So that was a time that was very exciting. When I came back to Southeast Asia, the market was still nascent, but at the cusp of evolving and transforming. Fab.com, a home living website, was huge. Because I studied in the United States, I had already seen a lot of these (tech) companies come about, like Spotify was huge already. Natasha: What about this industry drew you in?ĭione: In 2011 we were starting to see transformation. I discovered this and was like, “Hey, this is pretty interesting, really exciting, really fast-paced”, and then just took the first role they offered me, on-site analytics at Zalora. That was in 2011, when e-commerce and a lot of the tech giants first entered Southeast Asia - Rocket Internet, Zalora, Lazada, Food Panda. Then I reconnected with an old university friend, who introduced me to the world of e-commerce. I didn't really enjoy it… I realised it was really not my passion. Thereafter I started my career in finance in different roles, from investment banking to equity sales. I finally decided to do a general degree so I would have my options open. I got into architecture school, but I had cold feet because the course is six years long. When I was growing up, I thought I was going to be in a creative field and in junior college I thought I was going to be an architect. Did you always want to be in business?ĭione: No. Natasha: Tell me about your younger years. Here, Ms Song addressed TODAY’s questions on her career, the story behind Love, Bonito’s success and the importance of empowering women.Įxcerpts of the interview have been edited for length and clarity. Previously, at age 26, she had been appointed managing director at e-commerce firm Zalora and spent time at Sephora Digital, heading its Australia and New Zealand e-commerce business and digital marketing for the Asia-Pacific region. She became CEO in April 2021, the first in the company’s 11-year history as it was managed previously by its team of co-founders and executives.
Ms Song, 33, joined the company as chief commercial officer in 2017 before being promoted to chief operating officer in 2018. In this instalment, Natasha Meah speaks to Ms Dione Song, the chief executive officer (CEO) of retailer Love, Bonito. In this series, TODAY’s journalists meet the people behind the headlines.