Life at RGE: Victor Yeung on Managing Paperboard with Purpose

Most of us take paper plates for granted, but not Victor Yeung. Having helped manage APRIL’s entry into the paperboard market, Victor understands better than most that every biodegradable plate that rolls off the production line is potentially one less single use plastic plate that will sit in landfills for centuries.

APRIL’s paperboard is produced from sustainably managed plantations, and is found in a wide variety of products from food packaging to paper cups. Crucially, it’s biodegradable, helping reduce reliance on single use plastics.

Victor joined APRIL as Product Manager for the paperboard business at the start of 2023, a role that was soon expanded to include Head of Marketing as well.

“My role is really broad,” he says. “Even though my title is product manager and marketing, I get involved with key account management, I work with customers, and of course I work with our operations team on production plans, new products, and areas we need to invest in.”

With more than a decade in the industry, Victor brings some personal insights into potential products, but also works closely with customers to understand their needs and how APRIL might be able to meet them.

One example is that new line of paper plates. Anyone who’s ever been on a picnic will be familiar with them, so it might sound simple, but designing and producing any new product is a complex process.

“I talked to the potential customer, and we brought them to our mill in Indonesia to really understand their needs. Then we brainstormed as a team to make this happen, because this is a totally new recipe to us.”

Victor means recipe literally: the food-grade plates required a different mix of raw materials in order to meet the requirements of the product. The result is a new line of products being sold through a major supermarket chain in the US. “It’s a good achievement,” says Victor.

Victor receives the PackindoStar Award for Sustainable Packaging on behalf of APRIL.

Achievements like this are all the more impressive given how new APRIL’s board mill is: it only started commercial operations in early 2024. That means that teamwork is key to winning and retaining customers.

“I was given a lot of opportunity to work with different teams. My boss said you may be a product manager, but you still need to participate in sales meetings, in operations meetings, you need to go to the mill. I was given a lot of authority to be hands-on in different things.

“What makes it work is that my counterparts are very open minded. They don’t say you’re a product manager, don’t touch my production. They welcome input and are very receptive. I love it because it means we can achieve more together.”

Perhaps no achievement was bigger than the start-up of the board machine itself. With a capacity of 1.2 million tons of fully biodegradable paperboard per year, the production line stretches over a kilometre in length.

“When I joined in 2023 the board machine was still under construction. I would go there twice a month with the team and work on commercial planning, product planning, SOPs, and every time I went I would see a small improvement.

“Then in 2024 it was time for the first trial run. The whole team was there and when we saw the first product come off the production line after all that work, everyone was in tears. It was really a touching moment. It was one year of effort for me but a lot longer for others. So it’s really a big achievement for the whole team.”

It was that commitment to teamwork that attracted Victor to RGE in the first place. After more than a decade in regional offices of European companies in Hong Kong and Singapore, he was looking for a new challenge, and being based in RGE’s head office in a role with a global remit seemed to fit the bill.

But it was our core values, including our commitment to sustainability, that helped convince him to make the move. “I did a lot of homework, and realised that APRIL is one of the top ranked companies for sustainability. That’s what made me so confident that I can carry on my values when I joined this company.”

RGE’s core values also include a commitment to people development, something that Victor benefitted from when he took part in our regular Management Training Programme conducted at Singapore Management University. “The course really focused on people management and leadership. I’d done some of this when I did my MBA, but this was like a mini-MBA.

“And the fact it was with colleagues means you can build relationships with your teammates and people from different business units. This was really a valuable experience.”

Victor also had the chance to join our annual RGE Founder’s Day activities, where we take a day out from the office to give back to the community. “This was really new for me. I’d always worked in regional sales offices with maybe 10 people. To see hundreds of colleagues come together to do something meaningful was really a great opportunity.”

Victor helping senior beneficiaries create art at the RGE 2024 Founder’s Day

Victor also points to the growth opportunities at RGE. “After I joined the company, RGE bought Vinda. Tempo was my childhood brand growing up in Hong Kong! You just have to work hard, keep growing, and the opportunities are there.”