(Sponsored Content) Stewards of Compassion: The Origins of B.Grimm

What connects Hamburg, the Thai Royal court and the conservation of tigers? A pioneering young pharmacist who wanted to do good in his new home of Thailand. Find out how his vision yielded B.Grimm--one of Asia’s most impactful businesses. 
https://sponsored.bloomberg.com/media/bgrimm/the-stewards-of-compassion-podcast
This episode is sponsored by B.GRIMM.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, because you're a subscriber to this Bloomberg podcast. We
thought you'd be interested in a sponsored podcast called The
Stewards of Compassion, presented by Begrim and produced by Bloomberg
Media Studios. Find out how a vision by a young
pioneering pharmacist looking to do good in his new home
of Thailand yielded one of Asia's most impactful businesses. We

(00:24):
hope you enjoy the first episode of this two part special.
Thailand a vibrant economy, the second largest in Southeast Asia
with a GDP exceeding five hundred billion dollars, a global
tourism magnet while coming over thirty five million travelers each year,

(00:45):
and a land of rich cultural heritage stretching back more
than eight hundred years. But beyond the bustling markets and
the golden temples lies a lesser known story, the rise
of a company that began in eighteen seventy eight as
a modest pharmacy in Bangkok, introducing Western medicine to the city.

(01:08):
That company, Bigrim, as the oldest company in Thailand, is
a global powerhouse today, from energy to real estate and
transport to healthcare. It has become one of Thailand's most
remarkable success stories. In this two part special podcast, Dr
Harold Link, chairman of Begrim, takes us on a journey

(01:30):
through the company's extraordinary history. How did it survive the
turmoil of two World Wars? What does it take to
thrive in Thai society for nearly one hundred and fifty years?
And what's next for this pioneering conglomerate. That and more
in this series At the Heartipital lies a question what

(01:51):
keeps a company alive for nearly one hundred and fifty years?
For Bgrim, the answer is simple, yet profound. Companies too
have a soul.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Companies also have a soul? Or can companies go on
over hundreds of years even though the people change all
the time? Who can call it a corporate culture? And
I think there's more to it. There's something like a soul.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
The Begrim story starts in eighteen seventy eight, with a
population of roughly five million people. Thailand was already a
well established trading hub. It had exports like rice, tea, sugar,
all of which helped to keep the economy alive. The
country was also navigating the challenges of turn of the
century modernization. It was in these conditions that the Siam

(02:39):
Dispensary was established and later taken on by a young
German pharmacist, Adolf Link, who had quickly gained the respect
of the dispensary.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
They figured out that what we could contribute best to
tae society must make the health spanner. And so about
this medicine, it's difficult to mention nowadays when healths ale pervasive,
especially in Thailand. Tanland is such a great place for
foreigners to come and improve their health. But at that
time there were no modern medicines available, and there are
some illnesses that you cannot here with hubs. And so

(03:12):
that was a great contribution to time society, and that
actually has been the guiding principle for Begrim for the
last one hundred forty six years. How can we do
with something good for society?

Speaker 1 (03:24):
The modest dispensary didn't take long to make a name
for itself, earning recognition not just in the local community,
but even among societies elite.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
We got the coat of arms from King Rama the fifth,
already in the very beginning of a company, which is
given for outstanding service to the crown. At that time
was an absolute monarchy. So we did it to the government,
and we're the only company in Thailand that got the
coat of arms from King Ram of the fifth.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Back then, Thailand was modernizing quickly, and receiving the royal
coat of arms put b Grim right at the center
of this exciting transformation. By the early nineteen hundreds, Begrim
was taking on major infrastructure projects.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
So we sometimes do things that are different, like we
have the first telegraph in Thailand and King Ram of
the fifth even wrote about it. We were the first
to import radio systems to Thailand. We were among the
first to support this now very important hospital which was
built by King Ram of the fifth. So you can
see that our family always tried to do something good

(04:32):
for society and always helpful whenever happened. So they built
the biggest infrastructure project in Southeast Asia, one thousand and
five hundred kilometers of irrigation canals.

