ScandAsia February 2018

FEB 2018 BUSINESS

Nordic Chambers Thailand deepen cooperation

PEOPLE

Pirkka Tapiola new EU Ambassador, Thailand

COMMUNITY

Lisa Boldt-Christmas waves Hong Kong bye bye

LIFESTYLE

Sleepy Sam’s gone Cube

Penang theme:

Live, play, work – the formula for manufacturing hub

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2 ScandAsia • February 2018

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February 2018 • ScandAsia 3

February 2018

ScandAsia Stories

24

Ms. Lisa Boldt-Chrismas Bids Hong Kong farewell

14 Sweden participated in World Islamic Economic Forum 48 Family-friendly Penang 50 Sleepy Sam’s gone Cube 55 Danish pop star in Singapore

32 Penang theme: business and lifestyle

ScandAsia Business

16 Nordic Chambers in Thailand Launched deepened cooperation

14 Mr. Kim Højlund

29

Appointed as new ambassador to Vietnam

20 Volvo Buses and NTU cooperation

48

Test trials autonomous electric buses

23 COMB+

Nordics-China start-up accelerator fund

Human resources:

56 Digital recruitment improvements 58 My latest position

50

30

Mr. Pirkka Tapiola

New EU Ambassador to Thailand

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February 2018 • ScandAsia 5

Editorial

What do you say?

I

t has been my privilege to serve the Nordic community in South East Asia with internal and external communication for a lifetime.

During these past 25 years, I have worked with many outstanding persons who have understood how they could use ScandAsia in their own interest and at the same time help their fellow Scandinavian expats becoming more informed, more inspired.

Could you be one of them?

Try to look at yourself from the outside. You are maybe selling a Nordic product or service in Asia. Your product solves a problem for certain people and improves their lives.

Have you ever noticed how people listen when at a dinner table you get excited and start talking about how your sector is developing and how your product and know-how is part of this?

If you could write it and an editor could help you shape it up, more people would be fascinated by what you know. Maybe they could even become your brand ambassadors.

Or maybe your life in Asia has given you the opportunity to bring up your children in a different culture than the one you grew up in. You have come to reflect on how you pass on values and inspire your children by living your life the way you do and making the choices you make in your every day life.

If you could share these thoughts with other Nordic parents you could inspire them to reflect on these important issues, too. Before you know it, you have material for a series of articles.

One of the benefits of the fast changing technology involving publishing these past 25 years is that your content reaches readers in a way that the old paper magazine never could.You can include links and videos and the search engines helps you reach an audience that you could never reach before.

But it starts with a person wanting to tell something. It starts with you making the decision to send me an email with your idea.

Kind regards

Gregers Moller Editor in Chief

PS. Notice the destination theme!

The theme format you find in this issue about Penang is completely new one for ScandAsia. It covers both the business and the lifestyle aspect of a specific destination in Asia. Penang is a brilliant destination to start off with, due to its special combination of beach attractions, while at the same time having manufacturing, R&D etc. We show investment attractiveness, opportunities and talk to locally based Nordic companies and people there etc. In line with the new ScandAsia these features will in the future always have two angles; Business as well as Lifestyle.

ScandAsia is a printed magazine and online media covering the people and businesses of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland living and working in China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Who should subscribe:

ScandAsia subscribers are typically Nordic expats and companies from the Nordic countries living in and active in Asia.

Another group of subscribers are Nordic people living in the Nordic countries who subscribe to ScandAsia for personal or business reasons. We also have many Asian subscribers, who for a wide range of rea-

6 ScandAsia • February 2018

sons are following the activities of the Nordic expats and companies via a subscription to ScandAsia.

The ScandAsia magazine is produced every month and distributed to all print version subscribers via postal services and to all eMagazine subscribers via email. Subscribing to the eMagazine is FREE - simply sign up on the ScandAsia.com website.

Become a ScandAsia user/ get free digital ScandAsia magazine or paid subscription via

www.scandasia.com!

Publisher : ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8 Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Managing Editor: Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com

Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Frank Leong frank@scandasia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Production Manager: Sopida Yatprom Printing : Inthanon Interprint Co., Ltd.

February 2018 • ScandAsia 7

Opinion

Is Thailand Facing Another Migrant Exodus?

By Daniel Lindgren, founder of Rapid Asia Co., Ltd - program evaluations, KAP Studies and behaviour change specialists

T

hailand has some 3–4 million migrant workers that fill the gap for much needed low-skilled labor and companies in several sectors are dependent on these workers. However, a recent Royal Ordinance issued on June 23, 2017, has sparked concerns among employers. Although the proposed penalties under the Royal Ordinance have been postponed an initial exodus of migrant workers has been observed and many fear it could escalate. Why would this happen and what is the potential solution?

It is worth pointing out that Thailand has a rapidly aging society, due to longer life expectancy and reduced birth rate, so it is dependent on migrants to fill the gap in its labor force. But fostering regular migration has proven to be a daunting challenge for Thailand. Recent studies carried out by Rapid Asia have found that about 50 percent of migrant workers are irregular and some would argue that the actual percentage may be higher still. Many of these workers choose to migrate via irregular channels due to the higher cost and time associated with formal migration channels. In some cases, the cost is several times higher. The question is, would the 2017 Royal Ordinance on Foreign Workers Management help to push migrants through regular channels and obtain proper work visas?

The new ordinance would penalize employers and workers who fail to comply, with penalties ranging from 400,000–800,000 baht for employers, and 2,000–100,000 baht plus up to 5 years in prison for workers. Tens of

thousands of migrant workers have already left the country, and when the ordinance comes into full effect, it could cause an escalated exodus. To provide employers and migrant workers more time, key parts of the new ordinance have been pushed forward to January 1, 2018.[1] Another challenge is the bottle necks that already exist in the system. For example, the Department of Employment already has limited capacity to deal with its current load of enquiries and it would be difficult for it to cope with a heavier workload. Others point to the potential negative effects of the new ordinance.

For example, it is very likely that employers would pass on any increases in labor costs to migrant workers, many of whom already struggle to pay off debt associated with recruitment and other migration costs. This could make hiring more difficult and lead to labour shortages, as well as creating more vulnerability among migrant workers.

But would it be possible to create a win-win-win situation for the government, employers and migrant workers?

In 2015, the Thai Revenue Department offered a tax amnesty[2] for small and medium-sized enterprises as an incentive for companies to cease the common practice of preparing two sets of books and become properly registered for tax. A similar strategy could be applied in the case of migrant workers by offering lower cost work permits as an incentive. This could provide employers with more cost-effective labour, reduce the debt burden for migrants, and reduce labour shortages. A market needs assessment of employers and migrants

may be needed to verify where the lines should be drawn. But given that Thailand attracts a substantial proportion of irregular migrant workers, the potential for increased revenue from issuing more work permits may well be greater than issuing fewer at a higher cost. If the objective is to maintain (or even increase) the workforce, while at the same time increase compliance, a similar strategy to that of the tax amnesty seems reasonable.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ScandAsia Publishing. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. Neither ScandAsia Publishing nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.

If you would like to share your thoughts and insights on this page contact Managing Editor at joakim@scandmedia.com

[1] Including penalties for employees, punishments for employers who hire workers for certain professions without permits, and recruiting workers without permits (Articles 101, 102, 122 and 119) [2] Royal Decree 595 for tax amnesty and tax holidays was a temporary opportunity for a voluntary self-disclosure to the Thai Revenue Department, eliminating any penal sanctions and included incentives of a zero rate for the first year and a reduced rate of 10 per cent for the second year.

8 ScandAsia • February 2018

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February 2018 • ScandAsia 9

News Brief

Denmark to strengthen regional coordination

By Gregers Moller

D

anish Ambassadors from across South East Asia and trade advisors from each embassy’s commercial department met Monday and Tuesday 22 and 23 Januar y 2018 in Singapore to discuss how they could improve the coordination of the efforts in selling Denmark’s core competencies across the region.

The meeting is a regular annual event and included also representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark, IFU, EKF and company representatives from Vestas and GN Hearing.

During the meeting, ScandAsia’s founder Gregers Moller also had an opportunity to present how using ScandAsia’s magazine and website setup could

help communicate the message.

According to the Danish Embassy in Indonesia, the Regional Meeting was a great success and did strengthen the aim of having regional cooperation across the Danish Embassies even further. To fully utilize their time, the trade advisors

also met some of the Danish companies that are working regionally out of Singapore.

The meeting was focused on Denmark’s commercial activities in the region and did not involve the consular section of each embassy.

Philippines-Sweden Political Dialogue meeting

U

ndersecretary Enrique A. Manalo and Swedish State Secretary for EU Affairs and Trade Oscar Stenström, and their respective delegations, met on 25 November 2017 in Manila for the Philippines-Sweden Political Dialogue, which falls under the ambit 10 ScandAsia • February 2018

of the political consultations mechanism between the Philippines and Sweden.

This is the fourth time that both countries have met to discuss developments in both countries and in their respective regions as well as future directions in the bilateral relationship.

During the dialogue, both sides discussed a wide range of issues, including general political and economic developments in both countries; pending bilateral agreements; possible cooperative activities in various fields of endeavour, notably trade and investment; the Philippine chairmanship of ASEAN; Brexit; and other regional and international issues.

Mr. Stenström also headed the Swedish delegation to the Philippines Sweden Airport Collaboration on November 21 to 22. The collaboration is in line with commitments that Swedish Minister for Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade reached during the former’s visit to the Philippines in 2016 that coincided with the re-opening of the Swedish Embassy in Manila.

Source: Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippines

News Brief

Norway’s Foreign Minister Eriksen Søreide’s Myanmar visit

O

n 19 November the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Yangon was proud to receive Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide in Yangon.

This was the minister’s very first visit to Myanmar, and one of her first visits abroad as Foreign Minister. In Yangon, she met with local, international and UN organizations, learning about the situation in the country. She also met with representatives from Norwegian businesses and NGOs in Myanmar.

“I am glad to be in Myanmar, and have been very well received by people here. This is an important moment for me to visit Myanmar and to engage with civil society and the government. I look forward to fur ther strengthening the relationship between our two peoples, including working together to resolve difficult challenges in Rakhine and elsewhere,” Ine Eriksen Søreide said.

On 21-22 November Minister Eriksen Søreide was in Nay Pyi Taw to attend the 13th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. There she met with colleagues from Asian and European countries, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. They had a good and open discussion on the situation in Rakhine, including on the importance of providing humanitarian access, security and safe return.

Eriksen Søreide reiterated Norway’s readiness to assist the Government of Myanmar in this difficult and complex situation. They agreed to work together to achieve peace, stability, harmony and sustainable development in Rakhine, stated the Norwegian embassy.

Source: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Yangon

How can you make your money work while you enjoy life?

Michael Kaj Blom Michael.Blom@nordea.sg www.nordeaprivatebanking.com Nordea Bank S.A, Singapore Branch is part of Nordea Group, the leading financial services group in the Nordic and Baltic Sea regions. Some products and services may, due to local regulations, not be available to individuals resident in certain countries and their availability may depend, among other things, on the investment risk profile of persons in receipt of this publication or on any legislation to which they are subject. Nothing in this publication should be construed as an offer, or the solicitation of an offer, to purchase, subscribe to or sell any investment or product, or to engage in any other transaction or provide any kind of financial or banking service in any jurisdiction where Nordea Bank S.A., Singapore Branch or any of its affiliates do not have the necessary license. Published by Nordea Bank S.A., R.C.S. Luxembourg No. B 14.157 on behalf of Nordea Bank S.A., Singapore Branch, 138 Market street Capita Green #09-03 Singapore 048946. www.nordeaprivatebanking.com subject to the supervision of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (www.mas.gov.sg).

February 2018 • ScandAsia 11

News Brief

Annual Danish Footprints held in Vietnam

I

n later November 2017 Danish companies, their families, friends, business par tners and local authorities participated in Danish Footprints 2017. The aim of the event was to promote Danish corporate values and business culture, this year with a particular focus on public health, occupational health and safety, healthy lifestyle and work-life balance.

For the first time in Vietnam in 2015, the Danish Footprints event was held in Ho Chi Minh City.

The event also offers a chance for Danish firms to meet and share their business management policies to support Vietnamese people and the community where the companies and their employees are operating in.

Danish Footprints was organized for the first time in 2015 by The Danish Embassy in Vietnam in collaboration with many Danish firms.

