From Human-Centered Culture to Innovative Spirit: Local SMEs Lead the Future Direction | Lianhe Zaobao

When companies place people at the core of their development and drive transformation with innovative thinking, they can maintain resilience in a rapidly changing era. The three local enterprises that stood out in the inaugural "SME Navigation Award" exemplified this belief through their genuine actions and inspired the future direction of SMEs.

The Inaugural "SME Navigation Award" Successfully Concluded

The "SME Navigation Award" was co-hosted by Ant International and EPOS, a comprehensive SME transformation platform under Ant International, with Lianhe Zaobao as the designated media partner. The award aims to recognize local SMEs that excel in innovation, digital transformation, customer experience, and corporate culture, providing them with an international platform to showcase their strengths, expand collaborations, and enhance their influence.

The award ceremony was successfully held on November 11 this year, presenting a total of 130 awards across three major fields and ten categories, including the Best AI Transformation Award, Most Innovative SME Award, Best Marketing Campaign Award, and Best Workplace Culture Award.

Chen Leiming, Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International, stated that although SMEs face challenges such as rapid environmental changes, rising costs, and shifts in consumer behavior, they can still seize new opportunities by working hand in hand with ecosystem partners.

He said, "In the world around us, new things are constantly emerging—new challenges, new customers, new technologies. But when you have the right partners, the correct goals, and the right mindset, everything can be handled with ease."

Technology Leading Business Development

In this year's "SME Navigation Award," many enterprises showcased impressive results through technological transformation. Among them, Ai Muay Management, which won the "Digital Transformation Award," has driven traditional wet markets towards a more efficient operating model through systematic technological upgrades. This company manages six wet markets, which previously relied mainly on cash transactions.

The company's General Manager, Chen Kangwei, stated that cash transactions increased the difficulty of reconciliation, daily collections, and obtaining real-time data. To address this, the company introduced EPOS's digital solutions, including a Soundbox voice system that can instantly report successful payments.

At the same time, many stalls also utilized ANEXT Bank's commercial accounts, allowing merchants to receive payments instantly, reducing cash handling risks, and enhancing operational efficiency.

Another recipient of the "Best AI Transformation Award (Retail)" was Flow Salon (Northshore), which demonstrated how technology can make services more personalized.

Founder Wu Sihui shared that the company integrated WhatsApp appointments automatically into Google Calendar through API, significantly reducing manual processing time and human errors, allowing employees to focus more on customer service.

Most Inspirational Leadership Award Winner AMGD Global: Leading the Team with Purpose

AMGD Global has opened a Superfood restaurant at the new Xie Li Comprehensive Facility, providing on-the-job training opportunities for individuals with special needs. (Provided by the interviewee)

The experience of accompanying her father in the fight against cancer has made Rita Zahara deeply understand the importance of diet to health. This belief also became the original intention for her and her co-founder to establish AMGD Global in 2016, hoping to promote a more sustainable lifestyle with "a healthy meal every day."

Today, AMGD Global has developed into a multi-channel health ecosystem. The team, composed of nutritionists and chefs, collaboratively develops menus and improves them by integrating artificial intelligence and customer feedback, having created over 4,000 dishes that allow busy urbanites to easily enjoy delicious and healthy meals.

The company implements inclusive employment, providing on-the-job training for special educational needs (SEN) students and persons with disabilities (PwDs), allowing them to work in the Superfood restaurant under the company, accumulating confidence and skills.

Rita believes that the core of leadership lies in empowerment—establishing standards, maintaining transparency, and removing barriers to allow the team to leverage their strengths.

Receiving the "Most Inspiring Leadership Award" is an important encouragement for Rita and her team. She said, "Winning this award strengthens our original intention—to nourish others with dignity and prove that inclusion is not idealism, but a practical reality. It tells our team: you are important, your work is important. Together, we can gradually change lives through every meal."

