CEO Insights Magazine

Exuding a sense of confidence, leadership, expertise, and empathy. That's the kind of presence that Mark Palisoc, the General Manager of Karcher, brings to any situation. He has been with Karcher for the last four years, during which he has navigated the challenges brought on by the pandemic with grace and resilience. With almost 17 years of sales and marketing experience with 3M, Mark has worked his way up the corporate ladder, gaining invaluable knowledge and skills at every step of his career. CEO Insights Asia dives deeper into Mark's wise thoughts.

Define Karcher as an organization and its position in the market.

The opportunity to lead a team that is at the forefront of cleaning technology and innovation is a tremendous motivator for me.

Karcher is a global leader in producing highquality equipment that sets the standard for cleaning technology and innovation. Our reach extends across various regions, including Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China, and the Philippines. In some countries such as Germany, France, Poland, Russia, Georgia, Mexico, Spain, and the United States the term Karcher is colloquially used synonymously with a pressure washer used to clean cars, outdoor equipment, and more. Every day, I am driven by the challenge to improve our products and services to meet the evolving needs of our customers. I am committed to leading by example and inspiring my team to pursue excellence in everything we do. Whether it's achieving our sales targets, exceeding our customers' expectations, or driving sustainability goals. Karcher is a well-established brand present in both the B2B and B2C markets, catering to various target groups such as hospitality, building service contractors, and service providers for offices, airports, manufacturing, transportation, and agriculture sectors.

What are the methods you use to draw key insights from the market?

From my experience, I've learned the importance of being out in the market and understanding our customers. I've been encouraging our team, including support departments, to get out into the field and gather as much information as possible. I believe in the phrase 'stop selling, start asking' - by asking more questions and having face-to-face interactions with customers, we can gain valuable insights into our business and the market.

In addition to face-to-face interviews, we've also implemented customer surveys, particularly in our service department where we deal with machines. We ask for feedback on our services and products and use that information to make improvements and adjustments to our plans. I recognize the value in getting a different perspective and degree of confidence toward our business direction and plan to pursue external research in the future as we grow.

Describe your leadership approach and philosophies.

I prioritize helping others and supporting my team members in achieving success. I take pride in being a part of the successes of those I have worked with in the past and continue to work within the present. I am aligned with the core values of my current company, which also include giving back to society and making a difference. It brings me great satisfaction to contribute to our corporate social responsibility efforts, such as cleaning historical sites and monuments and supporting SOS Village. Coming from a closely-knit and family-oriented background, I have been raised with the belief that we should take care of ourselves while also making sure that we contribute to the betterment of society.

What is the future destination you are heading towards?

As a globally-focused company, we prioritize alignment across all levels - global, regional, and local. Our clear direction and goal are to continue to grow our business and make a positive impact through corporate social responsibility efforts, such as cleaning historical sites. We are already carbon neutral in our manufacturing sites thanks to our collaboration with organizations.

We are proud to be part of a company that is leading the way in terms of reducing our footprint, and we want to replicate our success in Europe as we strive to become the number one brand in cleaning technology. To achieve this, we will focus on strengthening our brand positioning and executing solid digital and traditional branding efforts. Our priority is to capture leads and opportunities in both the consumer and b2b markets and to ensure that we take care of our customers by providing a differentiated customer experience. By achieving these goals, we hope to see revenue, profit, and sustainability goals met by 2025 and beyond.

However, it's not just about profits and growth - we are committed to giving back to society and the environment. We recently launched our purpose culture, which integrates these values into our company's overall mission. We believe that taking care of our employees and making a positive impact in the world is just as important as achieving financial success.

We are characterized by solidarity, community, inclusion, a willingness to help, and a sense of openness. Our culture unites and empowers us. And these initiatives are strongly incorporated in our recently launched purpose culture statement, 'Renew to sustain. Together we make a powerful impact towards a clean world'.

What would be your advice to upcoming leaders in this industry?

I believe that aside from the skills and knowledge that the present leaders are already good at, it is also crucial to emphasize the value of soft skills such as helping and supporting others. As leaders, it is important to strike a balance between achieving business goals and fostering a culture of collaboration and assistance within our teams and organizations. This includes extending a helping hand not only to our employees and colleagues but also to our customers and competitors. Making a positive impact in the industry and society as a whole should be a shared goal and responsibility of all businesses. While sustainability efforts are already gaining traction in our industry, I would like to encourage more companies to take an active role in caring for our environment, no matter how big or small their efforts may be.

Mark Palisoc, General Manager, Karcher Philippines

Mark’s dedication to continuous improvement and a focus on customer satisfaction has helped Karcher Philippines achieve record sales and maintain its position as a global leader in cleaning technology and innovation.