How long have you been with Shopee, and what is your role here?
It has been a whirlwind seven months since I set foot in Shopee MY, looking after the Shopee Live and Projects team. Four months in, I was tasked to oversee the Talents team as well.
What is your favorite thing about working here?
I love the pace. What I find most exhilarating is being able to see results yielded, following careful planning and lightning-quick execution. The cases I have been tasked during my time as a Consultant were often focused on strategy vs. operations and implementation, which means I mostly worked on crafting and detailing out corporate blueprints, 3-/5-year plans and strategic frameworks. So what I have experienced here in Shopee is definitely a different rush. One of the more memorable accomplishments to date would be the Projects team setting up the
Shopee MMA Covid-19 Fund, which aims to appeal to the public for donations to aid the medical frontliners. We partnered with the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), and managed to raise ~RM450K, with more than 18,000 donors coming in under three weeks. Donations can start from as low as RM5, making it accessible to many. It meant a lot to have been able to work on something that can enable many to contribute to making a positive social impact.
How is working in e-commerce different from consulting?
There’s a constant imperative to quickly innovate to sustain the growth momentum, relying more on ‘structured creativity’ – i.e., sound solutions rather than relying on any cast-iron structured frameworks in place. The recent Covid-19 outbreak and resultant Movement Control Order (MCO) resulted in the Shopee Live MY team having to quickly pivot our planned studio, festive-themed concert into a more sombre sing-from-home session with the same artistes, having the stream positioned as singers coming together in solidarity with the ‘Rakyat’.
How has your journey from consulting to Shopee been, and how has your career grown?
I definitely had my ups and downs in getting used to the different working environment, but ultimately it has definitely been positive for my growth. I am continuing to learn how to manage three different teams in very different functions, apply new initiatives based on instant feedback from customers / livestream viewers and deliver visible results on a more frequent basis.
How do you incorporate your previous consulting experience in Shopee now?
I think there’s an advantage in coming in from an industry where we constantly deal with ambiguity. Adopting the hypothesis-driven method in our thought process helps us to approach problems in a more structured manner, making problem-solving easier.
Any advice to consultants who are keen to join the e-commerce industry?
Do not under appreciate the challenge of implementation. Strategy consultants often stop at the recommendation and business case stage, leaving implementations to others to take care of.
Thank you Nadia for giving us insights!
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