parinda's dream: taking p&g to asean

Parinda, 40, has been at the consumer product giant for 18 years, working her way up to managing director for P&G Thailand before getting her new assignment.

"The last three-and-a-half years have been the most fulfilling period in my career. I have learned so much about leading a business and organisation As I embark on my new role in Asean marketing, my dream is to successfully build P&G brands to leadership positions in the Asean markets," she said.

Parinda graduated with a BA in psychology and political science from the University of California at Los Angeles.

She joined P&G Thailand in 1990 as a marketing research assistant. In 1993, she became an assistant brand manager, and was promoted to brand manager for Safeguard soap in 1994.

In 1999, she rose to marketing director of skincare and cosmetics for Asean, Australasia and India (AAI), and was given responsibility for personal beauty care in AAI in 2001.

"It is quite challenging in brand marketing today as individual consumers have changed their buying behaviour as they have accessed a lot of information from various media.

"It is how to provide them with correct and appropriate information that consumers should know about the quality of the products and its value," she said.

Her marketing team would cover marketing people from many nations in Asean ranging from assistant brand managers to directors.

The team would carry 30 consumer product brands in seven categories, including haircare, skincare, blade and razor, oralcare, laundry, snack, battery, sanitary napkin, healthcare, babycare and fabric softener.

"The set-up of the Asean marketing team is because P&G has seen tremendous potential in offering new product innovations, which cater quite perfectly to the similarity of demands from Asean consumers.

Bangkok has been promoted by P&G as the centre of marketing for Asean following the sophistication of Thai consumers in terms of beauty needs and trends," she said.

"I would like to develop all marketing strategies applied in Asean to another level and Thailand will be the centre to succeed in this aim. My first and last priority is to strengthen all P&G brands based on an in-depth understanding of consumers and the introduction of strong innovations."