MDBCONNECTS 2015 - 1

MAKERS & DRIVERS OF BUSINESS & COMMERCE FORMATION OF THE ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

SUSTAINABLE AEC CITIES HOSPITALITY PENANG BLAH BLAH DEVELOPS BLAH ISSUE: 1ST EDITION 2015

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CONTENT MEMBERS

BIG STORY

MDBC EVENTS / 11

AN INSIDE LOOK / 20

MDBC NY Reception Briefing on the ASEAN Economic Community MDBC Virtual Golf Championships Power to Inspire with Esther Vergeer

INTRO TO THE AEC / 30 ARCADIS SUSTAINABLE CITIES INDEX / 32

MEMBERS NEWS / 15 MY SERVICES / 35

COMMUNITY

NEW MEMBERS / 36

STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM / 23

SOCIAL / 38

MDBC PENANG / 27

MDBC Penang NY Drinks MDBC New Year Reception MDBC Virtual Golf Championships Interchamber at the BMW Malaysian Open 2015

DIALOGUE

MY TRADE & INVESTMENT FIGURES / 28 MDBC IN SIN / 29

/20 /30

/35 /32

THE WORK REVOLUTION / 19

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

5

LET’S FUEL THEIR IMAGINATION TO THINK OF MORE INNOVATIVE ENERGY SOLUTIONS. How do we meet the growing energy needs of the modern world? Not just for today, but long into the future?

It’s a complex question to which there is no simple answer. Whatever happens collaboration is essential. And a better mix of different, sustainable energies. At Shell we’ve been working with schools and universities around the world for more than 25 years on the Shell Eco-marathon – an innovative competition that challenges students to design, build and drive some of the most economical vehicles possible. The current record holder is capable of travelling 3771 km on the equivalent of one litre of fuel. It’s an incredible figure. But one we hope to beat this year. And is an example of how we’re working together to help develop a mix of energies that can power and sustain all our lives long into the future. Let’s broaden the world’s energy mix.. www.shell.com/letsgo

CHAMBER-WORK RANGES FROM ORGANISING A VARIETY OF EVENTS TO STAYING INFORMED ON THE ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY Dear MDBC members and friends, With the visit of Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and our MDBC Sustainability Awards 2014, the MDBC managed to have a successful finale to a challenging year in 2014. This was followed by an immediate good start to 2015. In the next few pages you will see and read up on all the activities which were organised during the first few months of the year: the traditionally well-attended New Year reception at the residence of the Netherlands Ambassador, which was followed by more networking at the MDBC Virtual Golf Championships and, together with many fellow Chambers, at the BMW Malaysian Open WTA tennis tournament.

Informative events ranged from the briefing of Ministry of International Trade & Industry’s Secretary General YBhg Datuk Dr Rebecca Fatima and her colleagues on the ASEAN Economic

Community and the inspirational talk by a truly professional and successful athlete, Esther Vergeer.

The variety and high frequency of MDBCorganised events are what you have come to expect from our Council over the years. It has given us the compliment and recognition of being one of the most active Chambers in Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia!

This of course, with a big thank you to our members for your excellent support. We have to consider, however, that Chamberwork is evolving and that we continuously have to look for the right balance between quantity and quality of our events.

Input from our members on this is very welcome.

own, in partnership with the Netherlands Embassy, as well as on a regional level with our colleagues of the other Dutch Business Chambers in ASEAN, we have to be ready to provide valuable information on AEC developments to Dutch businesses, whether they are already based in the region or exploring such options. It is an exciting time to live and work in ASEAN! Remco Koster Vice Chairman

In this edition you will also see more coverage on ASEAN, especially now that Malaysia is ASEAN Chair in 2015 and the region is getting ready for the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community by the end of this year. On our

MDBC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mr. Zainul Rahim Mohd Zain, Chairman Hibiscus Petroleum Berhad

Ms. Barbara Voskamp Voskamplawyers

MDBC Executive Director: Mr. Marco Winter

Mr. Remco Koster, Vice Chairman Woodwing Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd

Mr. Jacques Hartman CEVA Logistics (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd

MDBC Patrons:

Mr. Michael Brouwer, Treasurer Silverstreet Malaysia Sdn Bhd

Mr. Wouter van der Weijden &samhoud

Ms. Maayke Mannaert Netherlands Embassy

Mr. Philip Kunjappy Sime Darby Berhad

Datuk Merlyn Kasimir Former CEO of Matrade

Mr. Suerd Polderdijk Frames Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd

Mr. Jack Ang Markant (M) Sdn Bhd

Honorary Member of the Board:

Datin Sandra van Hellemond QPA Sdn Bhd

H.E. Mr. Harry Molenaar Netherlands Ambassador

Y.B. Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed Minister of International Trade & Industry Y.Bhg. Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz Patron, Malaysia - Europe Forum Malaysian Dutch Business Council Unit 808, 8th Floor Wisma Lim Foo Yong 86 Jalan Raja Chulan 50200 Kuala Lumpur Tel : 603 - 2722 8335 Fax : 603 - 2141 8335 Email : info@mdbc.com.my Website : www.mdbc.com.my

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

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A WORLD OF EXPERTISE IN YOUR PART OF THE WORLD.

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CALENDAR

APRIL WED 29 / 2:00PM

WED 20 & THU 21

MDBC Human Resourcs Forum 2015 Holiday Inn Kuala Lumpur

Fact-finding and match-making mission to Penang Infrastructure and Public Transport

MAY

FRI 29 / 6:00PM

WED 13 & THU 14

Fact-finding trip to Johor Pengerang Petroleum Complex, Johor State and Iskandar / Nusajaya

Tastes of Europe Fest 2015 The Westin Kuala Lumpur

JUNE THU 4 / 5:00PM

MDBC Annual General Meeting over FY2014 Invited Speaker: Selangor Chief Minister

NOTICE:

MDBC members will receive personal invitations for these functions by email once all details are confirmed.

All events/dates to be reconfirmed.

MDBC PREMIUM PARTNERS 2015

TMF

GROUP

From the informative to the social, MDBC has provided our members with a range of events and important government, diplomatic and corporate contacts during these first few months of 2015.

MDBC NEW YEAR’S RECEPTION 2015 Together with MDBC’s best wishes for a healthy and successful 2015, members were invited to the annual MDBC New Year’s Reception, graciously hosted by the Netherlands Ambassador, H.E. Harry Molenaar, at his residence on 19 January. After some brief formalities where attendees were welcomed by MDBC

Chairman Zainul Rahim, introduced to the members of the MDBC Board of Directors and new members, all enjoyed networking with the wide range of invited guests from the corporate, government, diplomatic and NGO sectors. For many more pictures, please see page 39.

BRIEFING ON THE ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY As a special Outlook 2015 edition, senior officials of the Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI), SecretaryGeneral Datuk Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria and Deputy Secretary General (Trade) Mohd Ridzal Sheriff, provided an exclusive ASEAN Economic Community

(AEC) briefing for MDBC members.

The AEC aims for regional economic integration by the end of 2015 with the following key characteristics: (a) a single market and production base, (b) a highly competitive economic region, (c) a region of equitable economic development, and

(d) a region fully integrated into the global economy. The AEC will transform ASEAN into a region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labour, and freer flow of capital.

For more information on the AEC, please see pages 26 and 27.

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

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MDBC Virtual Golf Championships On 11 February, MDBC members were invited to participate in the ever popular Virtual Golf Championships. Held at City Golf in Bangsar Shopping Center, with “Longest Drive” and “Nearest to Pin” competition formats for corporate teams and individual registrations, all guests were able to enjoy playing at some of the top golf courses in the world. Both

advanced as well as beginner golfers were welcome, there was even a golf clinic held by the resident golf pros before the competition started so that guests could brush up on their skills. Those who preferred a slightly different test of their abilities were able to participate in a racing competition using a car racing simulator.

Top left: City Golf’s Director of Golf Rick Currin explaining how not to hit a golf ball!

Top right: Chris Zecha of GlobalVoice Call explaining the App; Left: Winners of the various Virtual Golf Championship competitions.

Guests were also introduced to GlobalVoice Call, an international telecommunication app that offers high quality international calling solutions at low rates, and were able to receive free trials and bonus credits for signing up.

The Power to Inspire by Esther Vergeer

In conjunction with the BMW Malaysian Open 2015, MDBC organised not only the annual Interchamber Networking evening (see page 38), but also a unique talk by special guest Esther Vergeer, in cooperation with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Carbon Sports.

