Interviewer: Destiny Goh Interviewee: Chika Imakita |
The Architect's Foundation
Please share a little about your journey and what drives your current mission as the CEO of Greenpac?
My journey began in 1999 with an AIESEC internship at UPS, the American courier company headquartered in Atlanta. This opportunity blossomed into more than two decades with the company.
That path gave me global experience: seven years in the United States, four in Japan, and a return to Singapore, where I was then promoted to Director and ultimately served as Managing Director for Singapore and Malaysia.
After leaving UPS in 2023 for personal reasons, I began looking for new opportunities and was ultimately drawn to Greenpac for two factors.
First, I wanted to contribute my expertise to a local Singaporean company that was making a tangible, positive impact on the community. Second, Greenpac’s mission aligned perfectly with my background in logistics, operations and environmental, social and governance (ESG). The company is owned by Treïs, a family office that invests in sustainable businesses that align with its family values.
Packaging is often over-looked but has a significant impact on the supply chain, and my deep experience in this area allows me to consult intelligently with our clients, helping them improve their entire supply chain through more innovative and sustainable solutions. My current role represents the convergence of my professional history and my desire to contribute.
The transition from the previous founder’s strong entrepreneurial leadership, after over two decades represented a significant shift at Greenpac. Beyond the strategies and KPIs, what is your philosophy on leading people through such significant change?
While there is an element of continuity in our dedication and core commitment to sustainability and innovative design, the transition did necessitate a cultural and mindset shift. When an organisation has a strong, entrepreneurial founder, the culture tends to be top-down.
My leadership philosophy focuses on cultivating an organisation that operates like a fine watch, a synchronised machine where every individual takes ownership of their role. This approach has created a more agile, scalable, and robust system for Greenpac, with a team of 250 individuals across Singapore and Malaysia, as it doesn’t rely on a single central engine.
To guide the organisation on this journey, my focus has been on empowering our people. We’ve introduced new perspectives at the executive level, where 50% of our committee members are new. This signals that fresh ideas are welcome and helps cascade this new ownership mindset throughout every layer of the company. The goal is to build a culture where everyone feels empowered to act rather than waiting to be told what to do.
The goal is to build a culture where everyone feels empowered to act rather than waiting to be told what to do.
When you moved from a company driven by operational excellence to one driven by sustainability, how does your leadership playbook differ when transformation is purpose-driven rather than more traditional market competition?
It’s crucial to understand that sustainability has always been part of Greenpac’s DNA; it wasn’t just an add-on. Our founder built this company on the ‘zero waste’ principle. This building, opened in 2012 by then-Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, made a revolutionary statement on green manufacturing. Greenpac’s roof is entirely covered in solar panels, which produce enough energy to power 100% of our office and 50% of our operations.
Therefore, my leadership playbook isn’t about introducing a sense of purpose; it’s about honouring and building upon an already powerful foundation. This visionary commitment is a core part of our identity that we will never change. As CEO, my role is to preserve that commitment to ‘doing the right thing’ while adapting our strategies to ensure we can survive and thrive in the current environment.
Navigating the Human Element
When staff face a vast transformation, resistance is often rooted in fear of loss, such as competence status or uncertainty. How do you lead transparent communication, addressing this fear and shifting focus from loss to opportunity?
When I joined in February 2024, I sensed the natural uncertainty and anxiety that accompanies change. My first step was to provide a vision, but it was intentionally not revolutionary. It was a vision of continuity with enhancements, focused on leveraging Greenpac’s incredible foundation. Presenting something entirely different would have alienated people in the organisation; as leaders, you must balance authenticity and truth.
Secondly, you need to earn trust. When individuals assume power in management or politics, they are given a specific authority and should serve to the best of their abilities. I achieve this by showing up, listening and appreciating the team, but I also have to be firm when necessary.
My leadership philosophy isn’t a single ‘style’; it’s a commitment to serve all our stakeholders—the board, customers, suppliers, and employees. I am responsible for making the best decisions at any given time, balancing empathy with authority.
The reality is that while having a five-year plan is beneficial, true leadership during times of transformation is demonstrated through daily actions. It’s essential to show commitment to the well-being of the entire ecosystem.
Presenting something entirely different would have alienated people in the organisation; as leaders, you must balance authenticity and truth.
How can leaders create safe forums for employee feedback?
