Orient Issue 32

ORIENT

BRITCHAM ORIENT MAGAZINE

T H E O F F I C I A L MAG A Z I N E O F T H E B R I T I S H C H A M B E R O F CO M M E R C E - S I N G A P O R E

I S S U E 3 2 • AU G - S E P 2 0 1 1

w w w.br itcham.org.sg

HIGHLIGHTS

ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT DINING WITH RUGBY LEGENDS

SPORTS

ISSUE 32 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2011

FEATURE

THE SOCIAL MEDIA RACE ISSN 0219-1245

32

9 770219 124002

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Registered Office: 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB. Registered in Scotland No. 90312. This article has been prepared for information only. It should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for a product or service. The Royal Bank of Scotland N.V. is incorporated in the Netherlands.

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc and The Royal Bank of Scotland N.V. are authorised agents of each other in certain jurisdictions.

CONTENTS W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

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Pr e s i d e n t ’s M e s s a g e

8

Highlights ■ ■

Annual Golf Tournament ‘11 Dining with Rugby Legends

10 August Feature – Social M edia R ace

9

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Highlights: Dining with Rugby Legends

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The Times They Are A-Changin’ – GetIT The Rise and Rise of Social Media – CUP Make Social Media Work for You! – Data Dimension Responding to the Digital Marketing Revolution – Reading Room What Social Media Can Do For Your Brand – BBH

20 Inside Britain ■

UK Digital Media – UKTI

22 Economic and Business Insights ■

10-19

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Feature: Social Media Race

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Improving Operational Efficiency – Ernst & Young Statutory Residence Test – The Fry Group The Bribery Act – Hill Dickinson Banking in 2050 – PricewaterhouseCoopers It’s not “just a game”... – GS Wealth

32 Corporate Social Responsibility ■

The Body Shop Continues to Live Up to its Values – The Body Shop

36 Out of the Box ■

22-30 22 30

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Inside the World of China’s Top Entrepreneurs – BBC World News The Chief Marketing Officer’s New Boardroom Role – The Insight Bureau

Economic & Business Insights

40 High Commission News ■

British High Commission News August / September 2011

42 Chamber News ■ ■ ■ ■

Chamber News – August / September 2011 BritCham New Members – Since Jan 2011 Events Calendar BritCham Members Offers

36

Out of the Box: Inside the World of China’s Top Entrepreneurs

EDITOR: Akansha Gupta Wahi Email: Akansha@britcham.org.sg

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Loong Yong En Email: yongen@britcham.org.sg

LAYOUT & PRINTING BY Semco Design Communications MICA (P) 209/03/2011

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Orient is a bi-monthly magazine published by the British Chamber of Commerce.

138 Cecil Street #11-01 Cecil Court Singapore 069538 Tel: +65 6222-3552 Fax: +65 6222-3556 Email: info@britcham.org.sg www.britcham.org.sg

The views and opinions expressed or implied in Orient are those of the authors or contributors and do not reflect those of the British Chamber of Commerce, its officers or editorial staff. All rights reserved.

No reproduction of articles without the prior permission of the Chamber.

Unsolicited transparencies ad articles are sent at owners’ own risk and the Chamber accepts no liability for loss or damage.

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CONTENTS 4 8 B r i t C h a m Yo u n g Pr o fe s s i o n a l s ■ ■

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) – All in the Mind Interview with Committee Member – Ian Horsburgh

50 The BritCham Membership ■

Sterling News

52 BritCham Events Breakfast Clubs The Productivity & Innovation Credit Scheme – IRAS Lobbying & Building Trust in the EU – Burson-Marsteller Building a World Class Finance Function – SAP & PWC iPhone & iPad: Mobility Strategy – Standard Chartered Dzukani: WakeUp Call – Lee Heiss Coaching & Prime East New Members Night BritCham New Members Night – Host @ Clarke Quay ■ ■

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BritCham Events: Breakfast Club: Lobbying & Building Trust in the EU

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56 The BritCham Membership ■

Corporate News

62 Arts & Culture ■ ■

Dealer’s Choice – Pangdemonium! Productions Future Memory – British Council

64 Sports

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Sports: Sleepless in Singapore (photo © Singapore GP)

Sleepless in Singapore – Singapore GP The “Dream 2012” award – Singapore Sports School

70 Wine Club

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, SINGAPORE SPONSORS PLATINUM SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

BREAKFAST CLUB SPONSOR

Expert tax and financial planning since 1898.

Expert tax and financial planning since 1898.

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n Idyllic Retreat FOR THE

oul

Take your mind and body on a revitalising journey of true relaxation.

As the premiere garden destination spa in Singapore, multiple award-winning Spa Botanica is the quiet respite every weary soul yearns for. From Asia’s first mud pools, to float pools with cascading waterfalls and meditation labyrinths, we promise to indulge and envelope your senses in a state of euphoria you won’t soon forget.