Dutch woman Esther Vergeer became paralysed at young age, but battled her way to dominate wheelchair tennis for more than a decade until her retirement in 2013. Unbeaten for 10 years with an incredible 470 match winning streak,

winning 7 Paralympic Gold Medals, 42 Grand Slam titles and two Laureas Award for Sportsperson with a Disability, Esther is often mentioned as the most dominant player ever in professional sports and is an inspiration to many.

Esther’s talk “The Power to Inspire” was a true lesson in determination, motivation and inspiration for the KLM and MDBC guests, as well as for the Malaysian Wheelchair tennis team, for whom Esther also did an on-court coaching clinic.

For more photos, please see page 38.

Left: Esther showing her last Paralympic Gold medals; Top: The Malaysian wheelchair tennis team on court and off with Esther’s coaching clinic; Below: KLM’s Country Manager Malaysia Aude-Lise C­ombier and MDBC’s Marco Winter presenting Esther with a token of appreciation

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

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Hydraulic Power Packs

Fire Fighting Systems

Generator Sets

Packaging of Rotating Equipment

PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS. AND ABOUT YOU. We are Fischcon. Over the past few years, we have developed into a turn-key producer and supplier of customer-specific on/offshore fire-fighting installations, generator sets and hydraulic power packs. Alongside equipment for use in safe environments, we also specialise in supplying equipment for use in hazardous areas or severe environmental conditions. Our products are made exceptional and unique as a result of the fact that they operate effectively during crisis situations. Our highly qualified personnel design and construct a unique project for every client.

We work with passion. That is where our power lies.

WWW.FISCHCON.COM Headquarter: Lorentzweg 3 | 4131 PH Vianen | The Netherlands | Tel.: +31 (0)347 - 329 020 | info@fischcon.com Contact Person Malaysia: Jan-Roelf Pinkster, Business Development Manager Malaysia | Tel.: +603 2178 6349 Fischcon Suite 1578 | Level 15 | Menara Darussalam | No.12 Jalan Pinang | 50450 Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | sales@fischcon.com

1st Edition 2015

From NL - MY cultural differences to business opps!

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

ONE RINGGIT

MEMBERS NEWS

FISCHCON DELIVERS FOR BUMI ARMADA BERHAD Fischcon, a worldwide turn-key supplier and an experienced system integrator for high capacity Fire Fighting Systems, Generator Sets, Packaging of Rotating Equipment and Hydraulic Power Packs for the Oil and Gas industry and the Maritime sector, has been awarded by Bumi Armada Berhad with the delivery of two fire water pumps and three essential diesel generators for the ENI Angola Block 15/06 East Hub – FPSO.

operators of OSVs in Asia. Bumi Armada provides services through the oil and gas value chain – from exploration through to field development and construction, production and operations and eventually, decommissioning.

Bumi Armada Berhad is a Malaysiabased international offshore oilfield services provider. The company is a global FPSO player among the top owners and

All equipment will comply with applicable international standards, ABS rules and regulations and additional client specifications.

Fischcon will carry out all engineering, procurement, construction, assembly and testing of the two fire water pumps and three diesel generators in-house.

Number of passengers travelling through Dutch airports breaks 60 million barrier.

MAMMOET NOMINATED FOR SIX ESTA AWARDS ESTA, the European association of abnormal road transport and mobile cranes, has announced this year’s nominations for the Awards of Excellence competition.

Each year, a jury of experienced and independent men and women in the Cranes and Transport industry decide upon the recipients of the awards for special, complicated, innovative or otherwise interesting jobs or solutions.

This year, Mammoet has been nominated in six categories. The nominations include ‘cranes lattice boom’, ‘transport over and under 120 tons’, ‘combined techniques’, ‘SPMT’ and ‘safety’.

The winners of the awards will be announced on 23 April in Paris, France, during the Intermat construction equipment exhibition.

MULTI - ANNUAL AND EXCLUSIVE TOWAGE CONTRACT FOR KOTUG Five members of the G6 Alliance (APL, Hyundai, MOL, NYK Line and OOCL) have awarded a multi-annual and exclusive contract to KOTUG for towage services in the Port of Rotterdam with effect for 1 January 2015. Key priorities for the 5 members of the G6 - Alliance in the decision to select KOTUG as their exclusive towage provider in the Port of Rotterdam, was to find an operator who could deliver 24 / 7 services based on reliable, innovative, efficient and safe operations. KOTUG operates a young and powerful tug fleet, including the revolutionary hybrid Rotortug technology, a professional company management system and a highly trained and dedicated crew.

One of the member carriers said in a statement, “This partnership embodies many years of trust and shared values.

1st row from l to r: Jan Ryckbosch (OOCL), Joost Mijderwijk (MOL), Ard - Jan Kooren (KOTUG), Leen Vos (APL), Frans de Vos NYK Line) and Fred van Zomeren (Hyundai).

2nd row from l to r: Joris Kremer, Harrold van der Meer and Edwin van der Poel (KOTUG).

KOTUG is a reliable partner who thinks ahead about new market requirements.

By continuous investment in its fleet capacity and sustainable technologies, KOTUG meets our collective growth ambition.”

KOTUG CEO Ard - Jan Kooren said, “This contract is a milestone for our European harbour towage. We are glad that our investments resulted in this contract and being recognized by our clients as a high quality towage provider.”

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Members News

1st Edition 2015

ARCADIS PRESENTS SUSTAINABLE CITIES INDEX On 9 March, ARCADIS, a leading global natural and built asset design and consultancy firm headquartered in Amsterdam, held a breakfast event at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club to present its Sustainable Cities Index 2015 report. The Sustainable Cities Index, produced for the first time this year by ARCADIS in collaboration with the Centre of Economics and Business Research (Cebr) UK, ranks 50 world cities based on how sustainable they are from three different perspectives, namely People, Planet, and Profit.

The event kicked off with an introductory speech by Ali Karim (Executive Chairman, JUBM), and was followed by a presentation by Girish Ramachandran (Client Development Director, ARCADIS Malaysia), who provided an overview of the Sustainable Cities Index.

The audience was provided with a comprehensive analysis of how well the city of Kuala Lumpur fared in 2015 compared to the other cities in the index across all the indicators measured.

In the overall Sustainable Cities Index, Frankfurt ranked 1st, followed by London,

THE BIGGEST THING WE MOVE IS TIME

After a short Q&A session, a forum was held to discuss various topics covered by the index. Moderated by Pim Robberechts (Design & Development Director, EC Harris Malaysia), panelists for the forum were: YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Professor Ir. Dr. Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar (Vice Chancellor, University Technology MARA), Dr. Matt Benson (Director, Geografia), Krishnavenee Krishnan (Associate Director - Greater Kuala Lumpur / Klang Valley & Urban Public Transport), YBhg Datuk Hj. Mohd Amin Nordin bin Abdul Aziz (Director General, KL City Hall), Previndran Singhe (CEO, Zerin Properties), and Dr. Gerald Sundraj (Head of Sustainability, Construction Industry Development Board)

Copenhagen, and Amsterdam. Kuala Lumpur came in at number 26 in the overall ranking.

“Sustainability and development are closely connected. It is important for KL city to transform into one of Asia’s new financial hubs. However, it will also need to focus on other areas such as people and social welfare,” said Girish Ramachandran.

To end the event, two of ARCADIS’ top water experts from the Netherlands presented talks pertaining to flood defense. Piet Dircke (Head of Global Water Management Business) spoke on Building Resilient and Sustainable Cities, while Rob Steijn (Director of Rivers, Coasts and Seas) presented his views on protecting Malaysian cities from floods.

For more information on the Index and results, please see pages 32 & 33.

We all come from the world of ‘big’. A world of big projects and big machines. A world in which it is Mammoet’s role to move objects - no matter their size - for customers in a range of heavy industries. We provide solutions for lifting, transporting, installing and decommissioning large and heavy structures.

We could talk for hours about the equipment we use, and about how sophisticated and powerful it is. But all that power means nothing without a plan.

In fact, we believe our business isn’t about size.

It’s about: time.

Uptime. Turnaround time. Time to market. To our customers, time is the currency that matters most. That’s why we strive to bring their deadlines forward. It’s an integrated, daily effort shared by everyone at Mammoet.

Having faced almost every conceivable challenge in over two hundred years, we have developed a way of working based on three pillars: innovative engineering, careful planning and above all else, safe delivery.

Sometimes, by deploying our expertise in the design stage, we can even help our clients to optimize their project as a whole.

That’s how we move time for our customers.

So time isn’t set in concrete. Or forged in steel. It’s not even all that heavy.

And yet, it’s the biggest thing we can move for you.

For more information, please call Gilbert Tan Commercial Director APAC at +65 9455 6839.

Or send an e mail to: Gilbert.Tan@Mammoet.com.

