Study in contrasts
Written by changthai11 on Monday, October 6th, 2008
Study in contrasts
Away from the retail world, The Mall chief pursues simplicity.
Pitsinee Jitpleecheep and Krissana Parnsoonthorn
Supaluck Umpujh is no stranger to the business and social whirl, dressing elegantly and surrounded by luxury products that are part of her job. But in real life, the woman Fortune magazine once dubbed the “iron butterfly” of Thai retailing, is simple and down-to-earth. She loves nature and adventure.
After three decades with The Mall Group, where she is the vice-chairman and public face of the country’s second biggest retail chain, she’s looking for more balance in life.
“The only chance I can take a break and spend 24 hours at home is when I’m sick. Poor me,” she says ruefully.
Realising that her frenetic schedule would one day catch up with her, she resolved a few years back to take regular breaks to recharge her batteries.
Nowadays, she plans four trips a year all over the world to open her eyes to new experiences from culture and nature to architecture, entertainment and fashion. Two trips are to new places she’s never visited before, while another two would be to the places she loves.
She first caught the travel bug as a young graduate student in pharmacy in the United States, and these days travel provides not only personal enrichment but also inspirations that she can apply to business.
“My dad (Supachai, who passed away in 2005) taught me all the time that we should have determination and fighting spirit,” she says. “If we are the leader, we have to think differently from others and do things before others. If we do something later we become followers.”
Having good partners is also important for the perspective they can provide beyond that of the family. The Mall is still a family company with six siblings in senior roles working alongside Ms Supaluck, but they are complemented by a team of 300 retail professionals and 13,000 employees. The company’s annual turnover exceeds 40 billion baht.
The Mall Group works with business partners on many projects, not only to create marketing impact but also to broaden its network and tap into a a variety of customer bases.
Its latest big-scale venture involves co-operation with government agencies as well as leading companies such as Singha Corporation, DTAC, Nong Nuch Garden and Bangkok Bank in a venture close to Ms Supaluck’s heart.
“The Lost World: Flora & Fauna Exotica”, taking place until next Sunday at The Emporium, is part of the second year of a green campaign the company has spearheaded to encourage families to be concerned about the environment.
The 10-day event is expected to draw as many as 500,000 people, but The Mall Group wants to keep the idea alive for the longer term with even more partners. “I didn’t come out to promote a green campaign because it’s fashionable but I did it because I really want to preserve nature,” she says.
Ms Supaluck recalled that when she was young, she lived in a city shophouse and loved to travel to natural destinations like Khao Yai. She began to dream of having her own house surrounded by nature one day.
She designed and built her own house on Krungthep Kreetha Road in Bangkok. Ponds and big trees are the key elements, just as they are at the company’s shopping centres. She has played a hands-on role in the design of the many outlets of The Mall and its luxury siblings The Emporium and Siam Paragon.
A visitor will not encounter crystal chandeliers, Louis XIV furniture or other signs of consumption in the 53-year-old executive’s home. Ethnic art, decorative items from South Africa, and furniture and fabric bought from Chatuchak market are the trappings that represent the owner’s real personality.
She desired to make her house a little home in a big forest, inspired by the Suan Sa-ngob House owned by Prapakorn Wathanayakul, from whom she leased the land for The Mall Bang Kapi.
“I want to escape from the society in which every day is consumed by business deals and negotiations,” she says.
At home, she has time to focus and concentrate, though the office frequently intrudes on her thoughts. “I’ve never had a good balance in life as most of my time has been spent on work.”
In any case, she continues to strive for that balance, especially through travel.
Ms Supaluck has set her sights on visiting 100 destinations and so far she’s seen 40 of the places on her list. Her favourites are South Africa, Samui, Lagos (a small town in southern Portugal), the Maldives, Bora Bora and New Zealand.