Winner of the Most Innovative SME Award: Big Spring Day Seafood Trading: Innovating to Expand New Markets

Hong Yiting, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Lianhe Zaobao (right), presents the "Most Innovative SME Award" to Lin Decheng (left), Director of Big Spring Day Seafood Trading. (Provided by ANT GROUP)

In addition to humane management, innovation is also an important force driving business growth. Big Spring Day Seafood Trading, which won the "Most Innovative SME Award," is one such example.

Further Reading

The First SME Navigation Award Witnesses Local Champions Stepping onto the World Stage This food manufacturer, established in 2008, produces a range of freshly handmade fish ball and fish cake products, all certified halal by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, and adheres to a no artificial preservatives policy, providing consumers with a safer choice. Over the years, the company has continuously improved its products and production processes, aiming to expand into a richer variety of food categories.

A noteworthy innovation from Shengyuan is the development of pre-made fish ball noodles, which can be taken out of the refrigerator and heated for consumption, addressing the modern demand for convenient food. This simple, quick product that retains traditional flavors received positive market feedback upon launch, attracting a new batch of consumers for the company.

Director Lin Desheng stated, "Winning the Innovation Award means that everything we do is meaningful, and it inspires us to develop more pre-made hawker delicacies."

Best Workplace Culture Award Winner Mums Actually: People-Centric Workplace Culture

Mums Actually Director Lai Peiling (first from left in the back row) believes that mutual support among team members is key to the operation of corporate culture. (Provided by the interviewee)

Among the award-winning companies this year, many have deeply integrated inclusivity and empathy into their corporate culture. Mums Actually, which won the "Best Workplace Culture Award," is a typical representative.

Director Lai Peiling recalls her entrepreneurial motivation, having struggled to find quality and reasonably priced baby products, which led her to establish Mama Warehouse (the retail division of Mums Actually) in 2013, hoping to provide better choices for other parents based on her own experience.

She then gradually extended a more mission-driven management approach—hiring multiple parents and offering remote work and highly flexible work schedules, allowing them to balance family and career.

Currently, she leads a team of ten. Lai Peiling believes that trust among team members is key to the culture's operation: "If an employee needs to leave work for an urgent matter, other employees will readily take over their work without guilt or doubt. Our employee relationships are close-knit and supportive, like one big family."

She added that every team member undergoes cross-field training to ensure no one has to "fight alone."

"Winning this award is incredibly meaningful for us. It proves that our way of working and our values can indeed have a positive impact."

Innovative Tools Help SMEs Go Further

EPOS360 is dedicated to simplifying the daily operations of small and micro enterprises, making it easier to seize growth opportunities. (Provided by ANT GROUP)

In this year's awards, "innovation" is reflected not only in the winners but also in the efforts of the organizers to promote ecological progress.

The all-encompassing management application EPOS360 launched by Antom is a digital management tool specifically designed for small and micro enterprises. Businesses can manage key operations such as POS systems, banking services, financing services, payment services, inventory, and promotions through a one-stop platform, and set up online stores on Google Maps, e-wallets, and other external channels within minutes to reach more consumers.

This application is equipped with ANT GROUP's self-developed AI smart assistant Antom Copilot, which assists decision-makers in analyzing important external information and operational data to make more informed business decisions.

EPOS CEO Zhang Yanwen said, "We have integrated banking services, financing, digitalization, and payments into this application, making daily operations simpler. A food stall owner can upload an electronic menu, launch weekend promotions, and even obtain small loans within minutes."

EPOS360 will officially launch in app stores early next year.

At the awards ceremony, Zhang Yanwen also expressed appreciation for the participating small and micro enterprises. He stated, "Entrepreneurs have reimagined various possibilities, challenged traditional concepts, and driven business development through innovation. The key to bringing about change lies not in the size of the enterprise but in the fighting spirit."

【This article is presented by ANT GROUP and Antom EPOS under ANT GROUP】