Kota Kinabalu: Despite spending six years building a life and business network in the United Kingdom, Cheryl Ellron keeps coming back to Sabah.
The Keningau native, founder and Director of Ellron Consulting Services Ltd, was a moderator at a Business Events (BE) Sabah session on how associations are shaping transformation in the business events industry.
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After attending as a guest last year, she now returns in a leadership role she sees as part of a broader responsibility to bring international exposure back to the state.
Cheryl runs a consultancy that supports companies entering new markets, particularly the UK and Europe, while also facilitating partnerships into Southeast Asia.
Her work spans alliances in China, Indonesia and across Europe, and she collaborates closely with the UK’s Department for Business and Trade to connect British firms with opportunities in the region.
Her entrepreneurial journey began with Makan Bites, an e-commerce platform that distributes more than 300 Malaysian products across the UK.
What started as an online store has since evolved into a wider ecosystem supporting food and beverage brands, fast-moving consumer goods and niche Southeast Asian snacks seeking entry into overseas markets.
“Before entering any market, companies need to understand where they stand. Are they exploring, or are they scaling? Capacity, pricing and culture all matter,” she said.
Just last week, Cheryl was invited to the House of Lords, the independent upper chamber of the UK Parliament, for discussions on green energy, bioenergy and sustainability.
The invitation placed the Sabahan alongside policymakers and industry leaders, offering insight into how future-focused sectors are being shaped at the highest level.
The experience, she said, reinforced how much untapped potential Sabah holds, particularly in sustainability and international trade. However, she is candid about what she sees as a persistent gap at home.
“There’s still opportunity here — a lot of it. But exposure isn’t reaching everyone equally, especially young women,” she stressed.
Having carried out community work in her hometown and surrounding areas, Cheryl believes Sabah’s next phase of development depends on how effectively it prepares and includes its younger generation.
“We’re not short of talent. We’re not short of education. Women are just not always given the chance to lead. If I can contribute in any way, I will. It’s about making sure the opportunities are there, and that they’re real,” she said.
She openly acknowledges ambitions to step into leadership in the future, viewing female representation as essential to Sabah’s competitiveness rather than merely symbolic.
For now, her focus remains on building bridges between markets, urging Sabah businesses to strengthen their footing within Asean before venturing into more volatile markets such as the UK.
At the same time, she sees the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) and the state’s growing events ecosystem as gateways to global visibility.
With the right promotion and sustained collaboration, she believes Sabah has the ingredients to position itself as a serious destination for international business gatherings.