‘Fostering CSR in the Philippines’ conference

S

wedish and Filipino companies champion responsible business More than 150 leaders in business and government convened at Fostering CSR in the Philippines: Conference on Responsible Business at Makati Shangri-La Hotel on 17 January. The conference was a joint effort to champion corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a way for companies to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, reports the Embassy of Sweden, Manila.

It was organized by the Embassy of Sweden in Manila, ASEAN CSR Network and the League of Corporate Foundations.

Notable speakers were H.E. Ambassador Harald Fries (Swedish Ambassador to Manila), Ms Yanti Triwadiantini (Chair, ASEAN CSR Network), Mr Roderick De Castro (Chairman, League 12 ScandAsia • February 2018

of Corporate Foundations), Mr Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (Chairman and CEO, Ayala Foundation, Inc.), H.E. Mr Leo Herrera-Lim (Representative of the Philippines, ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights), Ms Diana Madunic (CSR Ambassador of Sweden), Undersecretary Claro A. Arellano (Depar tment of Labor and Employment - DOLE).

Swedish companies that shared their insights included IKEA, Scania Philippines, Tetra Pak Philippines, Ericsson and H&M, while Filipino companies included Ayala Corporation, Jollibee Group, Nestle, San Roque Power Corporation, BPI and Bato-Balani.

Source: Embassy of Sweden in Manila

News Brief

Sweden’s education minister visited Indonesia, Singapore

I

nternational cooperation between higher education institutions and world-class teacher training programmes were in focus when Swedish Minister for Higher Education and Research Helene Hellmark Knutsson visited Indonesia and Singapore back in October 2017.

In Indonesia, Ms Hellmark Knutsson met Minister for Technology, Research and Higher Education Muhammad Nasir to discuss international cooperation on higher education and research. She also

visited a university, and met students and representatives of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences and other actors in research and innovation. The trip was a follow-up of the State Visit in May 2017.

“I’m visiting Indonesia along with several of our universities with the aim of increasing cooperation between our countries. We need to collaborate more across national borders to meet global challenges such as antibiotic resistance and climate change. But also to strengthen Swedish companies operating in a global market with tough competition.

As a tool for this, I signed an agreement with Indonesia’s Minister for Research on increased cooperation in research, innovation and education. Indonesia is the world’s fourth largest country seen by the number of inhabitants and with a rapidly evolving economy. Increased cooperation can give us many benefits

and create new jobs in Sweden!” the Minister commented via social media.

Singapore’s teacher training programmes, meanwhile, are outstanding, and the country tops international assessments of student achievement.

There, Ms Hellmark Knutsson met Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung and visited the National Institute of Education to learn about Singapore’s work on teacher recruitment and lifelong learning, and the reform efforts behind these. She also met the Science Council of Singapore and visited the prominent Nanyang Technological University, where Swede Professor Bertil Andersson is President.

The Swedish minister travelled with a delegation consisting of the Swedish Research Council and representatives of six Swedish higher education institutions.

February 2018 • ScandAsia 13

News Brief

Sweden participated in 13th World Islamic Economic Forum

T

he World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) was hosted for the 13th time on 21-23 November 2017, this hear held in Kuching on Borneo, Malaysia. Sweden participated in WIFE for the first time with an official delegation headed by Ambassador Juhlin-Dannfelt with the par ticipation of Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, Ericsson , EQT and the start-up MyBazar. Appreciated Swedish speakers at WIEF were Andreas Hatzigeorgiou, Chief Economist at Stockholm Chamber of Commerce; Johan Bygge, CEO EQT Asia;Todd Ashton, Managing Director Ericsson Malaysia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; and Armin Osmancevic, CEO MyBazar. The Swedish consulting firm SixYearPlan also participated in WIEF in Kuching.

With ‘Disruptive Change: Impact and Challenges’ as theme, the 13th World Islamic Economic Forum discussed the impact and challenges of life-altering disruptive ideas as well as technologies, with some of the finest minds in the world today.

In line with what’s occurring globally, the 13th WIEF theme reflected the

14 ScandAsia • February 2018

transformations motivated by disruptive technologies and how, despite this, there are positive inclinations arising amid a contradictor y sentiment. Intensive and transparent discussions penetrated the various facets of the phenomenon called the fourth industrial revolution and its implications for states and business.Various themes such as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Automation, Sustainability, etc. were highlighted. The Swedish speakers contributed with appreciated lectures and seminars on gender equality in business and female entrepreneurship (Johan Bygge, EQT), the development of the cashless society, fintech, circular economy and sustainability (Andreas Hatzigeorgiou, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce), Internet of Things (Todd Ashton, Ericsson) and Blockchain (Armin Osmancevic, MyBazar).

The WIEF Foundation, formed on the initiative of former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, took charge of WIEF 2006, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. Chairman of the WIEF Foundation is Tun Musa Hitam, Deputy Prime Minister in Malaysia, while WIEF Chair-

man of the WFD is always the Malaysian Prime Minister.

The foundation organizes annual summits that have been held in Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Islamabad, Kuwait City, Jakarta, Astana, Johor Bahru, Dubai and London. The foundation also organizes several capacity building programs; Business Women Network, Young Leaders Network, Education Trust and threefour round table calls per year.

The annual summits usually take place in a Muslim country, but were carried out in 2014 for the first time outside of the OIC country circle when the WIEF summit took place in London. At the WIEF Summit in Kuching, 21-23 November, political leaders like Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, senior ministers from Indonesia, Morocco and Iran, as well as regional decision-makers as president of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan participated. Top international business leaders such as co-founder of Apple Steve Wozniak also participated as speakers.

Sources: WIEP, Embassy of Sweden in Kuala Lumpur

Danish week - Sustainable City Solutions in Vietnam

I

n December 2017, the Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam launched a series of events under the theme ‘Danish week - Sustainable City Solutions’ in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The campaign included exhibitions, seminars, film screening, master classes and a competition looking for practical ideas on how to ensure greener and cleaner cities.

The campaign is an initiative of the embassy, co-organised by National Univeristy of Civil Engineering in Hanoi (NUCE) and Universtiy of Architecture Hochiminh city (UAH), with supports from local authorities, organisations and companies from Vietnam and Denmark.

“Denmark is among the world leaders in green technology, and Green Growth is an important area of Vietnam -Denmark’s Comprehensive Partnership agreement. With this campaign we hope to create oppor tunities to exchange inspiration and knowledge with Vietnam on how to build green and sustainable cities”, said ambassador

of Denmark to Vietnam, Ms. Charlotte Laursen.

The seminar under the theme was hosted by NUCE (in Hanoi on 12 Dec) and by UAH (in HCMC on 14 Dec).

During the seminar, experts from Denmark and Vietnam will share experiences, lessons learnt, good practices in urban planning policy and solutions.

Also, students from NUCE and UAH had opportunity to attend master classes with the famous architect from Denmark Hans Peter Hagens and Head of Technical and Environment Department of Aarhus city Mr. Mogens Bjørn Nielsen.

An exhibition for the public showcased some of the best sustainable architecture designs and city development projects from Denmark.

Another event to linked with ‘Danish week - Sustainable City Solutions’ was the final round of the competition ‘Raising Awareness on Green City Solutions in Vietnam’, where best ideas on how to ensure greener and cleaner city in the locality were rewarded. The competi-

News Brief

tion was co-organised by the embassy and the Denmark – Vietnam Alumni Network.

Denmark – Vietnam Comprehensive partnership Within the framework of the Comprehensive Par tnership Agreement signed by the two countries in 2013, the Vietnamese-Danish relationship is a partnership focusing on political dialogue, cultural exchange, commercial activities, and targeted ODA-projects matching Denmark’s strengths within green growth, food and agriculture, health and education.

Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Denmark has increased significantly since 2011 and interest from Danish companies in cooperation with Vietnam within trade and investment continues to increase. Currently more than 130 Danish companies are represented in Vietnam and many more are interested in doing business in Vietnam.

February 2018 • ScandAsia 15

Business

All four Nordic Ambassadors in Thailand and Nordic Chambers of Commerce representatives celebrating the kick-off for enhanced Nordic cooperation

Four Nordic chambers of commerce in Thailand to deepen cooperation The four different Chambers of Commerce in Thailand from the Nordic countries are embarking on a strengthened and on-going cooperation, which was being kicked off with a launch event in Bangkok.

A

By Joakim Persson well-visited evening event on 11 January 2018 saw all the four Chambers of Commerce organisations (Danish-Thai, Thai-Finnish, ThaiNorwegian and Thai-Swedish) in Thailand kick off their, intended, deeper-than-ever-before collaboration. It was announced to the members and guests in the lovely garden of the Residence of Danish Ambassador Uffe Wolffhechel, at the Royal Danish Embassy, also with all four Nordic Ambassadors gracing the event with their attendance.

At this Nordic New Year’s Kick-Off 2018’, aside being briefed on the collaboration, those in attendants were encouraged to network and to discuss ideas around the new partnership further, also being encouraged to present any idea to the respective Executive Directors of all the four chambers of commerce.

16 ScandAsia • February 2018

Welcoming all guests the event Karri Kivelä, Executive Director of the Thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce, told that the newly established Nordic Chamber cooperation in Thailand would like to start up was born out of friendship, common minds and common set of ideals. And said they all hoped it will be a success.

“We cannot promise anything but hope this will be the kick-off of a closer co-operation between the Nordic Chambers here in Thailand.”

“Also, Iceland has requested to become an associate member of the Nordic block here in Thailand, thus making it possible for a true Nordic cooperation between all five Nordic countries represented in Thailand,” he continued.

The Thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) President Mr Jari Hietala gave further details on behalf of the Nordic Chambers and began by noting that seemed to be

We cannot promise anything but hope this will be the kick-off of a closer co-operation between the Nordic Chambers here in Thailand.

Ambassador Satu Suikkari-Kleven

Host for the event: Danish Ambassador Uffe Wolffhechel

off to a good start: “It is very encouraging to see so many of you participating tonight; we are 200 plus in this garden. Really encouraging for us in the chambers! We might be on the right track; at least there seems to be high interest at least among members towards intensified the Nordic cooperation.”

Jari Hietala focused on to first outline the bigger picture about Nordic countries and the Nordic Chambers of Commerce, followed by the big picture the Nordic chambers in Thailand’s future cooperation.

The Nordic countries rank high in all major international classifications and ratings, when it comes to competitiveness, innovations, digitisation etc.

“Also many Nordic companies present in Thailand are global leaders in their particular sectors. And in Asia the Nordic countries are also very visible; with the exception of Iceland they have embassies and diplomatic missions in all

larger countries in Asia, as well as chambers of commerce organisations or business councils.“ The President pointed to that the Nordic countries share many things where the ‘Nordics’ is, especially when looking at these countries from the Thailand perspective, an easily understood entity.

Outlining the Nordic chamber cooperation he continued: “In order to meet the business challenges for Nordic companies in Thailand and to offer more benefits for the members the Nordic chambers have decided to work more closely together. This means that we still operate independent bilateral chambers but combine our limited resources in some key areas. The boards of four Nordic chambers will govern the cooperation and we have also welcomed Iceland to participate in the development and according to their resources.”

February 2018 • ScandAsia 17

The Nordic chambers will start selling a Nordic Partnership status

The basic aim Jari Hietala said is business-driven: to be able to meet the competition in the market place, to offer more benefits to members and partners, and to enjoy the logical benefits for the Nordic cooperation.

The events programme for 2018 is not decided yet but will be presented in the near future.

“We wanted to present to you all this Nordic cooperation initiative tonight as we now have a good time to discuss this plan and get to know each other a little better. You are all most welcome to pass your ideas and suggestions to the Nordic Executive Directors. This is the way we can build a yearly Nordic programme for the coming years.”

At more general level the 2018 Nordic cooperation plan include the following: Advocacy work; organise events Nordic values, innovations and expertise promotion; offer concrete Nordic partnership to Thai companies who want to reach the Nordic businesses and communities in Thailand; create an inside market with the Nordic companies with the help of introductions through the Nordic Chamber offices and board members; create up-to-date programme to our cham18 ScandAsia • February 2018

bers online platform; Nordic logo and images available to all partners; organise a couple of key Nordic events targeted to our Nordic communities, and to form task groups in charge of the various collaborative parts.

Furthermore, the Nordic chambers will start selling a Nordic Partnership status as the highest level of cooperation with companies that want to work with the Nordics together.

These Nordic partnerships will then the right to use the Nordic logo, images and slogans.

The Honorary Consul Mr Paul Weber The ConsulateGeneral of the Republic of Iceland also held a short speech, saying: ‘I’m happy to be here and see my dream come true!

