Cover Story BEST SUSTAINABILITY LEADER RAJ RIDVAN SINGH Raj Ridvan Singh owns SOLS 24/7, a humanitarian organisation, committed to serve, educate, and empower poor and underserved communities throughout the Southeast Asia region with their programmes. Founded in Cambodia in 2000, SOLS 24/7 quickly grew into one of the largest non-formal education providers in the country at that time. Following their success in Cambodia, Raj went to Timor-Leste in 2005 to set up SOLS 24/7 TimorLeste during a period where civil unrest was at its peak. It came to a point where his team was forced to evacuate the country, but they returned in 2006 to open the first main training centre in the capital city Dili. He then returned to his hometown in Malacca to set up SOLS 24/7 Foundation in 2007, before moving the first SOLS Academy of Innovation (then known as Youth Development Centre) and headquarters to Kuala Lumpur in 2010. The organisation was founded by Raj with his father and brother in 2000. SOLS 24/7’s programmes cover 4 main pillars: education, renewable energy, mental health, and technology.
“Rather than focussing on a particular cause, we’ve diversified across different causes,” he said adding that when a solution is found, they will attempt to implement it. To the communities we serve, we provide the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and take control of their lives through education,” he said. To our team members, we provide the opportunity to be the best version of themselves, and to our partners and donors, we provide the opportunity to exercise their conscience.” He also started a social enterprise a few years ago to help sustain the organisation. The team currently has multiple projects that they’re working on, but Raj’s current focus is on Education and Renewable Energy which is spearheaded by their English Movement initiative, while SOLS Energy grows to become the main player for renewable energy in the Malaysian market. “With B2B and B2C models in place for our different offerings such as solar installations (SOLS Energy) and business English courses for professionals (SOLS smart/ English Movement), we are taking the steps we need to monetise the services we offer,” he said. SOLS Energy is currently the largest residential solar power systems installer in the country. They have plans to build on it and grow
Raj Ridvan Singh.
exponentially this year by securing more commercial and residential clients, taking steps towards their vision of having solar panels on every Malaysian roof. And although they get funding from large corporations they still channel 80% of the profits from their social enterprise back to the non-profit programmes to sustain the organisation. “We want to be self-sustainable with our own income, so we can ensure the work we are doing with our programmes does not end when funding ends,” said Raj.
BEST ENVIRONMENT IMPACT: BAHRU STAINLESS SDN BHD (LARGE COMPANY
Angel Javier Mielgo Benavides.
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EUMCCI REVIEW
Bahru Stainless Sdn Bhd is a subsidiary of Acerinox Group, one of the biggest stainless-steel manufacturers in Spain. Since 2012, Bahru Stainless has operated a 20-high mill in Malaysia. The plant is integrated into the new cold strip complex in Johor Bahru. Bahru is the first and only Malaysian producer of stainless steel and represents the efforts of the group to consolidate its presence in the Asian market. It currently performs cold rolling, for which its sources products
from the other factories within the company. Angel Javier Mielgo Benavides said Acerinox has operations in 85 countries, cementing them as one of the most competitive companies in the world. “We have four factories in four countries. All of them recycle to produce new steel. We are basically a recycling company,” Benavides said in jest, adding that their processes are almost waste-free. “Any material loss is sent back for recycling.” The plant includes an integral stainless-steel mill with one million tonnes of production capacity annually. Bahru Stainless supplies a wide range of high-quality stainless-steel types and finishes, with Malaysia and the ASEAN countries being their main markets.