Member of the Month: Tetra Pak's Sean-Mun Liang
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In a new series that starts this month we introduce you to our Member of the Month - a process excellence member who's made an impression on us and will hopefully give you a light-hearted peek inside the PEX community. What makes our members tick?
This month, we caught up with Sean-Mun Liang, Director of Process and Portfolio Management at packaging giant Tetra Pak.
We first met Sean-Mun at our annual flagship event PEX Week in Orlando Florida this year, where he demonstrated the true extent of his love affair with process when he let us hear the ringtone for his mobile phone - the soundtrack to our "Welcome to the Process Excellence Revolution" video! (In case you haven't seen the video, it's reproduced here):
Anyone so dedicated to the world of process excellence that they would install the PEX soundtrack as the de facto ring on their phone is someone worth knowing in our book!
Interview by Samuel Miranda
PEX Network: You’ve experienced several different countries and cultures. Which is your favourite and why?
A: Wherever I happen to be – you make the most of where you are at the present
Q: Who do you admire most in the business world?
A: Jorma Ollila (CEO of Nokia 1992-2006)
Q: In a sentence, highlight your greatest achievement at Tetra Pak.
A: Many achievements but perhaps no single one that can be considered great
Q: What was your dream job growing up?
A: To be a physicist and to somehow make it into outer space
Q: What is your favourite hobby?
A: Attempting to bang out a few tunes on the piano
Q: Sweden is admired in the UK for having a good welfare system and a high standard of living. Would you agree?
A: Yes. Although you have to wince at the tax rate
Q. What’s the next big innovation in food packaging and processing?
A: Keeping true to our founder’s words "a package should save more than it costs" AND satisfying ever-changing customer needs
Q: Can you describe yourself in 3 words?
A: Energetic, structured, analytical
Q: If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be and why?
A: Winston Churchill – to better understand his talent to apply history, facts and an unerring choice of words to any situation
Q: What is the key to successful people management?
A: Finding the right approach where people want to make a difference
Q: What is your favourite book?
A: Well there are lots. But one that stood out was "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich". A true example of the endurance of the human spirit
Q: What is your favourite film?
A: Whatever I last saw
Q. What is your favourite comedy?
A: Whatever my wife will laugh at
Q. Lean or Six Sigma, which do you take out on a date?
A: Neither or both
Q: You’re hosting a dinner party for 5 famous people past and present. Who do you pick?
A: Neil Armstrong, Roger Federer, Richard Feynman, Vladimir Horowitz, Steve Jobs
Q: What is your favourite sport?
A: Ice hockey in the winter, tennis in the summer
Q: What is your favourite meal?
A: Something local (starting with the beer) especially when travelling – this is always a surprise, can be an eye-opener and if you’re lucky tastes really great
Q: What is the quality you most like in a leader?
A: Someone who inspires you
Q: What is the quality you most like in an employee?
A: Someone who can be inspired
Q: You’re given a big investment to start your own business. What do you set up?
A: A company to industrialise electricity generation through nuclear fusion (and replace typical fission reactors)
