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Tips to Krafting Success
Synonymous with tasty treats, Kraft Foods is one of the world's largest food companies. Beyond iconic snacks like Oreo, Cadbury, Nabisco, and Jacobs, Kraft's portfolio also includes many well-known beverages, cheese, convenient meals, and grocery items that line both the aisles and cupboards of stores and homes worldwide. A company like Kraft with annual revenues of US$49.2 billion needs a powerhouse team to keep it going. One of its driving forces is Varun Bhatia, Vice President of Human Resources in the Asia Pacific region, based in the Singapore office.
A veteran of the consumer business industry, Varun joined Kraft Foods in May 2008. Prior to joining Kraft, he was with Proctor & Gamble for three years - a stint that followed a sixteen-year career with The Gillette Company. With over two decades of experience under his belt, Varun has seen the industry grow with the times.
Here are a few of his tips for individuals interested to join the attractive and fast-paced world of consumer business:
With your vast experience in the consumer business industry for the past two decades, how have you seen the industry developed?
The Consumer industry is one of the most dynamically stable industries today. What I mean by this is that it's very dynamic because it continues to rapidly evolve because of the tracking and understanding that is required of the ever-changing trends in consumer and shopper behaviour. On the other hand, it's a stable industry from the point of view of the established business models, steady financial returns and the continuity of good governance and management due to the huge investments made over decades in talent development.
Singapore strives to be Asia's Lifestyle Lab for Consumer Business, how do you think Singapore has performed so far?
Singapore is a great hub for diverse consumers - Chinese, Malays, Indians, Caucasians. It also has the potential to become an innovation hub of sorts for companies interested in "test and learn" environments that are conducive to business interests. The city also offers excellent infrastructure which enables companies to focus on delivering on its goals.
What would be your advice to bright and young talent who are interested to join the consumer business industry? Any skill sets that you would recommend that they hone to make them more relevant for this industry?
I believe all successful Managers should have or develop, irrespective of function, what I call "the 5-C's":
- Connection - not only in terms of building networks, but also in seeing linkages between two unlikely things. This is the "spark" for any change.
- Conviction - this is a given. If you don't have conviction for what you believe in with a great deal of intellectual honesty, you can't build a fire from the spark.
- Commitment - to whatever you do is critical and that's to do with "lasting power" to keep the fire going.
- Courage - plays a very important role, to make tough choices and decisions, and is needed when you need to put your hand in the fire to save something despite all odds.
- Compassion - the genuine caring and empathy for people's wellbeing so that like the fire, you spread warmth in people's lives.
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