Page 46 - MASALA Vol8 Issue4 February-March 2017

I’m driven by doing good things,
seeing other people happy.

Vivek concedes that his company has little if any
hierarchy. “We don’t have too many rules. We
have a culture, which is to have a lot of fun.” That
philosophy was inspired from his youthful years
playing team sports. He also promotes a culture
of truth by creating an atmosphere for people to
express themselves openly. This culture of trust
permeates throughout Mega Lifesciences as well,
as Vivek reveals that his employees have learned to
trust themselves and others.

For the compassionate CEO, it is not a matter of
measuring how good an employee’s performance
is. What matters are the results of the whole team
at Mega Lifesciences. “We share the wealth,” he
says. Nearly 30 percent of the company’s shares
are held by management and employees. “Shares
are distributed to the people who help make this
company.” Company employees work with a
sense of freedom, he further explains. It’s a very
different kind of business, compared to one based
on how many shares one owns. “I’m a happy
person, not driven to make more money,” Vivek
says. “I’m driven by doing good things, seeing
other people happy.”

Vivek first came to Thailand in 1978 and went to
Ruamrudee International School. He later went
to the United States to get an MBA from Southern
Illinois University and then returned to Thailand in
1986. His father, Azad, was a great inspiration.
“My father was a brilliant engineer,” says Vivek, “a
great teacher with great vision and ideas.”

Vivek’s first few years in the company were a
struggle. “It was hand to mouth,” he explains. “We
looked at a lot of things and how to make them right
to succeed.” It was a gamble, but eventually he was
able to create capsules that could sell. Thus, the
company’s success became guaranteed in the early
1990s when it began manufacturing its own brand.
“We started to launch products in Thailand and got
started in the supplement business,” Vivek says.
Mega Products Ltd. was introduced in the mid-1990s
and ultimately branched out with offices in Myanmar,
Vietnam and Cambodia. “We started to export
because we raised the bar of quality.”

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