Driving force

Mobility has been at the very heart of Abdul Latif Jameel since the business was founded in 1945, some 80 years ago.  With the global transportation sector facing perhaps its biggest transformation since the invention of the motor car, mobility is set to play a vital role in business’s future, too.

Jasmmine Wong is Chief Executive Officer – Mobility, Abdul Latif Jameel and oversees the Jameel Motors global mobility brand.  

She joined the business in mid-2023 to lead the development, growth and operational aspects of the mobility business for Abdul Latif Jameel worldwide.  

Before joining Abdul Latif Jameel, she spent several years leading Inchcape’s business in Greater China and Singapore.  

We caught up with Jasmmine to discuss her role, the opportunities she sees in the mobility sector and her plans for future growth.

Q: Can you tell us about your career before joining Abdul Latif Jameel?

JW: I joined Abdul Latif Jameel around 18 months ago.  It seems like yesterday, but time has really flown!  It has been a very encouraging, enriching, and fulfilling journey so far.

When I finished my MBA at INSEAD, it was never my intention to work in the automotive industry.  I have always loved cars, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I could build my career around it.

I started off as a management trainee at Unilever.  Then I spent 12 years at Nestlé, based largely in Malaysia and some time in Europe, developing and launching products across the Asia region. 

During that time, I got to know Stefan Bromhard, then CEO of Inchcape plc, the London-based automotive distribution and retail multinational.  Inchcape was looking for someone to run their business in Singapore.  I jumped at the chance to come back to Singapore with my family.  After about six years I was promoted to build the business in the China region, dealing with different OEMs, including Toyota, keeping up to date with new technologies, like electric vehicles, and getting involved on the M&A side.

It was during this period that I first became aware of Abdul Latif Jameel and their strong reputation in the automotive industry.  I was introduced to Hassan Jameel and over time, I learnt more about the business’s ethos and its vision for expansion.  When I learnt they were looking for someone to bring together their vision for mobility and drive forward their plans for global expansion, I was very interested.  It combined my existing skills and experiences of dealing with OEMs, new technologies, M&A, etc., with the opportunity to make a difference on the global stage.  

It was an exciting journey that I was keen to be part of.

Q: What attracted you about the opportunity to join Abdul Latif Jameel?

JW: One of the things that really intrigued from the outset was their super-strong relationship with Toyota.  I would go to events with Inchcape, and Abdul Latif Jameel would always be right there with Toyota.  Inchcape had a good relationship with Toyota, too, but it seemed like Abdul Latif Jameel’s relationship with them was on a different level to anybody else’s – a rather special relationship.  The more I got to know about the business, about its long family heritage, its strong vision and values, its long-term perspective and the personal way they managed the relationship with Toyota, the more I understood why.  These are not characteristics a PLC can easily replicate. I t struck me as an admirable, positive and very successful way to run a global business.

Q: What is it like being one of relatively few women working at a senior level in the automotive industry?

JW: I’ve got used to it now. I often go to OEM events, and I’ll be the only female in the room.  Simply because there are so few women, you have to ‘justify’ your presence by proving you’re even better than the men.  It means I’ve had to work harder to establish myself, to build relationships, to make myself heard.  I was very lucky to be given an opportunity at Inchcape – and now at Abdul Latif Jameel – to show that women are just as capable of leading successful businesses in this sector.  I’ve been very warmly welcomed into the Abdul Latif Jameel family.  I don’t expect, or receive, any special treatment as a woman.  There is still a long way to go in terms of gender diversity in the automotive industry, but I’m hopeful that things are changing.

Q: What are your main responsibilities as CEO, Mobility at Abdul Latif Jameel?

JW: I’m responsible for the Abdul Latif Jameel’s Mobility Sector business worldwide.  

It’s a big role and one that I relish.  My remit is to drive organic and inorganic growth across the board.  This includes our major automotive markets such as Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, China, Japan, and across North Africa, where we have automotive distribution and retail as well as our automotive parts businesses; machinery including both heavy and materials handling equipment and joint venture investment companies, like Greaves Electric Mobility and TADME in India.

Currently my role is split between Singapore, where I live, and Dubai, UAE.  But three-quarters of my time is spent travelling, visiting the various parts of the business around the world.  In two hours, I’m flying to Monaco and then on to South Africa, for example.

Q: You’ve worked in the automotive industry for many years now.  What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen?

JW: One of the biggest changes I’ve seen is the electrification of the automotive market.  I’ve gained a lot of experience in this from China, which is a pioneer and leader in automotive electrification.  Electrification – and other sustainable technologies like hydrogen and methanol – is not only a game changer in terms of the technology itself, but also in terms of its impact on the shape and nature of the automotive market.  The whole value chain is being upended.

The way people buy vehicles is also changing.  For electric vehicles (EVs), it is an increasingly digital proposition.  This means your online and offline platform must be seamless, and the language we use must be very different.   Our sales and marketing teams need to change the way they sell vehicles and how they communicate to consumers, both existing customers and future prospects.  

In response to these developments, most auto-OEMs are moving to an ‘agency’ operating model, rather than the existing distribution model.  Under the agency model, the distributor is responsible for dealing with customers on the front line, while the OEM takes on everything else.  This is a massive structural change for the industry.

There is also the influx of new OEMs, particularly from China, that are offering cheaper and cheaper EVs at high quality.  These are just some of the megatrends we’ll be dealing with over the next few years.

Q: Without giving any secrets away, what are the kind of strategies that will underpin Jameel Motors’ growth over the next five years?

One of my priorities is to instill a dynamic ‘growth mindset’ across the business.  

It is a natural instinct of large organisations to be quite protective of their business and their market share.  That’s perfectly normal.  My goal is to create a growth mindset, where we are not only focused on protecting our existing business, but also on actively driving further growth and maximising the opportunities that we see in the market.  

It’s a very exciting time.  

Q: How important will the Chinese market be for Abdul Latif Jameel’s growth, do you think?

JW: Chinese OEMs have been the biggest global exporters of cars since 2023, and that will only increase.  They are investing not only in terms of the physical vehicle, but also the technologies.  It’s mind-blowing.  Their desire for success and willingness to take risks is amazing.  And because of their willingness to take risks, they are able to innovate very quickly.  They have all the ingredients to be masters of their destiny in the next five to 10 years.  The question is, do you try and join them on this exciting journey, or try and resist it?  If you join them, you need to ensure you are quick and agile enough to match their speed of innovation and execution, otherwise you will be bypassed.  

We have been present in China for over 25 years as a distributor and retailer of Toyota and Lexus in 8 major metropolitan cities across four provinces.

Q: What are your priorities for this year with the company?

JW: Much of my first year was spent getting to know my team and expanding it where necessary.  I spent a lot of time travelling to different countries.  I’m still travelling a lot, visiting different countries to understand their operations, getting to know what the nuances are.

Now the team is in place, we have a clear strategic mandate for organic and inorganic growth.  Year one was setting the foundation, learning about the organisation, and putting the right team together.  

This will help to catalyze and drive momentum, which will fuel more growth and provide a strong foundation for the next few years of our five-year plan.  

It’s going to be challenging for sure, but I’m looking forward to leading our next phase of growth.