CEO Insights Magazine

In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, the growth of an organization is massively dependent on Sales & Marketing. Effective Sales & Marketing strategies help organizations generate brand awareness, showcase their offerings, and maximize customer engagement. Taya Canvas, a leading producer and exporter of PVC and non-PVC coated products and materials has successfully expanded its portfolio across different segments in the industry over the years. At the helm of its marketing operations is Nova Abbott. An accomplished industry leader with around two decades of extensive experience in Sales & Marketing, Nova’s primary responsibilities include taking care of the branding and marketing activities for Kavalan, the firm's first PVC-free coated material brand. Starting from zero, Kavalan, under Nova’s inspiring leadership, today has successfully grown into a well-recognized and industry-leading PVC-free brand.

In an exclusive interview with CEO Insights ASIA, Nova sheds light on her major milestones at Taya Canvas, her leadership approach, and much more.

Could you share some of the major milestones you have crossed and the lessons you learned from those experiences? How do you find these experiences beneficial in creating unique marketing strategies?

In my current role as the Head of Marketing at Taya, my primary responsibilities over the past eight years have included overseeing the branding and marketing activities for Kavalan, our industry-leading PVC-free coated material brand. Starting the entire operation from zero as an R&D endeavor and growing it into one of the most well-recognized PVC-free brands on the market is something I consider a huge accomplishment. This is particularly true with our introduction of the first (and so far, only) eco calculator tool in our industry. I can't stress enough how proud my team and I are of this remarkable journey.

Sales and Marketing are all about human psychology and interaction. My extensive sales experience has enabled me to interact and engage with people across cultures and different parts of the world. Those experiences have made me adept at reading not only people but also situations. It also helps me understand the pulse of the audience and accurately analyze the market.

Describe your leadership approach that helps achieve marketing goals.

Rather than ‘managing’ a team, I strongly believe in collaborating as a team, through which you can derive more creativity. I believe that it’s crucial to bring in the right people in the first place, so I follow a strict recruitment process. For instance, I interviewed almost 30 people before I found our Marketing Executive. Once you can find people who align with your mindset and thought process, there is no need to manage them. You just need to trust them to do what they do best. This not only makes my job easier but also makes the staff happier as they don't have a manager who micromanages. In a way, this has helped bolster their creativity as we all work as an equal and cohesive team.

How do you constantly maintain and enhance the brand image of the company? How do you ensure brand consistency across all marketing channels and initiatives?

In the modern world, you need to be active across a wide range of channels, both online and offline, to achieve efficient brand awareness. Apart from traditional PR pieces, we are also creating many podcasts and extensive engagement on our YouTube channel. When it comes to maintaining consistency, there is no shortcut. You have to constantly monitor the market and ever-changing consumer behavior and modify your marketing strategies accordingly. As long as you are moving in the right direction, everything else is secondary.

How do you guide your team to create compelling campaigns? Going forward, what is the future roadmap you have envisioned for your journey?

When it comes to marketing eco-friendly materials, we believe in telling an honest and transparent story while constantly trying to eliminate greenwashing in the industry. In 2020, we developed a tool called Carbon and Eco Calculator and are still using it. With media constantly broadcasting a lot of untrue and greenwashing statements, our proprietary calculator tool helps us mitigate those challenges as well as enhance the brand value from a storytelling point of view.

I have led marketing operations at Taya for eight years, and I still find myself earnestly passionate and motivated to achieve the best for the firm. Coming to the future roadmap, I look forward to continuously learning and growing while helping the firm expand its operations into different segments of the industry. With the market slowly shifting toward PVC-free materials, I will continue to use my expertise to help the firm grow.

Nova Abbott, Head - Marketing, Taya Canvas

An accomplished Sales & Marketing professional with around two decades of extensive experience in the industry, Nova Abbott currently works as the Head of Marketing at Taya Canvas, a Shanghai-based leading producer of PVC and non-PVC coated products and materials. A results-oriented sales and marketing professional and an excellent multilingual communicator, she has earned a BA from Chang Jung Christian University, Taiwan, and her BSc(Hons) from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom.

Hobbies: Reading, Yoga, Equestrianism, Spending time with my daughter

Favorite Cuisine: Japanese & British food

Favorite Book: The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life by Michael Roach

Favorite Travel Destination: Kyoto, Japan