In the face of consumers’ changing behaviors, SCGP has constantly developed products, services and solutions. Mr. Karan Tejasen, SCGP’s Chief Operating Officer, Performance and Polymer Packaging Business, has not just witnessed but also actively engaged in such process himself because he has built his remarkable career at the firm. Below are what he has shared with P-DNA.
 

CAREER PATH & ADVANCEMENT

Mr. Karan first joined SCGP in 1988, landing a job at its Ban Pong Plant. At that time, the firm was expanding its business from just packaging-paper production to the manufacturing of printing and writing paper.

“I was initially in charge of engineering work. But I was later assigned to oversee the production of high-quality art paper. After eight years under SCGP, I got a scholarship from the Federation of Thai Industries to study paper manufacturing in Scotland for nearly one year. Upon my return, SCG also gave me a scholarship to study at the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University. Completing my MBA studies in 1999, I returned to my work and was reassigned to the marketing field,” he said.

“At that time, the firm focused on packaging paper because it had just increased its manufacturing capacity for this product. As I was in charge of its marketing and support, I helped the firm expand its business in the Philippines and Vietnam. After carrying out branding for Siam Kraft Industry Company Limited, I was appointed its Marketing Director. I had overseen this business for about one decade before I was transferred to Thai Containers Group, Navanakorn Plant. But just months after the transfer, big flood hit the plant in 2011. Handling the situation and rehabilitating the business in the wake of the flood posed a challenge. But as I managed to put the plant back on track, I was later given a business integration role and oversaw more of the company’s businesses.

“In 2015, SCG Paper rebranded itself as SCG Packaging and developed Flexible Packaging business through its partnership with enterprises in the Philippines and Vietnam. We later started developing rigid packaging and high-performance packaging too in line with our vision to become Packaging Solutions Provider. Now, we have expanded our business to medical materials with Spain as our first base in this field. This reflects how we have found new business opportunities for our continued growth,” Mr. Karan continued.
 

SEEK OPPORTUNITIES & LEARN TOGETHER FOR INNOVATIONS

In Mr. Karan’s opinion, the current challenge is about developing innovations for consumers as it takes both vision and keen explorations.

“We need to observe customers closely and look beyond customers. The bottom line is consumers. To get new opportunities and innovations, everyone in our organization must contribute, learn more and brainstorm. We must be a learning organization, with our members sharing experiences, ideas and viewpoints. Together, we then will be able to deliver what customers are looking for,” Mr. Karan concluded.

BUILD TRUST & ENABLE EXPERIMENTS

Entrusted with management affairs, Mr. Karan bolsters the confidence of his team by giving team members opportunities to express opinions and prove their performance.

“To empower personnel, we need to foster trust. When staff finds our team reliable and fair, they will be keen to contribute. All are welcome to share and debate. I place a strong emphasis on such culture because when an organization is big, young members are usually prone to listen only. In my team, I have encouraged expression and contributions from all. I have authorized experiments even when concepts are not yet perfect so that my team members can learn,” Mr. Karan reveals.
 

DRIVE ORGANIZATION AS CO-OWNERS

“We are a listed company. All of us co-own our organization. So, I have encouraged staff to work as co-owners. Such approach is important at the time the new generation wants to be entrepreneurs,” Mr. Karan pointed out.

“A core element of our culture is collaboration. It always takes time to achieve excellence in a field. It takes devotion, accumulated knowledge and more. So, to get all these elements, our organizations’ members must first have the sense of ownership.

“I also seriously encourage our staff to keep learning. Today, there are various sources of information and knowledge that we can access. Apart from training prepared by the firm, you should learn on your own too. Ask yourself why you do this or that because that may lead to better changes. We don’t have to stick to the old way of working. We can adjust for better results,” Mr. Karan concluded.