Spa Botanica at The Sentosa Resort & Spa 2 Bukit Manis Road, Singapore 009891 Tel: +65 6371 1288/1318 Fax: +65 6371 1278 www.spabotanica.sg

PRES I D ENT ’S M E S S AG E Dear Members, The theme of this summer edition of your Orient is Social Media and Business, an area that is gaining increasing attention from businesses large and small as they seek capture a piece of the hearts and minds of the millions for whom social media is an everyday part of life. BritCham makes a conscious effort to avoid information overload, but in doing so finds it a challenge to keep Members regularly attuned to events and opportunities and will be looking to social media to help bridge this challenge.

We are continually looking for ways to improve our marketing and communications and welcome feedback. The new website has proved a success and we will be looking to add further features in the coming months to enable greater peer-to-peer interaction, as part of a broader initiative to enhance communications with Members.

Our rugby dinner in June, ‘Dining with Legends’ was a huge success – a special evening of good food and fine wine, contributing to a good cause. Owen Finegan from Australia, Scott Quinell from Wales and Will Greenwood from England shared their personal experiences of the game and we raised a substantial amount for the ongoing disaster relief efforts in both Fukushima Japan and in Christchurch New Zealand, through auctions and table donations.

Continuing on the sporting theme, who can forget that it was six years ago here in Singapore that London won the race to host the 2012 Olympics. With just a year to go to, I have just returned from London which is now abuzz with construction. Here in Singapore preparations are also underway and I recently visited the Sports School to present the “Lord Sebastian Coe/BritCham Dream 2012 Award” to Olympic hopefuls – swimmer Tao Li and paddlers Pang Xue Jie and Isabelle Li. The award was established shortly after London’s

BRITCHAM BOARD: PRESIDENT: Steve Puckett – Tri-Zen International VICE-PRESIDENTS: John Horsburgh – Rolls Royce Singapore Hugo Walkinshaw – Deloitte Consulting SE Asia TREASURER: David Macdonald – Skandia International HONORARY SECRETARY: Damian Adams – Watson, Farley & Williams LLP EX-OFFICIO: Amanda Brooks – British High Commission Mark Howard – British Council BOARD MEMBERS: Peter Allen – Pacific Century Regional Developments Emma Boyd – ANATTA Richard Burn – Diageo Singapore Ingrid Child – HSBC Bank Stephen Crisp – Nokia Siemens Networks Singapore James Deely – The Royal Bank of Scotland plc Stephen Mangham – Ogilvy & Mather Singapore Nick McGlynn – British Airways Pek Hak Bin – BP Singapore Roman Scott – Calamander Capital Philippe Touati – Standard Chartered Bank Andrew Vine – The Insight Bureau

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successful bid and helps promising athletes from the Singapore Sports School reach for the ultimate recognition in sports, the Olympics. The award is the Chamber’s way of showing its support for students of the Sports School who have the determination to make the sacrifices needed to realise their dreams of becoming future top athletes and reflect the bond formed between Singapore and the UK for the 2012 games.

Nominations are open for our 12th Annual Business Awards, coming up in October and sponsored by RBS. This year The Business Awards offers a number of “firsts” - we have an exclusive media partner in BBC World News that is running a series of video clips designed by Ogilvy & Mather; we have support from EDB, SPRING, SBF, UKTI and EuroCham; we have added a new category “Best Small Business Rising Star”; we have revamped the branding of the Awards and have developed a dedicated website bccbusinessawards.com. Your nominations are encouraged for this strong platform to showcase excellence in business at this prestigious event.

The new Membership Directory is now available and I hope you find your personal copy useful. We are aware that many members find the hard copy a convenient reference and supplement to the online searchable Directory available in the Members section of our website.

Members are encouraged to keep their online details updated, as the website is used increasingly as a source of current information.

As usual the summer months have been quieter here in Singapore, with many Members travelling on vacation. I hope that those of you returning are refreshed and that all our Members are looking forward to our programme for the rest of the year.

Steve Puckett, President, British Chamber of Commerce

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS: Corporate Social Responsibility: Richard Burn Events & Sponsorship: Philippe Touati External Affairs: Steve Puckett Marketing & Communications: Stephen Mangham Membership: Andrew Vine BUSINESS GROUP CHAIRPERSONS: Energy & Utilities – Damian Adams Entrepreneur & Small Business – Sonia Fuller Financial Services – Patrick Donaldson IT and Communications Technology – Henry Farahar Leadership – TBA Media & Marketing – TBA Professional Services – TBA Property & Construction – Alan Dalgleish Shipping Transport & Logistics – Neil Johnson Young Professionals – Miles Gooseman MANAGEMENT TEAM: Executive Director: Brigitte Holtschneider Accountant: Sabitha Munnangi Business Enhancement & Events Development Manager: Erica Seo Business Events & Business Group Relations Manager: Tiffeny Kua Marketing & Communications Manager: Akansha Gupta Wahi Marketing & Communications Assistant: Loong Yong En Membership Manager: Katie Hudson Office Administration & Membership Support: Emi Hosono

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www.britcham.org.sg

STERL ING ME M B E R S

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, SINGAPORE STERLING MEMBERS

Building Wealth Through Knowledge

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HIGHLIGHTS

ANNUAL

GOLF

TOURNAMENT ’11

J

une 2nd was a beautifully sunny day in Singapore and our Annual Golf Tournament began in shot-gun format at 1:30pm.

