Meet Janet Goh, Sales Manager, Polytan Asia and General Manager, Polytan China
From APT agent to the woman leading our business in China, Janet Goh talks about the importance of quality products, building trust and growth.
Born in Penang Island and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Janet Goh is the General Manager for Polytan China and Sales manager for Polytan Asia. In charge of managing and growing our business in a highly dynamic and challenging market, her career has taken her to some interesting places. From helping to establish our business in China from the ground-up to traversing a steel bar 25 floors high whilst seven months pregnant, Janet is well-versed in the balance and focus required to succeed in a huge, multi-cultural and complex market. She gave us the benefit of her insights below.
What is your training and how does it help with your work at Sport Group?
I left university with a BA Hons in Mass Communication, minoring in Management and Marketing. As well as my formal qualifications I gained valuable experience in student and NGO roles, including as a representative of the student council and a participant in a student exchange program between Malaysia and Japan. From HR, communication, sales and marketing expertise to a direct experience of working within different cultures and organizations, the knowledge I gained from both the classroom and my extracurricular activities have served me well at Sport Group.
How did you find your way into the sports industry?
My first job after graduating was a short stint in a sales role for a company called Unicabin who made portable offices. I then spent 23 years at Active Hydro Control Sdn Bhd, a sport surfacing specialist in Malaysia and a regional agent for APT.
Within 10 years, I worked my way up from sales executive to General Manager. Over my 23 years there we overcame many hurdles and I managed to build a team that learnt and grew together on the principles of integrity and quality. Through the provision of quality facilities, we built up respect in the industry. I pride myself on being able to really listen to and understand our clients’ needs as well as the needs of my team. This builds trust and growth. As a city council chief engineer once said, “If your project is under Janet’s team, you don’t need to worry.”
How did you make your way into Sport Group?
As an agent for APT, I met Stephen Niven, Sport Group’s CEO for the Asia Pacific region. He approached me to come on board in 2013 but with the travel demands the role would entail, it wasn’t the right time for me as my three boys were still young. In 2017, Stephen approached me again to join Polytan Asia and I took the leap. Active Hydro had a solid succession plan in place so I left that business in good shape and safe hands. I was ready for a new challenge.
What is your current role and what does it entail?
I am currently the Sales Manager for Polytan Asia and General Manager for Polytan China. It is a big role in a dynamic market. I am responsible for growing our sales footprint across key markets including Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China.
“We are able to offer a total solution using international standard products that deliver greater value over time.”
Tell us about the Asian market.
Asia is a massive region with huge populations. India and China alone make up a third of the world’s population and we work with a mixture of developing and developed countries. All of this comes with significant opportunities and challenges.
What is our business like in Asia?
We have a mature agent network with a dedicated partner for each country. Sport is an evergreen industry and for most countries in Asia, sport is seen as a crucial driver for a healthy lifestyle and society. As such, budget for this sector will always be there.
Most of our business comes through track, soccer and hockey surfaces and we mainly target primary sport facilities including national and state stadiums, higher education institutions and international schools. Our clients tend to be looking for quality and leading-edge R&D which meets both sports and environmental performance requirements.
What is our set-up in China?
The China-focused side of my role began in April 2022 which was a challenging time due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. I didn’t meet my team face-to-face until the end of that year following a 10-day quarantine in Shanghai.
We have a team of six in China located across our main office in Shanghai and satellite branches in Beijing and South China. We have a strong and established partner network in North China (Beijing) and are focusing on growing the business in East, South and North West China.
It isn’t an easy market to get right, but with the right people in the right positions I am confident in our ability to succeed here. It has also been an excellent personal opportunity for learning and growth.
What is our competitive advantage in China?
Low price competition is prevalent in the Asian market, especially the products from China. There are more than a thousand sport manufacturers in mainland China who operate at lower price points and on tighter lead times. The market is big, aggressive and innovative with a host of new products and systems being introduced. This can look appealing at face-value but what we are able to offer is a total solution using international standard products that deliver greater value over time. We win on quality, professional teams across technical, sales and construction as well as a comprehensive after-sales service that saves our clients money and time in the long-run.
What are your sports?
Swimming and yoga are my go-to sports. I also enjoy reading, Chinese calligraphy, gardening and meditation. I am happiest when I’m out in nature. If you can’t reach me I am likely to be in the jungle, without phone signal, listening to the birds singing! Failing that, I’ll be facing the sea, listening to the waves as the sun rises or sets…