KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2: Imelda Bragie of Benak Raya Enterprise made the nation proud when she won the special award for Outstanding Achievement in the 2019 Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators Awards.
Imelda, who also happens to be one of the Sarawak Shell LiveWIRE winners in 2017, owns Benak Raya Enterprise which develops rice-based, edible straws made from Bario rice that can be used to replace plastic drinking straws.
She said that the straws did not just display innovation, but could also play an important part in reducing the usage of plastic, in a bid to save our environment.
“I am truly thankful and thrilled to have been announced winner for Outstanding Achievement as this is a testament of the hard work and dedication put in by Benak Raya Enterprise.
“I am truly motivated to know that people believe in my vision and am inspired to do more for a better tomorrow,” she said in a press statement today.
The awards is a global competition which highlights and rewards businesses that demonstrate excellence in innovation as well as give entrepreneurs a chance to shine on a global platform.
Meanwhile, Shell Global Commercial executive vice president Huibert Vigeveno noted that it had been incredibly inspiring to see such passionate entrepreneurs across the world helping to tackle and eliminate waste.
“Transitioning to a circular economy requires us to think creatively and do things differently, while working with innovators like these winners, will allow businesses, communities and society to move faster towards a truly sustainable future,” he said.
Meanwhile, Shell Malaysia chairman Datuk Iain Lo said that he was proud to see a Malaysian entrepreneur receiving special recognition through the Outstanding Achievement award as it amplified the local talent and innovation across the country.
“I look forward to seeing more entrepreneurs come through the LiveWIRE programme where they can be a source of employment to other Malaysians.
“I also envision Shell Malaysia enhancing its efforts in creating opportunities for these entrepreneurs by identifying new ways in which Shell’s value chain can support the further growth of new businesses in Malaysia,” he added.
As an Outstanding Achievement Award winner, Imelda will receive US$10,000, while the category winners will receive a top prize of US$20,000 and the two runners-up for these categories will win a prize of US$10,000.
The award package for all winners also include mentoring support from a Shell expert, an opportunity to benefit from market linkages and a possibility to be considered as a vendor for Shell or Shell’s customers. — DayakDaily
