Magani unites tradition with the new; reimagining the traditional batik shirt for the needs of our contemporary society. We combine Indonesia’s rich cultural heritage with the latest innovation in performance wear material to build the ultimate durable and comfortable shirt for the modern Indonesian man who is constantly on the move.
As we celebrate Indonesia’s heritage, we also celebrate the individuals who are unintimidated by the sweat and hard work required to defy challenges, push boundaries, and move Indonesia forward.
Meet the #MaganiMen who have inspired us that with grit and endurance, there are no limits to what you can achieve. #NOSWEATNOLIMIT
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#MaganiMen: Meet Michael Wanandi, CEO of Combiphar. As the leader of one of Indonesia's leading healthcare companies, learn how Michael lives by Combiphar's purpose of "championing a healthy tomorrow".
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What is your vision for Combiphar?
Combiphar’s vision is to be a leading healthcare company that touches the lives of consumers by improving their individual health and community health. We strive for better consumers’ wellbeing through affordable, good quality products that promote healthy lifestyle.
We have a strong purpose, which is championing a healthy tomorrow, and it is the driver of everything that we do. Aligned with this purpose, we have shifted our focus from merely curative to preventive. We promote healthy, active lifestyle for a healthier future generation, though our campaigns, activities and by enriching our portfolio with products that are preventive in nature.
What is the biggest challenge you faced when scaling Combiphar? What is the biggest challenge you are facing now?
Combiphar is a national company which has been around for almost 50 years. We started in 1971 as a purely pharmaceutical company, focusing on curative medicines. We have been very strong in curative products, both prescription and OTC (over-the-counter) drugs. As people were becoming more and more health-conscious, in 2012, I started to drive the shift of the company’s focus from curative to preventive: from curing sickness to promoting healthy and active lifestyle through the right product mix and through our activities and campaigns (we have been conducting a number of sports activities such as Combi Run, to promote active lifestyle). This shift requires a lot of changes, including mindset change and even rejuvenating our corporate identity. And making changes – and getting the whole organization to adapt to that change is, of course, always challenging.
And now, with the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of businesses are facing one of the most challenging times. We are of no exception. However, as people say, it also brings positive things, i.e. people are now, more than ever, very conscious of health and of the importance of having a healthy, hygienic and active lifestyle to boost their immunity. It brings tremendous opportunity for Combiphar. In every crisis, lies an opportunity!
What would you do differently if you could start your career all over again?
I cannot say that there is anything that I regret so much in my career life that makes me want to turn back the time and do a different thing. I may not always make the right decisions, but rather than regretting it, I would rather take the learnings to help me avoid the same mistake in the future.
How do you balance passion and business?
I believe in a balance between my professional and personal life. I try to maintain my health, not only physical health but also mental health and spiritual health. As the leader of Combiphar, I live our own purpose of ‘championing a healthy tomorrow’ by adopting a heathy and active lifestyle. I love playing golf as a means to keep me healthy and fit. It is my passion, and I always make time, at least once a week, to play a round of golf. I try to eat healthy food, and encourage my colleagues at the office to do the same. I don’t smoke and I do not drink alcohol excessively. To keep my spiritual health, I am an active member of my church, I believe in the power of prayer, and I count my blessings.
Coming from the product side, how are you integrating with the growing digital ecosystem?
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced all of us to be more digital-savvy, both at work as well as in our personal lives. It is a trend that we at Combiphar is very much well aware, and we have been building the right platforms and capacities to be able to compete in a more digitized world.
Our brands are communicating more and more through digital and social media platforms to reach consumers more directly and get engaged in a two-way conversations with them, enabling us to get rich insights. We are also partnering with health apps to ensure that the increasing number of consumers who are using those apps during this epidemic and beyond , could get easy access to our good quality products. We have also made our products accessible through e-commerce – which is another platform which has seen a significant increase in usage during this pandemic.
How have you managed to stay such a strong brand that withstood the test of time?
By ensuring that our products maintain their good quality, affordability, and that they stay relevant for our consumers.
How has Combiphar reacted to the effects of the pandemic? Has this impacted your future vision for the company?
Covid-19 pandemic has not changed our vision, it has even strengthened it. We are more committed than ever to promote healthy life to our consumers, through healthy food intake and active lifestyle.
Tell us a fun fact about your industry that outsiders wouldn't know.
Making medicines to cure sickness is a big chunk of our business. However, we don’t want people to be sick! Instead, we educate people to stay healthy and provide advices on how to prevent from being sick.
What about Magani resonated/appealed to you?
I like Magani because it promotes the use of Batik to a younger generation that suits their daily activity without sacrificing comfort with a modern twist design.
Is there anything else you would like to highlight?
I would like to once again highlight the purpose of our Company, which is championing a healthy tomorrow. By this vision, our hope is that we can help this nation build a healthier generation. I believe this is a powerful purpose. From a purely pharmaceutical company, Combiphar has been evolving into a consumer healthcare company which focuses on keeping people healthy (preventive), not only cure sickness (curative). We are committed to promote healthy and active lifestyle to our consumers and our own people, through our products, campaigns and activities.
