Shubham S.

Brand Manager at Dole Singapore-Malaysia | Consumer Goods Marketing | Helping new marketers grow in their careers

A believer in the power of brands to influence sustainable lifestyle choices, I love scaling brands from 1 to 10 rapidly. 

-------- Current Role:----------

At Grab, to grow key QSR brands’ reach and revenue in SEA. I am handling end to end enterprise services on Grab for them. 

-------- Past Roles:----------


I was building Kind Kones, a plant based ice cream brand with no palm oil or negative additives. 

Whether it's door to door selling to presenting in board rooms, I donned every hat with humility. 

I helped a team of 40+ people to expand the business in SG/MY/Middle East. 

Before that,  I expanded Dole's business through in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia and Brunei. 

I also led Dole juices launch in Jollibee, Fairprice and 2600 7-Eleven stores, apart from regular retail listings and marketing.

Previously, I was leading marketing and BD for India business where I helped Dole reach $1M + revenue in Year 1, including co-branded partnership with McDonald’s in 150 stores.
 
I also love to distill interesting marketing and startup concepts to help young folks grow.  

Hence, I write on LinkedIn. 

-------- Japan experience:----------

Previously, I was the youngest Project Lead in Japan in Energy sector but soon realised my heart was in marketing. 

To confirm that my heart's voice isn't a quarter life crisis, I conducted food tours in Tokyo, dabbled in own sandwich business and consulted in food industry. 

The love for marketing was confirmed!  

The issue of sustainability is also close to my heart. 

-------- Student life:----------

So, prior to FMCG life, I published research papers in the field of Sustainable resources and technologies like Bio-fuels, Bio-Lubricants, Gas Emission control and also filed a patent related to Fuel Oil Storage. 

I have also developed a sub-$100 Solar Dryer for rural community which can work beyond sunset.

My outdoor interests range from Copy Writing, Geo-politics, Snowboarding, Mountain Trekking.  Food-trotting in groups and other times I can be found writing and creating food recipes.

Chief Operating Officer

2016. Japan. Age 23.

Got a call from my manager:  

“Fly to Malaysia. The boiler we shipped to a power plant site is leaking.”

🍍A leaking boiler is a potential blast hazard.

I had zero experience fixing one.  

Never been to Malaysia.  

Never seen a construction site.

Yet I packed my bags and flew out — no plan, no backup.

Day 1 — 9 AM.  

🍍The site manager looks at me, goes hysterical, and throws a pen in frustration.  

Not because I was late or rude but because my manager had sent a rookie.

Stunned but focused, I rushed to inspect the damage.  

By end of the day, I had a 15-day plan to fix the mess — weekends and nights included.

We worked quietly, keeping it off the client’s radar.  

Formed a team, found local fabricators, poached workers, and used Google Translate to communicate.  

It was messy, scrappy, and relentless.

16–17 hours a day.  

40°C heat.  

Rain, mud, and welding sparks.

🍍We finished the job in 13 days. 

I stayed another 18 months.  

The “rookie” who showed up clueless earned respect through hustle, despite abuse. 


Get your hands dirty when you’re young.  

Future corporate struggles will aww cute! 


#shubhamspeaks

Shubham Sharma 🍍

Grab | ex-COO Kind Kones | Bain Advisory | P&L Management | QSR

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Boomerang! 

A few years ago I was working on scaling Dole banana plantations in Vietnam, 

Away from the Philippines as climate change was bringing plant diseases rampaging miles and miles of plantations. 

Today, the alternative Dole Vietnam farms are up and running and supplying my current office at Grab. 

That’s what I love about tangible consumer businesses, 

you can see sustained visible impact. 

Banana Boomerang! 


#shubhamspeaks

I was the only judge with no banking-lending background 

in a shark-tank like pitch sessions by Grab’s fin-tech folks. 

I felt a little out of place initially but soon caught up. Thanks to my struggles being an SME operator previously. 

And boy! the passion to serve the underserved individual businesses such as a food stall owner was palpable. 

