WE ARE UPSers FIRST

WE ARE UPSers FIRST

The sense of corporate belonging runs deep at UPS, as newly appointed Singapore managing director INGRID SIDIADINOTO tells Bob Gill.

Her recent appointment to the position of managing director, UPS Singapore, is another step up for the career ladder for Ingrid Sidiadinoto. She joined UPS in Seattle, USA, in 1999, straight from university as one of the pioneer batch of management trainees in the Industrial Engineering department and went on to assume a number of supervisory and managerial positions in the company’s US operations. In 2006, the Indonesia native moved back to Asia to assume the position of manager for operational excellence for the UPS Asia Pacifi c region. The following year she was promoted to director for industrial engineering in the UPS South District, a position she held until this year’s elevation to Singapore country manager. Founded in 1907 as United Parcel Service and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, UPS now off ers a portfolio of express, freight and contract logistics services in more than 200 countries around the world. For the last full fi nancial year (2010) the company reported revenues of US$49.5 billion and operating profi t of $5.9 billion.

Q: How did you feel when you were off ered the managing director position for UPS Singapore?

A: In UPS, we do have career discussion plans every year, so I knew that I would likely moving to a country head position at some point, although I did not exactly know which country. But yes, Singapore, it is an exciting opportunity because it is one of the key countries for UPS in Asia Pacifi c, in terms of it being a hub for South Asia operations as well as a signifi cant domestic market in its own right. The fact that I have been based here since 2006 when I moved from the US to take up the regional roles means that I am already quite familiar with the place as well with the network connections from here to the rest of Asia.

Q: What are your key priorities for Singapore?

A: There are broadly three priorities: grow our presence in target vertical markets; ensure our customers are fully aware of the value-add capabilities from our technology off erings; and to further improve the level of operations so that we can continue to be an eff ective hub for South Asia. Healthcare is a key focus for Singapore, and you can see a lot of government initiatives to grow the sector. For UPS, we opened our fi rst dedicated healthcare facility in Asia here earlier this year, and it features the cold chain capabilities for temperature-sensitive pharma products, as well a necessary high level of security.

Q: Are you seeing any impact from the recent economic downturn?

A: There has not been a signifi cant impact on the Singapore business so far. I would also point out that one of the things that UPS is very good at doing is adjusting to the current situation of the economy. So we look at where we can take cost out by improving operational effi ciencies but still maintaining the same level of service to our customers. Indeed, I believe our customers appreciate this partnership type of approach, where we try and help each other.

Q: Of course, you are not the only company in this business, so why should a customer choose UPS? WE ARE

A: One of the reasons is that we value partnerships. What this means is that we work closely with our customers to fi nd out exactly what they need and what value-added services may be useful for them. While we may be more expensive than, say, a local courier, we can provide much more, especially in terms of providing solutions such as for shipment tracking, package level detail, and paperless invoicing. Another important aspect is the UPS standard. What this means that wherever you are in the world you can be assured of the same high level of service, which is defi ned at the UPS corporate level. For example, if one country has temperature and humidity specifi cations for a healthcare facility that are lower than our corporate standard, then we always go with our own, higher standard. So we provide this consistency, no matter where products are housed or facilities located. We also have a high level of organizational alignment in that we face the customer as one entity, rather than having several diff erent points of contact for the various express, freight forwarding and contract logistics off erings.

Q: How would you describe your leadership style?

A: I think communication is very important, and I do spend a lot of time with my teams ensuring they have access to information impacting the business. If anything, I probably tend to over communicate, but I do feel that an informed group of people makes better decisions and are more likely to implement a solution that they have been part of from the start. With almost 1,200 staff in UPS Singapore, I think it’s also important for me to stay in touch with the ground-level operations otherwise it can be quite easy to lose track of what’s really going on. Going out on occasional sales calls also helps me maintain a good understanding of customer needs.

Q: Given the diff erent cultural environment, how diff erent is it working for UPS in Asia versus in the US?

A: Actually, I don’t feel it is that diff erent – I still feel like I am among UPSers here. In fact, we all like to think ourselves as UPSers fi rst, and functional or country heads second. Having said that, just because UPS is a US company does not mean that the whole American culture is foisted onto the international locations. Rather, it is adjusted to take account of local environments and to ensure customers are receptive to our approach.

Q: What qualities do you look for when hiring new staff ?

A: Passion is very important. You may be very smart but if you do not have that drive to succeed then it is going to be very diffi cult. It’s also important to be able to interact with operations and feel comfortable in a warehouse environment. Integrity is another aspect – since we handle customers’ goods which may be high value.

Q: And how would you encourage people to join UPS?

A: I think the fact that UPS has many long serving staff is a testament that this is a good organization and one in which people can grow and develop and be promoted into senior positions. For instance, we have been in Singapore for about 20 years and we have staff that have been with us all this time I am a good example – I joined straight after college in the US and have been with the company ever since. A lot of young people like to job hop but the problem with that is you never stay long enough for a company to get to know your true capabilities. I don’t think I would have got to where I have if I had kept moving around with diff erent companies.

Q: I understand that you have active in encouraging more women to join and to be successful at UPS?

A: Women Leadership Development (WLD) is a UPS program that started several years ago in the US and came to Asia last year with Singapore as the fi rst location. I am currently the chairperson of the Singapore WLD. Recognizing that logistics is a traditionally male dominated industry, what we aim to do with WLD is to develop an environment within UPS that encourages and develops our women employees through networking, mentoring, education, and communitybased involvement activities. This can range from lunchtime talks about personal grooming and how to make a will to helping out at a shelter for abused women and their children. I would say that we do have a fairly good female representation at senior levels within UPS Singapore and I am the third successive woman country manager. I am also pleased to see a lot more women among our clients, i.e. working in the logistics departments of manufacturing companies.

Q: UPS also seems notably active in terms of corporate social responsibility?

A: Yes, and at UPS giving back to the community is part of your responsibility as a leader. Volunteerism and philanthropy has long been a part of the culture, and we see the value of community service in enhancing lives of individuals and in developing the leadership talents of employees. In fact, October was Global Volunteer Month and in Singapore we had a third of our employees volunteer a total of more than 1,500 hours in serving the community. And the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre just recently gave the Corporate Volunteer of the Year award to UPS Singapore, which is a fi ne achievement. For many years UPS has also run a program whereby senior leadership go and work for a non-profi t, community based organization for one month. This year, in February, I had the chance to go to Chinatown in San Francisco and, together with other UPSers, work at a facility catering for low-income Chinese immigrants. Our activities ranged from serving in the soup kitchen to running employment workshops. It was tough being away from family for several weeks but I certainly got more out of it than I thought I would do. Living side by side with these people gives you a greater understanding of their problems as well as the relationship between politics, business and the community. It also makes you realize how lucky you are.