FCCS Focus Spring 2012 by The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

Focus

The Magazine of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

Spring 2012

www.fccsingapore.com

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

FOCUS MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

June 2012

EDITORIAL

SHORT NEWS

FOCUS MAGAZINE

French Companies in Singapore

June 2012

France 24 Now Available in Singapore on Singtel France 24 French version will be available on channel 40 and the English channel on channel 41.

SHORT NEWS

France 24 Now Available in Singapore on Singtel A New Success for French Company Logic Instrument Alstom to Supply the Trackwork for the Extension of the East-West Metro Line Thales Awarded Signalling Contracts for N-S, E-W Lines and Tuas West Extension Delta Dore, Building Management System Contractor for Singapore Sports Hub Flam’s – France Number One Tarte Flambée – Finally Makes its Appearance in Asia

04 04 05 05 06 06

COVER STORY - SINGAPORE, A VIBRANT BUSINESS HUB

A Growing Business Hub Singapore: Hospitable For Business Singapore, a Gateway to Key Market From Singapore to the World An Attractive Port of Call Redefining the Future of Construction with Innovative IT Singapore, a Springboard for Asia Singapore, a Hub for the Grands Crus of Bordeaux? Paul Chooses Singapore for its First Flagship Store in Southeast Asia An Efficient Platform Towards Sustainable Manufacturing Schneider Electric Chooses Singapore to Set Up its Energy Efficient Hub A Premier Education Hub Towards a New Arts Hub

09 10 12 14 16 19 20 22 23 24 26 28 30

CSR BEST PRACTICES

Join Hands for a More Sustainable Economy Guidebook for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility The FCCS Engages its Members on CSR A Great Success for the Second Edition of Working Together Forum

32 33 34 36

FCCS HR & TRAINING SERVICES

FCCS BUSINESS SERVICES

Newly Set Up Companies Third Edition of the French Pavillon @ IDEM 2012 Upcoming Exhibitions in Singapore

41 42 43

FCCS CLUB EVENTS

CEO Series Committee Asia Committee Energy & Infrastructure Committee Sustainability Committee Entrepreneurs Committee HR Committee R&D Committee ICT Committee Marketing & Communication Committee Luxury & Premium Retail Committee Finance Committee Tax & Legal Committee French Chambers in Asia FCCS Events FCCS New Members FCCS Privilege Card

44 44 45 46 46 47 48 48 49 49 50 50 51 52 54 56

Thanks to this new agreement, France 24 expands its distribution throughout Asia where its distribution grew by some 10 million households in 2011. For Frank Melloul, Head of Strategy and Development of the Audiovisual Extérieur de la France: "Singapore is an essential economic hub and our agreement with SingTel, a leading telecommunications operator in Asia, is extremely strategic. By proposing our English version as a basic offer and the French version "à la carte", we now offer easy access to France 24 to all English speakers and French expatriates in Singapore." F France 24 has concluded a new distribution agreement in Asia on Singtel, the largest telecommunications company in Singapore.

France 24 English version is now available 24/7 to 350,000 households via the MiO offer, while the French version will be available "à la carte" for S$ 9.90 per month.

TOP French Presenter Ms Judith Grimaldi

A New Success for French Company Logic Instrument delivery of 700 Fieldbook A1 to integrated them in the ACMS program. This innovative combat system developed by ST Electronics on behalf of the Singapore Armed Forces is designed to allow soldiers to share data in real time and remotely control their equipment. ACMS thus optimises the communication between sections by providing them with key tools such as a tablet pc, a personal radio, a keyboard and a virtual helmet communication, among others.

Logic Instrument, a French manufacturer of rugged mobile computer, announced a new order of 700 Fieldbook A1 from ST Electronics (Info-Comm Systems). Designed for harsh environments, these rugged tablets are integrated in the ACMS (Advanced Combat Man System) programme in Singapore. Through this ad, Logic Instrument conﬁrms on the one hand the growth of its international activity

and on the other hand, the success of the Fieldbook tablet, that was previously chosen by the Ministry of Interior of Azerbaijan to equip their police cars. Thanks to its know-how and experience on the market, followed by an initial order for 100 tablets in late 2011 as part of a pilot phase, Logic Instrument has deﬁnitely been selected by ST Electronics for the

The delivery of the 700 Fieldbook A-series tablet pcs amounted to $S2.3M will take place during the second half of 2012. "We rely on a more massive deployment of our solution in the future, knowing that an army generally has more than 700 soldiers and the ACMS is part of C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence) increasingly deployed in all the armies in the world," says Jacques Gebran, CEO Logic Instrument. F

COVER STORY

FOCUS MAGAZINE

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

June 2012

Towards a New Arts Hub By Christine Cant, Arts Consultant, Opera Gallery Singapore

Opera Gallery opened its doors in Singapore in 1994 at the initiative of Gilles Dyan. Today, the team boasts more than 35 individuals from all walks of life, all sharing the same life-time passion: art in general and contemporary art, in particular. A passion that they strive to communicate to connoisseurs and novices alike.

Singapore has seen some great developments in the creative sector in the last ten years and is forming a network of visual arts relationships and gateways that were somewhat unprecedented decades ago. Patrons of the arts in the city have increased in numbers. This is partly due to the active interest in public airing of monumental art and sculpture. Crucially, art has now begun to become integrated into the city’s framework, which was from the offset a signiﬁcant and positive move for cultivating Singapore as an arts hub. Furthermore, Singapore has an intimacy that comforts and nurtures its artists and buyers and coupled with the increase in numbers of the young and wealthy, the arts really are receiving an exciting boost. It is in the interest of Opera Gallery to assist in cultivating Singapore as the arts hub of South East Asia. Having established

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Opera Gallery's rapid growth in the centre of the Asian firmament is testament to the burgeoning demand for high quality art.

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the first Opera Gallery in Singapore in 1994, and after eighteen years in business worldwide, the developments that Opera’s team have witnessed have been so very encouraging, and as a result of this creative positivity in the market, we relocated to the eminent ION Orchard mall and opened the largest of all of our 12 galleries worldwide. Singapore city now teems with public sculpture, such monumental sculptures as the robust figures of Fernando Botero and the enigmatic effigies of Salvador Dali, and it is these striking and recognisable public works

CSR BEST PRACTICES The FCCS Engages its Members on CSR

that visitors from overseas pick up on and recognise instantly. Opera Gallery's rapid growth in the centre of the Asian ﬁrmament is testament to the burgeoning demand for high quality art by collectors of the region of Southeast Asia. While the prestige of Opera Gallery rests signiﬁcantly on its supply of high value contemporary European paintings and sculptures, the gallery is also known for its forward stance in spotting market trends on the global scale. With the knowledge of Singapore’s growing government

FOCUS MAGAZINE June 2012

Join Hands for a More Sustainable Economy Among our 14 business-oriented committees, we have a dynamic Sustainability Committee. This Committee acts as a platform for discussion among members involved in Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility and aims at promoting our members’ expertise in this topic, developing co-operation between Singaporean and French companies, exchanging information and encouraging synergies and business opportunities in the region. This year, the Committee developed and launched a Sustainability Charter signed by 32 companies. This FCCS Sustainability Charter is a commitment at the local level to promote sustainability, share, link with other organisations and undertake projects in Singapore and in the region. Every activity is on a voluntary basis (except communicating a Best Practice every year). F

RIGHT FCCS Sustainability Charter and Signatories BELOW LEFT Mr Yves Laforge, Managing Director, SDV Logistics Singapore BELOW RIGHT Ofﬁcial Ceremony at the French Residence

FCCS CLUB EVENTS FCCS Events

FOCUS MAGAZINE June 2012

Our Networking Events There is no better time to start building long-term business relationships. Come and meet new people and new members in a relaxed atmosphere. Our networking events are a great opportunity to meet with other professionals across different industries.

Galette des Rois 2012 The French Business Community could not miss its traditional Galette des Rois! We have been following this French tradition of celebrating the Epiphany for several years now, and for the 2012 celebration, we were successful again with more than 90 participants! Our guests enjoyed a nice cheese and cold cuts buffet with a free ﬂow of cider and of course the famous king’s pie! Held at Wine Connection at Cuppage Terrace, the event allowed our members and their guests to network in a nice and relaxed outdoor environment. We are already looking forward to the next Galette des Rois! But in the meantime we have plenty other networking events to mingle and have fun! F

Business + Gastronomy = FCCS Monthly Luncheons! Every ﬁrst Friday of each month, the FCCS organises a business luncheon in a French restaurant, every time in a new venue with a different menu. These informal networking sessions create excellent opportunities to develop new contacts and exchange ideas on business issues while enjoying some great French food. Our last three luncheons took place at Hédiard, le Picotin Bistro & Bar and Brasserie Les Saveurs at St Regis Hotel. Check on www.fccsingapore.com our next business luncheons and broaden your network! F

FCCS PATRON MEMBERS

FOCUS MAGAZINE June 2012

The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore would like to thank its Patron Members for their continuous support.

FCCS Focus Magazine is published by the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (FCCS). The views and opinions expressed in its columns do not necessarily reflect those of the FCCS members and management.

director of publication Carine Lespayandel chief editor Nicolas Avril editorial contributor Virginia Ng design & layout Nirina Ragomaharisoa Florence Baret

advertising Nicolas Avril Florence Baret colour separation & printing NPE Print Communications Pte Ltd

June 2012 4,000 copies MICA (P) N째045/09/2010

THE FRENCH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN SINGAPORE 541 Orchard Road #09-01 Liat Towers Singapore 238881 Tel: +65 6735 5523 Fax: +65 6735 5394 www.fccsingapore.com info@fccsingapore.com

FOCUS MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL

June 2012

A Gateway to Asia & Beyond nvesting in the Asian region has become a priority for many French companies, whether large corporations or SMEs.

After almost 10 years of working at the French Chamber of Commerce, I am particularly struck by the rise of Singapore and its growing power of attraction for French companies who are willing to explore or expand their presence in this part of the world. Singapore’s extremely dynamic business environment mirrors exactly what the FCCS is currently going through: a great period of growth and development. Our membership base reaching a record level of 470 company members is a testament to this. At the heart of Asia Paciﬁc growth engine, the globally connected, multi-cultural and cosmopolitan City-State offering an environment of conduciveness has become for many French companies, a preferred business destination and a gateway to Asia. With its probusiness environment, its competitive advantages are numerous: logistical ease, extensive network of agreements, business-friendly tax structure, respect for Intellectual Property, sustained supply of Human Resources, R & D infrastructure among others. The Business Support department of the FCCS plays an active role in facilitating market access for French ﬁrms at-

tracted by the City State. It offers various business-matching opportunities through trade missions and events like tradeshows and the “Working Together Forum”. Last but not least, our business center will soon be revamped to welcome more freshly arrived companies. You will ﬁnd in this edition of Focus, various testimonies from large and small French companies that chose Singapore as their Regional or even Global headquarters. Each has different reasons for selecting Singapore but they all enjoy the same dynamic business environment which is probably the best in Asia.

Carine Lespayandel Executive Director, The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

FOCUS MAGAZINE

SHORT NEWS

June 2012

French Companies in Singapore

France 24 Now Available in Singapore on Singtel France 24 French version will be available on channel 40 and the English channel on channel 41. Thanks to this new agreement, France 24 expands its distribution throughout Asia where its distribution grew by some 10 million households in 2011. For Frank Melloul, Head of Strategy and Development of the Audiovisual Extérieur de la France: "Singapore is an essential economic hub and our agreement with SingTel, a leading telecommunications operator in Asia, is extremely strategic. By proposing our English version as a basic offer and the French version "à la carte", we now offer easy access to France 24 to all English speakers and French expatriates in Singapore." F France 24 has concluded a new distribution agreement in Asia on Singtel, the largest telecommunications company in Singapore.

France 24 English version is now available 24/7 to 350,000 households via the MiO offer, while the French version will be available "à la carte" for S$ 9.90 per month.

TOP French Presenter Ms Judith Grimaldi

A New Success for French Company Logic Instrument delivery of 700 Fieldbook A1 to integrated them in the ACMS programme. This innovative combat system developed by ST Electronics on behalf of the Singapore Armed Forces is designed to allow soldiers to share data in real time and remotely control their equipment. ACMS thus optimises the communication between sections by providing them with key tools such as a tablet pc, a personal radio, a keyboard and a virtual helmet communication, among others.