Because I tried to do what you have now succeeded in doing, when I was the President of DTCC in the 1990s. And I’m very glad that the very small Icelandic community has been accepted in this community as associate of the Nordic members. We will certainly do our best to support this very good initiative and in the true Nordic spirit. Five together have bigger voice than one!”

Finnish liquor and meat minister delegation in Singapore

D

uring 10 – 12 January Finland’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestr y Jari Leppä and a Team Finland business delegation promoted Finnish meat and liquor production companies in Singapore.

Pure ingredients and production of quality goods are the key concepts of Finnish food and drink industry.The Finnish companies have excellent chances to expand their businesses to Singaporean market, where customers are demanding and look not only for quality but also unique culinary experiences.

In this first ministerial level Team Finland visit to Singapore Minister Leppä on 11 January met the Minister of National Development Lawrence Wong and the Minister for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran. Both ministers welcomed the

import of Finnish high-quality products to the Singaporean markets and emphasized the importance of branding.

Both meetings were held in a positive atmosphere and the Finnish-Singaporean cooperation in this field looks prosperous, repor ts the Embassy of Finland, Singapore.

On the same day the over ten Finnish meat product companies, breweries and distilleries presented their high-quality products to potential Singaporean partners at a Food from Finland Networking Event. And on 12 January a tasty lunch consisting of products of Finnish meat companies was served at Ambassador Paula Parviainen’s residence. Talented Pihlaja Ahlava was the chef behind the lunch.

Companies: Altia Oyj, Atria Finland

Business

Ltd, HKScan Oyj, HKScan Asia Ltd, Kyrö Distillery Company, Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas Oy, L’Uomu Nokka / Luomu Invest Oy, Northern Lights Spirits Oy, Shaman Spirits Oy, Tenu Ventures Ltd, The Helsinki Distilling Company, Ägras Distillery Oy. Sources: Embassy of Finland in Singapore, Finland Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

February 2018 • ScandAsia 19

Business

Singapore test trials of Volvo autonomous electric buses

V

olvo Buses and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have signed a cooperation agreement on a research and development program for autonomous electric buses, part of the Land Transport Authority of Singapore’s drive.

Singapore and its LTA are recognized for their focus on public transport and deployment of autonomous vehicles in the effort to create a sustainable city environment. Singapore has announced that self-driving buses will be deployed in several areas of the country by 2022.

For Volvo this will be the first autonomous application in public transportation. Volvo has already demonstrated the autonomous technology in mining, quarry and refuse collection operations.

“We are seeing fast-growing interest in both autonomous and electric vehicles in cities all over the world. Together with NTU, one of the world’s leading universities of technology, we now have the possibility of testing various solutions under realistic conditions in a major city that has high ambitions for its public transport,” said Håkan Agnevall, President Volvo Buses.

“We consider Singapore and NTU as excellent partners for Volvo, offering an enabling environment and complete 20 ScandAsia • February 2018

ecosystem of research, development and implementation of new solutions.

The technology developed in Singapore can contribute to future autonomous applications by Volvo Buses.”

The basis of the program consists of two all-electric 12-metre Volvo 7900 Electric buses, of the same type that Volvo Buses already delivers today.Volvo and NTU will build the autonomous driving solution on Volvo’s platform.

One of the autonomous electric buses in the program will be used on Singapore’s advanced new test facility for autonomous vehicles, CETRAN, which was inaugurated in November 2017. Here, NTU’s researchers will in a fenced-off area be able to test new functionality and study how the bus interacts with other road-users in various conditions.

The second bus will be used for tests in the bus depot in partnership with the public transpor t operator SMRT. The aim is that tomorrow’s autonomous buses should be able to charge their batteries, drive through the depots to the vehicle wash and park – entirely autonomously.

“Our electric buses already make it possible for cities to improve their air quality and reduce noise levels. With our

system approach to electromobility we in addition open up new ways for urban planning. When developing autonomous solutions for public transport we can really leverage the Volvo Group expertise in this rapidly developing technology field,” Håkan Agnevall said.

The cooperative program between Volvo Buses and NTU under way will initially last for two years. The jointly developed autonomous electric buses will arrive into Singapore in the beginning of 2019.

Mr Desmond Kuek, President and Group Chief Executive Officer, SMRT Corporation, said: “Our goal is to stay future-ready by keeping abreast of latest land transpor t solutions for safe, efficient and comfortable journeys, and adapt such urban mobility solutions to Singapore’s unique operational setting.

This MOU paves the way for SMRT, working with our partners, in hosting operational trials for autonomous buses, and the command & control system required for operating such smart vehicles. SMRT will leverage on decades of experience in operating and maintaining buses to lead the operational testing and evaluation of autonomous buses for their eventual safe deployment on our roads.”

Fast-charging stations based on the common OppCharge interface will be supplied by ABB. The OppCharge interface is very well suited for autonomous charging solutions in bus depots as well as in running traffic.

According to ABB Technological University has estimated that electric vehicles could make up as much as 50 per cent of Singapore’s motor population by 2050. ABB has long been at the forefront of developing greener solutions and we are proud to be helping make this vision become a reality.

Volvo Buses is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electrified buses and has thus far sold more than 3800 hybrid buses, electric hybrid buses and all-electric buses.

Nokia collaborates with StarHub: Singapore IoT development

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okia and StarHub plan to develop new IoT use cases and applications in the areas of connected living, connected vehicles and connected buildings, with plans to offer commercial services to customers the first quarter of 2018.The alliance will enable easier and more rapid development of IoT services and help enterprises discover and capitalize on Smart Nation opportunities and capabilities to propel their business.

Nokia will support StarHub and its partners in the development of user cases such as for smart parking, environmental sensors and video analytics.

Nokia will also help StarHub promote the benefits of IoT technology through various activities, including developer outreach programs and participation in IoT-related events. Nokia Bell Labs will provide added consultancy services to StarHub and its enterprise customers to accelerate Singapore’s IoT market momentum.

“A large component of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative involves the deployment of IoT devices in the environment, including in the home, along

streets and in parks, and in offices. The granular data derived from these sensors will allow enterprise customers to understand and gain insights from their customers, improving operational efficiencies and aid in long-term planning.

We will leverage Nokia’s IoT technology to help address urban challenges faced by our government and commercial customers. We also look forward to building viable business models on this nascent technology, “ said Dr Chong Yoke Sin, Chief, Enterprise Business Group at StarHub. “We are honored to be working with StarHub to help maximize the gains from the vast potential of IoT. We are committed to supporting service providers in IoT to gain new customers and add new revenue streams. Nokia is at the forefront of the evolution of IoT, and our insights will enable StarHub to build and deploy high-value services and business models,” said Nicolas Bouverot, head of Asia South Market Unit at Nokia.

Nokia Bell Labs expects that the number of IoT connected devices is expected to grow from 1.6 billion in 2014

Swedish Versasec opened Singapore Office

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ersasec, the leader in smar t card management systems, has opened of its new Singapore office (December 2017) serving resellers, customers and prospects in the AsiaPacific region.

The new Singapore office joins the company’s existing locations in Dubai, the US, Germany, France, the UK and company headquarters in Sweden. Versasec’s new Singapore location gives Versasec global, round-the-clock coverage for its popular identity and access management solutions.

“Our Asia-Pacific client and reseller

list is expanding quickly, and we wanted to ensure they will have local representation from Versasec,” said Joakim Thorén, Versasec’s CEO. “Having feet on the street in Singapore positively impacts our ability to win new projects and implement them throughout the Asia-Pacific region.”

Yin Hong Lee is Versasec’s first hire in the Singapore office, and he will strengthen the sales and business development team in the region. He reports to William Houry, Versasec’s VP of Sales.

Mr. Lee is an experienced sales engineer with in-depth knowledge of the Asia-

Business

to between 20 and 46 billion by 2020.

In September Nokia announced it was expanding its Internet of Things (IoT) services offering to help mobile operators enter new IoT market segments or expand their footprint geographically. In addition, the company has complemented its end-to-end validation and testing services with Nokia TestHub, designed to accelerate new technology launches, for example in IoT and the cloud.

The Nokia IMPACT IoT platform has been designed to seize the opportunities our connected world will bring.

With Impact, service providers, enterprises and governments can capture more customers, develop new business models, and differentiate their competitive position in the market. Impact offers a secure, standards based, simplified IoT platform on which to build and scale new IoT services.

Pacific security and access market. He is familiar with all aspects of smart card technology and public key infrastructure (PKI) and has implemented many twofactor identification projects during his career.

Versasec is the leading provider of state-of-the-art, highly secure identity and access management solutions. With its flagship product, vSEC:CMS, Versasec eases the deployment of physical and virtual smart cards for enterprises of any size. Versasec’s solutions enable its customers to securely authenticate, issue and manage user credentials more cost effectively than other solutions on the market.

Versasec maintains its mission of providing solutions that are affordable and easy to integrate, coupled with first-class support, maintenance, and training.

February 2018 • ScandAsia 21

Business

AstraZeneca joins with Chinese investment fund to develop new medicines

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straZeneca has announced a strategic joint venture with the Chinese Future Industry Investment Fund (FIIF) to form an equallyowned, stand-alone company in China to discover, develop and commercialise potential new medicines to help meet unmet needs globally, and to bring innovative new medicines to patients in China faster. FIIF is managed by the SDIC Fund Management Company (SDIC Fund), a private equity management company.

The new company, Dizal Pharmaceutical, incorporates all scientific and technical capabilities of AstraZeneca’s Innovation Center China (ICC), and holds exclusive rights to develop and commercialise three potential medicines currently in pre-clinical development from AstraZeneca’s pipeline in its main therapy areas of oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and respiratory. It is also expected to initiate novel clinical programmes.

Dr. Xiaolin Zhang, previously Head of AstraZeneca’s ICC, has been named as Chief Executive Officer of the new company. All staff employed by the ICC have been invited to join the new company.

“AstraZeneca has a long-standing and strong commitment to China, which we are reinforcing today with this ground-breaking joint venture. By joining forces with the FIIF, we aim to accelerate the local discovery and development of innovative, affordable medicines for patients in China and 22 ScandAsia • February 2018

around the world,” said AstraZeneca CEO, Mr Pascal Soriot.

“FIIF is delighted to be collaborating with AstraZeneca to promote the development of innovative medicines. AstraZeneca’s Innovation Center China has an excellent track record of drug discovery, and the synergy created by combining AstraZeneca’s scientific talent and assets with FIIF’s China expertise and funding will help further promote innovation in medical science,” said Guohua Gao, Chairman of SDIC Fund.

The remit of the FIIF in the pharmaceutical industry is to promote the development and manufacturing of innovative medicines in China through strategic partnerships.The joint venture also strengthens AstraZeneca’s commitment to enhancing China’s research and development capabilities through diversified external par tnerships that deliver value to patients in China.

SDIC Fund is an independent private equity fund manager that was established in August 2009. It currently advises and manages more than RMB 60 billion of capital.The Future Industry

Investment Fund is one of the funds managed by SDIC Fund. The limited partners of SDIC Fund include a wide range of institutional investors across China. The core strategy of SDIC Fund is to invest in market leading companies with attractive growth prospects and outstanding management teams.

In partnership with the portfolio companies and their management teams, it aims to contribute strategically and add business value to the companies. SDIC Fund’s primary focus in China includes healthcare, advanced manufacturing, TMT and environmental protection.

AstraZeneca has been present in China since 1993. The global, scienceled biopharmaceutical company develop long-term par tnerships with Government, academia and local scientists across research and development (R&D) and manufacturing.

AstraZeneca has end-to-end R&D capabilities in China, from discover y to clinical development and manufacturing of innovative medicines and employs 11,000 people throughout the country.

Business

Nordics-China start-up accelerator program, fund

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hinese business accelerator COMB+ and the Beijing Institute of Collaborative Innovation (BICI) have announced (in connection to Slush 2017 in Finland) the creation of a new Artificial Intelligence Fund with a target size of €65 million. The fund will focus on international technology startups entering the Chinese market.

The fund is part of the Comb+ Sino Track accelerator program, which was launched a year ago. Already 19 Nordic start-ups have participated in the program, which is now expanding globally.

The pitching competition at the event included 10 finalists - jury selected children’s franchise Dibidogs as the winner, opening a shortcut to the Sino Track program.

“We are very happy to announce our new fund with the Beijing Institute of Collaborative Innovation as part of the Sino Track program,” said Leo Zhu, CEO of Comb+. “We see Helsinki, Beijing’s sister city, as the best place in the world to launch our fund.”

