To commemorate its 110-year anniversary, Sime Darby Berhad (SDB) has launched a coffee table book to look back at the company’s development over the years.
The Futures Made Better — Sime Darby at 110 book documents SDB’s evolution from its humble beginnings more than a century ago to its transformation into a multinational corporation today.
“Our 110th anniversary is a meaningful milestone for Sime Darby. Looking back on our journey, we are proud to learn and appreciate our history,” said SDB chief executive officer Datuk Jeffri Salim Davidson in a press release.
SDB’s newly launched book will feature anecdotes of its previous leaders, representing the distinctive leadership styles in different eras tied together, all with the same determination to succeed and explore new industries and markets.
The book will also take readers back in time to showcase the history of the company from its establishment as “Sime, Darby & Co Ltd” in 1910, through the merger of two smaller firms of plantation managers, Sime and Moorhouse, and Darby and Watson.
Among the notable milestones included in the book is the company’s successful merger with two other major local corporations in 2007, which were Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd and Golden Hope Plantations Bhd.
This merger recognised SDB as the world’s largest oil palm plantation company in terms of planted area and also established the company as Malaysia’s leading diversified conglomerate with business in property development, the automotive industry, heavy equipment and engineering.
A decade later, SDB set another unprecedented achievement in Malaysia’s corporate history as it transformed from a conglomerate into three independent pure-play entities.
These entities are Sime Darby Plantation Berhad, Sime Darby Property Berhad and Sime Darby Berhad, which consist of industrial, motor, logistics and healthcare businesses.
The book also depicts how SDB has developed itself into a driven multinational that continues to share the same ideals of the Sime Darby over a century ago, not just in terms of business but also in its ethos of resilience and adaptability.
The book also notes how SDB established a philanthropic vehicle — Yayasan Sime Darby — ahead of its time, as part of its effort to strike a balance between its economic aspirations and social and environmental obligations.
The foundation’s contributions and efforts have also grown over the years by embracing the five pillars of Education, Environment, Community & Health, Sports and Arts and Culture in its humanitarian missions.
The exclusive Futures Made Better — Sime Darby at 110 book is available to download for free (in PDF format) on SDB’s official website at https://www.simedarby.com/futures-made-better. – MALAY MAIL