🍍The aggregators with who the small operators interact daily do have a better chance of serving the short term cash or even cheaper ingredient needs. 

Using the whole Grab ecosystem of mart, mobility, payments gives us a better chance to help than traditional ways. 

Kudos to the winners for creating a win-win product for food stall guys and us. 

Thanks for organizing Yesh Gunewardena. 


#shubhamspeaks

Hilarious consumer insight from my Vietnam trip,

'We don't want to smell like fried chicken in the day', 

So, we order delivery. 

Certain fried chicken brands have really old stores with limited seating and bad ventilation. 

It has repulsed the consumers, especially women, from dining in and opting for delivery instead. 

Hence, the lunch segment is very strong in Vietnam.

The future is delivery-focused, sleeker & cleaner stores in VN. 

HVAC guys? that's your cue. 

#shubhamspeaks

As I wrap up my trip to Jakarta, I’m leaving with 2 powerful takeaways that speak volumes about Indonesia’s dynamic trajectory.


🇮🇩 The Rise of Homegrown Champions

I couldn't help but notice the palpable sense of national pride in domestic food and beverage brands.

From the iconic flavors of Pagi Sore and Sari Ratu to the modern coffee culture of Fore Coffee and Kopi Kenangan, my Indonesian friends vehemently insisted I try them all.

This push signifies more than just great taste; it reflects a nation's growing economic self-esteem and the success of local entrepreneurs. 



🍍Leading with Heart

The team, particularly under the leadership of Roy Nugroho, is one of the best I have encountered in the region. 

Their true north star is fostering genuine relationships and authentic care for our clients. 


Especially amid the intense platform and merchants competition, it is hard for brands to tread solo and this team becomes their partner towards growth. 


A huge thank you to the team for the valuable insights and partnership this week. 


Sampai jumpa lagi, Jakarta!

Everyone's raging over fried chicken. 

Yet the QSR industry is ignoring a monumental, profitable opportunity: 

🍍 Sauce forward-Healthier Chicken (rotisserie/grilled).

This is a massive strategic error because it misses the fastest-growing consumer segments:

The Health-Conscious Mover (40% are looking to cut fried)

The Gen-Z protein person (75% are looking for natural proteins)

People who are purchasing from non-QSR local brands. 

These are customers willing to pay a premium for quality.

🍍Here's something I would love to see: 

🍍 Introduce a high-margin Rotisserie/Grilled Protein Bowl or "Guilt-Free Wrap." 

This uses the new protein as a premium add-on to existing menus, appealing to the customization trend.

🍍 Operations: Zero cooking oil, Batch cooking , combi-oven and high humidity heaters to keep the chicken moist. 

🍍 Flavor & Transparency: Use bold, global sauces (Soy Garlic, Chili-Lime) to make the roasted chicken exciting. Market it based on wellness attributes like "Lean Protein" and "Clean Prep."

The first major QSR brand to successfully scale a premium, non-fried chicken menu will win future consumers. 

What do you think? 


#shubhamspeaks

Unpopular opinion: 

Brands who let Marketing lead the relationship with food aggregators win long term, 

Brands that let operation/delivery folks run the show find it hard to grow the user base and overindulge in promos. 

This is very true for franchisees who see food aggregators as solely a delivery channel 

and not as a marketing channel. 

I have seen QSR/Coffee/dessert brands triple their business in 18-21 months once they switch to marketing happens. 

If you are a franchisor or franchisee, time to audit this relationship. 



#shubhamspeaks

The narrative that QSRs thrive just because consumers are broke is fundamentally flawed. 

In 2025, flat pricing guarantees margin compression.

The winning strategy is the Barbell Playbook:

🍍 The Barbell Menu: Drive essential traffic with low-margin value items, but secure profitability with high-margin LTOs (the 'heavy' end). This is crucial for boosting the average check size.

🍍Margin Amplification: Integrate cultural merchandise or character collaborations (like Labubu) with premium LTOs. This delivers vastly superior margins beyond food cost alone.

