Born to lead: Anna Leah Favia

When Anna Leah Favia joined the infant formula manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutrition as Head of ASEAN Nutrition in 2021, she walked into a challenging landscape. It was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, breastfeeding was on the rise and formula sales in the region were flatlining.

On top of that, the company had not had a team focusing on the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) for several years.

As a relatively young woman leader in a male-dominated industry, Favia had a lot to prove to the company and to herself.

"As soon as I stepped into the role, I knew I had to hit the ground running," she tells The CEO Magazine. "Honestly, I didn’t have the luxury of taking months to find my footing."

She needed to justify the existence of a regional team for ASEAN, which meant finding ways to add value to Mead Johnson Nutrition’s existing markets beyond what local teams had been able to achieve on their own.

Favia started her work by finding out what those local teams needed and how their work could be enhanced.

"I lead the innovation, optimization and campaign harmonization across six ASEAN markets by balancing regional alignment with local agility, shaped by diverse regulations and cultural nuances," she explains.

A leader in babies’ health

One of Favia’s first moves was to develop standard operating procedures for these countries that would standardize controls, campaign delivery and innovation pipelines. She pushed for products for babies with special feeding needs, like premature infants, lactose intolerance, allergies or digestive issues, to be marketed and sold consistently across ASEAN.

"In just two years, we have already launched 18 major projects in the region, including new products and campaigns," she reveals. "We were able to launch three significant productivity projects, driving efficiencies in the region.

"I believe our commitment to excellence and our focus on driving growth across the board have been significantly recognized."

A leader in infant and child health, Favia attributes her leadership success to a long career at large multinational organizations, beginning with an entry-level role at pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline in the Philippines. She started off as a sales representative for two years, which set her up for a succession of increasingly senior roles.

Next, she handled marketing for cardiometabolic products and then for vaccines. As a senior product manager, Favia led the launch of the pneumococcal vaccine in the Philippines. This involved extensive pre-marketing and market-shaping, culminating in the vaccine’s inclusion in a national immunization program.

"Leading a project that helped protect 350,000 Filipino babies with free vaccines reminded me – true leadership is measured by lives changed, not titles held," she says.

"That was the key highlight of my career and got me thinking – how do I want to become a leader moving forward?"

Favia’s career decisions are guided by what she calls the "four Ps": passion, process, people and purpose. She draws inspiration from other women leaders like Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo, as well as from her own role as a mother of two.

"The heartbeat of everything I do is for my children – and that personal mission fuels my passion at Mead Johnson Nutrition: to nurture and protect the health, dreams and future of every child by giving them a strong start in life with nutrition," she says.

Overcoming market saturation

However, driving growth in the infant formula sector is not an easy assignment, even for a seasoned leader like Favia and a 120-year-old organization like Mead Johnson Nutrition.

"The nutrition segment is indeed a very saturated market. In fact, growing a single digit yearly is already a milestone," she points out.

The challenge is finding ways to set Mead Johnson Nutrition apart from the competition. The company does this by adopting a consumer-first approach, emphasizing corporate social responsibility and a policy of "doing the right thing always".

"We have always been evidence-based and driven by science. You can't go wrong when you’re grounded in evidence and supported by science. At Mead Johnson Nutrition, we’re committed to advancing research and driving innovation," Favia says.

"We lead the industry in developing products that are not only nutritionally superior, but also specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of children at every stage of growth."

Favia and a big market like the Philippines have also forged and expanded partnerships with key suppliers like design and events management firm Project Duo, and with doctors and other healthcare professionals across ASEAN, who serve as intermediaries between Mead Johnson Nutrition and its customers.

"We need to build a strong connection with healthcare workers to truly understand the concerns that moms are bringing to them," Favia says.

Mead Johnson Nutrition recently launched a formula specifically for babies born via cesarean section, which is an increasingly popular birthing method that may affect the child’s immune system if not addressed properly.

"If we don’t have that strong relationship with the doctors, how will we be able to devise and formulate a formula milk that can address that need?" she adds.

Another challenge is marketing products across six countries and a multitude of distinct cultures. For instance, a failure to meet certain regulations in ASEAN’s Muslim-majority countries could result in products being labeled ‘non-halal’, which would severely harm sales and the company’s reputation.

Even including certain pets in TV ads could send the wrong cultural signal in some countries.

"Understanding the local culture will unlock the key to effective communication with consumers," Favia says.

"When we create a campaign or an innovation, we consolidate all the requirements in each of the markets and ensure no-one gets alienated."