SEBA ASEAN Elites Edition 2025/2026 to Celebrate Excellence Across the Region

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – [27 October] The SEBA ASEAN Awards 2025/2026 – 12th Edition will bring together entrepreneurs, business leaders and enterprises from across the region for an evening dedicated to recognising achievement, leadership and meaningful contribution to industry.

Scheduled to take place on 17 November 2026 at the KLGCC Convention Centre, Malaysia, the distinguished gala evening will honour organisations and individuals whose accomplishments embody the highest aspirations of enterprise: visionary leadership, intellectual ingenuity, strategic foresight and an unwavering commitment to meaningful industry advancement.

Convened under the theme “Beyond Boundaries. Recognising Excellence Across ASEAN”, this edition reflects SEBA’s broader regional vision: celebrating businesses that are growing beyond their immediate markets, creating opportunities across industries and building stronger links between entrepreneurial communities. With a platform that extends from Malaysia across ASEAN, as well as China and India, SEBA 2025/2026 will recognise organisations and individuals whose work demonstrates resilience, creativity and a clear sense of purpose.

YBhg. Datuk Nitesh Malani, Chairman of Yayasan Usahawan Malaysia, said, “SEBA 2025/2026 marks an important step in our journey to recognise entrepreneurial talent across ASEAN. We want to celebrate businesses that are advancing their industries, creating meaningful value and showing what is possible when ambition is matched by purpose.”

The awards will recognise those who have built businesses with conviction, led through change and contributed to the development of their industries. They are also an opportunity to celebrate the people behind the achievements: founders who saw an opportunity where others saw uncertainty, leaders who built capable teams, and organisations that continue to raise the standard in their fields.

A Recognition Platform for Enterprise and Leadership

The SEBA ASEAN Awards has long provided a platform for recognising entrepreneurs and businesses whose work reflects professional excellence, innovation and sustained contribution.

The 2025/2026 edition will recognise achievement across 24 industry categories, including technology, banking and finance, education, agriculture, food and beverage, health and beauty, hospitality, property, retail and e-commerce, manufacturing, business services, the halal industry and the creative sector.

The award programme is organised across two core segments: Entrepreneurs and Enterprise & Startups. Entrepreneur awards include categories such as the Halal-preneur Award, Empowerment Entrepreneur Award, Most Innovative Entrepreneur Award, Leading Entrepreneur Award and Strategic Entrepreneur Award. Enterprise and startup categories include the CSR Startup Award, Most Innovative Company Award, Most Promising Company Award, Best Enterprise Award, Best Work Culture Award and Brand Excellence of the Year Award.

Together, these categories recognise the many different ways in which businesses make an impact: through innovation, strategic growth, responsible practices, strong workplace culture, brand leadership and the ability to create lasting value for customers, communities and industries.

Recognition Built on a Structured Process

Behind every award is a process designed to assess the work, discipline and progress that sit behind an organisation’s success.

The prospectus outlines an eight-phase selection process, beginning with pre-qualification or self-nomination and followed by document submission and validation. Applicants then proceed through a business and governance audit interview, financial assessment by appointed auditors, and evaluation by the Board of Advisors. Final verification is conducted by the committee before award letters are issued to recipients for confirmation.

This process reflects SEBA’s belief that recognition should acknowledge more than visibility or commercial performance alone. It should recognise the decisions, standards and commitment that allow a business to grow with credibility and purpose. For established enterprises, the awards offer a moment to reflect on sustained contribution and progress. For emerging businesses, they provide an opportunity to be recognised for the ideas, energy and potential that may define the next chapter of their industries.

Beyond Boundaries: Taking Connections Further

 The theme “Beyond Boundaries” speaks to the changing nature of business across the region. Today’s entrepreneurs operate in a more connected environment, where opportunities often lie beyond familiar markets, established networks and traditional ways of working.

For many businesses, growth now depends on the ability to form meaningful partnerships, exchange knowledge and see possibilities beyond national or sector boundaries. “Taking Connections Further” reflects this spirit: encouraging leaders to build relationships that lead to new ideas, stronger collaboration and shared progress. The SEBA ASEAN Awards will provide a setting for business leaders, entrepreneurs, corporate decision-makers and industry stakeholders to come together in recognition of achievement and in conversation about what comes next.

The gala evening will celebrate the accomplishments of its recipients while creating a space for guests to exchange perspectives, strengthen relationships and connect with others who share a commitment to enterprise and progress.

An Evening to Honour Achievement and Inspire What Follows

The SEBA ASEAN Awards 2025/2026 – 12th Edition will be an occasion to acknowledge businesses and individuals whose work has helped move industries forward.

It will recognise leadership that is defined by more than results alone: leadership that adapts, creates, contributes and remains committed to building something of lasting value.

As ASEAN continues to grow as a connected and dynamic business region, the people and organisations recognised through SEBA represent the ambition, ingenuity and determination that help drive that progress. Their stories serve as a reminder that meaningful achievement is rarely built in isolation. It is shaped through vision, persistence, capable people and the willingness to keep moving forward.

Through the 12th Edition, SEBA will continue its commitment to recognising those achievements and strengthening the connections that help businesses, leaders and communities go further together.

Event: SEBA ASEAN Awards 2025/2026 – 12th Edition

Theme: Beyond Boundaries. Recognising Excellence Across ASEAN

Date: 17 November 2026

Venue: KLGCC Convention Centre, Malaysia

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 ABOUT SEBA ASEAN AWARDS

The SEBA ASEAN Awards is a business recognition platform dedicated to acknowledging enterprises, entrepreneurs and business leaders whose achievements demonstrate excellence, innovation, leadership and meaningful contributions to their respective industries.

Through its commitment to the recognition of professional distinction and the advancement of business connectivity, SEBA seeks to bring accomplished organisations and influential leaders into a broader regional community united by a shared commitment to enterprise, innovation and progress.

The platform celebrates the achievements of businesses whose vision, resilience and strategic endeavours contribute to the development of their industries and the wider ASEAN business landscape, whilst encouraging a continued pursuit of excellence that extends beyond immediate accomplishments towards enduring impact.