Get to know Anthony Cummins, Newly Weds Foods managing director of South East Asia
He foresees opportunities to increase the company’s presence within Southeast Asia in the future.
Newly Weds is one of QSR Media Asia’s event partners on the upcoming QSR Media Asia Detpak Conference and Awards 2018. Below is the transcript of the interview with Cummins:
QSR Media: What makes you excited about your position?
I am very excited by the diversity of our customer base and our reach by market segment and geography. This diversity brings great opportunity and through our group of dedicated and talented people, we embrace each opportunity as it comes.
QSR Media: What are your key business philosophies?
Our key philosophy is to ensure customer satisfaction, delivered through culinary innovation, regulatory compliance, competitive pricing, quality and on time delivery.
QSR Media: What three goals are you focused on?
To ensure customer satisfaction, our goals are to continue to invest in our people, improve efficiency and expand manufacturing capabilities. We foresee opportunities to increase our presence within SE Asia in the future. The HORECA sector for example, is of particular interest in Thailand, given the large number of tourists that visit the country each year. We see this as a natural market extension for our products and are planning to release a food service range under the Executive Chef brand in 2018.
QSR Media: What long-term changes are you planning on?
As we look to the future, Newly Weds Foods continues to inspire new tastes across the globe with innovative people, finest quality ingredients and the latest in product development technology.
QSR Media: What previous positions have prepared you for this one and how?
Over 30 years food industry experience, the last 17 years with Newly Weds Foods Asia Pacific. Utilizing my chemistry credentials established in Australia during a 5 year stint with building products company James Hardie Industries, I initially held a Quality Control/Assurance position with George Weston Foods before migrating into various technical sales roles managing starch and specialty ingredients portfolios. Through these commercial roles I was exposed to the Asian markets which provided me an opportunity to establish a modified tapioca starch toll manufacturing arrangement in Thailand.
This international exposure led me to the position of Group Sales & Marketing of Newly Weds Foods Asia Pacific (a joint venture partner of GWF) based in Sydney, with oversight of the commercial activities in Australia/NZ, Thailand, Philippines and SE Asia. Following a number of very successful acquisitions which resulted in significant growth of the company, I assumed the role of Managing Director South East Asia in 2013, with responsibility for the operations in Thailand and Philippines and oversight of related commercial activities into our global end markets.
