What's Up - July 2019 What's Up - July 2019 | Page 26

BUILDING THE FUTURE
The highly empowered CEO shares his vision and the fundamentals of the
business to running one of the Malaysia’s leading and renowned halal
beverage companies.
Q: How has the journey been so far?
It has been a fantastic journey. I knew of the
company from outside and have been a witness
to what has been executed in the market. When
I joined the company, I realised it’s even stronger
than what it looks from the outside. One of the
things that really stands out is the very strong
Etikan culture, which brings a lot of pride in
what we do and how do it. People have been
great: I received so much of support from
everyone. It’s a feeling of being home, even
when I am out of home. Thank you.
Q: How do you see the company changing in
two years and how do you see yourself
creating that change?
I believe we will become even stronger than
where we are today! The fundamentals of the
company are strong and we will further
strengthen these fundamentals. We will
accelerate our journey of being a healthier
company with more strengthened brands.
Initiatives that are being put in place today are
designed to cater to the changing needs of our
consumers. The journey to becoming a
healthier company will be fun and sustainable.
We together will create new milestones of
success and will make sure we have fun in the
journey.
Q: What are some of the areas of focus or
innovation within this company?
Innovation wise, while it’s very broad, it is about
doing things differently and doing it better. We
will always continue to be fast, nimble and lean
and more effective than competition, allowing
us to grow faster.
In terms of pure product innovation, the world is
moving towards health and wellness. As
consumer life span increases, they are
increasingly seeking solutions that are healthier
driven by their need to live longer healthier.
There is generally a trend of people watching
what they consume. We are a beverage solution-
provider and it is our responsibility to ensure
that we align ourselves to the changes in
consumer trend. The journey to becoming an
even healthier company would require us to
break our products into four segments: fun for
you, good for you, better for you, and must for
you. We will be increasingly focusing more on
the good for you and better for you product
segments as we move forward. Having said that,
as we embark on this “healthier” journey, we
will also ensure that the indulgence and
sensorial experience that consumers seek and
need are not compromised. Overall, we will
further strengthen our current brands via
innovation and come out much stronger as an
organisation.