[SINGAPORE] In line with its trade, heritage jeweller Poh Heng Jewellery struck gold at the 31st edition of the Enterprise 50 (E50) Awards on Monday (Nov 24) night.
The 77-year-old retailer, which specialises in high-quality traditional gold jewellery, clinched the top accolade among 50 companies for its continued efforts to stay modern and relevant.
The brand has revamped all its 18 Singapore stores to give them a fresh new look and brought customer service in-house to raise service excellence standards. To capture younger shoppers, it recently launched a new end-to-end wedding jewellery range with new designs and the option for customisation.
Heavy lift and logistics specialist Pollisum Group came in second place. The company offers crane rental, heavy transport, maritime logistics and services, as well as steel structure fabrication, supported by a workforce of nearly 400 employees in Singapore and Malaysia.
For its next phase of growth, it is seeking private equity firms or strategic investors – such as large construction companies or international crane operators – to inject capital and increase its market share in Singapore.
Travel operator EU Holidays earned a third-place finish at the E50 Awards for its willingness to experiment with new products and experiences.
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
SGSME
Get updates on Singapore's SME community, along with profiles, news and tips.
In 2026, it will launch a new travel arm with adventurous experiences that target young travellers aged 18 to 35, as well as its own travel card. It also intends to deepen its presence in China by opening an office there next year.
Under the theme Building A Resilient Nation: Enterprises as Pillars of Progress, this year’s E50 Awards spotlights small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have created new opportunities, strengthened ecosystems and contributed to Singapore’s long-term economic success.
It is jointly organised by The Business Times and KPMG in Singapore, and sponsored by OCBC.
Speaking at the awards ceremony at the Resorts World Convention Centre, guest of honour Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said that businesses will face new challenges in the years ahead.
Among them are the shifting of global supply chains; markets and investment flows being affected by geopolitics; tighter and stiffer competition among businesses; artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalisation altering business models; as well as the expansion of sustainability expectations.
She added that “even in the best of times”, Singapore’s gross domestic product “will grow much more modestly” from an already high base.
While these realities will test businesses of all sizes, they also offer opportunities that E50 companies are well-positioned to capture, she said.
For instance, growth in South-east Asia and deeper regional linkages present openings for companies with unique capabilities and trusted brands, she noted.
Digital technologies and AI provide avenues to raise productivity, develop new services and serve wider markets, she said, while the transition to a greener economy creates demand for energy-efficient, low-carbon and sustainable solutions.
This is on top of the Singapore brand still carrying “a premium”, she added.
On Monday, three special recognition awards were presented to five of this year’s main award winners.
Jub Pacific was conferred the Internationalisation Award for its consistent overseas expansion efforts. More than 95 per cent of the group’s revenue comes from overseas today, with operations spanning the Middle East, West Africa and East Asia.
Commonwealth Kokubu Logistics received the Sustainability Award for being a first mover in green cold chain logistics. It has integrated sustainable practices into its cold-chain operations, adopting ammonia-based refrigeration across 80 per cent of its business.
Three companies received the Five-Year Award for being an E50 awardee five times: consumer electronics distributor Generation Next Communications; kindergarten operator KinderWorld International Group; and steel supplier MaxSteel Enterprise.
BT editor Chen Huifen noted that more SMEs are not just adapting to change, but going beyond to shape the future of business in areas such as sustainability and innovation, and making significant contributions to Singapore’s economic development.
“I hope that the E50 Awards will continue to serve as a platform to uplift our business community and celebrate their resilience and excellence,” she said.
KPMG managing partner Lee Sze Yeng lauded this year’s winners for “redefining resilience as more than survival” and being agile.
“By embedding sustainability, embracing digital transformation, and forging global partnerships, they’ve unlocked efficiencies, mitigated risks, and accelerated growth, raising the bar for excellence on the global stage.”
Launched in 1995, the E50 Awards celebrates the 50 most enterprising local, privately held companies that have contributed to Singapore’s economic development, both locally and abroad. Since its inception, more than 700 companies across key business sectors in Singapore have been recognised.
Keyword added to your list