FOCUS MAGAZINE

SHORT NEWS

June 2012

French Companies in Singapore

A Contract Worth €40 Million: Alstom to Supply the Trackwork for the Extension of the East-West Metro Line The Land Transport Authority of Singapore has awarded Alstom a contract for the East-West metro line extension – known as the Tuas West extension – worth around €40 million. Tuas West extension works include the design, supply and installation of a 7.5 km double track on viaduct and aluminium 3rd rail, 4 elevated stations, plus the track in the Tuas depot which consists of 18.5 km of single track, mainly in ballast. The construction of the trackwork is scheduled for completion in 2016. Following its completion, Joo Koon station will be connected to Tuas Link station. The Tuas West extension is set to serve 100,000 passengers a day and reduce travelling time by up to 35 minutes. Alstom has been present in Singapore since 1964 and is a key player in the local

market, having participated in the construction of key railway projects such as the North-East Line (NEL) and the Circle Line (CCL), the world’s longest automatic underground metro. It is currently constructing the trackwork for Downtown Line phase 1 & 2, Singapore’s 5th MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) line, including the stabling tracks for the Gali Batu Depot which will provide its maintenance services.

customers’ needs for today and tomorrow”, declared Dominique Pouliquen, Alstom Transport Senior Vice President for Asia Paciﬁc. F

The company employs nearly 500 people with almost 40% in the Transport sector – the majority as engineers and technician – providing important local expertise in electriﬁcation, signalling, safety and railway telecommunications. “Our success in Singapore demonstrates our commitment to remain competitive whilst ensuring that we meet our

Thales Awarded Signalling Contracts for Singapore North-South, East-West Lines and Tuas West Extension For an amount of €142 million, Thales will enhance efﬁciency of 100 km of Singapore’s metro lines. Thales has been selected by Singapore’s largest rail operator SMRT Corporation Ltd to supply its world-leading SelTrac Commu-

nications-Based Train Control (CBTC) re-signalling solution for the North-South and East-West lines, for an amount of €118 million. The two lines combined are more than 100 km long and serve 54 stations. The Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA) has also awarded a €24 million contract for the signalling of the Tuas West Extension comprising 4 stations for the future EastWest line extension. The entire new sign aling system is expected to be operational by 2018. Mr Khoo Hean Siang, SMRT Executive Vice President for Trains, said: “This is a massive project on a working line and will involve very close coordination between SMRT, Thales and the authorities. All necessary care will be taken to ensure the work is carried out safely and with minimum inconvenience to commuters. Works will be carried out during non-passenger service hours.” Ian Woodroofe, Vice President of Thales

Solutions Asia, explains : “We are proud to add Singapore to our broad list of world cities beneﬁting from SelTrac CBTC technology. Our advanced signalling solution will assist SMRT and LTA to better manage the increasing demand in ridership on two of its busiest lines over the next decade. The award of these new contracts by SMRT and LTA demonstrates the acknowledged expertise and experience of Thales intransportation systems. It further reinforces Thales’s worldwide leading position on the CBTC market.” The re-signalling contract is part of SMRT and LTA’s plan to improve the public transport system, as growing population and new developments along rail axes have led to the increase of passengers trafﬁc in the Singapore metro network. The addition of new trains and the enhancement of the signalling system will ease the congestion along the two lines especially during peak periods. F

SHORT NEWS

FOCUS MAGAZINE

French Companies in Singapore

June 2012

Delta Dore, Awarded as Building Management System Contractor for the Future Singapore Sports Hub Delta Dore, as a specialist in energy and comfort management dedicated to all commercial buildings, and BYME (subsidiary of Bouygues Construction) signed a contract for supplying Building Management System for the Singapore Sports Hub. The sports and leisure park which will be fully built by Dragages Singapore extends over 35 hectares. One of the only few stadium in the world to be air cooled and surrounded by 9 others buildings. Due to be completed by April 2014, this S$1.33 billion project is envisioned to be a fully integrated sports, entertainment and lifestyle hub for everyone in Singapore. It will be Singapore’s premier land and water sports centre with integrated programming. To summarise, 450.000 sqm to be built for 25 years long Public-

Private-Partnership. This PPP was signed in August 2010 between Singapore Sports Council and Sports Hub Pte Ltd. Marcel Torrents, CEO of Delta Dore comments: “We are proud to take part in such huge project. This contract shows how relevant our solutions are and it demonstrates our capacity to be awarded, even on the biggest international tenders. This is a remarkable opportunity for Delta Dore and it celebrates our position as a key player in Building Management Systems industry. This is also a big challenge full of promises for us. It allows us to penetrate the Asian market. The Singapore Sports Hub will become a reference and it will showcase our expertise in all Asia.” After several months of waiting, Delta Dore

has been awarded on this project to design and build the full integrated software and hardware solution to control all building and energy services on this site. Delta Dore’s mission is to control and monitor all selected equipments at their best, regardless of the brands and no matters which communication open protocol to be used. More than 6,500 devices are to be connected on this custom-made system. From air conditioning systems to movable roof through sports lighting control, a very intuitive and eco friendly interface will allow Sports Hub maintenance teams to ensure the full control of their buildings. Delta Dore Pte Ltd, started its operations in June 2011 in Singapore with Christophe Venot who implemented a team of 10 to 15 people to ensure the success of this project. After construction phase, Delta Dore shall propose to Sports Hub contractor all future services like Maintenance, Energy monitoring and continuous improvement on this site. F LEFT Sports Hub Pte Ltd - DP Architectes, Singapore Sports Council

Flam’s – France Number One Tarte Flambée – Finally Makes Its Appearance in Asia It has taken 23 years, but it is ﬁnally here: since April, Flam’s is in Singapore. Located on the second ﬂoor of Orchard Central, Flam’s is France’s number one Tarte Flambée restaurant chain, with branches in the capital Paris and major cities such as Strasbourg and Grenoble since 1989. Also known as Flammekueche, Tarte Flambée is a traditional dish from the Alsace region dating back to the 18th century. The Flammekueche is a unique French dish. Legend says that it was invented by the farmers from the Alsace region in the

east of France who used to bake their own bread at home. The Flammekueche was prepared beforehand and used to test the heat of the wood-ﬁred oven. The embers would be pushed aside to make room to the pie in the middle of the oven, and the intense heat would bake the Flammekueche in only 2 or 3 minutes. Traditionally, the thin crust is in the shape of a rectangle, like the bakers’ oven wooden shovel. Founded in 1989 by Eric Senet and Franck Riehm in the town of Strasbourg in the Alsace region, Flam’s is the one and only Flammekueche specialist from France. But Flam’s is not only just about the Tarte

Flambée; it serves a range of traditional dishes from all over France, such as Spaetzle, or typical Alsatian noodles, and offers a selection of affordable wines from Alsace. F

COVER STORY Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

FOCUS MAGAZINE June 2012

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

FOCUS MAGAZINE

COVER STORY

June 2012

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

A Growing Business Hub Singapore, home to nearly 40,000 international companies, represents a perfect gateway to Asia and beyond.

A GROWING FRENCH BUSINESS COMMUNITY In this fast-growing context, the French business community keeps growing in Singapore. At the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (FCCS), we clearly see the growing attraction of Singapore. We now have a network of over 470 company and individual members, an increase of 12% from last year.

A STRONG POWER OF ATTRACTION BASED ON A SOLID LEGAL FRAMEWORK

are one of the busiest in the world. They offer a choice of 200 shipping lines with links to some 600 ports in 123 countries.

There are many reasons why global companies choose Singapore to set up their regional headquarters. For instance, companies beneﬁt from a solid legal framework with Singapore’s network of over 65 comprehensive Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements.

…WHICH KEEPS ATTRACTING

They also gain from Singapore’s many Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and the 39 Investment Guarantee Agreements. These FTAs have enable Singapore to establish a network to countries that contribute at least 60% of global GDP. In addition to the competitive Corporate Tax Rate of 17%, the other dimension to take into account is the intellectual property. Thanks to its strong intellectual property laws, Singapore is ranked second in the world and ﬁrst in Asia for having the best protection of intellectual property.

AN ADVANTAGEOUS GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION... Singapore has built on its advantageous geographical location to become one of the world’s top transportation hubs for sea and air cargo. Singapore’s container ports

Singapore, being the world's easiest place to do business for the third year in a row, also attracts a lot of French entrepreneurs. The French entrepreneurs joining the FCCS represent 20% of our members.

The Singapore Tourism Board has projected visitor arrivals to be between 13.5 and 14.5 million this year, an increase of up to 10% from 2011. In terms of tourism receipts, it is projected to reach S$23 billion to S$24 billion, an increase of up to 8% from last year.

In this context, our Business Support department is also more and more solicited with: • 30 company set ups of French companies in Singapore in 2011. • 50 days of business missions. • 3 French pavilions in major tradeshows with over 50 French exhibiting companies. • A growing business centre which keeps attracting new companies.

Thanks to its world-class airport, the record for passenger trafﬁc was once again broken with the arrival of 46.5 million passengers via more than 300,000 aircraft movements in 2011.

Singapore, through its various assets, represents a vibrant business hub, willing to diversify its economy and to keep attracting new businesses. We at the FCCS are here to assist you! F

Singapore Is The World's Easiest Place To Do Business

Singapore Is Ranked First In Asia For Having The Best Protection Of Intellectual Property

Economy

2012 Rank

2011 Rank

Ranking

Singapore

Finland

6.2

Hong Kong

Singapore

6.1

Country

Index

New Zealand

Switzerland

6.1

United States

Sweden

6.0

Denmark

France

5.8

Source: The Global Competitiveness Report 20112012, World Economic Forum

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COVER STORY

June 2012

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

Singapore: Hospitable For Business By Evan Lewis, Vice President Communications - Accor Asia Paciﬁc

French hotel group Accor explain their decision to move their regional headquarters to Singapore; the link between the local tourism sector and their product offering; and why Singapore’s green initiatives matter.

Accor is the largest operator of hotels and resorts in Asia-Pacific. By the time this article goes to print, the group will operate more than 500 hotels with over 93,500 guest rooms in 16 countries in the region. The group is the number one international hotel operator (by network size) in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and South Korea. Accor is one of the few hospitality companies whose comprehensive offering spans from budget to luxury and in Asia-Pacific this portfolio includes six unique brands (Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure and ibis).

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO REGIONAL HUB Accor’s history in Asia-Pacific began 30 years ago, with the opening of its first hotel, Novotel Orchid, here in Singapore. That hotel is no longer a part of Accor’s network, however its presence here created an attachment to the city state that served to anchor the group’s growth in the region. In the early days, it was not uncommon for the group to open one or possibly two hotels in the region each year, a far cry from the over 100 hotels that Accor will add to the network in 2012. In 1998, Accor opened an office in Bangkok, for the first time establishing full-time regional support presence in the region. Previously, Accor’s Asia-Pacific network was managed out of Los Angeles, with a small presence in Hong Kong that focused primarily on growth in China and North Asia. To cope with the rapid growth the region was experiencing in the 1990s and early 2000s, Accor established its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Sydney before relocating this office to Singapore in 2008.

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With its central location, excellent infrastructure and business-friendly climate, Singapore represented an ideal hub.

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The move from Sydney to Singapore was predicated by the fact that, increasingly, the group’s growth was taking place in Asia. With its central location, excellent infrastructure and business-friendly climate, Singapore represented an ideal hub for managing this growth and for bringing the company’s leadership team closer to the future expansion of the business.

With its status as a regional ﬁnancial and business hub, high quality attractions and world-class events, Singapore’s tourism sector has experienced rapid growth. For 2012, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) forecasts S$23 to S$24 billion in tourism receipts and 13.5 to 14.5 million visitor arrivals, up from the record 13.2 million visitors and S$22.2 million in tourism income that were achieved in 2011.

Michael Issenberg, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer for Accor Asia-Pacific comments, “We weighed several options when choosing where to establish our regional corporate office, including Shanghai, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Eventually, we decided on Singapore as it offered our employees a good balance professionally and personally – providing regular and efficient access to our key markets, while also delivering a high quality of life, world-class schools and an excellent public transport network. Further, I was constantly struck by how easy it was to establish and infrastructure our business here in Singapore – we were easily able to scale from what began as more or less the leadership team to an office that now employs 62.”

This translates into strong results for the hospitality industry, with average occupancy rates for Singapore hotels hovering around 86% in 2011. Indeed, all four of Accor’s Singapore properties achieve average occupancy rates exceeding 90%.

DESTINATION SINGAPORE In addition to Singapore’s business-friendly climate and convenient location in the heart of Asia-Paciﬁc, Accor cites the robust growth of Singapore’s tourism industry as a good reason for being based here.

Singapore attracts a diverse mix of travellers – leisure and business, economy to luxury, from the region and around the world. Accor’s four Singapore properties already cater to a large portion of the Singapore market, with Grand Mercure Roxy and Novotel Clarke Quay drawing upscale business and leisure travellers and Ibis Bencoolen and Ibis Novena catering to the rapidly expanding international economy sector. In addition to its robust inbound market, Singapore also represents a major outbound market for hotel operators, in Asia-Paciﬁc and beyond. Accor seeks to capitalise on its strong reputation in the local market to steer both business and leisure travelers from Singapore to choose its properties whenever they travel.

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COVER STORY

June 2012

SOFITEL SO: A NEW LUXURY PRODUCT IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISCTRICT (CDB) In 2013, Accor will complement its offering in the city, with the addition of Sofitel So Singapore, a luxury property located in the heart of the CBD, within walking distance of the Marina Bay area and many of the city’s attractions. The announcement comes at a time when the Singapore hospitality landscape is poised to swell, with an expected 7,800 new rooms – roughly 16% of current supply – being added by the end of 2015. Apart from embodying Sofitel’s signature French luxury and elegance, each Sofitel So expresses the very essence of its destination. Sofitel So Singapore will blend design, pleasure, style and personality with a chic Singaporean twist. Housed in an iconic building with neo-classical façade, near the Lau Pa Sat Festival Market, the hotel will feature 134 guestrooms with 23 suites equipped with cutting edge technology and a uniquely designed theme representing modern Singapore while preserving the building's heritage. “The first Sofitel hotel in Singapore, Sofitel So Singapore marks a significant milestone in the group’s expansion into

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

one of the world’s most dynamic and vibrant destinations,” said Markland T. Blaiklock, Senior Vice President, Sofitel Asia-Pacific. “Singapore is the hub of Southeast Asia where cultures converge and generate great enthusiasm for both commercial and tourism opportunities. Being the destination of choice for both leisure and corporate travellers from all around the world, we see an ever growing demand for world-class accommodation options, especially in the city centre.” With its balance of business vs. leisure, modern vs. traditional, technology vs. style – Sofitel So in a way reflects Accor’s business strategy, especially for AsiaPacific. In order to front the demands for new and relevant products in markets with strong domestic opportunities, Accor is adapting its products to best serve the needs of guests. One example of this is Mei Jue, Accor’s recently announced upscale hotel brand for China, where the globally represented Mercure brand has been adapted to local market opportunities. Graham Wilson, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Accor in AsiaPacific says, “The hotel landscape in Asia-Pacific is constantly changing and to remain competitive companies like Accor need to adapt. Mei Jue is a good example

of a strategy designed to meet the needs of new and emerging customers while, at the same time, shoring up Accor’s ability to grow and meet the expansion opportunity in the upscale hotel category.“

SINGAPORE AND GREEN BUSINESS Accor also finds Singapore to be complementary to its own goals of operating more sustainably, reflected in Planet 21, the group’s sustainable development programme. Singapore has a number of green growth schemes that encourage businesses to build and operate more efficiently. As an island state with limited natural resources and a growing population, Singapore realised early on that it must promote sustainable business. Accor’s Planet 21 programme is well aligned with Government initiatives such as BCA Green Mark programme and the Public Utility Board’s recently-launched water and energy efficiency labels Accor hotels in Singapore have been proactive in reducing their environmental footprint and continue to identify new ways of operating more efficiently and including our guests in this journey. F BELOW Sofitel So Singapore

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June 2012

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

Singapore, a Gateway to Key Markets By Peter Sant, Managing Director, Rémy Cointreau, Global Travel Retail Rémy Cointreau is a French-based group that produces & distributes alcoholic products under 3 main segments: Cognac, Liquors & Spirits and Champagne. Once again in 2011, the group recorded remarkable double-digit growth in value, due to the continued move upmarket and the excellent performance of premium cognacs, particularly in Asia. THE PREMIUM LINK BETWEEN HERITAGE AND MODERN BUSINESS The Rémy Cointreau brands are increasingly regarded as worldwide benchmarks for premium wines and spirits by elite customers, with solid product reputations resulting from strong traditions which have been meticulously upheld since the beginning. By nurturing the precious heritage in each of these brands and employing the best creative minds to package and promote them, Rémy Cointreau has effectively built a bridge from history to the modern world, successfully leveraging the growth of the premium segment of the wines and spirits industry to contribute strongly to its value strategy, and reinforce Rémy Cointreau’s leading position in the market.

