The “Brunch With The Brain” is a series of live interviews with prominent industry leaders and figures. The first session was titled: Up Close and Personal with Julian Neo. Julian Neo, is the Managing Director of DHL Express Malaysia & Brunei. He was appointed as the AHIBS Adjunct Professor in 2020. We were invited to his office for the session, and it held in the board room of Level 27 DHL Head Office in TM tower. The committee along with our supervisor Dr Hishan paid DHL a visit. The session was recorded, and the recordings will be distributed to the rest of the students.
The objectives of the program that we want to achieve are:
- To expose students to leaders in the industry;
- To gain first hand insight from their perspective as industry leaders; and
- To inculcate interest in entrepreneurship of students.
Program Activities
It was a good chance to meet Mr. Julian Neo; the Managing Director of DHL Express Malaysia & Brunei. Through this occasion we could get a lot of insight from him especially about his secret of success. From the very beginning we were impressed by his personality, he is very humble and did not hesitate to open the door for us. The event was held at with strict protocol.
We learn a lot from his journey in career. Previously, in 2013, he was Vice President of Commercial for DHL Express Singapore and responsible for the strategic leadership of all commercial activities of the business including sales, marketing, and sales planning and development. During the session, he shared about work-life balance and the importance of integrating work with our personal life. He also shared his most difficult decision that he made in his career and how he handled making the right decision.
Not only that but he also gave us insight on how DHL deals with Covid 19 pandemic, the inspiring man also shared the importance of perseverance, emotional intelligence, continuous learning, and improving your soft skills for a new graduate student as these are the pillars for success in finding job. The other important thing is he reminded us to be adaptable and stay relevant in every condition.
Last but not least, he shared the importance of empathy and respect when working with others and how to empower employees through it. Currently DHL is one of the best workplace in the world, with a cosy ambience and environment.
In the closing ceremony, a token of appreciation was given to Mr Julian Neo. We took a photo together and he asked us about our future plan. As time went by, we spent almost two hours with him. It was a precious moment for us. We than kthe dean and our supervisor for making the event possible.
Speaker Profile – Julian Neo (Managing Director DHL Express Malaysia & Brunei)
Julian started his career with DHL Express Malaysia in April 2000 as a Global Account Manager managing a portfolio of key financial institutions and held various sales management roles thereafter. In August 2006, his portfolio expanded when he was appointed Director of Sales in Malaysia.
He was then posted to Singapore in 2009 as Senior Director of Sales for DHL Express Singapore. During his tenure, he played an instrumental role in piloting and implementing DHL’s Global Sales Process and Asia Pacific Sales Program, which significantly improved the country’s commercial practice through unified processes and procedures.
In 2013, Julian assumed the role of Vice President, Commercial for DHL Express Singapore, where he is responsible for the strategic leadership of all commercial activities of the business including sales, marketing and sales planning and development. Under his leadership, the commercial team delivers sustainable growth to the business by focusing on gaining revenue, market share and profit. With over 18 years at DHL, his wealth of experience was paramount in driving robust growth in the business. Prior to his career with DHL Express, Mr. Neo held several commercial positions at Standard Chartered Bank in Malaysia. Julian holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Marketing from The Northern University of Malaysia.
