Shubham S.

Brand Manager at Dole Singapore-Malaysia | Consumer Goods Marketing | Helping new marketers grow in their careers

A believer in the power of brands to influence sustainable lifestyle choices, I love scaling brands from 1 to 10 rapidly. 

-------- Current Role:----------

At Grab, to grow key QSR brands’ reach and revenue in SEA. I am handling end to end enterprise services on Grab for them. 

-------- Past Roles:----------


I was building Kind Kones, a plant based ice cream brand with no palm oil or negative additives. 

Whether it's door to door selling to presenting in board rooms, I donned every hat with humility. 

I helped a team of 40+ people to expand the business in SG/MY/Middle East. 

Before that,  I expanded Dole's business through in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia and Brunei. 

I also led Dole juices launch in Jollibee, Fairprice and 2600 7-Eleven stores, apart from regular retail listings and marketing.

Previously, I was leading marketing and BD for India business where I helped Dole reach $1M + revenue in Year 1, including co-branded partnership with McDonald’s in 150 stores.
 
I also love to distill interesting marketing and startup concepts to help young folks grow.  

Hence, I write on LinkedIn. 

-------- Japan experience:----------

Previously, I was the youngest Project Lead in Japan in Energy sector but soon realised my heart was in marketing. 

To confirm that my heart's voice isn't a quarter life crisis, I conducted food tours in Tokyo, dabbled in own sandwich business and consulted in food industry. 

The love for marketing was confirmed!  

The issue of sustainability is also close to my heart. 

-------- Student life:----------

So, prior to FMCG life, I published research papers in the field of Sustainable resources and technologies like Bio-fuels, Bio-Lubricants, Gas Emission control and also filed a patent related to Fuel Oil Storage. 

I have also developed a sub-$100 Solar Dryer for rural community which can work beyond sunset.

My outdoor interests range from Copy Writing, Geo-politics, Snowboarding, Mountain Trekking.  Food-trotting in groups and other times I can be found writing and creating food recipes.

Chief Operating Officer

2016. Japan. Age 23.

Got a call from my manager:  

“Fly to Malaysia. The boiler we shipped to a power plant site is leaking.”

🍍A leaking boiler is a potential blast hazard.

I had zero experience fixing one.  

Never been to Malaysia.  

Never seen a construction site.

Yet I packed my bags and flew out — no plan, no backup.

Day 1 — 9 AM.  

🍍The site manager looks at me, goes hysterical, and throws a pen in frustration.  

Not because I was late or rude but because my manager had sent a rookie.

Stunned but focused, I rushed to inspect the damage.  

By end of the day, I had a 15-day plan to fix the mess — weekends and nights included.

We worked quietly, keeping it off the client’s radar.  

Formed a team, found local fabricators, poached workers, and used Google Translate to communicate.  

It was messy, scrappy, and relentless.

16–17 hours a day.  

40°C heat.  

Rain, mud, and welding sparks.

🍍We finished the job in 13 days. 

I stayed another 18 months.  

The “rookie” who showed up clueless earned respect through hustle, despite abuse. 


Get your hands dirty when you’re young.  

Future corporate struggles will aww cute! 


#shubhamspeaks

Shubham Sharma 🍍

Grab | ex-COO Kind Kones | Bain Advisory | P&L Management | QSR

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Boomerang! 

A few years ago I was working on scaling Dole banana plantations in Vietnam, 

Away from the Philippines as climate change was bringing plant diseases rampaging miles and miles of plantations. 

Today, the alternative Dole Vietnam farms are up and running and supplying my current office at Grab. 

That’s what I love about tangible consumer businesses, 

you can see sustained visible impact. 

Banana Boomerang! 


#shubhamspeaks

I was the only judge with no banking-lending background 

in a shark-tank like pitch sessions by Grab’s fin-tech folks. 

I felt a little out of place initially but soon caught up. Thanks to my struggles being an SME operator previously. 

And boy! the passion to serve the underserved individual businesses such as a food stall owner was palpable. 

🍍The aggregators with who the small operators interact daily do have a better chance of serving the short term cash or even cheaper ingredient needs. 

Using the whole Grab ecosystem of mart, mobility, payments gives us a better chance to help than traditional ways. 

Kudos to the winners for creating a win-win product for food stall guys and us. 

Thanks for organizing Yesh Gunewardena. 


#shubhamspeaks

Few books leave you with an impression, 

Rare are those which are implementable. 

Ikigai 365 is one of those. 

Congrats Shivendu Nadkarni for co-authoring this gem. 

The book is set is Japan and takes you through 4 seasons of life (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) as a metaphor. 

Each chapter talks about a normal person finding reasons to feel fulfilled. 

Whether it is caring for someone, watering plans, serving that ramen everyday, it’s the small pleasures that give meaning to life. 

🍍I anxiously think about my purpose when I will grow older. 

