Weekly Digest News from around Bata World

Transcription

1 Bata January 16, 2015 Weekly Digest News from around Bata World AT A GLANCE We Are Bata People: Salman Pirzada Sends in a Warehouse Selfie Feliz Navidad: BCP Bolivia Spreads Holiday Joy to Hundreds of Underprivileged Children Bata's Rhino Project: Looking Ahead An Executive Interview: Conversing with Martin Procházka The Bata World News team talked to Martin Procházka, finance director of Bata Czech Republic, as he was under deadline to complete the financial year. PERSON OF THE WEEK: Meet M. Habibur Rahman, Retiring After Three Decades Bigger and Better in Bangalore Serving the Community: An Interview with Romeyo Ongkosing Bata Thailand Recognizes Team s Excellence and Long Service Bata Bangladesh s Photo Contest Captures Customers Images and Imaginations Brand New Footin Store Launched in India

2 Bata January 16, 2015 The Bata World News team talked to Martin Procházka, finance director of Bata Czech Republic, as he was under deadline to complete the financial year. INTERVIEWS An Executive Interview: Conversing with Martin Procházka What makes working with Bata different from other companies you ve worked for? In the history of Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), Bata is the most successful and iconic company. It is what Ford Motor Company is in the U.S. Need I say more? What do you enjoy most about your role as finance director at Bata Czech Republic? Day-to-day operations. Dealing with people both locally and also around the world. I really enjoy the global aspect. That is something I never experienced in my previous jobs. What is your top work priority at the moment? For someone working in finance, it is a successful completion of a financial year. Meeting all the deadlines, legal requirements and providing accurate and reliable information. What new challenge do you look forward to taking on in the coming year? We have had a bit of a challenging Our priority is to increase our market share, improve customer service and enlarge our presence in the e-commerce sector. We are a good team, and I am confident we will do all that and more. What key qualities do you believe are essential to being a successful part of the Bata team? To be open-minded, always seeking new ways to do things differently. To be able and willing to listen to others and learn from them. What is your wish for Bata in 2015? And in 2025? To further enlarge our presence in all the world's markets. To continue to build a strong brand name. Simply, to be seen and heard everywhere. Lastly, for the Radio Bata World playlist, what is your all-time favorite song? Led Zeppelin s Stairway to Heaven.

3 Bata January 16, 2015 The Bata World News team was able to catch up with M. Habibur Rahman as he was retiring as head of human resources from Bata Bangladesh. INTERVIEWS PERSON OF THE WEEK: Meet M. Habibur Rahman, Retiring After Three Decades You retired at the beginning of this month. What did you do to celebrate? I got a warm reception from the family. All my close family members and friends were present at a dinner to mark the final chapter of my life. I am very happy that my wife, my daughter and son congratulated me for successful completion of more than three decades of service with Bata and a respectable retirement. We as a family express our sincere gratitude to the Bata Shoe Organization and the Bata family for giving me such an opportunity. How do you plan to enjoy your retirement? I will permanently live in my home country during my retirement, but I have plans to travel and visit new places more frequently. During my period of service I was very active, hardworking and disciplined, which are the best things I learned from Bata, and I will continue to be active and disciplined in my retired life as well. In Bata I was responsible over the years for corporate social responsibility and, recently, the Bata Children s Program, but there was too little time, and now I have plans to spend more time doing something for the underprivileged children in my community. I am also planning to involve myself in some academic and training activities to develop human resources in the country. Why did you decide to work for Bata all those years ago? Bata is the largest shoe company in Bangladesh with a strong brand valued as a multinational company. It is indeed a dream of young generations to start their working lives with a multinational company, and I was lucky to be selected as a management trainee under the Challenge 2000 program in 1982, and it was my first interview for a job. I was always very happy in my job, and I got ample opportunity to develop myself as a professional. I started my job in manufacturing, and after seven years I got the opportunity to work in human resources. I strongly believe my practical work in the factories and other areas gave me the opportunity to understand the product, process and people, which helped me a lot to be a very successful HR manager. How have you seen Bata Bangladesh grow? When I started my job in 1982 it was in a small factory in Tongi with a few injection molding machines and a sewing line with an assembly conveyor. Today we have two big factories, the largest retail and nonretail chain, and the largest retail store on one floor 20,000 square feet in BSO. I have seen Bata Bangladesh grow over the last three decades in front of my eyes, I was able to feel every step of its developments, and I am proud to

