Habib Jewels began as a small jewellery business on Pitt Street, Penang. Over 67 years, the business has gradually grown and now stands as a renowned home-grown brand, known for its exquisite jewellery and heritage luxury. As the executive director of Habib Group, Datin Sri Zarida Noordin has been instrumental in the success of the company. The jewellery line, however, was never the intended career path she had imagined for herself.
Her story started in the hospitality industry at Hilton Kuala Lumpur, where she handled front desk services, before moving on to the banking sector at Barclays. Eventually, she found herself in the world of jewellery after marrying Dato’ Sri Meer Sadik Habib, group executive chairman of Habib Jewels, after which she had to relearn and adapt to a whole new field.
“When I went into the business, it was very new and very strange to me. In the back of my mind, I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake. My husband opened his first retail shop in Kuala Lumpur in 1986, and that’s when I joined him. During the first month or so, I didn’t know what to do. So, I told myself, maybe the best way to learn is from the bottom. From there, I learned how the system worked and I learnt costing. At the same time, I learnt the importance of confidentiality. Having worked in an international hotel and also in a bank, we were taught to be very professional.
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“My husband and I became partners, discussing how to improvise, how to make things better, and so forth. We later introduced uniforms into the business, and implemented systems for stocktaking and stock control. After a while, we opened our second branch in Hilton Kuala Lumpur, because I was already familiar with the location, and a third shop in a new mall called Alpha Angle.
“It’s always about your mindset, about what you decide to do—just like when I first left Penang to work in an international hotel. I was scared but excited, willing to throw myself out there to learn new things. This was just another challenge for me. I realised I could use my two previous experiences to also help my husband improve the retail business.
“There were many times when I talked to my husband and wondered, ‘What if I had not left the bank?’ Maybe I could have been someone important there. But, in this business, I decided to take on more of a supportive role. As the company grew and we brought in more team members, I felt like my role became smaller.
“One year, on a plane, we came across this magazine with Pandora on it. When we got back, we started researching more about it. We approached them and they visited our office. We took them around to some of our shops and, a week later, we got a call saying they had decided to work with us. My husband asked me if I wanted to take on Pandora. I thought about it and told him that if I were to do it, it had to be 100 per cent mine, and he would not be involved. It was an opportunity for me to take on that ownership.
“It’s been 15 years now, and I’m proud to say that Pandora has become a household name in Malaysia. I was able to bring my own style of leadership to the business. I think that, if you believe in yourself, wonderful things can happen. That’s what I always tell my team. You cannot always depend on other people. They are there to support you. They can hand you an opportunity on a silver platter, but if you don’t take the initiative to seize it, you won’t get anywhere.
“Even with my children, I wanted them to be exposed to new experiences. For me, it’s about them participating and being brave enough to take on challenges, just like how I have in my career. I always encourage them to join competitions. Winning first or second place will come when they develop the right discipline. It doesn’t matter if they don’t win. You just cannot say, ‘No, I can’t do it.’”
Illustration by Tan Eng Huat
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