How Hegen's founder turned a leaked design into one of her biggest business lessons

SINGAPORE — Imagine your competitor launching your dream product just before yours, and you and your team having to start all over again. That's exactly what happened to founder and CEO of baby food brand Hegen, Yvon Bock, at the start of her entrepreneurial career.

Nine years later, the 44-year-old still sees this as a crucial turning point when she realised the value of courage and perseverance, as well as the importance of protecting one's intellectual property, as it is a valuable asset that can take the company to the next level.

In November 2023, Bock won the top award in the consumer goods category at the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards and was eventually named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) 2023 Singapore. She will represent Singapore at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in June this year.

More than just a bottle brand

Bock's clearly focused vision is to support 100 million mothers around the world.

Breastfeeding, primary and secondary nutrition remain the cornerstones of the brand. Over the years, Hegen has promoted a more holistic view of everything related to feeding a child. The company continues to develop its products to ensure that its nutritional systems can grow with the child at different stages of life, while promoting breastfeeding and supporting mothers in breastfeeding.

All of this comes together in the 1,390 m² Hegen Experiential Centre, which opened in 2021. It is home to the Hegen Lactation Centre, which supports breastfeeding mothers. Bock breastfed for a decade herself, including four of her children, and is a certified lactation consultant with international certification.

The center also serves as a sales room where customers can browse and learn about the brand's products in a pleasant and child-friendly environment.

Bock provides further insights into her path as an entrepreneur with Yahoo Finance Singapore.

How has your leadership style evolved as the company has grown?

In the beginning, I had the start-up mindset and saw every opportunity as a good opportunity. But as we transitioned from a start-up to a global organization, my leadership style evolved from a purely operational position – where I was very hands-on and on-site, attending almost every event – to a more influential and strategic position, where I set the vision and make sure everyone on the team has their own specialization. This way we can highlight their (individual) strengths and grow together as a team.

The story continues

What challenges do you face as an entrepreneur?

Attracting and retaining talent has always been a big challenge for companies in Singapore. We are mission-driven – we believe in our mission and people join us for that mission, but as we expand, we focus on nurturing talent and providing them with a career opportunity. As a start-up, how do we fight for talent? How do we compete with the attractive packages offered by the MNCs (multinational corporations)? It is still a constant but worthwhile challenge for us.

I have also noticed in some Asian markets that they are more relaxed when dealing with men, so I have to bring my husband to the meetings. It was a bit of a culture shock at first, but I have considered it one of the little lessons we will have as we expand.

Your company goal is to expand to 35 markets. How are you positioned to achieve this goal?

The two years of COVID slowed us down, but it didn't stop us. I would say we are unstoppable – even during COVID, when things were slow, we went from 15 to 20 markets. We are currently present across Asia and have expanded to Europe, Australia, the US and South America.

Every market is different. How do you adapt your strategies to reflect cultural nuances and trends?

Interestingly, the parenting experience and journey can be universal in many ways. The product itself – the Hegen Express, Store and Feed ecosystem – is applicable across all our markets. Customers have the same goals: they are looking for a simpler, more sustainable solution and how to protect the integrity of breast milk.

In terms of marketing, we have to be very respectful and take into account the local cultural nuances. In certain markets, it is important not to show only the mother, but to include the whole family. In some markets, the baby cannot be breastfed alone as this would seem irresponsible, so it must be accompanied by an adult in the photo. And how do we portray breastfeeding in a respectful way?

These are all observations we have made and we take them into account. We learn by spending time in the different markets.

What are your plans for 2024?

We have some exciting projects in the pipeline. We are improving and developing new innovations that offer even more seamless, convenient and efficient experiences, such as extensions to our core products. Our personalization and customization solutions called Hegen By Me have been very well received, so we are going even deeper in this direction.

We also work with our stakeholders in the global supply chain on materials and packaging, integrating our sustainability principle. Sustainability has been an issue for us from the beginning – one bottle, multiple use. We want to integrate sustainability into all our processes.

Follow us on on facebook., Instagram, TikTok And Þjórsárdalur.