4 Bata January 16, 2015 PERSON OF THE WEEK: Meet M. Habibur Rahman, Retiring After Three Decades mention that we are still the No.1 brand and am extremely happy to be part of the team. When I look back today with satisfaction and pride, I see the result of our hard work and dedication to make Bata into the largest shoe company in Bangladesh. Can you share with BWN readers a memorable moment from your career? Changing from the technical line to human resources was a challenging decision for me. I was very confused whether I would be in a position to perform to the expected level. I started with full determination, with a learning attitude, and got admitted to the institute of HR management in So I worked during the day and attended the classes till late in the evening; I continued two years on the same schedule, and with the pace I was very confident in my job and also got my degree in HR management. On January 1, 1994 my dreams came true: Mr. G. Stricker, the managing director, announced in a management meeting my appointment as human resources manager for the company. That was the most memorable moment in my career, and I successfully continued in the same position till my retirement on January 1, What advice or philosophy has been most helpful to you in your professional life? Success in life is not very easy, but nothing is impossible in the world; with strong determination, hard work and discipline everything is achievable. Over the last three decades I have come across many wonderful people whom I have worked with. To all of you I am sincerely thankful for your help, assistance and guidance. Without your support this long and amazing journey would not have been possible. We must keep working as a team and dedicate ourselves to upholding the pride of this organization. I am extremely grateful to the company for giving me the opportunity to work here and develop myself as a professional. What is your wish for Bata in the future? I sincerely hope that Bata continues to deliver with excellence in the years to come.

5 Bata January 16, 2015 The Bata World News team recently interviewed Romeyo Ongkosing. INTERVIEWS Serving the Community: An Interview with Romeyo Ongkosing How long have you been involved with BCP? After joining Bata Malaysia in October 2011, I started participating actively in BCP Malaysia in 2012 and was recently appointed BCP coordinator. Before this, I did a project with a nongovernmental organization that involved cleaning the orphanage in my hometown of Sabah, Malaysia. What do you enjoy about helping to coordinate BCP? I believe that all children need love, encouragement, and support. Such positive reinforcement can help ensure that our new young generations emerge with a strong sense of self-worth, confidence, and the determination to keep going even when things are tough. Do you have an annual calendar of events that you organize? Yes, and in 2014 I managed to complete three events. BCP Malaysia visited the Rumah Charis children s home for a Chinese New Year celebration, then we did a visit to the aquarium at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on November 21, and finally we visited the Kids@Medicare program at the MAA Medicare Charity Dialysis Centre in December. Can you describe a BCP activity that you have particularly enjoyed? I liked the one when BCP Malaysia volunteers visited the children's oncology ward at the University of Malaya Medical Centre on June 11, The children, mainly suffering from leukemia and thalassemia, were being treated in the clinical oncology ward for extensive therapy and in the clinical oncology day care ward for chemotherapy, biologic and supportive drugs, as well as wound dressing. They really need moral support in order to go through the whole treatment process. What is your top goal for BCP Malaysia at the moment? I would like to see more and more employees take the initiative to participate and provide us with new ideas to serve the community in terms of children s development. Not only at the office staff level but also more on a store level as well. What comments do you hear from the team of active volunteers? To be honest I only hear positive comments from them so far. I am glad that most of the volunteers are giving me full support and full cooperation.