It will definitely be around mentoring and serving people (not gadgets, expensive toys) 

🍍So , The one that most resonated with me was the story of Masako san, who even at 83, after death of her husband, runs a Ramen shop with just 2 items and practices dance to feel alive. 

It’s not about survival, everytime she finds hard to go, the look on a satisfied customer keeps her going. 

I lived through the same feelings during my life running an ice cream chain. It’s funny despite our differences, I can relate. 

That’s the beauty of this book. 

You can relate to and reflect on any phase of life. 

Well done, Shiv and team! 


PS: I am gifting 3 copies of this. Comment below if you would love to have one. Amazon link in the comments. 


#shubhamspeaks

Hilarious consumer insight from my Vietnam trip,

'We don't want to smell like fried chicken in the day', 

So, we order delivery. 

Certain fried chicken brands have really old stores with limited seating and bad ventilation. 

It has repulsed the consumers, especially women, from dining in and opting for delivery instead. 

Hence, the lunch segment is very strong in Vietnam.

The future is delivery-focused, sleeker & cleaner stores in VN. 

HVAC guys? that's your cue. 

#shubhamspeaks

As I wrap up my trip to Jakarta, I’m leaving with 2 powerful takeaways that speak volumes about Indonesia’s dynamic trajectory.


🇮🇩 The Rise of Homegrown Champions

I couldn't help but notice the palpable sense of national pride in domestic food and beverage brands.

From the iconic flavors of Pagi Sore and Sari Ratu to the modern coffee culture of Fore Coffee and Kopi Kenangan, my Indonesian friends vehemently insisted I try them all.

This push signifies more than just great taste; it reflects a nation's growing economic self-esteem and the success of local entrepreneurs. 



🍍Leading with Heart

The team, particularly under the leadership of Roy Nugroho, is one of the best I have encountered in the region. 

Their true north star is fostering genuine relationships and authentic care for our clients. 


Especially amid the intense platform and merchants competition, it is hard for brands to tread solo and this team becomes their partner towards growth. 


A huge thank you to the team for the valuable insights and partnership this week. 


Sampai jumpa lagi, Jakarta!

Everyone's raging over fried chicken. 

Yet the QSR industry is ignoring a monumental, profitable opportunity: 

🍍 Sauce forward-Healthier Chicken (rotisserie/grilled).

This is a massive strategic error because it misses the fastest-growing consumer segments:

The Health-Conscious Mover (40% are looking to cut fried)

The Gen-Z protein person (75% are looking for natural proteins)

People who are purchasing from non-QSR local brands. 

These are customers willing to pay a premium for quality.

🍍Here's something I would love to see: 

🍍 Introduce a high-margin Rotisserie/Grilled Protein Bowl or "Guilt-Free Wrap." 

This uses the new protein as a premium add-on to existing menus, appealing to the customization trend.

🍍 Operations: Zero cooking oil, Batch cooking , combi-oven and high humidity heaters to keep the chicken moist. 

🍍 Flavor & Transparency: Use bold, global sauces (Soy Garlic, Chili-Lime) to make the roasted chicken exciting. Market it based on wellness attributes like "Lean Protein" and "Clean Prep."

The first major QSR brand to successfully scale a premium, non-fried chicken menu will win future consumers. 

What do you think? 


#shubhamspeaks

Unpopular opinion: 

Brands who let Marketing lead the relationship with food aggregators win long term, 

Brands that let operation/delivery folks run the show find it hard to grow the user base and overindulge in promos. 

This is very true for franchisees who see food aggregators as solely a delivery channel 

and not as a marketing channel. 

I have seen QSR/Coffee/dessert brands triple their business in 18-21 months once they switch to marketing happens. 

If you are a franchisor or franchisee, time to audit this relationship. 



#shubhamspeaks

The narrative that QSRs thrive just because consumers are broke is fundamentally flawed. 

In 2025, flat pricing guarantees margin compression.

The winning strategy is the Barbell Playbook:

🍍 The Barbell Menu: Drive essential traffic with low-margin value items, but secure profitability with high-margin LTOs (the 'heavy' end). This is crucial for boosting the average check size.

🍍Margin Amplification: Integrate cultural merchandise or character collaborations (like Labubu) with premium LTOs. This delivers vastly superior margins beyond food cost alone.

🍍Digital Segmentation: Use food aggregators (30-50% of sales) strategically. Push high-margin LTOs through these channels to reach the ready-to-spend customer, while handling low-margin volume in-store.

This strategy executed by leaders optimizes for both traffic and profit across the polarized income spectrum.

What's your observation on this? 

