FOCUS Magazine - Wheels in Motion: Ready, Start-Up, Go!

FOCUS

The Magazine of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

Issue 65

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www.fccsingapore.com

Wheels in Motion R e a d y ?

S t a r t - U p Go!

With a Thirst for the Future A Snapshot of Singapore’s Start-Up Landscape Supporting Start-Ups, Sussing Out Customer Insights

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FOCUS MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

Issue 65

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Cover Story Wheels in Motion: Ready? Start-Up. Go!

03 Edito

10 A Snapshot of Singapore’s Start-Up Landscape

Short News

04 Short News

11 Plug into the French Chamber’s Start-Up Ecosystem 12 Diving into the Deep 14 Supporting Start-Ups, Sussing Out Customer Insights 16 Business Analytics & Data-Driven Decision-Making 17 Fuelled by French Tech 18 With a Thirst for the Future 20 Moving Marketing Mobile 21 #Capturingmoments 22 New Ways to Compete

24

Chamber News

24 Business Support 28 HR Services 30 French Chamber Events 51 New Members 54 Lifestyle News 56 Privilege Card

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French Chamber Patron Members

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

Director of Publication Carine Lespayandel Production Editor Joe Han Lim Sub-Editor Jonathan Meur Design & Layout Jonathan Meur Advertising Joe Han Lim Jonathan Meur Colour Separation & Printing Toppan Security Printing Pte. Ltd. Cover Image Pixabay

Issue 65 4,000 copies MCI (P) 064/07/2017

French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore 541 Orchard Road #09-01 Liat Towers Singapore 238881 Tel: +65 6933 1350 Fax: +65 6933 1398 www.fccsingapore.com info@fccsingapore.com

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

Issue 65

FOCUS MAGAZINE

EDITO

Issue 65

T

he start-up scene in Singapore has evolved dramatically over the last ten years. The number of start-ups has skyrocketed, there is a good growth in the support ecosystem, and it should come to no surprise that we

should have new unicorns emerging from this start-up hub growing more robust each year.

The French Start-Up Award concluded just last month in December is a great example of how vibrant the French tech community in Singapore has become. Along with the jury, which included various Singaporean and French actors of the start-up landscape here, we had a quite a task shortlisting and then selecting a winner out of an impressive line-up of candidate companies. These were companies that came from different backgrounds, from fintech to biotech to IT, and they encompassed a large spectrum of very exciting and promising start-up activity.

At the CEO Tech Club, animated together with Denis Branthonne of Novade, and the French Chamber, we see a lively exchange of ideas and experiences, a great culture of sharing which presents a great opportunity to not only meet peers in the industry but advance and develop together.

From Singapore, start-ups can start to think global, beyond Asia; Singapore has set a good foundation for entrepreneurs to pursue innovative projects and I can only encourage all entrepreneurs to go for it here!�

Eric Barbier

CEO, TransferTo Co-President, French Chamber CEO Tech Club

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SHORT NEWS

FOCUS MAGAZINE

French Companies in Singapore

Issue 65

Robertet Asia Opens New Factory in Singapore Robertet Asia has opened a new factory in Singapore dedicated to the flavour business, following the opening of its fragrance unit two years ago.

“The ASEAN market offers a new land of opportunities for us and represents our eagerness to expand more in the region and become a major player in the field of natural flavours and fragrances in South East Asia”, said Mr Philippe Maubert, CEO of Robertet Group. F

Roquette Opens New APAC HQ and Innovation Centre in Singapore Plant-based ingredients company, Roquette, has opened new offices and an innovation centre in Singapore, which will focus on food, nutrition and pharma to better address eating habits and health concerns of Asian consumers.

The new facilities will enable the company to tailor its products and address the specific health and dietary challenges of the region such as obesity or diabetes, and will include a research laboratory, customer technical services as well as the new regional headquarters. It will complement Roquette’s existing global research and application centres and will allow it to partner with customers, universities and research institutions, such as Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) or the National University of Singapore.

The more than 1,100m² innovation centre is located at Biopolis, adding to Roquette’s existing presence in Asia, which includes today a large commercial presence in many countries and several sites in China, India and South Korea. F

Sodexo Acquires Leading Facilities Management Provider in Singapore Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life services, has announced that Kim Yew Electrical & Sanitary, a leading hard Facilities Management (FM) services provider in Singapore, has joined the Sodexo family.

With a team of 450 employees, Kim Yew is one of Singapore’s top hard FM service providers, providing quality services to leading education and public sector clients. It will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sodexo Singapore under its new name, Sodexo Kim Yew. Sodexo Kim Yew will reinforce Sodexo’s technical expertise in Singapore and better enable the company to address the growing demands for seamless integrated FM services and enhance its service offering. F

SHORT NEWS

FOCUS MAGAZINE Issue 65

French Companies in Singapore

Alstom to Supply Signalling System for Singapore Circle Line Stage 6 Alstom has signed a contract with Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) to supply the signalling system for Singapore Circle Line (CCL) final phase, stage 6. This includes the supply of its Urbalis driverless signalling system, the equipment of news trains and locomotives of the existing line and upgrade of the Automatic Train Supervision system (ATS). It will also almost double the capacity of the existing Kim Chuan Depot with new stablings.

Singapore CCL Stage 6 will be 4km long and will add 3 stations, Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward, to the existing line of 30 stations across 35.5km. Once completed around 2025, it will close the loop of CCL by connecting HarbourFront Station to Marina Bay Station. Commuters will enjoy overall connectivity between areas in the West and the Central Business District, as well as upcoming developments in the Marina Bay area. F

BlueSG Launches Singapore’s First Large-Scale Electric Vehicle Car-Sharing Programme BlueSG, a subsidiary of the Bolloré Group, has launched its BlueSG programme, officiated by Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport, and Ms Marie Bolloré, Managing Director of Blue Solutions, Bolloré Group.

The first large-scale electric vehicle car-sharing service in Singapore is now available to the public. Interested parties can subscribe to a premium yearly membership plan or a weekly membership plan via the BlueSG mobile app or www.bluesg.com.sg, where car rentals will be charged based on duration instead of distance.

As part of the BlueSG programme, there are already 80 Bluecars and 32 BlueSG charging stations available for public use. The company aims to roll out a 1,000-strong electric vehicle fleet and 2,000 charging points by 2020. F

Dragages Singapore to Build CapitaLand’s Iconic Integrated Property Development in Singapore A joint venture between CapitaLand, CapitaLand Commercial Trust and Mitsubishi Estate Co. Ltd. has awarded a design-build contract to Dragages Singapore, Bouygues Construction’s subsidiary in Singapore, for a new integrated development.

With a total surface area of 93,351m², the site of the Golden Shoe Car Park will be redeveloped into a 51-storey “integrated development” housing office space, a serviced residence, multi-storey carpark and retail shops, and at a height of 280m will be one of the tallest buildings in the Central Business District. A distinctive feature of the new tower will be the “green oasis” which will be wrapped around the core of the building on four levels, incorporating a botanical promenade and an outside terrace.

Works have begun in August 2017, with completion expected in 2021.

More than one thousand people will be working on site at peak periods. F

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SHORT NEWS

French Companies in Singapore / French Chamber

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IDEMIA Technology Powers Passenger Processing Biometric System at New Changi Airport Terminal 4 At the newly opened Changi Airport Terminal 4, IDEMIA provides a complete passenger processing biometric system.

The chosen solution based on IDEMIA’s MorphoPass Airport Solution provides automated passenger ID checks using facial recognition at all departure control points. The system includes a centralised platform used by airlines and the airport to manage the various steps required for passenger authentication and identification.

Indosuez Wealth Management Completes CIC Private Banking Purchase Indosuez Wealth Management, the private banking arm of France’s second-largest bank Crédit Agricole, has completed its acquisition of Credit Industriel et Commercial’s (CIC) private banking business in Singapore and Hong Kong, having received approvals from the Singapore High Court and the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong.

In addition to current product and services, the combined business will allow CIC clients to benefit from Indosuez’s Hong Kong and global multi-booking centres, and its discretionary portfolio management, advisory mandates, private equity, wealth structuring and corporate solutions capabilities. Indosuez will also be adding a 24-hour execution platform to its offering.

The acquisition brings Indosuez’s total assets under management (AUM) across the region to about €12 billion (S$19.2 billion). Its employee base in Asia is also raised, from 250 to more than 400 staff. F

MorphoFace (a game-changing face recognition device) and MorphoWay (a fully automated gate for both border control and smart boarding) form part of this end-to-end solution and are fully deployed in Terminal 4 as part of the Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) program. The terminal can handle up to 16 million passengers per year. F

ENGIE and Schneider Electric Achieve First Milestone of South East Asia’s Largest Multifluid Renewable Energy Microgrid on Semakau Island ENGIE and Schneider Electric have reached a first milestone of the power generation asset installation for the ‘Sustainable Powering of Off-Grid Regions’ (SPORE) microgrid. As South East Asia’s largest hybrid microgrid, it will serve as a test and demonstration site for power generation from local renewable energy sources, providing clean cooking solutions and green mobility to remote islands and villages across the region, powered by a multifluid system integrating renewable resources like wind, sun and could embrace biomass production.

Located on Semakau Island, SPORE microgrid houses Singapore’s tallest wind turbine, PV (photovoltaic) panels, battery storage and a hydrogen system for storage and fuelling a hydrogen car - a first in Singapore. The microgrid is part of the existing REIDS (Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator in Singapore) initiative led by the Energy Research Institute at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and in collaboration with EDB (Singapore Economic Development Board) and NEA (the National Environment Agency). F

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SHORT NEWS

French Companies in Singapore

TransferTo and Grab Partner Up to Deliver Real-Time Digital Payment across South East Asia TransferTo has been chosen by Grab, the leading mobile ride-hailing and payments platform in South East Asia, to enable realtime earnings payouts for Grab drivers using their GrabPay account, across Grab’s operating markets.

Danone Partners Lazada to Strengthen e-Commerce Business in South East Asia Danone and Lazada Group have announced a Strategic Regional Partnership for South East Asia that covers Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, where the two companies will create together a superior online shopping experience for key product categories, combining expertise on shopper needs and behaviours to bring convenience and compelling content to an evergrowing number of online consumers across the region.

Lazada’s digital platforms will provide convenient ordering solutions, personalised service and exclusive content and events developed with Danone. This alliance will begin work immediately with Danone’s Early Life Nutrition category, which brings a broad portfolio of brands for families with young children. The joint ambition is to be able to offer parents an unparalleled level of service and delivery, including advice and information on the growth, development and nutritional needs of children. F

For the first time, and as a result of this strategic partnership, Grab drivers can instantly collect their daily earnings with their GrabPay mobile wallet as they end their shift.

TransferTo’s real-time payments Network is integrated with major banks in Singapore and across South East Asia, allowing drivers to link their GrabPay mobile account directly to their personal bank account, or opt for a cash pickup option.

Within the first few weeks of launch, there were more than 6 million transactions. The use of TransferTo’s real-time Mass Payouts solution means there are more drivers willing to take on more rides with the added security that they can receive their money daily and in real-time, and for Grab, that the company will be able to scale their growth faster across the region. F

CMA CGM Makes Singapore its Asian Digital Hub CMA CGM has announced that Singapore will be leading the French shipping giant’s Asia digital strategy as the Group believes that Singapore is ahead of the curve in terms of the digital business. It announced the appointment of a new Chief Digital Officer for Asia based in Singapore, a role that involves seeking opportunities in relation to transport and logistics start-ups that can complement CMA CGM services. The company also seeks to further develop its digital and e-commerce business, such as offering end-to-end solutions. F

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Wheels in Motion R e a d y ?

S t a r t - U p Go!

Issue 65

FOCUS MAGAZINE Issue 65

COVER STORY

Wheels in Motion: Ready? Start-Up. Go!

Wheels in Motion: Ready? Start-Up. Go! In recent years, Singapore has seen a flurry of start-ups spring up, which should come as no surprise, seeing its propensity to innovate, high degree of technological adoption and openness in doing business. The country has carved out a competitive edge as a hub for finance, logistics, transportation, and is now making a mark as a start-up hub.

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tart-up founders based in Singapore are the youngest in the world, with a median age of 28 years, and the city-nation also has the third highest level of global connectedness. It has overtaken Silicon Valley as No. 1 for global start-up talent, hoisted by its access to quality talent and relative cost.

