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STAFF CONTRIBUTION
EXPLORERS’
TALES
FREDDY OH
(Myanmar)
Having lived in various developing countries has
really opened my eyes, ears and most importantly,
my mind. I cherish the chances of working with
teams that have profound geographical, political
and cultural diversity. Along the way I have built
on the intricacies of communication and delicate
weaving of interpersonal skills that have honed my
constantly improving management competencies.
Now that I am in Myanmar, in what the corporate
world has termed as “Asia’s Last Frontier”, in
which I believe will be a real adventure. With the
belief of ‘What’s a world without competition?’
MacCoffee has bravely set foot here, where over
20 instant coffee brands are contending for a
leading share of the market.
Our first brand building effort kicked off in style
in January 2013 – signing up Miss Myanmar who
took part in the 2012 Miss International pageant
contest held in Osaka, Japan and instantly won
2 accolades for “People’s Choice” and “Miss
Internet”. Notably, this is the first time a Myanmar national has represented her country in a
world pageant in the past twenty years. In hot pursuit, MacCoffee has sponsored Myanmar’s first
International Marathon. In short, MacCoffee strives to build up its international stature clearly and
has adopted the motto “OPEN MY WORLD” as its brand positioning statement in Myanmar.
Coincidentally, “OPEN MY WORLD” appropriately sums up my journey of discovery.
Thank You, Food Empire.
AARON CHOO
(Iran)
Having the opportunity to represent Food
Empire in the Middle East, my posting to
the capital of Tehran has been a colourful
and exciting discovery of a new culture and
lifestyle. What we know of Iran is based
on the ‘closed’ news that reports on their
multiple economic and political sanctions
over these years, however, upon moving
here, I’ve discovered a totally opposite
outlook on the daily life of Iranians.
Although the wages and quality of life are
not on par with that of Singapore, due to
their limited access to the outside world,
the people here live in peace due to their
friendly disposition and outlook on life.
Being a representative of Food Empire here,
we are hoping to gain business resilience
after the second half of 2012, which
can only be achieved after the upcoming
Presidential elections, estimating the revision
of government legislations and control of
the country’s economy.
I have discovered that there’s more than
meets the eye when you live abroad,
especially in ‘unchartered’ territory such as
Tehran, Iran, where our perceptions have
been fully influenced by what we know of
them via various news outlets, instead of
experiencing first hand ourselves.
SERGEY ANISIMKIN
(Russia)
I came to Food Empire knowing that we could
collectively take MacCoffee and grow it into a
leading brand within a highly competitive market.
And I wasn’t wrong.
Upon taking over leadership of the factory, I set my
first priorities into motion: to put together a reliable
team of managers in order to motivate factory staff
and lead them towards a common goal.
Having introduced a new, more efficient
management system, retaining our old practices,
the process of training a new employee was
reduced, yet it ensured more well-rounded and
knowledgeable workers. With the acquisition of
the new Food Empire factory in Ukraine, I am
proud to say that they had modelled their factory
management practices after ours.
I can proudly say that destiny brought the MacCoffee group and I together, alongside Sudeep
and Amrish, and a dream team of colleagues both on and off the factory floor, opening up more
opportunities, and always being ready to give my time, energy and to share my experiences for
the continuous improvement of the factory and its products.
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