Watsons Malaysia's Caryn Loh wins Executive of the Year - Retail

Her successful journey and accomplishments have firmly established her name in the retail industry.

Watsons Malaysia Managing Director, Caryn Loh, was honoured with the Executive of the Year - Retail award at the Malaysia Management Excellence Awards 2023. This recognition underscores Loh's exceptional contributions and steadfast commitment to elevating the company to the pinnacle of the health and beauty retail sector in Malaysia.

Caryn Loh's journey with Watsons Malaysia began in 2004, when she assumed the role of Merchandise Director. Over the years, her exemplary performance led to her appointment as Merchandise and Space Planning Director in 2010. Demonstrating continuous excellence, she ascended to the position of General Manager for Trading in 2014, and then made history as the first female country head in Watsons Malaysia, becoming the Chief Operating Officer in 2016. Since 2018, she has held the esteemed position of Managing Director of Watsons Malaysia and, in 2023, assumed the additional role of Regional Exclusives Director for Watsons International.

Loh's visionary leadership has been instrumental in Watsons Malaysia's ascent to becoming the foremost health and beauty retailer in the country. She pioneered the Offline + Online (O+O) strategy, offering customers a seamless shopping experience across various channels at any time and from anywhere.

Under Loh's guidance, Watsons Malaysia's membership has soared to over eight million users since 2016, a testament to her impressive leadership. This feat solidified Watsons Malaysia as the premier retailer in the country with a robust loyalty programme.

Additionally, her impact extended to the expansion of Watsons Malaysia's footprint within the country. Under her management, the company opened its 600th store in December 2021, and in June of the current year, the 700th store was inaugurated.

With Loh's adept leadership, she also garnered multiple accolades from esteemed award bodies. In 2023, the company was recognised as the Company of the Year (Retail) at the Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards. In 2022, they received accolades at the Putra Brand Awards in the retail category and were honoured as the Employer of Choice at the Graduate’s Choice Awards.

Caryn's unwavering influence and dedication to effective leadership have propelled Watsons Malaysia to unprecedented growth and success in the retail industry, especially in the health and beauty sector. Her achievements and contributions serve as an inspiration to aspiring leaders, highlighting the transformative impact of visionary leadership on organisational excellence and making everyone look good, do good, and feel great.