theceomagazine.com | 75“This is an exceptional partnership that allows us to
collaborate and innovate, particularly in the areas
of audience segmentation and consumer purchase
journey coupled with strong ideas that differentiate.”- Michelle Achuthan, Managing Director,
Wavemaker Malaysia
complexity and ambiguity’ of many situations.
To adjust to these challenges, Tarang now sees
long-term planning as a crucial element of his
management style.
“Operating in an extremely complex, uncertain
and ambiguous environment has taught me a lot,
with respect to planning for these factors,” he says.
“Keeping them in mind and not getting stuck with
short-term solutions are paramount. I must have
a long-term vision and need to ensure our path
heads towards that vision.”
Given the realities of the dairy market in Malaysia,
it’s a crucial strategy for the Malaysia-based milk
manufacturer and distributor. Tarang predicts both the
devaluation of the Malaysian ringgit and the rising
price of milk will disrupt the market and, as 70 per
cent of Dutch Lady Malaysia’s product costs are from
milk, the company will need to adjust. Tarang doesn’t
consider these as challenges, however. He sees them
as opportunities to improve the company. “We doTHE MORE WE CAN
SIMPLIFY,
THE MORE RETURN
WE GET FROM
(^) THE EFFORT
OUR PEOPLE PUT IN.
expect volatility from a macro-economic point of
view,” he says. “We are going to adjust by making the
organisation far more efficient, leaner and smarter.”
Simplicity is, therefore, the watchword for Tarang’s
definition of leadership. “From the top, you miss the
complexity that each employee experiences, so we do
continuous surveys of employees,” says Tarang. “This
is to work out how we can simplify our organisation,
and to look at the challenges that people face. The
more we can simplify, the more return we get from
the effort our people put in. At the end of it, we’re
going to get much more value back.”
But there’s one aspect of an organisation that
Tarang considers more important than its efficiency
and simplicity – its people. A concept he’s picked up
from investors’ writings is investing in people, not
ideas. Sometimes, Tarang worries, leaders can get
bogged down with KPIs, market share and other
metrics to the point of forgetting about the people.
He believes half of a leader’s time should be spent
on their team.
As part of his focus on his people, Tarang grants
them autonomy and relative independence. “I tell
every employee they’re the CEO of their own
territory,” he says. “‘Make the decision, be accountable
for it, go and try it out.’ That’s the power of
empowerment. I call it an owner’s mindset. You
manage your own P&L; you do the best for your
business. Each employee has freedom to complete
their duties. But they’re also accountable for it. And
I’ve seen some fantastic results.”
Though Tarang refers here to the people within
Dutch Lady Malaysia, the company’s efforts extend to
supporting the people of Malaysia. For example, it
launched its ‘Drink. Move. Be Strong’ campaign in
2014, encouraging kids to drink more milk, get active
and play outside (to combat malnutrition, obesity and
vitamin D deficiency). The company’s mission is to
ensure good health for children nationwide, and this
goal, says Tarang, motivates its employees to get to
work each day.
“In the end, our employees feel really proud of
what we do,” he says. “So we have a very strong sense
of purpose.”
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