People and Organization Development at APU Company

Enkhmaa Gankhuyag is a senior people and organization development manager at APU, Mongolia’s largest beverage company. She focuses on integrating diverse cultures, establishing core values, and developing organizational leadership competencies. Her role involves enhancing learning and development (L&D) programs and leveraging APU’s internal systems for executive coaching and mentorship initiatives.

In an exclusive interview with Manage HR APAC, Enkhmaa Gankhuyag shares valuable insight on executive coaching’s transformative power.

As the senior manager of people and organization development at APU Company, what responsibilities and difficulties do you encounter daily?

Mongolia’s largest beverage company, APU, is known for its centuries-old history and produces beer, soft drinks, and dairy products like cheese and yogurt. In addition to this, Heineken International is currently a minority shareholder in the company.

APU marked a new beginning in 2018. Since then, APU has significantly integrated with another major market share company, transforming the business. This beginning emphasized the importance of learning, involvement, and leadership in shaping the company’s culture.

I joined APU in 2020 as a people and organization manager. At that time, we faced the challenge of integrating diverse cultures and establishing our mission, vision, and values. Over the past few years, we have concentrated on cultural integration and L&D programs in our company’s culture. This includes the APU mentorship program, which is now in its third year, and a PwC-led leadership coaching program in its second year.

“Activities like workplace learning and coaching do not yield immediate results; it often takes two to three years for the impact to be visible “

In 2024, we have established each field's core values and functional competencies and our current focus is on identifying leadership competencies.

What trends and challenges do you often see in the executive coaching arena, and how is your organization working around them?

The trend in executive coaching has shifted towards including middle management, recognizing that coaching is beneficial at all levels and not just for executives. However, we face difficulty overcoming the misconception that coaching is similar to mentoring or an unnecessary tool.

We have implemented a coaching program for about 50 middle managers to work around these challenges, preparing them to serve as coaches for nine months. This has helped integrate coaching into our daily operations, enhancing leadership and communication skills. We have also implemented internal systems like SharePoint to facilitate appointments with coaches, making it easy for employees to seek their support. This approach has been effective in encouraging independent thinking and ownership among staff.

Such coaching programs have proven to be transformative tools for our company’s traditional Mongolian culture. They have prompted individuals to think and act independently, countering a directive culture in which staff typically seek direction from their leaders.

How are you approaching leadership quality identification and its integration with L&D, talent acquisition, and performance appraisal systems?

I am supervising a project to identify leadership competencies specific to different roles within our company, such as directors, management, and field supervisors. This differentiation is crucial due to each role's varied tasks and responsibilities. This understanding helps us address uncertainties and stress related to job responsibilities.

In L&D, identifying these competencies aids in determining the training needs of new leaders and establishing core standards for our programs. It also clarifies the knowledge and skills required at each organizational layer.

For talent acquisition, this clarity allows us to define specific requirements for external candidates and informs our evaluation and performance audit processes. Ultimately, this framework will be integrated with the appraisal system, assisting in identifying potential candidates for promotion and ensuring alignment with business opportunities. This initiative is the key focus, significantly impacting our organizational effectiveness and employee development.

What are some of the innovations in the executive coaching field that will have a significant impact in the future?

APU focuses on personal development through one-on-one coaching sessions for our executive team. This includes global marketing directors, HR directors, and other strategic personnel. These sessions are part of a coaching diploma program we plan to extend over the next year. The goal is to demonstrate to the executive leaders the tangible benefits of coaching in their daily roles.

In terms of technological support, while the initial efforts do not heavily rely on technology, we recognize the need for technological integration as we scale up. Our strategy includes making executive coaching hours mandatory for all directors, which will be facilitated through our internal systems, such as SharePoint. This will ensure that regular coaching interactions support improvements in their work.

Looking ahead, we aim to make the coaching classes more interactive and effective for our company’s 2000 employees. This will likely involve using technology to enhance the accessibility and engagement of our coaching programs.

Additionally, we are placing a strong emphasis on the mentorship program. We plan to identify subject matter experts (SMEs) within our company—individuals with 20 to 30 years of experience—and utilize their expertise to mentor new joiners and other employees seeking experienced-based advice. This initiative is managed through our internal communication systems, and we provide additional hourly wages as an incentive for these SMEs, especially those nearing retirement.

This approach not only supports the current employees but also preserves and passes on the wealth of knowledge from our long-standing experts, ensuring a legacy of expertise within the company.

What advice would you give to your peers and the budding entrepreneurs entering the sector?

The most challenging aspect for me was the stakeholder engagement. Convincing senior executives about the importance of the L&D programs was difficult, as they tend to focus on short-term objectives. The business environment demands adaptability and flexibility, which can overshadow the long-term benefits of L&D initiatives. Activities like workplace learning and coaching do not yield immediate results, and the impact often takes two to three years to be visible.

My advice to the L&D professionals is to be persistent and regularly engage with stakeholders through effective communication and interesting facilitation sessions. This helps senior management understand the focus and the long-term impact these activities have on the organization.