Their CEO said that by opening the Sino Track program to all exceptional technology and cultural start-ups aspiring to enter the Chinese market, their ambition is global.

The Comb+ Sino Track accelerator program has previously included Finland’s Flexound, an acoustic tech startup, which has since opened sales channels in China through a par tnership with electronics retailer GOME. “China is the number one country for Flexound,” said CEO Mervi Heinaro.

“Besides the great market potential, we also appreciate the speed at which things get done. In our minds, China is the best place to go global.”

The Sino Track program connected the Finnish company with over 20 relevant Chinese investors and institutions, including major media company Xinhuanet, and GOME, which operate over 2000 retail and online stores. Through the introductions, Flexound managed to open a sales channel in China in only three weeks.

Meanwhile, Finnish investment firm Pivot5 launched the first business accelerator between the Nordics and China, the ‘Nordics-China Innovation and Start-up Acceleration program’ also run in cooperation with Beijingbased business incubator COMB+. This accelerator aims to help start-ups based in the Nordics establish and grow their presence in China.

Comb+ (owned by SkyOcean, a publicly listed company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange) is a full-lifecycle entrepreneurship service platform based in Beijing, China. It is dedicated to creating an ecosystem for global entrepreneurs and start-ups to realize their dreams. As a new-generation innovation incubator, it has a unique “platform + investment” business model. Comb+ focuses on providing entrepreneurship services to and investing in early-stage start-ups in the technology and cultural industries.

It has two campuses, with room for hundreds of companies, as well as an established investor network.

February 2018 • ScandAsia 23

Community

Lisa Boldt-Christmas:

Goodbye, Hong Kong

Lisa Boldt-Christmas, her husband Martin and their three daughters Ella, Selma and Saga are planning to move back to Sweden this coming summer - twelve years after the family arrived Hong Kong. Lisa is currently the chairperson of the Swedish School and currently runs six after school classes in three locations.

By Colin Rampton.

F

rom the blonde hair and good looks, you might suspect that Lisa Boldt-Christmas is Swedish, or at least North European, but when she is speaking you could mistake her for being British. Her unaccented spoken English is impeccable. It did not come as a surprise to discover that Lisa can also speak French and German as well as her native Swedish.

We met recently at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club adjacent to the famous ‘Noon-Day Gun’ (which incidentally is surprisingly loud!). The Chart Room is an oasis of peace and tranquility, close to Causeway Bay Shopping District – one of the busiest in the territory.

Lisa is a vibrant, articulate lady with an engaging personality and a ready smile. I formed the impression that she is very competent, and clearly a person who gets things done.

24 ScandAsia • February 2018

A Gothenburg native

Lisa was born and raised in Sweden’s famous second city.

After completing her Upper Secondar y schooling and under taking a period of French study in Toulouse, she enrolled at Gothenburg University. At the University she completed a Business Degree. She studied for par t of her course in Nice where she fur ther developed her French skills.

Lisa loves the west coast of Sweden and the family maintain a summer house on the island of Koster. Lisa is at her happiest when living near the sea.

Lisa met her future husband Mar tin in Gothenburg.

After graduation, the young couple went their separate ways but later reunited in London and married in 2006.

Lisa admits to suffering initially from culture shock in the

Hong Kong is very convenient, you have all the ingredients of a big city but on a relatively small scale.

It is also a very safe place and I love the beautiful hiking trails Lisa Boldt-Christmas with a great view of the city from one of her favorite hiking trails.

British capital, but she soon adjusted and for six years she lived, worked in and grew to love London. Lisa was employed in an innovation management consultancy company. At the time Mar tin worked in banking and the offer of a shor t contract in Hong Kong seemed too good an offer to refuse.

Coming to Hong Kong.

After six years of London life, Lisa and Martin were ready to leave and in 2006, the young Swedish couple arrived in Hong Kong, for what they thought would be a one year posting. As seasoned city expatriates, it did not take them long to settle. Conveniently they already had some friends living in the territory, who were able to help with the adjustment. Lisa also sought support from the local Swedish community. The Swedish Chamber of Commerce (SwedCham) invited them to social events aimed at young professionals, and they soon established a network of local friends. There was no question of not extending their stay. Eleven years and three children later they are still here, although as you will see, Sweden has begun to beckon.

Hong Kong Life

Lisa and her family live on Hong Kong Island close to the vibrant and bustling center of the territory. She has many good things to say about her current home.

“It’s very convenient here, you have all the ingredients of

a big city but on a relatively small scale. It is also a very safe place and I love the beautiful hiking trails” Of course she has some reservations about living in such a densely populated area.The air pollution, while not getting any worse, is a continuing source of concern.

Lisa does not miss the cold Swedish winters and she enjoys the warm Hong Kong climate. She was surprised at some of the weather extremes however, recalling a time not long after she arrived when it rained incessantly for weeks and the view of Kowloon across the harbor was obscured: “It was like living in a white-out, and I thought the rain would never stop.”

The couple’s daughters were born in Hong Kong. They are ten year old twins Ella and Selma and their eight year old sister Saga. The girls happily attend one of the English Schools Foundation (ESF) International Primary Schools on Hong Kong Island. It is a ten minute drive from the family home at Jardine’s Lookout. On Thursdays after school they study their home language at the Swedish School.

Lisa fondly recollects the excellent care she received at one of the territory’s private hospitals when the girls were born. She expressed concern that maternity units in Sweden are currently stretched and underfunded.

Final year in Hong Kong

Coinciding with the end of the school year in June 2018, the Boldt-Christmas family has made the decision to return to February 2018 • ScandAsia 25

Lisa Boldt-Christmas in a selfie trying to prove wrong the misconception that Hong Kong is all about sky scrapers and bustling city life.

Sweden to live in Stockholm. This is timely for the twins they will be leaving their Primary school and would have to change schools anyway. Although Lisa speaks of Hong Kong with affection, she and Martin want the girls to have solid Swedish roots. Thus, circumstances will soon change for the family, but Lisa and Martin have not ruled out another move abroad at some stage in the future.

The Swedish School

We went on to discuss the provision for children to develop Swedish and learn about Sweden’s history and culture. Lisa is currently the chairperson of the Swedish School, which was founded in 1984 and currently runs six after school classes in three locations. Lisa heads a committee of volunteers and she oversees practicalities such as the hiring of teachers and assistants, rental agreements, collecting fees and compiling development reports. The Swedish Government provides the School with a grant towards its costs.

Although numbers of children attending did drop a few years ago, they have recovered and now stand at a healthy fifty-six. Each attending child must have at least one parent who is a Swedish National. The parents are very supportive 26 ScandAsia • February 2018

The Swedish School takes up a fair amount of my time but it has been a rewarding couple of years. I have seen the number of students grow and we have opened at a new location. When I leave as chair later this year, I know that the organization is in a good and stable place and that my successor will work to further improve the quality of the education we provide.

of the School’s aims and objectives and are happy that their children have the opportunity to develop their Swedish skills. Lisa summed up her commitment to the school: ”The Swedish School takes up a fair amount of my time but it has been a rewarding couple of years. I have seen the number of students grow and we have opened at a new location. When I leave as chair later this year, I know that the organization is in a good and stable place and that my successor will work to further improve the quality of the education we provide.”

Lisa is also a member of the Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA), a worldwide organization with a very active Hong Kong branch. The SWEA maintains a valued connection to the Swedish School.

An Environmental Campaigner

Recently Lisa has become an active member of the Sustainability Committee of SwedCham. After watching the very moving documentary “A Plastic Ocean”, Lisa has been made fully aware of the devastating impact of plastic in our oceans.

Sweden is a leading nation in recycling and most Swedes have a recycling mindset. Although recent local strides have

been made, there is still a lot more to do in Hong Kong.

Many other Asian countries lag even further behind.

Lisa is passionate about this issue and the Sustainability Committee hopes, through education and facilitation, to make people aware of the need to preserve our ever dwindling resources. Lisa’s family are avid and practical supporters of the issue. They have minimized the use plastic in their home and embraced composting.

Lisa is clearly a busy woman. Balancing an active family life with her community activities and the two businesses that she runs from home (the distribution of Air Purifiers and ‘Art on Perspex’). Often there are not enough hours in the day for her but Lisa prefers it like that. When she leaves Hong Kong next year she will certainly miss the territory and in return she will be sorely missed.

Lisa Boldt-Christmas is a lady who gets things done and her future projects are sure to be successful. Hong Kong’s loss will surely be Stockholm’s gain.

For information about the Swedish School in Hong Kong go to www.svenskaskolan.hk

February 2018 • ScandAsia 27

Community

Sweden/EU arranged ‘A Plastic Ocean’ Singapore screenings

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mbassy of Sweden together with EU Delegation, Embassy of Belgium and SwedCham arranged two sold out screening in Singapore of the film ‘A Plastic Ocean’ on 3 and 8 February.

The thought-provoking film was followed by an insightful panel discussion moderated by Ashwin Subramanian from Gone Adventurin, and the panellists were Ms Hailin Pek, ZeroWaste SG, Mr Philip Hermans, General Manager DEME, Mr Armin van Overbeek, Sales Director Asia Pacific, Billerudkorsnas.

‘A Plastic Ocean’ begins when journalist Craig Leeson, searching for the elusive blue whale, discovers plastic waste in what should be a pristine ocean.

The screenings aimed at highlighting the alarming consequences of plastic

pollution in our oceans and stimulate discussion on how to mitigate plastic waste.

Take on the challenge and reduce the use of plastic! #saynotoplastic Source: Embassy of Sweden in Singapore

Swea Professional launched in Bangkok

T

he Swedish Women Abroad’s Bangkok chapter has launched SWEA Professional. This was announced with a kick-off event on 15 November.

Swea then met at Hotel Pullman Grande Sukhumvit and after a nice networking, including a presentation by Swea and Swea Professional they divided the attendants into smaller groups to brainstorm: “How should Swea Professional take form? What questions are of importance? Which type of events and seminars are we interested in? There were many answers, and creative suggestions and and we now have a clear picture of what the members want out of this. The evening was very successful, attracting long-time members as well as new ones,” stated Swea Bangkok.

Those interested can stay informed via ScandAsia’s calendar of events as well as via Swea’s activities news distribution.

Come January Swea Professional will host a seminar with AnnaKarin Norling from Sida/Swedish Embassy in Bangkok.

Source: Swea

28 ScandAsia • February 2018

Community

Kim Højlund Christensen Denmark’s next ambassador to Vietnam

H

.E. Ambassador Charlotte Laursen is leaving this Embassy of Denmark in Hanoi, come March 2018, to become the Danish ambassador in Finland.

To replace ambassador Laursen Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed Kim Højlund Christensen (currently in the Danish Ambassador in Brazil) as Denmark’s next Ambassador to Vietnam.

Ambassador Laursen will move to become Denmark’s new Ambassador in Helsinki, Finland.

February 2018 • ScandAsia 29

Community

Pirkka Tapiola new EU Ambassador to Thailand and is the father of three children.

“Thailand is truly a wonderful country and I am very glad to be back here.

I am definitely not a stranger to your country, having previously served here between 1998 and 2001,” Ambassador Tapiola said.

“The EU and Thailand have had a close and strong relationship over thirty years, but it can, and definitely needs to be closer. Thailand plays an important strategic role in ASEAN, Southeast Asia and Asia as a whole. I am looking forward to strengthening EU-Thailand relationship in all aspects including political partnership, trade, cooperation, environment, climate change, democracy, good governance, human right and cultural diplomacy as well as working on regional cooperation to address global challenges,” “My wife Olga and I look forward to discovering more aspects of our new home in the country,Thailand,” he added.

Source: European Union Delegation in Thailand

T

he Finnish diplomat H.E. Mr Pirkka Tapiola is back in Thailand, this time as the Ambassador of the European Union! The Ambassador arrived in Thailand in September of 2017 and formally assumed his duties on 10 December 2017.

Prior to taking up his current posting as EU Ambassador to Thailand, Ambassador Tapiola headed the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova in 2013-2017. A career diplomat, Ambassador Tapiola holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Helsinki. He speaks Finnish, English, French, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Swedish and some Romanian and he is currently working on improving his Thai, writes the EU delegation in Thailand.

Ambassador Tapiola has extensive experience from several regions in the

30 ScandAsia • February 2018

world. He began his career with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the Baltic States and subsequently worked with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

The Ambassador previously served as Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Finland in Bangkok with crossaccreditations to Myanmar, Cambodia and the Lao PDR from 1998 to 2001.