GROWING OUR PRESENCE AROUND THE WORLD Today Rémy Cointreau has a presence in more than 150 countries around the world.

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Singapore presented the best base from which to capitalise on the potential growth in the Asian market.

This gives the Group not only better access to its premium customers, but also a deeper understanding of their needs in different markets, ensuring that the diverse and ever changing needs of premium customers in different markets are consistently met through its brands. With strong traditions and a passion for developing the potential of its premium brands, Rémy Cointreau is set to continue its growth in both existing and new markets, as it remains committed to its valued staff and premium customers, retaining the extraordinary quality and sustainability of its well-loved brands.

WHY DID RÉMY COINTREAU OPEN A COMPANY IN SINGAPORE? Over three years ago, we had taken the

”

strategic decision to regain control of our distribution network and capitalise on the strong growth of Asia (previously we were distributed by a joint venture operation which Rémy Cointreau set up in 1999, with 3 other stakeholders). We chose Singapore as the location for two key business units: 1) Global Headquarters for the Travel Retail and Duty Free business World Wide. 2) Regional Headquarters for AsiaPaciﬁc (excluding China), India Sub Continent and Gulf. On April 1st 2009, both companies opened operations under the name Rémy Cointreau International (RCI). Today RCI employs circa 50 FTE’s and services our local and international customers through dedicated management, commercial, marketing, logistics and ﬁnancial teams.

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The choice for Singapore was taken after carefully considering aspects relating to proximities to our key markets, availability of high-calibre local talent, solid supplychain solutions, an outstanding reputation for transparency in all business matters, excellent transport infrastructure, and far-sighted government policies which encourage foreign businesses to choose this location as their base. Simply put, Singapore presented the best base from which to capitalise on the potential growth in the Asian market.

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

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Staying close to the Asia Pacific market has enabled us to focus our energy on building our brands and reacting swiftly to customer needs.

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RÉMY COINTREAU GLOBAL TRAVEL RETAIL Rémy Cointreau was (and still is) one of the first western luxury houses to set up its worldwide headquarters in Singapore within the Global Travel Retail industry. From here Rémy Cointreau GTR manages and oversees all worldwide sales and marketing activities with the Group’s 3 major regional Travel Retail hubs, Paris, Hong Kong and Miami all reporting in to Singapore. The efficiency of our distribution networks is of key importance in today’s highly-competitive Asian market-place. With a full team of staff now on-ground in Asia to manage the distribution and ensure good service every step of the way, we have succeeded in accelerating growth, not only in this region, but globally. At the time of our setting up office here in 2009, the Global Travel Retail industry forecasted that Asia would match Europe in market size and significance within the next five years, according to industry analysts Generation Databank. This in fact happened last year, 2 years earlier than predicted and our business has flourished in tandem.

RÉMY COINTREAU SEAMI DOMESTIC BUSINESS Singapore houses the Regional Headquarters, governing Southeast Asia as well as the Indian Sub Continent and the Gulf. Each sub-region has its own sales teams or representatives but is dependent upon the Singapore ofﬁce for regional marketing, ﬁnance, logistics, supply chain, demand planning, Human Resources, IT and other admin services.

As is the case in GTR, the SEAMI business has also enjoyed a robust growth rate over the last 3 years. The key here was the ability to fully control our route to market (as opposed to working through a third party) and the proximity to our key customers, providing us with the responsiveness to fulﬁll our top of the range value strategy and positioning. Having our people on the ground not only allows us to proactively build our Brands, but also to react to market changes swiftly. In a short space of time we set up operations across the Region and this could not have been done from arms length.

THE FUTURE Today Asia is still setting the pace for growth in the premium wines and spirits industry across the globe. Staying close to the Asia Paciﬁc market has enabled us to focus our energy on building our brands and reacting swiftly to customer needs. To capitalise on the strong growth of the Asia Paciﬁc market, we have to be here. We believe that the region will become the major contributor to our global revenue as

demand for premium spirits is expected to grow even further. As Asia’s population grows in afﬂuence, so too will its desire and demand for luxury products and a more sophisticated lifestyle, thus it is imperative that luxury companies proactively tailor their marketing strategies to suit the needs of the Asian consumer and, at the same time, strengthen the premium status of their brands. This can be accomplished effectively only by being in Asia, close to the customer and the markets, to understand the subtleties of the Asian taste and preferences. Singapore is particularly well positioned to partner lifestyle and luxury companies such as Rémy Cointreau to capture the growth of a burgeoning Asia. F LEFT PAGE: LEFT TO RIGHT The Heart of Cognac promotion launched recently in Amsterdam was developed from Singapore This Chinese New Year promotion in Dubai was only possible with the help of the local Singapore team ABOVE “Centaure de Diamant” was launched exclusively in Travel Retail

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Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

From Singapore to the World By Melissa Wijaya, Assistant Manager, Marketing Communications, International SOS

27 years after its birth, we look back at International SOS’ beginnings in Singapore and how they paved the way for its global expansion. In 1985, Dr Pascal Rey-Herme, a French doctor working in the French embassy in Jakarta, saw an opportunity for a new business venture to provide international standard medical services for expatriates in Southeast Asia. He persuaded his childhood friend Arnaud Vaissié, who at the time was managing the American subsidiary of a German ﬁnancial group, to join him in this business venture. The company they founded was called AEA International. In 1985 it employed 15 staff, and operated an alarm centre in Singapore and a clinic in Jakarta.

SINGAPORE FROM DAY ONE With its superb infrastructure, highly literate workforce, and strategic location, Singapore was a remarkable place for the new business venture to spread its wings. In 1998, the company became a global player when it acquired SOS Assistance Inc. It was renamed International SOS in 1999, and incorporated under Singaporean law. International SOS develops its services to respond to the evolving needs of global organisations in the region. The company now provides an integrated suite of medical and security services to 9,200 multinational companies, governments, and non-

Singapore is a base from which International SOS can deliver world-case services to clients in the region, while maintaining a pulse in the beating heart of Asia.

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governmental organisations with globallymobile populations. The backbone of the company's operations is its 27 alarm centres worldwide – staffed around the clock by medical, security, and logistics professionals. Being in Singapore allows International SOS to be very close to its clients – it is a base from which the company can deliver world-class services to clients in the region, while still maintaining a pulse in the beating heart of Asia. When a member in a remote area calls International SOS’ Singapore alarm centre with a request for medical assistance, the company needs to be able to get there in time and to leverage on Singapore’s excellent medical infrastructure to treat the patient, or stabilise them before repatriating them to their home country. Being in Singapore also allows the company to respond quickly to disasters or security incidents that happen elsewhere in the region.

Within hours of the 2002 Bali bombings and receiving clients’ call for help, International SOS dispatched a large Hercules plane from Singapore to transport the severely injured from Bali to burns units in Singapore.

FROM SINGAPORE TO THE WORLD International SOS’ beginnings in Singapore have enabled it to develop from a local and regional medical assistance company to a leading global medical and security services company. Its global team of 10,000 are led by over 1,100 full-time physicians and 200 security specialists, and operate in over 70 countries around world. In 2010, the company was named Enterprise of the Year in the Singapore Business Awards. In the previous year, Arnaud Vaissié, International SOS’ Chairman and CEO, was awarded Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2009 for Singapore. By tapping into the diversity of Asia, International SOS was able to better understand the risks that clients are facing in the region. And with an organisational culture that revolves around innovation, the company is constantly developing new ways to help global organisations meet their duty of care to their employees. F LEFT International SOS’ 24-hour alarm centre in Singapore

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An Attractive Port of Call By PSA Corporation

PSA operates the world’s busiest container transhipment hub in Singapore, which handled a record 29.4 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of containers in 2011. PSA Singapore Terminals is a ﬂagship terminal of PSA International, one of the leading global port groups, with investments in 29 port projects in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas.

PSA Singapore Terminals, the world’s largest container transhipment hub, handled a record throughput of 29.4 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of containers in 2011, a 6.1% increase from 2010. It is also a ﬂagship terminal of PSA International, a leading global port group which has investments in 29 port projects in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas. In Singapore, PSA operates ﬁve container terminals: Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, Brani, and Pasir Panjang Terminals (PPT) 1 & 2. Operations work between the terminals is

seamless, and they combine to act as a single, integrated port facility. There are 52 container berths, with an annual handling capacity of 35 million TEUs. PSA's terminals at Pasir Panjang are equipped with berths that are up to 16 metres deep and 40-foot tandem lift quay cranes capable of accommodating some of the largest mega container vessels plying the oceans today. In 2011, nearly 400 container vessels with capacity greater than 10,000 TEUs called at PSA Singapore Terminals, representing almost a 90% increase over the previous year. In

August, PSA added a new productivity record in Singapore when it moved more than 11,000 containers in slightly over 35 hours on megaship MSC Eva – the highest throughput in a single call. In December, the Port of Singapore marked the crossing of two billion gross tons in annual vessel arrival tonnage – a national maritime milestone – when the APL Washington berthed at PPT. PSA Singapore Terminals offers connections to 600 ports, with daily sailings to every major port in the world. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,

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365 days a year. As part of ongoing port development, it continues to work closely with the government to develop PPT Phases III and IV, to bring Singapore’s handling capacity up to 50 million TEUs by the year 2018. Besides infrastructure development, it is implementing a new terminal operating system to boost operational efficiency. “Singapore is well placed geographically to benefit from the growth in intra-Asia trade flows. Given the large number of ports and lanes involved in intra-Asia trade, transhipment remains relevant as a flexible and efficient method of maximising market reach and distribution,” said a PSA corporate spokesman. This year, PSA celebrates 40 years of containerisation and 15 years of corporatisation (‘4015’). Since the arrival of the MV Nihon in 1972, PSA Singapore Terminals has grown from a single container terminal to become an iconic transhipment hub serving some of the world’s largest shipping lines. PSA International has also attained global leadership in the ports and terminals business, expanding from its home base in Singapore to an extensive

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

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Singapore is an important integrator of world-class maritime services

international network of port projects that encircles continents. Continuous improvements to stay relevant and provide quality services to customers resulted in PSA Singapore Terminals being voted “Best Container Terminal Asia (over 4 million TEUs)” for the 22nd time at the 2011 Asian Freight & Supply Chain Awards; and “Container Terminal of the Year” for the 5th year at the 2011 Supply Chain Asia Logistics Awards. It also won two awards at the NTUC 50 Model Partnership Awards for its exemplary collaborations with industry partners and unions. PSA is at the forefront of e-business operations in the shipping industry. At the heart of its cutting-edge IT capabilities are two award winning systems – CITOS® and PORTNET®. CITOS® commands and controls highly complex transhipment operations in our container terminals while PORTNET® provides integrated services to shipping lines, hauliers, freight forwarders, shippers and local government agencies operating in Singapore.

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Developed in 1984 and improved over the years, PORTNET® is the world's first B2B shipping e-community that has the participation of the entire shipping and port community that operates through Singapore. PSA also offers customers a suite of advanced IT solutions, including systems for transhipment management (e.g. EZShip™, Allies™), and tracking and documentation (e.g. CargoD2D™, PORTNET® Mobile) that serve some 8,000 integrated users, generating more than 200 million transactions annually. To maintain Singapore’s position at the forefront of port technology, the Port Technology Research and Development Programme was jointly launched by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and PSA in April 2011. This five-year initiative focuses on three broad areas: automated container port systems, advanced container port optimisation techniques and technologies, and green port technologies. While MPA provides seed funding of S$10 million, PSA together with institutes of higher learning and industry partners would provide co-funding and in-kind resources of up to S$10 million. Under the programme, PSA Singapore Terminals would seek to develop intelligent systems to streamline port planning processes, raise the value-add of employees and improve overall productivity. One key project would be the development of Automated Guided Vehicles for future container terminals. With its strategic geographical location, reputation for efficiency and multiple information links, Singapore is an important integrator of world-class maritime services. A wide variety of high value port and shipping services from global maritime players are based in Singapore. All these make Singapore an attractive port of call. With its efficiency in container terminal handling and focus on customers, PSA adds value to Singapore’s status as an international maritime centre. F LEFT Port of Singapore

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Redeﬁning the Future of Construction with Innovative IT By Pascal Bergougnou, Managing Director Asia-Paciﬁc, Graitec Singapore Graitec, a developer of structural analysis and CAD (Computer Aided-Design) software for the Construction and Civil Engineering industries, provides a wide spectrum of highly specialised technologies and IT platforms that improve productivity standards in infrastructure projects.

manpower hires, they provide assistance, in terms of sharing regional market insights, securing local partner contacts, and providing R&D funding schemes.

WHY ASIA, SINGAPORE? From commercial to residential, new development to upgrade, retroﬁts to restorations, Asia is the engine of growth. Asia is estimated to account for around US$750 billion worth of infrastructure investment per year from 2010 to 2020. The Singapore construction sector has enjoyed robust growth with building contracts worth S$25.7 billion, representing an annual increase of 14% in recent years. To further propel this growth, the Singapore Government and the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) have been steering the construction industry to achieve higher productivity through the buildable design legislation. This has gained great momentum with the introduction of the S$250 million Construction Productivity and Capability Fund (CPCF) in June 2010 and the constructability requirement in July 2011. Funds from the CPCF are allocated to ﬁrms seeking to improve productivity through technology adoption, re-engineering. We are beginning to see builders adopting productive technologies like construction IT and Building Information Model (BIM); such as the ones provided by Graitec.

Singapore has positioned itself as a hub for IT technologies dedicated to the Construction industry. Many prime contractors for Asia have an ofﬁce in Singapore. Organisations like Build Smart Singapore and BCA have been active in creating momentum and their work now resonates throughout Asia-Paciﬁc and even worldwide.

