Category: Profile

Leaders Talk: Saravanan Belusami

Saravanan Belusami, Chief Executive Officer PT VADS Indonesia. With 30 years of experience under his belt in business, technical and management, Saravanan has served in the full spectrum of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Telco’s and Customer Experience (CX).

Saravanan is no stranger to BPO industry. He has expertise in various field such as sales related activities, Customer Experience Management and Transformation, people management and daily Operations. He has managed outsourcing services of over 3000 seats in Malaysia and currently heading the BPO business in Indonesia with more than 6000 employees.

He is a Certified Professional Technologist received from the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT), COPC Certified Professional Manager and a member of board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM). In his current capacity he is focusing on the transformation journey that is looking at the customer experience end to end delivery and not to compromise on quality. His blended experience from the Managed Services in Telco environment together with next wave of outsourcing services is an area he is working on right now.

He has participated in many awards from different type of Contact Centre associations such as Contact Centre Association Malaysia (CCAM), Outsourcing Malaysia (OM), Contact Centre Association Singapore (CCAS) and also Contact Centre World Association (CCWA).

Saravanan has won many awards in the individual and team categories as listed below:

  • Industry Award for Contact Centre by CCWA – 2016
  • Talent Corp – Best CSR project – People with Different Abilities (PWDA) – 2016
  • Contact Center Association of Malaysia (CCAM) – Best CSR Project – 2016
  • Industry Award for Contact Centre by CCWA – 2015
  • Gold Winner – Best Customer Service – Mega Contact Centre in CCWA –   2015
  • Gold Winner – Best Mega Contact Centre in Contact Centre World Association (CCWA) –   2015
  • Silver Winner – Best Contact Centre Leader in the World (CCWA) – 2015
  • Gold Winner – Best Contact Centre Leader in Asia Pac (CCWA) – 2015
  • Telekom Malaysia Group CEO award – July 2014
  • Gold Winner – Best Mega Contact Centre in Contact Centre World Association (CCWA) –   2014
  • Silver Winner – Best Outsourced Contact Centre (CCAS) – 2014
  • Best outsourcing Project of the year by Outsourcing Malaysia – 2013
  • Best Contact Centre above 100 seats by Contact Centre Association Malaysia (CCAM) – 2013

Leaders Talk: Dato’ Munirah Looi

Munirah is an MBA graduate from UK, majoring in Human Resource Management. She is a member of International Who’s Who of Professionals and Life Member of International Business Leaders.  She has a total of 25 years working experience. 

An experienced personnel in the areas of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Customer Experience Management (CEM), Human Performance Management, Strategic Management, Business Process Redesign, Sales & Marketing and Project Management.  Her exposure includes both local and foreign assignments with 15 years’ experience in the Banking Sector and has worked and consulted with include BPO, insurance, telecommunication, property development and leisure vacation & hospitality.

She is the Founder/President & CEO of Brandt International, which specializes in the areas of Business Transformation Consulting and Outsourcing with offices in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta and Manila. She is an experienced Facilitator, Human Performance Strategist, Service Quality Management & Change Management practitioner for the past 25 years having conducted numerous training and consulting assignments in CRM, Customer Service Management, Customer Experience Management and Organization Development assignments, both locally and overseas. She is currently a sought-after Speaker and Advisor to various Contact Centre & BPO Associations/Industries in the region, namely Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.  

Her contribution has been recognized by numerous awards organizations:

  • Master Entrepreneur Award 2021
  • APEA Asia Pacific Enterprise Award (Regional Edition)
  • 10 Best Aspiring CEOs in 2020  by Industry Era •
  • Top 3 Nominee for the prestigious “EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2018 (Malaysia)”.
  • “Women Leadership Award” for Business Process Outsourcing Sector in 2018.
  • “Top 30 Women Achievers & Leaders-Malaysia” 2017.
  • The “Women Leadership Achievement Award” at the WWLCA-World Women Leadership Congress & Award 2015
  • Inaugural “Malaysian Women of Excellence Award 2014” 

Leaders Talk: Byron J. Fernandez

Byron J. Fernandez

Immediate Past President of the Call Centre Association of Malaysia (CCAM)
COPC Certified Implementation Leader
CIAC Certified Strategic Leader
Group CIO of TDCX, Executive Vice President for Malaysia and India

Byron has over 20 years of experience in the Contact Centre Industry leading and running renowned outsourcing providers in Malaysia, India, and the Philippines. Byron has had the distinction of being the President, Vice President and Secretary of the CCAM during his time with the association. He holds an MBA in Information Systems, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Computer Studies.