Discover more on www.mammoet.com

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MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Members News

1st Edition 2015

FRAMES STAFF IN CROSS-CULTURAL TRAINING

BY CULTURAL IMPACT Frames is a designer and supplier of equipment for the international Oil and Gas Industry. Frames’ Kuala Lumpur (KL) office cooperates closely with colleagues in the Netherlands, as well as clients and suppliers in Malaysia and beyond. In recent years, Frames has expanded in the region, building its systems in Malaysia for the likes of Shell, Petronas and clients in the “Floating Production” market.

Given time zones, physical distance and cultural differences, this presents an interesting challenge for Frames’ multicultural KL team.

Acknowledging the importance of bridging cultural differences, Frames’ teams in

the Netherlands and KL participated in cross-cultural training sessions. Several workshops were held simultaneously on both sides of the globe, with the aim of defining a set of ground rules for cooperation between the teams. This empowers the multicultural KL team to act as a “link” between the Netherlands and Malaysia. “A very interesting, motivating, useful process – and fun, too,” says Suerd Polderdijk, General Manager Frames Asia Pacific.

Substantiating this strategy, Suerd adds: “Malaysians are very willing to talk about their culture. They are patient, and are open and understanding about cultural

differences. So I try to ‘just ask.’” As well as through colleagues and other companies, Suerd meets people through the Malaysian Dutch Business Council (MDBC), in which he is a member of the Board of Directors. He also meets people through the Netherlands Embassy, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and social and networking events: “Ultimately, you need to do things your own way, but I have received a lot of advice from others along the way. I’m definitely not an expert, but I am starting to see and understand patterns.”

The training “Creating a Malaysian-Dutch Team Culture” was provided by fellow MDBC member Cultural Impact . From Open House, 1Malaysia and Hang Tuah to King’s Day, bitterballen, and Dutch “gezelligheid”, the training provided insights into each-other’s cultures.

Besides these symbols and rituals, eyeopening differences in perceptions and expectations were revealed.

Armed with an improved insight into the cultural differences and resulting communication styles, Frames’ teams formulated practical agreements on how to communicate and cooperate more effectively. The KL team will use these to formulate a set of “ground rules” which will be implemented at the Kick Off of each project.

To learn more about Frames’ experiences and lessons learned in Malaysia please go to: www.frames-group.com/Lessonslearned-from-doing-business-in-Malaysia.

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

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DIALOGUE

Regus FLEXIBILITY AND WEB APPS - THE WORK REVOLUTION. REMOTE WORKING AND BUSINESS APPS GROW HAND-IN-HAND

With a growing number of professionals working outside the main office at least some of the time, use of remote working tools has also radically increased. In fact, a staggering 92% of workers in Malaysia have used at least one tool enabling remote working in the previous month, according to a survey of over 44,000 senior business people across more than 100 countries by global workplace provider Regus. This figure is also significantly higher than the global average of 86%.

Respondents in Malaysia also highlight that the needs of remote workers are strongly driving take up of ‘cloud’ applications that provide them with costeffective access to office tools wherever they are (89%).

But online tools are also helping to ease some of the other pain traditionally associated with remote working especially

through the proliferation of efficient and secure document sharing services. The research shows that Dropbox is the most commonly used online file-sharing service, used by 69%, followed by Google Drive (61%) and Google Hangouts (33%).

Another challenge remote workers face is that of getting overlooked when they are not in the office. Instant Messaging tools and VoIP, however, are revolutionizing the way workers communicate and helping remote workers show they are available, connected and immediately responsive.

The research found that WhatsApp is the most popular Messaging application in Malaysia in the last month, used by 96% of local respondents. Rounding off the top five most popular messaging applications in Malaysia are Facebook Messenger (68%), Skype (60%), WeChat (46%) and Viber (31%).

Other key findings reveal the reach and

influence of online tools in the work environment: • WhatsApp is currently by far the most popular Instant Messaging app for smartphone in Malaysia, used by 96% of workers once a month or more; • Just 1% of those questioned said they had not used an instant messaging tool in the past month; • Microsoft remote desktop is the most remote desktop globally (19%); • 26% of respondents in Malaysia had used LINE in the previous month.

Vijayakumar Tangarasan, Country Manager at Regus Malaysia comments, “With more businesses offering staff the opportunity to work remotely at least occasionally, online tools are helping to overcome some of the hurdles traditionally associated with working from outside of the office. From feeling out of touch with colleagues, to being unable to access documents on the company server, technology is bridging the gap. The growth in instant messaging applications and document-sharing services in particular is playing an enormous role in helping more people to work flexibly, by enabling more reliable and secure ways of communicating with colleagues and sharing files, from wherever people may be working. This means that they can be fully operative even when they are not in the office and in fact, they can save time spent travelling into the office or to and from meetings by working closer to home and so boost productivity.”

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

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AN INSIDE LOOK: DOUBLETREE BY HILTON KUALA LUMPUR - LINDA GIEBING The hospitality industry in Malaysia is a highly competitive one with Malaysia welcoming a total of 16.1 million tourists from January to July last year. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, international arrivals in this region are forecasted to total 145 million by 2023. This significant growth means that tourism is an important key focus area for the country, also demonstrated through the broad objectives of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) and Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP) to increase yield per tourist.

In this competitive market, DoubleTree

by Hilton Kuala Lumpur has managed to emerge as one of the top hotels in KL. Helping to lead this warm and welcoming team at DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur is Director of Operations Linda Giebing. Born and raised close to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Linda studied Hotel Management at Stenden University Leeuwarden as well as Marketing at the Rotterdam Business School. She started her career with Hilton Worldwide almost 15 years ago and has worked for them in 4 different countries, at 7 hotels so far. Hilton brought her to Malaysia 2.5 years ago.

MDBC sat down with Linda to discuss competing in such a fierce industry as well as

how DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur deals with women in the workforce (women make up roughly 60% in the hospitality industry) as the Malaysian Prime Minister has called for greater diversity at leadership and top management levels.

MDBC: When did you know that you wanted to work in a hotel?

Linda: In my early teens, I dreamed of having an international career in a commercial environment. I figured that studying hotel management would be a good springboard for that, although I didn’t expect to end up in such an operational role.

I guess at that age, it is difficult to really know what working life is about and what you will enjoy. I consider myself lucky for finding a job that I enjoy every single day!

MDBC: What do you adore about your job?

Linda: I love the human interaction, getting to know people with different frames of reference and making their experience with us as rewarding as possible, obviously towards our guests, but also as an employer.

MDBC: What is the secret to the consistent success of the DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur property?

Linda: DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur’s excellent location in the heart of

Kuala Lumpur city centre is a major pulling factor for tourism. Being part of a retail and corporate tower at The Intermark - shopping, entertainment, dining and tourist attractions are just a stone’s throw away and just 10 minutes from the iconic Petronas Twin Towers and KL Convention Centre. The covered walkway to the nearby Light Rail Transit (LRT) station also provides convenient access to anywhere in the KL city.

Also, we provide our guests with a Malaysian cultural immersion in Makan Kitchen: Touted as the true showcase of Malaysian dining, the restaurant features Malaysian cuisine through live interactive kitchens, allowing our guests to be immersed in the culture of Malaysia through the multifaceted cuisines.

Another difference is our brand essence: CARE, Creating a Rewarding Experience, and DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur’s unique approach to hospitality with the legendary warm chocolate chip cookie welcome has brought a refreshing new connected experience for visitors to Malaysia.

MDBC: How challenging is it today to show what makes a property unique?

Linda: It is a highly competitive industry surrounding the Klang Valley and KL city centre where we’re located with new hotels openings expected early next year and 2017. Like the many upscale fullservice hotels dotted in the city, we offer guests luxury amenities with full service accommodations.

However, as a DoubleTree by Hilton brand, we’re all about the “human touch”. We talk about “it’s the little things that mean everything”, and “creating a rewarding experience”. We have a unique approach to hospitality that starts with our legendary warm chocolate chip cookie welcome, giving our guests a reminder of home.

Ultimately, our CARE culture inspires us to create a rewarding experience for our hotel guests, our team members and the communities we proudly serve.

MDBC: What kind of policies are in place to ensure gender diversity in the hotel industry? At DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur in particular?

Linda: I believe this industry has great potential on the topic, as the number of

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MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

AN INSIDE LOOK

females joining at entry level is high, and we see more women than men in our young talent development programs.

At DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur, we have learned a lot over the last few years and have become more sensitive to potential pitfalls in regards to gender diversity.

One of these risks is in talent identification.

It is well known that women don’t raise their hand for a promotion until they have 100% of the skills required for it, whilst men feel comfortable when they have 60% of the skills.

