theceomagazine.com | 113results, but at the same time ensure that
the means are not sacrificed.”
With the FMCG industry being
highly competitive, Ramon reinforces the
importance of jumping on opportunities
that present themselves. “It is not always
the biggest that wins nowadays. The
ones that are faster to act and execute- excellently – can also beat the more
established and better resourced brands.”
And the key to securing the upper hand
in the FMCG market? Gaining as much
information on consumer habits as possible.
“In-depth and insightful information allows
us to better understand the motivations,
influences and behaviour of our consumers - especially the younger generation. If the
information is not readily available, we need
to be creative to go out and source it –
go to the market and talk to the sari-sari
[variety] stores, or the wet market stall
owners, and conduct informal interviews
with our users, shoppers and consumers.
“Let me point out that shoppers and
consumers are not necessarily one and the
same. A shopper may be buying our product,
but they are not necessarily the final
consumer; thus, we need to understand
triggers of purchase and consumption
from both groups. As they say, the devil
is in the detail. When working on major
projects, I look at all the details with
the team; the intent is to ensure that the
customer–consumer experience is as good
as we can make it for them, so we need
to look at it from all angles.”
While the company ultimately seeks
higher revenues and better employee
retention rates, Ramon believes true success
is about the journey. “I enjoy the walk- and the run too – but I do not focus on
just reaching the end, rather on what I learn,
my successes and failures as I move towards
my aspirations and life goals. Sometimes the
failures are an even stronger source of
strengthening than the wins,” he says.
HAVING COURAGEOUS DISCUSSIONS
Fly Ace Corporation is developing an open communication environment where employees
are encouraged to openly discuss issues or opportunities. “We need to bring the ability of all
members of the company to a level where they can be comfortable discussing such matters
and be able to individually, or collectively, do something about it,” Ramon says.
“The best way to describe the cooperation between
Arla Foods and Fly Ace Corporation is with the term
mutual respect. The cooperation between our companies
shows how much you can achieve when you move
from a transactional relationship to a true partnership.”- Jens Christian Krog Nielsen, General Manager, Arla
Foods Philippines
Interview | INNOVATE