The battleground was the immaculately manicured lush ground of Sentosa’s Serapong course, one of Singapore’s most challenging and exclusive. All flights were taken with 120 golfers, members and guests alike, going head to head to claim one of 3 trophies - Best Team, Longest Drive and Nearest to Pin. There were “Beer Angels” riding around on their chariots (golf buggies) ensuring all our golfers were kept hydrated and energised. If a full day of golf was not enough, during the splendid buffet dinner there were exciting raffle prizes won. The Tournament ended with happy and tired players who eagerly await next year’s event, to claim the pedestal and the trophies for themselves.

During the dinner, 3 trophies were given for:• Best Team : Flight 6B – Lucas Shannon, Luke Moffat, Craig Bannister, Samantha Matner • Longest Drive : Mr. Mark Leaver from TSMarine • Nearest to Pin : Mr. Kei Ikeda from MODEC Offshore Production Systems Pte Ltd There were number of raffle prizes given out and they were:• Complimentary voucher for tailor-made golf clothing from Victor York • Complimentary 2 x bronze and 2 x silver memberships from City Golf • 4 tickets of Barclays Singapore Open ticket for 2 person • Golf package for 2 persons to stay at Datai golf resort in Langkawi Sponsored by

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W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

Title sponsor

Gold sponsor

T

his year’s Dinner with Rugby Legends on June 8th saw 365 members and their guests join Rugby Legends, Will Greenwood (England), Scott Quinnell (Wales) and Owen Finegan (Australia) at the Shangri-La Hotel. It was a fun night to remember for those who could. The exceptional auctioning skills of Justin Sampson for our live auction left everyone wanting more.

Helping Hands and Sporting Memorabilia contributed valuable pieces for the silent auction.

The total proceed from the event amounted to over $21,000 for the Red Cross for Christchurch New Zealand crisis and the Foundation for Japan Crisis.

The crowd was generous beyond imagination, even the planned table gifts - signed Rugby balls - brought in a spontaneous wave of donations amounting to over $7,000 to help towards our charity cause. Members and guests had a great time and many partied on thru the night.

Beverage were Sponsored by Rubicon and Pacific Beverage

DINING WITH

RUGBY

LEGENDS

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F E AT U R E : S O C I A L M E D I A R AC E

THE TIMES THEY ARE ACHANGIN’

by Anol Bhattacharya, CEO, GetIT Pte Ltd

W

hen man first gathered around a campfire to share stories about their glorious conquests or their daily ponderings, no one among them ever imagined how different the concept and method of sharing ideas and emotions would become centuries later. Few of them realized how their way of interacting would eventually be the spiritual-ancestor of social media, the juggernaut force that has the power to shape the way modern ‘kingdoms’ behave.

There are several opinions regarding the roots and birth of social media. Some would pin it at the precise moment when Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented what we now know as the World Wide Web and instantly revolutionized the way people connect with each other. A few would even go further back in time during the 60’s and attribute it to ARPANET, the world’s first operational packet switching network and the direct predecessor of the Internet.

Now, most of the world knows social media through two of its most famous incarnations: Facebook and Twitter.

Combined, these two brilliant ideas have managed to change how we interact and share our lives amidst a digitally connected world as well as influence the way we work and conduct our business.

The Evolution of Communication and Marketing The impact of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and many more has been so strong that companies have taken notice of the obvious benefits and are jumping onto the bandwagon in droves. The rise of social media has left a footprint deep enough that PAG E 1 0

it has reshaped the world of marketing and communications forever.

Social media has pretty much rendered ‘megaphone’ communication obsolete.

Gone are the days when marketers and advertisers ‘blast’ out their messaging with little regard of the target audience’s realtime opinion and input. Now it is all about fostering two-way communication. It is no longer about the company but about the buyers instead. By tapping social media channels, businesses are able to instantly take the pulse of the consumers so that they are aware of the state of the market and take the necessary steps accordingly.

But like many good things, these positive changes are also accompanied with corresponding challenges. First of all, there will always be something about your company that is available out there for everyone to see and interact with. It can be news and shared information or positive and negative feedback. But the thing is … we no longer have absolute control over our brand. Social media is a highly opinionated realm wherein everyone is a publisher that’s why it has a huge impact on how you position your company and product.