#shubhamspeaks

Dole Sunshine Company

Procurement
• Led an indirect procurement project to align and tighten Global Travel Policy, consolidated travel spends and sourced for a Travel Management Company (TMC) to support our integration efforts. TMC costs reduced by 60% and travelling costs reduced by 30%. The recommendations made to tighten Global Travel Policy was supported with strong data analysis which reduced resistance from stakeholders.
• Led the UAT and implementation of Taulia, a Supply Chain Financing tool that provided our vendors with financing options that they would otherwise be unable to obtain. This reduced financing costs by 20% and improved operating cashflow.
• Given the volatile operating environment due to supply chain disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a need to assess the resilience of our supply chain. I created a framework to measure the resilience of our vendors/partners and developed mitigation strategies using innovation and creative sourcing solutions.
• Created an incentive programme to increase the usage of iValua (Dole’s sourcing platform) with the potential to reduce procurement costs by 10% through competitive bidding.
• Led the end-to-end process of strategic M&A projects which generated US$2.5 million in cashflow. There are further cost reduction opportunities in the procurement of healthcare services of at least 30%.

Finance
• Managed weekly, quarterly, and yearly cashflow by ensuring BUs stay within loan limit, identified opportunities for costsaving and forecast potential credit crunch. I was tasked to propose loan application to Head Company and consolidate BUs cashflow forecasts to develop overall company view of cashflow needs
• Financial Planning & Analysis – Developed multiple financial templates that are being used to track SMG&A, MTM of FX hedges, BUs Overhead Cost, etc. These templates are used to gain insights into the business and recommendations are made to BUs on how to better manage their expenses.

Procurement and Finance Manager

Rotated across 10 departments in 1.5 years, embarked on 18 projects. Key highlights:
• Business Development – Grew the revenue of Dole India by 33% in the span of 1 year through New Product Development and effective marketing while dealing with significant headwinds such as supply chain disruption, social distancing measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Sustainability – There was no system to track projects that are contributing to the Dole Promise. Led and completed the development of Monday.com to effectively track efforts across the company towards Carbon Neutrality, Zero Processed Sugar and Zero Fossil-Based Plastic. Also worked with Deloitte and external accreditation companies to create the GHG Emissions Collection Template, the data contributed to accreditations from Rainforest Alliance, EcoLabel, etc.
• Innovation – First project team within Dole Sunshine Company to adopt AGILE methodology. Led an innovation project to develop a lower cost non-fossil-based plastic packaging for our Frozen category, en route to 100% recyclable and compostability.
• Strategy – Led a strategy project on Competitor Analysis. Learnings were shared with markets/sources and senior management to develop route-to-market strategies, product portfolio and long-term asset-light strategy.
• Finance – Internal consolidation system was outdated, often resulting in delays and inaccurate reports. Initiated and completed the business case for Business Planning & Consolidation System
• Procurement - Bunker oil purchase were decentralized, making it difficult to negotiate for bulk pricing. I was tasked to relook at the bunker oil contracts and led an in-depth research into Commodity Supercycle, Learnings were shared with senior management to develop bunker oil hedging strategies.

Management Associate

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

•	Managed USD20 billion in loans to China’s commodity firms operating in Singapore.
•	Checked, negotiated and issued Letter of Credit to over 80 Multinational Corporations operating in South East Asia.
•	Liaised with Risk Management and Relationship Managers to clarify client’s contractual terms, obtain approval for import loans and regularly conduct compliance checks.
•	Prepared monthly reports which attained 100% compliance with Monetary Authority of Singapore’s regulations.

Trade Finance Analyst

DBS Bank

•	Checked, validated and processed import bill documents for over 200 Small-Medium Enterprises operating in Asia Pacific.
•	Processed payment and financing for Development Bank of Singapore’s corporate clients with 99% recovery rate.
•	Liaised with local and foreign banks via SWIFT to resolve conflict and clarify uncertainties pertaining to terms negotiated between Development Bank of Singapore’s clients and their suppliers.
•	Started a process improvement project which upgraded security and enhanced processing efficiency by 15%.

Trade Operations Analyst

Temasek

•	Integral part of the project management team for the development of the Investment Portfolio and Management System.
•	Transformed business requirements into functional systems through system enhancement, User Acceptance Testing and Train-the-Trainers.
•	Worked with investment teams to consolidate, understand and validate 40 years of investment related data to be migrated.
•	Upgraded the Performance Management System to better reflect SGD300 billion worth of investment.

Data Analyst

Hao Zhi, with 7 years of experience in the FMCG and banking industry, has developed strong abilities in Procurement and Financial Planning & Analysis. He underwent the Management Associate programme at Dole Sunshine Company, where he rotated across various functions. Armed with strong connections and new exposures, he embarked on major projects such as implementing cost-saving procurement strategies, developing sourcing frameworks and, leading merger and acquisition deals. His analysis and stakeholder management skills have been honed through operating in a dynamic and global environment.

Hao Zhi is also passionate about giving back to the community and is a strong believer in developing values through sports. In his free time, he volunteers as the President of Todaks Touch Football Club. He is well versed in people management and is a leader who leads by example and displays resourcefulness in problem-solving.

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