SINGAPORE AS AN IT PLATFORM The choice of Singapore as a hub for an IT company like Graitec has clearly been driven by aforementioned market opportunities. Complementary business attractions of the City State also included its policy stability and predictability, government efficiency, English-speaking talent pool, business efficiency, infrastructure and an effective legal environment. Singapore also scores well in areas such as social cohesion, transparency, higher education achievement and finance and banking regulation. Infocomm Investments, a subsidiary of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, also plays a major industry development role as they provide assistance to IT start-ups. Beyond potential support for

The Asia-Pacific building and construction industry is undergoing a renaissance in building design and efficiency. The industry is also expected to grow significantly in terms of strategic importance and volume of new construction projects. Building on this dynamic industry growth, Graitec has been developing a network of Value Added Reseller (VAR) across the region; now 15 in 10 countries and directly managed from Singapore. In addition to opening up new growth opportunities, this move will enable us to draw from a larger pool of talent for recruitment, and help our partners support our growth initiatives. In order to foster our growth, we are also considering opening new offices, for instance in India and Australia, as well as launching R&D activities. The goals of Graitec’s Singapore subsidiary are threefold: 1- Explore business avenues, 2- Expand market share, and 3- Penetrate into emerging markets and sectors of growth in Infrastructure and Construction. Singapore is therefore a great platform for suppliers of productive technologies to be involved in this exciting transformation. It is also a great geographic place in terms of venturing into a more diversified group of markets, such as nearby Malaysia but also the two emerging giants India and China. F

TOP New Valenciennes stadium modelled with Advance Steel, a BIM product from Graitec. © ETI

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Singapore, a Springboard for Asia Interview with Matthieu Simon, Managing Director, FuturMaster Singapore

FuturMaster is a leading independent provider of advanced forecasting and supply chain planning software for manufacturers, distributors and retailers. As the Managing Director in Singapore of this successful SME, Matthieu Simon tells us how he managed to expand the company from Boulogne-Billancourt to Singapore.

WHAT IS FUTURMASTER’S BACKGROUND IN ASIA AND WHEN DID YOU SET UP YOUR COMPANY IN SINGAPORE? Set up in 1992 in France, FuturMaster has always put a strong emphasis on Research & Development. With the potential of Asia in mind, the company opened in 2008 an R&D centre in Beijing, China. Asia represented and still represents a land of opportunities for a fast-growing company like ours. As a consequence, the second step was to start operating our sales and consulting activities in Asia from Asia. Singapore appeared to be the best option for many reasons, one of them being that our customers’ regional headquarters were based in the City-State. We then opened a Representative Ofﬁce in Singapore, and as the potential was there, we rapidly established a Private Limited company to better serve our clients. WHY SINGAPORE? Being a logistic hub in the region, Singapore has the main advantage of gathering many of our existing customers. Located at the centre of the ASEAN region, Singapore is a real springboard to explore these emerging and fastgrowing markets. The facility of doing business and of setting up a company is another asset for the CityState. I was alone at the beginning of this Asian adventure and thanks to this business friendly eco-system, our activities have grown at a strong pace.

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The facility of doing business and of setting up a company is another asset for the City State.

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An additional asset which comes to mind is the qualified pool of talents available in Singapore. Even though our business activities are specific and require specific talents, universities here have been offering Supply Chain Management course for a few years, which represents a good indicator of the market maturity. IS SINGAPORE’S DOMESTIC MARKET A PRIORITY OR DO YOU AIM AT REACHING NEIGHBOURS MARKETS? Singapore market offers lots of business opportunities for us, as many Food & Beverage and Consumer Packaged Goods’ companies have chosen Singapore as a logistic hub. There is a real need for them to optimise their supply chain and

companies have understood that Supply Chain Management is not a “best have” but a “must have” to maintain their competitiveness. Today half of our time is dedicated to the local market. Within the region, we have identified ASEAN as key markets for our development strategy. We will first focus on these fast-growing markets which are facing a changing landscape in their distribution channels. Even though traditional trade is predominant in these markets, Asia is today catching up with Europe on distribution networks, the need for a supply chain management is now essential and FuturMaster is willing to accompany this evolution and to grasp new opportunities. ANY EXPANSION PLANS? Since the first Representative Office in 2010, the company has been growing continuously. In less than one year, we have hired 9 persons to meet the needs of our clients. In 2013, the next challenge will be the opening of a consulting and sales activity in Beijing to address the Chinese market. We will rely on our experience in Singapore and on our Asian references to address the Chinese customers’ needs in this complex market. F

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Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

Singapore, a Hub for the Grands Crus of Bordeaux? Interview with Wilfried Bourceau, SEA Manager, Dubos Frères & Cie Dubos Frères & Cie, a leading wine merchant founded in 1785, has beem specialised in Bordeaux fine wines for more than two centuries. Its strong reputation allows the company to be one of the main players in the Bordeaux region and also to meet the various needs of its customers from Europe, America and Asia. WHAT ARE THE MAIN REASONS THAT BROUGHT YOU TO SINGAPORE?

WHAT ARE THE SPECIFICITIES OF SINGAPORE’S MARKETS?

erly established yet, we are conﬁdent in their strong potential.

Singapore, positioned as the hub of Southeast Asia, offers many advantages for a company willing to target Singapore and beyond. It is the easiest place to start a business in Asia with simpliﬁed administrative tasks.

Singapore is known for being a trade market, where the ‘en primeurs wines’ (speculative wines) represent the main activity.

ANY EXPANSION PLANS?

The City-State is also strategically positioned in the centre of Southeast Asia, which allows us to focus not only on Singapore but also on the fast-growing neighbours markets. And we are conﬁdent in the potential of these markets for our business. In the wine sector, we notice that a lot of actors focus on the Chinese market and tend to forget that the consumption of wine in Southeast Asia is equal of the one in Mainland China. By settling down in Singapore, Dubos Frères anticipates this trend!

However, since a couple of years, the market is evolving. It is becoming mature with a large base of customers who are more and more wine connoisseurs. Wine consumption is now more conventional, label drinkers are becoming wine lovers. WHAT ARE YOUR KEY MARKETS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA? Singapore is, and will stay for many years, our main business driver in the region. However, we have identiﬁed growing markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam. Even though these markets are not prop-

Indeed! Dubos Frères has set up an ofﬁce in Singapore not only to be a supplier of Bordeaux Wines but also to be one of the main actors in terms of Grands Crus Classés. Our core mission is to promote the wine from Bordeaux and to support our customers, but we are also investigating different ways to distribute our products in the region through a market survey. It will not thus be impossible to see in the near future a warehouse and/or a distributor in the name of Dubos Frères. In Vino Veritas... F TOP La Vinothèque (owned by Dubos): the oldest and largest wine shop in Bordeaux with over 2000 items

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Paul Chooses Singapore for its First Flagship Store in Southeast Asia Interview with Maxime Holder, Chief Executive Ofﬁcer, Paul International WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SINGAPORE AS A PLATFORM FOR YOUR EXPANSION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA?

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The heart of Southeast Asia, Singapore would be the perfect ground to showcase what Paul has to offer to customers in this region. Singapore also has a diverse international food culture and the love for food among Singaporeans resonates strongly with Paul’s passion to offer authentic, traditional breads to people across the world.

products remains the “Tartines”, “CroqueMonsieur”, “Tourtes” and “Paillasson”, which are traditional baker’s dishes that our customers also enjoy.

DID YOU ADAPT YOUR CONCEPT AND/OR PRODUCTS TO LOCAL TASTES OR DUE TO LOCAL CONDITIONS? Singaporeans are accustomed to soft breads, hence we have introduced our famous “pain de mie” (soft breads) into our all-day dining menu. We have also introduced speciﬁcally a page of meat and ﬁsh main courses exclusively for Singapore to suit local tastes. This includes dishes like “Cuisse de poulet rôti”, “Saumon sauce vierge” and “Pièce de bœuf”, which is very well-received among our customers. Our signature

Asia is unique: A single shelf does not fit all countries.

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PAUL IS NOW A STRONG AND WELLKNOWN BRAND IN FRANCE. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO SEDUCE SINGAPOREAN CUSTOMERS WHO MAY NOT KNOW YOUR BRAND? Singaporeans are well-travelled and have a penchant for good food. A lot of our customers are already familiar with the Paul name and the taste of our breads from their travels in Europe and Japan. We are conﬁdent that the same quality and authentic taste of Paul breads in Singapore – made using the same recipes and traditional bread-making methods that have been in my family for 120 years and followed in all Paul bakeries around the world – will draw customers, familiar and new, to Paul. They will be enticed by the mouth-watering wafts of freshly-

baked bread here at our ﬂagship store in Ngee Ann city, before discovering the taste of good bread for themselves here at Paul. NGEE ANN CITY IS YOUR FLAGSHIP STORE. DO YOU INTEND TO HAVE MORE STORES IN SINGAPORE? WHICH OTHER CITIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA DO YOU INTEND TO ENTER? We are looking to expand in Singapore with plans to open another 10 to 15 stores here in the next ﬁve years. We will also be bringing the Paul brand to Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and have plans to do the same in Australia, New Zealand and India.

BELOW LEFT Mr Maxime Holder, during the ofﬁcial opening of Paul Singapore BELOW RIGHT From left to right: Ms Lim Jee Yah, H.E. Mr Olivier Caron, Ms Ranita Sundra, Mr Maxime Holder

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Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

An Efﬁcient Platform Towards Sustainable Manufacturing By Laurent Besson, General Manager, Malaysia & Singapore, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies

Veolia Water provides delegated management of water and wastewater services for municipal and industrial clients. It also designs the technological solutions and builds the facilities required for these services.

Through strategic planning and investment in Research and Technology, Singapore has developed a solid and expanded supply of water called the ‘Four National Taps’. It comprises of local catchment water, imported water, the innovative NEWater (highly-puriﬁed reclaimed water for Indirect Potable Use), and desalinated water. The ambition of Singapore to become a Hydro hub is boosting the local and regional water treatment markets towards more sustainable and affordable solutions. As a result, the Singapore water industry should contribute by S$1.7 billion to the nation’s GDP and create 11,000 jobs by 2015.

THE NEWATER STORY Today, NEWater plants can meet 30% of the nation’s water needs. By 2060, Singapore plans to triple the current NEWater capacity so that it can meet 50% of the city state future water demand. Present in Singapore for 25 years, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies has

Singapore water industry should contribute by S$1.7 billion to the nation’s GDP and create 11,000 jobs by 2015.

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actively supported the ambitious NEWater project since 1999 when PUB engaged the company to build the 10,000 m3/d NEWater Bedok demonstration plant. The purpose was to establish the viability of reclaiming high grade water (NEWater) from wastewater efﬂuent by using membrane technology. In a wider context, this project also supported Singapore’s hydro hub strategy. The successful operation of the project and the excellent results obtained launched the full-scale commercial implementation of the NEWater programme in Singapore. Further on, Veolia has design and build the Kranji NEWater plant (82 000 m3/d). On top of contributing to the establishment of NEWater as a global reference, Veolia has taken steps to reduce the environmental footprint of industries & municipalities by developing new solutions that apply in Singapore and in the whole region: - The Water Impact Index is a tool that can help to plan long-term projects and better understand sustainable approaches to ensure lasting water supplies and healthy water ecosystems.

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- A Carbon foot-print reduction programme to drive innovation, accelerate adoption and development of clean technologies for water treatment and provide sustainable solutions.

MORE INDUSTRIAL WATER SOLUTIONS Mr Goh Chee Kiong, Director, Cleantech, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) said recently to the magazine Green Prospect Asia that “Beyond municipal water, Singapore is also moving into the industrial water space. Being a highly industrialised country, it has large industry clusters around electronics/semi-conductors, and also has a chemicals and petrochemical base. The ability to treat industrial wastewater is critical to the success of these companies.” Being one of the most dynamic business platforms in the world, Singapore attracts a lot of industries. As such, Veolia has developed from Singapore strong regional links with international companies like Air Liquide, Alstom, Seagate, STMicroelectronics, Johnson & Johnson, CIBA Vision, etc. It has clearly contributed to the growth of the company in the region and to the expansion of Veolia‘s network of customers in Asia. This is particularly true for international investors who want to get access to the same standards and level of quality across the borders. The diversity of the industries based in the

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Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

“ island, seen as a regional test bed for new business models, has also driven the development of Veolia new services. A good example is the recent launch of the Veolia Green2Biz business approach (www.green2biz.com).

THE SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL WATER WEEK (SIWW) HAS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE POSITIONING OF SINGAPORE AS HYDROHUB. Created in 2008, the SIWW is a global platform for water solutions. It attracted more than 13,000 people from 99 regions in 2011 and comprises of 5 main events: the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, the Water Leaders Summit, the Water Convention, the Water Expo (600 exhibitors), and the

Veolia has developed from Singapore strong regional links with international companies

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Business Forums. In the last edition, the announcements for projects awarded, tenders, investments and Research & Development MOUs reached S$2.9 billion. In 2011, as a founding sponsor, Veolia took the opportunity of this annual event to promote a unique partnership with L’Oréal in Suzhou (China) where a revolutionary wastewater treatment plant which is optimally designed from a carbon and water footprint perspective is being built. F LEFT PAGE Mr Yves Caouette, Executive Vice President, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies at Singapore International Water Week BELOW Kranji Plant Overview

For more information, have a look at the recent article from Green Prospect Asia “Singapore global hydrohub: Silicon Valley for water”. Website: www.greenprospectasia.com

The Singapore International Water Week is going to take place from 01 to 04 July 2012 at Marina Bay Sands Exhibition Center. Website: www.siww.com.sg

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Schneider Electric Chooses Singapore to Set Up its Energy Efficient Hub By Derrick Lau, Director Marketing Communications, Southeast Asia, Schneider Electric Singapore As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in Utilities & Infrastructures, Industries & Machine Manufacturers, Non-residential Buildings, Data Centres & Networks and in Residential. Schneider Electric's new logistic hub for Asia does not only adopt the latest technologies to make it one of the best but also employs Schneider Electric's unique expertise in energy management to optimise energy efficiencies. Bruno Lesage, Hub Asia Director, Schneider Electric, “Schneider Electric’s expertise in power, datacentres, process and machines, building control, and physical security has enabled us to build an intelligent energy management solution – Schneider Electric Energy Efficient Hub – that today is bringing us savings of over 30% per year, which equates to approximately S$68,000.” “This first Energy Efficient Hub makes invisible energy waste both visible and actionable. There is real-time tracking of power conditions to generate raw data of electricity consumption allocation, analyse power quality, reliability and trends, and produce reports such as energy cost and load profile reports.” The new logistic hub being one of only two global hubs, occupies over 14,000 square meters and will manage over 110,000 cubic

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The new logistic hub being one of only two global hubs will manage over 110,000 cubic meters of cargo per year

meters of cargo per year from over 50 suppliers in 17 countries and distribute them to over 170 customers in 31 countries. “We are very happy to locate our hub here, thanks to the support rendered by the Singapore Government and its strategy to ease integration of Multi-National Companies,” said Bruno. “This is deﬁnitely in addition to Singapore’s exceptional seaport and airport facilities, and most importantly, the competencies of the people of Singapore that are readily available in the market.” As the global specialist in energy management, the Schneider Electric Energy Efﬁcient Hub in Singapore, is a testament to the company’s mission which is to help businesses and individuals achieve more while using fewer resources. The logistics hub built with energy-saving features not only sets new global standards but businesses can anticipate

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better service and improvements in operations. Schneider Electric Energy Efﬁcient Hub performs many functions that help us drive customer satisfaction, such as:

WAREHOUSE • We provide local delivery as well as a self collection centre for customers who would like to pick the goods up themselves. • We provide drop shipment upon customer’s request. • We provide kitting and product labeling services. • We offer over 5,500 different standard products.

