Paul Janelle is leading one of the biggest cigarette companies in Indonesia, an affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI) since 2005. He believes the success of a company should not merely be measured by business performance, but also by the ability to make positive and sustainable impacts on society at large. Paul has successfully adapted himself to the way Sampoerna does business and has brought additional values utilizing his global experiences that fit into local wisdom responsibly.
During Paul’s tenure as President Director there has been continuous evidence of his actions demonstrating his responsible entrepreneurship. This includes, communicating openly about the serious risks of smoking, supporting the enactment of laws that set a minimum age to purchase the company’s products and working closely with business partners to implement youth smoking prevention programs. Furthermore, Paul is consistently promoting the implementation of the company’s Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Agricultural Labor Practices (ALP) initiatives by partnering with suppliers, growers, interest groups, and the government. This collaboration aims to promote a sustainable tobacco farming and to address the issues of child labor and other labor abuses in the tobacco growing areas. Paul also values the importance of contributions to improving the local communities through charitable giving, volunteer activities, and support of the civil society organizations.
Throughout Paul’s leadership, Sampoerna consistently focuses on the company’s strategy which keeps the organization fully aligned as well as consistent in attaining a sustainable business performance. On top of that, he believes that compliance and integrity across the organization are fundamental. Paul has introduced various new platforms to further strengthen compliance awareness for all employees.
A dedicated compliance team ensures effective communication about the importance of compliance, and facilitates compliance initiatives across all areas, including marketing, government relations, fiscal, records management and charitable contributions. For Paul, contributions and CSR initiatives are more than a philanthropic activity. The company’s relationship with the society and environment in which it operates are critical factors to ensure its ability to continue to operate effectively. For that specific reason, Paul sees the importance of upholding the international guidance on social responsibility (ISO26000). Even though the company was acknowledging the holistic approach on the “7 core subjects” long before the introduction of such guidance, Paul still pushes the organization to continuously improve and innovate in carrying out social responsibility initiatives both internally and externally Paul is also known to be very active in supporting Sampoerna’s CSR programs carried out under the “Sampoerna untuk Indonesia” (“SUI”) initiatives which consists of Access to Education, Economic Opportunity, Empowering Women, and Disaster Relief & Preparedness. “Stop complaining about the problem and be part of the solution” has always been his personal motto which is highly valuable from the CSR’s perspective.
Throughout Paul’s leadership, Sampoerna’s CSR programs are well-acknowledged by the stakeholders at national and international level. Sampoerna received various prestigious awards, such as the awards from the Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare, Ministry of Cooperative and SMEs, Coordinating Minister of Human Development and Culture, National Disaster Management Agency, and Global CSR Awards. In setting an example for all employees (“walk the talk”), Paul has also personally committed to take part in CSR activities whenever possible. He encourages the activities of the “Sampoerna Volunteer Community” (“SVC”) that aims to help address social issues in the surrounding communities and work hand-in-hand with the company’s Contributions & CSR Department in carrying out social responsibility programs. With respect to the valuation of diversity, one of Paul’s main focuses is to increase women’s participation at all levels within the organization. In 2013, Paul drove the establishment of the “Sampoerna Women Community” (SWC). This outlined the company’s commitment to create a working environment which respects, values, celebrates diversity and inclusion, and makes the most of the individual differences.