On a more hands-on level, the Singapore government has launched SGInnovate (page 12-13), an agency that vises to launch, prove and scale deep-tech – technologyintensive – innovations. Bringing together key people and resources, it seeks to launch Singapore into the AI and robotics space, among other deep tech domains. * Startup Genome, Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2017

Collaboration has become essential to sourcing new technologies and novel competitive business models, shortening cycles of innovation and fasttracking development of game-changing products and services, and Singapore is well primed with labs (page 16), hubs (pages 22–23), centres (pages 18–19) and programmes (pages 14–15) dedicated to enabling the convergence of business energies.

With an entrepreneurial ecosystem evolving at an unmatched pace, it is clear that the start-up journey in Singapore is a dynamic and exciting one. Ready?

Start-Up. Go! F

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Issue 65

A Snapshot of Singapore’s Start-Up Landscape Start-up ecosystem value

US$11 bn

1,600 to 2,400 tech start-ups in total

Average age of start-up founders

28

27%

of start-ups have just 2-3 founders

No.12

overall for start-up ecosystem

More than US$1bn

No.1

Global Start-Up Talent

in disclosed funding in 2016

Total mobile phone subscriptions

Notable Start-Ups

8,312,500

Sources: Startup Genome, Startup Genome Ecosystem Ranking Report 2017 / Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) (2016) / DATA.GOV.SG (2016) / Tech in Asia

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Wheels in Motion: Ready? Start-Up. Go!

Plug into the French Chamber’s

Start-Up Ecosystem In 2017, the French Chamber conducted a survey of over 100 French entrepreneurs in Singapore to find out their priorities and needs. Today, 25% of the Chamber’s members are entrepreneurs and this entrepreneurial drive continues to energise the Chamber’s actions. Here are some of the Chamber’s initiatives in support of start-ups and entrepreneurs.

French Start-Up Award

Business Accelerator Lab

Business Opportunity Platform

At the Business Accelerator Lab, entrepreneurs of start-ups already operational present their business to a group of business advisors, who comprise of successful entrepreneurs and professionals from various sectors and functions. In these individualised meetings, the advisors share their feedback on the start-up’s business model, and offer recommendations, direction for scalability and contacts whenever possible.

The Business Opportunity Platform is a helpful linking tool dedicated to the small business market for business sellers and buyers, investors and entrepreneurs, founders and future co-founders. It is designed to facilitate the finding of small companies to be sold, business buyers interested in new opportunities, individuals interested in starting, investing in, and co-founding a new project.

Since the launch of the programme, the Accelerator Lab has guided 25 entrepreneurs. Many of these start-ups are from the tech industry or provide an online solution (interview page 21).

Mentoring Programme A co-initiative with Business France and the French Trade Advisors, the French Chamber’s Mentoring Programme provides an opportunity for French entrepreneurs and SME subsidiary representatives to exchange on business issues, with high-profile business people who volunteer to provide practical guidance and unique support for up to 12 months.

Following the success of the first edition of the French Entrepreneur Awards in 2015, the French Chamber organised the French Start-Up Award in 2017, presented in conjunction with the Working Together Forum (pages 32–33). The Award saw 27 excellent candidatures of start-ups with innovative solutions in domains from fintech and regtech to healthcare, construction and energy. The winner of this inaugural edition was global multicurrency marketplace Incomlend.

See also Meeting with Business Angels (page 44).

CEO Tech Club The CEO Tech Club is a monthly exchange among CEOs of French tech start-ups. Led by Eric Barbier of TransferTo (read the edito on page 3) and Denis Branthonne of Novade, the meetings explore topics pertinent to tech CEOs, from shareholder management to collaboration strategies.

Women Entrepreneurs Mastermind Group A monthly meeting for women entrepreneurs to present their businesses and challenges, and get the feedback and insights of a supportive community of fellow entrepreneurs, this Mastermind Group encourages entrepreneurs to keep focused and on track, and to continue to brainstorm to move forward together.

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Diving into the Deep Singapore moves into deep tech and is investing in transformational technologies. SGInnovate Founding CEO Steve Leonard looks into how Singapore seeks to navigate these uncharted waters.

Could you tell us about the role of SGInnovate?

SGInnovate was formed in 2016 because we believe Singapore can create globally relevant deep tech products and companies.

Singapore has great strengths in academia and scientific research, but we saw a gap in the critical ‘business-building’ capabilities needed to create a viable deep tech company.

Over the past year, we have met and worked with hundreds of researchers, founders, corporates and investors. Being so immersed in the deep tech founder community has given us a rich understanding of the specific challenges facing these entrepreneurs.

We recently announced our ‘Deep Tech Nexus’ Strategy, and for 2018, we will be working with greater clarity and focus in adding tangible value to the Singapore deep tech start-up ecosystem in two key areas: Human Capital and Investment Capital.

SGInnovate’s focus areas for 2018 and beyond will be in transformational technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain that have (or will soon have) horizontal applications to many industries. We know innovations in MedTech can bring positive impact to the healthcare industry so we are also working in that space.

We understand that SGInnovate focuses on deep tech, and deep tech start-ups face their own particular set of challenges. What would you say makes deep tech different?

To baseline what we mean by deep-tech products, we define it in simple terms as a product that has research-based IP at its core, is difficult to replicate and as such, has a high barrier to entry. The start-up scene in Singapore has seen strong growth in recent years, with a rise in the number of start-ups being founded. However, not enough of these start-ups are in the deep tech space. We believe one reason could be our current mindset that, because Singapore itself is not a large market, we cannot build globally relevant companies.

At SGInnovate, we’d like more people in Singapore believing they can build something that matters to people around the world. We certainly don’t have the limitations that we think we have, especially with all these assets: top-quality education, stable government, rule of law, IP protection, transparency,

lots of investible capital and a large base of corporations. The secret ingredient is the enormous amount of talent based in Singapore doing scientific work that could positively impact the world. There are also strong and consistent R&D investments in future-building areas such as AI, MedTech, Robotics and blockchain.

The next step is not that “we need more scientific research”, but “how do we turn some of this incredible work into products and companies that solve big global problems”. We need to have a stronger belief that we deserve a place on the global stage.

How do you see Singapore’s start-up scene growing and evolving?

Over the past decade, Singapore has consistently been acknowledged as a globally recognised leader in areas of scientific research and IP protection. In fact, the Global Innovation Index 2017 ranked Singapore as the most innovative nation in Asia, and the WEF Global Competitiveness Report 2016-2017 rated Singapore as having the best IP protection in Asia.

With a pipeline of high-quality scientific research, a culture of valuing the intellectual property that arises from research, and the amount of available investment capital, Singapore has a healthy innovation-based economy and we are seeing the growth of an increasingly strong start-up ecosystem here. The growing number of start-ups has also further strengthened the nation’s foundations for the future.

One of the prime areas of focus for Singapore as a nation, and for SGInnovate as a contributor, is the field of AI technologies. In Singapore alone, there have been significant commitments in AI-related research for some time. The launch of AI Singapore formalised the collaboration of key stakeholders to accelerate AI-related projects, fuelled in part by a S$150 million commitment from the National Research Foundation. These stakeholders include a large and growing group of entrepreneurs, corporates, academics, investors and government. Given our focus on the deep-tech entrepreneur and the venture-capital communities, SGInnovate is a founding member of the AI Singapore national effort.

Now that Singapore has everything that a world-class innovation ecosystem needs, we can evolve our collective thinking from a “not sure we can”, to a “we think we can”, and eventually into

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a “we know we can” mindset. We will then be on our way to building deep-tech companies from Singapore for the world.

What opportunities for collaboration might there be with SGInnovate?

At SGInnovate, collaboration is a big part of our on-going work. We work with partners and a start-up community that share our passion, and one of our key focus areas is making equity-based investments in promising deep-tech startups from Pre-seed to Series A stages.

Our collaborations with universities and polytechnics as well as with our partners such as Entrepreneur First, IPOS and NVIDIA, allow us to build a large database of talent in different areas. One of our goals is to create a two-sided marketplace in which talented people and high-potential start-ups can find each other.

Recently, we expanded our partner ecosystem. As part of our ‘Deep Tech Nexus’ Strategy, we have partnered with like-minded industry players including General Assembly, GIC, IBM, National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore, Nurture.ai, Red Dragon AI and SingularityNET. These partners will play instrumental roles in helping us strengthen individual talent capabilities, as well as communities of deep-tech talent. All of this will help SGInnovate better enable the scientist founders we work with to build viable early-stage companies. F

We can evolve our collective thinking from a “not sure we can”, to a “we think we can”, and eventually into a “we know we can” mindset.

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Supporting Start-Ups

Sussing Out Customer Insights Guillaume Sachet, Head of Social at Mediacorp, and Marc Rakotomalala, Founder of start-up Mentorica, share about their partnership, the start-up incubation programme Mediapreneur, and about their work on retail and advertising intelligence.

What does Mediacorp’s start-up incubation programme Mediapreneur aim to do?

Guillaume Start-ups admitted to the Mediapreneur go through a one-year incubation programme; they are housed at our Mediacorp Campus and receive seed funding in exchange for equity. Start-ups get help and guidance from eight experienced and digitally-savvy mentors. They can tap into our IP, platforms (TV, radio, digital) and tie up with our business units. So far, our start-ups have forged more than 36 partnerships across Mediacorp.

We started Mediapreneur in 2013 and our first batch joined in 2015. We receive about 100 applications per year and, to date, Mediacorp has invested in 21 startups over three batches. We have founders representing nine nationalities: French, Italian, Russian, German, Polish, Chinese, British, Canadian and Singaporean, the latter making up about 62% of all founders. We have incubated two French start-ups, eOasia in our first batch and Mentorica in our second batch.

Through Mediapreneur, we hope to: -- Have a window into disruptive media innovation and emerging technologies; -- Find opportunities to engage innovative, nimble and digital companies; -- Be a catalyst for culture change at Mediacorp.

We are also hopeful that these new technologies will make our content better, our analytics more accurate and our ads more effective. We believe that for the right companies, we are a better fit than many other investors because we can be both a partner and a customer. We’re also an amplifier. Partnering with a high-profile broadcaster like Mediacorp increases your chances of becoming a household name.

Several start-ups in our Mediapreneur programme are fast gaining traction: Vostok VR, a window into AR/VR technology, BeLive, a live streaming app,

Popular Chips, a front-runner in influencer analytics and Popsical, the smartest and smallest streaming karaoke system.

Mediapreneur shows that Mediacorp is innovating and adapting to the massive changes and disruption in the media industry. Through Mediapreneur, we hope to turn start-up companies with innovative ideas into successful technology businesses. It’s a great opportunity for Mediacorp, and for the start-ups!

How did the partnership between Mediacorp and Mentorica come about?

Guillaume When Marc started his company, Mentorica, he shared with me his ambitions and desire to join an incubation programme. As he was about to join a competing accelerator programme, I introduced the Mediapreneur to him. In 2016, Mentorica applied to Mediapreneur. While Mediacorp doesn’t have any retail spaces, we saw the potential and decided to accept Mentorica into our programme.

And just like that, Mentorica gained a major customer as well as a real-world test bed for their technology.

For Mediacorp, Mentorica’s technology is a great way to add value to Out-Of-Home (OOH) advertising.

It uses facial recognition and AI to figure out in real time who is looking at the ads to ultimately deliver targeted ads to passers-by. The technology is also able to detect the mood/reaction of passers-by.

Currently, Mentorica is working closely with our OOH team to pitch its intelligent advertising displays.

Although it uses a camera, this is not privacy-invading technology. The ads are in public places, and they only collect summary statistical data. Mentorica’s technology does not store any record, any footage or stills.

We believe Mentorica’s analytic software can be applied to a wide range of other functions apart from OOH advertising, bringing together online and offline behaviours to give companies a better idea of what exactly is happening in their stores and on social media. This technology has great potential.

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Could you tell us more about the technology Mentorica is developing?

Marc Traditional retailers are suffering. In the US, the number of retailers filing for bankruptcy is headed toward its highest since the global financial crisis in 2008. In recent news, department store giant Sears expressed doubts about its future. And even with players as strong as Amazon, which has taken the route of opening brickand-mortar stores to pursue growth, analysts are worried, drawing parallels with Sears, noting that Sears had switched from being a successful mail order business to opening stores.

We’re observing the same retreat and closure of stores in our part of the world.

In the face of this dire situation, analysts say it is imperative for retailers to reinvent themselves. “Omnichannel Analytics” is now trending – that is to take data from disparate channels, and unify it into a more holistic view of performance.

That is just what Mentorica’s retail analytics platform allows. It captures customer data at every touchpoint with the retailer or the brand, and then mines it to develop actionable insights, with the goal of knowing the customer better and increasing the conversion rate.

Our platform is designed for retail business users, not PhDs in statistics.