ADAPTATION CENTRE • We are the only Adaptation Centre in Southeast Asia. • We serve customers from SEA as well as Australia, Taiwan and Sri Lanka. • We adapt products from our Low and Medium Voltage range products Power Monitoring Products.

OTHER SERVICES • We help with applications for concessions on government tariffs. • We help manage stock according to any quality alerts (recall, rework and product returns). • We facilitate and help action on customer complaints. F LEFT Schneider Singapore Hub

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A Premier Education Hub By Anthony Chon Lane & Jeanne Bellec, ESSEC Asia Paciﬁc In an effort to strengthen their international presence, several foreign academic institutions chose Singapore as the best location to expand their operations. The economic dynamism of the City-State and its position at a multicultural and educational crossroads allow them to respond to the increasing demand for management education in Asia. With one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the education and development of a strong pool of talented individuals appears to be a key driver in Singapore’s sustainable growth. Strong incentives to develop high academic standards have helped Singapore to maintain a competitive advantage in education by attracting top students from Southeast Asia as well as different parts of the world. Over the last decade, the educational landscape in Singapore has evolved tremendously and the City-State has managed to attract world-class institutions such as Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business, ESSEC Business School, INSEAD as well as the New York University’s Tisch School

of the Arts, among others. As Singapore is becoming a premier hub for academic research and higher education, leading international institutions are leveraging the opportunity to deliver top-notch degree programmes and executive courses.

A GLOBAL SCHOOLHOUSE IN ASIA PACIFIC Asia is now at the centre of new managerial and developmental advances and Singapore plays a key inﬂuential role in this important, economic development. The higher education market is quickly growing in the region: by 2015, the number of students seeking higher education

across the globe is expected to surpass 200 million. This is a considerable increase in comparison to the 100 million students in 2000; an increase predominantly generated from Asia (+70 Million). Education has always been central to the development of Singapore. In 2002, the Ministry of Education launched the Global Schoolhouse initiative which aimed to strengthen Singapore’s reputation in regards to education. Through this initiative, Singapore has become home to more than sixteen leading international institutions. In addition to the two longstanding universities, National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, as well as the more recently established Singapore Management University and Singapore University of Technology and Design, many institutions have established a presence by either setting up a physical campus or through joint collaboration with regional actors. Singapore offers a high quality living environment combined with first-rate educational standards in a unique cosmopolitan culture. With English as the first language, the number of international students in Singapore has grown rapidly to reach 40,401 in 2008 and rank fourth in AsiaPacific as a top destination for studying abroad*. Additionally, as companies are in critical need of versatile and multicultural individuals, collaboration between educational institutions and businesses is actively supported in Singapore. All these factors have garnered increased interest from leading French business schools that wish to contribute to this growing hub. These institutions have developed strategic partnerships with global companies that are headquartered regionally in Asia Pacific and have subsequently been able to attract even more talented students and faculty, as well as professionals, from all over the world.

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COVER STORY

June 2012

A STRATEGIC CHOICE FOR ESSEC BUSINESS SCHOOL Since its foundation in 1907, ESSEC Business School has been developing a unique learning model based upon its strong identity and core values: innovation, openmindedness, responsibility and excellence. With 90 nationalities represented on 3 campuses, 144 partner universities in 40 countries and almost half of its permanent faculty being international, ESSEC is willing to grasp the challenges of rapid globalisation and has undertaken a series of initiatives to expand its global reach. The school has historical partnership agreements with major universities in the region such as Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Keio University, Peking University, Seoul National University and in Singapore: National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University and Nanyang Technological University, in which it also has a dual degree agreement. These partnerships contribute to benefit the students as an enriching learning experience, being immersed in a multicultural environment and exposed to different pedagogical approaches. The core of ESSEC’s global strategy is now focused on accelerating development in Asia Pacific. The school was among the few French academic institutions to take part in the Global Schoolhouse initiative and chose Singapore as the best location to open its Asia Pacific campus in 2005. Since then, the school serves as a gateway to the Asian market allowing students to

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

As companies are in critical need of versatile and multicultural individuals, collaboration between educational institutions and businesses is actively supported in Singapore.

“

get an enhanced educational experience in relation to Asia and also offers a range of programmes to students from Asia and the rest of the world. Many students are highly interested in starting their career in Asia, often seeking for internships or job opportunities to get a ﬁrst-hand experience in the region. ESSEC Asia Paciﬁc is actively involved in developing close collaborations with companies in the region evidenced by mutual engagement to corporate related projects, career placement successes and groundbreaking research. This commitment has propelled the launch of three research institutes: the Institute for Research and Education on Negotiation (IRENE Asia), the Institute of Health Economics and Management (IHEM Asia) and the Institute for Service Innovation and Strategy (ISIS Asia). Support from regionally based companies has fostered the growth of these institutes, therefore illustrating how well business world interactions naturally complement progress in the academic environment. To encourage further sharing and exchange of knowledge, the school organises regularly thematic events such as in December 2012, the Cross-Border Inno-

”

vation and Entrepreneurship Symposium with Singapore Management University and the support of the French Embassy. In order to fulfill organisational and regional needs for executive talent development, ESSEC is now extending its comprehensive range of academic and executive programmes to Asia, leveraging on research relevant to culturally specific issues. This year, the school is launching a new series of Executive Workshops and customised programmes designed to equip professionals, managers, and government officers with an expanded expertise and a new mindset while embracing a global perspective. Singapore has succeeded in establishing itself as a primary reference for higher education, inspiring international-minded cities like Dubai or Doha to follow in its stead. We believe that this dynamic city-state provides a favorable location for experiment and will continue to incite greater academic excellence through research and closer collaboration in both education and businesses. F *Source: UNESCO. CampusFrance 2011

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COVER STORY

June 2012

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

Towards a New Arts Hub By Christine Cant, Arts Consultant, Opera Gallery Singapore

“

Opera Gallery's rapid growth in the centre of the Asian firmament is testament to the burgeoning demand for high quality art.

”

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COVER STORY

June 2012

Singapore, a Vibrant Business Hub

“ initiatives to integrate the arts more fully into the city’s consciousness, Opera Gallery saw the potential and already possessed a strong European Masters Collection, having long since begun acquiring works by the likes of Picasso and Chagall. As an example of the power of market trends, arguably one of the most pivotal exhibitions was the Masters series Opera Gallery organised in 2006, Dali in Singapore, where ten colossal sculptures of the famed surrealist Salvador Dali were staged along the prime retail district of Orchard Road, has placed the spotlight on Salvador Dali in Asia for the very ﬁrst time. And of course, due to world economics and downturns, buyers are deﬁnitely changing tact, to which all businesses need pay attention; collectors and buyers are currently sticking to these master works like Dali,

Singapore actively wants to showcase its creative talent.

”

Chagall and Picasso. So it appears that these luminaries are still enjoying the respect and stability of purchase that their stature entitles them. With the arrival of Singapore's National Art Gallery in 2014, it feels as if the city will now be well primed to receive this new historic collection. We are seeing an increasing interest in the work of Chinese artists, speciﬁcally in a small few that have really shot into the limelight and out of the auction houses for ever increasing values in the last two to three years particularly. Valuable works by Asian masters like Chu Teh Chun and Zao Wou Ki have been part of the gallery’s collection, along with rising stars from China like Wang Yehan, Fan Xiao Yan and Yue Min Jun. Hong Kong, for example, is enjoying itself with art and has been doing so for many

years with upstanding galleries and delightful visual arts successes, but Hong Kong is a very different territory to Singapore. Singapore actively wants to showcase its creative talent, it wants to compete and for buyers, collectors and institutions it is less intimidating than the larger cities. And of course, Singapore’s strong economic infrastructure has helped creative expansion immensely through buying, selling and collecting. All in all the signs are immensely positive and Singapore’s bustling visual arts community continues to make our work at Opera Gallery in 2012 as exciting as ever. F LEFT PAGE Opera Gallery Interior BELLOW Wang Yehan, E1031, Acrylic on Canvas, 80 x 160cm

CSR BEST PRACTICES The FCCS Engages its Members on CSR

FOCUS MAGAZINE June 2012

Join Hands for a More Sustainable Economy Among our 14 business-oriented committees, we have a dynamic Sustainability Committee. This Committee acts as a platform for discussion among members involved in Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility and aims at promoting our membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expertise in this topic, developing co-operation between Singaporean and French companies, exchanging information and encouraging synergies and business opportunities in the region. This year, the Committee developed and launched a Sustainability Charter signed by 32 companies. This FCCS Sustainability Charter is a commitment at the local level to promote sustainability, share, link with other organisations and undertake projects in Singapore and in the region. Every activity is on a voluntary basis (except communicating a Best Practice every year). F

RIGHT FCCS Sustainability Charter and Signatories BELOW LEFT Mr Yves Laforge, Managing Director, SDV Logistics Singapore BELOW RIGHT OfďŹ cial Ceremony at the French Residence

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CSR BEST PRACTICES

June 2012

The FCCS Engages its Members on CSR

Guidebook for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Another initiative launched by the FCCS Sustainability committee on the occasion of its Working Together Forum is the Guidebook for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. This SME Sustainability Guide aims at inspiring SMEs, inviting them to engage in Sustainability, and providing them with practical guidance to do so. As Sustainability should be implemented progressively with continuous improvement approach, you may feel it is too early to implement some steps. You can leave them aside and come back to them later, when your company is more advanced. Thus we encourage a ﬂexible use of this guide – without overlooking any signiﬁcant issue. F

We invite you to read our guide on our website www.fccsingapore.com now!

32 COMPANIES SIGNED THE FCCS SUSTAINABILITY CHARTER • Aedas

• Gemalto

• Air France KLM

• GreenA Consultants

• Air Liquide – Soxal

• Imerys Asia Paciﬁc

• Alstom

• International Rice Research Institute Fund Ltd (Irri Fund Ltd)

• Anakout CSR Consultancy

• Louis Dreyfus Commodities Asia

• Antalis Asia-Paciﬁc

• Nexus – Carbon for Development

• Arkadin

• Renault Singapore

• Atos Information Technology (Singapore)

• Rhodia Asia Paciﬁc

• AXA

• Schneider Electric Singapore

• CleverGreen

• SDV Logistics

• Cofely (GDF-Suez Group)

• Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking

• Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank

• Sodexo

• Danone

• STMicroelectronics

• Dassault Systemes Singapore

• Total Oil Asia Paciﬁc

• Dragages Singapore

• V&M Tubes Asia Paciﬁc

• Essilor

• Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies

CSR BEST PRACTICES

FOCUS MAGAZINE June 2012

The FCCS Engages its Members on CSR

The FCCS Engages its Members on CSR The FCCS Sustainability Committee invites the FCCS companies to share their best practices in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility. In this new section, discover the best practices of our members through three case studies. Join us and help us build a better world!

CREDIT AGRICOLE CORPORATE & INVESTMENT BANK BACKGROUND Crédit Agricole CIB Singapore, part of the Corporate & Investment Banking arm of France's Crédit Agricole Group, provides a wide range of corporate and investment banking products and services, fixed income and structured finance solutions to Singapore's corporates and international clients based in the region. As part of Crédit Agricole Group's global commitment to sustainable development, we agreed to support our Singapore's client MGPA in taking part of the financing of its highly environmentally sustainable 46-storey twin tower commercial building (Asia Square). OBJECTIVE(S) Crédit Agricole CIB has been working to spread the practice of taking into account sustainable development challenges with regard to all of its activities, both by spreading the practice of factoring in the environmental and social consequences linked to its financing transactions and by permanently seeking to develop a product range suited to the new challenges faced by society. RESULTS Asia Square has been awarded the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore’s Green Mark Platinum and US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Core & Shell (LEED-CS) Gold pre-certification standards. KEY SUCCESS FACTORS • Contribution to corporate performance - Asia Square boasts Singapore's first bio-diesel generation plant located within a downtown commercial building: the oil waste from the building is recycled into 240,000 liters of biodiesel annually, which will be distributed free of charge to local charities. - Largest renewable energy generation installation of any commercial office development in Singapore: photovoltaic (PV) cells cover the entire roof area and generate nearly 270,000 kWh annually (enough to power the building's mechanical ventilation systems, plus the car park, the staircase and the Cube lighting).

- Asia Square's façade enables impressive energy efficiency thanks to a Triple Low-E Coating Double Glazing minimising solar heat transmission resulting in a performance of around 33% more efficient than a standard building. - Regenerative lifts convert kinetic energy to electrical power to be distributed back to the lift system: power consumption savings of up to 18%. - The chilled water system utilised chilled water supply from the Singapore Government's District Cooling System resulting in zero use of refrigerants in the building. Approximately 65 million liters of water are estimated to be saved annually (40% more efficient than a standard commercial building). - Intelligent Building Management System allowing office lighting levels to be adjusted depending on occupancy levels and by monitoring movements of people. • Environmental, social, and governance benefits A truly sustainable development, that is to say a development that is economically and financially sustainable over time, must combine economic growth, environmental quality and social cohesiveness. This implies fully integrating the risks weighing on societies’ sustainable development into financial operations. A FEW EXAMPLES ON CRÉDIT AGRICOLE’S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY - Crédit Agricole Group has worked on offsetting energy-related CO2 emissions at the Crédit Agricole S.A. Group’s Ile de France sites. To achieve this, Crédit Agricole has signed up to the clean development arrangements arising from the Kyoto protocol. Since 2008, the Group has offset 33,369 tonnes of CO2. - In 2010, a Sustainable Banking team was created within the Coverage & Investment Banking division of Crédit Agricole CIB, with the objective to better assist our key clients for environmentally-friendly or socially-responsible transactions. - When the Equator Principles were launched in 2003, Crédit Agricole CIB became the first French bank to sign them. In a few short years, the Equator Principles have become the benchmark for responsibility in project finance. - In partnership with Heifer International (Hong Kong), Crédit Agricole CIB participates in financing a 3-year programme to fight poverty in China.

