With its headquarters in Jakarta, HappyFresh has operations in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The company delivers groceries from its partners’ stores to customers’ doorsteps in as little as one hour.

Its Thai operation will also invest a lot in what it calls customers’ facing applications to provide the best user experience, says Sagan, a Polish national who assumed the top post at HappyFresh Thailand late last year.

By the customer facing apps, he means HappyFresh applications for Android and IOS that enable its customers to place orders.

The company’s delivery network now covers around 90 per cent of Bangkok and some parts of Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan. It has 15 local partners, including the big retailers like Tesco, Big C and Gourmet Market, as well as small specialty stores offering groceries from very narrow market niches.

Sagan adds that the company has focused on the quality and completeness of assortment offered rather than the absolute number of partners working with it. But HappyFresh is always open to recruiting new partners for its platform.

While most of the grocery shopping in Thailand is done offline – online accounts for between 0.7 per cent and 1 per cent of overall grocery spending – Sagan says that online grocery transactions have grown by over 50 per cent year on year.

Compared to other countries in Southeast Asia in terms of the online grocery sector, Thailand is one of the most advanced. However, it’s still at a very early stage of development and the potential to grow is huge, Sagan adds.

“Currently, over 99 per cent of grocery shopping in Thailand is done offline. However, we expect to see online groceries growing at a similar pace to non-grocery e-commerce in its early stages,” he says.

Non-grocery e-commerce accounts for around 3 per cent of the total retail market in Thailand. In 2015, at an earlier stage of development, this figure was 1 per cent. The non-grocery e-commerce sector is expected to account for 10 per cent of the total retail market in Thailand within the next five years.

Sagan says that working as managing director of HappyFresh Thailand is a big challenge.

“Every day is different. The business is growing fast, so it’s necessary to review all processes on a regular basis to make sure they are robust and scalable enough to handle the increasing volume of orders. I would say that the ability to adapt is crucial,” he says.

“Another key challenge is to acquire and retain top talent, which is difficult in a market with such a low unemployment rate. But I really love this job. It’s extremely interesting and gives me a lot of satisfaction.”

When asked if he has any problems managing older staff when he has not yet left his 20s, Sagan says an age gap has never been an issue. “I really appreciate the experience these people are bringing to the company because it allows us to make better decisions and avoid many mistakes,” he says.

Sagan says he uses different management styles depending on the people he deals with.

“When you become the managing director in a start-up, you have to find a way to release the potential of your team as soon as possible. If your team of direct reports is very diverse, consisting of people with different personalities and capabilities, it is better to adjust your management style to each of them, rather than imposing one management style for all of them,” he says.

“For example, an experienced proactive manager can be managed by objectives. Just set the goals for him or her and he or she will figure out by themselves how to achieve them.

“On the other hand, a person who has just been promoted to a manager position may require more guidance. In such a case, managing by objectives would fail, so you have to use a different style.”

When asked what are keys to success in managing an online grocery store business, he says there are four.

The first, he says, relates to assortment, which should be wide and complete. Then there is price competitiveness, and “price is king in this business”, Sagan adds.

He says that regarding logistics, customers expect to have their groceries delivered on the same day and in good condition, and robust logistics are required to provide that.

Lastly, there is the product. Sagan says the application that customers use to place their orders should be fast, reliable and easy to use to maximise conversion rate.

Despite studying finance, Sagan feels that he likes to work in the less regulated industries.

“After the financial crisis of 2008, the finance industry in Europe has become more and more regulated, though I’m not saying it’s bad or good – but that’s a fact,” he says. “I did internships in big financial institutions and realised that I would feel more comfortable working in a less regulated and, thus, more dynamic industry.

“Online business meets these criteria perfectly, so I decided to look for opportunities there. It did not matter that much for me what kind of online business it would be – travel, food, e-commerce, etc. All of them are exciting, and similar to some extent.

“I got an offer from online food delivery business foodpanda, so I joined them. Later on, I switched from online food to e-commerce, at Lazada, and now I focus on online groceries at HappyFresh.”

Sagan was born and raised in Lublin, in eastern Poland. He has been based in Thailand since February 2018.

“I love the sea, so beautiful islands, sandy beaches are the things which impress me the most in Thailand,” he says. “Bangkok is also a great place to live in my opinion. It’s very vibrant, diverse and well connected with other cities in Southeast Asia. It’s impossible to get bored here.

“I do not find it hard to adapt to Thai culture, although it took me some time to do so and this process is still ongoing. It’s important to be tactful, tolerant, patient, and accept the culture as it is, even though it’s different.

“I’m still exploring it and I think that it is impossible to fully understand the culture without the knowledge of language and understanding of local history and contexts. That’s why I am learning Thai, although I must admit that it’s very difficult for me.