Also, there is a need to sift through all of the noise surrounding social media.

Companies must be able to tell the relevant bits from those that are not. At the same time, businesses must also figure out how to stand out from everyone because consumers have eventually learned how to ‘tune out’ as a result from being bombarded with constant advertisements and promotions over the years.

Changing Consumer Behaviour The advent of social media has brought a new sense of empowerment among consumers as they are increasingly adopting it to air their thoughts regarding companies and products. With social media, people feel that their opinions matter and, in some cases, a single person’s views have enough leverage and influence to actually contribute to change. This is a key reason why social media adoption has continued to see growth throughout the years.

Consumers are increasingly relying on corporate social media platforms like official Facebook pages or official Twitter streams whenever they need information about a company. As the quality of realtime interaction between consumers and companies get better, the speed upon which information and feedback is gathered has certainly improved.

The increased power and influence of the consumer has made a lot of companies self-conscious and jittery. That’s primarily due to the fact that one wrong move in social media can spell significant or even disastrous results. But as long as companies are keen on showing consumers that they genuinely care (negative feedback notwithstanding) and if they are willing to weather everything through thick and thin, social media success is not that hard to reach.

Social Media Do’s and Don’ts We should always keep in mind that social media is all about two-way communication with your customers. You should always be sociable, responsive and personal.

When someone engages you through social media, you should always be prompt with your reply and should always be accommodating and personal as much as possible. Also, don’t shy away from negative comments. Embracing them would actually benefit you in the long run.

You should always strive to be interesting.

Spice up your channel with helpful and engaging content that your audience would find useful. But never use your social media channel as a one-way ‘megaphone’ where you can blast out wanton selfpromotion and selfish musings with lackadaisical fashion. Unless you are trying

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W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

changing times or be left behind.

To summarise, social media is an extraordinary tool for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Many marketers actually have started to consider it as a solid pillar that supports their other marketing strategies. When used effectively and efficiently and if you put a decent amount of time, thought and effort into it, social media is a great medium that can really do wonders for you. By embracing social media, a change is truly going to come.

About the Author

to alienate your customers, you should only talk about content that would be of actual use or interest (or both) to your audience.

And most importantly, always listen.

Social Media 101: Kick-starting your Social Media Campaign There are no instant and magical formulas on how to engage your customers using social media. For companies, kick-starting their very own social media engagement may either appear to be too daunting, or too easy. The answer is neither. Managing social media campaigns involve dedication and hard work as well as having a formalised system that can help you throughout the process.

1.

“What are my objectives?” - Now that is the first and most important question that everyone should ask before initiating a social media campaign. Tackling the “why” instead of getting obsessed on the “how” is the proper and best way to start things off.

2.

After establishing your objectives, the next step is to know your customers.

Companies should naturally know where their customers are in social media and what kind of interaction platforms should you use to interact with them. For example, corporate executives would prefer for you to connect with them through LinkedIn instead of Facebook because they see the former as a better channel for professional engagement and a platform which they are perfectly comfortable with.

3.

You can then start mapping your influences so that you can determine and isolate who are the significant voices in PAG E 1 1

social media that you should watch out for and keep tabs on. Keep in mind that not only should they have a significant amount of followers; they should also be highly knowledgeable in what they do. You should definitely watch out for industry thought leaders who can champion your messaging and your cause.

4.

The fourth step highlights one crucial aspect of social media: Listening. Like what was stated earlier, you should definitely listen to your prospects. This entails spending time within your channels and getting familiar with your customers as much as possible. You can also try using what we refer to as ‘listening tools’. These tools enable you to keep track of the buzz and sentiment about your brand.

It basically gives you a snapshot of what people within social media are saying about you and how they are feeling about your company or product. There are tons of fantastic ‘listening tools’ available and some are even free. Just select what works best for your specific needs and objectives.

5.

The final part of the process would be to setup an Engagement Framework.

This is better than creating the usual runof-the-mill social media policy because it is better to have a ‘to-do’ list rather than a system that is focused on things that you cannot do.

For last 10+ years Anol is consulting hitech and telco clients (Cisco Systems Inc, IBM, IDC Asia Pacific, HP, Datacraft etc.) on behalf of GetIT (Singapore), in the field of B2B marketing, demand generation, lead nurturing, social media strategy & implementation, interactive digital media for marketing iniatiatives and user experience design.

He is a regular columnist on the topic of B2B marketing in various print and online newspapers, such as Business Times, Straits Times, Marketing Interactive, Asia One etc. He is also the editor-in-chief of B2Bento.com, a leading blog about news, views and reviews of the B2B marketing space and social media scene in Asia. Anol has spoken as a keynote speaker at the major marketing conferences across the region including Click Asia Summit (Mumbai), AdTech (Singapore), SiTF Workshop, BritCham Singapore etc.