6 Bata January 16, 2015 In line with expansion plans, Bata India recently opened a store in Bangalore with a whopping 6,000 square feet across two floors. STORE Bigger and Better in Bangalore The three carried out a formal ribbon cutting ceremony on Dec. 18 following a dance troop performance at the store entrance. As the ribbon was cut, Bata-branded balloons were released into the air, announcing the inauguration. A crowd outside the store gathered to get in on the excitement. In addition to these customers, fans and the curious, the media presence was strong to capture the opening day s moments of pride and joy, which also included a diya lighting ceremony. The Bata executives addressed the media on the topics of Bata heritage and the new store opening, announcing that Bata India plans to add 100 stores per year to its current 1,400. The focus will be on largeformat stores, those of at least 3,000 square feet, where the company can offer most of its product lines under one roof. The store just opened in Bangalore fit this model. Pandit was happy to be invited for the event and talked about the collection and her special favorites. She was wearing a comfortable pair of Bata stilettos from the new collection and said, I am very excited to be here as part of opening celebrations of the Bata store today in Bangalore. The Hebbal Road store is very inviting, with some really cool pairs of sandals and trendy wedges. The store has an exotic range of fashionable bags and accessories to complete the chic look for the season. The Power running shoes are a must have from the latest collection. Gopalakrishnan remarked, It gives me immense pleasure to announce the opening of our brand new bigger store at Hebbal and build on our growth strategy to further expand the brand s footprint in the country. The objective of the brand is to offer our customers a contemporary mix of stylish, aspirational, comfortable and affordable footwear and accessories. It has been a complete pride and pleasure to have the chairman of the Bata Shoe Organization, Mr. Thomas George Bata, join us for the occasion. The new store has been designed keeping in mind the international standards which make the store look inviting and allow an easy navigation for customers within the store. With the opening of bigger and better stores, we aim to enhance our customer s shopping experience with the right mix of products and great customer service.

7 Bata January 16, 2015 In two celebrations, Bata Thailand took the time to celebrate its employees. CORPORATE Bata Thailand Recognizes Team s Excellence and Long Service First, at the head office in Bangkok, 13 staff members were toasted for their long service. Group COO Jorge Carbajal was in attendance and presented the honorees with tokens of the company s appreciation. Carlos Garces, company manager of Bata Thailand, commented on the employees honesty and added, The value of these awards is not only in the certificates or other prizes but also in the many enduring thank yous in our minds. Nipaporn Lorchindasakul, the manager of the Bata store in the MBK Center shopping mall, was one of the honorees. I am very happy and proud to have continued working with Bata Thailand for 25 years. I have gotten a lot of experience, and I m still like a young lady and try to push the best by my experience and also share with the young generation to achieve together with Bata Thailand, she said. Later, on Dec. 19, the team again gathered in the head office to recognize its own. The ceremony was for key people in the management team whose cooperation led to the company s successes in Certificates of appreciation were presented to department managers in several categories: Best Effort, Best Initiative, Best Performance, Best Teamwork, Best Support, Best Service and Best Management of The Thai company was grateful for the efforts of Bata Czech Republic in making available coins commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Thomas J. Bata, which were presented to the award winners. The support of Davide Zornetta, Group HR director, and Eva Angeloni, assistant to the Group CEO, was also appreciated on this occasion. A total of 21 members of the management team were called out for their excellence. Most categories had more than one winner, but Karun Saichumintra, industrial sales manager, went home the winner of Best Performance in 2014, and Thanarak Kanchanakhantakul, deputy HR manager, that of Best Service. Garces addressed those presented with certificates of appreciation: "On behalf of Bata Thailand, we are very appreciative and also feel proud for all of your performances. This year, 2014, we have faced many uncertain situations, but as our team we can do our best. However we would like to do more, and all of you will be our big supporters to achieve our goal together in the coming year.

