Sabeco appoints Lester Tan as new general director

Sabeco, a leading beer maker in Vietnam, has appointed Lester Tan Teck Chuan, a Singaporean national, as its new general director, effective from October 1.

In his new role, Lester Tan assumes responsibility for shaping Sabeco's overall business and sustainable growth strategies while reinforcing its core strengths, the brewer said in a release.

Lester Tan brings to Sabeco a wealth of experience, boasting over 28 years of expertise in the beer, spirits, and beverage industry across various Asian markets, including Thailand, Myanmar, Mongolia, and Singapore. "Throughout his career, he has consistently catalyzed positive changes and fueled business growth within the organizations he has led."

"Over the past five years, Sabeco has made significant strides in enhancing its business capabilities, streamlining processes, and executing transformative initiatives. To continue this remarkable transformation journey, the company requires fresh ideas, innovative perspectives, and renewed vigor.

"We believe the new leadership will spearhead transformative business strategies and guide this centuries-old company to greater heights," the firm's board of directors stated in the release.

As the newly appointed general director, Lester Tan will spearhead the second phase of Sabeco's transformation, focusing on sustainable growth and further cementing its position both domestically and internationally, aligning with the group's vision for 2025 to strengthen its leadership in the Southeast Asia region.

Lester Tan said: "Having had the opportunity to engage with Sabeco's team, customers, and consumers, I am excited about the opportunities ahead of us. I am honored to collaborate with Sabeco's leaders and colleagues to drive sustainable growth for the company, deliver enhanced value to our shareholders, and continue creating a positive socio-economic impact in the communities where we operate, and for Vietnam."

Before assuming his role at Sabeco, Lester Tan served as the Chief of Beer at ThaiBev PLC, overseeing Thailand's beer market from 2020 to 2023. He also held CEO positions in beer and beverage businesses in Mongolia, Myanmar, and Thailand.

In 2018, Sabeco embarked on a transformation journey, guided by seven strategic pillars, with the aim of becoming a globally competitive company.

The year 2021 marked the culmination of the first phase of the company's transformation, punctuated by significant milestones. This achievement has set the stage for its second transformation phase, characterized by six key pillars: sales, brand/marketing, production, supply chain, people, and unlock - all supported by the Sabeco 4.0 project and other governance initiatives.

Thailand's ThaiBev spent almost $5 billion acquiring a 51% stake in Sabeco from Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade in December 2017. Its current holding is 64%.

With 148 years of brewing history, Sabeco has established itself as one of Vietnam’s leading companies.

The company includes 26 breweries and 11 trading subsidiaries and has a distribution network consisting of hundred thousand retailers nationwide. Its brand portfolio consists of some of the most well-loved beer brands in Vietnam, including Bia Lac Viet, Bia Saigon Chill, Bia 333, Bia Saigon Special, Bia Saigon Export, Bia Saigon Lager and Bia Saigon Gold.

In the period spanning 2022 to 2023, the company expanded the capacity of the Bia Sai Gon Quang Ngai Brewery to 250 million liters per year, undertook a rooftop solar power installation project across 17 breweries, and initiated an extensive warehouse and logistics project with a 31,000 square meter area and storage capacity for 30,000 pallets. These efforts are designed to optimize storage, preserve goods, and ensure timely supply to meet market demands.

Sabeco recorded VND34.98 trillion ($1.43 billion) in net revenue and VND5.5 trillion ($225.55 million) in profit after tax in 2022, marking a remarkable increase of 32% and 40% compared to 2021, respectively. These figures represent the highest profit after tax in the company's history.

As of August 2023, Bia Saigon retains its market-leading position in terms of product consumption, as confirmed by a research conducted by NielsenIQ Vietnam.