CEO Insights Magazine

No successful company would be where it is now without great leadership. Growth and progress are aided by strong leadership and this is also true for FMCG businesses which face challenges such as fierce competition, unprecedented levels of infla­tion, and a slowdown in consumer demand. Excellent leadership may help firms overcome major challeng­es. Aung Myo Myat, Managing Director of Myanmar Consumer Enterprise (MCE) is a prime example of this. Aung established MCE in 2011 and under his ex­pertise and leadership, the company has grown to be­come Myanmar’s leading FMCG brand. In an in-depth conversation with CEO Insights Asia magazine, Aung shares with us his vision for Myanmar Consumer En­terprise. Let’s hear it from him.

Describe the leadership style that you utilize to drive organizational growth.

I believe in empowering people through a culture of meritocracy, transparency, honesty, and accountability. These are some of the values that we, at Myanmar Consumer Enterprise embrace and promote to build teams such that the goals are efficiently communicated and the team is well aligned with the vision and aim of the organization. We want to foster and sustain long-term relationships with all the stakeholders through empathy so we try to understand the situation from their perspective. Having a strong connection with clients based on trust and efficient communication helps them feel more secure and connected with the brand and it can also lead to better customer retention and repeat purchase rate.

How would you define Myanmar Consumer Enterprise as an organization and its position in the market? Tell us about the products and services you offer to the consumers.

Myanmar Consumer Enterprise is an FMCG company that focuses on personal care and home care products and has been serving Myanmar consumers for over a decade now. We specialize in manufacturing detergent, liquid detergent, fabric softener, and body wash with a strong focus on Research and Development. Myanmar Consumer Enterprise works closely with established raw material suppliers to develop product lines up with the assured quality that can compete with competitors in the market. We aim to become the leader in the personal care and home care industry and for this, we have a strong extensive distribution network throughout the country with more than 30000 outlets. Myanmar Consumer Enterprise is also the exclusive distributor of products for foreign brands such as baby diapers from Ellair International, Lolane hair care products, Godrej consumer products, and more.

What are the value additions that customers can expect from your products? What quality controls do you have in place to ensure superior quality of products and services?

We strive to provide value-added products that can compete in the market due to their high quality and affordable prices. Myanmar Consumer Enterprise is constantly working on innovative products which can maximize the value return to all our customers and stakeholders. We have several quality controls in place to ensure the high quality of products is maintained. Myanmar Consumer Enterprise has adopted Good Manufactur­ing Practices (GMP) and QA-QC at all steps of manu­facturing products. Apart from this, we constantly challenge our R&D team to come up with more ef­ficient and superior-quality products. Myanmar Con­sumer Enterprise also utilizes and sources the best raw materials to ensure quality control.

What are some of the challenges that you face in your current role at Myanmar Consumer Enterprise? How do you overcome these roadblocks?

As a professional, various challenges present themselves but the prime challenge is the presence of Multi-National Companies (MNCs) in Myanmar. Myanmar as a country is not yet developed but we have a strong presence of MNCs in the country. So, it’s a challenge to compete alongside them. The key to overcoming the challenges is to learn from past mistakes as soon as possible and grow from them to be able to provide high-quality products to consumers.

This really pushes us to grow from our comfort zone and keep pushing the envelope so that our products line up can compete with the likes of MNCs and Regional players from Thailand. We also invest in our systems such as ERP and people for their career growth. In whatever we do, we steadfastly hold to our values of delivering the best so­lutions and services for our customers and consumers at reasonable prices.

What is the future destination for Myanmar Consumer Enterprise? What message would you give to the readers who aspire to become leaders or entrepreneurs in the future?

We plan to be the top personal care and home care brand in Myanmar. We are also looking for viable opportunities to launch our food products in the market in the near future. My advice to young entrepreneurs would be to not give up however overwhelming the challenges. These challenges are what help us grow and discover our new potential. Learn from your past mistakes and grow from them. Always stay true and focused on what you aim to do in life because where focus goes, energy flows.

Aung Myo Myat, Managing Director, Myanmar Consumer Enterprise

Aung is the Managing Director at Myanmar Consumer Enterprise. Under his able leadership. MCE has become one of the leading FMCG companies in Myanmar with a focus on providing a wide array of products and services.

Favorite Hobbies: Reading, swimming, and watching movies

Favorite Book: Principles by Ray Dalio

Favorite Cuisine: Japanese

Favorite Travel Destination: Beaches