As a manager, you need to be aware of that and challenge yourself and your processes to ensure you select the right people for training and development opportunities.

We are tracking our efforts in HR processes, including succession matrices. We are about to start circulating a diversity newsletter for awareness reasons. On our top leadership development programs, we have put through more women than men in the past two years through these efforts.

MDBC: What would you like to see happen in the industry regarding gender diversity?

Linda: The industry works 365 days per year, 7 day a week and 24 hours a day.

This can be seen as a challenge, especially for women who often carry the “double burden” of combining a career with the care for children or parents, but I think it can be an opportunity. Especially for senior management, it allows more flexible time.

We need to get away from the idea that you need to work a lot of hours to be successful. I believe it’s about your efficiency, not about the number of hours worked.

MDBC: What are the major differences in gender diversity between the hotel industry in the European market vs the Asian / Malaysian market?

Linda: According to a study by McKinsey & Company, the proportion of women on corporate boards and executive committees in Asian companies is “strikingly low” as compared to Europe or America, even though women remain under-represented in those regions too. One of the elements related to this is the female participation to the workforce, which tends to be lower than in the West (in Malaysia ~50%), making it difficult to begin feeding the pipeline. Secondly, I believe there is a cultural impact, where women in Asia are socially more expected to take care of household, children

DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur emerged as winners for Excellence Award for Best MICE Experience and Best Hotel Experience by Expatriate Lifestyle. Linda is picture here with the DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur’s General Manager Ian Barrow (next to Linda) and the management team of the hotel.

and aging parents and there is not necessary a set of enablers to accommodate this.

MDBC: What changes / improvements would you recommend?

Linda: Although I am not a big fan of quota, several countries have implemented this very successfully, Norway being the best example. For companies, internal “aspirations” can be set. We must keep in mind that we should all want the best person in the best place, but should realize that we may not always consider all the options when reviewing who the best person is.

Helping women to develop their networks and master corporate culture on one hand and implement tracking, review human resource processes and policies on the other, potentially even combined with support mechanisms, can be a fantastic start.

MDBC: What do you think are some of the biggest restrictions / concerns / barriers to entry for women into top management positions?

Linda: Based on my own research, the most impactful obstacles and self-created drawbacks for women seem to lie in confidence challenges, consistently under-qualifying their own performance and the related different, less successful way of profiling and networking. It is also important that we develop managers’ awareness, which is fundamental to improvement. Managers need to realize that rebalancing gender requires work on themselves as well. There is a certain degree of willingness to put yourself into question required.

that will make these choices easier.

MDBC: Most general managers and high level executives are men. What advise do you have for young women who aspire to the top ranks in the hotel industry?

Linda: Don’t put your foot on the career brake before you have to. I have met ladies who doubted if they should take on a promotion because they were getting married next year and would maybe have children in the year after. I say “Take that promotion!” It will give you a better position to discuss with your husband how you will move forward as a family, and it will allow you more financial flexibility to consider the options for help in the household or childcare.

MDBC: What do you think women in leadership positions in the hospitality industry bring to the management of hotels that their male counterparts do not?

Linda: I think the most important is to have diversity on your teams at all levels. It is widely proven that increased diversity increases company financial performance, through better problem solving skills, more creativity, and enriched brand perception for potential consumers and potential employees. Gender diversity is not about being nice to women, it’s about ensuring the success of your company in the future.

Bringing DoubleTree by Hilton’s iconic symbol of CARE - the signature chocolate chip walnut cookie - to people all around Singapore during the SEA Cookie Campaign.

We can’t deny the cultural element as a barrier to the development of women, as discussed earlier. There are good examples globally of government measures that have worked very successfully, and even on corporate level enablers can be considered MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

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STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM THE SIP EXPERIENCE AT DUTCH LADY

This year, Dutch Lady Malaysia welcomes Alex Tuinenga and Wouter Jans, who hail from Hanze University of Applied Science, and Jorrit Dijkstra who hails from the University of Groningen. Alex, Wouter and Jorrit are a part of the Operations team in Production, Quality and Project Engineering department, respectively, for six months from February to August 2015.

Alex will assist the production team in their daily operations mainly in the Powder Plant and UHT plants and together with the team, will come up with improvement initiatives for the plants.

Wouter, a 4th year Industrial Engineering and Management student, will assist the Quality team in an upgrading project related to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in the Powder Plant, such as the upgrading of basic care room, medium-care room and ingredient room.

When asked about why he participated in the program, Wouter shared, “I wanted to experience working abroad for an international company in Asia Pacific. After three weeks of orientation at FrieslandCampina in Beilen, I came to Dutch Lady Malaysia and I am really enjoying working here.�

Left: Wouter and Jorrit at the product Dutch Lady launch of Pure Farm Right: All three interns at the Dutch Lady Malaysia office located in Petaling Jaya.

Jorrit will assist the Project Engineering team with their improvement project in the Milk Reception (MLR) Plant, such as the automation and interlock system, which will be done to optimise the milk processing and milk packing time in the MLR plant.

Future campus in EduCity@Iskandar Malaysia

Tel: +607 277 8868

www.raffles-university.edu.my

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

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NETHERLANDS EMBASSY NEWS

Focus Areas for 2015 & ASEAN Meeting for the Embassy Heads of Economic Departments The Economic and Trade Department of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has identified focus areas for this year in which to initiate events, research, and other activities. These fields are water management, waste management, and smart cities. So far, work in these fields has proven successful with three new events initiated by the Embassy fast approaching.

MISSION TO PENANG ON URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE The Embassy visited Penang in March

to talk about the Penang government’s interest in becoming a livable and smart city. The trip was so successful that in May a mission of Dutch companies will visit Penang to further discuss Dutch solutions for the city. This will hopefully be the start of firm business relations between Penang and the Netherlands on this matter. For more information, please contact Christine Lai (christine.lai@ minbuza.nl).

WATER SEMINAR DUTCH WATER SECTOR

l to r: Agnes Seah (NFIA Malaysia), Hoh Li Huan (Senior Trade Officer Agrofood, Agricultural Department), Christine Lai (Senior Trade Officer, Netherlands Embassy), YAB Lim Guan Eng (Chief Minister of Penang), Netherlands Ambassador H.E. Harry Molenaar, Suzanne Sweerman (Executive Director S.E. Asia, NFIA), and Marco Winter (Executive Director, MDBC) during the successful visit to Penang in March.

On water management, the Embassy has appointed a new student intern, Hugo Vreugdenhil, to do extensive research on the opportunities for the Dutch water sector in Malaysia.

Besides the research, the Embassy will organize a water seminar in collaboration with the Malaysian Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) by the end of May. DID is interested in Dutch solutions on river basin management and flood protection. Dutch companies interested in participating, and thus being able to meet relevant policy makers in Malaysia on this matter can contact Maayke Mannaert (maayke.mannaert@ minbuza.nl) or Hugo (hugo.vreugdenhil@ minbuza.nl).

HOLLAND PAVILION AT IGEM 2015 Earlier this year, the Embassy put together a factsheet on waste management in Malaysia with the help of some Dutch companies that were already present here. The Embassy also expressed interest in setting up a Dutch pavilion at IGEM 2015. This sparked the interest of FME, the Federation of Dutch Technology.

FME agreed to organize the Holland Pavilion in conjunction with the Embassy and Dutch companies already present in Malaysia are invited to join this Holland Pavilion. For more info, please contact FME (Rogier Blokdijk - rogier. blokdijk@fme.nl) or Trudi van Spankeren (trudivanspankeren@ziggo.nl).

ASEAN MEETING FOR EMBASSY HEADS OF ECONOMIC DEPARTMENT In early March, the Heads of the Economic Department of all the Dutch Embassies in the ASEAN region met for a strategy meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. Deputy Head of Mission, Ton Mandemaker, joined this meeting on behalf of the Malaysian team.

As ASEAN is looking forward to entering the ASEAN Economic Community by the end of 2015, it can be expected that the economic landscape in the region will be changed in the years to come. This

will also have its implications for Dutch traders and investors, a good reason for the Embassies - and Dutch companies - to strategise for the future and look at things from a regional perspective.

Recently appointed Ambassador to Indonesia, Rob Swatbol, hosted a networking dinner at the Ambassador’s Residence for visiting diplomats and Dutch companies established in Jakarta.

Heads of the Economic Departments of the Dutch Embassies in ASEAN meeting in Jakarta.

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TMF Group navigates businesses cross borders seamlessly With over 100 wholly-owned offices worldwide, TMF Group offers a comprehensive range of compliance and administrative services which are critical for clients from a financial, reputation and risk management perspective. Our services are delivered in each country by our expert staff, professionals who have the key local knowledge and speak the language.