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CSR BEST PRACTICES

May 2012

The FCCS Engages its Members on CSR

SDV LOGISTICS BACKGROUND SDV Logistics is a freight forwarding and logistics provider (Top 10 worldwide). The Green Warehouse project was initiated by SDV Singapore Management in 2009. Key drivers of the project are the following: - Consolidate and expand SDV logistic businesses in Singapore and the region. - Be a trend setter in Green Supply Chain in Asia. - Answer to customers sustainability concerns. - Extend the Bolloré group CSR policy in Asia via this major project. OBJECTIVE(S) The SDV Green Warehouse project (S$62 millions) demonstrates the company commitment towards the Sustainable Development. Through this best practice project the objective is to promote the Sustainable Development in SDV daily businesses and within SDV community in Asia-Paciﬁc. APPROACH Critical phases of the project consisted in: - Convincing SDV shareholder to invest in an Eco-friendly project overseas. - Finding the appropriated technical solutions for the

warehouse to meet operational logistic requirements, green features and financial viability. The SDV Green Warehouse Project involves SDV logistics solutions team, SDV Operations, Human Resources and CSR Executive. RESULTS First logistic operations in SDV Green Warehouse will start on August 1st 2012. SDV Green Warehouse Project has been Green Mark certified at Platinum level by the Building Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore in March 2012. This is the first ever BCA Green Mark Platinum for a warehouse! KEY SUCCESS FACTORS • Contribution to corporate performance - Gain of new logistic customers having high CSR expectations (luxury, cosmetics, fashion…). • Environmental, social, and governance benefits - Between 30 to 50% water savings expected. - Until 50% energy savings expected by the use of innovative lightning technologies (LED, T5, Induction). - Awareness on Sustainable Development and Environment to employees and customers.

VALLOUREC & MANNESMANN TUBES ASIA PACIFIC BACKGROUND Vallourec is a world leader in premium tubular solutions primarily serving the energy markets, as well as other industrial applications. With 22,000 employees, integrated manufacturing facilities, advanced R&D, and a presence in more than 20 countries, Vallourec offers its customers innovative global solutions to meet the growing energy challenges of the 21st century. This project initiated at corporate level in order to be able to improve our impact on energy and therefore on environment. Our subsidiary PTCT in Batam, Indonesia, PTCT joined the world wide project and deﬁned local objective to reach to corporate target. OBJECTIVE(S) Reduce the energy and water consumption of our operations by 20% in 2020 (2008 base reference). Covering: Electricity, Gas, Fuel and Water. APPROACH The process consisted in an evaluation of the actual situation following a corporate check list: - Deﬁnition of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and reference level. - Implementation of a steering committee at plant level

reporting to corporate steering committee in order to get a proper benchmark, actions follow-up and group synergy. - Implementation of local continuous improvement teams to generate at employee level progress actions. RESULTS - Water: 57% reduction of m3/Ton Produced by end of 2011. - Gas: 29% reduction of m3/Ton Produced by end of 2011. - Electricity: 16% reduction of KWH/Ton Produced by end of 2011. Very good results at this stage considering that original target are to achieve - 20% in 2020. One of the coming difficulties will be the justification of potential investments in view of the low cost of energy in the AP zone. But still some reasonable potential gains to be done. KEY SUCCESS FACTORS • Contribution to corporate performance The above results translate positively directly into the financial Net Results of the company. A lot of the actions required low investment or investment with quick payback. • Environmental, social, and governance benefits Reduction of 57% of Water consumption is preserving local water reserves of Batam Island. It is also reducing the need of water treatment due to lower reject level.

CSR BEST PRACTICES

FOCUS MAGAZINE

Working Together Forum

June 2012

A Great Success for the 2nd Edition of Working Together Forum 300 BtoB meetings for 76 companies The Working Together Forum (Forum Travailler Ensemble) is a great initiative that aims at reinforcing business links between French Small & Medium-sized Enterprises and large groups established in Singapore. This year Forum presented an enhanced edition with a morning session featuring study cases of companies working together on sustainable partnerships.

HIGH-LEVEL SPEAKERS FOR AN EXCITING MORNING SESSION ON SUSTAINABILITY The morning session of panel presentations and discussions on "Engaging together for Sustainability": Green, inclusive and responsible economy gathered numerous high-level speakers and 190 participants. After the introduction speeches of His Excellency Mr Oliver Caron, Ambassador of

France to Singapore, and Mr Pierre Verdière, President of the FCCS, the ﬁrst panel discussions started on the topic “Collaborating with business partners for a sustainable and responsible value chain”. Moderated by Mrs Joëlle Brohier Meuter, FCCS Sustainability Committee CoPresident, and Director, Anakout CSR Consultancy, we welcomed on stage several prestigious speakers: • Mr Alain Denielle, Group VicePresident, Corporate Sustainable Development, STMicroelectronics (Geneva); • Mrs Laurence Tournerie, VicePresident Business Acceleration Asia Paciﬁc, Danone (Singapore); • Mr Yves Laforgue, Managing Director, SDV Logistics (Singapore); • Ms Anne Guérin-Moens, Senior VicePresident, Corporate Social Responsibility, Alstom Group (Paris). The second part of the morning focused on

the “Multi-stakeholders Strategic Collaboration in Asia Towards Green Economy & Rio+20”. Ms Hélène Toury, FCCS Sustainability Committee Co-President, and Asia Industrial Marketing & Communications Manager, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies was the moderator for this session and we had the pleasure to welcome the following experts: • Mr Pascal Metivier, Director R&D, Rhodia Asia-Paciﬁc (China); • Mr Johann Clère, Environmental Strategy Ofﬁcer, Veolia Water (France); • Ms Raphaële Deau, Director of Communications & Partnerships, Nexus C4D (Singapore); • Mrs Gaëlle Olivier, CEO, Axa Asia Regional Centre (Singapore). After an intensive and very interesting morning session, our guests had the opportunity to mingle over a lunch buffet.

FOCUS MAGAZINE June 2012

CSR BEST PRACTICES Working Together Forum

AN INTENSIVE AFTERNOON: 300 B-TO-B MEETINGS FOR 76 COMPANIES The afternoon session of B-to-B Meetings brought together 76 companies. With 300 meetings organised by the FCCS, MNCs and SMEs had the opportunity to: • Introduce their services and exchange on potential collaboration during 20 minutes appointments. • Match their needs against each others’ solutions. To conclude this intensive day, we invited the participating companies to an ofﬁcial reception at the French Residence. During this reception, His Excellency Mr Olivier Caron, Ambassador of France to Singapore, said that environmentally sustainable development had become a “major driver” of business opportunities in the region, and applauded the signatories of the FCCS Sustainability Charter for their “forward-looking spirit”. We take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for their support, our distinguished speakers, all our attendees for making this day a success and a special thanks goes to Joëlle Brohier-Meuter and Hélène Toury for their energy, commitment in building this successful edition! F Kindly sponsored by:

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FCCS EVENTS

June 2012

Working Together Forum

WORKING TOGETHER FORUM PARTICIPATING COMPANIES 1969idea Adweb360 AGS BTP Asia Air France KLM Air Liquide - Soxal Alioscopy Singapore Alstom Anakout CSR Consultancy Antalis Asia Paciﬁc Aprim Interior Design Arkadin Arsmedia Atos Information Technology AXA Banque Transatlantique Singapore BNP Paribas Cofely South East Asia (GDF-Suez Group) Credit Agricole CIB Danone D'apres Nous D&B Dragages DS Avocats Equipage Esker Documentation Automation Asia Essilor

Europa Organisation Asia Exakis Asia Paciﬁc Forest Adventure Fu Ou Consulting Gemalto Geodis Wilson Singapore GreenA Consultants Harmony & Mobility Consulting Henner Asia Paciﬁc iCognitive Ingeliance Singapore Interfab Solutions International SOS JCDecaux Asia Kroll Associates (S) L&P Management Consultancy Lomig Louis Dreyfus Commodities Asia Lumiplan Asia M2 Management Mazars LLP Mediakeys Mercuri Urval (Asia) Michelin Milk Photography

Nexus-Carbon For Development One Access Orange Business Services Orchid Link Pan Asia Logistics Pickering Pacific Quartet FS Remy Cointreau International Resources Global Professionals Rhodia Asia Pacific Sanofi-Aventis Group Schneider Electric Singapore SDV Logistics Sing'Theatre Sodexo Solidiance Stint on Stage STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific Timeo Performance Total Oil Asia Pacific Veolia Viseo Asia Vue Privée William Sinclair Asia

HR SERVICES

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Training Sessions

June 2012

Enhance Your Skills with FCCS Training Modules Check our training offer with new modules and training partners. This comprehensive programme offers from half day to two-day sessions – all conducted in English – that are suitable to all levels of your organisation and its various departments.

FCCS Upcoming Trainings Jun

Thu 7

Introduction to SCM Impact on Finance “Turn Inventory into Trainer: iCognitive Cash”

Resilience for Performance, Health & Well-Being: Module Trainer: Mr Thierry Moschetti, the Resilience Institute Thu 14 Practical 1 & 2 Physical Vitality & Self Mastery Implementing and Using KPIs (Key Performance Trainer: Mr Jean-Yves Le Corre, Best of Management Tue 19 Developing, Indicators) Resilience for Performance, Health & Well-Being: Trainer: Mr Thierry Moschetti, the Resilience Institute Thu 21 Practical Module 3 Performance Mindset Trainer: Mrs Christine Reuther, Yabuka People & Performance

Thu 28 How to Enhance & Guide High Performance

Aug Thu 30 Working Effectively in Virtual Teams

Trainer: Ms Nicole Stinton, Stint on Stage

Sept Thu 20 Customer Experience: How to Engage Your Customer?

Trainer: Mr Amine Delage, L&P Management Consultancy

Oct

Thu 27 Unlocking Your Creative Potential

Trainer: Ms Nicole Stinton, Stint on Stage

Thu 4

Trainer: Mrs Catherine Claudepierre, Cross-Culture Link

Managing Cultural Diversity in APAC

Thu 18 Strategic Financial Management

Trainer: Mr Jean-Yves Le Corre, Best of Management

Practices for Effective Feedback, Honest & Motivating PerformThu 23 Best ance Reviews; Leverage a Culturally-Sensitive Coaching Approach Trainer: Mr Jean-François Cousin, 1-2-WIN Executive Coaching Nov

Dec

Thu 01 Business Leadership on Climate Fairness

Trainer: Nexus-Carbon for Development

Thu 08 Forecast: How to Improve Their Accuracy

Trainer: iCognitive

to High-Level Audiences and the Media: Advanced Trainer: Mr Jean-François Cousin, 1-2-WIN Executive Coaching Thu 06 Presentation Skills for Instant Buy-In, with Video-Practice Personal Development

Management

Professionnal Skills

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BUSINESS SERVICES

June 2012

Newly Set Up Companies

Newly Set Up Companies Over the last few months, several French companies enjoyed our services supporting their business set up in Singapore in view of ensuring local company representation and enjoying development opportunities in the region.

Philippe Cottin (Director of Château Mouton Rothschild for more than 40 years) and his four children have carried on the family tradition of Dubos Frères & Cie since 1997.

Dubos Frères & Cie is a wine merchant founded in 1785 that has specialised in Bordeaux wines for more than two centuries. Its strong reputation allows the company to be one of the main players in the Bordeaux region and also to meet the various needs of its customers from Europe, America and Asia.

For generations, this mainstay of the Bordeaux wine trade has offered each year a complete range of carefully selected Classiﬁed Growths wines. The most famous growths (Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau d'Yquem...) stand alongside less famous yet very reliable growths including Château de Moulin Rouge, and second labels including La Chapelle de Lafon Rochet, Frank Phelan...

interior architecture, decoration and industry.

Groupe OBER (Oberflex, Marotte, Stramiflex) is the world leading actor in the field of Architectural and Interior Design wood panels. Boasting more than 200 species of wood available in almost 600 products of the highest quality in both aesthetic and technical terms, its range now sets the standard in all fields of

This recognition places the seal on a century of expertise in the decorative wood sector, supported by a culture of innovation and a stringent approach to quality management throughout the production process. Our R&D works on the continuous improvement of the production process to optimise performance in both economic and ecological terms. This policy of integrated sustainable development, from eco-design

their customers for engineering (mechanical or electrical design, project management), machinery building (mechanical, electrical, welding), installation, commissioning or maintenance of the equipment.

Socaps is a company that provides technical assistance to industrial customers (machinery manufacturer, wholesalers, or end-users) in several industries including packaging, agri-food, printing, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Since 1984 their 250 technicians support

Based in France, Socaps is also implanted in Atlanta, Sao Paulo and Singapore to deliver faster to its customer the best service at the right cost. Their members are carefully selected, on the basis of their technical skills, the breadth of their experience, their mobility, and their shared belief in Socaps' values,

Dubos Frères & Cie carries an inventory of more than 150,000 cases and is present in every market for Bordeaux Wines: - France: Restaurants and Wine shop ('La Vinothèque'); - Europe; - North America: Dubos has launched its own distribution company in the USA; - Asia: It is the most signiﬁcant market for Dubos who has been established in the region for more than 20 years. F Contact: Mr Wilfried BOURCEAU, SEA Manager Website: www.dubos.com

to management of production waste, forms one of the key points of our quality management system. We received best Environmental Accreditation (PEFC, FSC, USGBC) enabling us to satisfy HQE and LEED requirements from international residential, hospitality and luxury retail industry projects. F Contact: Mr Philippe PLESSE, APAC Representative Director Website: www.oberﬂex.com

adaptability, availability, flexibility & promptness. They are autonomous, responsible, mobile and multilingual. Socaps enables you to gain expert advice and insights to punctually improve your output, to optimise your productivity, to adapt to fluctuating conditions with a flexible and mobile workforce and to meet your production, installation, and maintenance deadlines. F Contact: Mr Aurélien LAYET, Sales Manager Asia Website: www.socaps.com.asia

BUSINESS SERVICES

FOCUS MAGAZINE

Tradeshows

June 2012

Third Edition of the French Pavilion @ IDEM 2012: A Fast Growing Show in Asia According to industry research from Markets and Markets, the global dental equipment and consumables market is estimated to reach US$ 27.6 billion by 2015. This positive outlook is driven by advancements in technology available to dentists today, as well as the increase in awareness of oral hygiene globally. Additionally, Asia’s ageing population and rapid economic growth have contributed to the rising demand for better dental healthcare in the region.