🍍Digital Segmentation: Use food aggregators (30-50% of sales) strategically. Push high-margin LTOs through these channels to reach the ready-to-spend customer, while handling low-margin volume in-store.

This strategy executed by leaders optimizes for both traffic and profit across the polarized income spectrum.

What's your observation on this? 

#shubhamspeaks

Ambrosia Sciences

Ambrosia Sciences is not just a company; we are a vanguard for sustainable and ethical meat production. Our technology promises a future where environmentally responsible, flavorful, and humane meat options are accessible to all, driving us closer to a more sustainable and compassionate food ecosystem. With Ambrosia Sciences leading the way, the future of meat is both exciting and conscientious.

Head of Business Development

Kidslovr

I am passionate to create the ultimate family experience with #Kidslovr. 

Kidslovr is a one-stop online grocery platform that aims to create loving families through healthy food. Kidslovr aims to encourage family bonding time between parent and child whilst preparing for food that feeds both the body and the soul. A family that cooks & eat together, stays together.Every kid is a blessing to the parent. Kids bring along bundle of joy and surprises to the family, they are precious to both you and to us.

Co founder with #Kidslovr

Tuple Technologies

Giving you next best action with all kinds of data.

Sales Manager

Pear Comms

Pear Comms aims to be the choice company for enterprises seeking for online sales and solutions that could help them increase their sales.

•	Work together with organisation to develop sales process
•	Source new and managing existing clients/partners in APAC region
•	Product demonstration and presentations
•	Developing of new accounts

Business Development Manager

GlobalSign

Founded in 1996 as Europe First CA. Issued over 1.4 million digital certificates/ digital IDs to people, website & machines and over 200,000 SSL certificates.
•	Making outbound and handling In-bound calls, sales enquiries
•	Source new and managing existing clients/partners in APAC region
•	Ensure pre-sales and post-sales support is satisfactory by clients/partners
•	Product demonstration and presentations

Sales Executive

YOOSE - the hyper-local mobile ad network

•	Improve the operational systems, processes and policies in support of organizations mission -specifically, support better management reporting, information flow and management, business process and organizational planning.
•	Manage and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of Support Services (HR, IT and Finance), through improvements to each function as well as coordination and communication between support and business functions.
•	Play a significant role in long-term planning, including an initiative geared toward operational excellence.
•	Oversee overall financial management, planning, systems and controls.
•	Management of agency budget in coordination with the CEO

Operations Manager

🌱 Passionate about Solving Tomorrow's Food Challenges 🌍

👋 Hi, I'm Nicholas.

🔍 Are you passionate about the future of food and technology? So am I. My mission is to contribute to the solutions that will feed our growing global population of 10 billion by 2050. Let's connect and collaborate to make this future sustainable and delicious!

💡 My Key Interests:

1️⃣ Solving the 2050 Food Challenge: The world's population is rapidly growing, and I'm on a quest to find partners and solutions that can ensure everyone has access to nutritious food. Let's work together to address this critical challenge head-on.

2️⃣ Exploring Technology: I'm fascinated by the intersection of technology and food production. From precision agriculture to cultured meat, I'm constantly exploring how innovation can revolutionize the way we grow, produce, and consume food.

3️⃣ Cultured Meat: As an advocate for sustainable food practices, I'm particularly interested in cultured meat and its potential to reduce the environmental impact of meat production. Let's discuss how this exciting technology can reshape our food systems.

🗣️ Let's Connect and Collaborate: I'm always eager to connect with like-minded individuals, professionals, and organizations who share my passion for the future of food. Whether you'd like to discuss innovative ideas, explore partnerships, or simply have a conversation, don't hesitate to reach out. Let's make a positive impact together!

🌟 Let's shape a future where everyone has access to safe, nutritious, and sustainable food. Join me on this exciting journey!

#CulturedMeat #LabGrownMeat #CultivatedMeat #AlternativeProtein

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Shubham S.

Nicholas Ong 王伟承

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The Battle

Shubham S.

Nicholas Ong 王伟承

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