#24: Blake Larson MD International Lalamove

#24: Blake Larson MD International Lalamove Featured Image

Founded in 2013 as EasyVan in Hong Kong, Lalamove is the leading same day delivery platform present in 129 cities in 9 countries across Asia. Through its mobile & desktop platform, Lalamove connects customers with professional van, motorcycle, lorry and truck drivers. Some of their corporate clients include IKEA, Line or Google. Lalamove raised a total of $161 mil in funding over 6 rounds. The latest funding came from a Series C of $100M on Oct 11, 2017 which means the company is now valued at more than 1 billion dollars.

Also short intro about Blake: he has worked across 4 continents in the retail and technology sector

  • Helped lead the growth of Lalamove from 1 city in SEA to 8
  • Raised Series A funding of USD $10m
  • Launched Easy Taxi app funded by Rocket Internet, in Hong Kong, Singapore, Mumbai, and Jakarta.
  • Co-Founded and managed Air Crew Club, which was like Groupon for airline employees, and expanded it to 13 cities across 6 continents

Listen to the full discussion here:

 

 

Connect with the Guest:

Blake Larson: LinkedIn

Some of the highlights from the podcast:

  • Spending eight weeks in Hong Kong standing outside petrol stations handing out flyers to taxi drivers
  • How does Lalamove work and bring value to the customers
  • Last-mile logistics centers differ across the region
  • The fastest-growing country in SE Asia for Lalamove
  • Did Lalamove fail in any city?
  • Innovation and greener environment by using fewer vehicles
  • Hiring city directors four launching new markets
  • The four values of the company – passion, grit, humility, and execution
  • New employees need to build their chairs – the story behind

Show notes:

  • [01:44] How did you spend your first eight weeks for Rocket Internet in Hong Kong standing outside petrol stations handing out flyers to taxi drivers?
  • [03:46] Tell us more about Lalamove, what it is and how exactly it works and adds value to people?
  • [05:05] And what is your role as MD International?
  • [05:35] How different is it operating across different cities and countries?
  • [07:43] How do last-mile logistics centers differ across the countries/regions in which Lalamove operates? I know Hong  Kong has a 55 minutes delivery guarantee.
  • [10:14] How do you pay the drivers? Is there a revenue sharing model?
  • [10:43] Which was the fastest growing country in SE Asia for you and maybe share some of the key lessons in expanding there?
  • [13:30] Do you have strong competition in the region?
  • [14:16] With the latest round of funding, what are your plans for expansion and where? Do you plan to target more corporate or SME clients?
  • [15:20] Has Lalamove failed in any city?
  • [17:05] What do Singaporeans care about when talking about your service?
  • [17:50] Does the same-day delivery have the potential to become a standard delivery option for the masses, or will it remain an option just for the limited number of impatient consumers with deep pockets?
  • [21:25] Thoughts on last mile logistics problems? Will it be the biggest challenge for e-commerce growth?
  • [24:54] Do you plan to attract more corporate clients? The likes of IKEA, Line.
  • [26:13] How do you hire your city directors? And maybe tell us about the process of doing the launch of a new city.
  • [29:00] What are your main challenges when it comes to finding the right talent? How do you keep up with hiring matters as you grow?
  • [30:02] The four values of the company – passion, grit, humility, and execution – How do you tell the story of the company culture and build an interesting brand as an employer?
  • [32:12] It is interesting to see HUMILITY as one of your values.  How did you decide to focus on this?
  • [33:56] I understand that you make your new employees build their chairs. What is the story behind that?
  • [37:26] What would be some advice to share to somebody graduating?

Soundbite from the Episode:

About the Host:

The host, Radu Palamariu is the co-author of “From Source to Sold – Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain”. He has been named one of the top 3 Global Supply Chain Influencers on LinkedIn and was featured in ForbesBloombergWEFBangkok Post, and MIT Supply Chain Talent magazine. Radu invites executives to share stories and perspectives around technology, logistics, e-commerce, supply chain, and manufacturing, and their views on how the future will look.

Alcott Global connects and upgrades the supply chain ecosystem by finding the right talent through executive search, developing talent through learning solutions, and meeting supply chain technology needs through a comprehensive crunch base marketplace.

The supply chain executive search has been our focus since the very beginning, offering recruitment services for top-tier supply chain roles at every level of the end-to-end supply chain: plan, source / procure, make, and deliver. Our consultants have years of experience in placing top talent, in North America, LATAM, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and APAC, and besides speed, one of our biggest strengths is our network within the supply chain industry, and we capitalize on it to find the best solutions.

Through the years, we have grown as an organization and our offerings with it. One of our initiatives, the learning solutions- training and supply chain academy, is focused on transforming leadership- self-leadership, executive presence, influence capital, and business acumen. Through Supplify, we aim to match corporations with the top technology companies to solve their supply chain and logistics challenges with a focus on innovation and digital transformation.

We are in constant touch with the leaders in supply chain, inviting them to inspire the supply chain professionals in thought-provoking podcast episodes and events, and showcasing what is possible at the yearly Leaders in Supply Chain Awards.

Related Episodes:

Episode #02: Charles Brewer CEO DHL e-commerce

 

Episode #16: Marco Civardi Managing Director Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar & Laos at Damco

 

Episode #23: Dr. Wolfgang Baier CEO of Luxasia

 

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