An extra sense of responsibility comes with supplying a product intimately connected with Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage, but Harvey Uong knows what’s expected and takes it all in his stride.
As managing director of FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong), he oversees a number of milk-based brands covering the spectrum from infant formula to mass-market beverages and healthy drinks for those over 40.
But the one best known to most Hongkongers is probably the firm’s Black & White evaporated milk, sold in cans and widely regarded as an essential ingredient in any cup of traditional, local-style milk tea served up in a typical cha chaan teng.
“This type of milk tea is now recognised as characteristic of the city, and we are committed to preserving the craft and passing it on to the next generation,” says Uong, noting the company will mark its 80th anniversary in Hong Kong next year. “Our brand has become synonymous with an authentic cup.”
Born into a solidly middle-class family in the Philippines, Uong attended a Jesuit school before progressing in 1995 to a four-year BSc in management at Ateneo de Manila University.
His mother was a housewife and his father a self-made man who ran a successful furniture business, yet subscribed to the view that no job is too menial if you do it with dignity. Rather than insisting on the family firm, they allowed Harvey to follow his passion which, in broad terms, was figuring out what makes people tick and why they buy certain things.
On graduation, that interest translated neatly into a job as an assistant brand manager with Procter & Gamble in Manila, and Uong was in his element learning the ins and outs of the consumer goods space.
“University was fun, but it also taught me the value of hard work and not to take anything for granted,” he says. “Sometimes, people work very hard and are not given the breaks, but after two years, I was able to make the jump from P&G into management consulting.”
He then joined the Boston Consulting Group in Singapore and, over the next 10 years, handled a wide range of assignments in Southeast Asia, China and North America. The focus was usually advising clients on turnaround strategies and implementation, which meant being analytically rigorous, understanding the drivers behind each business, tapping people with greater expertise, and leaving no stone unturned.
“However, what looks good on paper doesn’t always materialise or work out in practice,” he says. “Realising that taught me to be upfront, to correct course when necessary, and to accept that you are never 100 per cent right all the time.”
Wanting a more direct involvement, he moved on to McDonald’s in Singapore in 2010 to look after strategic initiatives, marketing and operations. That soon led to broader responsibilities for countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Africa.
But when, in 2013, FrieslandCampina, a Dutch dairy co-operative owned by 19,000 farmers, needed a business strategy director for consumer products in Asia, working from a base in Singapore, the opportunity was too good to resist.
“A job like that starts with having very clear priorities for the year; not all markets require the same level of attention,” Uong says. “I would set regional plans and growth acceleration strategies. I didn’t want to be viewed as someone just swooping in and telling the local teams what to do.”
Whenever choosing a new employer, he has made a point of looking for a clear corporate purpose and something that resonates on a personal level. The particular attraction of his current role in Hong Kong was the chance to play real part in the community, not just sell products, and to promote values like sustainability and long-term thinking.
Right now, the main challenges are to chart the next stage of growth for each category, while being agile enough to ensure the various brands remain relevant and don’t look staid.
Besides that, a scheme is in place, in partnership with four social service organisations, to provide free training for unemployed people in the techniques and culture of making Hong Kong-style milk tea, with some apprenticeships to follow. The new ‘tea masters” will not only preserve an artisanal craft, but may also help in exporting it to many more cafes and teashops in Taiwan, the mainland and beyond.
“Coming to Hong Kong, I inherited a highly successful and very capable team,” Uong says. “But everything depends on being as close as possible to the customers in different age groups and enabling colleagues to meet their needs.”
To this end, he has coined an acronym – “cloth” – to summarise his management philosophy and guide his actions when dealing with in-house teams and external contacts. The five things it stands for are clarity of purpose; leading with integrity; objectivity, so that decisions are founded on facts and recommendations are principle-based; trust and transparency; and humility.
“I find this gives me comfort when facing adverse situations,” he says. “As for the final point, I believe you are never too senior or so smart that you can’t learn more and gain new insights, whether from inside or outside the organisation.”
Aside from work, Uong describes himself as an eclectic reader and a music lover whose tastes range from Brahms and Beethoven to Ella Fitzgerald, Steely Dan, Coldplay and the latest by Sam Smith.
“In other respects, I’d like to be able to give something back to the Philippines, though that definition is still a bit hazy,” he says. “I’m always cognisant of the fact that I am one of the lucky ones and that it’s incumbent upon us to lift families out of poverty. I believe education is the way to do that, but a child can’t go to school on an empty stomach.”
