Valiram’s Regional Talent Breakthrough with Thomas International
Retail is a people-driven business. Every customer interaction, every sale, every moment of brand experience depends on the individuals who bring the store to life. But in a complex multi-country environment like Southeast Asia, “great talent” doesn’t look the same everywhere, and traditional hiring methods alone couldn’t answer Valiram’s biggest question:
What truly drives high performance across different brands, countries, and customer expectations?
To find out, Valiram partnered with Thomas International, with support from Thomas Malaysia (Compana International) as their local implementation partner.
Together, they conducted one of the region’s most comprehensive retail talent studies, combining behavioural insights, cognitive aptitude, and personality profiling to uncover what performance really looks like in diverse retail environments.
Understanding Valiram’s Challenge
With operations across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, and global brands such as:
- Victoria’s Secret
- Bath & Body Works
- Swiss Watch (luxury timepieces)
- Michael Kors
Valiram faced a familiar but complex challenge:
What predicts retail success in environments that operate so differently?
Traditional methods — CVs, interviews, references — were no longer producing consistent results. Early-stage attrition was high, and performance varied across markets.
Valiram needed data, clarity, and a behavioural-science lens.
A People-Science Study Led by Thomas International
Thomas International led a multi-country performance analysis, supported locally by Thomas Malaysia (Compana International).
The study used a full suite of assessments:
Behavioural
Understanding communication style, pace, decision-making, and customer engagement.
Aptitude
Revealing learning speed, adaptability, and cognitive potential.
Personality
Identifying long-term traits linked to resilience, conscientiousness, and leadership growth.
Performance Segmentation
Employees were grouped into high and low performers across:
- 4 countries
- 4 brands
- 4 retail contexts
This allowed Thomas International to map what behavioural and cognitive traits consistently correlated with strong performance.
The findings were eye-opening, and in some cases, unexpected.
Insights Uncovered by Thomas International
1. High performance looked different across brands.
Luxury watch boutiques required:
- patience
- long-term relationship building
- meticulous customer engagement
Beauty & lifestyle stores needed:
- high energy
- agility
- fast customer connection
Performance was contextual, not universal.
2. Market Differences Shaped Talent Traits
Thomas’ analysis revealed distinct cultural strengths:
Malaysia & Indonesia:
Curiosity and initiative stood out as differentiators.
Singapore:
Emotional intelligence and strategic relationship-building influenced sales success.
Thailand:
Consistency and conscientiousness mattered most.
3. Cognitive Ability Was a Strong Predictor of Early Performance
Learning speed and problem-solving had clear correlations with early-stage success, especially in fast-paced environments like Bath & Body Works.
4. Self-Perception Did Not Match Reality
Low performers frequently rated themselves highly.
This gap between self-perception and actual behaviour is something traditional interviews cannot detect — but assessments can.
5. The Best Predictors Came from Combining Behaviour + Aptitude + Personality
Thomas International’s integrated assessment approach provided the clearest, most reliable profile of what success looks like across Southeast Asia.
Turning Insight Into Talent Strategy
Using the insights from Thomas International, Valiram aligned its talent practices across regions. With support from Thomas Malaysia, the organisation implemented:
Recruitment
- Job descriptions were rewritten based on behavioural and cognitive traits.
- Interviews now include behavioural role-plays and store-based simulations.
- Candidates are observed for curiosity, communication, and brand interaction, not just past roles.
Training & Coaching
While traits like conscientiousness may be hard to train, others can be developed.
New programs now focus on:
- building curiosity
- strengthening communication
- fostering collaborative competitiveness
Leadership & Mobility
The data helped identify promising talent for internal movement, career progression, and leadership pathways, supported by ongoing behavioural insight.
Industry-Level Influence
Valiram even took their findings to Malaysian universities. This led to HR leaders shaping retail curriculum at UiTM, ensuring students are prepared for real-world behavioural expectations in modern retail.
Tangible Business Impact
The impact of Thomas International’s study was significant:
- Group-wide attrition dropped from 37–38% to 31%
- Early-stage attrition (first six months) decreased significantly
- Time-to-fill and time-to-competency improved
- Out of 344 promotions, the majority demonstrated the performance traits identified through Thomas assessments
Valiram gained clarity, alignment, and a reliable “success profile” for each brand and market.
Looking Ahead
Our role was not to deliver assessments, but to translate people science into actionable strategies, effective actions, and long-term development.
Valiram’s journey proves a powerful truth:
When you understand the people behind the performance, every part of your business can grow.
As more organisations move into 2026, one question becomes critical:
Do you truly know what great talent looks like in your organisation, or are you still relying on instinct?
If you want to build a workforce that is aligned, motivated, and future-ready, we’re here to help.
Start your next chapter with people science.
📩 Talk to Compana about transforming your talent approach.
Let’s redefine talent, together.