The Malaysian digitalisation specialist reaches new heights despite implications from the global pandemic
Malaysian information technology company TOGL Technology Sdn Bhd has been recognised as one of Asia’s Most Promising SMEs by the Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES) 2021.
Established in 2017, TOGL is a digitalisation specialist that creates mobile apps for essential solutions in daily life, and builds websites for small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Some of its prominent applications and digital solutions include E-Booster – a digital wellness app – and TogaGo.com – a travel booking platform.
It also developed social messaging app Yippi, which now serves over three million users across 15 countries, including China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Yippi combines multiple platforms into a diverse mobile app and functions as a personal assistant. The app, which has garnered numerous industry accolades, skews digital content development towards entertainment, as most of its users are between 20 and 35 years old.
Despite the changed business landscape brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, TOGL has managed to leverage the strength of its technological innovations to achieve business growth and reach new heights by creating opportunities for new revenue streams. With the need to digitise becoming increasingly critical, TOGL helped offline SMEs and small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) by creating and improving upon their e-commerce operations to meet customers’ needs.
Looking ahead
Under the stewardship of its founder and chief executive officer Michael Toh, TOGL aspires to achieve its mission to become the largest app community in South-east Asia. The company also hopes to create groundbreaking entrepreneurial platforms for individuals as well as SMEs, and to develop new technology to consistently benefit people from all walks of life.
TOGL strives to stay abreast of significant changes and vigilantly streamlines its daily operations so as to achieve a more effective and sustainable business model, thus empowering the company to weather the economic crisis due to the pandemic. TOGL was also able to integrate diversified platforms into its products and establish a fortified ecosystem where resources are now shared across its brands.
It is dedicated to the growth and betterment of its staff, particularly for young creators to showcase and promote their work, build their own businesses and become entrepreneurs. To help employees realise their full potential, the company offers career opportunities as well as continuous learning and development programmes like Alibaba Cloud professional training and courses on self-improvement and soft skills.
Additionally, TOGL actively invests in several corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives such as Yippi Care, which organises fundraising campaigns for frontliners battling Covid-19. It also raised funds for the Hubei Charity Foundation, which is the designated recipient of international donations for Hubei province – the epicentre of the outbreak in China. To date, Yippi Care has successfully raised over RM720,000 (around S$232,000) in cash.
As a fairly new SME, TOGL has shown excellence across several key pillars, including collaboration, empowerment, and adaptability. Besides harnessing an environment of mutual respect, it nurtures flexibility and innovation among its people. Being able to pivot through short-term planning instead of a traditional planning cycle has also enabled the company to scale quickly, despite the evolving business landscape.
Undoubtedly, its recognition by ACES is a true testament to the tireless perseverance of its employees.
The ACES Awards, held this year on Nov 19, acknowledges successful corporations and business leaders in Asia who have contributed towards making substantial and exemplary impact on the world and within their community. Presented by MORS Group, a corporate think tank managed by a group of leaders from diverse backgrounds, ACES aims to be a platform to exhibit leadership and sustainability excellence.
Says Ms Shanggari Balakrishnan, CEO of MORS Group: “Many tech and app companies now know that technology needs to be bolstered by heart if true success is to be attained. TOGL has indeed started promisingly and will be one of the top SMEs to note in the years to come.”
Find out more about the ACES Awards here.
Originally published in The Business Times (November 19, 2021) https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/hub/aces-awards-2021/togl-technology-named-asias-most-promising-sme
