theceomagazine.com | 105In South-East Asia, MattenPlant eventually made
the cut. After getting to know SKion for some time,
I knew that it would make a good investor for
the company to grow,” DS explains. “As of today,
MattenPlant remains the first and only Asian water
company Susanne has invested in. To me, it is a
privilege to have SKion as MattenPlant’s investor.”
With SKion on board, MattenPlant decided to
reposition itself away from mainly oil and gas sectors
to also include the food and beverage industry. As a
result, the company has started to supply to big-name
brands, including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.
The journey to building an exceptional water
company starts with employing the right people.
For DS, cultivating talent begins with getting them
to understand the ‘why’.
“That’s a core part of the business direction and
culture of the company,” he says. “We focus a lot on
how we can motivate our people by giving them the
reason why they are here with us, before we address
what to do and how we do it.
“We want to drive it in their minds that what we
expect from them is to be an extraordinary member
of the MattenPlant group. We are looking at people
who are willing to walk the extra mile.”
To further develop the company’s workers, DS has
made the business environment more conducive to
younger engineers. “I have often said to my staff
that in order to resonate with them, we can only
change ourselves,” he explains.
“We can’t expect the younger ones to follow
the way we used to work. My philosophy is that
I have to come down to their level and understand
what really interests them.”
One of the strategies DS has implemented is
the idea of ‘dressing down’ to make workers feel
more comfortable and creative in their work
environment. “In a way, we are trying to mimic
what the IT industry has done to attract and retain
younger talent,” he says. “We want to promote an
environment they want to come in to and do the
work. If we required them to dress like bankers on
a day-to-day basis, they would feel it’s too stifling.”
In future, DS wants to see MattenPlant on par
with some of the major water-treatment companies
in Europe in terms of innovation and service.
“Technology alone is not enough,” he says. “The
sad thing is that even if a company puts in a lot of
effort in terms of innovation and R&D, at the end
of the day your competitors are going to catch up.
Over the next 10–20 years, I believe there will be
more emphasis on evaluating services. You must have
the people who can manage themselves in order to
provide the best service to the customer.”“We a r e looking at people who are
willing to walk the extra mile.”