Sri Lankan-based Orel Corporation unveils new brand purpose

Sri Lanka-based multinational manufacturing company Orel Corporation has unveiled a new global portfolio brand and purpose - "Empowering humanity". Done in collaboration with Singapore-headquartered change consultancy, APAC Global Advisory (AGA), Orel aims to create a brighter, cleaner and smarter future for everyone and a sustainable environment for future generations under this new purpose.

The first stage of transformation includes the global brand, global brand architecture, global website, digital commerce, visibility and content application to social media, trade and printed materials. The brand change also involved the entry into the omni-channel arena. This transformation marked a shift in the focus of two main traditional business pillar - electrical and lighting - to eight new business pillars which include digital infrastructure, AI, digital commerce and IoT, as well as globalisation to six continents. 

During the pandemic, Orel wanted to stay true to its "Empowering humanity" purpose by ensuring access to basic essentials like food and grocery were prioritised for those in need. As part of this, it rolled out the Orel 24/7 un-manned store which offers contactless access for purchase of necessities from Orel's range of products. Its Orel Buy app also offers groceries and gas to more than 1,000 families in Sri Lanka, while its Orel Share app, launched at the end of May, allows the company to share its surpluses that could benefit the community. These include its orders of meals, old books and clothes. Both apps are linked to Orel Pay, which allow for credit and debit card transactions to be done through a simple swipe of the QR code.

For the brand aspects of the change management, founder, CEO and chief change catalyse of AGA, Wong Mei Wai (pictured right), steered and orchestrated the brand's strategic direction. She also hand picked the team of co-creation satellites, with Singapore and the UK collaborating with the Sri Lankan in-house teams. The AGA change agents supporting the projects were Leeyau Chun Chuan, Lim Wen Bin, Jeanette Lau and Susan Low.

Kushan Kodituwakku (pictured left), managing director of Orel Corporation said AGA has helped Orel with the change journey to bring in the new leadership and talent into the regional offices to implement change from the start. He added that the transformation journey was “exciting, with the brand change evident in the greater visibility and huge progress” when compared to the brand’s initial start. “This was made possible by AGA’s unique work approach and ability to work jointly on projects with lots of trust and confidence”, Kodituwakku said.

Meanwhile, Wong said Orel corporation took the courageous leap to disrupt itself before the environment disrupted it, instead of just relying on its traditional business. She explained that Orel had embarked on a change journey to set its purpose, develop its global and portfolio brands, implement brands across on and off-line channels and innovate new pillars. In addition to this, Orel also began to embrace change through visible structural change and through mindset shifts, even before the onset of the pandemic.

"This puts them in a more resilient position to continue on the change journey in this ever-changing world within the digital age”, Wong added.

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