8 Bata January 16, 2015 Fully partaking in the holiday spirit last month, Bata Bangladesh organized a weeklong Christmas Photo Contest through its Facebook page that proved to be wildly popular. CORPORATE Bata Bangladesh s Photo Contest Captures Customers Images and Imaginations The capital of Dhaka was bedecked for the holidays by Bata Bangladesh, which put up three of the largest Christmas trees in town outside its Flagship stores in the Banani neighborhood and in the Jamuna Future Park and Bashundhara City shopping malls. These trees set the stage for the photo contest, and their glowing lights also drew in growing crowds at these stores. From Dec. 21 to Dec. 27, everyone was invited to submit photos with these Christmas trees through Bata Bangladesh s Facebook fan page. And on each of these seven days, three winning photos, those with the highest number of tags and comments, were announced on the page. Contestants photos had 24 hours to gather these votes, and the three daily winners were rewarded with surprise gifts. Participants threw themselves into the contest with tremendous enthusiasm, making it the talk of the town, with an increasing number of submissions on each day. One of the winners on the first day of the contest, Nelson C.H. Rozario, commented, As a lifelong customer of Bata, I was overwhelmed to see such new initiatives by the brand. And we hope Bata will continue to bring in more such new initiatives in the coming days. Another Christmas initiative of Bata Bangladesh saw surprise visits by Santa Claus to its Flagship stores. He gave out candy and cookies to the youngest Bata customers, contributed to the festive year-end ambiance and brought in the crowds. It was a memorable end of 2014 for Bata Bangladesh and its customers alike.

9 Bata January 16, 2015 The Bata World News team got another great selfie from a reader, this week from Salman Pirzada, who snapped a shot of his team at a retail distribution center in Pakistan. INTERVIEWS We Are Bata People: Salman Pirzada Sends in a Warehouse Selfie How do you fit into the Bata world? I m supply chain manager in Batapur, Pakistan. I have been working in Bata for the last 15 years, and I started working in the supply chain department in July 2014, making sure that all ready goods are received and supplied in time and also controlling and reducing expenses. I built a successful team and motivated them to achieve targets, establishing a relationship between them to cooperate with each other in this workplace. Besides this, we successfully launched a scanning system in the retail distribution center and planned a setup to receive ready goods in a smooth way. Who is in your selfie? It s my team. From the left, Sarfaraz Khan, Bahadur Khan, me, Qaiser Noman, Rashid Akhtar and Shuaib Tiwana. What does it show? What is the story? We are at a retail distribution center at the Batapur head office near Lahore. We took this selfie because we were in a happy mood, having achieved successful supply results: compared to 2013, 107 percent in retail and 103 percent in wholesale. What do you like most about your job? It is a great place to work: I am allowed to grow and show my potential. It is one big family here, and I enjoy working with great people. Finally, I am encouraged to be the best I can be, and I get plenty of help to achieve that. Want to send in your Bata selfie? Just a few photos you take of yourself, alone or with colleagues, to bwn@bata.com. Show off your creativity! Photos must be horizontal, and be sure to use the largest file size allowed on your camera or phone.

10 Bata January 16, 2015 In the days leading up to Christmas, the Bata Children s Program (BCP) Bolivia put on a festive show for more than 350 underprivileged children in Aiquile, 200 kilometers from the city of Cochabamba, where Bata Bolivia is based. BCP / SUSTAINABILITY Feliz Navidad: BCP Bolivia Spreads Holiday Joy to Hundreds of Underprivileged Children To carry off this Christmas show, 10 BCP volunteers set out early in the morning of Dec. 16 on a four-hour journey to a community center in Aiquile. Their mission: to brighten the day of the hundreds of children they found waiting for them. The show opened with a group of clowns BCP volunteers who entertained and involved the children in magic tricks and games. Meanwhile, other volunteers in the audience distributed age-appropriate toys to all the children: balls, dolls and educational games abounded. To conclude the show, BCP presented its donation of more than 300 pairs of shoes. All the children were able to replace their old sandals with new sneakers, the younger ones putting them on with the help of the volunteers. At the end of the event, the BCP team was proud to have brought the magic of Christmas to the underprivileged children of Aiquile. Volunteer Fabiola Villegas of Bata Bolivia s accounting department explained: It was a hard but very rewarding work to brighten the day of more than 300 children. When we finished, we felt very good, because the BCP team contributed to the happiness of poor children. It is a great personal satisfaction, and if you asked me if I would do this activity again, the answer would always be a definite yes!