Speaker 1 (04:43):
Despite challenges, Bigrim continued to operate through both World Wars
under the leadership of Herbert Link, Harold's uncle. After the war,
Begrim successfully regained its distributorships and expanded its business. Under
Herbert Link's leadership, do.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
You have to have perseverance, And I think that's very
strong in our family. We always persevere and no matter
what happens, we have a goal and we keep on going.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
This perseverance became the cornerstone of Begram's post war recovery.
After rebuilding began diversifying its operations, Thailand went through a
period of rapid industrialization after the war. GDP per capita doubled,
rodent rail networks increased, as did life expectancy. Foreign businesses

(05:31):
continued to play an important role in the economy.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
From medicines to building the largest infrastructure project. Sometimes susgest
people looking at opportunities and they have the courage to
do it.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
M Kathleen and Kylie Minogue when you're watching MTV. Doctor
Link brought that same courage and perseverance when he took
over as chairman and CEO in nineteen eighty seven. He
led the company as it expanded, especially in power generation.

Speaker 2 (06:05):
In Thailand, there was no space for being an energy
producer until the government opened the opportunity in the early
nineteen nineties. When the opportunity showed itself to us for
industrial park on one of our friends, Amata. Then we
joined and made it happen. So now we are Thaighland's
narchest industrial electricity producers outside the government, and we also

(06:28):
have the wider distribution network. Now we are active in
fifteen different countries. We became active in the Philippines and Vietnam.
We built the largest solar plant in Southeast Asia. Thailand,
we built the largest hybrid solar on water farm in
the world. I made an agreement in Australia with an
aboriginal group who didn't want to talk for lawyers, and

(06:50):
we got an area in the same size as Singapore
to build wind farms and solar farms. In Italy we
became very active. We have already over five productivity mega
what's the under development. Very fortunate that we could find
this most beautiful hydro power plant in the north of California,
and now we're actually talking to buy into many more

(07:12):
of these hydro power plants. Where we go, we try
to become part of the society there and support their causes.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
While energy became one of Beigram's core businesses, the company
never forgot its roots in healthcare. As Thailand's pharmaceutical landscape evolved,
so did Beigram's ambitions in this space.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
We have been in the pharmaceutical business now for one
hundred and forty seven years. Only the last about twenty
over years we have that pharmaceutical business mainly in a
joint venture with pharmaceutical company from Germany Mark, which happens
to be the oldest in the world, and we just
want to go back to that one. So we wanted
to add to the medicines we make with merk and

(07:57):
become a producer again. And that is all also a
business that we can bring to the work. So that
company is already exporting to trendy countries because it has
an excellent factory and manufacturing capabilite.

Speaker 1 (08:10):
In Begram's journey from a small dispensary to a global
enterprise is a testament to the company's resilience and its
commitment to doing good for society, whether in energy, infrastructure
or pharmaceuticals. The company's guiding principle remains the same.

Speaker 2 (08:32):
Sometimes people ask you do your business, but at the
same time you do a lot of what they're called
philanthropic work form. This is just one and the same thing,
because our businesses should be good for society.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
We explore the incredible journey of BGRIM from its humble
beginnings as a pharmacy in nineteenth century Bangkok to becoming
a global conglomerate. Along the way, we saw how resilience, adaptability,
and a commitment to doing good helped the company to
navigate world wars, economic upheavals, and the ever changing tides

(09:12):
of history. But the story doesn't end here. In the
next episode, we'll go beyond Begrim's history to uncover its soul,
the philosophy that drives its decisions, inspires its people, and
shapes its future. From protecting tigers to nurturing talent, and
from the four p's to the power of compassion, we'll

(09:36):
dive into the heart of what makes Bgrim more than
just a business. Join us as chairman, Doctor Linc shares
how purpose and compassion fuel a company that continues to
thrive after nearly one hundred and fifty years. B Grim
empowering the world compassionately. Ya