Starbucks Malaysia has earned top honors for its employment practices at the Aon Hewitt Best Employers of 2015 Awards.

The Best of the Best award was presented to Starbucks Malaysia at the Awards Presentation and Learning Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

The Aon Hewitt Best Employers Award is one of the most prestigious awards recognising companies with strong employee engagement, high-performance culture, effective leadership and a compelling brand. Aon Hewitt’s research is conducted over nine months and is active in a dozen Asia Pacific markets, including China, Japan, Australia, and Malaysia. The Malaysian survey was completed in partnership with TalentCorp Malaysia.

Sydney Quays, MD of Starbucks Malaysia and Brunei, called the honor “one of the most significant recognitions that a company could get in validation to its human resources practices and talent management initiatives”.

“We’re known for our coffee, but our people make us famous,” Quays added.

A substantial part of Starbucks recognition was related to the company’s efforts to retain, engage and motivate partners.

“Retention starts from hiring the right talent,” said June Beh, partner resources and compliance director for Starbucks Malaysia and Brunei.

“We also highly invest in the training of every partner (employee) empowering them with the necessary skills and knowledge.”

Starbucks store manager Desmond Soon was given the opportunity last year to lead a district for the company. “This allowed me to create a lasting connection with the community, to be involved in company programs, and to share our amazing stories with customers,” Soon said.

Starbucks Malaysia opened in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and today has more than 190 stores across the country.