theceomagazine.com | 31“The strong collaboration with General Mills is our key to success. With
the continual support of General Mills and our commitment to enrich
the life of our customers, PARKnSHOP will continue to set world-class
standards of excellence in food retailing.” – Dominic Wong, Managing
Director, PARKnSHOP
vegan and vegetarian lifestyle, and thousands of
restaurants and retailers have jumped onboard.
General Mills is very conscious of this trend and our
natural brands have grown tremendously over the past
five to 10 years, to the point that we’re now one of
the top five organic food companies in the US.”
Through its Wanchai Ferry dumpling brand,
General Mills partnered with Green Monday to
become the first in the industry with an entire line
of certified vegetarian dumplings. “Amazingly, this
product has become our bestseller,” says Piony. This
focus on quality ingredients is also evident in General
Mills’ Häagen-Dazs ice cream, sold in more than
900 Häagen-Dazs shops across 50 countries. “No
matter where it’s sold in Asia, except Japan, the
product is made at our Arras Factory in France out
of just five core ingredients, making it the highest-
density ice cream in the market.”
Despite facing increasingly competitive and
saturated markets, Piony has an ambitious plan to
double the South-East Asia wing of the business
within three years, followed by its counterparts in
North Asia within the next five years. “In the ice
cream segment, our top three markets are Hong
Kong, Taiwan and Korea. In Hong Kong alone,
retailers have introduced more than 200 new products
over the past two years,” she explains. “To maintain
our leading position, we’ve focused on expanding the
category size and driving innovation. From December
to March, we maintained the number one leading
position and reached a record high 40 per cent
market share in the Hong Kong ice cream segment.
In Taiwan and Korea, we rose from third to first place
by a long shot, driving growth in markets that are
either flat or declining.”
Recognising the growing power of the consumer,
General Mills puts the wants and needs of the
consumer first, always. “Internally, we emphasise
collaboration and we play to win while always doing
the right thing,” says Piony. The General Mills
Engaging Leaders Workshop and International
Women’s Network are just two of many initiatives
aimed at fostering a more productive, diverse and
supportive culture. “It’s a huge effort to bring so
many people together, but it creates a powerful
conversation and it brings our culture to life.”
A devotion to the community and the planet
drives the way General Mills does business and
gives back to society. Between 2010 and 2017,
the company’s greenhouse gas emissions footprint
decreased by 11 per cent, and 76 per cent of its
10 priority ingredients are now sustainably sourced.
“General Mills is a proud partner of i-Bakery, a Hong
Kong-based social enterprise that trains and employs
disabled and under-privileged staff. Häagen-Dazs
partners with them to support this social enterprise
by joint promoting its handmade cookies with our
brand and to let society appreciate diversity and equal
opportunities for different groups. We want society to
be aware that diverse groups have the same passion to
contribute well to society,” says Piony.
“I work with people from different cultures,
who speak different languages and are dealing with
different economic circumstances – from developing
regions in South-East Asia to premium mass markets
in Hong Kong and Korea. I’ve learned so much
from these people and it has really opened up my
perspective,” explains Piony. “Good food makes
people happy and brings them together. And you
can see the difference instantly – you can see the
appreciation and the smiles on their faces. We’re
selling happiness, not just a product. We are proud
to continue ‘making food that people love’.”