Melissa Liu Frey is the Director, Large End Users, Kvadrat Acoustics.

"As part of my mission, I strive to inspire our clients by sharing our sustainability initiatives and providing them support documentation that showcases our commitment to walking the talk."

Q: What is your passion and how does it fit in your current role? 

It’s a good question, and I must say, I have a multitude of passions!

First and foremost, my role here in Europe is quite exciting. I am actively involved in building new market opportunities to expand our business and collaborating closely with local teams across Europe. I find great joy in reaching out to potential clients, understanding their needs and visions, and working hand in hand with my colleagues to achieve tangible results.

Another area that ignites my is passion promoting health and well-being in workplaces while fostering a competitive company culture. When I engage with clients, our conversations often revolve around the challenges they face in attracting and retaining talent, rather than just discussing products. These topics resonate deeply with me, as in my leadership position, I am dedicated to nurturing a healthy work environment built on trust, dynamic energy, and a strong sense of belonging. I firmly believe in providing opportunities for vertical and horizontal growth to all employees.

Furthermore, sustainability is a cause close to my heart. I believe that all companies, especially those in market-leading positions, should integrate sustainability into their corporate strategies, rather than using it as a mere marketing tool that can lead to greenwashing. Unfortunately, many companies fall into this trap, even market leaders. As part of my mission, I strive to inspire our clients by sharing our sustainability initiatives and providing them with support documentation that showcases our commitment to walking the talk. While we may not be perfect, we are dedicated to our journey towards becoming net-zero by 2040.

In summary, I am truly passionate about building new market opportunities, promoting health and well-being in workplaces, and driving sustainability as an integral part of corporate strategies. These are just a few of the many passions that fuel my drive to make a positive impact in the business world.

Q: What is Kvadrat Acoustics' sustainability focus?

With the focus on decarbonisation, we started our journey to reduce our carbon emissions to achieve net-zero across our supply chain.

For example, I am part of various new product development projects at Kvadrat Acoustics, where I assist in conveying market feedback to our designers. Our organizational philosophy goes beyond simply pushing design boundaries in the industry; we also prioritize incorporating longevity and resource efficiency into our solutions to ensure continued relevance for our clients. By 2023, we plan to launch a groundbreaking design feature for our panels that will revolutionize the market and establish a new benchmark for sustainable design.

Q: How do you think of Kvadrat as an inclusive company?

We are on the right track towards becoming an inclusive and diverse company. A good example of our progress is the increasing number of women in leadership roles, which we diligently track and document in our sustainability report to monitor our ongoing development. Inclusivity, in my view, begins with embracing an open mindset towards those who differ from us and recognizing the value of diverse opinions and ideas to see the opportunities and not challenges. This mindset is essential in empowering the next generation of leaders and fostering continuous growth that benefits the collective interests of our company.


Q: What do you do at Kvadrat?                   

Based in Copenhagen, my role is to establish and nurture our network of global accounts headquartered in Europe. I work closely with my colleagues in the US and Asia to explore not only regional but also bridgíng global opportunities to support our clients and their projects. The role is new in Europe and emphasizes Kvadrat's commitment to thinking globally while acting locally.

Q: How and when did you start your career at Kvadrat? 

Before joining the organisation in Europe in 2022, I embarked on my first Kvadrat role back in 2011. I had the extraordinary opportunity to establish and build Kvadrat Singapore, and it has been an unforgettable journey to form a team and expand into the Southeast Asia region. In the face of fierce local and international competition and building brand loyalty, I learned in my previous role the valuable lesson that if you hesitate, you miss out on opportunities. Being proactive, open, and maintaining curiosity are the key attitudes for ongoing success. Complacency would result in losing our competitive advantage.