Contact us Kuala Lumpur’s office 10th Floor, Menara Hap Seng, No. 1 & 3, Jalan P. Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia T. +60 3 2382 4288, F. +60 3 2382 4170 malaysia@tmf-group.com

Labuan’s office Brumby Centre, Lot 42, Jalan Muhibbah, 87000 Labuan F.T., Malaysia T. +60 87 593 828, F. +60 87 417 242 labuan@tmf-group.com Penang’s office Suite S-21-H, 21st Floor, Menara Northam, 55 Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 10050 Penang, Malaysia T. +60 4 210 7118, F. +60 4 210 7111 malaysia@tmf-group.com

www.tmf-group.com The TMF Group consists of a number of companies worldwide. For details of TMF Group’s regulated companies, please see: www.tmf-group.com.

MDBC PENANG PENANG VISIT Chief Minister and investPenang On the previous (Embassy) page you have already read a snippet (and saw a picture) on a trip last March to Penang, organised with the focus of establishing discussions and business links for Penang’s Urban Development planning. While in Penang, the delegation of the Netherlands Embassy and MDBC made use of the opportunity to strengthen ties with and receive updates from the Penang Chief Minister and several local agencies such as investPenang, Penang Institute, and Northern Corridor Implementation Authority.

Teleplan visit

Growth in Service Sector investPenang Chairman Dato’ Lee Kah Choon advised that in Penang’s GDP, the services sector is moving up. To support the manufacturing base, areas such as logistics, outsourcing, HR, commodity trading and healthcare will all see substantial growth.

Chief Minister (CM) YAB Lim Guan Eng added that services also include apps development, animation and gaming. The CM is especially fond of the new Penang Science Cafe, “a free office for techies.”

Top right: Netherlands Ambassador, Penang Chief Minister and MDBC Executive Director in front of the Penang State map at the CM’s office; This column, from top: Chief Minister YAB Lim Guan Eng and other Penang State representatives after the CM’s talk on Penang’s Urban Development; Welcome at the investPenang office; Welcome at the Northern Corridor office.

Pictures right: The welcome to Teleplan’s premises and clean room, hosted by CFO Jan Piet Valk and his team.

The delegation was also welcomed at Teleplan Technology Services Sdn Bhd. With its headquarters at Schiphol Amsterdam, Teleplan is a company that manages the entire after sale services process for some of the largest electronics manufacturing companies, telecommunication operators, retailers and insurers around the world. In its key business focus areas, computer devices, consumer electronics and communications equipment, Teleplan offers key after sales services: customer care, reverse logistics, parts management, screening & testing, repair & refurbish and resell & recycle, to customers from 95 countries representing 5.4 billion consumers. With its tagline “Lifecycle care for electronics”, Teleplan handles more than 18 million devices a year.

Teleplan Penang has the after sales service world’s largest class 10 clean room measuring 18,000 square feet.

RM 27b worth of projects Penang’s infrastructure and public transport framework are top priority for the State. The CM passionately talked about all the proposals on land reclamation, tunnels, trams, cable cars, MRT and improvement of roads to maintain Penang’s status as not just a highly productive, but also a liveable state and city. These projects are worth RM 27 billion and would offer substantial opportunities for consultants and contractors to get involved.

Furthermore, the CM highlighted the need to strengthen educational institutions in Penang. “Whatever can be done locally to be self-sufficient in the talent pool” are his thoughts.

The CM was very forthcoming with his comments on and approach to the Dutch.

The MH17 disaster has strengthened the bilateral political ties and this should be further extended to economic and educational ties. “In Penang we are willing to assist and work with the Dutch in any way,” the CM added.

NCIA - Enza and KMWE At NCIA, the discussion centered on 2 focus areas for NCIA, namely biotech and precision manufacturing. In both areas, Dutch companies recently started or expanded their operations in the Northern Corridor: In biotech, ENZA Zaden, an international breeding company that develops innovative vegetable varieties and globally cultivates and sells seeds, has just started its R&D station which is focused on breeding for humid tropical conditions.

Incotec, a market leader in the field of seed coating and other seed enhancements, is another new Dutch company entering the Malaysian market.

In precision manufacturing, equipment contract manufacturer KMWE Malaysia is expanding its precision instruments for aerospace.

MDBC Penang Chapter representative Mr. John Benoist p/a TMF Administrative Services Suite S-21-H, 21st floor Menara Northam 55, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah 10050 Penang Tel: + 6012 525 1520 penang@mdbc.com.my MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

27

MY Trade & Investment Figures Supported by stronger than expected export growth, Malaysia’s total trade in 2014 continued on an upward trend, expanding by 5.9% to reach RM 1.45 trillion.

Major contributors to this performance included:* Strong uptake by almost all ASEAN countries; * Expansion in exports spurred by higher demand for manufactured products, in particular electrical and electronic (E&E) products, and steady demand for commodities; * Recovery in key markets such as the USA and Japan; * With the exception of commodities export such as palm oil and rubber, other exports to the PRC continued to be sustained. Higher export were recorded for E&E products (RM2.81 billion), petroleum products (RM685.2 million), transport equipment (RM242.6 million) and optical and scientific equipment

Major trading partners that contributed to the growth in trade were: ASEAN 14.54 billion EU 8.35 billion USA 8.01 billion

(RM299.5 million); Greater demand from emerging markets such as countries in Africa, Central Asia and South Asia; and supporting manufactured exports which made up 76.7% of total exports, imports of intermediate goods increased by 7.6%.

16 markets which registered higher

MAJOR EXPORT PRODUCTS (RM MILLION) PRODUCTS Dec-14 Nov-14 Electrical & Electronic Products RM23,312.30 RM22,977.70 LNG RM6,335.80 RM5,210.20 Petroleum Products RM5,394.40 RM4,751.80 Chemicals & Chemical Products RM4,714.90 RM4,282.50 Palm Oil (Includes crude palm oil; fractionated palm oil; and palm kernel oil, olein and stearin) RM3,869.00 RM3,435.60 Manufactures of Metal RM2,834.50 RM2,320.20 Machinery, Appliances & Parts RM2,707.10 RM2,460.60 Crude Petroleum RM2,325.90 RM2,811.40 Optical & Scientific Equipment RM1,917.10 RM1,915.50 Rubber Products RM1,549.60 RM1,540.60 TOTAL EXPORTS RM67,692.40 RM63,727.30

RM4,145.60 RM2,539.60 RM2,580.70 RM3,617.60 RM1,849.20 RM1,642.60 RM65,916.30

MAJOR EXPORT MARKETS (RM MILLION) Dec-14 Nov-14 RM9,539.40 RM8,900.90 RM8,800.40 RM8,522.40 RM7,042.70 RM7,510.50 RM6,103.70 RM5,556.60 RM3,356.80 RM3,573.60 RM3,265.00 RM1,735.90 RM3,185.00 RM3,005.40 RM2,845.30 RM2,492.50 RM2,273.60 RM2,224.50 RM2,256.80 RM2,697.10 RM67,692.40 RM63,727.30

Dec-13 RM9,016.20 RM10,344.40 RM6,982.00 RM4,767.80 RM3,358.70 RM2,302.10 RM3,149.10 RM2,401.20 RM1,719.50 RM3,219.30 RM65,916.30

MARKETS Singapore PRC Japan USA Thailand ROK Hong Kong India The Netherlands Indonesia TOTAL EXPORTS

Strong exports to selected economies in the EU pushed trade with the EU up by 6.2% to RM 143.98 billion. Exports to the EU registered a double digit growth of 11.6% to RM 72.84 billion as economic 28

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

Dec-13 RM20,292.30 RM5,611.10 RM8,184.10 RM3,952.30

activities began to expand in several countries in the region.

High exports were registered to markets such as the Netherlands (increased by

exports of over RM1 billion were Singapore, the USA, India, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Kenya, Germany, Norway, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. These countries accounted for 64.7% of Malaysia’s total exports.

RM 2.72 billion). The main drivers of increased exports to the EU were E&E products, primarily electronic integrated circuits. Other exports that registered significant increases to the EU were palm oil, chemicals, optical and scientific equipment, machinery, appliances and parts, transport equipment, textiles, clothign and footwear as well as manufactures of metal.

Imports from the EU increased by 1.1% to RM 71.14 billion. Main import products were E&E products, transport equipment as well as machinery, appliances and parts.

Malaysia’s total trade in December 2014 increased by 3.4% from a year ago to RM 126.19 billion. Increases in trade were recorded with the Netherlands (up by RM 792.4 million). Driven by strong export performance, Malaysia recorded a trade surplus of RM 9.19 billion in December 2014. This was the 206th consecutive month since November 1997.

