27/05/2026

BIZ & FINANCE WEDNESDAY | MAY 27, 2026

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UK’s Sales Geek expands to Malaysia, seeks partners

E&O achieves record-breaking performance in FY2026 on strong property sales PETALING JAYA: Premier lifestyle property developer Eastern & Oriental Bhd (E&O) posted profit before tax (PBT) and profit after tax (PAT) of RM72.6 million and RM66.4 million respectively on the back of revenue of RM235.9 million for the fourth quarter of the financial year ended March 31, 2026 (Q4’26). Excluding unrealised forex loss and other one-off items, recurring profit after tax for Q4’26 rose 72% to RM81.2 million compared to RM47.2 million in Q4’25. For FY2026, the group recorded revenue of RM867.6 million, representing a 17% increase year-on-year, primarily driven by revenue recognition from ongoing developments as well as contributions from newly launched projects. PBT increased 35% year-on-year to RM293.1 million, while PAT rose 34% to RM243.9 million. Excluding unrealised forex loss and other one-off items, recurring profit after tax increased 39% to RM278.6 million from RM199.9 million recorded in FY2025. E&O’s property segment remained the key contributor to overall performance during the financial year, registering a 20% increase in revenue to RM753.9 million, equivalent to 87% of the group’s total revenue. The stronger performance was underpinned by healthy construction progress and robust sales contributions from developments across Andaman Island in Penang as well as the Klang Valley projects. In FY2026, the group achieved record property sales of RM1.4 billion, with unbilled sales reaching RM1.7 billion. The strong sales performance provides healthy earnings visibility for the group and reflects sustained demand across its key developments in Penang and Klang Valley. Managing director Kok Tuck Cheong said, “We are pleased to close FY2026 with encouraging operational momentum, marked by record revenue, profitability, property sales and unbilled sales performance. As we continue to advance the Andaman Island master plan and strengthen our development pipeline, our focus remains on disciplined execution, product differentiation and deli vering long-term value to our stakeholders.” The group plans to launch two residential projects in the coming financial year, while continuing to explore commercial develop ment opportunities within Andaman Island. E&O remains committed to strengthening its position as a premier lifestyle developer through integrated, sustainable and value driven developments.

PETALING JAYA: UK-founded fractional sales leadership provider Sales Geek has expanded into Malaysia, marking its growing presence in Southeast Asia. As part of its market entry efforts, the company recently participated in Franchise International Malaysia 2026 (FIM 2026), where it introduced its Sales Geek Solo licence model designed to support SMEs with structured sales leadership, commercial development, training and mentoring. As part of its expansion, Sales Geek is in discussions with more than 10 prospective partners as it works towards establishing the first five Solo Geeks in its first year in Malaysia. Sales Geek’s operating frameworks, tools and support systems will provide a structured route for these experienced commercial professionals to build their own consulting practices, while working directly with Malaysian businesses on a fractional basis. The move reflects confidence in Malaysia as a high-potential SME market, where micro, small and medium enterprises account for about 97% of businesses in the country. Yet around 60% of Malaysian SMEs do not survive beyond their first five years, often because revenue does not become repeatable quickly enough, or weak sales leadership prevents a strong product from becoming a growth engine. Amid rising operating costs and ongoing market uncertainty, access to experienced sales leadership remains difficult for many smaller businesses that may not require or cannot justify a full-time senior commercial hire. Sales Geek aims to address this gap through its fractional sales leadership model, which provides SMEs with access to part-time sales directors alongside sales mentoring, training and commercial strategy support. Through its model, Sales Geek works with MSMEs by embedding experienced sales leaders into businesses to support sales strategy, pipeline management, forecasting and team development. As Malaysia moves into more specialised sectors, the company plans to build a network of Geeks from varied commercial backgrounds, giving SMEs access to sectoral experience o Fractional sales leadership firm to provide tailored training, mentoring and development support to SMEs

From second left: Niranjan, Few and Simon at Franchise International Malaysia 2026.

India, I have seen the difference it makes when a proven global methodology is delivered by people who understand local business landscapes and challenges. “For Malaysia, the priority is to build a network of Geeks who can sit with SME owners, diagnose where revenue is being lost and help teams make better sales decisions week by week.” Sales Geek Malaysia country manager Simon Suresh said the strong interest generated following FIM 2026 represents an important first step in establishing the company’s local presence and network in Malaysia.

across areas such as technology, manu facturing, logistics, healthcare and professional services while strengthening revenue discipline without full-time overhead. “Malaysia is one of the most dynamic markets in Southeast Asia, and we see a huge opportunity to support the businesses that will shape its next stage of growth,” Sales Geek founder Richard Few said, adding that their role is to make senior sales leadership more accessible so that business owners are not left trying to solve sales strategies alone. Sales Geek Malaysia master licence owner Niranjan Singh said, “Having led Sales Geek in

CIMB records resilient Q1 on disciplined execution of Forward30 strategy PETALING JAYA: CIMB Group Holdings Bhd delivered a resilient performance, recording a net profit of RM1.9 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026 (Q1’26), translating into a return on equity (ROE) of 11% and earnings per share of 17.8 sen. although the impact on NII was partially cushioned by asset growth. Nonetheless, the group is seeing early signs of NIM compression bottoming out, with expenses declined 5.5% QoQ, contributing to an improvement in the cost-to-income ratio to 47.2% in March 2026 from 49.9% in December 2025, while investments in technology, data and AI remained within its target TCIR range of 8–9%. Asset quality remained strong, sheet management and sustained customer activity across our core markets. As Forward30 gains traction, we remain focused on being disciplined with capital, strengthening our funding franchise and making the organisation simpler, better and faster to deliver sustainable long-term returns.”

country-level NIM expanding QoQ by 1bp in Malaysia, 12bps in Singapore and 5bps in Thailand. CIMB’s total assets and gross loans grew marginally during the

The performance reflected the group’s steady underlying momentum despite foreign exchange (FX) and geopolitical headwinds, supported by disciplined execution of its Forward30 strategy. Operating income remained stable quarter on-quarter (QoQ) at RM5.4 billion, supported by strong non-interest income (NOII), which rose 11.9% QoQ to RM1.7 billion on stronger trading and FX income. This helped offset a 5% QoQ decline in net interest income (NII) to RM3.7 billion, due to group net interest margin (NIM) compression of 2bps during the quarter,

“At the same time, we will continue investing in our digital and regional capabilities to strengthen our franchise, deepen customer relationships and capture longer-term growth opportunities across Asean. “As we build for the future, we remain committed to being a trusted partner to our customers and SMEs as they navigate this challenging macro economic environment, including through re payment assistance programmes and cus tomised restructuring and rescheduling solutions to help them build resilience.”

with gross impaired loan ratio maintained at 1.7%, reflecting

disciplined risk management amid a more uncertain macroeconomic environment. Capital and liquidity positions remained robust, with Common Equity Tier 1 ratio at 14.3%, providing sufficient capacity to absorb potential head winds and support future growth. Group CEO Novan Amirudin, said, “We are encouraged by the resilience of our per formance and the early signs of NIM stabilisation, supported by disciplined balance

quarter, while its cash-led strategy continued to gain traction. Total current account saving account (Casa) expanded, bringing the ratio to 43.3% as at March 2026, from 42.7% in December 2025. The group remains relentless in becoming simpler, better and faster to drive productivity and efficiency. CIMB continues to simplify processes, strengthen execution and maintain strict cost discipline. During the quarter, operating