Allan Yong, Senior Vice President and Southeast Asia Managing Director of Ecolab, attributes his leadership values to the lessons he learned from his late mother, a tailor who overcame poverty through hard work and perseverance. She instilled in him the importance of education, persistence, and remaining honorable while focusing on the greater good—principles that have shaped his leadership journey.
Ecolab’s Global Impact
Ecolab is a global leader in water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions, dedicated to helping customers succeed while protecting people and vital resources. In 2019 alone, the company helped customers save 206 billion gallons of water—equivalent to the annual drinking water supply for 712 million people. Ecolab also reduced the water and energy footprint of 40% of the world’s petroleum production, cleaned over 40 billion hands, and ensured hygiene for 1 billion hotel rooms worldwide.
Corporate Social Responsibility in Indonesia
Ecolab’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is evident in its initiatives across Indonesia. The company has provided safe drinking water to a boarding school in Probolinggo, assisted earthquake-affected families in Sulawesi, and built community shelters and water pumps for disaster relief in Lombok. In Bandung, Ecolab partnered with a hotel group to educate boarding students on proper hand-washing techniques, reinforcing hygiene practices at the community level.
A Commitment to Lifelong Learning
Yong embraced his mother’s advice on the value of education, earning double majors in Finance and IT in Melbourne, followed by an Executive MBA in Erasmus, Netherlands, and further executive courses at IESE and Harvard Business School. His approach to continuous learning follows the 70-20-10 model: 70% learning on the job, 20% through mentorship and coaching, and 10% from formal training and coursework. Since joining Ecolab in 2017, he has led the company’s Indonesia operations to continuous growth.
Building High-Performing Teams
Yong believes in making teams central to business success, following a “build, borrow, buy” approach to talent development—building internal capabilities, borrowing expertise when necessary, and acquiring external talent only when essential. His leadership philosophy is grounded in authenticity and humility, adapting over time to meet the demands of an increasingly fast-paced and complex business environment. Recognizing that the new generation of talent requires a more engaging leadership style, he continues to evolve his approach to leadership and team development.
Safety, Sustainability, and Investing in Local Talent
As Ecolab expands its footprint in Indonesia—acquiring customers, implementing global technologies locally, and navigating the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic—Yong remains committed to prioritizing people. The company places a strong emphasis on safety, sustainable operations, and growing local talent. With a people-first mindset, he seeks new ways to collaborate and drive progress, ensuring that when business conditions stabilize, Ecolab will emerge even stronger.
The Power of Servant Leadership
Yong’s leadership is rooted in the philosophy of servant leadership—an approach that prioritizes the well-being and development of his team. While this leadership style is not commonly associated with secular organizations, its effectiveness is evident in the way he inspires and empowers those around him.
Servant leadership is one of the philosophies least ascribed to management in secular organizations, but it has worked wonders when put into practice with a leader like Allan Yong — Shanggari Balakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer, MORS Group