However, our team’s skillset is centred around Analytics, AI, Machine Learning, and Computer Vision.

How else may this technology be applied to change the landscape?

Marc The retail landscape has dramatically changed. Yesterday’s linear path to purchase has been replaced by today’s informed shopper path and its series of shopping moments – online, on social media, and offline. Retailers are responding by doubling down on efforts to send customers targeted ads, rejuvenating the retail space experience and looking for means to influence the multi-channel consumer purchase decision-making process.

In short, the grail in retail is in bridging the gap between online and offline data.

To this end, retailers need to turn to technologies such as AI algorithms, bots, or intelligent sensing devices, to gather data and improve the shopper’s experience.

This necessary adoption of technology, however, comes with a great deal of challenges, namely how to collect, unify, and store large amounts of disparate data in a way that is simple to access and easy to analyse, while your comparative advantage and skill set are in designing clothes.

To illustrate this point, Mentorica is currently assisting a major automotive manufacturer in sifting through its APAC online customer data accumulating in its vast data lake.

In our solution, AI algorithms allow real-time classification of the anonymous online customer (a potential buyer or a random user), after only a few clicks, and the building of a dynamic sales funnel towards a call to action. Along with other sophisticated tools (chatbots, facial recognition, etc.), we allow the building of a smoother customer journey by putting together interactions and feedback from each online and offline touchpoint. F

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Issue 65

Business Analytics

& Data-Driven Decision-Making Theodoros Evgeniou, Professor of Decision Sciences and Technology Management at INSEAD and Academic Director of INSEAD eLab, introduces us to the work of the school’s eLab on data analytics and the opportunities in collaboration.

Could you introduce us to INSEAD eLab and what it works on?

The eLab has a history of more than 10 years and is a gateway for companies and organisations to collaborate with INSEAD on projects in focus areas, by bringing together necessary and relevant INSEAD resources to respond to the research challenges defined together.

Working on data analytics, big data, machine learning, and recently AI, some example projects are: -- Information aggregation and predictions of market/industry/ company conditions: a team from the INSEAD faculty is working on innovative ways to aggregate information (for example about past company performance) across different sources such as analyst reports and forecasts, and relate such aggregated information to future market/industry/company performance.

The problem of aggregating forecasts, opinions, information from diverse sources, is a central one in the world where different information sources (online company reviews, alternative data such as satellite images of cargo and trade movements, etc.) can now get combined in order to make better business and investment decisions. Developing the next-generation tools to achieve this as well as applying these tools to various business and financial cases, from financial markets-related problems to forecasts of corporate health or macroeconomic and consumer sentiment and trends, is one of the key streams of the centre; -- Marketplace data analysis to manage buyer-supplier matching more efficiently and effectively: in collaboration with online companies, INSEAD faculty and researchers have developed a series of research results that can guide managers to better use data from sales and facilitate the discovery of products from buyers and of customers/buyers from sellers. The results of this stream can not only be used by online marketplaces, but can also provide insights on how organisations can better use data from customer transactions to develop better customer and market insights; -- eLab also supports the development of innovative teaching on data analytics and machine learning. For example, we have developed one of the first courses in business schools globally where participants use cloud-based and open-source state-ofthe-art tools to study quantitative and business topics in the area of analytics and big data.

Are there any interesting insights from your projects that you could share with us?

On a recent project on information aggregation, an innovative research stream looked at how information about corporate decisions can be integrated with that of financial markets to better understand future company stock returns. It turns out that corporate insiders – such as board members and senior executives – can signal internal information via actions such as share repurchase programmes or equity issuance.

Our work shows that the stock returns of companies we identify that announce a share repurchase programme are significantly higher in the two to four years post announcement of the programme than that of other companies, indicating a fascinating case where even the financial markets may be less efficient in aggregating information. Hence, stock returns predictions (known to being notoriously difficult to understand, let alone predict) can be improved if other information sources are brought into the analysis. If stock returns can be predicted (the specific case is known as the “buyback anomaly” in financial markets) when all relevant information sources are combined, then one can imagine how insights about other less complex situations can be developed – using careful data analytics processes that eLab and the INSEAD faculty are working on.

What opportunities in collaboration might there be with companies?

Any organisation that would have the interest and capacity to support innovative data-driven research is a candidate collaborator and contributor to eLab’s mission to develop innovative tools and insights from data to support business, regulatory, financial, and political decisions. Such collaborations to succeed need to have, among others, three key ingredients: commitment of a company sponsor and resources, innovative data and insights/hypotheses to be studied, and a fit with the skills and interests of the INSEAD faculty. F

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Adrien Barthel, representative of La French Tech Singapore and CEO of Singaporebased Sleek, shares with us more about the initiative and the tech landscape in Singapore.

Wheels in Motion: Ready? Start-Up. Go!

Fuelled

by

French Tech

Could you introduce us to La French Tech Singapore? When and how was the French Tech created in Singapore?

La French Tech refers to all the people working for or with French start-ups, in France or abroad. We have three missions, namely to bring together the local tech community and federate it around monthly events; to be a point of entry for all French Tech affiliated companies, no matter where they are based; and to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs and get them going.

Every month, we gather our members and followers around a panel of entrepreneurs or top executives from digital companies.

It’s all about sharing experiences and opinions. We ban white papers and sales-oriented speeches.

Eric Joubert, Emeric Le Bail and I created the Singaporean chapter of La French Tech in September 2016, as we were looking to satisfy our curiosity around tech, meet new people, and bring together the growing French Tech entrepreneur community.

Around 80 people attended our first event, proving that there was a real demand for this exchange. We’ve then produced events in partnership with LinkedIn, Google, Unilever, Criteo among other big names, and many start-ups that shared unique stories.

How would you describe the growth opportunity in Singapore for the tech community?

Endless!

Singapore is investing a lot in its ecosystem, be it through direct investment with its various funds, or through tax incentives on

verticals that they want to prioritise, or by attracting global top talents into their labs. They have really cracked the code on how to attract innovators, entrepreneurs, funds and have them working together to go faster and higher.

We see plenty of initiatives, around cleantech, deeptech, edutech, healthtech, fintech, lawtech, regtech... Anything related to tech has its place in Singapore and there are investment opportunities, innovation facilities, and plenty of people working on exciting things within these spaces.

What are the next steps for La French Tech Singapore?

We were only three at the beginning, the team grew, some people left, some people joined as in every organisation, but we’re happy to serve a community of 500+ individuals, and 80 affiliated companies.

For us, 2018 is going to be super exciting as it is the year of the strategic partnership between France and Singapore.

There will be an event every month with a specific theme, with start-ups and innovators coming from France to present what they are working on, and see how they can team up with local companies and innovation labs. As we all know, innovation is happening every day, but I believe this operation will help foster the link between Singapore and France, two prominent and innovative start-up nations. F

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Wheels in Motion: Ready? Start-Up. Go!

Issue 65

Thirst for the Future With a

Shinichi Tonomura, Managing Director, Capgemini Financial Services, Asia, Middle East and Japan, discusses the company’s start-up origins, innovations,

ambitions, and how it continues to collaborate with the start-up ecosystem.

Capgemini started as a start-up 50 years ago and is today a MNC with nearly 200,000 people in over 40 countries. Could you tell us more about this journey?

Capgemini’s growth journey has been vibrant and unpredictable with over 40 acquisitions and offices in over 40 countries crossing various cultures. This has been driven in large part by its organisational model, invented by its founder, Serge Kampf, who started the company in a two-bedroom apartment in 1967 in Grenoble.

As decentralised as possible, this model transcends differences and respects everyone involved in this shared adventure. We are focused on living the future: by mobilising new skills, creating new businesses, utilising the most advanced technologies or anticipating the future needs of businesses.

Our team members approach the future with boldness, enthusiasm and a genuine thirst and it is with this mindset that they push to grow and drive progress for clients. Thanks to its employees, the Group maintains its visionary spirit that pushes it to continually innovate and help its clients advance. Capgemini’s past, present and future activity was, remains and will always be driven by a “thirst for the future.”

Reviewing our history provides a chance to retrace the major technological evolutions of the past 50 years. At every step in our history, our projects have accompanied our clients in adapting to a new era, by addressing new and often pioneering issues.

Each of our example projects tells a story of technological conquest to accompany the changes impacting our world (real time, dematerialisation, cybersecurity, evolution of payment methods, factory of the future, virtual reality, etc.). These projects demonstrate the breadth of Capgemini’s businesses, while highlighting the business challenges we will face in the years to come, as we continue on a journey that began 50 years ago.

How does Capgemini collaborate with the start-up ecosystem?

We believe that the start-up ecosystem is one of the key pillars of innovation. Leveraging our culture of applied innovation, Capgemini helps organisations identify new business opportunities to cater to both local and global markets, through the Applied Innovation Exchange (AIE).

The AIE offers pragmatic tools and insights to help enterprises achieve competitive edge amid digital disruption, while encouraging a dynamic, authentic, and sustainable culture of innovation. Capgemini’s AIE favours an angle that seeks to drive corporate innovation and connect the demand from corporations for customised cutting-edge technologies with the supply from start-ups and academic institutions. We do not claim to have every solution, but by finding the right start-ups and making

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the right connections, clients get a focused business initiative, not simply taking a technology junket to Silicon Valley.

The aim is to deliver concrete results supported by new connections between emerging technology start-ups and long-standing Capgemini clients. By working with Capgemini, start-ups can enjoy access to a much broader innovation ecosystem, including other start-ups, accelerators, incubators, strategic technology and business partners and nine other exchanges worldwide.

Are there any interesting projects in the AIE in Singapore that you might be able to share with us?

There are a few but one of the more interesting projects is a Smart Analytics solution tailored to banks for them to understand their customers from a 720-degree view.

This includes their social media profile, thereby connecting customers through the right touch points to enable better social customers’ service. We are also in the midst of devising a digital pop-up store concept for a retail client, and building a chatbot for a telecommunications company to provide 24/7 support to customers.

Additionally, through our Accelerated Solutions Environment workshops, we create design-thinking immersive experiences to help our clients develop a roadmap of their innovation strategy to resolve complex business problem.

Lastly, we are organising a quarterly speaking series, What’s Now: Singapore, where we gather a diverse group of innovators for an evening of discussion and networking that highlights the most important innovations emerging in Singapore. F

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Wheels in Motion: Ready? Start-Up. Go!

FOCUS MAGAZINE Issue 65

Moving Marketing Mobile Emmanuel Allix, Founder and CEO of Singapore-based mobile media agency Art of Click, tells us about the start-up’s journey and the potential in mobile marketing in APAC.

Could you share with us about Art of Click and your start-up journey?

How does the landscape for mobile in APAC compare to Europe and North America?

Art of Click was born out of a desire for independence – independence not only thanks to the start-up model but also thanks to our clients. We chose not to rely on external investments, and instead our focus was on our sales power: our goal was to be profitable from day one.

So we built a powerful in-house platform to support our core activity: digital advertising campaign management.

The APAC region is composed of emerging countries where internet consumption is purchased mainly through mobile. Just taking the last quarter of 2016, APAC stood as the leading region in terms of mobile connection penetration at 112%, with 1.48 billion people on smartphones and tablets (excluding China and India). We are therefore focusing on a ‘mobile-first’ strategy. On the other hand, in 2016, the US mobile market share was just 39.29% against 52.69% for desktop.

Over the span of six years, we have developed and expanded our set of services with a strong expertise in performance campaigns. Our solutions are tailored to the needs of each of our clients. Art of Click is now a 50+ entity with sales representatives across APAC. Our headquarters are based in Singapore and we have a second office in Manilla.

The second difference revolves around data privacy concerns. The APAC countries are still quite behind in comparison to the US and Europe. 2016 nevertheless witnessed a few important changes: the Filipino National Privacy Commission was formed, the Personal Data Protection Regulations was issued in Malaysia and an amendment to the South Korean IT Network Act was passed to make penalties more severe for data protection breaches. There is a shift towards a global alignment of those privacy laws, following the European consentbased model.

In 2016, we accepted an acquisition offer from Xurpas, which fits with our long-term strategy and our values. We then became part of the largest consumer technology company in the Philippines. This acquisition was made with two goals in mind: revenue synergy and complementary products. Xurpas is expanding its own panel of competences and driving a higher revenue thanks to a richer product. And today, with a leadership position consolidated by Xurpas’ network, we are looking forward to formidable growth opportunities in the market of mobile advertising.

Are there any exciting plans or projects for Art of Click that you might be able to share with us?