Additional trade and investment figures can be found at the Department of Statistics, Malaysia (www.statistics.gov. my), the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (www.miti.gov.my), and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (www.matrade.gov.my).

MDBC in SIN MDBC members in Singapore The MDBC also has several membercompanies that have their main base or regional headquarters in Singapore, due to historical, practical or industry-related reasons. This is especially apparent in sectors such as maritime, dredging and services - financial, legal, HR. Most of these companies will however also have some form of representative or operational office in Malaysia, to underline their business interests in the country. And with it, an MDBC membership!

During a recent trip to Singapore, MDBC Executive Director Marco Winter had the opportunity to visit these companies. So on this page, a photo line-up of most of our members in Singapore.

Van Oord Offshore - Joep Hanraets, Area Manager

Boskalis - Pranab Choudhury, Regional Business Manager

ABN AMRO Bank - Bert Stegink, Team Head International Top: CPI - Mona Zoet, Partner and Joris GallĂŠ Below: Pointlogic - Peter Kloprugge (CEO) and Annette Kunst (BDA)

VOPAK - Patrick van der Voort, President Asia Rabobank - Allard Voute, Manager International Desk

Randstad - Deb Loveridge, Managing Director Asia Pacific

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

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ASEAN Economic Community

THE ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY FORMATION AND BLUEPRINT OF THE AEC

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political and economic organization of ten Southeast Asian countries which was formed on 8 August, 1967

by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and social cultural evolution among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully.

ASEAN seeks to establish economic integration by creating the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), scheduled to be formed by end 2015; this will create a common market. The plan is for the AEC to have the following key characteristics: (a) a single market and production base, (b) a highly competitive economic region, (c) a region of equitable economic development, and (d) a region fully integrated into the global economy.

The AEC Blueprint is a single comprehensive document which identifies the characteristics and elements of the AEC with clear implementation targets and timelines for the various economic integration measures within ASEAN. The AEC areas of cooperation include human resource development and capacity building; recognition of professional qualifications; closer consultation on macroeconomic and financial policies; trade financing measures; en-

hanced infrastructure and communications connectivity; development of electronic transactions through e- ASEAN; integrating industries across the region to promote regional sourcing; and enhancing private sector involvement for the building of the AEC. In short, the AEC will transform ASEAN into a region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labour, and freer flow of capital.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AEC BLUEPRINT Single Market and Production Base.

The five core elements of the ASEAN single market and production base are: a. free flow of goods; b. free flow of services; c. free flow of investment; d. freer flow of capital; and e. free flow of skilled labour.

On trade in goods, import duties on all products except for those listed under the Sensitive and Highly Sensitive List (unprocessed agriculture products) are to be eliminated by 2010 for the ASEAN - 6 (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand) and 2015 for Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

As of September 2007, Malaysia‘s tariff lines (AHTN 2002) totalled 12,581. Of these: * 10,135 tariff lines at 0%; * duty on 2,291 tariff lines (currently at 5%) will be eliminated by 1 January 2010; * duty on 66 sensitive and highly sensitive

tariff lines (tobacco, tropical fruits and rice) will be reduced to 5% in 2010, except rice at 20%; and * 89 tariff lines on alcoholic beverages and weapons are excluded from tariff liberalisation under the CEPT Scheme.

For trade in services, liberalisation will be achieved through five more rounds of negotiations, where all restrictions on trade in services on the 128 sub-sectors (based on WTO GATS W/120 classification) are to be removed progressively. The minimum number of new sub-sectors in addition to those offered under earlier packages to be scheduled for each round of services negotiations: YEAR NO. OF NEW SUBSECTORS 2008 10 2010 15 2012 20 2014 20 2015 7 In addition to the liberalisation of equity participation, services liberalisation also involves substantial elimination of Market Access limitations and restrictions on National Treatment. The liberalisation of services sector is subject to flexibility. A flexibility of 15% covers all service sectors, including those under the Priority Integration Sectors (except for financial services, air transport services, and services incidental to 5 sectors under ASEAN Investment Area).

The final quantum of flexibility is subject to review upon completion of the inventory of impediments/limitations to trade in services in August 2008. This inventory is required to guide the subsequent rounds of services liberalisation under AFAS. MITI is also working with various Ministries/ agencies in compiling a database of barriers to trade in services.

The Framework Agreement on the ASEAN Investment Area is currently under review to make ASEAN more attractive for highquality FDI . The new Agreement will: * incorporate additional provisions and obligations with improved features to be incorporated; * be more comprehensive , and facilitate ASEAN in negotiating FTAs with Dialogue

30

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

ASEAN Economic Community

Partners; * merge elements of AIA and ASEAN IGA and strengthen investor protection provisions; * benefit ASEAN investors and companies and foreign-owned ASEAN-based companies; and * provide better facilitation measures to be considered to promote intra-ASEAN investment.

“The objective of the AEC is to make ASEAN a more dynamic region to compete in the global supply chain and to remain an attractive base for foreign direct investment.”

The proposed elements of the comprehensive investment agreement would cover articles on the following pillars: * liberalisation; * promotion and awareness; * facilitation and cooperation; and * investment protection.

HIGHLY COMPETITIVE ECONOMIC REGION In creating a competitive region, ASEAN will also work to enhance cooperation in new areas for instance competition policy, consumer protection, intellectual property rights, infrastructure development, taxation and e-commerce.

The main objective of the competition policy is to foster a culture of fair competition.

Institutions and laws related to competition policy have recently been established in some (but not all) ASEAN Member Countries. There is currently no officially ASEAN body for cooperative work on CPL to serve as a network for competition agen-

cies or relevant bodies to exchange policy experiences and institutional norms on CPL. Consumer protection measures are already being developed in tandem with the proposed economic measures to address the already emerging consumer protection.

Regional cooperation in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) has been guided by the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2004 - 2010 and the Work Plan for ASEAN Cooperation on Copyrights which aims to develop a culture of learning and innovation supported by a friendlier IP profile to businesses, investors, inventors and creators in ASEAN. In addition, these Plans are also designed to foster better public awareness, coordination and networking, predictability, capacity building, and contribution of IP industries to competitiveness and development.

Regional efforts have been made to enhance transport facilitation and logistics services, promote multimodal transport infrastructure linkages and connectivity, facilitate transport and tourism integration and further liberalise the air and maritime transport sectors. This enabling framework for the full liberalisation of air services in ASEAN shall be expeditiously implemented.

A complete network of bilateral agreements on the avoidance of double taxation among all Member Countries will be in place.

To lay the policy and legal infrastructure for electronic commerce and enable online trade in goods within ASEAN, there will be an implementation of the e - ASEAN Framework Agreement, based on common reference frameworks.

REGION OF EQUITABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The AEC also outlines the strategic work plan for equitable economic development region through: * enhancing and strengthening SME competitiveness; and * narrowing development gap within ASEAN. The strengthening of ASEAN SMEs will be based on the ASEAN Policy Blueprint for SME Development (APBSD) 2004-2014.

The Blueprint outlines the framework for SME development in the ASEAN region.

It comprises strategic work programmes, policy measures and indicative outputs. Its objectives are to: a. Accelerate the pace of SME development, optimising on the diversities of ASEAN Member Countries; b. Enhance the competitiveness and dynamism of ASEAN SMEs by facilitating their access to information, market, human resource development and skills, finance as well as technology; c. Strengthen the resilience of ASEAN SMEs to better withstand adverse macroeconomic and financial difficulties, as well as the challenges of a more liberalised trading environment; and d. Increase the contribution of SMEs to the overall economic growth and development of ASEAN as a region.

To narrow the development gap, the Initiative for ASEAN Integration will serve as the platform for identifying and implementing technical assistance and capacity building programmes for both public and private sectors in ASEAN Member Countries, in particular, CLMV and the other sub-regions such as the IMT-GT and the BIMP-EAGA within ASEAN. This is to allow them to be equal partners in the development of regional production and distribution networks.

REGION FULLY INTEGRATED INTO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY ASEAN operates in an increasingly global environment, with interdependent markets and globalised industries. In order to enable ASEAN businesses to compete internationally, to make ASEAN a more dynamic and stronger segment of the global supply chain and to ensure that the internal market remains attractive for foreign investment, it is crucial for ASEAN to look beyond the borders of the AEC. External rules and regulations must increasingly be taken into account when developing polices related to the AEC. In this respect, ASEAN will work towards maintaining “ASEAN Centrality” in its external economic relations, including, but not limited to its negotiations for free trade areas (FTAs) and comprehensive economic partnership (CEPs) agreements.

