theceomagazine.com | 167“Always working with customers and product quality in mind,
Swire Coca-Cola has been set for success from the very beginning.
TCP is pleased to support the Swire Beverage team, and is proud
to be part of the winning team.” – Fred Kuo, CEO/President and owner,
TCP Pioneer Incorporated
building new avenues for growth in the new
economy, because we want to be as successful in
the next 50 years as we have been in the past 50.”
Throughout his conversation with The CEO
Magazine, Neil names this transition from the
traditional economy as his single biggest challenge
as Executive Director, and says that as a leader with
Swire, his agenda has been to embrace this change.
It’s a point he emphasises humorously when he’s
asked about his favourite soft drink.
“My assistant can tell you what that is,” he starts.
“She sees me drinking it every day; it’s Coke Zero
in a glass bottle. I drink it all the time because here
in Hong Kong, there’s a large market for returnable
glass bottles. People will always see me with a bottle
of Coke Zero on my desk because it’s my favourite
drink and I can return the bottle.” For Neil, who
looks after Swire Coca-Cola’s operations in Hong
Kong and Taiwan, drinking from returnable bottles
isn’t about collecting a handful of cents from a
collection depot. It’s about being sustainable.
“If it’s in a returnable glass bottle, I know it’s
going to get washed and recycled and returned to
the market,” he says. “It’s part of what I was saying
about the ‘new economy’ that values health, wellness
and our environment. I’d like to think we can lead
the way on that front.” To emphasise his point, he
circles back to how the value of sustainability now
applies to expectations in the beverage industry.
“Drinks must now be made in a sustainable way,
and we’ve got to recognise the health and wellness
trends. That’s why we’re a part of a group of bottlers,
retailers and recycling companies across Hong Kong
that are taking the lead to reduce the amount of
beverage packaging going to landfill. It’s called ‘Drink
Without Waste’, and we’ve made bold commitments
to that program that clearly supports our own
sustainability strategy and plans. These commitments
fall under what we call the four ‘Rs’ – reduce,
redesign, recover and recycle. So, we’re doing what
we can to improve packaging designs, facilitate better
recovery and use more recycled materials when we
make and distribute our drinks.”
Neil shares that as part of the company’s ongoing
sustainability commitments, Swire Coca-Cola will
develop a plastic bottle recycling plant set to open
in 2020. In a joint venture with Baguio Waste
Management and Recycling and ALBA Group Asia,
the facility will recycle polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
bottles and use the latest technologies in waste
water management.
With operations likely to begin in the second
half of 2020, he says recycling efforts like these
will help cement Swire’s continued presence in the
soft drink market. “We are leaders in many of the
categories in which we play,” explains Neil. “This
base plus our clear vision to transition from the old
to the new economy, ensures we’re all geared up to
continue our success.”
All of this is a part of Neil’s efforts to make the
company an ‘employer of choice’ in Hong Kong.
As the labour market in the country continues to
tighten, he says that a company that is seen as green
and growing will be one of the ways he can ensure
it continues to lead in the market.
“I’ve been clear that I want this business to be
a place where people come and feel as if they can
learn, contribute and feel valued. If we can prove
ourselves in the new economy, we will have people
working here who can help Swire continue to grow,
which is important for a lot of reasons.”“The new economy...
values health, wellness and
our environment.
I’d like to think we can lead
the way on that front.”
Interview | INVEST