Apart from the exciting challenges that our industry offers, we took a stand against digital ad fraud, which cost the industry US$7 billion (S$9.46 billion) in 2016. A need for transparency and clear return on ad spending has emerged. We are proud to introduce our anti-fraud tool, Art of Shield, which was the company’s primary objective in 2017.

In 2018, as a Demand-Side Platform historically specialised in performance, we aim at broadening our market reach on the brandperformance side. With both a DMP technology (data management platform) and a programmatic department on the rise, this upcoming year is full of promises for Art of Click! F

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Wheels in Motion: Ready? Start-Up. Go!

#Capturingmoments Instaroid founder Nicolas Brunet explains how his start-up shakes up the world of brand activation both offline and online.

What is Instaroid and how did the concept for Instaroid come about?

Instaroid is a marketing tool for events and venues. It is a social media printer that allows guests to instantly print a picture from their smartphone in the form of a branded Polaroid, then share it on social media. This increases social media exposure and captures valuable customer data for brands.

It all began when I attended events with a Polaroid camera in hand. The instant photos I captured made great gifts, and I was repaid with smiles. I wasn’t a hired photographer, instead, I was seeking to solve the challenge of engaging with people both online and offline. Soon I discovered a pattern – photos act as a social glue at events and venues. I understood they were key to engagement.

Why did you decide to submit to the Business Accelerator Lab? Could you tell us about your experience?

As a solo founder, it can be hard to take a step back from the daily grind. Outside opinions from more experienced professionals never hurts, right? Hence, I saw the Business Accelerator Lab as a rare opportunity to receive feedback from mentors from various industries and career paths. The session helped me gain clarity on the challenges I would be facing in the near future and the strategic choices I’ll have to reflect upon to scale up. I even got referrals that helped us acquire new customers! So it was a fruitful combination of short-term outcomes and long-term considerations.

Any upcoming plans for Instaroid that you might be able to share with us?

We are experiencing steady growth, geographically through our franchise model: Instaroid’s presence spans seven countries and counting. This expansion will continue, as the selfie and social media waves keep sweeping over the world.

Event photographers and traditional photo booths are onto something, but their presence does not exactly improve audience engagement. In fact, since the emergence of mobile photography and social media, they have become somewhat obsolete; thus the meaning of event photography has evolved.

In terms of technological innovation, we just released Instaroid Mini, the smallest social media printer in the world. It is an affordable, yet powerful product that will hopefully pave the way to mass market adoption.

There is one form of photos that truly engages with people – the kind that is captured personally, taken anytime and anywhere, then posted online instantly for their friends to like, comment, and share. This eureka moment (and hard work) led to the launch in 2014 and continued development of Instaroid into what it is today.

2018 will also be the year where we will leverage new trends like Augmented Reality to keep helping brands connect with their audiences in new exciting ways. Our engineering team is sure to keep busy! F

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Wheels in Motion: Ready? Start-Up. Go!

Issue 65

New Ways to

Compete

Accenture Managing Director Patrick de Moustier shares about the company’s new Digital Hub in Singapore and how it works with museums, banks, plantations and start-ups.

CONGRATULATIONS ON A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH! WHAT IS THE IDEA BEHIND THE ACCENTURE DIGITAL HUB? The Accenture Digital Hub is designed to help businesses adapt to the massive changes that consumers, companies and the market on the whole are facing.

Let’s start with consumers. They expect to be dazzled. They want magic and excellence at every touch point. They expect to be empowered and to be given new digital choices. And they expect transparency and digital security. Businesses thus find themselves needing to deliver better services.

Moreover, much is changing within business organisations. Traditionally, roles such as the chief information officer, chief marketing officer and the more recently created chief digital officer, were siloed. Now the lines are blurred thanks to a significant shift in technology. That means companies must adopt their internal structures to adapt and many, quite frankly aren’t ready for that.

Meanwhile, the market is shifting. We often talk about how companies need to embrace eco-system partners to describe part of what is happening. This is when cross-industry businesses work together to provide new, hitherto unthought-of services. For instance, think of apps

for ride sharing, and the variety of industries involved in making that a new reality. Competition is springing up from non-traditional corners (think of how Alibaba created Alipay to offer new services to shoppers). This means that companies need to have what we call a connected customer vision. And they need to transform that vision of what the customer wants into a service they can deliver.

Our digital hub is a place to create that business value for our customers to help them help their customers.

It is where we can help companies deliver unique propositions through evolving services. It is where we can help companies fend off aggressive competition by creating business value for their customers.

The Accenture Digital Hub Singapore was designed and built to both meet today’s demands and adapt to the needs of a future workforce, which will be far more digitally driven and flexible than today’s workforce.

Our purpose-built space enables our employees to connect easily with one another and with clients as they configure meeting and work spaces and tap into what

people and skills are at their disposal. This is a working space that allows us to create together with our clients and partners.

Put simply, the idea behind the Accenture Digital Hub was to put the customer experience at the heart of everything we do. It is where we stimulate innovation by focusing on the experience. It is where we can help make sure the customer experience is indeed magical.

THIS EDITION OF FOCUS EXPLORES THE START-UP ECOSYSTEM IN SINGAPORE. WHAT DOES ACCENTURE LOOK FOR WHEN COLLABORATING WITH START-UPS? Accenture uses an open innovation model. That means we source innovation from both inside our organisation and externally, which includes a network of start-ups. We constantly look for start-ups that have state-of-the-art solutions around data sciences, applied intelligence, data and insight visualisations, immersive technology (Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality), internet of things (IoT), blockchain, and quantum computing. The Digital Hub caters to all, across any industry, who are keen to invent, co-create, and apply disruptive solutions to help transform their businesses in today’s digital economy.

The engagement process at the Accenture Digital Hub is customisable according to the individual needs of our clients and the partners with whom we work. It can range from a few hours where our partners can tour the facility and gain a better understanding of our capabilities, to working on a business case for weeks and months, working together to build solid concept prototypes and conduct commercial implementation at scale.

WHAT IS THE LANDSCAPE LIKE IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN SINGAPORE? ARE THERE CERTAIN SECTORS AND DOMAINS THAT EXCITE YOU? We are entering an exciting, unprecedented time in technology.

Technology stands to transform the way we work and live, and raises many questions about the opportunities, as well as challenges. We believe that the impact of these innovations will be positive, because the power lies with people. It’s not just about automating the work

people do, but about amplifying human potential.

Technologies like AI will liberate us from processoriented tasks to concentrate on more human, creative and judgement-based work.

Across different sectors and domains, the Accenture Digital Hub Singapore collaborates and innovates with various organisations: -- Health and Public Sector and the Smart Nation agenda: the Accenture Digital Hub will help further Singapore’s Smart Agenda in the areas of advanced analytics, design thinking, customer experience and emerging technologies such as blockchain; -- Resources: industries such as agriculture and petrochemicals have invested in cutting-edge advanced applied intelligence, predictive analytics, to improve operator efficiency, running costs and ability to derive at smarter outcomes; »» For example, we deployed drones to reduce man hours across a plantation, consolidating data points and areas of risks to help the client operate more efficiently; »» We helped the National Gallery create an immersive user experience to enjoy art and heritage, leveraging digital solutions.

-- Financial services: Fintech is disrupting traditional banking in Singapore. As we’ve seen in media reports, there was a large bank that converted an old data centre in Singapore into an innovation hub, putting together user experience designers, researchers, relationship managers, architects and change management specialists all in one openplan room. Another bank also invested in numerous accelerators and hackathons, with the goal to operate like a 22,000-people start-up to keep up with Asia’s dynamic financial ecosystem; -- Products: To understand buyer patterns and offer more personalised experiences to consumers, leading consumer goods companies and retailers are employing advanced analytics and design thinking to understand the individual better, to drive sales via the multi-channel platforms offered online and offline. F

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Case Studies

Issue 65

The French Chamber Organises a Business Mission for Wassa The French Chamber Singapore organised a business mission for Wassa, which involved evaluating market impact and interest in its digital solutions and identification of potential clients and distributors in the South East Asia region.

WHY DID WASSA DECIDE TO APPROACH THE SOUTH EAST ASIAN MARKET? The market for new technologies is developing extremely rapidly in South East Asia, and it is interesting to see the potential as the region is, in general broad strokes, less technologically mature when compared to North East Asia (namely China, Japan, Korea). Wassa has a presence already in Hong Kong and China, so it seemed relevant to explore this promising geographical zone of South East Asia.

trade show. Nonetheless, wherever the meetings were to be held, we were accompanied by a representative of the French Chamber.

WAS THE MISSION FRUITFUL?

HOW WAS THE PREPARATION OF THE PROSPECTION MISSION? Our mission was planned and organised through videoconference from France to Singapore. During these exchanges, we presented our solutions and specified our “targets” and commercial objectives. We had also been able to examine and validate the Chamber’s proposed list of contacts and meetings.

The mission itself took place in a less conventional way, held in conjunction with our participation in the trade show CommunicAsia 2017, wherein we were exhibitors under the Chamber’s French Pavilion.

Some of our meetings were hence scheduled to take place on site at the

We met some very interesting projects and are in discussion with some of them to finalise a project.

The reception of our solutions have been positive and encouraging and it is highly likely that we will carry out a second mission in Singapore. F See also The French Chamber’s French Pavilions at BroadcastAsia and the newly launched NXTAsia (see details on page 27) return in 2018, from 26 to 28 June 2018.

Developing in Asia Pacific in Financial Services: Accuracy Sets up in Singapore Accuracy, created in Paris in 2004 by former partners of Arthur Andersen, is the sole, truly independent global actor in the field of financial advisory services to business leaders and their shareholders. Today present in 12 countries, it assists its clients in dealing with a range of complex, high-stakes situations including disputes, transactions and companies in difficulty.

How did the French Chamber Singapore help you in the set-up process?

Accuracy’s Singapore subsidiary was created in early 2016 with the assistance of the French Chamber. We received solid support at all stages of the processes: creation of the structure, obtaining visas, temporary offices, and ongoing administrative support.

This had made it easier to find and develop our premises, recruit a solid team of multi-skilled professionals, communicate and develop the subsidiary, and carry out ongoing assignments. We were fully operational in May 2016.

Why did you choose to create your structure in Singapore? What are its assets from your point of view?

The choice of Singapore is based on three reasons: -- Its positioning as a “hub”, which enabled us of having a structure capable of serving our clients (mainly large international groups) in Asia Pacific; -- Its major and growing place in international arbitration, which makes it an essential place for our litigation activities; and -- Its job market, which offers a pool of extremely well-trained and highly internationalised talent, which has allowed us to set up a local team that is efficient and able to work in perfect integration with all our other offices.

What advice would you give to French wishing to set up in Singapore?

An establishment in Singapore is undoubtedly a relevant choice for international expansion. In such an approach, the most important element for a French company is to succeed in quickly setting up a multicultural team, both strongly rooted locally but also well-integrated and visible within the original group. F

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Singapour Business Tour

Singapour Business Tour: Presenting Singapore Business Opportunities to France Throughout the second half of 2017, the French Chamber Singapore was present in various parts of France as part of its Singapour Business Tour, with the objective of inviting French companies to discover, understand and evaluate potential markets of various sectors in Singapore and the region, and to consider exporting or setting up here.

It was a great opportunity to share about the business landscape and opportunities in Singapore, offer to organise targeted business meetings with relevant companies, federations and governmental agencies in the Singapore ecosystem, and explain the different ways French companies can tangibly develop their businesses in Singapore and the region, by sending a VIE (Volontariat International en Entreprise), participating in tradeshows, or setting up a structure for instance.

The Tour covered Paris, Rouen, Monaco, Marseille, Nice, Orléans, Nantes, Lyon, Angers and Nancy, and the meetings were organised in collaboration with partners from the French Chamber CCI network, excellence clusters, the French Tech ecosystem and governmental agencies. The Tour was also an opportunity to accompany Singaporean companies in their mission to reach potential clients in France. F

Spotlight on Start-Ups: Meeting Start-Ups on the Singapour Business Tour One of the stops on the Singapour Business Tour was Nice, France, where the French Chamber Singapore participated in Journées Internationales, organised by the Chambre de Commerce et d’industrie de région ProvenceAlpes Côte d’Azur (CCI PACA). The French Chamber Singapore presented on business opportunities in Singapore through individual meetings with French companies based in the region. Here is a recount by Manon Leconte of Azur Tech Concept, a start-up that develops advanced innovative hearing solutions.

Could you share with us about Azur Tech Concept?

Founded in 2014, Azur Tech Concept aims to develop and market technologies for people with disabilities, a sector in demand of innovative solutions that are easy to use, inexpensive, autonomous and compatible with all environments.

