On the evening SME Corp held its National Women Entrepreneurs Award for the second time, the ballroom at Istana Hotel where the event was held, was packed to the brim. Each and every table was full. About 2,000 to 2,500 people came out to acknowledge and celebrate the 10 nominees who had made it to the top of Malaysia’s best women entrepreneur list for the year 2009. Who among the 10 – shortlisted from about 60 applications - would go home with the top award for the year – The NWEA 2009 winner? Who would win the Platinum Award and the Entrepreneur Extraordinaire Award? Including the NWEA runner up and second runner up positions, there were five recognitions up for grabs. In the end Dr Wang Kim Ha, group executive director and also the founder of Smart Reader Worldwide Sdn Bhd won the most prestigious, main overall, NWEA 2009 award, while the Platinum Award was won by Datin Dr Clara Chee, founder and chairman of Clara International Beauty Group. Nafisah Radin, principal of NR Architect & NR interior Design won the Entrepreneur Extraordinairè Award.

First runner up to main award was Helen Elizabeth Leong, managing director of Ms Read Sdn Bhd while second runner up was Noraini Soltan, Sipro Plastic Industries Sdn Bhd’s MD. Other contenders included Melissa M. Chen, founder and executive director of Esthetics International Group Berhad, Normawarni Mahmud, executive chairman of Zinni Group Sdn Bhd, Dato’ Normaziah Sheikh Mohamed, CEO of Megapadu Sdn Bhd, Puvanesvary Subramaniam, managing director of Kagayaku Logistics Sdn Bhd and Wnnie Loo founder of A Cut Above. At a Press conference moderated by Zaini Zainuddin, senior general manager of Berita Publishing, publisher of Madam Chair – official media for the event – all 10 nominees were given a chance to share with the audience their success stories. (Refer to the articles in the following pages). Organised by SME Corp, NWEA 2009 is endorsed jointly by two ministries – Ministry of International Trade and Industry and Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development - to recognise the achievement of women from various sectors of the industry in Malaysia.