As part of Art of Procurement’s media partnership with ProcureCon, we are pleased to bring you this Executive Q&A with Wei Yeong Tiow, Vice President for AMEA Procurement at Mondelēz International. For more information, you can view Wei’s profile on LinkedIn. Wei will be speaking at the upcoming ProcureCon Asia 2022 in Singapore.
Can you give a short introduction of yourself?
I have 20 years of experience in procurement and am currently the Vice President for AMEA Procurement at Mondelēz International responsible for end-to-end procurement, sourcing, and supplier performance across direct and indirect materials. Prior to Mondelēz International, I spent 3 years in the pharmaceutical industry at MSD (Merck Sharpe & Dome) as the Head of Procurement for the JCAP region, accountable for all procurement teams strategies, and operations across Japan, China, and Asia Pacific cluster markets.
Before joining MSD, I was the Global Procurement Director for Diageo, based out of Singapore, and led end to end procurement (supply/direct materials, marketing/commercial and indirects/overheads categories) for the teams across Asia Pacific. I also led the best cost country sourcing agenda (BCCS) for Diageo globally during that period.
What changes in sustainability are you seeing in Mondelēz and where is the key focus in 2022 and beyond?
We aim to build a more sustainable snacking company by reducing the impact of our business. Our priorities include:
Sourcing key ingredients more sustainably through our signature sustainable sourcing programs, including Cocoa Life and Harmony Wheat
Advancing a more circular economy and reducing package waste by using less and better packaging and investing in improved recycling systems
Reducing our end-to-end carbon emissions by transforming our operations, logistics, and sourcing practices, and working in collaboration with partners to deliver on shared long-term goals
How is Mondelez using its brand presence on stance such as sustainability?
The company announced a direction for Oreo to use sustainable cocoa (Cocoa Life) in the production of this much delighted brand. Our Cocoa Life program holistically tackles the complex challenges cocoa farmers and their communities face, including climate change, deforestation, gender inequality, poverty, and child labor.
How is Mondelēz mitigating the global cost inflation and supply chain disruption?
We continue to focus on supply chain resilience and work hand in hand with suppliers to pre-empt issues and plan ahead for disruptions in ocean freight. Taking a full view of end to end supply chain and accepting the variability in a VUCA and BANI environment has been key to mitigating issues, including early communication, increased visibility, and quick escalation.
What are your thoughts on collaboration between the business and technology to accelerate operations maturity?
Visibility and data transparency are core to managing issues and headwinds. The key challenge is to have the right technology to connect disparate systems and data repositories and have access to the information in real time. When systems detect variability or changes with pre-set trigger limits (stock levels, ocean freight delays, increases/drops in demand, capacity constraints) automated algorithms can help accelerate our operational maturity.
What are you doing to establish deeper relationships with your suppliers and how is this helping you unlock value from your supply base?
We have leadership-level meetings with our most strategic suppliers, ensuring the Mondelēz International senior leadership team and our partners understand the specific challenges we face on operations and how we can strategically collaborate to grow the business. Being action-oriented and having transparent, solution-centric conversations has helped us improve process, introduce new ideas that can help grow our brands, and drive productivity through continuous improvement.
What will you be sharing at ProcureCon Asia?
I will be on a panel with other CPOs and supply chain leaders on the main day: Supply chain issues explained – Deep diving into the top economic trends and determining how you can future-proof your supply chain to drive business growth.
Mondelēz Procurement Team
