The secrets to become a global brand of Philippine corporation

Having 30 years of experiences in the FMCG industry, Irwin Lee was appointed to President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Robina Corporation (URC), the Philippines’ largest Food and Beverage Company, in May 2018.

As the first member outside the Gokongwei family appointed as URC President and CEO, what would you talk about yourself and the company?

URC is the biggest subsidiary of JG Summit, one of the largest Filipino conglomerates and founded by John Gokongwei. URC is also the fastest-growing food and beverage manufacturer in ASEAN. From a family company, URC has transformed into the first “Philippines Pan-ASEAN multinational” with annual revenue of US$2.5 billion.

I have been working in the FMCG industry for 30 years, starting from P&G Philippines and then in various big markets in America, Asia and Europe. After 26 years working overseas, I returned to Manila and became the CEO of Jardine Matheson’s Dairy Farm Philippines, a Hong Kong retail company. This year, Dairy Farm Philippines merged with Robinsons Retail, a subsidiary of JG Summit.

Being the first outsider CEO of URC is an intriguing pressure to me as all my predecessors were members of the Gokongwei family. My biggest challenge is to safeguard the entrepreneurial spirit of the family and marry that with the more operating discipline to deal with the complexity of a multinational corporation.

Would you please share your experience to promote an Asian brand to an international level?

There are three prerequisites for developing an international brand. First, the enterprise’s leader must have a perceptive mindset about brand-building. Many Asian companies are too comfortable with OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) or outsourcing for large brands and focus only on volume rather than value. Understanding the positioning and meaning of the brand will help build a strong, stable brand in every market.

Second, enterprises need to focus on people development. Apart from the rotation of human resources, the training for local talents is also important. I believe that when we take good care of employees, they will be wholeheartedly committed to the business.

Third, enterprises need a long-term investment strategy. Sometimes, the large investment is essential for sustainable development. For example, URC has invested nearly $200 million in facilities and plants in Vietnam. Long-term investment in people, production, management, and markets is very important.

What is your advice for Vietnamese businesses to reach out to the international market?

Aside from the above elements, World-class quality standards is also an important thing that needs to focus on. There are opinions that products from emerging market are of low quality, but I do not think so. For example, URC Vietnam exports products to nine markets, including Japan. Products exported to Japan need very high quality and we are able to do that in Vietnam.

Could you share more about the position of URC Vietnam in the development strategy of the Group?

Vietnam is a critical market and one of the two largest markets of URC. URC Vietnam has successfully built the reputation of its "made in Vietnam" products on the international market. As the first market to receive FSSC certification, URC Vietnam has demonstrated its products comply with international standards for safety and quality, supporting the growth of URC in its current export markets. Vietnam also has good sources of materials such as coffee and sugar. This makes Vietnam an important driver for URC’s international success.