Lim-Loges and Masters: Providing Strategic Counselling in Asia during Challenging Times
Date:11-01-2018
In an increasingly fierce competitive environment, the fundamental competition among enterprises is the competition of talents, which, ultimately, is the competition of high-level talents. It is common for multinational companies and companies in developed coastal areas of China to recruit middle- and high-level talents through head-hunting companies.
"The Agribusiness sector is our major Practice and we work with Multinational clients based in Asia pacific. Our focus from inputs to retailers give our clients comfort that we understand the business dynamics, possess domain expertise and are able to access talent and ideas along the verticals. In agribusiness we are the only firm that offers this unique proposition." Lelia Lim, the founder of Lim-Loges and Masters, told AgroPages.
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Lelia Lim
Founder & Managing Partner of Lim-Loges and Masters |
Q1: Please tell us about your philosophy in establishing Lim-Loges and Masters in Asia.
Previous to a career in Executive Search and HR, I was employed at British Petroleum, followed by Kumpulan Emas Berhad, a listed local conglomerate with core businesses in palm oil plantation and milling. I was then approached to join Korn/ Ferry International, where I remained for almost 13 years in the Global Industrial and Global Consumer practices. We focused on the natural resources sector (agribusiness, oil and gas, metals & mining). By 2014 I was approached to build the Asia presence for Kincannon and Reed as its Managing Partner, Asia Pacific. We specialized in agribusinesses, with clients throughout Asia Pacific. Over this period, clients increasingly voiced their requirements for more wholistic HR support – economies were evolving quickly in Asia and pressures were mounting on Asia to deliver more than the mere 10-15% contributions. The west was seen as flat, or slow in growth.
This inspired me to form Lim-Loges and Masters. We do more than Executive Search. The company was created to help companies undergoing change and transformation because of oncoming business pressures, such as economic cycles, disruption by digitization, political pressures and so forth.
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Yushi Guo
Senior partner of Lim-Loges and Masters |
We are currently at the cusp of major changes globally, driven by breakthroughs in robotics, AI, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology and more. We call this the 4th Industrial Revolution, which will touch every industry and area of human activity. It is evolving faster than any of the revolutions before. LimLoges and Masters was established to help companies through three core offerings meant to address every stage of change – critical, gradual and by project.
Q2: Please tell us more about the services offered at Lim-Loges and Masters and its focus on Agribusiness.
Our proposition at Lim-Loges and Masters offers three services, including Disruption Management, Transition Management and Executive Search; each addressing different waves of change that a company undergoes towards the ideal transformation. We focus on people strategies in change management.
In Asia we note the level of M&A activity, which has been on the continued increase in the last 10 years. The recent large agribusiness M&A activities include Olam’s takeover of ADM’s cocoa business (US$1.3 bil); COFCO’s acquisition of Nidera and Noble Group (US$3 bil); Danone increases its stake in China Mengniu Dairy (US$565 mil); and Wilmar’s acquisition of Goodman Fielder (US$1.3 bil).
The Agribusiness sector is our major practice and we work with multinational clients based in Asia Pacific. Our focus, from inputs to retailers, give our clients comfort that we understand the business dynamics, possess domain expertise and are able to access talent and ideas along the verticals. In agribusiness we are the only firm that offers this unique proposition.
Our service in Disruption Management addresses critical change, proactively and reactively. We help companies preempt the impact of change, as well as respond to change. Our team of consultants work in two areas, Finance and HR, helping companies study their options, in light of oncoming digitization and proactively recommends practical solutions impacting a company’s assets – people and profitability. Disruption Management also assists in a reactive manner upon situations during a hostile takeover, change in management, the overturn of an executive board, and other events, through providing due diligence and people assessments.
Transition Management addresses companies undergoing gradual, but important changes in business directions. Our services here involve redesigning of competency frameworks for talent management, active coaching of leaders in preparation for change management, succession planning for high potentials and high achievers, training and upskilling in light of AI.
Executive Search helps companies refresh their talent base. We also help identify leaders when a need for change is urgent and internal talent is not ready to embrace that change. Our search process is rigorous and we have, today, a 100% placement rate and a high volume of repeat work from clients who return because of our quality of work and integrity.
Q3: Tell us about how your services help companies in Asia. Would you be able to share with us how your services have helped agri-companies, in particular?
A recent testimonial from our client might best explain how we work:
“Thanks to LLM’s quick grasp of our company’s values, needs and strengths, as well as the expertise of the person that would fit our job profile, Limagrain was able to hire the perfect match for the vacant position of Managing Director for one of our Asian units.
“I was impressed by the high levels of confidentiality, professionalism and integrity in our discussions to identify the prerequisite qualities of the potential candidate and fine-tune the search and selection process.
“LLM had a good listening ear during our mutual exchanges. That became very apparent in the delivery of the initial profile reports of the slate of possible candidates whose exposure was not limited to local business locales, but also interaction with global counterparts. These reports were concise, to the point and easy to read and digest. They clearly demonstrated a good understanding of Limagrain’s requirements for the eventual candidate, who would have to be able to provide a high level of strategic leadership and vision for the group going forward in the region.
“A lot of time was also saved due to the full suite of services provided by LLM, which include reference checks, remuneration negotiations with the eventual successful candidate, as well as the on-boarding process, one that demonstrates LLM’s commitment beyond the recruitment process by helping the newcomer adapt during the adjustment period. I am now also fully convinced of the retained approach to recruitment and would not hesitate to use it, as well as LLM’s services for future recruitment searches due to its extensive regional and global networks and deep insights of the agri-business industry, both in Asia and globally.”
- Cecile Richard, CEO Asia Pacific, Limagrain Field Seeds
Q4: In China, the country is undergoing a large agenda to move to a knowledge-based economy. The agri-industry is undergoing change, as Chinese companies now have a bigger appetite for a global presence, for example, Chem China acquired the largest global agrochemical company, Syngenta. How do you see your business supporting the market in China?
Yushi Guo is our China Representative for Lim-Loges and Masters and is based in Beijing. He possesses rich experience in executive consultations in mainland China. Currently, Yushi is the president of Panorfinity Consulting. Yushi is also a guest lecturer and MBA interviewer at Guanghua School of Management, Peking University. Previously, Yushi was a Partner in Korn/ Ferry International, the largest global executive search and leadership consulting firm. Driven by a commitment to creating excellence, Yushi was the trusted advisor to both executives and client companies in the industrial and consumer sectors. He notes, "China’s 13th Five Year Plan calls for ‘agriculture to be the foundation for building a moderately prosperous society, in all aspects, and to achieve modernisation’. The Plan continues with the previous theme of modernisation of the Chinese agriculture sector and includes restructuring China’s agriculture sector, introducing improved technology innovation and effective agricultural socialisation service systems."
Contact:
Lelia Lim
Lim-Loges & Masters
Mobile : +852 90223531 / +65 90117672
Skype: leliaconsult
Web site: 
http://limlogesmasters.com/
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