Adrian Lim / Chief Executive Officer
Perspectives from a life in leadership.
The latest essay
Southeast Asian governments buy most of their generic medicines through tenders that reward the lowest compliant price. A manufacturer that follows the price down to its marginal cost wins the lot and starves the plant that was meant to supply it.
Read the essaySoutheast Asian governments buy most of their generic medicines through tenders that reward the lowest compliant price. A manufacturer that follows the price down to its marginal cost wins the lot and starves the plant that was meant to supply it.
Buyers of generics manufacturers in Southeast Asia still build their integration cases on plants, headcount and purchasing. Most of the value, and most of the delay, sits in the marketing authorisations, and only regulators decide when those can move.
The familiar story of a professional chief executive in a family company is a rescue, in which the outsider sidelines the relatives and installs proper management. In a Southeast Asian generics business, the family's patience is often the most valuable thing the outsider inherits.