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GREEN BOARD

ARCADIS

Extracted from the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index Report 2015 Our world is changing at a faster pace than ever before. Rapidly developing technology, population growth and the emergence of a truly global economy mean that the notion of national borders has become increasingly less relevant while the concept of the ‘global city’ has swiftly taken hold.

As our planet continues to evolve, people will continue to flock to its busy, dynamic and imposing urban centers. Urban migration is now very much the norm.

Love them or avoid them, we are now entering the Age of the City.

The purpose of this report, our first Sustainable Cities Index, is to take 50 of the world’s most prominent cities and look at how viable they are as places to live, their environmental impact, their financial stability, and how these elements complement one another. All 50 of these brilliantly different cities are in various stages of evolution - some being 32

MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

further along the sustainability journey than others. Each possesses its own geolocation and cultural distinctions but shares common urban challenges in the areas of job creation, mobility, resiliency and improving the quality of life of its residents.

The People sub-index rates transport infrastructure, health, education, income inequality, work-life balance, the depency ratio and green spaces within cities. These indicators can be broadly thought of as capturing ‘quality of life’ for the populace in the respective cities.

Importantly, the purpose of the ARCADIS Sustainable Cities Index is not to create a hierarchy of elite cities, but to indicate areas of opportunity as they continue to make progress on their missions to become more sustainable economically, environmentally and for the good of their inhabitants.

The Planet sub-index looks at city energy consumption and renewable energy share, recycling rates, greenhouse gas emissions, natural catastrophe risk, drinking water, sanitation and air pollution.

The research examines 50 cities from 31 countries ranking them across a range of indicators to estimate the sustainability of each city. The cities included within this report were selected to provide and overview of the planet’s cities, providing not only wide - ranging geographical coverage, but also a variety of levels of economic development, expectations of future growth and an assortment of sustainability challenges.

The Profit sub-index examines performance from a business perspective, combining measures of transport infrastructure (rail, air, other public transport and commuting time), ease of doing business, the city’s importance in global economic networks, property and living costs, GDP per capita and energy efficiency.

Ranked 26th overall, Kuala Lumpur achieves a mid - table placing across all of the Sustainable Cities Index rankings, but has high ambitions. Within Malaysia’s current Economic Transformation

GREEN BOARD

SUSTAINABLE CITIES INDEX EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Program (ETP), improving Kuala Lumpur and the wider Klang Valley around the capital, has been identified as a key growth engine in delivering the national vision and driving continued economic growth across the country.

The government has set a goal to Transform Kuala Lumpur into a world class city by 2020 that appeals to both residents and tourists alike. To help make Kuala Lumpur a cleaner, more efficient and vibrant place to live and work, a number of important initiatives are currently underway.

Firstly, significant investment is going in to improving mobility. The expansion of the MRT system will help to ease congestion and provide commuters to the city center with an efficient and environmentally sustainable mode of public transportation. Similarly, the high speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore will offer a faster and more reliable commute, strengthening business links between the two cities.

In an attempt to make Kuala Lumpur even more attractive to people around the world, there is also a program in place to increase green space and sustainability within the capital. A target has been set to plant 100,000 trees within the city by 2020 whilst steps are also underway to transform Kuala Lumpur into a more pedestrian - friendly city with a great amount of safe adn accessible walkways.

Transforming the Greater Kuala Lumpur / Klang Valley region into a vibrant, world - class hub requires a framework and comprehensive plan that has the support of government, the private sector and citizens.

* In a rapidly urbanizing world, the way in which cities are planned, built, operated and redefined has a huge social, environmental and economic impact. * City leaders need to find ways to balance the demands of generating strong financial returns, being an attractive place for people to live and work in, whilst also limiting their damage to the environment. * The first ARCADIS Sustainable Cities Index explores these three demands of People, Planet and Profit to develop an indicative ranking of 50 of the world’s leading cities. * Across the world, cities are performing better for being sustainable for Profit and Planet purposes, but are failing to sufficiently meet the needs of their People. * No utopian city exists, rather, city leaders face a difficult task balancing the three pillars of sustainability. * Well established, European cities come top of the overall rankings, with Frankfurt in first place, followed by London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. * Asian cities show the most divergence, with Seoul, Hong Kong and Singapore in the top ten and Manila, Mumbai, Wuhan and New Delhi forming four of the bottom five cities. * No North American city makes it into the top ten. Toronto in the highest ranked at 12th, Boston (15th) and Chicago (19th) are the most sustainable US cities.

* The trade-off between Planet and Profit is most starkly seen in the Middle East where Dubai and Doha score more higher in Profit than Planet sustainability where they rank in the bottom four. * In South America, Santiago (30th) and Sao Paulo (31st) are the two highest ranking cities. * Rotterdam tops the People subindex. Many of the world’s economic powerhouses are becoming less affordable for their citizens, with the cost of property in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong penalizing their rankings. * The German cities of Frankfurt and Berlin lead the way in the Planet sub-ranking, scording well for waste management and low levels of air pollution in particular. * Frankfurt also leads the Profit ranking, along with London and Hong Kong. US cities perform significantly better for Profit factors - San Francisco (6th) is the highest ranked, and all the US cities appear in the top half of the table. * Cities in the Middle East have seen the highest real term population growth over the past five years, with Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi experiencing a rise of over 30%. * City leaders in all 50 cities must plan for population increases over the coming 15 years, but the pressure on some is immense. Whilst Tokyo’s citizens are expected to increase by just 1% by 2030, Nairobi’s population will grow by 121% and Shanghai will grow by 54% to over 30 million people.

Since the ETP was launched in 2010, more than 40 government agencies and private sector firms have been involved and significant progress has been made in this period. By 2020, Kuala Lumpur will rightly stand amongst the world’s top cities in terms of economic growth and livability whilst retaining its diverse mix and cultural heritage.

The overall 2015 Sustainable Cities Index rankings and additional information are available at: www.sustainablecitiesindex. com

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Charter

Distribution

International transportation

Supply Chain Logistics

Customer Service Dangerous Goods

Air Cargo

Transport Insurance

Sea-Air Solutions Customs Clearance Value Added Services Sea Cargo

Project

Cold Chain Logistics

Own international network

SPOT - Tracking & Tracing Contract Logistics

Dynamics in Logistics ► Transports by Air, Sea, Rail, Road ► On all continents and in all seas of the globe ► 24/7 transparency all over the world ► With Accuracy. Reliability. Transparency. Passion ► Perfect Supply Chain for our customers cargo-partner Network Sdn. Bhd. (Formerly known as cargo-partner Logistics Sdn. Bhd.) Suite B610-B611, East Wing, Wisma Consplant 2 No.7, Jalan SS16/1 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Email

mykul@cargo-partner.com

Phone

+60 3 5636-2228

we take it personally

www.cargo-partner.com

MY SERVICES - BUSINESS SERVICES Not all MDBC member-companies are involved in bilateral trade or investments; a very important part of the MDBC community is our service providers. They provide the services (or products) which all organisations, and often especially the potential Dutch investors in Malaysia, require. The ease of doing business within the MDBC community has substantially increased thanks to our service providers. This page is specially dedicated to them.

Company Secretariat

Relocation Services

Interior Design & Consultancy

BEYOND CORPORATE HOUSE

SANTA FE RELOCATION SERVICES

Suite 21.03, 21st Floor Menara Haw Par Jalan Sultan Ismail 50250 Kuala Lumpur

No 4, Jalan Pengarah U1 / 29 Hicom - Glenmarie Industrial Park 40150 Shah Alam Selangor Darul Ehsan

No 3 Jalan BPU 6 Bandar Puchong Utama 47100 Puchong Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel: 603 - 2078 9990 Fax: 603 - 2078 0991 admin@beyondcorporatehouse.com www.beyondcorporatehouse.com

Tel: 603 - 7805 4322 Fax: 603 - 7805 3766 info-my@santaferelo.com www.santaferelo.com

Tel: 603 - 5891 1528 Fax: 603 - 5891 1518 info@sicreationz.com www.sicreationz.com

Reach. Build. Grow.

A multidisciplinary professional services company that provides client services through corporate planning and business consulting. Our professional services include immigration advisory, Malaysia My Second Home Programme (MM2H), company secretarial, accounting and human resource services. In short, we are a one stop centre for anyone wishing to establish a second business in Malaysia.

Santa Fe provides the full range of relocation services in addition to records management services to support businesses with multinational interests from a diverse range of industry sectors.

Our overall business goal is to deliver value to our clients through innovation.

Santa Fe provides the following services: visa & immigration, area orientation, temporary housing, home and school search, settling-in-assistance, and more.

