Barentz Appoints Phia Shuan Heng to Lead Southeast Asia Personal Care

Barentz Names Regional Personal Care Head

Barentz, a global distributor of specialty ingredients, has appointed Phia Shuan Heng as its new Head of Personal & Home Care for Southeast Asia. Effective immediately, Ms. Heng will be based in Singapore. Her primary objective is to enhance the integration of Barentz's local teams across the broader Asia-Pacific region, leveraging her deep regional market knowledge.

This strategic appointment aims to bolster the company's responsiveness and value creation for customers and principals in the dynamic Southeast Asian beauty and personal care market.

New Leadership and Expanded Roles

Prior to joining Barentz, Ms. Heng served for nine years as the Senior Regional Sales Manager for Asia at EP Minerals. Her career also includes positions as a Personal & Home Care Business Manager at DKSH Malaysia and a Sales Development Manager for Dow Corning Silicones Malaysia.

Concurrently, Barentz has expanded the responsibilities of Rushina Dudhwala, who oversees Personal & Home Care in India. Ms. Dudhwala will now manage broader principal relationships, aiming for more coordinated engagement with key partners across the region. Barentz acknowledged Jacqueline Hoe, the outgoing VP of Personal & Home Care for APAC, for her contributions.

Strengthening APAC Market Connections

Marc Duchene, CEO APAC at Barentz, stated that maintaining close ties to local markets is crucial for delivering value to customers and principals in the diverse Asia-Pacific region. He noted that the appointments of Ms. Heng and Ms. Dudhwala will improve how the Personal & Home Care teams connect, collaborate, and serve the market.

Valerie Lepoultel, Global VP Personal & Home Care at Barentz, added that these organizational adjustments aim to build a more agile and interconnected Personal & Home Care structure in APAC, combining regional insights with strong local leadership to support teams and deepen principal relationships.

Implications for Ingredient Sourcing

For beauty and personal care brands and manufacturers across Southeast Asia, Barentz's refined leadership structure under Ms. Heng signals an intent for a more integrated and responsive ingredient supply chain.

Companies seeking specialty ingredients may encounter enhanced support and more customized solutions as Barentz prioritizes deeper principal relationships and stronger local team collaboration.

This strategic focus on improved market connections and principal management could streamline access to novel raw materials and technical support for formulators and product developers in the region.