Established in 1939 as a nondescript sundry shop on Jalan Ipoh, the Chua Song Seng (CSS) name – which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year – has grown to become one of Malaysia’s premier trading companies, specialising in tobacco and alcohol. When the business passed from its founder Chua Song Cheok, to son Dato’ Chua Lai Huat in 1966, it was the latter’s belief that traditional provisions stores needed to evolve or face ever stiffer competition. So Dato’ Chua Lai Huat began rebuilding his business as a distributor of groceries, alcohol and cigarettes with interests in Selangor, Johor, Penang and Perak.
In 2017, leadership was formally assumed by the third generation, represented by Dato’ Chua Kok Chee. With the understanding that “it is difficult to start a business, it is more difficult to maintain a business, and it is most difficult to expand a business”, he has continued his father’s legacy of progressive diversification, albeit with a razor-sharp business acumen of his own.
Today we have emerged as one of the top business groups because of prudent leadership. But our achievements and status are not ours alone. Our devoted and dedicated employees have always been the Group’s most valuable treasure. Some have served in CSS for nearly half a century. They have been there since I was a child and are still contributing to the company. Likewise, the mid- and new-generation leaders have also injected their own thought-provoking ideas to compel our business forward. With a steadfast team, it does not matter whether the economy is good or bad. It does not matter when we have to face challenging policy amendments. We will continue to grow together.
It is the same with our partners, Carlsberg, JT International Malaysia, Pernod Ricard and Moët Hennessy Diageo Malaysia, who have become more like cherished friends. This year, we are celebrating our 80th anniversary, and it has been both a rewarding and challenging journey. What is important is that we face changing circumstances together, collaborating to the strengths of each component so the whole can thrive.
You’ve heard this all the time, but to be successful you must first have passion. For instance, I am not pushing my son to take over the reins one day. If he wishes to, he may. But I want him to discover and pursue his own passions first. For this reason, we are also implementing a lot of management changes, like internal audits for checks and balances. In the future, I want CSS to be run like a well-oiled corporation, with leadership reporting to a board of directors.
My leadership style is very straightforward. I don’t like beating round the bush so I always get straight to the point. As a high-school student I would follow our tobacco salespeople out to meetings during school holidays and on the weekends. I learned so much from observing them, and perhaps this is where I developed my sense of ownership. We are not just managing CSS, but we are also safeguarding all the back-breaking efforts that have laid our foundation.
Tobacco and alcohol consumption is often taken as a measure of the disposable income of Malaysian families. Thus we are deeply connected to the highs and lows of the economy. As part of the larger community, it’s our belief that the CSS Group should always be on the pulse of the market, and understand the needs of the every-man whilst cooperating with the government. The reason we are still growing, is because we believe a business should not solely be profit-oriented. We must also be responsible to consumers and the socio-economic development of Malaysia.