In a Nutshell You can look at markets as conversations ... and these conversations are happening all around you whether you are a part of it or not. With social media, consumers are more connected now than ever before. It is then your choice if you want to keep up with the

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F E AT U R E : S O C I A L M E D I A R AC E

by Hannah Gregory, Public Relations Manager and Alastair Horne, Innovations Manager-Cambridge University Press

D

uring the 1990s, when the term ‘social media’ was first coined, many academic and educational publishers had already been operating for hundreds of years.

One of the oldest of these publishers, Cambridge University Press, dates from 1534 and is quickly learning to adapt to the world around them. Today, it is estimated that a billion people around the world are online, smart phones make up half of all new cell phone purchases, and publishers are starting to engage with their customers in completely new and transformative ways using social media.

But why are publishers like Cambridge doing this? What are the benefits when they already have well-established communication and marketing routes to the people that buy their products and read their books?

Publicity and marketing staff at Cambridge believe that some of the answers to those questions lie in the statistics.

Facebook currently has over 500 million users and some estimates put Twitter users at around 200 million. There are now more than 24 hours of video uploaded every minute to YouTube, with two billion video views per day.

For organisations like Cambridge University Press, social media provides access to a previously unattainable audience of potential customers.

Hannah Gregory, Public Relations Manager for the Press, says: “The statistics speak for themselves when deciding whether or not social media is right for your organisation.

Here at the Press, social media and digital communications have an increasingly important part to play in the way that our products and activities are promoted.

Using digital methods to promote the work that we do provides great opportunities for us to reach our customers, and potential customers, in completely new ways, which is very exciting for us.”

Cambridge University Press currently has 30 Twitter feeds, 39 Facebook pages and 17 PAG E 1 2

YouTube channels, and these numbers are growing all the time as more and more marketing staff embrace the opportunities that social media can offer.

A unique advantage to marketers is targeting: adverts on Facebook in particular can be aimed at very specific groups – you can target by age, gender, geography, profession and interests. The opportunities for this kind of niche marketing are endless.

Lervinia Swee YaKai, Marketing Executive in the Press’s Singapore office, says: “Using social media allows us to interact with a

part of the group and interact within a community where similar interests are shared. And most importantly they want to stay there. When they feel like they’re a part of something and there’s a certain emotional investment, this encourages people to become loyal customers. Social media also offers marketers a very costeffective tool to directly promote products, communicate current offers and entice customers with free content.”

Social media is also a word-of-mouth communications tool that can wield

“The statistics speak for themselves when deciding whether or not social media is right for your organisation. ” range of audiences, and engage them in a more direct way that just isn’t possible with traditional media. It is much more of a two-way dialogue, which can build very effective relationships.” Social media can also change the way your customers and potential customers perceive a brand, and the way that they interact with it.

Jenny Ridge, Senior Marketing Executive for the Press’s medicine publishing lists says: “People want to connect and engage with a brand like Cambridge University Press. Social media allows our customers to do just that; they can join in, become

enormous influence. Customers are more likely to trust peer reviews and recommendations from other customers, which can become a very powerful form of advocate marketing. The networking possibilities of social media allows an organisation to connect to friends (or fans) of friends of friends; a small group of active tweeters or bloggers can spread your message across the globe much more quickly and, more importantly, more effortlessly than ever before.

Jenny also believes that social media enables a brand to be much more reactive

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to consumer needs: “It means we can be very quick in communicating product news, and also reacting to feedback from our customers. Social media also allows us to have real-time conversations with our customers. In this way, we can also listen to customer needs a lot more, using social media as a market research tool; we can ask direct questions and get direct responses about product development.”

However, it’s not all good news. There are challenges with social media, and these cannot be underestimated when looking at how you want to use it as a communications tool. The first of these challenges is content: the success or otherwise of social media depends on good content. To truly engage

Another challenge is to your organisation’s reputation; the social media arena can move very quickly and if a community is unhappy with your services or products, they will be quick to say so. To prepare for this, business users need to have a strategy in place that sets out how to deal with social media in any given crisis.

“We have found that addressing online complaints quickly and effectively creates a lot of customer loyalty, and it’s a great way for us to really find out what our customers think,” says Lervinia Swee YaKai. So, what do you do if you want to develop your organisation’s social media presence?

Where do you start?

“There are huge benefits to social media, but actually putting a value on that in terms of return on investment can be difficult.” the audience, you have to have good content, videos, posts and ‘free stuff ’ that is relevant to them, and makes them feel involved in your brand. If you are not a regular user of social media in your personal life, it can also be a minefield when trying to understand how to use it as a business.

Facebook and Twitter both have their own terms and conditions for business use, and these can frequently change. It’s not only the terms and conditions of the social media platform you are using, business users of social media also need to take into account the different advertising guidelines of whatever country they operate from.

Demonstrating the return on investment of social media can also be difficult.

