Do Good and Do Well: A Motivational Talk by Mr. Tng

On September 27, Mr Tng Ah Yiam, current Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Merchandising at NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Ltd, was invited to SIM University to share his personal career experience.

Honourable speaker, Mr Tng Ah Yiam giving background information about NTUC Fairprice

Background of FairPrice

The first instalment of the C-Level Talk Series started with an introduction to NTUC’s founding back in 1973 as a social enterprise. Since then, it has grown into a major market player that holds a 60 percent market share in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, and has an annual turnover of up to 3.5 billion dollars. While pointing out that FairPrice may be small when compared with a global giant like Wal-Mart, which has a turnover of approximately 480 billion dollars, its role in ensuring Singapore’s food security is one that should not be overlooked. Mr. Tng’s responsibilities, among others, is to ensure price competitiveness, variety, food safety and quality.

Highlight of the Event

The question and answer session was the highlight of the entire event. Many intriguing questions were asked. When asked how FairPrice intends to tackle changing consumer buying behaviours with the increasing popularity of online retail stores like RedMart, Mr. Tng pointed out that “retail is detail,” and cited the importance of learning from other countries like China and the US. He gave the example of collaborating with Costco in America and adapting its Warehouse Club concept.

Year 2 Marketing Student Derrick during the Q&A session.

[endif]--Another noteworthy question was about how does Fairprice manage a food crisis. He pointed out that during the SARS outbreak, fresh fruits and vegetables were flown in from Australia, despite its high cost. Similarly, when exports from Malaysia were blocked during the avian flu outbreak, eggs were brought in from New Zealand.

An Inspiring Story

Mr. Tng’s work life was perhaps what inspired many of us in the audience. Having entered the workforce as a fresh graduate during an economic crisis more than two decades ago, he started from a humble position as a retail assistant, and slowly worked his way up to his current position.

Despite having no experience in purchasing, Mr. Tng was chosen for the position as the buyer. He stood out among the rest because of his strong presentation skills and the confidence he exhibited in his speech. In an exchange that showed his funny side, he shared that on one occasion, an interviewer pointed out the irony of having Mr. Tng Ah Yiam (ayam, which means “chicken” in Malay) talk about egg shortages in Singapore amid the avian flu outbreak.

When asked about the secret to his success, Mr. Tng said to “Do good and do well.” He noted the importance of passion and emphasised that a ‘job which pays you to learn new skills’ should be treasured. As Steve Job once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

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