Meme Dakay: ‘I am my father’s daughter’

CEBU, Philippines — Five days after the death of her father, the legendary Carrageenan King Benson U. Dakay, Marie Anne Rose "Meme" T. Dakay joined the family's business along with her three siblings.

Shemberg Marketing Corporation, one of the world's largest carrageenan specialists, is now managed by the hands of the second generation Dakays. Although led by their eldest, Pierre, Meme, the youngest emerged to be the face and the creative brain of the company at the age of 30.

Six years after their Dad passed away, the siblings successfully weathered the storm of transition. Together, they enliven the legacy of their father, and Meme got her father's heart in making the people the center or the soul of the organization.

"I used to think that it was the boiler, our production was the heart of the company, but then I realized no, it is the employees. They are the heart, the soul of the company, I am responsible for their future," Meme said.

Today, Shemberg remains to be the leader in the seaweed industry in the Philippines, and continues to be a relevant player in the world market.

This year, Meme will try her luck to run as president of the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP), the industry's mouthpiece her father also founded.

Breaking the Egg of Normalcy

As a young leader to a 52 year-old company, Meme who is the vice president for operations and creative director, is determined to break the egg of normalcy, putting Shemberg's position much higher in the world by bringing the best out of people.

When she officially entered the management team, Shemberg was on the third-phase of its retrenchment program. The company that time, after her Dad passed away, was losing leaders, she said.

Meme decided to leave her college studies as 5th year Chemical Engineering student at the University of San Carlos, and came on board basically to bring back the heartbeat of Shemberg.

"I don't tip-toe on eggshells, I break them," Meme fearlessly led the company's major "clean-up". Letting go of some who has been there before they were born and who also needed to go, and keeping only the right people.

In her young age, Meme was not intimidated by the deep-rooted normalcy of the company, which she calls as her "Kingdom."

The transition was not easy for the Dakay brood, and Meme with the guidance of her elder brother Pierre, was at the forefront of firing and hiring people.

The way to go and thrive is to re-invent the wheel of her "Kingdom". And now, Meme is bringing a fresher, younger energy to the company in its golden years.

The Alchemist

As the creative director of the company, Meme's energy is not just focused on introducing innovative products and cutting-edge processes to stay in the business, but her heart is also drawn to making people transform and achieve their best potential.

Her management style is founded on empowering the members of her team by giving them freedom to motivate them to be at their best.

In fact, she encounters a lot of financial road-blocks from management circle in the company for constantly sending employees to trainings on personal and professional advancement. But, somehow she managed to fight the blocks and continues to put people's interests on top.

She wants people in her organization to be on top of their "own" games. Most specifically, learn to love (not just like) their jobs. "Work should be fun."

Meme is an activist in advocating empowerment to men and women in the company. Encouraging them to aspire only for the best.

Conversely, Meme believes that she has to share her gift of motivating people, transforming them to see their value.

This bubbly and lively young leader is not only on to help the Shemberg family, but also to the sentient beings of the entire seaweed industry value chain, more specifically the farmers.

What better platform she could use is being hands-on in the industry — SIAP.

Meme, a millennial, female leader is surely on her way to change the course of seaweed industry in the Philippines, which is now battered by dozens of concerns like competition, policy constraints, among others.

Her Father's Daughter

The seaweed industry in the Philippines was literary founded and led by his Dad Benson since the birth of Shemberg Marketing Corporation in 1966.

Her Dad battled over hundreds of crises, policies and competition wars, spending his own money fighting for the right of the seaweed farmers and industry players.

One of the many landmarks her father fought and won was to make carrageenan as one of the world's safest food-grade additives.

Meme is taking the path left by his Dad, after all "I am my Father's Daughter," she quipped with pride.

"When Dad passed away, the company needed help. This is my dad's baby. My Dad's legacy," Meme explained why she opted to quit school.

Most people in Shemberg lasted for decades, she added because "they love my Dad." Thus, she would like to bring back the life of her Dad's heart into the company and to the industry as well.

Just like her Dad, Meme is an outright "people person." She acts based on obeying her impulse and see beyond the physical shells of people — the heart.

No wonder she got the world's attention instantly — not just making and maintaining the clientele of Shemberg, but as a model young leader.

Meme was recently among the resource speakers of the TEDx Barcelona, on "Breaking the Mold" discussion.

TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere — celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to global stage.

While her CEO brother Pierre is doing well in managing the business along with sister Rere, and brother BJ, Meme is naturally and certainly becomes the face and the heart of Shemberg.

Unicorn Princess

As if her hands aren't full in attending the in and out affairs of their global company, Meme is also birthing several businesses outside her "Shemberg Kingdom," quenching her inherent business appetite.

She owns several small businesses including  food parlors Jelly Bar and Crazy Potatoes, for hire transportation services, and the Meme Dakay Accessories, among others.

She designs her own brand of fashion accessories.

She calls herself  a "Unicorn Princess," instead of a "Carrageenan Princess," mainly because she recognizes her own make-up, her uniqueness. Embracing the artist in her.

While she puts her heart to continue the legacy of her father in the carrageenan business, Meme is not putting her own passions away. Instead, she nurtures them and invites people of the same interests to be part of her team.

On her own, she also employs people and commits to make them legends too.

"I want to build and create legends," shared Meme who is also a behavioral science enthusiast.

"I like to study people," she confessed, this passion all the more put her in a space where she can easily motivate, inspire and lead people.

Half-jokingly, Meme ended the interview sharing her personal dream of becoming a President of the Philippines, and why not? (FREEMAN)