Today, Byron is the Group CIO of TDCX, a well-recognized and respected boutique CX provider, specializing in delivering superior Customer Experience to some of the worlds most recognized brand names. His expertise in verticals such as telecommunications, banking, insurance, FMCGs, technology and government contact centres make him ideally suited to the responsibility of leading over 3000 of TDCX Malaysia’s best people.

Prior to his career at TDCX, Byron led and managed the outsourcing contact centre business for a large Malaysia outsourcing provider with a footprint in Malaysia, India and Philippines. His experience covers strategic management, digital transformation, customer experience management, business development and people development honed over his 20 years of work in outsourcing.

Byron is committed to the development of the contact centre industry and presently serves in the capacities of:

  • Founding Member of Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) since 2019
  • Advisor to and immediate past president of the Call Centre Association of Malaysia (CCAM)
  • Recipient of the Career Achievement Award from CCAM
  • Panel Judge of Contact Centre Awards in Asia for over ten years (China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia)
  • Byron speaks at various events for Contact Centre development and in the development of young individuals through some of the local universities in Malaysia. He has spoken online via COPC and to aspiring young minds from INTI University, Taylor’s College and Multimedia University of Malaysia
  • Byron has represented Malaysia, speaking at Contact Centre events all around Asia, Europe and has even participated in government level identification of business delivery as far away as Honduras in Central America

When not working, Byron rides motorcycles with a charitable motorcycle club (Helang Motorcycle Club of Malaysia) where he serves to plan out and execute community work mainly with orphans and the elderly in Malaysia and Thailand.

Leaders Talk : Raymond Devadass

Raymond is the Founder & CEO of Daythree Business Services. He specializes in providing strategic management direction, particularly in the field of digital transformation strategy and management.

He has guided several technology companies from ‘start-up’ to becoming leading technology players in the industry.  Amongst his many key achievements, Raymond managed one of the largest healthcare informatics implementations in Malaysia and played key role in realizing the IT Outsourcing agenda of a major state government in Malaysia.

Having originated from a corporate finance background, Raymond has strong working and practical knowledge in finance, accounting and banking.  He holds a Master of Business Administration majoring in Strategy & Planning.  He is a Chartered Accountant, registered with CPA Australia and Malaysian Institute of Accountants. 

Raymond is the author of several articles and research papers. He was twice selected by peers in the industry as ‘Best Thought Leader’ in 2017 and once again in 2019 – an award reserved for recognizing leadership aimed at external positioning of the individual’s competencies in delivering value.

Raymond is a member of MDEC’s Talent Expert Network Panel – appointed for his knowledge and expertise in digital technology.  He serves as Councillor at PIKOM, the National Tech Association of Malaysia, and is also a member of  the Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators’(MAICSA) Training Professional Development Committee.

Additionally, he is the President for Contact Centre Association of Malaysia. He also serves as Treasurer of Outsourcing Malaysia and chairs her annual flagship conference committee, GBS Summit.

Above all, he is a sports enthusiast and has a deep passion for music.

Leaders Talk : Joyce Poon

Joyce Poon
Vice President of China Call Center & CRM Association (CNCCA)
Vice Chairlady of Hong Kong Customer Contact Association (HKCCA)
Secretary-General of Greater China Contact Centre Alliance (GCCA)
CEO of Equity Global Consultants Ltd

Joyce has 25+ years of experience in the Contact Centre Industry with a demonstrated history in leading and running outsourcing services of over 1000 seats in China and Hong Kong. In 2011, Joyce played a key role in building the first outsourcing contact centre for disabled persons in China. She holds an MBA degree from the University of Hull, UK, and a Diploma of Business Management from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Currently, Joyce is the CEO of Equity Global Consultants Ltd, specializing in creating business values by developing a wider span of contact centre ecosystem and partnership. With the ultimate aim to “give-back”, Joyce is dedicated to helping organizations and individuals to achieve sustainable CX goals through enabling innovation, continuous collaboration, and sharing best practices.

Prior to founding Equity Global, Joyce led and managed the outsourcing contact centre business for Epro Group International Ltd and Epro Telecom Services Ltd in China. Her experience covers strategic management, digital transformation, customer experience management, business development, people development, and consultancy. She had also led the Epro Team to win over 30 prestigious contact centre awards in Hong Kong and China since 2009.