Innovations Manager for Cambridge University Press, Alastair Horne, says: “There are huge benefits to social media, but actually putting a value on that in terms of return on investment can be difficult.

There’s also the risk that it becomes an ‘echo chamber’ reflecting the views of like-minded people. For example, not everybody’s on Twitter; it’s only a particular group of people that are into social media, and so you’re not necessarily going to get a representative view, just the view of the most connected people.

“You should not base your business decisions solely on feedback you’re getting from social media, but add other research in to the mix as well.”

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Here is a list of handy hints and tips for you to follow if you’re looking to embrace this new social world: Content is king Tweeters and bloggers are looking for content to provide for their readers and it is this resource that they tap into. An organisation’s online success will be based on the quality and quantity of such content.

It’s quick, but it’s permanent Posting content on any social media platform is very quick to do and it’s easy to forget that the content you are putting up there, at the click of a mouse, is live for the whole world to see.

comments is not the best solution and may cause you even more problems, so allow disagreement from the community, as long as it is not defamatory or offensive.

Be prompt You should always respond promptly to questions and discussions that are posted on social media platforms. If you start a dialogue then you should take responsibility for monitoring it.

Be a brand ambassador If you are identifying yourself as an employee of a particular organisation, make sure that all content associated with you is consistent with your work and with your organisation’s values and standards.

Measure your presence Before you begin measuring your social media presence, make sure you know what your objectives are. What do you aim to achieve – awareness, engagement, increased sales or increased customer satisfaction?

2011:The year of social media?

You decide…

• 1 billion people around the world are online • Smart phones make up half of all new cell phone purchases • Facebook has 500 million active users, with the average user connected to 80 community pages, groups and events • Some estimates put Twitter users at 200 million, generating 190 million tweets a day, and over 1.6 billion search queries per day • Over 24 hours of video are uploaded every minute to YouTube, with two billion video views every single day About the Author

Use the right tone of voice The best tone of voice for social media is always conversational and relatively informal, but check your spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Make your commenting policy clear If you allow offensive or disrespectful comments then it can put off other members of your community from getting involved. You should moderate comments and state clearly that you’re doing so, and the reasons why some comments may be rejected.

Hannah Gregory is the Public Relations Manager and Alastair Horne is the Innovations Manager at the Cambridge University Press

Disagreement is not necessarily a bad thing Some comments may be provoking and/ or derogatory – simply deleting these

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F E AT U R E : S O C I A L M E D I A R AC E

MAKE SOCIAL MEDIA WORK FOR YOU!

by Esther Quah, Director, Corporate Communications and Brand Management, Dimension Data Asia Pacific

I

t is hard to ignore how intertwined the social network tools such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter have become in pop culture. You may not use them but millions of consumers do - Facebook has 500 million active users, and Twitter has 106 million registered users. So, if you want to reach out to their pockets and minds, you’ll have to hop onto the bandwagon if you have not already done so. However, social networks and media should not be seen as just another venue to sell or market products or try to pump up stock prices. It’s all about people and that’s why it’s called social media, not marketing media.

If organisations want to have a successful blog or social network, they need to deliver relevant content that talk about ways to solve their customers’ problems. They need to deliver it in a conversational (human) way using terms that their customers are familiar with. When used effectively, social networks offer businesses rich and dynamic sources of ideas, feedback and interaction with actual and target customers.

Some best practices: • Cultivate dialogue and communication Attract readers on a personal level by acknowledging the importance of their opinions.

• Avoid commercialism Attract readers by delivering credible content open to comments to make information more influential.

• Utilize call and response format Use as a tool for information sharing and project sharing, and as an early alert system.

• Expect and accept criticism Facilitate an open forum of communication to benefit from user insight.

• Prepare response strategy in advance Respond to comments within 24 hours, with custom responses, and follow-up with users as needed.

• Make your users’ lives easier Establish Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds for blogs, allow mobile access and link to references.

• Respect privacy and personal information Allow users to keep chosen information private, especially with social networking sites.

When used effectively, social media can be a productive marketing channel or platform in many ways Gain insight into a community of interest -You can run all the customer surveys you want, but some of the most interesting and progressive market research can be found within the social communities where your customers interact, share information and make recommendations. Tapping into the streams of dialogue is a great start to engagement and social participation with your brand, as well as to solicit feedback Build brand visibility and authority - Pay close attention to the interests and needs of your customers - providing them with information and interactions that further support your brand.

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Influence and promotion of products/ services - Provide information to educate customers about your products in the formats and media types they prefer. This can go a long way towards building the kind of buzz that result in new business.

Drive traffic to company website Creating linkbait and promoting it to social media news and bookmarking sites can attract like minded fans and drive traffic to the website and increase your company’s online visibility and complement existing SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) efforts.

