<<
Sphere
#40
2016
12
new initiatives and the evolution of its
vision. That evolution has seen a new
dimension – Innovation – spliced into the
ASW DNA, adding to the pre-existing
building blocks of Passion, Teamwork,
Commitment and Science.
Mr Lai also made a daring announcement
articulating the new customer strategy
of DARE – Differentiation, Anywhere,
Relationship and Experience. This new
approach will elevate customer interaction
with retailers and products to a higher level
in the new era of retail.
SCALE AND AGILITY
Mr Lai’s strategy for moving forward
encompasses many elements building
on ASW’s natural advantages, like its
massive scale. But he also believes the
company must be able to dance, and
explains, “Our future plan is to continue to
build scale, and, simultaneously, develop
agility. Through more experimentation we
can build innovation into our day-to-day
culture.”
Visiting senior executives from key
suppliers took the agility message on
board. Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, spoke
on a panel at the event. Referring to ASW’s
175th anniversary, Mr Polman said, “I don’t
know where we will be in 175 years, but I
hope we will have the same productive,
constructive and respectful partnership
that we have now with ASW, and that
obviously requires all parties to be agile
and close to the consumer.”
Masahiko Uotani, President and CEO of
Shiseido, was thrilled by the event, saying
he appreciates “learning from ASW’s
capability to be customer focused, data
driven, [and] strategic, yet operational and
front-line oriented”.
PARTNERSHIP THE KEY
Innovation and making the most of digital
assets are essential to the company’s
future. Mr Lai explains, “I need you to
understand that CRM is the new way of
marketing, and not something you will only
do when you have extra budget. It is THE
way of marketing.”
He aims to develop these assets through
partnership, stressing that ASW and
partners must “innovate in the way we
The building blocks for another 175 years of success are cemented
through the strong relationship between ASW and its partners.
