To match MDA’s high credibility, an experienced panel of distinction has been created

By Joseph Wong

To reflect the birth of the prestigious Malaysia Developer Awards (MDA), a specially invited team of prominent judges has been formed to match the high calibre and standards set for the accolade.

Formed by the International Real Estate Federation Malaysian Chapter (FIABCI-Malaysia) and Star Media Group, this premier honour is crafted to be Malaysia’s penultimate awards in giving due recognition to the most well-deserving property developers for their stellar effort and hard work in building the nation. 

The number of experts enlisted for the MDA 2022 has a strong collective knowledge of all things property, with a cumulative experience of over 100 years. This was to reflect the more robust and extra-stringent criteria set for the participating property developers, said FIABCI-Malaysia president Datuk Seri Koe Peng Kang. 

This year’s panel of judges comes from varied disciplines and different backgrounds, which adds prestige to MDA 2022. The panel boasts the prominent expertise of Bursa Malaysia Bhd chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Klang Municipal Council president Noraini Roslan, MBSB Bank Bhd chairman Tan Sri Azlan Zainol and Institution of Engineers Malaysia and Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the Pacific past president Emeritus Prof Tan Sri Dr Chuah Hean Teik. 

The panel includes the proficiency of Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia acting president Datuk NK Tong, Malaysian Institute of Architects president Datuk Ezumi Harzani Ismail, Malaysian Institute of Property and Facility Managers president Datuk Kamarulzaman Mat Salleh, Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association president Datuk Chua Soon Ping and Board of Building Management of The Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia chair Datuk Paul Khong.

Also on the panel are Maybank IBG Research senior analyst Wong Wei Sum, Malaysia My Second Home Consultants Association president Anthony Liew, Malaysian Institute of Professional Estate Agents and Consultants president Irhamy Ahmad, Association of Valuers, Property Managers, Estate Agents and Property Consultants in the Private Sector Malaysia president Michael Kong, CGS-CIMB Securities equity research analyst Ngo Siew Teng, Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents president Chan Ai Cheng and Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association president Augustine Wong Chung Ho.

From architect to valuer, these judges will provide fair and impartial judgement to the participants of the MDA. In addition, one of the Big Four accounting firms KPMG is engaged to validate the financial figures and the process of evaluation.

The MDA categories and judging criteria are set to distinguish the new awards distinctively. MDA divides the awarding of developers into two main categories, namely the Top-of-the-Chart Awards and the Special Awards.

The Top-of-the-Chart Awards are divided into two tiers, namely listed companies with a market capitalisation of RM1bil and above and listed companies with a market capitalisation of less than RM1bil. This is to give recognition to the big boys as well as the up-and-coming property developers.

The Special Awards comprise three sub-categories – The International Awards, Transformation Awards, and The Rising Star Awards, which will be given to the Top three developers.

Due to the complexity of the judging process, the expertise of the invited judges was needed to comprehensively cover the diverse scopes of the respective awards. 

Moreover, the diversity of the judges provides the MDA with more comprehensive judging criteria. In addition, a number of judges provided their input into this year’s MDA as well as future ones to ensure that the awards’ prestige will continue to reach new heights. This makes the awards a more interesting one going forward. And as stakeholders of the real estate sector, their input towards the awards is indispensable.

Drawing on the experience of FIABCI-Malaysia, both participants and the public, in general, can rest assured that the evaluation process is on par with international standards.

FIABCI-Malaysia draws on its 30 years of experience and is well-known for its stringent evaluation process, which makes the award something every developer yearn for, said Koe.

After awarding merits to excellent projects for 30 years, he said FIABCI-Malaysia believes it is time to recognise those nation builders, as they have been working hard to outperform their peers in crafting more innovative masterpieces. 

“And this is made possible through MDA. Development projects are like art pieces, without the artists, never will we live to see such beautiful and astonishing projects, they should be appreciated too,” said Koe.

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