The key is to understand the different niche communities and their interests by doing background research, like analysis of traffic, search terms, tags, groups, industries and topics. Following that, organisations should then design focused marketing efforts that achieve a positive outcome in each specific network. The ultimate aim is to encourage participants’ discussion and engagement with the company’s brand.

Dimension Data in Social Media marketing Social media has become an integral part of Dimension Data’s corporate communications strategy since 2009. To date, we have set up accounts in several social media sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and LinkedIn. With these

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social network tools, employees and clients are better informed and connected to one another and the company, and can keep pace with what’s happening inside the company and the industries. For us, social media has become a formidable addition to our existing communications channel. It is no longer an option, but a necessity.

When the company was rebranded as Dimension Data on 10 May, social media was the key media used in promoting our new brand. The Dimension Data Group also rolled out its refreshed brand on 10 May via social media, along with events, mobile campaigns and online charity drives. The 24-hour “follow-the-sun” launch across the globe kicked off in New Zealand that morning, and was tracked via social media sites throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East & Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

The launch events – among employees, clients and vendor partners - were all posted on Twitter , Facebook, and our Blog. As a result of active participation by employees and clients across the regions, we were able to create much hype and celebration on the refreshed brand across different time zones and geographical borders. (see screenshots of our brand launch on Facebook on the right) At Dimension Data Asia Pacific, we use different social networks for different purposes: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ DimensionDataAP – connect with friend and employees online to promote engagement and share information. This media is effective for event publicity, press announcements, awards announcements, recruitment drives, charity donation drives and for sharing interesting videos and photos. It’s very much a 2-way interaction among employees and the Dimension Data fans.

Twitter http://www.twitter.com/ DimensionDataAP – tweet in real time as an event unfolds or takes place, new announcements, promote campaigns and events (with links to Facebook or website) Blog http://blog.dimensiondata.com/ – raise awareness on business issues and for educating/influencing customers about our solutions/products

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YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/ DimensionDataAP – a good source for sharing videos that are not confidential – such as case studies, client and employee events, TV commercials.

About the CEO

LinkedIn http://sg.linkedin.com/in/ DimensionDataAP - for building a community of business partners among employees, ex-employees, clients, vendors, etc Bill Padfield, CEO of Dimension Data Asia Pacific, is a strong advocate and champion of Social Media and uses it actively to promote the company brand. Using Facebook (www. facebook.com/bill.padfield) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/billpadfield), Bill tweets and shares the latest happenings/status, photos and videos on the fly via his iPhone and iPad.

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F E AT U R E : S O C I A L M E D I A R AC E

RESPONDING TO THE EXPO: DIGITAL THE UK AT SHANGHAI BUILDING ON THE PAST,REVOLUTION SHAPING OUR FUTURE MARKETING

by Margaret Manning, CEO, Reading Room

W

e all know social media marketing is here to stay. The argument is over, because even if you don’t believe the hype, your customers do. Consumers are changing, and failure to respond will hit your bottom line.

The question is what to do about it and where all this social media innovation is going next. Spot the next big thing, make it work in your favour, and you’ll be able to exploit first-mover advantages –especially important in Asia where the cutting edge of technology is always razor-sharp.

As a digital consultancy, keeping an eye on trends and innovation is more than just a hobby for Reading Room – it’s an essential part of our business.

immediate practical applications when added to the take-up mix of social media and mobile. The challenge is that this isn’t an area that is well understood within many marketing teams - yet. But the quicker your marketing team gets a grip on this, the sooner you can decide when and how to employ it in your marketing arsenal.

One well-established gamification example is Foursquare’s1 assignment of mayorships and badges to encourage people to check in virtually and share their experiences.

Another recent application is McDonald’s Pick n’ Play2, which allows users to connect their smartphones to a giant interactive billboard to play a 30-second game to win digital McDonalds coupons.

Gamification presents endless opportunities to engage with your customer base in innovative ways, and if your concept’s good they will respond. According to Gartner, 70% of the Global 2000 will be actively using gamification in their business by 2015. Online social gaming platforms such as Farmville have given gaming popular appeal across all demographics.

A recent study of UK and US social gamers found the average social gamer to be a 43-year-old woman3. It’s also hugely popular in Asia. More than half of online Singaporeans visit online gaming sites at least several times a week (TNS Digital Life).

Time to start spending some serious energy on finding ways to use gamification for your business, then. But if the idea is daunting,

The key to making any form of social media marketing work is having a very clear idea of what you want it to do. To be effective, it has to be aligned to your business objectives.

If your tools aren’t lined up with your core marketing plan and business strategy – and if they’re not actively and sensibly used – then they shouldn’t feature. By actively and sensibly used, I mean properly maintained, and maintained with a purpose.

You should also review your strategy and its implementation regularly. It’s a fast-moving world online, and you can’t just expect to press the ‘on’ switch and let it take care of itself. Constant readjustment and tinkering is the key to finding a strategy that gets results.