He subsequently ser ved as Deputy Head of Mission in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Within European Union diplomacy, Ambassador Tapiola previous positions include Senior Adviser on Eastern Europe in the Strategic Planning Division of the European External Action Service (EEAS), and Senior Adviser to the then EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Dr Javier Solana.

He is married to Mrs Olga Tapiola

Community

Swedcham Hong Kong’s challenge: Say No to Plastic Waste

‘S

ay No to Plastic Waste’ is the 2018 New Year´s Resolution from the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong!

“The world produces more than 300 million tons of plastic every year, including billions of plastic bottles and five billion plastic bags. In Hong Kong alone, we throw away approximately 200 tons of plastic bottles every day! Since plastic does not decompose, and is for the most part not recycled, it needs to go somewhere. Sadly, huge amounts of plastic end up littering our landscape and our oceans. Natural beauty is being ruined, plastic is entering our own food chain, and entire ecosystems are threatened,” writes SwedCham Hong Kong.

SwedCham is through its Sustainability Committee shining a light on this issue. They have screened the awardwinning movie Plastic Ocean, and are

working with stakeholders, ranging from government to NGO’s, to support the development of an action plan for Hong Kong.

The Swedish business organisation is challenging its members to make resolution on this matter for 2018. Those respond in the affirmative to the following statement, are by default ready to accept the challenge: Starting in 2018, those members will not offer water or other beverages in disposable plastic bottles or cups in our Hong Kong workplace.

Participating companies in the ‘Say No to Plastic Waste’ challenge will be

listed on the SwedCham website and in SwedCham publications.

Although SwedCham are expecting government and producers of plastic products to step up and shoulder their responsibility, they firmly believe that all of us, as consumers, need to help with reducing plastic waste at source. That is why SwedCham is reaching out to its members with the challenge.

We are hopeful that a high participation rate among SwedCham members can lead to other chambers of commerce and business organization in Hong Kong accepting the challenge as well!

February 2018 • ScandAsia 31

Penang theme: Invest In Penang

Penang: Live, play, work The increasingly successful industrial hub and growing tourism destination of Penang owes everything to its unique history that goes back many centuries. Today this forms the base for embracing digitisation and making Penang one of the most liveable cities in the world.

By Joakim Persson

W

hen flying in over Penang and after landing at its airport it becomes clear that this island has a lot of industries. When driving towards George Town, passing by the industrial zones covering large area it also gets very visible what kind of industries - names like Broadcom, Bosch and Western Digital appear along the road. For those not familiar with Penang it is well known as an Electrical and Electronics hub, playing a big part in that Malaysia is now the world’s seventh largest E&E exporter.

But Penang is equally known for its history going back many centuries (even more so after George Town obtained Unesco heritage site status some ten years ago) and that has formed the unique foundation for today’s Penang. The island became a western trading outpost in the late 1700s but even earlier it was a centre for trade.

32 ScandAsia • February 2018

People are very important; we want to attract the best to come and live and work in Penang Dato’ Seri Lee Kah Choon, Invest In Penang Director

I

nvest In Penang, the Penang State Government’s investment promotion agency, situated in Bayan Lepas industrial zone points out this history. “The British, when moving further east from India, found it to be a very good place for doing business and trade because of the Asean countries and China doing a lot of trading here,” Dato’ Seri Lee Kah Choon, Special Investment Advisor to the Chief Minister of Penang and Invest In Penang Director, tells ScandAsia.

“The British came and brought in the Indians, started off with plantations and then discovered tin and the Chinese workers came down and started mining.”

The positioning of the island state promoted today is similar, and, as described by the Director, ideal for European companies as a gateway to Asia: “Whether you like it or not, China is the biggest market in Asia. And they find that by moving some of their operations to the ASEAN market and closer to Chinese, they can benefit from a lot of cost advantages. But to move directly into China is a cultural shock and very difficult. Some who went directly previously had a bad experience, whereas here, because of our history, the system and the thinking are strongly internationalised. Our legislation and the way things are done in Malaysia are very much aligned with the western world, so much so that they come here to do production and export to China - which we have a free trade agreement with.”

“The British’s former Straits colony also left behind good English education and a big pool of human talent. The Japanese and Americans found this pool to be valuable for their manufacturing and started up here.”

Penang slowly went into manufacturing for import substitution, growing into the dominant world player it is today. In numbers this translates into its manufacturing pillar contrib-

uting towards 45 per cent of GDP of Penang state - which achieved GDP growth of 5.6% in 2016, outperforming the national GDP of 4.2%.

“Over time the pool of talent could sustain development and today, based on the E&E, we have developed other production as well; mainly solar, LED and medical devices,” continues Dato’ Seri Lee Kah Choon.

“We have a pool of experienced engineers who have been working with multinationals all these years and have picked up a lot of experience throughout their careers.”

“Some companies are doing nothing except R&D today and the commercialization of R&D to their products.”

One trend is that manufacturers have decided to move into consolidation of their services with backroom services.

Tapping into this Penang will open a high-end Global Business Services (GBS) complex by 2020.

For instance, Intel and Dell now have GBS operations in Penang. GBS that started only five years ago already employs 10 000 people, which is just beginning, according Invest In Penang. Also non-manufacturing are on board this, such as Citigroup and AirAsia.

In 2016 Penang recorded the second largest investments in Malaysia for GBS or ‘Principal Hub’ with an investment value of RM4.1 billion, after Kuala Lumpur.

Manufacturing of Industrialized Building System (IBS) is another niche where Malaysian Industrial Development Authority’s (MIDA) targets to attract 100 such companies to the country by 2020. Interestingly, there is a large new Swedish company investment of RM 100 million into this, in Penang Science Park. Scandinavian IBS (SIBS) is establishing a facility to manufacture pre-casted apartment units for the Swedish and European market.

February 2018 • ScandAsia 33

The Sarkies brothers, world-renowned The Eastern & Oriental Hotel

T

he other main pillar is the service sector, where one finds a sizable chunk of logistics thanks to air freight, all the cargo transports to and from the island and businesses like Broadcom making Penang their logistical hub.

This pillar also includes the other main reason for visiting Penang, namely for culture/heritage and holiday stays and to a growing extent for medical tourism. George Town/Penang has made its significant mark in history also for international travel and the emergence of hospitality, much thanks to the legendary Sarkies brothers behind the equally worldrenowned The Eastern & Oriental Hotel and sister property Raffles Hotel. At the dawn of tourism to the far east E&O opened its doors in 1885 to welcome the international elite (including famous actors and writers today adoring the hotel’s walls), setting the benchmark for upscale travel and being at the centre as the island’s number one social gathering place ever since.

Today, tourism is one of the major revenue sources, second only to manufacturing. More recently tourism got a big injection in 2008 when George Town was by UNESCO as Heritage Site. “This has helped the tourism in Penang by

34 ScandAsia • February 2018

The way things are done in Malaysia are very much aligned with the western world

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng with Erik Thomaeus, Managing Director of SIBS AB

bringing in a total amount of 7.3 million tourist based on hotel sources and has enabled Penang to attract enthusiastic travellers around the world by giving them a new option of destination to visit,” a representative for G Hotels tells ScandAsia Office space occupancy is another key indicator – where Penang has the highest occupancy in Malaysia. The demand for office space, especially MSC status buildings (for ICT and ICT-facilitated businesses), is increasing in Penang as it continues to attract more investments and business expansion.

The objectives for Invest In Penang are to sustain and rejuvenate Penang’s economy by enhancing and continuously injecting business activities in the State through the promotion of foreign and local investments including the spawning of viable new growth centres.

As a one-stop agency they, absolutely free or charge, assist those who want to set up production or a business in the state. The agency provides comprehensive information on Penang’s investment opportunities and facilitates the running of a business at every stage including the setting up of a new investment.

“Penang is a state without natural resources. But what we

have is human resources, so we want to reach out to the international investment community to share with them the vision about the plans to make Penang one of the most liveable cities in the world. We want to make Penang a Live, Work and Play destination for people. People are very important; we want to attract the best to come and live and work in Penang.

The government side prepares the environment for business to flourish, for people to live a comfortable life - that is our vision,” is Dato’ Seri Lee Kah Choon’s take on how Penang wants to be attractive.

He points to that the environment and surroundings are conducive for living; people can find a good job and work for big companies who in turn can find the right talent. Play is about the wealth of recreational opportunities and access to quality medical services and education in the form of international schools.

“In terms of liveability Penang is one of the best in Asia as well as in the world,” he points out. “There are many things we still need to do but are happy to be here we are today.”

February 2018 • ScandAsia 35

Penang theme: Nordic businesses

The Nordics in Penang: business solutions, brands, production and design As Penang develops and its economy keeps on growing, Nordic business solutions and brands can meet certain needs, use it for production and cater to consumer demand (such as in the example of H&M and Ikea).

By Joakim Persson

Upcoming Ikea store, part of integrated shopping centre within Aspen Vision City

Volvo Retail Experience: Scandinavian ‘living room’

Monitor ERP System Southeast Asia, office

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Most of the Monitor ERP System team in Penang

he presence in the State of Penang of brands and businesses from the Nordics is being significantly strengthened. Not so much within electrical and electronics (E&E), which have dominated Penang’s manufacturing hub, but within automation (now in focus), paired with the expanding GBS and other digital solutions. The depth of the businesses present and new opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs are

growing. Penang now also supports to build up the local eco-system for start-ups, which ought to catch the Nordics’ attention.

One quote from Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng is a strong indicator for the changes already set in motion: “The new ABCs of the business world in the digital era today are Industry 4.0-centred applications in Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing and robotics.

36 ScandAsia • February 2018

The speed of sales we have now points to that within two years we will have a vast number of new customers!

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ome Nordic companies have been around for a long time already, while there are also newcomers. But where the Nordics are really making a visible, wider mark is through a few well-known consumer brands: Volvo Cars and the upcoming Ikea store.

To give a boost to Scandinavian design, and certainly setting the scene for Ikea,Volvo Cars now have two showrooms, where the Volvo Retail Experience at the mainland-based dealer is conceptualised as a Scandinavian ‘living room’.

An IKEA store, situated in Batu Kawan, is set to open in early 2019 as a significant magnet, part of the new integrated shopping centre within Aspen Vision City.

“Attracting IKEA to our state has long been a key part of our plan to make Penang’s mainland a sustainable, urban destination where people live, learn, work and play,” said the Chief Minister at the ground breaking ceremony.

“Penang’s great vision for infrastructure and business climate makes this a very attractive place for us to be a part of, and we know that we have to do our part to make the vision become a reality,” said Christian Rojkjaer, Managing Director, IKEA Southeast Asia.

The promotion of Swedish style and culture will be a strong part of it, including a free playground for kids called ‘Småland’ and a Swedish Bistro & Food Market.

Other Swedish companies with presence are Monitor ERP System SEA, Nolek (leak testing) and Nolato EMC Production Center.

Monitor is a fast-growing company with its own proprietary ERP system for manufacturing that has chosen Penang as its base, currently with four Swedes in their team.

In Penang alone, their customer base is huge. “For us it’s an infinite number of manufacturers in Penang; thousands, if including the mainland side. But it’s small enough to be able to find ways in and open doors,” says Managing Director Daniel Häggmark.

A significant door-opener is their deepened contact with FMM (Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers) thanks to several events they held together.

Monitor is there as business process management software supplier, as Penang aims to play a leading role in Malaysia’s Industry 4.0 transformation. One indicator is that

Malaysia only has 33 automated robots for every 10,000 manufacturing workers. Singapore has 398, in comparison.

Daniel says that they have more than they can cope with in Malaysia alone, but since they are targeting also the region they continue to recruit locally, to meet the increasing demand. “Especially we hire consultants because it takes at least a year to become independent and self-going. And the speed of sales we have now points to that within two years we will have a vast number of new customers!”

“It is easy to find people with right qualifications,” thinks the Swede. “We have not recruited from outside so far.”

Monitor’s first customers in Malaysia were there. And as they got more and more customers in Penang they remained.

“If one should live and work in Southeast Asia I find Penang optimal,” says Daniel.

Nolato, based in Penang Science Park opened their new factory there in June 2014, producing mobile phone components and medical devices.

One of the key reasons for this facility General Manager Allen Tan says is to serve and grow their clients in SEA. “Another is the local talent; people who have the right mix of different cultures and diverse experience (personal or working) - which I call unique. I used to work in Nolato China for six years in the same role, so I clearly see the difference in that talents here have a better position in meeting international standards. Besides, with people well versed in languages also helps a lot in the communicating with our colleagues in different countries, especially China for smooth technology and project transfer.”