“When it comes to Thai food, at the beginning I had a problem with eating spicy dishes. But over time, my tolerance to spicy food has increased a lot, so now I can eat everything that Thai people eat and I really like it.”

Sagan has travelled a lot in Thailand. So far he has visited the majority of the most popular tourist destinations, but he also plans to explore some places off the beaten track, less touristic places. So far his favourite place is Koh Kood.

When asked to recommend which cities in Poland Thais should visit, he says: “There are so many interesting places in Poland that it’s quite difficult to recommend any particular one. Krakow is the top tourist destination. It’s the former capital of our country, with the beautiful old town and numerous monuments including the Royal Castle. Just a few kilometres away from Krakow there is Wieliczka – the medieval salt mine. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site and is an absolutely unique place – a must visit as well

“Other cities with amazing architecture and beautiful old towns include the capital Warsaw, Gdansk and Lublin, but almost every big city in Poland has a beautiful old town and lot of historical monuments.”

He says another top attraction is Malbork, with has one of the biggest medieval castles in the world and is a also Unesco World Heritage Site.

“For people who like mountains, I would recommend Zakopane, which is called the winter capital of Poland,” he says.

Sagan says the best time to visit Poland is in summer, from May to September, when the temperature is usually between 20 and 30 degrees.

 Zaw Min Win, president of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), who accompanied State Counsellor Suu Kyi on her trip, said both sides gained from productive meetings.

“The Czech Republic is really worth visiting. During this trip, we had fruitful discussions with senior officials and Czech businesses,” he said in a phone interview with The Nation on Thursday.

“We strongly believe this trip benefits Myanmar businesses and the country as a whole, as both sides are keen to revitalise and expedite development of the former investment and trade ties that existed between the two countries in 1960s and 1970s.”

Zaw Min Win was referring to the long-standing bilateral ties that had been established more than six decades ago. The nations began diplomatic relations in 1956, with the embassy of the then Czechoslovakia opened in Yangon. An embassy under the name of Burma was opened in Prague in 1965.

Before the emergence of independent Czech and Slovak republics, the Czechoslovak embassy came to an end in Yangon in December 1992, and Myanmar closed its embassy in Prague one day later. For a period, the Czech ambassador in Bangkok was concurrently accredited to Myanmar and the Myanmar ambassador in Berlin was similarly accredited to Prague. That was until the Czech Republic reopened its embassy in Yangon in 2014. During Suu Kyi’s recent trip, the new Myanmar embassy was inaugurated in Prague by the leaders of both nations.

With the reopening of the Myanmar embassy, Zaw Min Win foresees a surge in foreign direct investment from Czech Republic and a substantial increase in bilateral trade over the next few years.

He said the UMFCCI had active discussions with the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, which has 11,000 members and 30 associations under its umbrella, as well as representatives of other chambers.

“During this trip, we managed to sign a memorandum of understanding with some of them to foster cooperation. We had fruitful and prospective discussions with them on several possible areas of mutual interests for trade and investment,” he said.

He said Myanmar would strive to seek opportunities and expand the room for cooperation, as Czech businesses are searching for some new markets to boost their businesses.

“As a national-level federated chamber of commerce representing Myanmar’s private sector, we have to follow suit led by the public sector. That means B2B [business to business] cooperation will support the

development of G2G [government to government] functions,” he said.

Zaw Min Win and some Myanmar business people were also present at the Czech-Myanmar Business Forum in Prague on June 4.

“At the forum, our State Counsellor encouraged Czech entrepreneurs to invest in Myanmar because we have great potential in several sectors as Asia’s final frontier,” he said.

“Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis told our delegation that Myanmar is a very interesting market with abundant opportunities in the fields where Czech companies could stand out, including energy, aviation, automotive, agro and food industry or health. He also encouraged Czech businesses to seize these opportunities.”

Zaw Min Win said the UMFCCI is eager to conduct follow-up business meetings to unlock the huge potential for strengthening bilateral economic ties.

“It is really encouraging to hear positive moves from top leaders of both countries. We will proceed to expedite further negotiations in turn them into reality to ensure G2G and B2B business deals,” he said.

During the trip, Suu Kyi and the Czech prime minister discussed promoting bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation. They also discussed increasing the interactions between the people of both countries, finding possibilities for implementing direct flights between Myanmar and the Czech Republic, promoting the global tourism industry, increasing cooperation on education, healthcare and culture, and further state visits between the high-level figures of the two countries. Suu Kyi invited Babis to visit Myanmar, according to the State Counsellor Office.

The new hospital joins two Japanese hospitals, Takatsuki General and Sano, to offer patients high-quality healthcare services.

The Japanese Hospital by Samitivej falls under the management of Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS).

The hospital offers Japanese doctors and nurses and modern medical equipment.

