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MRCA Southern Business Talk: Growth & Innovation MRCA brought together business leaders to expound on growth and innovation in today’s complex business environment. ecognising the rapidly evolving business landscape and its growth potential alongside innovation, the Malaysian Retail Chain Association’s Southern Chapter hosted its Southern Business Talk themed “Growth & Innovation” and a forum on innovation themed “Sustainability through Innovative Disruption”. Held on 28 February 2020 at the Paragon Private and International School in Johor Bahru, the talk featured several prominent business leaders who shared insights on navigating the increasingly complex market environment. The session was attended by about 200 members of MRCA and guests. The Organising Chairperson of MRCA Southern Business Talk 2020 was Bruce Ban. Also in attendance were Michael Liew, Chief of MRCA Southern Chapter
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Malaysia Retailer Vol 8 No 2
and Dato’ Bruce Lim, Deputy Secretary of MRCA.
CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO One of the keynote speakers for the event was Pierre Pang, General Manager of MAMEE Group and Founder of Eightedge Solutions, digital and advertising agency. Beginning with an introduction to the 50-year old MAMEE Group which is 100 per cent family owned, Pang shared on the Group’s progress and expansion over the last half a century. Exporting to over 80 markets and with 8 factories in 3 countries, MAMEE has had quite an illustrious journey over the years. Its aspiration for 2020 is to achieve a turnover of RM1 billion. Pang explains that as modern consumers evolve, businesses need to also evolve to stay relevant. He adds
that in today’s business environment, it is important to embrace digitalisation and gain an understanding of human motivations as well as psychology, in order to effectively cater to the market. He stresses the importance of combining data and innovation to understand the market and to deliver outstanding products and services. At MAMEE, Pang explains, innovation is a key priority in the company’s business direction, which has led the Group to introduce various new products to entice consumers’ taste buds. Pang adds that in today’s market, retailers and marketers sell experiences and not merely products. He believes that MAMEE’s leadership in the snack food business is because the Group believes that “there is always a better way of doing things” and to “always challenge the status quo”.