11 Bata January 16, 2015 The Rhino Project closed 2014 with a final store opening in Namibia, its 14th of the year. STORE Bata's Rhino Project: Looking Ahead The brands involved in this strategy, all of which currently have a presence in Rhino Project markets, include Bata Industrials, Gumboots, Toughees, Tomy Takkies, PataPata and Safari. There is a huge demand for safety shoes due to the massive mining and oil sectors in the region. brand throughout Africa. The plan is to provide franchise locations with four collections per year, sourcing from China Footwear Services and branded shoe lines from Africa. The Passion to Serve program for employees is also to be gradually implemented. In terms of franchising, the plan is to grow from the current 23 stores in Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Sudan and Swaziland to 60 retail locations in these same countries by Ghana is to maintain its preeminent position, with 10 stores slated to be operational by then, up from its current four. The Rhino Project team will also continue to scope out new countries with favorable conditions. Project director Nasir Rafiq commented, We strongly feel that successful reentry into all these African countries where Bata used to have operations would be considered an African Renaissance for the Bata Shoe Organization. Needless to say, it is extremely challenging, but Africa sees opportunities in every difficulty rather than difficulties in every opportunity. Expansion plans for this year are for a total of 14 new stores to be launched in eight countries. The overall goal of the Rhino Project is for Bata to become the No. 1 footwear Namibia s fourth Bata store opened on Dec. 13 at the newly-built Westlane Shopping Center in Windhoek. Coming in at 150 square meters, the location is expected to sell 20,000 pairs of shoes a year. To achieve the store opening during the hectic holiday season was quite an enterprise. Franchise partners Michael Gotore and Jackson Wandjiva were excited to see the country s second Zeus Concept store open its doors before Christmas. With more new locations in the works for 2015, a total of eight are planned for Namibia by 2017, making it a key location for the Rhino Project.

12 Powered by TCPDF ( Bata January 16, 2015 Thomas G. Bata, along with celebrity actress Ileana D Çruz, launched India s 39th Footin store at the Great India Place shopping mall in Noida last month, intriguing the media and customers alike. STORE Brand New Footin Store Launched in India The newly-inaugurated store is serving customers from a nearly 1,200-squarefoot sales area, offering them a premiere shopping experience. The international Footin brand is targeted to the 15- to 25-year-old age group with an extensive range of stylish and trendy footwear and accessories. The opening witnessed a huge crowd gathered inside the mall around the store. Everyone waited to welcome the actress and Mr. Bata. On the arrival of the special guests, they cut the ribbon at the entrance and lit the diya inside. The media made its presence felt at the launch, as reporters angled to interview D Çruz and her spokespople. While Mr. Bata and Rajeev Gopalakrishnan, Group managing director of South Asia, answered questions about the store concept and the company s confidence in the Footin brand, the celebrity spoke out her excitement at taking part in the ceremony and illustrated her relationship with the brand. She was amazed to see such aspirational footwear at affordable prices and said the store was a perfect destination for today s youth. Gopalakrishnan remarked, It gives me immense pleasure to announce the opening of our new Footin store in GIP Noida and build on our growth strategy to further expand the brand s footprint in the country. The objective of the brand is to offer customers a young, stylish and affordable collection to choose from. It has been a complete pride and pleasure to have the chairman of the Bata Shoe Organization Mr. Thomas G. Bata join us for the occasion. With the opening of bigger and better stores of Footin in the country we aim to enhance customers shopping experience with the right mix of fashion, quality and comfort.