA Development Bhd (No 4), IJM Land Bhd (No 5), Gamuda Bhd — property division (No 5), UEM Sunrise Bhd (No 6), IOI Properties Group Bhd (No 6), Mah Sing Group Bhd (No 7), Eco World Development Group Bhd (EcoWorld) (No 8), Tropicana Corporation Bhd (No 9) and IGB Bhd (No 10).

IJM Land and Gamuda — property division shared the rank at No 5, while UEM Sunrise and IOI Properties shared the No 6 spot. Meanwhile, UOA Development won the Best in Quantitative Attributes sub-award.

The TPDA is evaluated based on both qualitative and quantitative attributes. In the qualitative category, judges evaluate each company based on its expertise, image, innovation and creativity, product quality and the value it creates for buyers.

Under the quantitative category, companies are evaluated based on their shareholders’ funds, turnover, profitability and cash or gearing. The scores and rankings for the TPDA are audited by Deloitte Malaysia.

The TPDA anchors TEPEA, which has in recent years expanded to include other sub-awards such as The Edge Malaysia-PEPS Value Creation Excellence Award, The Edge Malaysia-PAM Green Excellence Award, The Edge Malaysia Affordable Urban Housing Excellence Award, The Edge Malaysia Outstanding Property CEO Award and The Edge Malaysia Outstanding Overseas Project Award.

The Edge Media Group publisher and group CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat noted that the TEPEA awards serve not just to recognise the best in property development but also to guide buyers who are looking for properties to buy. The idea is to help them make better decisions, especially during this period.

“Nations across the globe are facing an unprecedented pandemic and Malaysia is not excluded with businesses being badly affected. Nevertheless, we believe not only will strong players survive this challenging time, they will come out even stronger by adapting to the market needs.

“These awards provide a guide to the public on the strongest and best real estate players in the country. TEPEA has become an industry benchmark for companies which have sustainable financial strength and delivered quality products to their customers to be used as a home or as an investment asset,” said Ho.

In partnership with the Malaysian Institute of Architects, The Edge Malaysia-PAM Green Excellence Award recognises projects that demonstrate sustainable design innovation while contributing positively to the community. The winner is KLoe Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile, Sia Boey Urban Archaeological Park Phase 1 in Penang received the honourary mention.

The Edge Malaysia Affordable Urban Housing Excellence Award, which honours affordable housing projects for the urban middle-income group undertaken wholly by Malaysian private developers, has been awarded to Karisma Eco Majestic by EcoWorld and Sri Pinang Apartments by S P Setia. Both projects are in the Klang Valley.

The Edge Malaysia Outstanding Overseas Project Award has joint winners this year — London City Island by Eco World International Bhd and Parque in Melbourne by S P Setia.

The Edge Malaysia Property Excellence Awards is presented by City & Country, the property pullout of The Edge Malaysia weekly and supported by EdgeProp.my.