Singha shows how it's done
Many private firms have pitched in during the flood crisis, but it has taken top-level leadership, willpower and a caring corporate culture really to make an impact.
Singha Corp revived its Singha Arsa flood-relief team for the second time in three years, not just to give the victims urgent help but also to prepare them for the cold season and an expected drought.
Singha drinking water didn’t disappear from the shelves because demand (or hoarding) outpaced production. Chief executive Santi Bhirombhakdi’s policy is to reserve 90 per cent of the bottled water for people really in need. That has accounted for 9.66 million litres so far.
Singha Arsa, with its shelter and operations centre in Bangkok’s Asoke area, extends to the firm’s agents and dealers around the country. They help tremendously in terms of logistics, enabling the rescue-and-relief squad to reach people quickly and effectively.
Santi is often seen at the Asoke centre, and his youngest son Piti, the group’s marketing manager, is the champion volunteer.
He has earned colleagues’ respect for getting out there and getting wet. (The prediction is that he’ll soon have a lovely tan.)
Meanwhile, even in the face of a national crisis and the outpouring of goodwill, business must go on. A lot of staff members have been allowed to join the relief efforts, but Santi hasn’t compromised on his sales target.
In fact – no doubt to the alarm of his employees, including Piti – the target is higher than ever. The boss wants to see 1.25 billion litres of Singha beer sold, up 50 million litres from the previous goal.
“I want the staff always to bear in mind that they should be working hard to boost sales,” Santi says, while at the same time assuring his people that their year-end bonus is secure even if they miss the target.
Santi wants them working harder even when they’re volunteering to help others? No, he clarifies. To him, “hard work” includes toiling for the benefit of the country too.
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