Global Dairy eBrief Exclusives
Meet Lee Su Yong: USDEC’s Market Access and Regulatory Affairs Manager for Southeast Asia (Video)
by Margaret Speich
New hire aims to help facilitate U.S. exports by helping members understand, meet and resolve market access requirements.
When we ask members about the most valued services USDEC provides, market access assistance and regulatory guidance invariably sit at or near the top of the list.
Knowing the complex and distinct mandates for dozens of countries, keeping up with those requirements as foreign governments repeatedly modify them and voicing opposition when the rules become unfair barriers to trade can be a full time job—or jobs.
That’s one of the reasons USDEC is bolstering its market access and regulatory affairs (MARA) personnel in key markets as part of The Next 5% plan to increase U.S. dairy export volume to the equivalent of 20 percent of U.S. milk solids produced. The first of those added staffers, Lee Su Yong, joined the Southeast Asia office in August as MARA manager for the region.
USDEC Southeast Asia Business Unit Director Vikki Nicholson-West recently sat down with Lee to discuss her career and the responsibilities of the new position. Click arrow below to view an edited video of that interview.
“Southeast Asia is one of the highest potential U.S. dairy exports markets. It is also a pretty diverse region where each country has its own set of regulatory concerns and requirements,” said Nicholson-West. “Having an expert on staff in the market—someone who knows the rules and where exactly to go to find answers to regulatory questions—should result in a more efficient response to dairy market access issues.”
Lee brings more than eight years of experience as a scientific and regulatory affairs manager with regional food and beverage giant Fraser & Neave, a food technologist with flavor specialists Givaudan and Silesia Flavors, and in quality assurance with retailer Cold Storage Singapore. She worked closely with regulatory agencies in the region, developing relationships that she expects will help expedite answers and facilitate resolutions to regulatory problems for U.S. dairy suppliers.
Lee will work directly with in-country regulators, USDA FAS posts and the USDEC office in Southeast Asia and also coordinate with the USDEC MARA team in Arlington, Va.
Margaret Speich is senior vice president of strategic and industry communications at the U.S. Dairy Export Council.
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The U.S. Dairy Export Council fosters collaborative industry partnerships with processors, trading companies and others to enhance global demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients. USDEC is primarily supported by Dairy Management Inc. through the dairy farmer checkoff. The password-protected article above is intended for USDEC member organizations only and should not be shared with anyone outside your organization.