After five years of research and a year of intensive testing in families and companies, the company has developed, tested and patented SMARTEAR, for distribution in France, Europe and internationally.

SMARTEAR captures sounds in real time and retranscribes them in light signals on a portable box or on a smartphone via an application.

A user can programme, for instance, a red signal for a fire alarm, a blue signal for a telephone ring, a yellow signal for a doorbell, etc., and the device can register up to 28 different sounds. The device is

designed for people deaf or hard of hearing, to enable them autonomy whether at home or at work.

What were your objectives in participating in the Journées Internationales de Nice and how was your experience?

Our two leaders work regularly with the CCI PACA and are aware of the events organised, in particularly those dedicated to internationalising. We are preparing a global distribution plan around the world, and on this day we came as two people, and met with representatives of 32 countries in one afternoon.

The thematic conferences were very interesting and the meetings with the country experts allowed us to gain a set of essential information to work on our internationalisation plan. In addition, we received positive feedback on our solutions, which is a very good sign/ And Singapore?

Singapore is a regional hub for South East Asia and for us a great gateway to these markets. We are considering participating in the tradeshow Medical Fair Asia this August 2018, and why not, under the French Pavilion of the French Chamber Singapore. Certainly something to be considered! F

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Business Centre Activities

Issue 65

The Business Centre of the French Chamber Evolves!

The Business Centre of the French Chamber becomes more interactive and more communicative with the objective of providing business development support to the companies it hosts.

To achieve this, workshops and meetings on business development in Asia have been specially conceived to provide an adapted avenue for exchange of insights, knowledge and experiences.

Tapping on the expertise of professionals in our network in Singapore, and also from our French Chamber counterparts in the region, the Business Centre seeks to accelerate business development for our companies, in Singapore and in Asia Pacific. Here are some of the meetings that have taken place.

Café Gourmand at the Business Centre Every first Friday of the month, we meet for a convivial exchange over a gourmet coffee and share a breakfast, often of home-made bread, croissants, cakes.

Atelier N°4 “Business Development in Asia”: Sales Techniques in Asia Based in Asia for 13 years, Julien Metayer of Pan Asia Logistics has acquired a good experience in commercial development in the region. At this workshop, he shared with tenant companies some of his best practices, on how best to approach business development in Singapore and the region.

Atelier N°5 “Business Development in Asia”: Doing Business in Japan

Atelier N°6 “Business Development in Asia”: Doing Business in Hong Kong

At this workshop in video conference with the French Chamber Business Centre in Tokyo, our counterparts at the French Chamber in Japan as well as Shin Saito, Representative of Champagnes Jacquart in Japan, shared with us about the Japanese market across different sectors and of the business practices, formal rules and informal etiquette that business developers should observe when doing business in Japan.

At this workshop in video conference with the French Chamber Business Centre in Hong Kong, our counterparts at the French Chamber in Hong Kong shared with us how businesses can approach the Chinese market through Hong Kong, in a fluid session with a great amount of questions and answers and fruitful exchange.

Discovery Workshop: Discovering Mindfulness @ Work We had the pleasure of having Nawal Bendefa, CPC, PCC, Coach, Facilitator & Motivational Speaker share with us more about “mindfulness”, in a highly practical and meditative session during lunch hour. Nawal offered us a few tips and ways to incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives, to clear stress and hence make better decisions.

Christmas at the Business Centre To celebrate Christmas, the French Chamber invited the companies of the Business Centre for a degustation of delicious chocolate, fruit cake, and champagne.

Join the French Pavilion at NXT Asia in 2018 and enjoy great exposure!

Marina Bay Sands Sands Expo & Convention Centre 26 – 28 JUIN 2018

Cloud and Big Data Data Centre

IoT

Security and Cybersecurity

Blockchain

AI

Robotics

Smart City Solutions

Join a French Pavilion, and benefit from the French Chamber’s exhibition expertise: • Prime location in the exhibition hall • Stand package with premium design • Planning of professional meetings (additional option) • Networking events + event communication for better visibility • Comprehensive administrative and logistical assistance • One dedicated person from the French Chamber to support you before and during the event

For more information, contact Sylvain Aparicio at saparicio@fccsingapore.com or 6933 1358

French Chamber Singapore

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HR SERVICES

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Latest News

Issue 65

Ateliers de Formation pour Jobseekers 2018 Durée : entre 3h et 4h pour chaque atelier

RESUME

CV 21 février 80 SGD

LinkedIn 13 mars 125 SGD

Elevator Pitch 20 mars 125 SGD

Networking (2 sessions) 27 mars + 17 avril 140 SGD

Offre packagée Engagez-vous sur l’ensemble des sessions pour un tarif préférentiel de 400 SGD.

Où Meeting Room, Chambre de Commerce 541 Orchard Road, #09-01 Liat Towers, Singapour 238881

Inscription en ligne fccsingapore.com/hr/workshops-jobseekers

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Latest News

We support the development of

e n t r e p r e n eu r S

One-year mentoring programme with executives from large MNCs

Introduction with key contacts from our network of 700 companies

Session with the Accelerator Lab to validate your business model and growth

Gateway to South East Asia expansion through our network of French Chambers

Women entrepreneur round tables for best practices exchanges

Business Opportunity Platform to identify partners, co-founders and business angels

Targeted meetings for insightful information from industry experts

Targeted workshops and trainings by professional trainers

Experience sharing by successful entrepreneurs

Dedicated networking drinks

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CSR Day 2017

Issue 65

The French Chamber’s Inaugural CSR Day: Cleaning the Beach, Together!

Early on Friday morning, 8th September 2017, 400 people from 40 companies came together to participate in the French Chamber’s Clean The Beach CSR Day 2017, collecting a total of ~2.6 tonnes (2,600kg) of marine trash at Tanah Merah Beach!

That beach being off limit (access only with the authorization from a guard), it is instructive to notice that all the trash came from the sea only. Main items were Foam Pieces, Plastic and food wrapper. More surprisingly quite a numerous number of shoes, toys and even an helmet were found there.

The French Chamber had partnered with International Coastal Clean-Up Singapore (ICCS) to bring together the business community to contribute to saving marine and coastal wildlife in Singapore and champion environmental awareness locally.

This worldwide initiative was followed in Singapore by 3,614 participants who removed a bit more than 14 tons of trashes from the coastal.

It was a great occasion for companies to show their determination to act as responsible corporate citizens and make a positive impact on the environment in Singapore.

We would like to thank Danone and the Wise Officer team for the initiative, Volvic for the water, Veolia for the trash bags, International Coastal Cleanup Singapore, and certainly all the participants for their enthusiasm and great contribution! F

All photos: Cédric Vrolant (www.cedricvrolant.com)

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5th Edition of the Working Together Forum The Working Together Forum is an initiative that aims to reinforce business links between French SMEs, entrepreneurs, and large corporations established in Singapore.

This 5th edition organised by the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore on Friday, 1 December at Sofitel City Centre brought together 66 companies.

After a networking lunch, the French Chamber’s Executive Director Mrs Carine Lespayandel and Mr Antoine Chéry, Head of Regional Economic Services at the French Embassy in Singapore welcomed the participants and wished them a fruitful afternoon.

Official Sponsors

With 423 afternoon session of B2B meetings organised by the French Chamber, MNCs, SMEs and start-ups had the opportunity to present their services, discuss potential collaborations, give and receive advice, and match their needs against each other’s solutions.

The Forum was followed by a networking cocktail and the presentation of the French Start-Up Award.

We thank the sponsors below for their support of this successful edition of the Working Together Forum. F

Venue Sponsor

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French Start-Up Award 2017 The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore was pleased to have organised the French Start-Up Award, presented in the presence of Ambassador of France to Singapore H.E. Marc Abensour, French Chamber President Mr Pascal Lambert, and President of the Jury Mr Eric Barbier. Congratulations to Incomlend on winning the Award! The Award recognises the achievements of the best start-up created by French founders in Singapore and encourage its development.

The jury panel consisted of business professionals who were looking for innovation and the use of new technologies in the startup, as well as its ability to grow. The jury had convened at the French Chamber on 17 November 2017 and had shortlisted seven startups out of the 27 excellent candidatures, which featured: -- BEE BRYTE: Bee Bryte leverages artificial intelligence to provide intelligent energy solutions.

-- DATHENA: Dathena uses cutting-edge machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to identify and classify all documents across any organisation’s system.

-- INCOMLEND: Incomlend is a Fintech platform providing funds to SMEs in exchange for their invoices.

-- NESSA HEARING: Nessa Hearing provides sales and marketing of hearing aids and solutions for hearing loss.

-- PICKCELL: Pickcell develops a range of versatile, low-cost and easy-to-use micro-consumables for 3D cell culture.

-- SMART BUILD ASIA: SmartBuild Asia is a leading business intelligence for the construction industry in Singapore & Malaysia.

-- UEX GLOBAL: UEX provides Singapore expats and SMEs with a new way to buy health insurance: simple, personalised and immediate.

We would like to thank all the companies that have participated in the French Start-Up Award! The excellent candidatures of the 27 companies underlined the truly dynamic spirit of French entrepreneurs in Singapore and we would like to wish you “bonne continuation!” We would also like to thank the sponsors of the French Start-Up Award for the great support. F

Official Sponsors

French Chamber EVENTS

French Start-Up Award 2017

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Committee Welcome toEvents Singapore 2017

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Welcome to Singapore 2017 Welcome to Singapore, our annual rendez-vous,brought together 300 participants, including friends and French newcomers for an evening of exchange and networking amidst the idyllic cadre of Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa. The gathering in September was a great opportunity for new expatriates in Singapore to get introduced to the French business community, meet fellow professionals in the community and expand their network of contacts. For professionals returning from the summer break, it was a great opportunity to catch up and reconnect.

Official Sponsors

The evening began with an informative presentation led by the French Chamber Singapore’s new President, Mr Pascal Lambert, and its Executive Director, Mrs Carine Lespayandel, who shared about the role and activities of the French Chamber.

Special thanks to Ambassador of France to Singapore H.E. Marc Abensour for the introductory speech.

Right after the presentation, our guests were invited to join us for a delightful buffet dinner of wonderful French cheese, cold cuts, and raclette! The friendly environment enabled our 300 guests to create some precious networking connections. F

Champagne Sponsor

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Trends in Asia for 2018: Economic, Financial & Political This Breakfast Talk brought together two leading experts of economic and financial forecasting, who shared on what could be expected in 2018 on the economic, financial and political landscape of Singapore and the region. In attendance were regional and country MDs, CFOs, finance directors and managers, as well as bankers, financial advisers and consultants. F SPEAKERS • Manu Bhaskaran, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies • Antoine Chéry, Head of Economic Service for ASEAN Countries, French Embassy in Singapore MODERATOR • Mark Keenan, Managing Director and Head of Commodities Research – Asia, Société Générale #asia #banking #finance #banking

Doing Business in Myanmar Myanmar is one of the remaining frontier markets and its development has been gathering pace since its economic liberalisation began a few years ago. At this committee meeting, Myanmar specialists shared with members insights on doing business in Myanmar, presenting an update on the country’s economic outlook and investment climate, the banking environment today, as well as common legal and tax issues that businesses entering Myanmar should watch out for. F SPEAKERS • Julian Chua, Deputy Director, OCBC Bank • Chester Toh, Head, Integrated Regulatory Practice, Director, Rajah & Tann, Myanmar #asia #banking #finance #tax #legal

India, the Emerging Superpower: Capitalising on the India Opportunity At this committee meeting, speakers shared with members insights on the ever-emerging Indian economy and explored what it takes to tackle ‘Challenge India’. It covered an overview of India’s economy, provided a look at the recent economic reforms (demonetisations, GST, etc.) and also practical takeaways businesses can use in approaching India as their next growth destination. F SPEAKERS • Germain Araud, Managing Director and Partner, Altios International India • Lisbeth Lanvers-Shah, Attorney-at-Law, Senior Associate, DS Avocats #asia #tax #legal

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Submarine Cables: Discover the Foundation of your Connected Lifestyles While our lives are getting more and more digital with instant access to information, we tend to forget its long journey across the globe. Our connected lifestyles depend on the work of skilled sailors braving the oceans aboard cable ships. With 99.9% of the international data traffic being transmitted by wires at the bottom of the ocean, Singapore has been a major hub interconnecting several regions in the world.

