Ho Ren Hua is the Chief Executive Officer of Thai Wah Public Company Ltd, (TWPC) responsible for developing the company’s long term vision to be a leading starch and consumer foods company in Southeast Asia. Previously the Executive Director and Country Head, China for Banyan Tree Holdings Ltd, he had an instrumental role in growing Banyan Tree’s regional headquarters in Shanghai and establishing the brand as the leading luxury hospitality brand in China. Earlier in his career, Ho worked with global consultancy Bain & Company Inc. in their New York, Hong Kong and China offices, specialising in private equity, organisational structure and strategy.
In August 2015, he relocated from Singapore to Bangkok to take the helm of his family’s business, Thai Wah Public Company Limited. Since its founding in 1947, TWPC has been an industry pioneer in the starch and vermicelli industry. TWPC was formed by the amalgamation of Thai Wah Starch Public Company Limited and Thai Wah Food Products Public Company Limited. The company’s core business is divided into two main categories: the manufacture of tapioca products, and manufacture of vermicelli and noodle products for local and international distribution.
Since the merger on October 1, 2015 the company continued in its renewed vision to be a regional leader in starch and starch-related products. Under Ho’s leadership, the company focused on greater synergies in management expertise, R&D development and financial capital to boost stronger and more sustainable growth across the region.
Despite the volatility of the global macro market in 2016, the company witnessed a 12 percent growth in year on year revenue sales and strong growth in net income. Ho believes that brand differentiation as a high quality export and domestic food player is crucial to this success. The company is set to see positive growth over the year as they continue to offer differentiated and quality products to their customers while continuing to develop higher value-added products such as glucose, tapioca pearls and coarse flour.
Under Ho’s direction, the company remains as committed as ever to their core three-pillar strategy of pursuing Regionalisation, Innovation and Operational Excellence. Over the past year in 2016, with the formation of new operation platforms in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, the company is poised to scale regionally.
TWPC’s main threat to its success lies in the sustainability of cassava supply. The company met this challenge head-on, by converting large civil state land for large scale modern cassava root farming. Through the economies of scale, farmers enjoy cost savings farming methods to increase productivity and crop yield. This programme enabled the company better purchasing and production planning, which translated to higher sales and profits.
The ‘Guarantee pricing project’ was implemented in June 2017 to incentivise cassava farmers who register their commitment to supply to the company. In return, TWPC offers farmers a purchase commitment at a guaranteed price. In addition, registered farmers will enjoy benefits such as training and seminars on prototypes plantation techniques and the use of harvesting machines to enhance their skill and productivity.
Ho defines success as the ability to live with not only a sense of purpose and compassion, but serving, contributing and making an impact.
In 2016, as a caring and responsible member of the community the company launched a Corporate Social Responsibility programme to ease the effects of the long drought on the community by dredging a weed reservoir pond and pumping water back to the communities.
Ho largely attributes his leadership style to the positive influence of his parents. Watching them treat their colleagues with kindness, compassion and care has largely influenced his decisions and has shaped the values by which he lives, i.e. with authenticity, vision and passion. “They always cared for who they worked with. My grandfather, our founder, believed in supporting and engaging the frontline,” says Ho. It is fitting then that Ho’s philosophy is that Leadership, Culture and People development are integral to a company’s long term performance.