Executive Search TRANSEARCH WENDY LAU

Superb Impression Creationz positions itself as the preferred and retainer fit out vendor for many MNCs such as Shell, Schlumberger, EU Delegation for Singapore & Malaysia, iPerintis, Transocean Deepwater, Huawei, AT&T Nokia Siemens Network, and more. They have a proven track record of performing successfully for these companies.

Law Firm SKRINE

708 PJ Tower, Ampcorp Trade Center 18 Jalan Persiaran Barat 46050 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan

Unit No 50 - 8 - 1 8th Floor, Wisma UOA Damansara 50 Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights 50490 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603 - 7955 6199 Fax: 603 - 7956 1989 malaysia@transearch.com.my www.transearch.com

Tel: 603 - 2081 3999 Fax: 603 - 2094 3211 skrine@skrine.com www.skrine.com

Transearch Wendy Lau is a leading executive search firm in Malaysia, focusing on senior management to director level appointments for client companies across most industries. First established in 1992, the company is the Malaysian partner of Transearch International, a reputable international executive search organization. The network now comprises of 58 offices in 35 countries.

SUPERB IMPRESSION CREATIONZ

SKRINE is one of the largest full service law firms in Malaysia with a depth of experience in a range of legal matters acquired through its 50 years of practice. The firm is currently led by 39 partners with over 100 lawyers across the Corporate, Dispute Resolution and Intellectual Property Divisions.

NEED A RELIABLE PARTNER FOR KEY BUSINESS SERVICES? THESE MDBC MEMBERS ARE JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY! MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

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NEW MEMBERS

WARM WELCOME

As always, we constantly expand to include new and interesting partners as part of our international community of business professionals, allowing our members to find more opportunities for success.

To that end, we would like to extend a very warm welcome to the MDBC Community for the following new members:

DIA BRAND CONSULTANTS SDN BHD

ENZA ZADEN ASIA SDN BHD

FISCHCON TRADING & ENGINEERING B.V.

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MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: DIA is a multi-award winning design, innovation and strategic branding consultancy with a presence in Malaysia.

Established in London in 1983, we transform businesses by making brands matter more to people and live to inspire greatness. At ease in a myriad of worlds, our team thrives on radical thinking and get a kick out of creating holistic brand experiences. Known for our groundbreaking strategies and design solutions, we believe in bringing together a good mix of personalities – be it strategists, designers, experience creators, storytellers or interaction experts.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Tania Tai Managing Director Sham Suriah Shamsudin Knowledge Manager

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: Enza Zaden is an international breeding company that develops innovative vegetable varieties and globally cultivates and sells seeds. Our breeding efforts focus on more than twenty vegetable crops, which includes (among others) tomato, sweet pepper, lettuce, cucumber, onion, and melon.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Ruud Berkvens Area Manager South East Asia Eddy Tan Director

Among 17 worldwide R&D stations, Malaysia will hold a regional R&D station, focused on breeding for humid tropical conditions, as well as a regional operating head office to supply the Asian markets.

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: We are Fischcon. We are a worldwide turn-key supplier and an experienced system integrator for high capacity Fire Fighting Systems, Generator Sets, Packaging of Rotating Equipment and Hydraulic Power Packs for the Oil and Gas industry and the Maritime sector. All systems comply with the international rules and standards and regulations of e.g. marine classification societies such as Lloyds Register, ABS and DNV - GL. Fischcon’s markets include FPSO’s, FLNG’s Production Platforms, Refineries, Tank Farms, AHTS, Tugs, Navu, Rescue Vessels and more.

CONTACT: Block A, Lobby 2, 12th Floor, Unit 12 - 08 Damansara Intan, No 1, Jalan SS 20/27 47400 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan Tel: 603 - 7722 2192 Fax: 603 - 7722 2198 Email: contact.my@diabrands.com Website: www.diabrands.com

CONTACT: Unit D, 14th Floor Gurney Tower, 18 Persiaran Gurney 10250 Penang Tel: 6012 - 470 3522 Email: info@enzazaden.com Website: www.enzazaden.com

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Dave Plug Managing Director Twan Van den Berg Manager Sales CONTACT: Lorentzweg 3 4131 PH Vianen P.O. Box 231 4130 EE Vianen The Netherlands Tel: 31 (0) 347 329 020 Fax: 31 (0) 347 373 459 Email: info@fischcon.com Website: www.fischcon.com

NEW MEMBERS

KOTUG

LIZARD APPS

TIETO SDN BHD

TRANSMARE GROUP / ENERGY TRANSFORMERS

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: KOTUG is a leading global tug and towage provider. With a century of experience combined with a strong management system, well-trained crews and a modern fleet, KOTUG has built its reputation as an independent and competitive player in the maritime industry. We are engaged in harbour & terminal towage, offshore & salvage operations, ship owning & chartering and consultancy & training. KOTUG distinguishes itself with the patented Rotor®Tug concept, providing three azimuth propulsion units making it the most Redundant, Safe, and Manouverable tugboat in the world.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Almar Van Herk Area Manager Asia

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: LizardApps supports and consults companies and organizations as a business partner in the field of strategic online solutions. We are a rapidly growing organization in the market of Process Excellence with a focus on Smart Process Apps. We conceptualize, design, prototype and implement apps, mobile and web.

Clients can roll out and maintain their own apps in the Cloud, resulting in fast and cost efficient delivery. Some of our key products: xPaas (everything Platform as a Service), SPAs (Smart Process Apps), Company App Stores, Mobile Strategies and One Stop Concepts.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Guido van Beek Director Menno Valkema Director

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: Tieto implements, supports, and maintains hydrocarbon accounting software and person on board software for the oil and gas industry in Asia.

Tieto is the leading IT service company in Northern Europe providing IT and product engineering services. Our highly specialized IT solutions and services complemented by a strong technology platform provide our local and global customers tangible business benefits.

We are a trusted transformation partner and are close enough to understand the individual needs of each and every customer.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Hendrik van Eldik Country Manager

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: By processing Biomass / PKS, Energy Transformers™, produces a solid bio based fuel that is suited for co-firing in power plants. Our product can compete with alternative fuels such as woodchips / pellets. Energy Transformers™ complies with the international quality and sustainability requirements and also meets the demand of the end-users that ask for high quality and competing biofuels.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Peter Wolf Chief Executive Officer Gilbert Curtessi Business Development Director

“We transform residuals of agricultural activities into fuel. We procure, produce and provide Solid Biofuel. We are Energy Transformers™.”

CONTACT: Level 3A - 01D Menara BRDB No 285 Jalan Maarof Bukit Bandaraya 50250 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 603 - 2201 4408 Email: a.vanherk@kotug.com Website: www.kotug.com

CONTACT: 1, The Boulevard Level 7 - 1 Mid Valley City 59200 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 6010 213 4037 Email: mail@lizard-apps.com Website: www.lizard-apps.com

CONTACT: TPM Enterprise 4, L5 - E9 Lebuhraya Puchong - Sg. Besi Bukit Jalil 57000 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 603 8994 6194 Fax: 603 8996 7901 Email: padmavathy.govindakutty@tieto.com Website: www.tieto.com

CONTACT: Meent 93c 3011 JG Rotterdam The Netherlands Tel: 31 (0) 10 206 1666 Email: info@transmare.nl Website: www.transmare.nl

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PICTURE PERFECT

Two events took place at the BMW Malaysian Open 2015, the annual WTA tennis tournament: The Power to Inspire talk by Esther Vergeer (see page 13) and the InterChamber Networking event, which saw our lucky guests win prizes and meet stars such as previous and new champions Su-Wei Hsieh and Caroline Wozniacki.

MDBC Virtual Golf Championships 2015 After a few years absence, the MDBC Virtual Golf Championships 2015 took place at the renovated City Golf Bangsar Shopping Centre, providing for an evening full sporty moments and social competition. The event was sponsored by GlobalVoice Call.

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MDBCONNECTS 1ST ISSUE 2015

MDBC New Year reception Graciously hosted by Ambassador Harry Molenaar at his residence, the MDBC once again brought together a fantastic crowd of members with invited guests from government, diplomatic, NGO and corporate circles.

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frames-group.com At Frames we provide the vital link between well and pipeline. Together we design, deliver and construct separation, treatment and control & monitoring systems as well as total plant solutions and modules for the international oil and gas market.

To find out more, visit frames-group.com or meet us at the Oil & Gas Asia in hall 1 at stand 1901.

“Building partnerships in Asia to find the best oil & gas solutions.�

Suerd Polderdijk, General Manager Frames Asia Pacific, with Frames since 2011

Frames Asia Pacific Sdn. Bhd. Unit A-36-3, Menara UOA Bangsar 5 Jalan Bangsar Utama 1 59000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia +60 3 22840822