The CEO Magazine Asia — January 2018

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ownership of what they want to do for
the company,” William says. “I want our
employees to feel like they belong and to
learn and grow with the organisation. When
someone makes a mistake for the first time,
they are not penalised; instead, they are
encouraged to learn through the process.
They know that my door is always open and
they can come and talk to me about what
they think we should be doing differently.”
William is also a fan of rewarding success.
“Our people understand and support our
business goals, and we make sure we keep
them abreast of our progress and milestones,”
he says. “Each time the company achieves a
milestone, it gets published in our newsletter
and is celebrated in the team. And every year,
we have a company outing and include every
single person, right down to the store hands.”
William’s attitude towards his employees
extends to his partners and suppliers.
“Distribution is a relationship business,” he
says. “We do not manufacture products, so
we are dependent on suppliers, and on
customers to buy from us. Every distributor
offers the same thing, so it boils down to
how well we manage relationships with all
of our stakeholders.”
When the company first came to Asia, it
spent a lot of time establishing relationships
with suppliers, forming strategies with them
on the types of services it should provide,
what it should stock, and even how it should
set up its offices. “Over the years, suppliers
change, so we try to keep up with what they
require,” William says. Since the company
brought large stock quantities into Asia, it has
been able to do away with minimum order
quantity and shorten turnaround times for
customers. On top of that, William adds, it
doesn’t select market segments but rather
provides services to everyone from the small
equipment manufacturers to large original
equipment manufacturers. “We are moving
away from some of the bigger distributors
who are very selective in the customers they
want to engage. As long as customers want
this kind of service, we will provide it.”
The company’s next step is to evolve
along with the shifting needs in the
electronics industry. “In the past, the

distribution market was basically about

buying and selling, but this has since changed

to a number of additional services that offer

more value. In Asia in particular, we see

ecommerce becoming increasingly important,

so you get a lot of stockists putting their

inventory into a platform where people

can just go in, and buy and sell.” As a result,

the company plans to make a name for itself

in the digital space.

“We have been in the market for five

years and have gone beyond the initial phase

of transition and consolidation,” William

adds. “We will finetune some strategies and

make use of social media tools to continue

promoting our brand because this is

something that is prevalent in the market.”

WHAT MAKES A

GOOD LEADER?

William says there is no one style of leadership,

but as president he ensures he has:

A distinct vision of where the company is going;

clear KPIs;

the ability to pre-empt challenges

and courage to make changes;

an understanding that all problems stop with him;

and a belief that each person is

important to the organisation.

Interview | INNOVATE