Instead of full automation which Allen says is not realistic due to the nature of the business Nolato has applied a strong Lean concept in the production.“This allows us to be efficient and continuously keep our total direct head count low. A very clear result is that with 80 people compared to the previous 100 sales turn-over has increased two-fold. Getting everyone to adhere to the lean/no waste concept is the biggest challenge with the locals’ mind-set. Therefore, we are going to implement a reward program to encourage and motivate our people to consistently improve. I know many companies who prefer adding more people as the easiest solution to solve any constraints. For us, that would be the last option.”

February 2018 • ScandAsia 37

Päivi Suutari, GM for Huhtamaki Foodservice SEA

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Huhtamaki paper cup

oving on to Denmark Ambu (medical sector), Barkath Co-Ro, Linak Actuatos and Scan Global Logistics are present. Danish jewellery brand House of Amber has also opened up their first retail store in Southeast Asia on the island.

From Finland, Polar Electro Malaysia produces their sports training computers (particularly known for developing the world’s first wireless heart rate monitor) there, while Lexi Solutions and Huhtamaki (a global specialist in packaging for food and drink) are relative newcomers. Lexi is a cloud ware company that provide solutions-driven improvement programs.

Huhtamaki expanded its foodser vice manufacturing footprint to Southeast Asia and significantly strengthened its presence and capability to serve customers in Malaysia, Singapore and other regional Southeast Asian markets when it in 2015 acquired a Penang-based, privately owned paper cup and foodservice packaging manufacturer.

“The factory has been there for a long time already and is the leading producer of paper cups and plates in Malaysia. We do have local competitors as well, while Huhtamaki gener38 ScandAsia • February 2018

ally is growing either by establishing green field factories, or through acquisition,” comments Päivi Suutari, GM for Huhtamaki Foodservice SEA. “Quick service restaurants the likes KFC and Burger King are our customers, while the end consumers may not know about Huhtamaki at all,” she explains the product’s use.

“Our aim is actually to expand in this area, so we are looking beyond our current product offering to products like bags. We are already exporting to neighbouring countries and we’ll continue to heavily invest in the plant to grow. Also, we have invested in modern machinery with much higher output and efficiency.”

“In Penang we have also recruited some new office staff and I’m very happy to see there is highly skilled, competent labour to recruit, within areas like sourcing, HR or quality and safety management. It has been beneficial for us that the area has high-tech electronic industries in place. We have recruited people who have also earlier worked for global companies as it is easier for them to adapt to the Huhtamaki culture and way to operate and manage people and operations,” says Päivi who spends a lot of time on site.

Spinfy’s team

Penang’s great vision for infrastructure and business climate makes this a very attractive place for us to be a part of

Spinfy Finnish start-up

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he last company highlighted is also Finnish and one that reflects how the business on the islands is widening, with start-ups becoming part of the mix: Spinfy is about to launch their very own kindergarten concept to reach customers and build a market.

Its owner chose Penang simply because he liked it. “Attitude, lifestyle… everything seemed to fit perfectly for Finnish attitude,” thinks Petri Karjalainen, plus that he wants to be close what he, as many others, consider to be the best street food in the world. And he doesn’t mind the beaches either.

“Education for e-learning market is growing rapidly around the world but where it grows the fastest is in Southeast Asia.”

As the basis for its business Spinfy produce e-learning solutions mostly for early education, e.g. kindergarten and pre-school age. “We’ve been working together with the best early learning educators, the University of Helsinki in Finland and good brands like Moomin. Kids play the game during pre-designed lessons, and happen to learn a language at the same time.”

The start-up has rolled out an English language learning game for 3-year old children, today in use by all major kinder-

garten operators in Finland.

One practical reason for moving to Malaysia is the vast number of man-hours involved in doing the animations.

“Here we can do it with a lower production cost. At the same time we can adapt to the local market better and consider cultural aspects.”

However, Spinfy has also come across two challenges in selling their solutions to local learning institutes in Asia:Those who really need the solution can’t afford it while those who can do not believe that something made in Finland could match or even be better than something from the native English-speaking countries.

The solution for Spinfy is to become a competitor. After some trials during 2017 with a Finnish teacher on site in Penang they are in 2018 launching their very own kindergarten brand that will include their custom-made e-learning method.

“We don’t need to do any other product development than the games; the whole Finnish day care concept has been developed since 60 years back in Finland.”

February 2018 • ScandAsia 39

Penang theme: Heritage and lifestyle

Where cultures blend keeps evolving

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Text and photos: Joakim Persson

he first noteworthy thing when arriving for the latest visit to Penang was to find only one plane parked at the gates at the airport – nearly unheard of these days at any airport of this size! But, visitor numbers, based on the island’s expanding sectors, are all set to grow (with nine more hotels to open in 2019 and the island state staking drawing in more meetings).

And Scandinavia welcomes! Inside the terminal huge ad display promotes the upcoming Ikea store. To think back on when Nordic people first set foot on the island we have to go way back in time. A few years ago ScandAsia actually investigated when the first Swede had set foot on Malaysian soil. A book about the Dutch East India Company, (VOC) reveals astonishing information that some 15 000 Scandinavians went to Asia during the period 1633 – 1687 on board Dutch ships alone. Many more travelled with the Danish East India Company and on other ships.

Penang (Pulau Pinang) island, situated at the northern entry point to the Straits of Malacca was for instance a natural harbour during the monsoon months for Danish and Dutch ships so many, for certain, came on shore there.

40 ScandAsia • February 2018

Then, in the early 1800’s other travellers stepped ashore.

Among other nationalities Indians, Hokkien Chinese and Portuguese, along with George Town being part of the British Straits Settlements (1826 – 1957), came to play important roles for Penang remaining a meeting point of East and West today.

How life conditions were way back in time one can get insights about through various books about Penang’s early days, as well as at the Penang State Museum, offering an insightful introduction to Penang’s culture and social history. The first recommendation is for also books where the Areca store and café is your go-to place for interesting books on local history and culture. And add to that, the shop at the Eastern & Oriental is also a must for their unique books and great selection (in addition to excellent souvenirs, clothes and other textiles!

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n this theme we just give enticing hints and observations about it all, and to not overwhelm you. Let your love affair with Penang begin; an exotic mélange of the old and the new, a bustling port, a heritage city and an industrial base!

And while enjoying Penang’s rich amalgamation it becomes

Shared bikes

and living heritage evident that it is the various flavours from Penang’s long history that have paved the way for the island’s rather unique characteristics and fundamentals.

Actually several trips are required to get to grips with the island. One can come here time and again and still find great discoveries. Its multi-faceted cultural blend is manifested in many ways (food, languages, churches) – where both rainforest and thousands of manufacturers share the island’s surface.

To get into town or over to beaches one can take the airport bus for close to nothing. Otherwise using the app and booking Grab taxi is also affordable.

When it is time to venture outside the Link bike sharing system is a welcoming addition that one can sign up for via an app or a website at a cost of RM 1 per hour only! One should be aware that the heat gets pretty unbearable during the day.

Pedestrians can use the five foot ways to some extent (one of the distinct, local features). But it gives more freedom than being stuck in the island’s ubiquitous traffic jams.

Or take a Thrishaw ride (tricycle pedicab; an endangered means of transportation from yesteryear) touring the heritage sites of downtown George Town.

Those who like photography have come to the right place: any seemingly dull backstreet may hide some gems waiting for one to discover, such as history-filled old buildings with distinctive architectural features, and ornamented Chinese or Indian temples.

Of course one can feel surrounded by tourists, but it does not take much of an effort to get beyond the well-trodden paths now heavily promoted and frequented by visitors. Getting lost in Penang – is a good thing to do! You might stumble across amazing architectural discoveries etc. Especially at dusk and during the night, when the white-washed colonial buildings, churches etc are illuminated, is a different experience altogether.

One trend is to tour the town’s street art that have become renowned and has spread across the state. Artists have even been commissioned to give more life to the town.

There is even a brochure about these uniquely painted walls mimicking life in the city and the wrought-iron caricatures.

The entire old quarter of George Town is made up of rows upon rows of shop houses (the largest number of pre-war shop houses and buildings of any city in SEA), some February 2018 • ScandAsia 41

Street Art, George Town

Guests of the legendary E&O Hotel can press the vintage style ‘Butler Call’ button in the room!

‘Breakfast please!’

42 ScandAsia • February 2018

still inhabited by extended families that have lived there for three or more generations. And that formed the basis for a for Penang catalyst event: the listing in 2008 of the historic city as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

This has had all kinds of consequences and this kind of listing can be for good and for bad.

Well aware of the risks Penang State government established George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) to spearhead efforts to ensure that George Town’s legacy would not be lost. It is “a living legend, but it will disintegrate before our very eyes should we fail to nurture it,” states the agency.

We have yet to see if George Town can retain its status when it is up for renewal by Unesco in 2018.The outcome is a crucial issue for Penang, and an interesting topic to follow in 2018. A report by Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) points to that it is at risk, stating that some 8,500 residents from 591 households had left already two years after its nomination as a World Heritage site. Many either were forced to move out due to their inability to cope with the increasing rent, or reaped the benefit of skyrocketing property prices.

Pinang Peranakan Mansion

Nyonya Breeze Desire restaurant, Straits Quay

Tea at E&O Hotel

Between 2009 and 2013, some 231 residential properties have been repurposed to accommodate other commercial activities. Within that time, hotels and tourist accommodations in the area had grown from 61 premises to 97. This situation has led to the change in the social fabric of the site, which was the main criterion for the bestowal of the coveted title.

The world heritage status has meant a lot of improvements to George Town and its visitors. Whole blocks have been wonderfully refurbished in keeping with the heritage zone’s traditions, while there are still many dilapidated shop houses. An abundance of interesting lodgings, cafes etc. have sprung up.

Historic and heritage facts on signboards have been put up and one can grab several brochures/maps that are perfect guides to what there are to discover. One map displays the Cultural Enclave with mosques, temples, kongsis, mansions and churches; the Waterfront with the Town Hall, City Hall etc.; the Leisure Zone in which legendary Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E & O hotel) dating back to 1885 is situated; and finally the Heritage Traders (including joss stick maker, pastry baker, signboard carver etc.)

Meanwhile, an application is in the works for another listing, namely the Unesco Biosphere Reserve. Penang Hill and a 130-million old undisturbed rainforest older than the Amazon on the island hold great potential to be listed.

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wo cultural names one cannot avoid noticing in Penang, and that might be completely unfamiliar, are ‘Peranakan’ and ‘Nyonya’, both also the name for a specific cuisine. The Peranakan culture was born out of Chinese settlers who immigrated into northern Malaysia. George Town boasts places of interest for this culture and no one more so than the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, well worth a visit for its architecture alone. This museum mansion with its green façade and characteristic window shutters does not go unnoticed.

Around the heritage there are whole blocks with Peranakan homes; shop houses with their unmistakable colourful and ornamental street front facades - some them derelict and up for sale.

As for the cuisine the Nonya Breeze Desire restaurant, situated at Straits Quay Mall, is recommended as ideal to try February 2018 • ScandAsia 43

Street food in George Town

Poolside at G Hotel Gurney

We have yet to see if George Town can retain its Unesco World Heritage status up for renewal in 2018

44 ScandAsia • February 2018

eating Nonya food! It’s also a nice excursion to this colonialinspired mall and to get to try out Penang Nyonya food proper (a fusion of Chinese, Malay and also Thai influences.)

The island has also been famous for a long time as a mecca for food lovers, especially hawker food. Here one can find unique dishes, which reflect the intermingling of nations. For instance Mamak Mee Goreng is a dish with flavours from China, Penang and Southeast Asia but cooked by the Indian Muslim community. You cannot leave the island without having tasted some of these! Some hawkers serve food in the mornings, and some only in the evening – and on certain spots.

When it comes to the quality a previous food critic friend however says she thinks it has deteriorated; disappointing to the extent she has lost interest!

But it is quite an experience with these street hawkers, many of them family-operated and having been in exactly the same spot for three generations!

Try the Penang Hokkien mee, a prawn-based soup, and Char kway teow, a stir-fried noodle dish. As you hear servants loudly shouting out drink orders, make sure to place yours – it is mandatory!

G Hotel Gurney lobby bar

Mango Tree Place – Hideaway

G Hotel Kelawai’s Spoon

Black Kettle Bistro, Patisseri & Café

Restaurants come and go quite rapidly, so don’t be surprised if your favourite place is no longer on a future visit.

