How 19 Years Shaped the Way I Lead, Think and Work
Nineteen Years, One Page
Over 19 years in Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, I have led brands, teams, and full P&Ls across beauty, skincare, haircare, beverages and healthcare, working closely with R&D, market research, supply chain and commercial partners across Asia-Pacific. These roles trained me to think in hypotheses, design and test solutions, interpret complex data, and turn insight into execution at scale. As I move into bioscience and research, I draw on what I do best—making sense of data, breaking complex problems into actionable steps, working collaboratively, and turning ideas into practical, measurable outcomes.
Rhoto Mentholatum Singapore
Business Director
What This Role Meant to Me
This was my first true general management role—running an entire P&L while steering everything from marketing and sales to regulatory, HR, and distributor management. It stretched me in every direction: influencing the Japanese board on macro-strategy while handling daily execution on the ground. This role shaped my “CEO view”—balancing long-term strategic clarity with operational precision.
What I Delivered
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Led full P&L and built annual/long-term strategies that strengthened brand equity across Hada Labo, Sunplay, Oxy, Acnes, and Lipcare.
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Achieved revenue and operating profit targets; upgraded workflows to MNC-standard processes.
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Drove distributor transition (DKSH → Zuellig) for stronger execution.
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Elevated brand positioning through TV commercials, retail activation and in-house creative capability.
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Optimised media ROI and led senior customer negotiations (Watsons, Guardian, wholesalers).
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Built and coached high-performing cross-functional team.
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Introduced digital roadmaps and anchored qualitative research for strategic direction.
Transferable strengths
strategic thinking, P&L ownership, complex system leadership, stakeholder management, organizational transformation.
Johnson & Johnson
(Neutrogena APAC)
Regional Innovation & Portfolio Lead
What This Role Meant to Me
This role let me experience the full innovation lifecycle—from a paper concept to a finished product on shelves across Asia. I worked hand-in-hand with R&D and cross-functional teams on formulation, claims, textures, testing, packaging, advertising, and research design. Managing the 3-year regional portfolio sharpened my strategic lens and showed me the joy of cross-country collaboration. Seeing products I shaped being launched regionally was deeply rewarding.
What I Delivered
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Owned regional 3-year portfolio strategies across key skincare categories, delivering +12% (2010) and +11% (2011) growth.
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Led end-to-end innovation lifecycle, launching 19 new products across Asia.
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Developed 13 successful regional advertising copies through data-driven testing.
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Co-created the region’s first dermatology-collaboration PR launch kit.
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Standardized regional brand execution and strengthened Beauty Advisor capability.
Transferable strengths
scientific curiosity, R&D collaboration, hypothesis-driven testing, experiment design, cross-cultural leadership.
L’Oréal Group
(Lancôme + L’Oréal Paris)
Brand Manager & Group Brand Manager
What This Role Meant to Me
L’Oréal taught me the blend of creative artistry and disciplined execution. I thrived in the fast pace environment, creating trend-driven storytelling for makeup, hair, and skincare. Managing Lancôme deepened my appreciation for luxury brand building, from motivating frontline beauty advisors to partnering with global HQ. I grew tremendously under leaders who encouraged innovation and bold ideas.
What I Delivered
​Lancôme (Luxury Division):
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Stabilized sales performance and lifted PR ranking into Top 5.
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Revamped Customer Relationship Management, trade plans and Beauty Advisor (BA) training to rebuild customer recruitment and loyalty.
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Elevated prestige image through differentiated activations and premium media strategy.
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Reduced BA turnover by 8% through capability networks and structured coaching.
​L’Oréal Paris (Consumer Division):
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Led strategy and plans for seven major brands in skincare, makeup and haircare.
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Grew Derma-Expertise share from 11% → 14% through strong category pillar execution.
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Turned around Maquillage makeup from -5% → +11% with trend-led campaigns.
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Sustained haircare/hair colour leadership with innovative local strategies.
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Led major consumer research programs and facilitated 60+ focus groups.
Transferable strengths
storytelling, innovation mindset, consumer psychology, team leadership, data-informed creative strategy.
Estée Lauder Companies
Clinique Marketing Manager
(APAC)
What This Role Meant to Me
My entry into the beauty world. This was where I discovered skincare science—formulation, evidence, and ingredients. It also sparked my realization that I wanted deeper scientific grounding beyond marketing narratives. Working regionally opened my worldview and gave me confidence in collaborating across cultures and markets.
What I Delivered
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Created the region’s signature 3-2-1 campaign, later adopted across all APAC affiliates.
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Led Travel Retail assortment and coordinated regional new product rollouts.
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Drove inflight advertising and catalogues, resulting in measurable sales uplift.
Transferable strengths
scientific curiosity, evidence awareness, cross-functional execution, regional coordination.
Coca-Cola Company
Group Brand Manager
What This Role Meant to Me
Coca-Cola was where I truly honed data-driven thinking. The company’s research ecosystem was unparalleled—quantitative testing, qualitative research, Nielsen, and proprietary CCV analytics. This role taught me how to synthesize dozens of data streams into clear direction. It is the closest analogue to scientific analysis I’ve experienced in industry.
What I Delivered
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Built portfolio and brand strategies for Tea & Juice and F&N categories.
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Re-staged Heaven & Earth, driving +20% growth (from -17%), and launched Asia’s first ready-to-drink White Tea.
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Delivered 12 innovations through structured pipeline management.
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Led deep consumer analytics across Nielsen, proprietary CCV, and custom research to drive insight-led decision making.
Transferable strengths
quantitative analysis, insight generation, structured experimentation, innovation management.
Unilever
Management Trainee →
Sales & Marketing Roles
What This Role Meant to Me
Unilever shaped my foundations. I learnt sales “from the ground”, and marketing “from the top”. The company trusted me early with regional projects and culture-change facilitation, teaching me how to lead senior stakeholders even as a junior. These experiences built the resilience, humility, and cross-functional fluency that shaped my entire career.
What I Delivered
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Launched Organics (+23% growth; share +11% → 13.7%) and Dove Hair (9.2% share in 3 months).
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Rolled out regional customer management and trade investment frameworks.
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Achieved strong customer growth (+8% NTUC, +15% Royal Ahold, +12% Cold Storage).
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Selected as one of 10 facilitators to drive internal culture change across the company.
Transferable strengths
facilitation, organizational change, stakeholder alignment, foundational leadership.
Certifications
Graduate Diploma Financial Management - Singapore Institute of Management (1998)
L'Oreal Insights to Senior Management - CEDEP, Fontainbleau, France (2008)
China-European International Business School - Shanghai (2007)
Japanese Proficiency Test L4 ( 2009)