Dr Chairat Panthuraamphorn, CEO of Samitivej and BNH Hospitals, said: “For many years, more Japanese expats have come to work in Southeast Asia, while Japanese investors have come to invest and establish companies in the EEC [Eastern Economic Corridor].”

Chairat said Samitivej Sukhumvit and Smitivej Sriraha Hospital have provided healthcare for the Japanese in the region for 40 years. Last year, there were about 400 Japanese patients per day and approximately 200 Japanese babies are born at Samitivej each year, Chairat added.

The company posted a strong performance for the first quarter of 2019, with the annualised new premium (ANP) growing at 6 per cent.

“In the first quarter of 2019, the insurance market has slowed due to a numbers of factors including an economic slowdown resulting in a decline in the purchasing power of consumers,” said Bryan Smith, the president and CEO of Allianz Ayudhya Assurance Public Co Ltd.

“However, Allianz Ayudhya has managed to post a strong performance generating total premiums of Bt7.9 billion.”

The agency channel remained the key premium contributor, generating total premiums of Bt3.1 billion, he detailed. The bancassurance channel produced Bt2.4 billion and the direct sales channel maintained its market leadership position for the 10th consecutive year with total premiums of Bt1.2 billion.

Annualized new premiums (ANP) grew 6 per cent to Bt1,350 million with Bt463 million from agency, Bt250 million from bancassurance and with direct sales generating Bt510 million.

“Life insurance, especially Health insurance is performing well for the company with significant growth potential due to the low penetration of health insurance today,” said Smith, “and as Thai people better understand the importance of protecting themselves and their families with health insurance.

“We feel that in 2019, despite an increasingly challenging economic environment, Allianz Ayudhya will continue to grow its business, especially in the health segment, with our stated aim of becoming the leader in protection in Thailand,” Smith concluded.

In a press release, the he company also reported the progress of its sustainability goals and recent sustainability initiatives.

Sooksunt Jiumjaiswanglerg, Chief Executive Officer – Agro Industrial Business and Co-President of CP Foods, said the company has a strong commitment to promote an eco-friendly supply chain, reducing carbon footprint and promote sustainable energy in an effort to tackle global warming.

To put the commitment into action, the company recently announced “CP Foods Coal Free by the year 2022”. This project draws to call off coal use in the company’s business units in Thailand. It will significantly reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by more than 70,000 tons CO2e per year. The same policy will be applied to its operations worldwide later on.

CP Foods will replace fuel source for steam boiler system from coal to biomass in 4 strategic plants, including CP Feed Mill Bangna KM.21, Nong Kae’s Aquaculture Feed Mill, Mahachai’s Aquaculture Feed Mill and Samutprakan’s Manufacture of Chicken feather meal and Dry Duck feather Processing Plant.

The transition towards more sustainable energy at four plants is a result of a successful implementation in Ratchburi Feed Mill Production plant. The pilot plant is able to save Bt7 million per year in costs and reduce GHG emissions over 10,425 tons CO2e after completely shifted to renewable source like Palm kernel shells and scrap wood chips.

CP Foods has taken many green initiatives for a better efficiency of its environmental management to help the company achieves its sustainability development goals 2025.

Within 2025, CP Foods pledges to reduce GHG emission by 25 per cent, overall energy consumption by 15 per cent, water consumptions by 30 per cent and waste disposal to landfill by 35 per cent against a 2015 baseline.

Last year, the company kicked off “CP Foods’ Solar Rooftop” project to generate more than 40 Megawatts of electricity from solar power by installing rooftop solar panels on the roof of 34 plants nationwide, cutting GHG emissions by 28,000 tons CO2e per year.

It also announced successful results in increasing the proportion of energy generated from renewable sources to 25 per cent of Thailand’s Final Energy Consumption. As a result from using biogas to generate electricity, the company was able to reduce 322,000 tons CO2e.

For green innovations, CP Foods has developed a sustainable feed for pig, helping the company to reduce 41,000 tons CO2e per year. The eco-friendly feed is currently used by the company’s operations in seven countries, including Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, China, Taiwan and Russia.

CP Foods determined to develop sustainable packaging design based on Circular Economy concept. The company made a commitment that 100 per cent of its packaging to be reusable or recyclable or upcyclable or compostable by 2025 for Thailand operations and by 2030 for overseas operations.

It is attempted to source packaging that has recycled material containing in non-contact food packaging (Secondary Packaging) or, i.e., corrugated boxes. Those packaging have contained recycled material ranging from 70-100 per cent.

The company developed bioplastic trays made from natural renewable resources, namely Polylactic Acid (PLA), which is biodegradable. It was the first company in Thailand to use such trays in chilled raw meat products.

In 2018, CP Foods could reduce more than 3.9 million PET trays or over 60 tons of plastic, which is equivalent to GHG emissions reduction of 132 tons CO2e per year.