While looking for a new café that can satisfy people from the Nordics with great fresh brew and Danish pastries there is a new superb one: Black Kettle Bistro, Patisseri & Café on Chulia Street. Here you find what you are looking for and more: all sorts of coffee paired with almond croissants, orange cranberry scones etc. and also a food and wine menu!

Italian cuisine is showcased at its best at downtown Via Pre Penang Italian Restaurant as well as the classic and reasonably priced Bella Italia, situated closer to Gurney Plaza, on Burma road.

Try Mozzarella in Carozza sandwich with Minestrone soup, and Fettuccine salmon pasta or Spaghetti con pollo alla pesto!

From there it’s walking distance to the island’s best shopping malls, upscale Gurney Paragon and Gurney Plaza, and to a few top waterholes as part of a long and pleasant afternoon and evening. (On route there take a small detour, on foot, to look at the two privately owned really old houses along Kelawai road!) In-between shopping, heading up to the pool

bar of G Hotel Gurney (now with completely refurbished rooms) to enjoy ‘Infinity Hours’ which meant 50% discount on drinks between 3 pm – 7.30 pm do not leave much else to yearn for! And it’s possible for paid access to the pool itself.

Towards the evening nearby sister property G Hotel Kelawai’s Spoon restaurant offers a splendid international buffet, Sundays – Thursdays, with cuisines from around the world, and where a free flow of house beer and wine lands at RM 150 Nett! The meat flame-grilled to perfection is sublime and the selection of the spread enough for the four whole hours it can be enjoyed! Smoked mackerel, Seafood, Pan-fried chicken with rosemary and garlic jus etc. and way too many delicious desserts – the apple crumble with vanilla sauce alone is to die for…

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ack to the heritage zone, we highlight one tried-andtested place for its unique design and where you get to experience staying in one of those town houses.

Mango Tree Place – Hideaway has just five rooms (one suite) so it feels very exclusive, each with its differentiating colour and accessed via secret entrances. Already the cosy February 2018 • ScandAsia 45

Howie Chang at @CAT

Call your butler, staying at legendary E&O Hotel

G Hotel Gurney

E&O Hotel, Victory Annexe

out-of-the-ordinary living room-style lobby here is quite something! Interiors with blonde four-poster wood beds feel Scandinavian.

Depending on where one stays, the call to prayer from the minarets can cause an early wake-up. In contrast, guests of the legendary E&O Hotel can press the vintage style ‘Butler Call’ button in the room! ‘Breakfast please!’ A visit to Penang is not complete without at least having afternoon tea at 1885 or drinks in Farquhar’s Bar at this hotel legend.

It’s affordable! Also, this grand dame of heritage hotels has its own museum where you can learn more about its fascinating history and legendary guests (whose portraits adorn the walls). It’s all rather out-of-the-ordinary, elegant and boasting a huge seafront with pool. E & O also has a recently built Victory Annexe, where the classic timeless design of the hotel is reflected.

Immerse yourself in history by going all the way with a stay there, each suite offering the perfect invitation to step back into the refined elegance and colonial grandeur of a golden age, and which continues today as Penang seems to be facing a golden future.

Also for entrepreneurs Penang’s combination of work and various leisure options are clearly attractive. So called Digital nomads now frequent Penang, where downtown’s @CAT is the main place where one can rent a desk with internet access 24/7 - and meet peers. Initiated by Invest In Penang this collaborative co-working space also offer accelerator programme, including the Founder Institute Programme.

Managing Director Howie Chang explains it was started with the recognition that start-ups generate a lot of innovations, as a way to identify potential alternatives to the core industry here in Penang, plus the fact that potentially everywhere in the region is focusing on start-ups. “@CAT exists to be the catalyst to grow the start-up and technology eco-system in Penang. I believe in the potential in Penang. We have bright people but a lot of them are leaving Penang.

So we need to have exciting start-ups here, and @CAT is trying to make it easy for people to create start-ups, businesses, but more than that to also attract exciting start-ups to be based here to provide incentives for bright talents to stay on.”

46 ScandAsia • February 2018

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February 2018 • ScandAsia 47

Penang theme: The Häggmark expat family

Family-friendly Penang Mixed couple Daniel Häggmark (Monitor ERP System SEA MD) and his wife Yvette share insights into how life is for a family with young children in Penang.

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Photos and text: Joakim Persson hey have settled down, with their two children Olivia and Brandon in a semi-detached house in the high-end residential area of Straits Quay, incorporating the marina and seafront lifestyle mall.

The area they live in is also populated by other expats, including many retirees.

Daniel and Yvette met in Singapore in late 2009 and lived together there for three years. Then Monitor got their first customers in Penang and Daniel suggested to Yvette to tr y living there. “I had been to Straits Quay to look for apartments as I thought it looked so nice to live here. So we decided: ‘Let’s try to move to Penang.” remembers Daniel.

“We didn’t know anything about Penang when we moved here basically. We had been here a couple of times and the feeling was nice. When we moved here in the beginning of

48 ScandAsia • February 2018

2013 we were thinking to stay here a year and then move back to Singapore. But after a while we got to know the culture, the lifestyle and we liked it very much here so we decided to stay,” says Yvette.

“Having lived in Singapore for 6 years, I was used to the fast-paced life and the convenience of everything so when we first moved here, I was surprised at how laid-back the lifestyle here was. People seem to be not as stressed as compared to bigger cities. Penang is best known for its local food and here you can find great restaurants and hawkers everywhere, with very good food at a good price. It’s a mix of the old and the new. You have the charm of Georgetown with its heritage shop houses but there are also a number of huge shopping malls carrying popular brands so you get a perfect mix of everything.”

The selection have also improved: “It’s been a huge differ-

After a while we got to know the culture, the lifestyle and we liked it very much here so we decided to stay

ence in the last two years when it comes to nice small cafes, bars, nicer coffee shops etc.,” says Daniel. “Hipster cafes are booming,” Yvette fills in.

If anything, Daniel would like to see some nicer beachside venues, beach clubs, in Batu Ferringhi.

And for outdoor activities they find that they have lots of options, with a number of places for kids to have fun. ”Penang is very family friendly. You have the beach 20 minutes away; you have the Escape adventure play theme park and Entopia, housing a living outdoor garden and an indoor discovery center. Also a few outdoor parks and tracks for the nature lovers and some nice indoor playgrounds and waterparks are here,” she says.

“Cost of living is affordable and the quality of life is high.

Penang has good healthcare and medical facilities, a clean and safe living environment and with its tropical climate, it has

become a popular choice for expats and retirees over the years,” Daniel evaluates.

And education? “Our kids are already in school and play care. There are a number of reputable international schools here following British and American curriculums with high standards. The schools teach a few different languages aside from English which is the main language, such as Chinese and German. Malay is mandatory for locals but not for foreigners.

The pricing for international schools are much affordable,” says Yvette.

She also sees career opportunities for herself on the island: “The focus as of the moment is to take care of the kids as they are still young. But having a background in semiconductor engineering and manufacturing, the job opportunities here are good.”

February 2018 • ScandAsia 49

Life Style

The new Cube hotel is now featuring prominently in Bussorah Street with the nice blue canopy.

Sleepy Sam’s gone Cube Sleepy Sam’s, my favorite hostel in Singapore for many years, has undergone a major renovation. With new owners and a brand new concept, the place is now Cube!

Over the entrance it says Cube, but the Singapore Visitor Center is an important part of the concept.

50 ScandAsia • February 2018

The owners, Benedict Choa and his wife Sonia Anya, left, with Yunus, Eve and Cheryl. The success of the Cube will largely depend on the quality of the people, that Sonia and Benedict are able to attract. They have done great so far.

Breakfast is included. It is served buffet style in the kitchen, but you are welcome to bring your plate and coffee out on the porch where you can sit and watch locals hurry by getting ready for their busy days.

The wall to the left has six cubicles. If a curtain is down a person is sleeping inside. The strong iron bars are for climbing up into the upper beds. Below the lower beds you have a locker for your suitcase or backpack with a lock controlled by your key card.

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ube is a brand new mini-hotel concept in Singapore where your bed is a box that you enter from the foot end of your bed. It has a long list of advantages compared to the old traditional hostel, where your bed is separated from your neighbor’s by a curtain and an aisle. It also has a some disadvantages.

But let me first introduce you to Sleepy Sam. Her full name was actually Samantha but everybody called her Sam and she was the owner of a hostel in Bussorah Street named Sleepy Sam’s. I was faithful to her and stayed here for over ten years whenever I was in Singapore. I even kept coming back for years after she sold it to a Kiwi who renamed it Sleepy Kiwi - what a genius - because he kept key staff like the cleaner and the receptionist and we knew each other by first name. However, the Kiwi never spent money on maintenance so the last few times I stayed there, I was starting to question why I kept coming back?

Still, it was a bit of a shock when during my latest Singapore trip I stood in front of “my” Sleepy Sam’s and the sign now said Cube Boutique Capsule Hotel and Singapore Visitor Center. At first I thought I would go somewhere else, but then I got stubborn: This was my place in Singapore, never mind what name they would give it! It also helped that the building had clearly been totally renovated and I was curious to see what was left of the old place inside.

It was not going to be that easy, though. When I walked in, Cheryl at the reception apologized, but they were simply not ready yet. When she learned that I was going to stay for three nights she suggested, however, that I should find somewhere else to stay for the first two nights.Then I could come back for the third night and stay as a pioneer guest - possibly even at a good price if I wrote an email and explained my emotional attachment to the place.

So I did.

And what a change!

February 2018 • ScandAsia 51

Inside your cubicle, you will find up in the far right corner the ventilation grill and below that the lock for your safety cupboard.

In the middle is your table that can be folded up when you want to sleep.

The mirror makes your space seem bigger. Notice the two power outlets and the four USB outlets inside!

Next you have a second small cupboard and down by the entry to your nest you have the dimmer for the main light inside your cubicle. Above you is the reading spotlight.

Your bed seen from the entry. When you arrive, you will find a towel and slippers, a bottle of water and even a toothbrush set on the bed.

Cube is not only for single travelers. Next time I come, my wife will love this double bed.

There is absolutely nothing sleepy about Cube. It is smart, modern, cool and clean and hardly recognizable.

The interior of the building is divided into a number of rooms with each room carrying the name of one of the surrounding streets. Inside each room, you will find from 8 to 14 beds each in their own luxury capsule with everything a traveller needs.

Once inside, it feels like you are in an astronaut seat - all your controls are within arms reach. The reading light and smoke detector is right above you, to your side is a safe with own programmable lock, above it your air ventilation, next to the safe there is a a fold-down table and inside this there are two electric outlets - each of them even with two USB ports! Further down towards your feet there is another cupboard similar to your safe only without the lock and finally down by the rabbit hole entrance there is a curtain for your privacy and a dimmer for the main light in your capsule.

Your suitcase goes under your bed with a lock on the cabinet door and your shoes goes in another cupboard by the entrance to your room. All doors and cupboards are controlled by the single key card that you get when checking in.

And the main feature - the bed? Oh yes! The bed is soft

and comfortable with a thick duvet and the bedding includes two pillows. When you arrive, you will find a towel and slippers, a bottle of water and even a toothbrush set on the bed.

Sam would have loved the toilets which she was constantly struggling with. The renovated Cube toilets are completely hauled over! They include hot and cold shower behind a glass sliding door and the owners have thankfully installed the missing toilet sprays - something all five star hotels could learn from.

Breakfast is included. It is served buffet style in the kitchen, but you are welcome to bring your plate and coffee out on the porch where you can sit and watch locals hurry by getting ready for their busy days.

Is it better? Well, go back and read again from “And what a change”. Of course it is better! There is still a lower and an upper bed, but when you are sleeping in the lower bed, you no longer see the bulging underside of the mattress in the bed above you. And when you are sleeping in the upper bed, you no longer shake back and forth when the guy below you turns over. When you are brushing your teeth, you are no longer competing with the other guy about whose turn it is to use the sink while the water from the drain is leaking out on the floor. And when a young couple comes home late,

52 ScandAsia • February 2018

The Kiwi never spent money on maintenance so the last few times I stayed here, I was starting to question why I kept coming back?

you are no longer an involuntary witness to their romantic encounter.

But...?

Yes, oddly enough, I do actually miss the closeness which all these inconveniences forced upon us guests. I took the initiative to talk to a guest this morning over breakfast, and he was happy I did. He also missed the atmosphere of old style hostels that fosters guest-to-guest talks.

