Poh Beng Swee on the core businesses: "I spend equal time on the two."

For a small-sized animal health business, Zagro is certainly making its presence felt in the industry. The company may be based in Singapore, but its outlook and business activities are definitely global. It has been a publicly listed company for the past 10 years and made the headlines last year with its purchase of the BASF premix manufacturing plant in Taiwan. Animal Pharm speaks to Zagro’s chief executive, Poh Beng Swee, to find out more about the company’s plans for the future and the challenges that lie ahead.

Zagro started life in 1953 as Zuellig Agro, a subsidiary of the Swiss conglomerate Zuellig, which had several divisions including veterinary, chemicals and agrochemical businesses.

Zuellig was founded in the early twentieth century by the late Dr Frederick Edward Zuellig through a startup in the Philippines. In 1939, the company opened an office in Singapore.

Mr Poh joined Zuellig in 1975 to head the animal health and crop care division. Around the same time, the company expanded in the region, increasing its presence in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

In 1994, a management buy-in took over the agriculture division, renamed it Zagro, and in 1996 it became a publicly listed company. More than 10 years on, the Singaporean-based company has been profitable year-on-year, Mr Poh tells Animal Pharm.

Today, the company is split into two core businesses, animal health and crop care. “Sometimes, attention is split between the two companies as 60:40, but in my mind it's a 50:50 split. I spend equal time on the two, wherever the current need is...."

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