While you can create formal events like lunches or tea sessions, they often prove to be less effective. Because of my title as CEO, ground-level employees rarely share positive or negative feedback honestly in such casual settings.
To build genuine psychological safety, it’s crucial to foster it through the everyday actions of the management team, rather than relying on a single forum or one-time event.
I focus on creating a culture of open listening at every level and ensuring that the leadership team does not operate by fear. The most important thing I can do is demonstrate that behaviour myself through how I interact with my team and receive feedback from various individuals. I also encourage my managers to engage with their direct reports. The goal is to embed open communication as a cultural trait, not a scheduled event.
When you joined Greenpac as CEO, how did you ensure all employees expressed genuine buy-in rather than passive acceptance?
Gaining genuine buy-in is a process that unfolds over time; it doesn’t happen in the first week or even the first six months. We provided the management team with formal change management training, using a model like ADKAR (awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement) to understand the different phases people go through, similar to the stages of grief; denial and anger before acceptance.
Beyond the frameworks, the most powerful tool is consistency. You have to accept that time is a necessary ingredient.
My role is to consistently communicate our vision, mission, and its five core values: innovation, partnership, excellence, sustainability, and agility. It’s not wise to force buy-in from employees, but through consistently demonstrating my commitment and ensuring my actions align with my words, I send a clear message and gradually earn the trust that underpins true acceptance.
Through consistently demonstrating my commitment and ensuring my actions align with my words, I send a clear message and gradually earn the trust that underpins true acceptance.
How do you admit uncertainty or acknowledge mistakes while maintaining the conviction your team needs to follow you through disruption?
I view mistakes and setbacks as opportunities. Recently, we experienced a significant operational setback in Malaysia. Our first question was, “Is everyone okay?” Material things can be replaced, but our people are our most important asset. The incident has since become a powerful catalyst for change; it provided us with the opportunity to unite, reflect on our processes, and identify how we can improve to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
While I don’t welcome setbacks, I don’t see them as purely negative events. If approached with the right mindset, a negative situation can be transformed into a positive one, strengthening the team and improving the organisation.
If approached with the right mindset, a negative situation can be transformed into a positive one, strengthening the team and improving the organisation.
What's the most common leadership behaviour that erodes trust during a change initiative, and how do you repair such things?
The most significant factor that erodes trust is a lack of empathy. Authentic leadership is about creating an environment where people can be the best versions of themselves, which requires psychological safety. I once read a book titled ‘This is How Your Marriage Ends’ by Matthew Fray. He wrote that his wife divorced him for not leaving his cup in the sink, but after digging deeper, it became clear that the divorce did not happen overnight.
His compounding actions and bad habits over the years showed her that he did not respect or value her thoughts and opinions. One example was leaving his dishes and cups in the sink despite her repeatedly reminding him.
Fray also discusses the time when his young son feared monsters hiding under his bed. His son asked him to stay with him, but he told him that monsters don’t exist and then left the room. In that moment, his son would have felt betrayed, and the next time he was afraid, he would not go to his father, who would not stand by him in his most vulnerable moment. This story stuck with me.
When leaders bring about change on a large scale without exercising empathy in the moment, we risk invalidating our employees’ concerns and emotions by dismissing their fears and uncertainties in the midst of transformation.
The truth is that employees may hesitate or refrain from sharing their ideas or concerns because they have experienced being dismissed or ignored in the past. Establishing trust and providing a safe, psychological space is more important than being ‘right’ in human interactions. As a leader, every conversation is an opportunity to either build trust through empathy or erode it by dismissing others’ perspectives.
Establishing trust and providing a safe, psychological space is often more important than being right in human interactions.
The Mechanics of Scaling Change
In a business scale like Greenpac, how do you ensure the core transformation's narrative is consistent across all markets while tailoring it to be culturally sensitive for the diverse Asia Pacific audience?
Fortunately, we have a culturally neutral product and a dedicated, diverse team that has remained stable during the transition. Our approach to cultural sensitivity is grounded in exercising common sense and respect. We have employed many foreign workers, especially in Malaysia, and our policy has always been to maintain neutrality.
We don’t emphasise specific religious or cultural ceremonies over others because we aim to remain impartial. Instead, we focus on our shared professional goals and maintain a respectful and inclusive environment. We ensure that our core message remains consistent without alienating anyone.
Having led transformation at a global MNC and now at a purpose-driven SME like Greenpac, what can large companies learn from agile playbooks of smaller resource-constrained firms?
