Ambrose (Lok Yan) Chan

Ambrose (Lok Yan) Chan

Director of R&D and QA, APAC & ME @ Taco Bell

About

Listed on 2018 FORBES 30 Under 30 – Food & Drink, China division I have worked as an R&D, Innovation, and Quality Leader in the FMCG and Restaurant industries for 15+ years, spanning from technical to commercial roles with expertise in Product Development and Innovation Management. I have a proven track record of launching breakthrough innovation to sustain growth, turn around declining business, and capture new market opportunities. Equipped with end-to-end capabilities from “Supply” and “Demand” sides of business, I am passionate to bridge between functions and influence them on crucial decision-making. I nurture high performance culture in team development and inspire all to unleash their talents and full potential. I enjoy experiencing novelty and aspire to learn something new every day.

Country

Singapore

City

Singapore

Industry

Restaurants

Skill

Technology Commercialization, Innovation Management, Stakeholder Management, Business Planning, End-to-End Project Management, Business Acumen, Franchise Management, Team Leadership, Product Innovation, Culinary Management, Food Safety, Food Science, Food Processing, FMCG, Sensory Evaluation, Confectionery, Ingredients, Flavors, Food Technology, Food Industry

Experience

Taco Bell

Director of R&D and QA, APAC & ME

Taco Bell

LinkedIn
2023-3 - Present · 3 yrs 7 mos

Singapore

Lead R&D and FSQA functions to cover 400+ restaurants in 13 markets across Asia Pacific and Middle East -Develop business and functional strategy with 3-year roadmap; set and execute AOP targets against business performance metrics -Manage team size of 30+ members including HQ franchisor and local-market franchisees -Lead impactful food innovation and technology to elevate food crave and product relevance; drive value leadership and “spend smart” program to improve restaurant margins -Safeguard brand food safety and quality to protect "trust in every bite"; ensure compliance and performance improvement along farm-to-fork supply chain based on Yum! standards and local regulations; implement food safety culture to reinforce positive mindsets and behaviors at both franchisor and franchisee ends

PepsiCo

Innovation & Commercialization Lead - Snacks

PepsiCo

LinkedIn
2021-5 - 2023-3 · 1 yr 11 mos

Shanghai

-Responsible for end-to-end commercialization of Snacks Innovation for Greater China Region delivering annual sales over US$100M+. Designed portfolio with 30+ core & breakthrough innovations/year via ideation hopper. Led cross functions to deliver projects under stage gate from concept design, iterative prototyping, consumer test, to pilot market launch. -Developed commercialization strategy to Lift & Scale successful innovations across 10+ APAC markets to realize full business potentials and maximize scale benefits. -Strengthened PepsiCo innovation capability by accelerating NPD Speed to Market, developing innovation scorecard with Data & Analytics, providing training on Innovation Model & Management, etc.

Mars

Associate Director - Innovation & Product Development

Mars

LinkedIn
2017-9 - 2021-5 · 3 yrs 9 mos

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Expanded on previous role to cover Innovation and Product Development of chewing gum and mints category (size of US$1b+) in China and North Asia. New Product Development: -Managed portfolio of NPD projects and R&D programs (30+ projects/year) including innovation, cost savings, business security, etc. -Sourced and qualified 35+ new raw materials from worldwide supplier network to meet product innovation needs. -Designed product prototypes, formulas, and specifications for 50+ SKUs against consumer-validated concepts and proposition, in compliance with food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements -Scaled up new products from lab to factory at in-house plants and external OEMs. -Provided technical support on non-compliance and troubleshooting issues -Built best-in-class PD team and coached R&D talents to accelerate growth and maximize performance. Team size of 7 members. Innovation Management: -Launched 10+ product platform innovations across 4 global/regional brands to turn around category decline and exceed business growth targets. -Drove front-end innovation via design thinking. Defined customer-centric innovation strategy and technology roadmap to deliver 3-5 years pipeline sufficiency -Discovered consumer behaviors and market trends through digital and in-person immersion. Translated insights into category vision and emerging business/technology white space -Deployed global strategic initiatives for local R&D community including Open Innovation culture, Product Lifecycle Management process, etc.

Wrigley

Innovation Manager

Wrigley

LinkedIn
2016-7 - 2017-8 · 1 yr 2 mos

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

-Responsible for the innovation of chewing gum category in China and North Asia markets -Built and managed a highly effective and engaged Product Development team to deliver all product-related activities (innovation, cost savings, business security, etc.) -Designed new product formulas/specifications and commercialized from lab to factory scale -Developed 3-year product innovation pipeline with marketing and cross functional teams

Wrigley

Technical Project Leader

Wrigley

LinkedIn
2015-1 - 2016-6 · 1 yr 6 mos

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

-R&D program manager for corporate big bet innovation projects with capital investment in millions USD -Led across all R&D functions (Product/Pack Development, Process Engineering, Sensory & Design, Quality & Food Safety, Regulatory, etc.) to bring upstream technology into market and ensure on-time and in-full project delivery

Wrigley

Product Development Scientist

Wrigley

LinkedIn
2012-4 - 2014-12 · 2 yrs 9 mos

Greater Chicago Area

-Launched over 20 new confectionery products across 15+ global and emerging markets (Americas, Europe, Russia, Middle East & Africa, Asia) -Completed a strategic relocation assignment in Guangzhou China to support Asia Pacific R&D/Factory teams for 6 months

Wrigley

Innovation Associate

Wrigley

LinkedIn
2010-4 - 2012-3 · 2 yrs

Greater Chicago Area

Spent 2 years in a rotation program across 4 R&D functions, working in New Product Development, Process Engineering, Upstream Oral Care Research, and Quality Assurance teams

Hong Kong Baptist University

Research Assistant

Hong Kong Baptist University

LinkedIn
2010-1 - 2010-3 · 3 mos

Hong Kong

-Researched on bioactivity of ginsenosides from Ginseng -Applied strong background from Biochemistry and Molecular Biology into research

Education

Northwestern University

Northwestern University

LinkedIn

Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences

2012 - 2014 · 2 yrs

http://mem.northwestern.edu/index.html Selected courses include: -Strategic Management -Design for Differentiation -Operations Excellence -Executing Strategic Change -Finance, Accounting, Decision Tools

University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Wisconsin-Madison

LinkedIn

Biochemistry, Food Science

2006 - 2009 · 3 yrs

Participated in: -Craig Lab research: Biochemistry Department -Parkin Lab research: Food Science Department -Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Program: Food Science Department

Ambrose (Lok Yan) Chan's Contact Information

Email

******@***.com

Phone

(**) *** ****

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