Joyce is committed to the development of the contact centre industry and presently serves in the capacities of:

  • Founding Member of Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC APAC) since 2019
  • Vice President of China Call Center & CRM Association (CNCCA), China Electronics Chamber of Commerce since 2016
  • Vice Chairlady of Hong Kong Call Centre Association since 2016
  • Founding Member and Secretary-General of Greater China Contact Centre Alliance (GCCA) since 2018
  • Executive Deputy Director of Guangzhou Call Center & CRM Association since 2014
  • Advisor for Shenzhen Call Center Association since 2018
  • Expert Member of “CCOM” China Call Center Industry Standards Committee (SJ/T  11739-2019) since 2019
  • Panel Judge of Contact Centre Awards in Asia for over ten years (China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia)

Joyce is honoured to receive awards in recognizing her leadership:

  • Top 10 Outstanding Contribution in Call Centre Industry Award (2018) China Call Center & CRM Association (CNCCA)
  • Honour of Hall of Fame (2018) China Customer World
  • Guangzhou Service Outsourcing Industry – Distinguish Person Award for Excellence (2011) Guangzhou Call Center & CRM Association (GZCCA)
  • 10-Year Outstanding Contribution Award (2008) China Call Center & CRM Association (CNCCA)
  • Top 10 Call Centre Trainer in China (2006 & 2007) Customer World Magazine

Leaders Talk : Lily Shen

Lily Shen
Senior Vice President and Regional Head,
HSBC Global Contact Centre Shared Operations, China Region

With 22 years of experience in E-commerce, banking operations and Contact Centre, Lily has covered a wide spectrum of domains with rich experiences in designing blueprints, managing transformations, building teams and business models and driving customer-centric solutions. She played a key role in developing the offshore centre from several hundred to over 3,000 to support global businesses, leading its transformation in the past 15 years and enabling the success in its human-touch digitalization journey, providing a strong talents pipeline for not only contact centre but also global businesses.

Lily is active at supporting the industrial development, leading the team to join the Contact Centre Association campaign for over 10 years, through external bench-marking, leading the team to uplift the bar and moving up the value chain. Lily herself is a COPC Registered Coordinator and promoting the learning and growing culture in the contact centre industry, building a professional Contact Centre leadership team to support the Group. (**)

Leaders Talk : Gratiano Yeung

Gratiano Yeung
Chief Customer Officer
Roojai Company Limited.

20+ years Contact Centre start-up and operation experience in Asia Pacific regions, more than 15+ years on lifestyles assistance service and insurance experience. Early this year, she’s been recognized as one of the TOP 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology of Asia for 2020.

She is COPC®️ CSP Registered Coordinator, COPC®️ High Performance Management Techniques certified individual, ISO10002 Customer Satisfaction trained and certified individual. She joined Roojai in 2015 for the start-up and launched the operation in 2016.

Her expertise areas mainly focus on the best customer experience delivery and deploying customer engagement activities through Insurtech e.g. video car inspection and claims reporting via mobile app. She manages the Roojai Omni-channel contact centre with high level of customer satisfaction that NPS at 88% and 4.9 out of 5-Stars Service Rating. In the past few years, she solidly built the Roojai Award Winning Contact Centre:
• Contact Center Asia Pacific Innovation Award 2019 – Platinum Award
• The Best Contact Center of the Year 2019 (TCCTA Award 2019)
• The Best Contact Center of the Year 2018 (TCCTA Award 2018)
• The Best Social Media Contact Center (TCCTA Award 2017)

Leaders Talk : Sarun Vejsupaporn

Sarun Vejsupaporn
President of Thai Contact Centre Trade Association ( TCCTA )
Managing Director of Nice Call Company

With more than 12 years of experiences in Contact Centre business especially Telemarketing, Sarun is one of the Top executive Telemarketing and Direct Marketing in Thailand. He is the Direct Marketing person who experienced many kinds of Direct Marketing include Telemarketing, TV Shopping, Digital Marketing, Printing etc. He also was President of Thai Direct Marketer Association and was one of the boards of Office of the Consumer Protection Board (Thailand) in Direct Marketing Law Subcommittee.

He is also very capable in Database Management System and Database Analysis for Direct Marketing and Digital Marketing both in the view of Marketing and in the view of Technology and Network. He used to be responsible for more than 500 Telemarketing Agents and now he is the owner of Telemarketing and Digital Marketing Company with more than 150 Tele Agents.