Large multinational corporations, with their vast resources, often become very functionally focused, which can unintentionally restrict an employee’s growth. In a smaller company like Greenpac, every individual plays multiple roles and develops various skills. This challenges employees to step out of their comfort zones, allowing them to grow in ways that benefit both them and the company.
We have numerous examples of this cross-pollination in action. For instance, our IT personnel has taken on the role of our sustainability lead, and a procurement specialist initiated our entire pricing function. We actively facilitate this by forming cross-functional committees to address key business problems.
To show Greenpac’s commitment to supporting our employees’ career development and encourage their interest to learn, we create a cross-functional committee to work on various projects yearly. This year, we have two teams who are working on improving our inventory system and another working on sustainability. At the end of the year, they would present their ideas to me, and if they succeeded, this would earn them a higher annual increment.
A sustainable model like this thrives in a smaller company because job descriptions are flexible. When employees pursue new skills or take on new projects, they will be able to see the direct impact on their roles and understand the ways they can add greater value to the company. In return, develop a sense of greater ownership. This creates a powerful incentive for growth and innovation, which is often harder to foster in a more rigid corporate structure.
When employees pursue new skills or take on new projects, they will be able to see the direct impact on their roles and understand the ways they can add greater value to the company.
The Lasting Lessons
If you were coaching a new leader to a new transformation mandate, what's one critical action they must take as an initiative in their first 90 days to set the initiative up for success?
As a fellow leader, I would advise rethinking the entire ‘first 90 days’ mentality. While being agile is important, some leaders may feel pressured to drive change and make quick decisions upon entering a new position. However, it is wise to exercise restraint.
When entering a new environment, it’s easy to identify what you perceive as wrong; however, those judgments are often colored by biases stemming from past experiences. The most critical action is not to act immediately but to first observe, listen, and deeply understand why things are the way they are. It’s important to simulate the consequences of potential changes, not just to the situation, but also to the people involved.
When bringing about transformation, it’s essential to recognise that you will also change the dynamics of the organisation and its people. Therefore, understanding these relationships is crucial.
For example, you must appreciate the hidden dynamics and the informal leaders who hold the team’s morale together due to their character and personality. Rushing to ‘fix’ things can easily disrupt something that was functioning in a way you don’t yet understand. It takes real courage and restraint to maintain the status quo until you achieve true understanding.
Leading such a team would require immense resilience. What personal strategy do you rely on to sustain your energy and resolve throughout your tenure of leadership?
I am comfortable with imperfection. Accepting my shortfalls allows me to maintain the balance and energy necessary for effective and sustainable leadership. That said, my job is to make the best possible decisions for all our stakeholders. However, at the end of the day, I am also a human being, and I accept my own limitations and move on.
If you were to leave our readers with one thought, what's the one thing leaders should stop doing as they embark on transformation?
Leaders should stop searching for a single ‘right style’ of leadership. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. The key principle should be the role itself: you are there to serve and optimise the interests of all stakeholders from shareholders, customers, suppliers, to employees.
To fulfil this responsibility, your actions should be guided by the specific needs of each situation. If that means you need to stop talking and start listening, then that is precisely what you should do.
As a CEO, some people think they work around the clock without taking breaks. How do you balance your career and your volunteering in Singapore's army?
My volunteer work in the army serves as the perfect counterbalance to my role as CEO. Before I started serving, I had to undergo Basic Military Training that was quite challenging, but that difficulty only adds to its value. It provides a complete mental shift. I particularly enjoy deployment because it’s different from my day job; instead of strategising and thinking critically, you simply follow orders, which I find to be a refreshing reset.
Additionally, this experience allows me to see a different side of Singapore and connect with individuals from various backgrounds. Since then, I have developed a profound respect for the servicemen and women.
Just imagine the intense training they undergo, honing skills with a weapon that they hope they will never need to use. The mental discipline they demonstrate is remarkable. They undertake this commitment to protect the people and the nation they love, and being a part of that instils in me a much deeper appreciation for the foundations that hold our society together.
Chika Imakita
Greenpac’s CEO, Chika Imakita leads the award-winning provider of innovative and sustainable industrial packaging solutions in SEA. A keen environmentalist with over 20 years of supply chain experience, she has positioned Greenpac as an industry leader recognised for its eco-friendly designs that reduce waste and enhance efficiency.