I mentioned this when I had an opportunity to talk to the owner, Benedict Choa and his wife Sonia Anya who were going over the many points on the last minute missing-list before the opening. They seemed surprised that doing away with the missing privacy of the old hostel concept could actually have a negative impact on the cherished interaction between the guests. And paradoxically, the wonderful cleanliness of the rooms and toilets could actually contribute to this.

Both Benedict and Sonia are very nice people; dynamic, charismatic and obviously successful. This Cube Capsule Boutique Hotel is their second in less than a year and more are already on the way. Soon the concept will be written into a franchise model and spread to other capitals of the region. The first Cube has achieved ISO certification. Money is seemingly not a problem.

I think the key to the future reputation and repeat visitor rate of the Cube will be much like the old Sleepy Sam’s - it will be in the hands of the people, they manage to attract. In particular the breakfast staff, but not only them. Here are a few examples: Yesterday, before he knew that I as going to write this article, one of the staff, Mr. Sadi, came out to me on the porch where I was sitting and offered me a bottle of cold water. He greeted me again this morning. I have mentioned the kind receptionist Cheryl and I also want to introduce the marketing manager Mr. Yunus, to you. And last but not least Eve, who is in charge of the Singapore Visitor Centre. This concierge service is an integrated part of the Cube business concept. All of them are clearly excited about being part of the Cube concept.

Last night Eve helped me finding an Internet cafe - a fast vanishing commodity in Singapore - and this morning she recommended me a great Italian restaurant for my business lunch meeting which was just around the corner.

None of them may remember me on my next visit, but a relationship is a two way street and I will be back here until they do.

February 2018 • ScandAsia 53

Style Chic The latest from Style & Chic, your guide to top design products and new releases, this time including some brands and online stores.

If you would like to have your brand/product featured, contact ScandAsia: joakim@scandmedia.com

Michael Kors

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uncommongoods.com

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eet spring with a new Michael Kors handbag!

The all-American designer Michael Kors is known for his luxurious, jet-setting fashions.

His colourful handbags have become a “must” for almost every woman.

M. Kor s compete mainly with labels like Marc Jacobs and Ralph Laurent. His handbags are genuine, made in leather and in several designs and colours.The collection available all over the world and at Airport shops as well. The prices are reasonable.

ooking for fun and special drink glasses?

If you need to increase your collection of drinking glasses, there are many oppor tunities.

Recommended is the online shop ‘uncommongoods’. Here you will find the latest arrival of all kind of drinking glasses e.g. the special designed red wine glasses or the colourful water or Whiskey glasses.These are only two of the many new arrivals. Can be shipped to almost everywhere. Prices are average.

Find stores via: www.michaelkors.com

www.uncommongoods.com

MUJI Aluminium Hard Carry Suitcase

Jimmy Choo shoes

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apanese home and travel goods brand MUJI has upped its offerings for its affordable luggage range by introducing an aluminium suitcase. The new models add sturdy and lightweight aluminium construction to the original Naoto Fukusawa design, and travellers can choose between a carry-on 34-liter version or a larger 60-liter version. Featuring side and top handles, a four-wheel system and dual TSA locks. www.muji.com.hk

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alaysian fashion designer Jimmy Choo has become a legendary brand for shoe lovers.The range of designs and colours is huge.These shoes are like, what a glove is to your hand, they fit every foot perfect and even the high heel shoes are comfortable. The leather is soft and the fancy décor on several shoes is fun.

This spring brings, among much more, tassels. This brand is not inexpensive, but the quality excellent and they last long. Jimmy Choo you will find almost everywhere in big cities.

Shop online via: row. jimmychoo.com/en/home

MØ: Danish pop artist visited Singapore

L

By Eva Eriksen ooking back on 2017, Danish Singer MØ (Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen) has had a chance to dig deeper into the artistry of music. She has been on the move for a long time and on November 26th she also stopped by Singapore to do her first ever concert there.The singer is amazed how pop music today embraces so many different cultures.

She is one of the biggest artists on the Danish music scene right now and has also made it big internationally. MØ debuted with her album “No Mythologies to Follow” in 2013.

Though 2017 also has included lots of touring and traveling, it has been a year for new projects: “I’ve started to come more in to my own creative world again. Having been the ‘talk of the town’ obviously you get sucked in to that, which is great but this year it has been nice to go back to the roots and back to the artistry of music,” the singer said.

MØ just released the EP “When I was young” with six new songs, written over the last four years and to MØ the EP has been a necessary transition, moving in to her second studio album.

“It is about how I felt during that process of time. But also in terms of moving forward because now I have my second album almost ready and I felt like I had to put something out where I reflect on what has been going on. It is a very heart filled EP and the whole story is just built from a place that feels good.”

The title “When I was young” reveals nostalgia – something that recurs in all the singer-songwriter’s songs, she explains.

“I think daydreaming and longing are emotions that are always in my songs in general. And the EP is again just really zoomed in on that feeling, so I think it’s just natural to my song writing.”

“It’s a super strong drive for me that search for whatever it is, and I am happy I have it even though it can be annoying sometimes because you’re never really satisfied.”

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n 2015, MØ won the European Border Breaker Award.The EBBA is given annually to ten emerging artists or groups who have reached audiences outside their own countries, and this is something that is significant to the singer: “The wider you can reach, the wider you can connect with people. And when I can connect with people I’ve never met on the other side of the planet, it gives me a super strong feeling of meaning – and that is priceless.”

Comparing audiences around the world, MØ finds there are more similarities than differences. In that way, doing a concert is a universal experience.The differences she notices

are usually smaller things like for how long an audience clap after each song or how much people use their phones during the concert.

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owever, it is not only during a concert people unify.

MØ thinks in general that mainstream pop music has become more acceptant of different cultures: “If you listen to pop songs nowadays there are elements from all over the world mixed together into a new form of mainstream pop music.”

Her own single collaboration with Major Lazer “Lean On” is one example. The video for the song was shot in India. At the time, Major Lazer was touring in India so it made sense to shoot the video there.

“It is one of those happy beautiful coincidences that in a way reflect on the lifestyle, where we are both travelling the world, and then you meet in one place and do the video because this is where we are,” the singer explained. “I think we live in a world where it is all getting so connected and especially in this creative industry where you see how everybody gets inspired and feels inspired from everywhere and mix it all together to make it a bit their own. It is all melting butter.”

February 2018 • ScandAsia 55

Human resources

The future is here:

Digital recruitment improvements Recruitment is evolving where improvements could certainly be beneficial to both those hiring and those seeking a job match. This is already happening, as new tools are now available, thanks to some creative start-ups.

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By Joakim Persson

hat better place to look for those driving the change than at one of the region’s leading start-up summits, Techsauce! In ‘Future of Work and Death of Recruitment: How Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics will disrupt Human Resources’ a panel of start-ups presented their services and thoughts: Alexander Kerbo, Executive Director at WorkVenture; Polpat Songthamjitt, Co-founder & Chief Marketing Officer of GetLinks; and Devan Singaram, Founder at Tribehired.com.

56 ScandAsia • February 2018

Work Venture

Alexander presented Thailand-based Work Venture as a career marketplace. They have a vision is to become the link between educational institutions and starting students fulfilling careers.

“We spent two years developing and AI algorithm, using data science and big data, creating a more seamless experience around it both for candidates and employers.”

“What we did, was to create the fastest job search website and brought the Google aspect into job searching. So the

From left: Devan Singaram,Tribehired.com; Polpat Songthamjitt, GetLinks; Alexander Kerbo, Work Venture; Uptin Saiidi, moderator, CNBC International most relevant jobs based on your profile will be suggested to you. It also works for employers. Within 48 hours you’ve got the most relevant 15 CV’s, apart from the applications you will get naturally.”

“Why would you search the database today when the technology can do it for you? Like going to the library and going through archives to find a certain article, when there’s no need.”

“There’s always a human aspect to recruitment. But technology helps us make it more effective and saves tons of time and money for all organisations.”

“The paradigm that is going to happen in Thailand is that Human resources will simply spend less time hiring and more time retaining and developing talent, which is not happening supposedly where it should be right now at organisations of sizes.”

“The biggest culprit is turnover. A McKinsey & Company survey found that 60 per cent of candidates reported they hadn’t found the right job. At the same time 76 per cent of companies think they have wrong candidates coming in, which is quite ironic; how can the problem be so two-sided at the same time! So, there is a lack of information; transparency what it’s like to work in an organisation. That brings us to employer branding. Work Venture is one of the first companies to pioneer that into Thailand. And once you get the right people into the right companies with that culture fit, with the same mind-set and values; then you’re really doing a good job for the economy as a whole.”

“There’s no information that compares the companies.

Job seekers have no idea what is the difference. There is no

way to peak inside and read up about it; reviews, salary data etc. A survey showed that Thailand was the second highest employee turnover in the world – which is ridiculous.”

GetLinks

GetLinks–so far on the markets in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, India and Korea–is a quality-curated techhiring marketplace for Asia aiming at helping the tech talents (developers, designers etc.) in Asia to break into their dream jobs in top innovative companies and start-ups and to help those companies to find the right people to grow their business. It is also relevant for organisations’ digital transformation strategy needs.

“It’s about advanced creation. One third of your time is spent working, so we believe it has been matched randomly in the past. But now with all the technology, and algorithms we developed, we can shorten those times in the creation process. And from the perspective of the employers, for executives and recruiters, it shows them only the relevant candidates. For us the first sector we try to tackle is the technology talent, which we believe are the people that will build the new world.”

“So it is not about recruiting but about connecting people.

I believe people with no purpose will be matched to all the tools where it is chosen for you. But the meaningful thing for me is that you are going to choose yourself; you’ve got to make sure you acquire those skills you want to learn,” he anticipated the future.

Commenting on the role of AI and machine learning Polpat said: “In face one all these fancy tools will be supporting February 2018 • ScandAsia 57

Hr: My current assignment

in terms of optimising recruitment, so it will clean up from bottom to the top. All the admin and documentary work will be wiped out. Two: all the fresh grads and lower tiers hiring, including operational admin, will be taken care of by the system, because AI is already smarter than humans. On top of the pyramid there will be lots of astute professionals. That is where, in terms of talent in Asia and around the world you are going to have to position yourself; to have a skill where a robot or AI cannot replace you.”

TribeHired

TribeHired is an online social recruitment platform that helps users find jobs within companies in Malaysia and Singapore.

The hiring process is made painless, cheaper and without the spam that is typically mixed together with genuine applications.

“Good talent is very hard to come by and requires lots of time and effort. TribeHired tries to remove the friction between the company and great talent by offering 20 top new talents on the system every week.”

This talent has gone through rigorous filtering process to be pre-packaged for organisations that can quickly see whether they fit requirements and company culture. So this happens prior to any interview.

“We flip the recruitment model; out of a thousand signing up and we approve about 5 per cent of them on to this exclusive marketplace. We get employers to compete in that way,” said Devan Singaram.

“Typically, organisations hire within one week, while previously they were hiring in 3-6 months.”

“Would it not be very cool if within 30 seconds you were to open a URL and book an interview with a programmer who could turn up in your office next week!? And no need to post a job as an employer. You click update button and it will show you the graphic designers, you will view their video so you know they will fit you culturally well, you can see their technical test, you click a button and set a date and they will turn up in your office,” he exemplifies.

For all those who are rejected TribeHired use AI tools to recommend them workshops in their neighbourhood they should attend to improve their skills.

“In many ways it is economically cheaper and a lot more efficient than what people can do so, eventually, if you can build a model and create an algorithm around it then you can replace people, businesses will do it – because it is cheaper,” Devan comments on AI. 58 ScandAsia • February 2018

Stefan Lembring Previous position: COO for Krusell (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (13 years) New position: Operations Manager for Latitude 1 Maritime Co. Ltd, that offers worldwide turnkey electrical and mechanical solutions for the cruise ship industry.

The new position is covering the operations in the company. That include finance, HR, purchasing, marketing, warehouse operation and to implement a new ERP computer system that cover our worldwide operation.

What is/will be most challenging with your new position?

The challenge will be to make the company grow and establish itself as one of the major maritime contracting companies in the industry. I believe the key to do that is to take the advantage of our strategic location in Asia, skilled technicians and our long experience in the industry. The challenges we have is the cooperation between or offices/warehouses with both the 12 hours’ time difference between Asia and US, and different working cultures.

Who should contact you in your new position?

Anyone that would like to know more about how we could cooperate in projects in the maritime business, in Asia and the rest of the world.

How is working in Asia different from back home in your profession?

I have been living and working in Thailand for more than 20 years, so it’s very hard for me to answer that question.

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February 2018 • ScandAsia 59

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