Sweetening the deal

A pivot to a vastly different industry three years has, in many ways, turned out to be the making of Melody Keung. In fact, it’s taught her that good leadership is about so much more than experience in one particular arena.

“I realize that a great leader doesn’t need to be or even aim to be the smartest, most knowledgeable person in the room,” she tells The CEO Magazine.

“It’s about the power of bringing people together toward the goal and creating an environment in which they can thrive.”

For more than 17 years, Cathay Pacific shaped Keung’s professional world. As part of the Swire Group’s management trainee program, she rotated through locations, functions and roles in one of the globe’s most respected airlines. But after nearly two decades in aviation, she found herself searching for something new.

“I started feeling a bit bored, being in the same industry for so long,” she admits. “Cathay Pacific is a great company and I really enjoyed my time there, but I wanted to see different industries and explore more.”

A sweet deal

When she was approached to join Taikoo Sugar, it seemed as though the stars had aligned. The role presented a fresh challenge for Keung: how to tackle declining sugar consumption in an increasingly health-conscious society.

“We are a 145-year-old business, so we come with our own shared set of legacy and baggage,” she explains. “If people are not eating sugar, how can I transform the team and company to make it sustainable for another 100 years? That’s the mission that I carry.

“But I really enjoy the process, redefining our brand, our positioning, our business model and actually putting us back on track toward a more sustainable future.”

Selling more than 500 million sachets annually across China, and with Taikoo Sugar stocked in every single Starbucks in the country in addition to leading hotels in Tier-1–5 cities, the scale and reach of the brand is immense.

Nearly three years since she joined, Keung has embraced the mission of revitalizing one of Asia’s oldest household brands. It is not simply about improving sales figures, but about ensuring the company remains relevant for another century.

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“Working with Taikoo Sugar has been a truly rewarding experience. As a well-established and highly respected company in Canada, Taikoo Sugar has built a reputation for quality and reliability. The teams are professional, responsive and collaborative. We value the trust and mutual respect developed over the years and look forward to continuing our successful partnership for years to come.” – June Teh, CEO, Lekiu Distributors

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Indeed, Taikoo Sugar’s heritage is a double-edged sword – Keung needed to determine how to shed the parts that were no longer relevant at the same time as playing into the impressive history. The answer came to her after the results of a brand survey with university students.

“One custom insight that struck me was, ‘Oh, I know Taikoo Sugar. My grandma and my mother used it,’” she explains. “This actually made me pause and think, ‘Well, heritage is our strength and an asset, but if we just stay there and don’t connect with the younger generations, then how can we live for another 10, 50 or 100 years?’”

The company had not launched a major brand campaign in two decades, having steadily reduced marketing investment over time. While consumers still recognized the name, brand relevance had begun to erode.

Futureproofing a heritage brand

Now, as Taikoo Sugar celebrates its milestone 145th anniversary, the company is pushing to ‘reignite the brand love’. How? Through a fresh campaign reframing sugar as a little yet lovely indulgence, centered around moderation and enjoyment.

“We understand that customers actually eat less sugar, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t eat sugar,” Keung explains.

“It’s a small reward that you would actually give to yourself after a long day or after an exam. You don’t need a lot, but a small dose can actually spice up your day and your life.”

Alongside the marketing makeover, Taikoo Sugar has also embraced digitalization, automation and AI-driven tools to modernize operations, increase efficiency and target customers more accurately. Working alongside a diverse range of key suppliers, such as Lekiu Importing, the brand is ensuring a pattern of support for future growth.

“It’s about win–win partnerships,” Keung enthuses. “If it’s win–lose and if you actually gain all and they lose all, then it’s not a long-term partnership.”

In a rapidly evolving market environment, staying agile, improving systems and adapting quickly is essential. And for the company, operating in China’s increasingly competitive and slower-growth market has only intensified that urgency.

“The world is changing so much faster than before. You have to keep innovating and reinventing to keep up with market trends,” she reflects.

“I quite like the phrase ‘innovate or die’, which I heard in a seminar. It’s about challenging the status quo, challenging assumptions. That takes courage because there’s the risk you could fail – but you still need to take the risk.”

With 145 years behind behind it, Keung’s focus is on ensuring Taikoo Sugar earns its place in the future – not thanks to nostalgia alone, but through relevance, innovation and emotional connection. By transforming sugar from a simple pantry staple into a symbol of life’s small rewards, she is giving one of Asia’s oldest brands a distinctly modern sweetness.