At this committee meeting, participants learnt about the major cables across the globe, about the main players and about future trends in networking technologies, and discovered how such cables are designed, deployed and maintained. F SPEAKERS • Raynald LECONTE, CEO, Orange Marine • Laurent FONT, Head of APAC Network infrastructure, Orange Business Services #energy #infrastructure #tech #innovation #maritime

CNIM the Pioneer Spirit With more than 150 years of history, CNIM, a diversified company with activities in environment, nuclear, defence and security, anticipates future challenges to developing new technologies and products to meet the customer needs.

Rencontre Exceptionnelle avec le President du Cluster Maritime Français, Frédéric Moncany de Saint-Aignan According to OECD, the global maritime economy currently stands at $1.5 trillion, a figure that is expected to double by 2030.

The French maritime sector generates a turnover of about €72 billion with about 300,000 jobs, and 500,00 including tourism.

Followed by a private dinner, this meeting was an exceptional opportunity to meet with the President of the French Maritime Cluster (Cluster Maritime Français), who shared with members key activities in the domain. F SPEAKER • Frederic Moncany de Saint-Aignan, President of French Maritime Cluster (Cluster Maritime Français) #maritime

At this committee meeting, participants had the opportunity to learn about CNIM’s defence and security strategy in Asia and get insights about the market in the region. F SPEAKER • Eve Bonnardel, Asia-Pacific Business Development Manager for Defense & Security Market #aerospace #defence #maritime

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Learn Scrum and Build a LEGO Product What an interactive session learning about Scrum in a fun exercise where participants were part of a development team building a product using Lego bricks! A collaborative and creative way to learn the mechanics and benefits of this Agile Framework, participants were able to experiment and find out how and why Scrum is quickly becoming the market standard for Tech Product Development.

Optimising your Asset Lifecycle and Performance with ISO55001 Asset Management System Evaluating asset management efficiency is critical today in a world where globalisation is internationalising asset portfolios and stakeholder and performance expectations are higher than ever. The ISO 55001 Asset Management System (AMS) is a new standard targeting asset management in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of that management system and thereby achieve sustainable business objectives. This meeting shared with members how to optimise asset lifecycle and performance with AMS implementation. F SPEAKER • Rajiv AG, Country Certification Manager for Singapore, Malaysia, & Brunei, Bureau Veritas #energy #infrastructure #sourcing #supplychain

Modern approach to Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery are the processes of building, testing, and releasing software faster and more frequently. They usually imply that the code is tested extensively using automated tests, and that the deployment process has been automated. At this committee held at Crédit Agricole CIB, our speakers shared with members CI/CD practices and showcased a demo, exploring how CI/CD can bring benefits to businesses. F SPEAKERS • Andrey Bodoev, Software Engineer, Zenika • Paul-Julien Vauthier, Consultant, Zenika #tech #innovation

Many frameworks can be used to implement Agile, but Scrum is by far the most popular, earning its popularity due to its simplicity, proven productivity, and ability to act as a wrapper for various engineering and product development practices. Scrum’s special flavour lies in the commitment to short iterations of work (sprints), which enhance the ability to manage changing priorities and accelerate the time to market for complex products. F SPEAKER • Marcus Abila, Practice Manager & Agile Coach. Maltem Consulting #tech #innovation #R&D

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Visit of the Accenture Liquid Studio Members of the French Chamber’s ICT, Banking Finance & Fintech committees were given a visit of Accenture prototyping studio that brings design thinking, innovation and new IT together that turns concepts into applications and solutions with speed to resolve industry challenges.

The Liquid Studio applies rapid development approaches including Agile methodologies and DevOps, and experiments with disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and serverless architectures. F SPEAKERS • Sam Liew, MD, Technology, ASEAN, Accenture • Daniel Gunawan, MD, Technology, ASEAN, Accenture #banking #finance #fintech #tech #innovation #R&D

AI: A Game Changer for Businesses Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to unleash the next wave of disruption and companies should prepare for it now. A report showed that AI could contribute up to US$15.7 trillion to the global economy in 2030, with $6.6 trillion likely to come from increased productivity and $9.1 trillion likely to come from consumption-side effects.

It was a great morning of discussion of this exciting topic, and we would like to thank our speakers for the insights and engaging panel discussion! Special thanks to AXA for being the venue sponsor of the conference, and to Tomasz Kurczyk, Director of Digital Transformation, AXA for the visit of AXA Digital Hive. F SPEAKERS • Hamdi Mohammed, Managing Director, Financial Services, Accenture • Henri Hartloff, VP Sales, Taiger • Céline Le Cotonnec, Chief Data Officer, AXA Singapore • Shaun Ray, Head of Architecture ASEAN, Amazon Web Services • Jordane Rollin, Head of Digital Transformation for Trade Finance, Standard Chartered #banking #finance #fintech

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Breakfast Talk with Dr Raj Thampuran, Managing Director, A*STAR The French Chamber Singapore welcomed Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) for a Breakfast Talk that explored how companies can embrace open innovation, forge partnerships, and leverage the agency to take their innovations to the next level.

As a mission-oriented Science and Technology organisation, A*STAR develops industry sectors by taking on a differentiated approach to working with companies, creating economic value and enhancing lives. F SPEAKER • Dr Raj Thampuran, Managing Director, A*STAR #healthcare #R&D #smartcities

Collaboration Opportunities with MOHH on HI.TEC 2018 The Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH) is organising its next edition of the Healthcare Infrastructure Technology & Engineering Conference (HI.TEC) on 27 and 28 March 2018.

At this meeting, representatives of MOHH met with members of the French Chamber Healthcare committee to present on HI.TEC and share on how possible collaboration opportunities with French healthcare companies. F SPEAKERS • Dr Norman Wu, Director (Central Hub), MOHH • Joanne Chin, Deputy Director (Knowledge Integration & Development), MOHH • Seetoh Cheng Kuok, Senior Manager (Knowledge Integration & Development), MOHH • Phebe Lee, Executive, (Knowledge Integration & Development), MOHH #healthcare

Smart Health Meeting Smart Health is a platform for French healthcare industry players in Singapore & ASEAN aiming at promoting the French expertise in the healthcare sector through a visible and integrated community of French healthcare players in Singapore.

Companies and organisations of the platform came together to discuss follow-up actions post-launch and perspectives to note for the coming year. A brainstorming was also made for the big Smart Health event to take place in April 2018.

An initiative of the French Chamber, the Smart Health platform is accessible at www.smart-health.sg. F

N E W !

Smart Health is an official partner of

#healthcare

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Visit: NUS Smart System Institute At this site visit of Smart Systems Institute (SSI) of National University of Singapore, members of the Smart Cities committee had the opportunity to tour the facilities of the cross-disciplinary institute that brings together researchers in engineering, computer science, physical science and social science under one roof.

SSI conducts high end smart systems research and will continue with translating the research output into market outcome. It excels in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, Internet-Of-Things (IoT), Industrial Design, Big Data Analytics and Media Technologies.

Participants viewed demonstrations of various projects, from the Ambiotherm and Taste+ in the CUTE Center, to the SeSaMe Centre, Social Robotics Adam robot, Engineering Team EPOC, and Ambient Intelligence Laboratory (AMI Lab). F SPEAKERS • Kelvin Tan, Deputy Director of NUS Enterprise and Head of Business Development, Smart Systems Institute, NUS • Lawrence W.C. Wong, Professor, NUS #smartcities #innovation

DATACITY Program Launch in Singapore with NUMA/Impact HUB Following an MoU between NUMA and Impact Hub Innovation, DATACITY programme in Singapore was launched in September 2017. First launched in 2015 in partnership with the City of Paris, DATACITY is an open innovation programme that convenes city governments, corporates, start-ups and technical partners. These actors work together throughout a nine-month programme to define persistent urban challenges and develop innovative solutions using data and technology.

This meeting highlighted how the programme seeks to accelerate innovation among corporates, startups and governmental agencies. F SPEAKERS • Joachim Vandaele, MD, Impact HUB Singapore • Stanislas Verley, DATACITY Singapore #smartcities #innovation

Making Singapore the Global IoT Innovation Hub Singapore has long positioned itself as a global test bed for emerging new technologies. Last year, the country topped the Mercer ranking of more than 200 cities around the world for the best infrastructure.

This committee meeting led by Henri Bong, CEO and Founder, UnaBiz explored the plans in making Singapore the global IoT Innovation Hub. F SPEAKER • Henri Bong, CEO and Founder, UnaBiz #tech #innovation #smartcities

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Site Visit: Vallourec’s PT Citra Tubindo, Batam Indonesia Vallourec is a world leader specialised in premium tubular solutions. Established in 1989 through PT Citra Tubindo (PTCT) in Batam, Indonesia, in less than 30 years, PTCT has grown from a local company into a world class company of Vallourec throughout Asia Pacific and beyond.

Strategically located at the Kabil Integrated Industrial Estate, on the island of Batam, Indonesia, PTCT is a key player in Asia Pacific, manufacturing a wide range of pipes, connections and accessories, and delivering a wide scope of services for the Oil & Gas industry.

At this site visit, members of the French Chamber’s Energy & Infrastructure committee were given a plant tour with a special focus on lead time reduction: lean manufacturing initiatives on production flows and strategic stocks, innovation: product and processes. F SPEAKERS • Sebastien Cochet, Marketing & Technical Sales – Regional Manager – South East Asia, Vallourec Asia Pacific • Alain Moret, Industrial Performance Manager – South East Asia, Vallourec Asia Pacific #asia #energy #infrastructure

Visit of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore The Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS), jointly sponsored by Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF) and NUS, commenced operations in 2008.

It conducts R&D, testing and consulting in solar energy conversion and solar and energy-efficient buildings.

This site visit offered members of the Energy/Infrastructure and Sustainability committees a better understanding of the solar potential in Singapore and South East Asia. F SPEAKERS • Dr Thomas Reindl, Deputy CEO, SERIS, Cluster Director Solar, Energy Systems, Acting Cluster Director Solar Energy Efficient Buildings • Monika Bieri, Research Associate, Solar Financial and Economic Specialist, SERIS #energy #infrastructure #sustainability #responsibility

Ground Settlement Monitoring from Satellite Images Processing At this committee meeting, our speaker shared with us how monitoring ground motion brings valuable information to evaluate and mitigate corresponding risks. This is traditionally done using on-field surveys, but since the availability of satellite images in the 90s, it is possible to track and re-build the history of settlement in monitored areas, without requiring any physical access on site, and with enough frequency and accuracy to provide relevant interpretation. F SPEAKER • Blanca Payas, General Manager, SIXENSE Satellite #aerospace #energy #infrastructure #smartcities

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French Chamber Entrepreneurs’ and New Members’ Drink This informal networking session was a great opportunity for entrepreneurs and new members to meet peers and exchange experiences, tips, best practices and contacts in a great convivial ambiance. French start-ups and entrepreneurs represent 25% of the French Chamber’s business community and the French Chamber offers many opportunities for meetings as well as programmes to forge potential synergies. F

Women Entrepreneurs Round Table The French Chamber, together with Ms Valérie Marin, MD, Distribution Asiatique, and Co-President of the Start-Ups & Entrepreneurs committee, organises regular sessions for women entrepreneurs who wish to present their business and the challenges they face to get feedback and insights from other entrepreneurs.

This accountability structure helps each entrepreneur keep focused and on track. F #entrepreneurs #businesswomen

Business Accelerator Lab Each month, the Accelerator Lab meets an entrepreneur looking to present their business. Advisors, comprising successful entrepreneurs and professionals from various sectors and functions, offer advice and recommendations on business plans, giving relevant direction and contacts whenever possible.

These past months saw sessions with Instaroid, Optimal Cost, We Are Caring, and Bunker Group. F #entrepreneurs #startups

Business Accelerator Lab

If you are a French entrepreneur whose company was created in Singapore and has seen a minimum of six months of activity, we encourage you to make use of this opportunity of free feedback on your business model and development.

Mentoring Programme

Women Entrepreneurs

If you are a woman entrepreneur member of the French Chamber, join our upcoming luncheons, mastermind sessions, and other dedicated committee events.

Visit www.fccsingapore.com for more details!

A co-initiative with Business France and the French Trade Advisors, the French Chamber’s Mentoring Programme provides an opportunity for French entrepreneurs and SME subsidiary representatives to exchange on business issues, with high-profile business people who volunteer to provide feedback and advice for up to 12 months. F #entrepreneurs #startups

Mentoring Programme

If you are a French entrepreneur with a minimum of one year of activity, or a representative of a subsidiary of a French SME seeking to develop activities in Singapore and South East Asia, apply online to join this free programme.

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Grants for Start-Ups & SMEs in Singapore: How to Optimise and Secure your Access to Public Funding in Singapore?