In this fast-growing context, and for the third time, the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (FCCS) in collaboration with Ubifrance – the French trade commission – put together a French pavilion of 135sqm at this years’ IDEM tradeshow, compared to 84sqm in 2010. IDEM - International Dental Exhibition and Meeting Singapore - is the foremost dental trade and knowledge sharing platform in Asia Paciﬁc.

Acteon®, a world leader in small equipment and consumables for dentists, has become an internationally-established group. Anthogyr proposes a full range of dental instruments. Anthogyr is also providing a global solution for dental implantology with our AXIOM Concept, peripherical instruments as well as training and scientiﬁc seminars. Biotech International is specialised in designing, producing and distributing high quality oral implant products. Its experience puts today the company among the leaders on the market. Euroteknika Group offers a global solution for implantology: Euroteknika - Implant solutions / Teknika3D - Digital solutions / TeknikaLab Cad-Cam solutions / TeknikaTraining Training solutions. Itena Clinical Products, a leading manufacturer of dental reconstruction products and materials, offers innovative products at the cutting edge of modern aesthetic dentistry. Kasios is specialised in synthetic bone substitutes for dental and orthopedics. Kasios has developed a unique synthetic bone substitute made of TCP granules with a very high macroporosity (close to 90%).

11 French exhibitors presented their worldclass products and services at this regional tradeshow, showcasing France's excellence in the dental equipments and services. IDEM has been selected by many exhibitors as a platform to launch new products in Asia and sometimes even worldwide. The diversity of activities represented under the pavilion clearly illustrates the dynamism in the ﬁeld of innovation and technology of companies from France. F

Micro-Mega® manufactures, sells and markets its products in more than 125 countries worldwide. Its main ﬁelds of activity include endodontics Obturation, Handpieces, and Hygiene. Nichrominox offers a full range of innovative and quality aluminium and stainless steel products: Endodontic stands, bur stands, sterilisation cassettes, implantology kits, divided cassettes, photography mirrors, retractors etc… Ortho Plus’ EF Line appliances are based on Dr Daniel Rollet’s Functional Education concept that neutralises the functional matrix, improves breathing, swallowing, posture and dental pre-alignment. Owandy is renowned for manufacturing dental imaging solutions and developing imaging and practice management software. In addition to its range of products and services, Owandy strives to contribute to the improvement of the orodental health and the well-being of patients. Tekka designs, manufactures and sells innovative medical devices for Cranio-MaxilloFacial Surgery, Orthodontics and Dental Implants.

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BUSINESS SERVICES

June 2012

Tradeshows

Upcoming Exhibitions in Singapore The French Chamber of Commerce (FCCS) organises French Pavilions at selected exhibitions in Singapore. The FCCS aims at helping you avoid the hassle of the organisation and save time by taking care of everything from booking of space to all related administrative tasks and logistics. Above all, a pavilion shared with other French companies offers you a better

visibility during the exhibition (prime location, joint press and communication campaigns...). To optimise your exhibition, oneto-one meetings with key-decision makers can be scheduled for you during or after the exhibition. For more information, please contact Caroline Renou from our Business Support Unit at crenou@fccsingapore.com. F

*BROADCASTASIA 2012

SIWW 2012

19-22 June 2012 Venue: Suntec Exhibition Centre Estimated Visitors: 11,000 Exhibitors: 700 BroadcastAsia2012 is THE one-stop knowledge platform for the Broadcasting industry. For the 10th consecutive time, the FCCS will hold a French Pavilion where French companies will demonstrate their know-how and expertise. Website: www.broadcast-asia.com

1-5 July 2012 Venue: Marina Bay Sands Estimated Participants: 13,500 Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) is the global platform for the sharing and co-creation of innovative water solutions. The event's ďŹ&#x201A;agship programmes comprise: Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, Water Leaders Summit, Water Convention, Water Expo, Business Forums. Website: www.siww.com.sg

*COMMUNICASIA 2012 19-22 June 2012 Venue: Marina Bay Sands Estimated Visitors: 28,000 Exhibitors: 2,000 CommunicAsia2012 features a comprehensive myriad of key and emerging technologies from backhaul network, systems integration to software and applications to the end users. For the 10th consecutive time, the FCCS will hold a French Pavilion where French companies will demonstrate their know-how and expertise. Website: www.communicasia.com * For these exhibitions, the FCCS organises a French Pavilion in collaboration with Ubifrance.

*MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2012 12-14 September 2012 Venue: Suntec Exhibition Centre Estimated Visitors: 8,000 Exhibitors: 500 The 9th edition of Asia's most signiďŹ cant medical and health exhibition, Medical Fair Asia, returns even bigger and better to Suntec Singapore. It will showcase an international line-up of leading medical and health care players from around the world. French companies will gather under the French Pavilion for the 6th time in a row. Website: www.medicalfair-asia.com

FCCS CLUB EVENTS CEO Series / Asia Committee

FOCUS MAGAZINE June 2012

CEO Series: Strategy of International SOS in Asia Paciﬁc For this exclusive series, strictly limited to CEOs from multinational companies, we had the pleasure to welcome Mr Arnaud Vaissié, Co-founder, Chairman & CEO of International SOS for a talk on the Strategy of International SOS in Asia Paciﬁc. Unlike most multinational companies, International SOS started in Singapore and Jakarta as AEA Holdings, then expanded across Asia and Europe. As a result of an acquisition, it embraced the name – International SOS – and gained the US market. This was followed by Africa and the Middle East. Today, Asia remains a key market for International SOS, and Singapore is the company’s global headquarters. Mr Arnaud Vaissié shared with the audience the Group’s strategy in Asia, as well as the key success factors in this region and his views on the future of Asia. F

Doing Business in China

China is the world's fastest growing market and an important feature of our changing economic landscape. Growing a business in China depends on many factors and on targeted business practices. For this great talk, organised with the Belgian Luxembourg Business Group, we welcomed three experts who shared their insights on how to anticipate business activities in China. Dr Liu Yunhua, Associate Professor, Division of Economics, NTU ﬁrst shared the business landscape of China in the subsequent 5 years from an academic perspective. Then, Mr Lim Lee Meng, Senior Partner at RSM Chio Lim LLP, presented the business landscape in China for 2011-2015 and covered the 12th 5-year plan and its impact. Finally, Mr Tay Woon Teck, Executive Director at Stone Forest Corporate Advisory, presented a case study on how to manage investment in China. This breakfast talk ended with an active Q&A session where the mixed audience composed of 40 French and Belgian attendees had the opportunity to deepen speciﬁc points. F

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FCCS CLUB EVENTS

June 2012

Energy & Infrastructure Committee

Oil & Gas: The New Challenges: Access to Resources, Technology, Acceptability Easy oil & gas is behind us. Today the ﬁrst challenge our industry has to tackle is to get access to potential resources with new geopolitical or environment constraints. Our projects are more and more technologically complex, highly capitalistic, and requiring global management capabilities. Technology is a key and acceptability by all the stakeholders is also a must and a challenge. For this exceptional talk which gathered more than 50 participants, we had the pleasure to welcome Mr Jean-Marie Guillermou, Senior Vice President AsiaPacific, Total Exploration & Production, to share with us his vision on the challenges the oil & gas business if facing. F

Challenges of a Multi-Billion Dollars Petrochemical Project The Energy & Infrastructure Committee invited Mr Georges C. Grosliere, Venture Director, Singapore Parallel Train, ExxonMobil Chemical Asia Pacific to present the components of ExxonMobil’s mega-project and the way the organisation was set up. Our expert addressed the different challenges, starting with safety (22,000

people at peak), quality (equipment came from the whole planet), productivity (39 different nationalities) and logistics (Singapore does not have a lot of space) of this mega project. Mr Grosliere ended his presentation with a couple of videos showing some key stages of that project. F

Alstom Transport and Alstom Power Success Stories The island of Singapore is densely populated and highly urban, and great economic growth experienced over the last two decades has demanded major improvements in public transport. The government set up the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in September 1995 to provide a highly efﬁcient, comfortable, safe and convenient transport system at an affordable price. The multinational conglomerate Alstom, headquartered near Paris, was contracted

in 2000 by the LTA in Singapore to supply the Driverless MRT System for the Circle Line. This underground line is currently 35.7 kilometres long with 31 stations (excluding Bukit Brown) and is the world’s longest underground driverless metro. It takes about an hour to travel from one end to the other and is coloured orange on the rail map. The rolling stock consists of forty Alstom Metropolis trains. Soon, almost half a million people are expected to use the

Circle Line each day. During this breakfast talk, jointly organised by the FCCS and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, Mr Wouter van Wersch, Senior VP Sales & Marketing Asia Pacific & Country President Singapore Alstom and Mr Emmanuel Henry, Circle Line Project Director, Alstom, revealed the Alstom Transport and Alstom Power success stories in Singapore with a scoop of the Singapore Alstom circle line project. F

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FCCS CLUB EVENTS

June 2012

Sustainability / Entrepreneurs Committees

Sustainability Committee Meeting The FCCS Sustainability committee organised a committee meeting in order to ﬁnalise the project of a Sustainability Charter to be signed by FCCS companies based in Singapore. The Sustainability Charter aims at encouraging and catalysing sustainability activities of FCCS members in Singapore and in the region (Asia), through networking, best practice sharing, and sustainability projects. This project was initiated by the copresidents of the committee; Mrs Joëlle Brohier-Meuter, Director of Anakout & Ms Hélène Toury, Asia Industrial Marketing & Communications Manager, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies. In a second part, two companies were invited to share their best practices: - Veolia Environmental Services by Waiyin Cheongl; - Cofely SEA by Lai Choon Hoo. Finally, the committee listed all the projects for 2012, including the Sustainability Newsletter and the creation of a CSR Supplier Guide. F

Casual Talk Entrepreneurs – Experience Sharing The Entrepreneurs Committee invited entrepreneurs to a special Entrepreneur networking night for the Launch of the book “French Entrepreneurs in the East”. Mrs Anne Garrigue, Writer and Journalist, Author of “French entrepreneurs in the East”, shared her experience and anecdotes of entrepreneurs she interviewed for her book.

Then, we welcomed our second speaker, Mr Jacques Pickering, Founder of Pickering Pacific, who shared with us ten rules for successful entrepreneurship throughout his personal experiences. This presentation was followed by a networking session where our participants could exchange and mingle while sipping a glass of wine. F

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FCCS CLUB EVENTS

June 2012

HR Committee

Initiatives by MOM to Build Stronger HR & Leadership Capabilities In a recent study by the Conference Board, CEOs around the world name “talent” as the second most critical challenge facing their organisation, after “business growth”. Yet in another study by Ranstad, nearly half of all employers surveyed across Asia Paciﬁc rated their ability to attract top talent as only average or poor. This illustrates that while companies recognise that talent is key to business success, they often lack strong human capital capabilities to attract and retain the best talent.

Mr Albert Foo, Senior Manager at the National Human-Capital Office (NHO) at the Ministry of Manpower, shared the strategies and initiatives to help organisations in Singapore raise their human resource and leadership capabilities. This talk was the perfect opportunity to interact, share and better understand what support can be given to help you build stronger capabilities to effectively attract, develop and retain talent for business growth. F

Current Practices of Local Beneﬁts This HR committee meeting reserved to HR Directors from multinational companies invited Ms Cécile Diversy, VP, HR, Asia Pacific for Danone to share her knowledge of the current Practices of Local beneﬁts regarding health scheme,

retirement and other related topics. After the presentation, our HR specialists had the opportunity to share their experience and practices regarding local beneﬁts within their own companies. F

Workplace Health Promotion Programmes The Health Promotion Board of Singapore is subsidising Singapore-based companies to carry out Workplace Health promotions programmes. The talk animated by Mr Jean-François Torrelle, General Manager Group Development Denis Asia Pacific, Ms Claire Southwood Jones, Nutritionist, and Mr Mathew Lee, an executive from

the Singapore Sports Council gave a detailed insight about the grant, what it covers, how to apply for it, and the various programmes that the companies (SMEs as well as MNCs) can run and beneﬁt from. Through its subsidiary Mykenzen nutrition services, Denis Asia Paciﬁc is servicing the Singapore companies with a complete

range of Workplace Health Promotion services. It has gained extensive expertise in nutrition and wellness, for corporate customers aiming at a ﬁtter and more productive workforce. Denis Asia Paciﬁc and its Mykenzen nutrition services division is an accredited services provider by the Health Promotion Board of Singapore. F

Branding Yourself Into Your Organisation Making a difference, being visible, having an impact on events and on people is becoming a hot skill in the workplace today. Understanding the circles of power around you can boost your career, inﬂuence decisions and improve your performance. Christine Reuther, coach & consultant specialised in individual performance at Yabuka People & Performance gave a very alive talk with videos, exercises & questions. F

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FCCS CLUB EVENTS

June 2012

R&D / ICT Committees

Site Visit: Soitec’s R&D Activities & Visit of the Wafer Fab Soitec is the world leader in generating and manufacturing revolutionary semiconductor materials for electronic and energy industries. Founded in 1992 by two French engineers Jean-Michel Lamure and André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé, Soitec has built his reputation developing and manufacturing

his ﬂagship material, SOI (Silicon-onInsulator). Since then, the company has continued to innovate and grow, opening its manufacturing facilities in Singapore in 2008. Soitec became an international company, with R&D and industrial manufacturing activities in France, Germany, Singapore, and the United States.

The R&D Committee organised a presentation on Soitec’s R&D activities followed by a visit of the wafer fab with the help of Mr Stéphane Barrau, VP Operations Singapore / Site Manager, Soitec Microelectronics Singapore. We take this opportunity to thank him again for this great presentation. F

R&D Joint-Event with the German R&D Committee on NRF/TUM/CREATE Programmes This joint-meeting organised with the R&D Committee of the German Chamber of Commerce gave our participants a n update on the different schemes, with three renowned speakers from National Research Foundation (NRF), TUM CREATE, and the German Institute of Science and Technology-Technische Universität München Asia (GIST-TUM Asia). Our ﬁrst speaker, Mr George Loh, Director Planning and Policy, National Research Foundation, gave an update on NRF Funding Schemes and CREATE.

