Carlsberg Malaysia bags prestigious Danish Award from Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 AUGUST 2015 – Carlsberg Malaysia has been bestowed the prestigious Diploma of the Danish Export Association & His Royal Highness Prince Henrik’s Medal of Honour in recognition of its outstanding efforts in promoting and marketing Danish products and services abroad. Being the only privileged fourth recipient of the award in this country ever, Carlsberg Malaysia’s Managing Director Henrik J. Andersen received the diploma and medal from His Royal Highness (HRH) Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at an exclusive beer pairing dinner at Marini’s on 57. Also present was the Ambassador of Denmark, His Excellency Mr. Nicolai Ruge.

Carlsberg Malaysia, which set foot in Malaysia since 1969, has evolved from a beer company to a dynamic brewer that manufactures a portfolio of international beers, stouts, cider and nonalcoholic beverages for both domestic and export markets. It was the second Carlsberg brewery to be set up outside of Denmark and has been amongst the top three market contributors in terms of revenue and profit within South East Asia.

“In Denmark, Carlsberg was one of the pioneers of industrialization. Carlsberg has made significant contribution towards the Danish economy as well as art and culture. The founder of Carlsberg, J.C. Jacobsen, was well known not only for his entrepreneurial spirit but also his philanthropic heart in giving back to the Danish society,” HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark said in his opening remarks.

“I am pleased to note that aside from the economic contributions that Carlsberg Malaysia has made here, the company is also very committed in corporate social responsibilities and has been giving back to the society and community it operates in,” HRH added.

According to Carlsberg Malaysia MD Mr. Andersen, “We are indeed very honoured to be bestowed this prestigious award by Your Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik. It is indeed an acknowledgment that we’re proud of and we’re thankful to the Danish Export Association and the Danish Embassy for supporting our efforts.”

“Living the legacy of our Founder, J.C. Jacobsen, Carlsberg Malaysia is committed to operate in the most responsible and sustainable manner. Last year, we were very privileged to be awarded the first prize in the prestigious The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) corporate awards under the Best Corporate Responsibility initiatives beating 900 companies listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange,” Mr. Andersen added.

Carlsberg Malaysia has over the years evolved from a single beer brand company to a multi portfolio leading brewery. Furthermore, it is the export production hub for regional markets like Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, and Maldives. In the past five years, Carlsberg Malaysia has successfully expanded its revenues by more than 18%. In 2014, it delivered a revenue growth of 5% to DKK 3 billion (1.6 billion MY Ringgit) and profit after tax by 16% to DKK 404 million (217 million MY Ringgit).

In conjunction with the award presentation, the brewer also launched the J.C Jacobsen Hua Zong Education Fund, formerly known as Carlsberg Hua Zong Education Fund. The revamp of the education fund is part of Carlsberg Malaysia’s efforts to consolidate all community programmes under the Foundation for a greater reach. The launch was represented by Y.A.M. Tan Sri Tunku Imran, Trustee member of the Foundation and Datuk Cheng Lai Hock, deputy president of the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Hua Zong).

The education fund, with a revolving fund size of RM2 million, is open to all Malaysian students who wish to pursue higher/tertiary education. Successful student would receive an interest-free loan of RM10,000 in each academic year and should they achieve CGPA of 3.25 and above, their study loan would be converted into scholarships.

To cap off the evening, Carlsberg Malaysia presented a portrait of the HRH Crown Prince Frederik and his wife HRH Crown Princess Mary, made entirely by three types of malts, a key ingredient in beer brewing.