Man At The Helm
Probably, every Malaysian could fondly recall of owning a pair of Bata shoes at some point of their life. Although Bata is an international entity with more than 100 years of legacy, it feels so close to home that it has been widely assumed as a home-grown brand.
Newly appointed managing director of Bata Malaysia, Luciano Bagnobianchi, who came from Italy, took over the helm of the company last October. He is no stranger to Malaysia, as he had been visiting the country since 15 years ago due to business dealings with Bata prior to joining it.
“I’m really happy to join Bata Malaysia because Malaysia is a very beautiful country,” Bagnobianchi states, sitting in his office at the new Bata Tower located in the peaceful vicinity of Damansara Perdana.
“I love the country. It’s multi-cultural and the people are very friendly and warm,” he adds.
“I have many experiences of dealing with different countries as I was involved in the export industry. But this is the first opportunity for me to work in another country and culture. Joining Bata is a new challenge, but I believe that with an open mind to understand a country and its culture, it is not so difficult after all.”
A man of vision, he believes in the constant strive towards higher achievement. “When you arrive at your goal, don’t stop. Start to think what you can do to improve furthur. Look around and get some inspiration. This is my simple mentality,” he shares.
“This is also the way I work with my teams. Nobody can achieve anything alone. Team spirit is very important and the team in Malaysia is one of the best that I’ve worked with in my life.”
Bagnobianchi says that while currently, Bata is focusing more on the young generation, from the 15-year-olds to those who are just stepping into the workforce, the company’s aim has always been to supply shoes of all sorts to every one in the family.
“We have casual shoes – Weinbrenner, sports shoes – Power, children’s shoes – Bubblegummers, ladies shoes – Marie Claire, shoes for working executives – Primavera, etc. It should be a shopping experience for the whole family at a Bata store. You can find all the shoes your family needs. There are also accessories – belts, bags and sunglasses to match the shoes that you are buying.
“Every shoe that Bata gives to its customer is of the best quality and price. Sometimes, buying fashionable shoes means paying a higher price than what they are actually worth. But not at Bata. Bata has long since strived to offer value with fashion.
“While our shoes meet the needs of people locally, we also provide an international taste. Bata leaders and brand developers attend meetings and exhibitions held all over the world, including international fairs – MICAM and Expo Riva Schuh in Italy, trade shows in the United States and Bata International Group quarterly meetings in Europe and China. It is through these international events that inspirations are born, and new designs brought back and adapted to the local market,” he says.
Clearly, this is why Bata succeeded in setting its foothold in every country and seeping into the heart of every consumer.
hi,
its great to know BATA now has a new leader who likes msia and its people..coz only then would the company be able to design products suitable for the country’s demographic.
On a different note, i’d like to share my opinion and experience using BATA shoes.. Frankly, during my school days it was nothing else but BATA shoes, naturally as i’ve grown so fond of the brand, i chose the same for my son the moment he hit his schooling years. Unfortunately to my dissapointment, the quality is no longer the same. Today, a pair of Bubblegummers shoes last for hardly 2 mths, beyond that it starts giving away, especially those that comes with the “zap ons”. After having to change every 3mths, i’ve grown weary of the brand honestly. when i compare it with a pair of shoes that i buy from TREE HOUSE for a price of 20 to 30% extra, BATA shoes is really no where to catch up. The TREE HOUSE shoes is only paced out when my son outgrow the size and in fact it could be passed down to my brother’s kids..
I would really like to see BATA improving it quality so that a loyal customer like me would never have to turn away from a brand that we have grown up with..purely for nostalgic reason of wanting our in-house brand to stay close to our heart and at our children’s for many many years to come!
P.S. Dear Editor, would greatly appreciate if this constructive comment could be forwarded to the mgmt of BATA.
Thanks & Regards,
Fauzia
Dear Pn Fauzia,
Thank you for your comment. Below is the reply from Bata.
Message from Bata:
Dear Puan Fauzia,
We have taken note on your comments on the Bubblegummers shoes you had purchased and we would very much like to have a look at the shoes that had a Velcro problem.
Our buyers who ordered the shoes from China will not only look for the latest trend and color before ordering but also check the quality and adhesion of the shoes.
I would appreciate if you could return the shoes to the nearest Bata store and inform them to send the shoes back to me with your details.
As soon as I get the shoes, we will test them to see if they were manufactures fault.
Once the test result are released, I will be in a better position to let you know what happened
Regards,
Dato’ James Selvaraj
Senior Manager
Bata (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
B-17 | Menara BATA | No 8 Jalan PJU 8/8A | Bandar Damansara Perdana |
47820 Petaling Jaya | Selangor | Malaysia
Phone +603 7493 3333 | Fax +603 7493 3338 | james@bata.com.my | http://www.bata.com.my |
Dear Pn Fauzia,
Thank you for your comment. Below is the reply from Bata.
Message from Bata:
Dear Puan Fauzia,
We have taken note on your comments on the Bubblegummers shoes you had purchased and we would very much like to have a look at the shoes that had a Velcro problem.
Our buyers who ordered the shoes from China will not only look for the latest trend and color before ordering but also check the quality and adhesion of the shoes.
I would appreciate if you could return the shoes to the nearest Bata store and inform them to send the shoes back to me with your details.
As soon as I get the shoes, we will test them to see if they were manufactures fault.
Once the test result are released, I will be in a better position to let you know what happened
Regards,
Dato’ James Selvaraj
Senior Manager
Bata (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
B-17 | Menara BATA | No 8 Jalan PJU 8/8A | Bandar Damansara Perdana |
47820 Petaling Jaya | Selangor | Malaysia
Phone +603 7493 3333 | Fax +603 7493 3338 | james@bata.com.my | http://www.bata.com.my |