Then, Prof Ulrich Stimming, CEO of TUM CREATE presented their activities in Singapore based on electric vehicles and all related technologies. Finally, our third speaker, Dr Markus Waechter, Director GIST-TUM Asia, gave an overview of TUM Asia, with its plans and activities. In addition to these very interesting talks, this joint-committee meeting represented a perfect opportunity for our R&D members to broaden their network with German R&D specialists. F

ICT Committee Meeting - Presentation of oneSafe For this ICT Committee meeting, we invited Mr Olivier Berni, Director of Lunabee to introduce its newly launched mobile application oneSafe. oneSafe enables anyone to securely store passwords, logins, bank account numbers, loyalty cards, access codes, IDs and more, right in their iPhone and iPad. It protects sensitive information using 256-bit AES

encryption and locks the data behind a four-digit unlock code, visual pattern or an alphanumeric code. Icing on the cake, it allows users to synchronise all their devices automatically, using iCloud technology. This presentation ended with a discussion where our participants shared their ideas and opinions on mobile applications. F

FOCUS MAGAZINE June 2012

FCCS CLUB EVENTS Marketing & Communication / Luxury & Premium Retail Committees

Optimising the Impact of Your Web Presence Through SEO and Other Strategies Internet is becoming more complex with social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube…), mobile Internet and other online platforms leading to a multitude of potential marketing and advertising strategies.

When 90% of searches in Google lead to clicks on natural searches, not on ads, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a powerful tool to get free and targeted trafﬁc to your website, but no longer the only one.

How can your company reach your targeted audience with a minimum of cost and time spent?

During this committee meeting, Ms Sophie Normand, Founder of fewStones presented the latest Internet trends and

the ways to take advantage of them in order to maximise the impact of your company’s web presence on your business. Several questions were raised at the end of the presentation, allowing our members to exchange their best practices and tips on how to increase your presence on the web. F

Wines and Spirits as an Investment

In Asia, the thirst for rare wines and spirits is moving beyond the dining table: now the industry is also aiming at the region’s capital markets, and ﬁne wine is establishing itself as a credible alternative asset class. Once a passion, it is now turning into a safe and attractive investment when professionals are uncertain about the stock

and property markets. For this Luxury & Retail Committee breakfast talk, Mr Christophe Bourrié, highly experienced and passionate about ﬁne wines, now Regional Director of Louis XIII, shared his insights, gave hints about the ﬁne wines market’s organisation and distribution, and addressed potential risks as well as expectation management. F

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FCCS CLUB EVENTS

June 2012

Finance / Tax & Legal Committees

Outsourcing of Support Functions: BeneďŹ ts and Opportunities in Singapore To reduce costs, companies choose outsourcing as a means of gaining competitiveness. Outsourcing can indeed enable organisations to compete more effectively by transforming their internal operations through outsourcing non-core support functions or business processes to external service providers who have better practices, skills and infrastructure. While outsourcing provides excellent business opportunities, it can also bring with it additional business risks. During this session, Mr David PierreKahn, CFO Asia from Atos described services successfully outsourced in the region and Mr Christoph Fink, Head of Managed Services, Atos focused on the merits of IT outsourcing. This meeting ended with a constructive roundtable where our members shared their experiences. F

Singapore 2012 Budget: Recent Changes & New Initiatives Taken in totality, the 2012 Budget shows a shift in the Government's attitudes and policy mindset. Besides some measures targeted at businesses, the other three main areas of focus are social mobility, support for the elderly and disabled, and building a more equitable tax system in Singapore.

The Finance Committee invited Mr Gordon Lawson, International Corporate Tax partner of KPMG Singapore during a committee meeting to share with our members his insights and experiences to help us understanding the most recent changes and new initiatives unveiled in Budget 2012. F

Finance, Tax & Legal Networking Night The Finance and Tax & Legal Committees organised a joint committee networking event in February. This event, held at Le Carillon de l'Angelus, gathered experts from ďŹ nance, taxation and legislation. This was a great opportunity for our members and friends to broaden their network, share ideas experiences over a few glasses of wine. F

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EXTERNAL RELATIONS

June 2012

French Chambers in Asia

French Chambers in Asia: A Powerful Network With the increase of the French presence in most countries in the region, this Asian network of French Chambers in Asia now represents more than 8,000 French and local company members. The Chambers’ top missions include: fostering trade between France and each of these countries; lobbying with both the local and the French authorities; and offering the best possible platform to their members. A the same time, they seek to help all French companies based in France to approach Asian markets, and in 2011 alone, more than 4,000 French companies beneﬁted from Chamber support to approach, export or settle in Asia. This network is completely independent and private, auto-ﬁnanced by its members and its services. Almost all of Asia was represented at the meeting, with participants from Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India,

Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as two from the Middle East (EAU Abu Dhabi, EAU Dubai). A large delegation from France was also there, with ACFCI and UCCIFE representatives and two large regional Chambers: CCI Paris and CCI Alsace.

The three-day meeting was held to share insights and know-how, with the aim of enhancing services to all our members. Several action plans were discussed to improve coordination between the Chambers in Asia, coordinate market information towards France and create sectorial approaches. F

FCCS CLUB EVENTS FCCS Events

FOCUS MAGAZINE June 2012

FOCUS MAGAZINE

FCCS CLUB EVENTS

June 2012

FCCS Event

Connect & Broaden your Network Our networking events are a great opportunity to meet with other professionals across different industries. This evening was held at 77 Wine Bar on

Boat Quay, a great place with an outside terrace and an amazing view, where our 50 participants enjoyed reďŹ ned wines and a selection of French cheeses. This networking event was a great success! F

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FCCS MEMBERSHIP

June 2012

FCCS New Members

FCCS New Members We are very pleased to welcome the following new members who recently joined the French Chamber of Commerce. Please visit www.fccsingapore.com for more details.

CORPORATE MEMBERS EUROPA ORGANISATION ASIA Contact: Mr Marc DONCIEUX, CEO Website: www.europa-organisation.com Sector: Event Organiser

ASTRIUM Contact: Mr Martin ROBILLARD, Representative Website: www.astrium.eads.net Sector: Aeronautics / Satellites

Asia

EXAKIS ASIA PACIFIC Contact: Mr Pascal BOBY, Director Website: www.exakis.com Sector: Consultants

CAPGEMINI APAC – SINGAPORE

GROUPE OBER

Contact: Mr Colin FLYNN, Chief Executive Ofﬁcer Website: www.capgemini.com Sector: Consultants

Contact: Mr Philippe PLESSE, Representative Director Website: www.oberﬂex.com Sector: Interior Design / Architecture

APAC

CEGOS ASIA PACIFIC

HGH INFRARED SYSTEMS

Contact: Mr Jeremy BLAIN, Managing Director Website: www.cegos.com.sg Sector: HR, Training

Contact: Mr Thierry CAMPOS, CEO Website: www.hgh.fr Sector: Electronics, Information Technology

CREPUSCULE ASIA

NEOPOST ASIA PACIFIC HOLDING

Contact: Mrs Aurora CARRÉ de MALBERG, Managing Director Website: www.crepuscule.fr Sector: Media / Communication

Contact: Mr Gilles NAUCHE, Managing Director Website: www.neopost.com Sector: Mailroom Equipment

CW SINGAPORE

Contact: Mr Jean-Pierre ERBA, Managing Director Website: www.paul-international.com Sector: Bakery

PAUL SINGAPORE Contact: Mr Didier GRATALOUP, Managing Director Website: www.cwspore.com Sector: General Procurement and Logistics

DELICIAE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT Contact: Mr Olivier Henri BENDEL, Director Website: www.sabio.sg Sector: Hospitality / Restaurant / Clubs

PAYPAL Contact: Mr Elias GHANEM, Managing Director, PayPal Southeast Asia, India and Korea Website: www.paypal.com.sg Sector: Online Payment

PIERRE FREY SAS EDENRED ASIA PACIFIC Contact: Mr Henri FESTAL, Chief Financial Ofﬁcer Website: www.edenred.com Sector: Services - Media / Communication

Contact: Ms Christine KOECHLIN, Financial Director Website: www.pierrefrey.com Sector: Luxury goods

ESKER DOCUMENTATION AUTOMATION ASIA

REGIONAL COUNCIL OF BURGUNDY SINGAPORE REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE

Contact: Mr Pierre-Jean TATIN, Professional Services Consultant Website: www.esker.com.sg Sector: Software / Information services

Contact: Mr Alexandre BAC, Representative Website: www.cr-bourgogne.fr Sector: Others

Deputy

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FCCS MEMBERSHIP

June 2012

FCCS New Members

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS AEDAS Contact: Mr Peter STUECK, Principal, LEED AP | Green Mark Manager (BCA) Website: www.aedas.com Sector: Architecture

INTERAUDIT (ASIA) CO. LTD BESTOFMANAGEMENT.COM

Contact: Mr Jean-Yves LE CORRE, Executive Director Website: www.bestofmanagement.com Sector: HR, Training

DAIRY FARM SINGAPORE Contact: Mr Alex TAY, Regional Director South Asia Website: www.dairyfarmgroup.com Sector: Distribution

INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FUND (IRRI FUND) Contact: Mr Chen Ian LEO, Executive Director Website: www.irrifund.org Sector: Charitable organisation

ENTREPRENEUR MEMBERS DIPLINE ASIA

PROJECT VALUE DELIVERY

Contact: Mr Henri BONG, Managing Director Website: www.diplineasia.com Sector: Wireless Lighting Solutions

Contact: Mr Jeremie AVEROUS, Senior Managing Partner Website: www.ProjectValueDelivery.com Sector: Consultants

FRENCH TOAST LANGUAGE CENTER Contact: Mr Rémi MALACHIN, Director Website: www.frenchtoast.sg Sector: Education

SIMPLE + SMART CPL Contact: Ms Arielle BENADI, Director Website: www.simpleandsmart.com.sg Sector: Information Technology

INSIDE OUT Contact: Mr Laurent VUIBERT, Executive Coach Website: www.insideout.biz Sector: Human Resources

INTERFAB SOLUTIONS Contact: Mr Bruno DESCHAMPS, Associate Director Website: www.interfab-solutions.fr Sector: Industrial Services

LITTLE PROVENCE

SOMERVILLE MEDIA Contact: Mr Greg SOMERVILLE, Director/Producer/Cameraman Website: www.somervillemedia.com Sector: Audiovisual / Multimedia

VITISASIA Contact: Mr Ludovic TENDRON, Director Website: www.vitisasia.com Sector: Wine & Gastronomy Events, Wine Investment

Contact: Mr Damien GEOFFRAY, Director & Co-Founder Website: www.littleprovence.sg Sector: Food & Beverage

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS MR RANI FRANÇOIS-MARIE SAAD, Director, Head of Corporate Development, ABACUS INTERNATIONAL Sector: Travel Solutions & Services

MR ANTOINE LAMY, Director, MICHAEL PAGE INTERNATIONAL / PAGE PERSONNEL Sector: Recruitment

MS VALERIE GILLES, Senior Actuarial Manager, ERGO ASIA MANAGEMENT Sector: Insurance & Reinsurance

MR FRÉDÉRIC MORAILLON, Vice President, Marketing – APJ, AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES PTE LTD Sector: Information Technology

MR JEAN-MICHEL COEUR, Senior Solutions Consultant, TIBCO SOFTWARE Sector: Software, Information services

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FCCS MEMBERSHIP

June 2012

FCCS Privilege Card

FCCS Privilege Card Terms & conditions apply, visit www.fccsingapore.com for more details.

AGS FOUR WINDS - Up to 30 days free storage rent in Singapore - 1 hour handyman service free

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE - 5% discount for any French tuition - 10% discount for any French tuition tailored to a company’s needs and given in the company premises

AU PETIT SALUT - Special rate for use of private dining room

BODY WITH SOUL - 10% off TCM & 1st assessment at Body Temple - $20 off Ostheopathy & Physio - $100 off clinical pilates packages

CITROËN TT SINGAPORE - 5% of discount for the FCCS members

EDITIONS DIDIER MILLET (EDM) - 20% off on speciﬁc titles with free delivery or 40% off on speciﬁc titles with self-collection

FOREST ADVENTURE - 10% off on individual tickets, birthday packages and merchandising

FOXYSALES - A permanent 10% discount on your orders

FRASERS HOSPITALITY - 10% off Best Available Rates

FRENCH TERROIRS - 10% off all wines (+ gift for 6 bottles purchase) - 15% off food - 10% off all products for corporates above S$300

GLOBIBO - 6% off Translation Services - 11% off Interpretation & Language Courses - 6% off Language Courses - 11% off Corporate Training Course

GMC SERVICES – ASIA PACIFIC - 10% discount for new GMC members

GRAND MERCURE ROXY HOTEL - 15% off on dinner at selected restaurants - 10% off Best Available Rate for guest rooms

HARRY’S CATERING COMPANY - 10% off at all Harry's outlets in Singapore - Harry's Premium Lager Beer @ S$9 nett

HEDIARD - S$25 gift certiﬁcate at the Hediard Café to use with a minimum spend of S$100 at the Hediard Boutique

HILTON SINGAPORE HOTEL - 10% off Wine Classes

LAURENT BERNARD - 10 % for corporate orders - $ 300-$999 - 15% for corporate orders - $ 1000 – 1999 - 20% for corporate orders - $ 2000 and above

PETIT BATEAU - 10% off regular items

RAFFLES HOTEL, SINGAPORE - 15% off all Food & Beverage outlets - 15% off Meeting and Banquet packages

RASA SENTOSA RESORT, SINGAPORE - 15% off total Food Bill at Barnacles Restaurant, Casserole, Silver, Shell Café and Trapizza upon dining

SPICE VILLAGE - 10% off on all catering event (food) above S$1,000

ST REGIS - 20% off at Brasserie Les Saveurs & Labrezza - 20% off at Astor Bar - 15% off a la carte treatments at Remede Spa

SURVIVAL CHIC LIFESTYLE MEMBERSHIP - Reduction of 10% upon the Survival Chic Membership, against immediate payment

THE RESILIENCE INSTITUTE - 1 complimentary Diagnostic

TRADERS HOTEL, SINGAPORE - 15% off Food & Beverage at F&B outlet

UNIQGIFTTM - 10% off on unigift.com

VUE PRIVÉE - 15% off L’Aventurier series (100 editions) and VP lifestyle products

WINES2U - 15% off on Champagne Moutard - 10% off on all other wines for a minimum order of 12 bottles per purchase

ZWIESEL - 15% off all items