Long-time Mondelēz World Travel Retail executive Rajiv Malhotra has created his own Singapore-based company – Lead In Travel Retail Pte Ltd.
Malhotra, one of the most respected figures in the Asia Pacific travel retail and confectionery community, spent almost 23 years with Mondelēz and its predecessor Kraft Foods, most recently as Senior Business Development Manager Asia-Pacific.
Having left Mondelēz Travel Retail on 31 December with a fond farewell led by Managing Director Jaya Singh, Malhotra formed his new company this week.
“I wanted to remain in the duty free business and the purpose of establishing this company is to act as a business builder for brands,” he told The Moodie Davitt Report.
Many businesses have been forced to scale back their operations in Asia and the Middle East due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with retrenchment of people and offices, Malhotra noted.
“Many companies will not be able to return to these regions over the next two or three years at the same level because they cannot afford the headcount in the region,” he said.
[Click on the icon to listen to Rajiv Malhotra discuss his ambitions for Lead In Travel Retail]
“Where there is such a gap, I can act as the brand’s business builder or business development manager, acting as an agent and earning commission on the revenue I earn.
“So it’s a two-prong approach. I don’t want to be a consultant to a brand – I want to act on behalf of the brand. This is an area where I have the expertise, the knowledge, and the connections and goodwill within the industry.”
Malhotra is already in advanced talks with several as yet undisclosed brand companies both within the confectionery sector and other categories. “I would be very privileged to be given the opportunity to be considered for other categories, specifically within the travel retail channel,” he commented.
Paying tribute to the Mondelēz organisation and his colleagues, Malhotra said: “In the 22 years that I spent with Mondelēz, we had the time of our lives in this industry. It was a beautiful time. Personally, I was given a wonderful opportunity to work for a world-class Swiss company. Over the last 10 to 12 years, I really learned from the best – my teacher was very good. So that’s something I’m very proud of.”
Trusted partner
Asked about the choice of Lead In Travel Retail as a name, Malhotra said that the term Lead neatly encapsulates multiple aspects of the company’s mission, particularly in terms of leading a brand’s business development.
“I will be a trusted partner to build and develop a trusted brand. That is key because I will be able to go to retailers who have trusted me all these years because I worked with them for the number one chocolate company. We will bring trusted brands and trusted partnerships to play.”
Understanding of key growth markets
Malhotra also emphasised his deep understanding of and close connections in key growth markets such as China. He enjoys close relationships, for example with Focus Network Agencies (and its Group CEO Paul Loo), the powerful Singapore-based retailer and distributor, which enjoys a strong presence in China and offers comprehensive labelling capabilities and warehousing facilities – the type of connection that Lead In Travel Retail will leverage to help build brands.
Summing up his vision for the new enterprise, Maholtra said: “I will develop predictable, profitable business, not just launch a brand. And I will be available 24/7 at an accessible cost. A brand will be getting somebody with so much top-notch FMCG experience. In terms of the value proposition for a brand, you will get a ready office in the region and a person with knowledge who can be trusted.”