Sarun has also been working with Contact Centre Association Of Asia Pacific ( CC-APAC ) for many years and also be President of Thai Contact Centre Trade Association at present.

Education:

First Graduated in Mechanical Engineering, Kasetsart University
Post Graduated in Technology Management , University of New South Wales; Sydney Australia
Strategic Financial Management (CFO) from Thailand Stock Market (MAI)
The Boss and Counseling for The BOSS from Management phycology Institutes

Business:
Consultant of Ministry of commerce in Retailing Business for SME and OTOP Marketing
Director of Direct Marketing Business in TV Direct Public Company Limited
Director of Outbound Telemarketing Business in TV Direct Public Company Limited
Managing Director in Nice Call Company Limited running Database Marketing and Telemarketing Services Business

Social:

  • President of Thai Direct Marketer Association
  • Director of Direct Marketing board in Office of the consumer protection Board
  • International Director of Thai Contact Center Trade Association
  • Director of Asia Pacific Contact Center Leader Association
  • President of Thai Contact Center Trade Association
  • Thailand Contact Center Award Judge 2014 – 2019
  • The Best Contact Center Indonesia Award Judge 2015 – 2019
  • The Best Contact Center Malaysia Award Judge 2015
  • The Best Contact Center Singapore Award Judge 2017
  • Director of Digital Council of Thailand

Leaders Talk : Kenneth Chong

Kenneth Chong
Head of Sales, AWS Cognitive CX (ASEAN) Amazon Web Services (AWS)

With more than 20 years of experience in Contact Centre, Unified Communications, Telepresence and Collaboration Technologies, Kenneth is well-versed in consultancy, integration and enabling end-user adoption of enterprise voice, video communications and contact centre solutions across Asia Pacific. With his knowledge and experience on business operations required for an integrated communications practice, Kenneth has also worked closely with business process organizations such as outsourced contact centres in delivering top-notch services to their customers and end-users.

In his current role, Kenneth plays a pivotal role in AWS Cognitive CX Business Unit, by leading and ensuring execution of AWS Connect, Digital Customer Journey & Contact Centre strategy across ASEAN. Kenneth is also instrumental in deepening the engagement in enterprise segments of FSI, Public Sector and Service Providers, leveraging insights and understanding of enterprise communications trends, digitalization, automation, data analytics and deployment for optimal customer user experience for business outcomes. Kenneth also works with strategic partner alliances – Verint, Calabrio, Acqueon, Salesforce, etc.

Prior to joining Amazon, Kenneth led and managed the Cisco Customer Journey Solutions in ASEAN. His responsibilities include market development, sales management, applications, solution innovation and partner alliances.

Being an active member with Contact Centre Association of Singapore (CCAS), Kenneth championed the inaugural Regional Contact Centre Symposium since 2005. Kenneth is also the Chairman of CCAS since 2012.

In addition to being the executive lead in CCAS, Kenneth is also one of the founding member of Contact Centre Associations of Asia Pacific (CC APAC) since February 2019. (**)

Leaders Talk : Chapman Lam

Chapman Lam
FWD Life Insurance Company (Bermuda) Limited (Incorporated in Bermuda with limited liability)

Chapman is the Immediate Past Chairman of the Hong Kong Customer Contact Association (HKCCA) and the current Treasurer and Board of Director of the Association.  He is the founder of Asia Pacific Contact Centre Association Alliance and the founder of Greater China Contact Centre Alliance, representing Hong Kong Contact Centre industry for awards judging and best practice sharing.

He has over 15 years in senior executive positions in insurance industry under both local and regional capacity for driving customer value propositions and customer engagement transformation through emerging technologies.  He is the thought leader in Customer Experience, Customer Strategy and Direct Distribution across Asia Pacific, including leading 3,000+ contact center professionals to generate hundreds of million revenue through direct channel and deploying best in class customer experience practices to achieve market leading position.

Chapman holds a Master of Science degree in Information System and a Bachelor degree in Business Administration.  He is a certified COPC Registered Coordinator (both CSP & VMO).  Outside of work, Chapman loves sports, particularly tennis and volleyball.  He also devotes to community services supporting ethic minorities and elderly. (**)

Join our interactive discussion with Contact Center Leaders. Registration on bit.ly/ccapac_leaderstalk