I have a couple of guiding principles I try to live by in my Sales role: 1) Never sell a product I’ve competed against in the past, and 2) Genuinely believe in the product I’m selling. It may sound simple, but in reality, it tends to exclude quite a few of the opportunities I’ve had along the way.
My path has led me to different industries and a variety of roles, from Technical Applications to Product and Business Management at several multinational companies. It has taken me to England, then to the U.S. and back to my home in Hong Kong. All those experiences have helped me learn how to make a real difference for customers at the front end of the value chain, where products either prove their value or they don’t. When I approach a customer, I have to fully believe my product will deliver the value that a customer needs. That's just how I am.
So, when Norman Lim, Corbion's Regional Sales Manager for APAC (who is now my boss), reached out to me about joining his team a year and a half ago, I didn't say yes right away; I needed to know more about what Corbion had to offer the market. I'd known and respected Norman for years, having crossed paths at various conferences many times during the years I was scouting animal nutrition opportunities for my previous employer. Aquaculture had become my focus industry; there were many problems to be solved, including its dependence on fishmeal and fish oil. Both come from finite, natural resources that are under pressure. That limiting issue for the industry stuck in my mind.
A real answer
Once I took a real look at what Corbion was doing, everything clicked. This wasn't just another feed additive company. AlgaPrime™ DHA, Corbion’s microalgae-derived omega-3 solution, was a genuinely better answer to a problem I already cared about. And expanding its reach into the APAC region is an important component of Corbion’s BRIGHT 2030 strategy. I joined a little over a year ago, and I haven't looked back since.
Corbion has built a strong AlgaPrime™ DHA business in salmon farming across Europe and Latin America. But the Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for the vast majority of global aquaculture production, was still a relatively untapped opportunity for us. Aquaculture in Asia looks quite different from Europe and Latin America: salmon farming is less mature, while the mix of species is much broader. Shrimp, in particular, is massive, and that's where I see the opportunity for growth.
Timing is part of it. We're heading into another El Niño pattern likely to persist through much of 2027, which typically squeezes the supply of fishmeal and fish oil, while pushing feed costs up. That's exactly where AlgaPrime™ DHA earns its place; it's so concentrated, feed millers might need only a third of the volume compared to fish oil, freeing them to blend in other, more affordable, ingredients without sacrificing nutrition.
A calculator is worth a thousand words
To help evaluate the economic impact of full, or partial, replacement of fish oil with AlgaPrime™ DHA, I built a calculator that makes it easy to see the cost savings, the omega-3 impact, all of it; it's become one of my most useful tools. I shared it with my colleagues, and now, many of them are using it too. I tell customers I'm not just selling them a product; I'm providing them with a tool for better control over their formulations, security of supply for a key ingredient, their economics, and their overall sustainability.
Beyond those numbers, our customers and the farmers who use their feed also get to produce healthier shrimp and other fish species with better disease resistance, greater resilience to environmental stress, and much better supply consistency compared to marine resources.
Making believers
Seeing a customer’s eyes light up when they grasp what Corbion’s solution can do for their business is a special moment for me. I am very proud to be part of a global team using its resources and expertise to create solutions I - and everyone else - can really believe in.