At this committee meeting, our speakers gave members an overview on public fundings and workforce programmes dedicated to supporting start-ups and SMEs. The session covered two topics and was open to questions members had on all the various grants, from early start-up grants to R&D tax credits for MNCs. These included the P-Max Programme, a Place-and-Train Programme, Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs), Work Trial Programme, PIC scheme, CDG scheme, Startup SG Tech Scheme, and FSTI Scheme. F SPEAKERS • Qamarul Solihien, Workforce Singapore Business Advisor with the SME Centre SMCCI • Mathias Boissonot, Consultant, Productivity and Innovation Credit Scheme (PIC), GAC Group • Antoine de Montety, Consultant, Public Funding, GAC Group #entrepreneurs #startups

Rencontres du CEO Tech Club : Levée de Fonds et Exit Following the launch of the French Chamber CEO Tech Club in 2016, Eric Barbier, CEO, TransferTo, and Denis Branthonne, CEO, Novade, together with the Chamber organised several meetings, bringing together CEOs of French tech start-ups.

This club provides a platform for exchange among peers: CEOs in tech start-ups.

The meetings in the last quarter of 2017 explored a range of topics from HR policy and team engagement to shareholder management, fundraising, and planning for exit. F SPEAKERS • Fabien Mailhe, Managing Director, Akteos • Philippe Taverne, Lawyer, TLB Law • Olivier Gerhardt, Co-Founder and CEO, Wavecell • Erwan Macé, Founder and CEO, Bitsmedia #entrepreneurs #startups

Experience Sharing from Successful Entrepreneurs At this entrepreneur experience sharing session, Alexia Sichere and Maelle Pochat shared their experiences and insights into their entrepreneurship story, from starting out to winning the France Singapore ICT Awards in the Newcomer category. F SPEAKERS • Alexia Sichere, Co-Founder of Try & Review • Maelle Pochat, Co-Founder of Try & Review #entrepreneurs #startups #ICT

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Speed Networking between Entrepreneurs The French Chamber Platform for Start-Ups & Entrepreneurs is pleased to have organised a speed networking evening to interact with others, in a series of five-minute one-on-one meetings. This structured session provided the perfect occasion for start-up owners and entrepreneurs to let others know who they are, what is their business and what they are looking for, whether customers, providers or partners.

The event ended with an open networking around some wine, either for talking to individuals attendees did not get to talk to, or seeking out someone who attendees met during the event and continuing the conversation.

Special thanks to AXA Insurance Singapore for hosting this event. F #entrepreneurs #startups

Meet with Business Angels The French Chamber of Commerce’s Platform for Start-Ups & Entrepreneurs, together with Business Angel Network, South East Asia (BANSEA), invited members to a Panel Discussion with Business Angels.

Raising funds is the key concern for many start-ups who will first seek Business Angels for their seed funding. At the same time, some corporate professionals and CEOs of mature startups regularly look for businesses to support and invest in.

At this casual talk, our speakers shared their personal experiences as Investors, and discussed how to become an Angel Investor. The discussion was followed by a lively Q&A session with the audience and a networking. F SPEAKERS • Nicolas Moulin • Jean-Luc Anglada • Julien de Salaberry MODERATOR • Craig Dixon, Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the Telstrabacked muru-D global accelerator Singapore programme #entrepreneurs #startups

In partnership with

Wine Sponsor

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Digital Strategy in APAC Travel Industry: Challenges & Best Practices In 2017, online travel sees the fastest growth in emerging markets: The Middle East (26%), Asia Pacific (17%), Eastern Europe (16%) and Latin America (11%) compared to Europe (7%) and the U.S. (6%). Demographic trends are driving mobile growth in the APAC and travel providers are also pushing mobile booking forward by improving the experience.

At this Breakfast Talk, four main players of the industry shared with us how they are handling these challenges, sharing insights across the sector, in segments from hotel and hospitality, leisure and business travel. F SPEAKERS • Emilie Couton, Vice President Digital Marketing Asia Pacific, AccorHotels • Nicolas Ricard, Country Manager for Singapore, Air France-KLM • Charles Wong, Director, Supplier Relations, Egencia • Pierre Charles Grob, Managing Director, Asia, FASTBOOKING MODERATOR • Emilie Tisserand, Managing Director, Mediakeys #digitalmarketing #communication

Asian Millionaires Spending Behaviour in Singapore and Beyond Asia’s millionaires’ number 1 spending priority is travel, and while they have begun travelling outside the region, Singapore is still one of the top destinations on their minds.

At this meeting, our speaker disclosed some of the most powerful insights brands need to know about how millionaires are spending their money during their travels, with a focus on luxury goods and experiences; which hospitality and luxury brands top the list; and the motivations that drive their purchases. F SPEAKER • Amrita Banta, MD, Agility Research and Strategy #luxury #premiumretail #digitalmarketing #communication

Counterfeiting & Trackability in the Luxury Industry - What about Consumers?

At this meeting, our speaker shared with participants a consumer approach to non-deceptive counterfeiting, to uncover the hidden and non-rational motivations behind why consumers buy fake luxury products, and to better anticipate how managers could fight against counterfeiting in a more efficient way, and presented many useful tips and constructive ideas on the subject. F SPEAKER • Dr. Anne-Flore Maman Larraufie, Founder SémioConsult®, Academic Director MS SMIB, ESSEC #luxury #premiumretail

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CFO Networking Night The French Chamber’s Banking, Finance & Fintech committee has launched a series of exclusive events dedicated to CFOs. This initiative allows CFOs to share with peers their experience, challenges/issues, and best practices in the region.

Held at Ô Comptoir, the French Chamber organised a special afterwork networking for counterparts to meet and exchange in a relaxed atmosphere, a perfect place in the vibrant Circular road restaurant and bar precinct. F Also: Find out about Ô Comptoir on www.sochic.sg ! #banking #finance #fintech

GST Aspects of the Logistics Services Industries and Imports of Goods in Singapore This meeting provided participants with an understanding of the GST aspects relevant to the logistics service industry.

It also offered an overview of GST matters relating to the import of goods in Singapore as well as the most common import-related schemes available. F SPEAKER • Alexandre Gourdan, Attorney-at-law, Luther #sourcing #supplychain #tax #legal

Succeeding at Mergers & Acquisitions in South East Asia and China

CIO Lunch The CIOs met for a networking lunch during which they discussed best practices and current challenges in Singapore and the region. F #ICT

Using actual case studies from Pickering Pacific, this session presented ways to succeed at M&As in South East Asia and China based. The talk covered how to pro-actively identify suitable acquisition targets, how to contact their owners and convince them to sell, and how to execute all key steps of the resulting acquisition. It focused on the best practices that acquirers should follow to complete value-adding acquisitions and avoid pitfalls. F SPEAKER • Jacques Pickering, Managing Director, Pickering Pacific #banking #finance #fintech #tax #legal

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Legal Counsel Club Networking Event The French Chamber’s Legal & Tax Committee has launched a series of exclusive events dedicated to Legal Counsels. This new initiative allows the Heads of Legal from MNCs to share with peers their experience, challenges/issues, and best practices in the region.

Held at Ô Batignolles, the French Chamber organised a special afterwork networking for counterparts to meet and exchange in a relaxed atmosphere. F Also: Find out about Ô Batignolles on www.sochic.sg ! #tax #legal

What Do Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Mean to You? BEPS is an initiative from OECD and G20 countries offering recommendations to harmonise tax systems of different jurisdictions to counter practices that are exploiting gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to lower tax jurisdictions where there is little or no economic activity.

Several ASEAN countries have started implementing the BEPS recommendations. At this meeting, experts discussed how changing transfer pricing and permanent establishment rules may impact their businesses in ASEAN. F SPEAKERS • Loise Jacquette, French lawyer, Associate, Luther LLP • Heike Riesselmann (Dipl.-Kffr.), German Certified Tax Advisor, Manager International Tax Services, Luther LLP #tax #legal #banking #finance #fintech

Managing Fraud Risk Companies are constantly facing the delicate task of balancing risks, costs and opportunities. As businesses are increasingly integrated in global and regional economies, where threats and risks of fraud especially in procurement area are greater, companies should continue to be vigilant.

At this meeting, our speakers highlighted the different types of procurement fraud schemes, red flags, and ways to prevent, detect and manage fraud risk. F SPEAKERS • Dmitry Kosarev, Director of Forensic Services, PwC • Daniel Fu, Director of Forensic Services, PwC #tax #legal #banking #finance #fintech

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L’Esplanade et son Architecture : Visite Guidée The French Chamber’s Business Women Committee was pleased to organise a guided tour of Singapore’s Esplanade: Theatres on the Bay, where members were introduced to the architecture and efforts of the impressive building. The tour ended on the rooftops around a networking drink at Orgo bar with its breathtaking view of Singapore bay. F SPEAKER • Ariane Nabarro, Singapore sur Seine #businesswomen

Hire Better and On-board for Success At this meeting, our speakers shared on processes of hiring and on-boarding for success and important aspects companies should consider before beginning the process.

This included: identifying desired skills, competences and attitudes, evaluating potential, aligning recruitment process internally, ensuring a smooth on-boarding and enabling talent retention. F SPEAKERS • Emmanuel White, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, WeLinkTalent • Yves-Pascal Pelcener, Founder, Executive Transform International #HR

22-Year Journey Witnessing and Promoting Diversity at Alstom Ling Fang, MD for China and East Asia cluster at Alstom has a unique profile as a female C-suite leader, working on the core business in an engineering company, equipped with dual French-Chinese cultures. She shared stories and lessons learnt on witnessing and promoting diversity at Alstom in the past 22 years, and shared advice based on her journey on promoting diversity in an industrial company. F SPEAKER • Ling Fang, MD, China and East Asia Cluster, Alstom #HR #businesswomen #sustainability #responsibility

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The Impact of Design on Workplace Culture In a world where businesses increasingly focus on the creative and innovative output of their employees, the spotlight is well and truly on workplace design as an instigator for creating more inspiring environments that foster a greater sense of culture, community and collaboration to increase both productivity and innovation.

In an interactive presentation, our speakers discussed why a procurement centric strategy for workplace projects will not create and support a positive culture. They explained why all stakeholders need to be involved at the very beginning of the process. F SPEAKERS • Thomas Choulot, Director of Business Strategy, Contrast Design • Larissa Murphy, Co-Creator, Contrast Design #HR

Your Sustainability Strategy under the Spotlight Sustainability strategy has never been as important as today. It is now at the heart of each and every organisation, and more and more the engagement of stakeholders will depend on its clarity, its applicability and its long-term view. The support from the investors will be based on the Sustainability Report which is nothing else than a reflection of the company strategy.

At this meeting, our speaker explained how businesses can implement long-term sustainability strategies that will benefit them and gave examples to illustrate what is a meaningful, balanced and reliable sustainability report. F SPEAKER • Dr Nadege Claudel, MD, Reliability Consulting #sustainability #responsibility

Retraites Françaises: Comprendre les Règles et les Enjeux pour les Expatriés

HR Club Lunch The HR Club met for a networking lunch during which they discussed best practices and current challenges in Singapore and the region. F #HR

The rules of the French pension schemes are complex. At this committee meeting conducted in French, our speakers shared about the main rules as they apply today, as well as the main reforms that French President Emmanuel Macron wants to implement in his program. Above all, the questions that expatriates may ask themselves to stay or not in the French system (especially when “locating” their employment contract), the impact on retirement of international careers, the purchase of quarters, as well as the situation of the spouses. F SPEAKERS • Bruno Renardier, Director, Novelvy Retraite • Maurice Nhan, Representative for Asia, Novelvy Retraite #tax #legal

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French Chamber EVENTS

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Committee Events

Business + Gastronomy = French Chamber Monthly Luncheons Every first Friday of each month, the French Chamber organises a business lunch at a different French restaurant. These informal networking sessions are always excellent opportunities to meet new contacts and discuss business issues while enjoying some great French food. Our last luncheons took place at (from top to bottom) Audace, Racines (Sofitel Singapore City Centre), Entre-Nous, and Au Petit Salut.

