Dan Lai
Summary
As a senior executive with more than 15 years of working experience in the commercial field and 6 years as a team leader, I am equipped with strong leadership, analytical and communication skills that can significantly contribute to the performance of a business. I began my career in the chemical industry with specific focus for commodity petrochemicals and specialty textile chemicals.
I moved to the food industry later on and successfully transferred knowledge and skill set gained in commercial analysis, business reporting and pricing modelling. I strive to positively contribute to the sustainable growth of the business in a dynamic environment. I desire to gain more exposure in the area of artificial intelligence and smart analytics.
I have been blessed with abundant opportunities to work with people from all walks of life in multi-national companies.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Head of Pricing, AMEA
Barry Callebaut Group
01.2017 - Current
- Joined Asia Pacific Cocoa Business in January 2017 to set up and implement initiatives under Global Cocoa Division. Intention was to seal the group's leadership position in the market. Initiatives include customer segmentation, pricing and costing model design and product premiumization.
- Promoted in September 2018 to Head of Pricing, APAC. Tasked to lead regional pricing team, with team members in Malaysia and Singapore, covering both Cocoa and Chocolate Divisions. Currently, due to organizational re-design, the team's scope has been expanded to cover markets in Middle East and Africa.
- Passionate about leading, growing and coaching the team, developing a collaborative and safe environment which is the foundation for high performing teams and individuals. Personal initiatives include half yearly Pricing Excellence Award and Anything But Work Call
- High confidence in product portfolios and solutions offered so as to lead the team to support Sales, Sourcing and Customer Service in pitching superior product performance and top notch supply chain, quality and innovation services.
- Support the team in engagement with senior regional and global commercial leaders. Use critical thinking to break down problems and provide clarity on reasons to believe and barriers to remove. Spar with leaders to balance profitability, volume and price points to reach win-win solutions for the customers and company. Govern escalation process and impact analysis.
- Skilful in adapting to changes related to production issues, supply chain developments and market movements. Always keen to look for continuous improvement opportunities in our processes and ways of working.
- Participate and guide team members in strategic global and regional projects such as system optimization and portfolio rationalization.
- Helped this emerging region to grow overall 36% in volume since 5 years ago (average +7% annually) and generate a total of 250 million CHF EBIT over the same horizon.
Global Commercial Services Manager
Archroma Pte Ltd
12.2012 - 12.2016
- Instrumental in driving profitable development of product portfolio (>0.5 billion USD annual revenue) through effective management and analysis of pricing, cost, margin and other commercial aspects.
- Worked closely with key stakeholders from Sales and Product Management to implement product pricing strategies and enforce compliance at the local levels with effective communication and planning skills.
Market Analyst / Market Intelligence
Borouge & Sumitomo Chemical Asia
06.2007 - 12.2012
- 4 years in Sumitomo Chemical Asia and 1.5 years in Borouge
- Big data management to drive key analysis on demand, supply and price trends of the commodity chemicals segment. Communicate analysis and industry/competition news to stakeholders to influence commercial decisions.
- Monitor upstream activities and project possible impact on raw material costs and supply availability so as to adapt the pricing policy accordingly.
- Track and report internal performance metrics. Identify strong performers for incentives and gaps for corrective actions.
- Support the budgeting process for the leadership team and board of directors to sign off.
Education
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) - Chemical Engineering
National University of Singapore
Singapore06.2007
Skills
- Project Management (Barry Callebaut Marbach Training Programme - Singapore)
- Management and Leadership (Barry Callebaut Marbach Training Programme - Singapore and Germany)
- Multitasking Abilities
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Cultural Awareness
- Complex Problem Solving
- Analytical and Critical Thinking
- Technical Proficiency - SAP / Google Suite / Salesforce / Microsoft Tools
Languages
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Chinese (Mandarin)
Upper intermediate (B2)
Additional Information
Happily married for 14 years and father of 3 young children.
Active in parent support groups of children's school and church.
Enjoy dining with my wife, family and friends.
Plan to exercise and pray more.
Timeline
Head of Pricing, AMEA
Barry Callebaut Group
01.2017 - Current
Global Commercial Services Manager
Archroma Pte Ltd
12.2012 - 12.2016
Market Analyst / Market Intelligence
Borouge & Sumitomo Chemical Asia
06.2007 - 12.2012
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) - Chemical Engineering
National University of Singapore
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