‘Dad, where are we going next?’: F&N’s new CEO on the joy of building a global career

SINGAPORE - While uprooting their life for an overseas posting may not seem attractive to many Singaporeans, F&N’s new chief executive Rahul Colaco has spent much of his career doing exactly that.

In a career spanning close to 30 years, Mr Colaco has lived in eight cities across India, and taken up various postings in countries like China, Malaysia, Italy, the Netherlands and Nigeria. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020, he relocated to Yangon, Myanmar, to serve as the chief executive of whisky maker Grand Royal Group.

In 2024, he moved again to Bangkok, Thailand, to be the chief of spirits at beverage giant ThaiBev, F&N’s parent company, overseeing its international portfolio.

In September, he landed in Singapore in preparation for his new role as chief executive of F&N, which produces and sells familiar household brands like 100Plus, Nutrisoy and Sunkist. He took over from his predecessor Hui Choon Kit officially on Oct 1.

“Singapore is country No. 10,” Mr Colaco added.

The 51-year-old believes that moving around has helped him gain fresh insights. He also got to work with bosses and mentors from different nationalities and backgrounds.

“When you move around, your perspective and mind just dramatically opens up because you meet many different people and learn from different cultures,” said Mr Colaco during an exclusive interview with The Straits Times.

And the most enriching part of a global career, to him, is the chance to lead diverse teams across Asia, Europe and Africa. “I genuinely enjoy it because diversity brings fresh perspectives and, when harnessed well, creates real magic.”

While constantly having to adapt to new teams can feel intimidating, Mr Colaco said connecting with his colleagues over shared interests like food, sports, family or wellness goes a long way in building trust.

To better manage conflicts, he encourages his teams to create their own “user manuals”, listing out their work preferences, motivations and frustrations.

“It is a great way to foster understanding and reduce friction.”

How it started

Mr Colaco’s globe-trotting career started after he took a leap of faith, leaving his job in India to earn a master’s degree at a business school in Switzerland in 2003. His wife gave up her career at the time to go with him.

The programme, which had about 90 students from more than 40 nationalities, opened his eyes to what it is like to work in an international environment. This experience inspired him to take up a job with Unilever in Europe, and he has not stopped moving since.

Along the way, he and his wife welcomed two sons, now aged 15 and 19. His children had grown so used to life on the move that after the family spent three years in the same place, one of them asked: “Dad, where are we going next?”

Said Mr Colaco: “When they were younger, they were very excited about learning new cultures and languages.”

Now that the children are older, they prefer to “settle down a bit more”, but he said his younger son – a huge fan of the 100Plus isotonic drinks – has no complaints about his new stint in Singapore.

“My son told me: ‘Dad, how cool is it that you are the boss of the 100Plus company?’”

Mr Colaco said he sees parallels between the growth stories of Singapore and F&N. “When I look at Singapore, I get inspired by the way it’s been able to preserve the heritage of this country, but at the same time be at the cutting edge. That’s some of the things we’ve been trying to do with F&N.”

Being a 142-year-old brand, F&N is always looking at ways to modernise its offerings while still preserving its roots.

To stay relevant, it also pursued collaborations such as a recent partnership with Netflix survival reality show Physical: Asia, where athletes from eight countries were pitted against one another in endurance and physical strength challenges.

Hiring plans

F&N hired more than 7,300 people globally, with 22 per cent of its headcount in Singapore, according to its annual report for the 2024 financial year.

Although he is still fairly new to Singapore, Mr Colaco is aware that many young graduates are finding it hard to get full-time jobs now.

His elder son, in fact, is also looking for an internship after completing his junior year.

“You can’t wait until you graduate to start looking for roles because it’s probably late,” he said.

“You’ve got to start very early in the process to start building relationships. And importantly, have a clear brand proposition for yourself. Every individual is a brand, so what do you stand for?”

With operations in 20 F&B manufacturing plants in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia, F&N continues to look out for talent at all levels; specifically, those who have digital fluency, business acumen and learning agility.

Mr Colaco said there are opportunities for job seekers. “It’s really about connecting one’s individual purpose with that of the organisation.”

Effective leadership

​​Asked about the type of leader he wants to be, he said he believes in striking a balance between being a tough, task-oriented boss and a caring, people-oriented boss.

Effective leadership should be grounded in intimate, personal engagement, and yet be flexible enough to respond to different situations and contexts, Mr Colaco said. This will help bring the best out of each employee.

Leaders should also make sure that they get non-filtered feedback from people around them. “Because as one progresses in one’s career, one often tends to lose touch with reality. People start telling you things they might think you want to hear rather than the real stuff.”

Making wise decisions is part and parcel of being a great boss, and Mr Colaco wants to become better at it.

The tennis fan said he drew inspiration from iconic tennis player Roger Federer, whose gameplay strategy allowed him to win about 80 per cent of his matches despite securing only about 54 per cent of the points.

“It’s being able to make the right calls. I don’t always get it right, but I’m trying to improve the hit rate of decisions. 

“I think sport can be very inspiring for business. It’s about winning, working and engaging with people. It’s about discipline and rigour. At the same time, it’s also about having fun,” he said.