These events are open to everyone, so feel free to invite your friends or colleagues to join us! Visit www.fccsingapore.com to see our next business luncheons and broaden your network! F #F&B #hospitality #networking

Issue 65

Journée Portes Ouvertes The French Chamber in Singapore is pleased to have organised a Journée Portes Ouvertes (Open House Day) where the team shared with visitors more about the French Chamber’s role and services in Singapore and provided information on processes from setting up a business in Singapore, finding office spaces, expanding your professional network, to finding a job in Singapore. F

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French Chamber EVENTS

Issue 65

Committee Events

New Members Associate MEMBERS AUDACE BAR & RESTAURANT

HSBC SINGAPORE

Contact: Mr Brice NOEL, GM Website: audace.com.sg Sector: F&B

Contact: Ms Aimee ZHANG, Senior VP Website: hsbc.com.sg Sector: Bank

Camelot Trust

InvestKL Corporation

Contact: Mr Sebastien GRAVIERE, Partner Website: camelottrust.com Sector: Banking

Contact: Mr Zainal AMANSHAH, CEO Website: investkl.gov.my Sector: Government

ECOLE HOTELIERE DE LAUSANNE

OCBC

Contact: Mr Joshua GAN, Regional Director, Asia-Pacific Website: ehl.edu Sector: Education

Contact: Mr Hong How QUEK, Relationship Manager, Multinationals/Technology/ Consumer Website: ocbc.com.sg Sector: Bank

GETLINKS INC

STONES INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE SEARCH

Contact: Mr Djoann FAL, CEO Website: getlinks.co Sector: Staffing & Recruitment

Contact: Mr Mirko PETRELLI, Partner Website: stones-international.com Sector: Finance

GRI ACCESSORIES

Contact: Ms Nancy CHEN, Country Director Website: griretail.com Sector: Retail (André, Minelli...)

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS Ms Sandrine Barbier, AP Sales Support, LRS

Ms Nathalie Dufoulon, Business Development Manager,

Sector: IT

Mr Arnaud Coudray, Corporate Banking APAC, Deutsche

Sterling Sector: Relocation

Bank Sector: Banking

MsDeborah NEIDHARDT, VP APAC, USP Solutions Sector: Marketing Activation for Cosmetics

Mr Renaud de Mareuil, Vice President, DVB Bank

Mrs Christelle Tilhac, Head Of Finance, Microtechnic

Sector: Banking

B E C O M E

A

M E M B E R

Sector: Industry

!

Joining us brings you directly to the heart of the French Business Community in Singapore. Our lively membership of more than 700 reflects French expertise across a wide range of sectors, both industrial (technology, electronics, telecommunications...) and services (banking, insurance, marketing, advertising...).

Join us and benefit from a wide range of advantages, such as a greater business exposure, an easier access to people and information and many events and business services.

For more information, please contact us at 6933 1361 or by email at membership@fccsingapore.com.

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French Chamber EVENTS

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Committee Events

Issue 65

Corporate MEMBERS ADECCO

Contact: Mr Philippe MARTINEZ, Regional MD, Asia (ex-Japan), Country Manager Singapore Website: adecco.com.sg Sector: Staffing & Recruitment

ASENDIA SINGAPORE

Contact: Mr Dieter PLUESS, CEO Asendia Asia Website: asendia.sg Sector: Logistics & Distribution

AUREXIA

Contact: Mr Dominique HERROU, Partner Website: aurexia.com/en Sector: Financial Services Consulting

COLAS RAIL

Contact: Mr Christophe CHASSAGNETTE, Chief Representative Website: colasrail.com Sector: Railway Construction & Maintenance

DELAIR-TECH

Contact: Mr Jean-Philippe POLIZZI, Chief Area Representative Website: delair-tech.com/fr/accueil Sector: Drones & UAVs

DELOITTE SOUTHEAST ASIA LTD

Contact: Mr Soo Earn KEOY, Lead Client Service Partner Website: deloitte.com/sg Sector: Tax & Advisory

DFS

Contact: Mr Michel DELBECQ, CIO Website: dfs.com Sector: Travel Retail

EGENCIA SINGAPORE

Contact: Mr Kenji MIRASSOU, Director, Global Sales Asia-Pacific Website: egencia.com.sg Sector: Travel Management

EMERSON AUDIT & CONSULTING

Contact: Ms Lea CHU, Principal Website: emerson-groupe.com/en Sector: Consulting Finance

KACIFIC BROADBAND SATELLITES

Contact: Mr Cyril ANNARELLA, COO Website: kacific.com Sector: Satellites

KONE

Contact: Mr Jerome AUDAIS, MD Website: kone.com/en Sector: Elevators, Escalators, Automatic Doors

MARALI LMNP

Contact: Mr Jean Francois FOUGERET, International Consultant Website: reside-etudes-invest.com Sector: Real Estate Investment

MASSON MARINE PROPULSION

Contact: Mr Fabien LECUONA, MD Website: masson-marine.com Sector: Maritime

MISTERCHRONO

Contact: Ms Mounia NASSER, Associate Director Website: misterchrono.sg Sector: Retail

NANJING SELTECH TRADING

Contact: Mr Alexandre VIAUX, GM Website: seltech-international.com Sector: Electronics

PRAMEX INTERNATIONAL

Contact: Mr Christophe PIQUEE, Head of Asia Website: pramex.com Sector: Consulting

ALCATEL-LUCENT ENTERPRISE

Contact: Mr Pierre SAMSON, Vice President Sales & Marketing APAC Website: enterprise.all.alcatel-lucent.com Sector: Telecommunications

SOFITEL SINGAPORE CITY CENTRE

Contact: Mr Freddy SEE, Director of Sales and Marketing Website: sofitel-singapore-citycentre.com Sector: Hospitality

SPRIM GLOBAL INVESTMENTS

Contact: Mr Michael SHLEIFER, Co-Founder Website: sprim.com Sector: Healthcare

THE SWATCH GROUP SEA

Contact: Mrs Emmy TELLIER, Vice President - Blancpain Southeast Asia Website: swatchgroup.com/en Sector: Retail

WINMEDIA

Contact: Mrs Annabelle BUTIN, Sales Representative Asia Website: winmedia.org Sector: IT

ZORBA

Contact: Mrs Sandra HASSLER, GM / Global VP Lifesciences Website: zorba-asia.com Sector: Communication

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MEMBERSHIP

Issue 65

New Members|

Entrepreneur MEMBERS ALCHEME SKINCARE

Contact: Mrs Tuyen LAMY, Founder & CEO Website: alcheme.one Sector: Retail & Well-being

ART PORTERS

Contact: Ms Dorcas NG, Artologist Website: artporters.com Sector: Leisure

ASK A FRENCH - FLOWERS

Contact: Mrs Aude GIRAUD, Owner Website: askafrenchflowers.com Sector: Florist

AVIATION PARTNER & CONSULTING

Contact: Mr Fred HERVOT, MD Website: apacasia.com Sector: Consulting Aeronautics

BEYOND DESIGN

Contact: Mrs Virginie PETIT FOURNIER, GM Website: bdesign-global.com Sector: Visual Merchandising

BUSINESS GLOBAL ORGANISATION

Contact: Mr Benjamin GOBERT, Director Sector: Finance

CDI GLOBAL (EXCELSIUS CONSULTING)

Contact: Mr David LACHERADE, MD Website: cdiglobal.com Sector: M&A Consulting

HELPLING SINGAPORe

Contact: Mr Philippe LIMES, Director Website: helpling.com.sg Sector: Cleaning Manpower

INDVESTA / PARA KITO

Contact: Mr Nicolas MOULIN, Founder Website: parakito.com Sector: M&A Consulting, Business Angels, Retail

Language Experts Singapore

Contact: Mrs Lale DANAI, Founder and GM Website: languageexpertssingapore.com Sector: Translation

LE BOTTIN SINGAPOUR

Contact: Mr Florian MEZY, MD Website: lebottin.sg Sector: Communication

MADAME FINE ART STUDIO

Contact: Mrs Valérie LALLEMENT, Founder Artist - Artistic Director Website: madame-art.com Sector: Art

M.A-PHARM

Contact: Mrs Emmanuelle RIBOT-MARIOTTE, MD Sector: Healthcare

POSITIVE ENERGY COMMUNITY | BLU-BUYING CLUB (BBC)

City Talent

Contact: Mr Nicolas PAYEN, Co-Founder & MD Website: futureeconomystudio.com Sector: Renewable Energy

COGNITIVEYE

Contact: Mr Adrien BARTHEL, CEO Website: sleek-corp.com Sector: Incorporation and Company Management

Contact: Mr Maxime VANDERHAEGHE, Founder/Director Website: citytalent.org Sector: HR

Contact: Mrs Stephanie TAHIRI, Director and Founder Website: play2see.com Sector: Education, Training, Healthcare

GAUTHIER MILLESIMES

Contact: Mr Fabien BONABAUD, General Director Website: chateau-gauthier.com Sector: Wine Vendor

GENESIS AVOCATS SINGAPORE

Contact: Mrs Renee KADDOUCH, Avocat à la Cour Website: genesis-singapore.com/en Sector: Legal

SLEEK

SPARKLE Distribution

Contact: Mr Julien MOREAU-PERNET Website: Founder & MD Sector: F&B

VBM Consulting

Contact: Mr Vincent BOURDIN, Director Website: asianpastrycup.com Sector: F&B

WORLD’S TALENTS

Contact: Ms Maud TOLEDANO, Director and Artistic Director Website: lacademiesingapore.com Sector: Culture

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LIFESTYLE NEWS

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As seen on sochic.sg

Issue 65

Bohemian Chic Meets Contemporary French in New Restaurant Merci Marcel Tucked away in Tiong Bahru, Merci Marcel, a designled lifestyle space, brings relaxed French social dining to the table, as both an all-day dining destination and an independent boutique with premier selections of gourmet food, fine drinks, art and lifestyle products.

Located right next to Tiong Bahru Bakery, the restaurant offers a fresh take on traditional French cuisine, with exclusive wines, as well as exceptional cocktails concocted in collaboration with La Maison du Whisky. F

Wine Connection Opens New Bistro With over 200 different handpicked wines and craft beers self-imported from around the world, the new Wine Connection bistro brings a stylish retro industrial décor to Singapore’s largest lifestyle mall sitting across the Sentosa waterfront. The bistro offers a vast range of options for a quick lunch, winetasting, a casual brunch, a communal gathering.

Wine Connection Bistro at Vivocity is located on the mall’s ground floor, facing the Sentosa Waterfront, at #01-152/153/154. F

Devialet Unveils Largest Asia Flagship at MBS Devialet’s new 1,000-square-feet store is its seventh in the region and the largest in Asia. It features two listening rooms, each acoustically treated to render the experience of the physical impact of the Phantom, its top-of-the-line speakers breaking records in audio engineering.

Head to #01-10 at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. F

Hédiard Opens New Singapore Concept “Le Kiosk” Outlet Situated in the heart of Singapore’s shopping district, Hédiard offers a new gourmet gifts retail experience at its new concept “Le Kiosk” outlet. You’ll get to make selections of all sorts of made-toorder gifts, from smaller stocking-filler items to overflowing hampers, all wrapped immaculately in signature red and black.

Visit Le Kiosk on L1 at Scotts Square. F MORE ONline Including an interview with Isabelle Miaja, French designer based in Singapore for over 20 years; tips on relieving tension and glowing at work; and where to buy French confiserie, delicatessen, produce and more in Singapore.

Luxury Beauty Fashion Interior Gastronomy Lifestyle Stories

Events

Launched in 2017, the digital guide sochic.sg is your go-to resource to get your French on in Singapore: discover more than 100 French brands, stores and restaurants, browse a thorough agenda of events, and escape with a potpourri of lifestyle stories. sochic.sg

hello@sochic.sg

sochicfrenchguide

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MEMBERSHIP

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Privilege Card

SERVICES

Issue 65

Privilege Card CCI FRANCE INTERNATIONAL

PRIVILEGE CARD 2018

RETAIL & LEISURE

French Chamber Singapore About the Card Privilege Card 2018 - Artwork.indd 1

21/12/2017 3:02:42 PM

The Privilege Card is personal and is exclusively reserved to members of the network of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. It gives access to many benefits in Singapore and in France, with more than 50 participating member brands.

WINE & DINE

TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY

At your Fingertips Download the French Chamber app on your iPhone or Android phone and gain access to up-to-date information on all your member privileges, including new deals added along the year.

Education Terms & C­­­­­onditions apply.

Visit www.fccsingapore.com for more details.

2 018 Gala Di nner Friday 06 April

The Ritz-Carlton

Become a Sponsor!

BOOK YOUR TABLE NOW!

A breathtaking live entertainment show together with the finest French cuisine and the most delicate French wines and Champagne will be the enchanting ingredients of this evening.

Founder of the renowned gastronomic restaurant “Le Grand Restaurant”, two-Michelinstar chef Jean-François Piège will reveal his sumptuous dinner as the world of innovation and creativity unfolds before your eyes!

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Official Airline Tel: 6933 1350 gala@fccsingapore.com