Where do we go from here?

I’m often asked to speak at events about the future of digital marketing. It’s the issue grabbing everyone’s attention in the marketing world, so here are my bets for the next big things businesses can use to drive brand engagement and revenues.

Gamification Gamification uses the power of games to drive desirable outcomes using rich, interactive experiences.

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In our own work we’ve used gamification in our campaign for the Reading Agency’s drive to encourage young people to read more: The Big Wild Read. Site visitors could tend a virtual garden, planting books and watering them, which revealed interviews with the authors. In another campaign for Keep Britain Tidy, we launched a ‘Design a Bin Bag’ competition as part of their Big Tidy Up campaign. Young people used our online interactive “art set” to paint and decorate their own bin bag designs and submit them for nationwide voting.

take heart from this: the city of Lucerne in Switzerland has created a series of floor stickers to encourage people to use municipal litter bins – the stickers include a maze, hopscotch squares, and a free-throw line. This is proves that gamification doesn’t have to be complicated – and sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective. So you could try a simple piece of gamification to test the water – and then build on it.

Augmented Reality Augmented Reality applications are at a

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slightly earlier stage of the development cycle. In simplistic terms, the technology enables the superimposition of graphics over a live video stream or other real-time display. It’s been around for a while but it is starting to find new online uses – these are specifically aimed at encouraging user interaction to achieve greater engagement.

The best way to engage with consumers is to marry novelty with usefulness and purpose.

This is what Reading Room did when we worked with the Australian Museum. They wanted an easy and engaging way for users to browse and learn about Australia’s more dangerous creatures.

Recent innovations show serious mass market potential. They include Japanese advertising agency Dentsu’s iButterfly smartphone app4 where people “catch” virtual butterflies that carry locationsensitive coupons and content. Layar5 users can superimpose a virtual layer of information on their phone’s video stream, showing anything from a local building’s history to the location of a hip nearby coffee shop.

The point is that this is another way of giving users the information they need in a way that appeals to them. As smartphones grow in popularity, this technology will become more and more mainstream. The only difficulty is that the technology isn’t widespread yet, so the number of potential customers for this is currently quite small.

It definitely hasn’t reached critical mass yet, but in Asia the tipping point is unlikely to be very far off. So it’s one that businesses should be looking at carefully, although probably not one that is ready and waiting to be used quite yet.

Mobile Just when you thought you’d got to grips with apps and geo-location as ideas, a new concept appears. QR codes have been around for a while (those barcode-like black and white icons that can be scanned using mobile phones), but Tesco in Korea have found a new way of using these to drive revenue. Looking exactly like a Tesco store, they displayed virtual shelves in subway stations.

People could scan the QR codes to buy the items displayed on the ‘shelves’, and purchased items were then delivered to the customer’s home on the same day. By bringing the supermarket to people too busy to shop, Tesco increased their online sales by 130%.

The aim is to put this information in front of users to help them realise that “dangerous” animals are not always aggressive and that many of these animals are themselves endangered. So we created Australia’s Most Dangerous Creatures iPhone Application to deliver this message via an interactive content library that allows for streamlined consumption by mobile.

Mobile apps might not seem much of a gamble these days because they’re pretty firmly ensconced (as an idea at least) in the marketer’s arsenal. But that’s no excuse for not doing it properly, and in any case mobile isn’t just about apps as QR codes shows. Businesses must decide whether mobile suits their strategic interests before embarking on an app or anything else. It represents an immensely powerful way to make life easier for your customers (and thereby make them feel warmly disposed towards your brand) but unless you can offer them something that really has value, it won’t achieve your goals, not to mention being a commercial flop.

It’s still about business How should traditional businesses respond to all this innovation? Urgently, intelligently and with a business focussed strategy.

The following points apply, whichever technology you’re thinking about

harnessing: 1. If you’re going to invest in it, then social and digital media has to be an integral part of your business plan, not a pretty add-on 2. Undertake a serious assessment of your target market, find out what they need and start developing a digital marketing plan to meet those needs 3. Measure, review and adapt to ensure that you keep up with your market’s rapidlychanging behaviour 4. Don’t follow trends for the sake of it: examine whether the next development will fulfil a concrete business need before you embark on it 5. Be prepared to make mistakes – it’s a risk you always run when you’re at the forefront of innovation. Embrace it Gamification, augmented reality, and mobile are just new weapons to use in the battle for consumers. As always, whether or not you use them for your business will depend on your audience and your objectives. But as the Tesco example shows, finding a way to make new developments work for you before the novelty’s worn off can reap huge benefits. There is undoubtedly always a risk with new things, which is why it can be a good idea to call in experts to help you do it right. Because while you’re standing still and wondering, the rest of the world is moving.

About the CEO Margaret Manning is CEO of Reading Room, a digital communications agency with offices in Singapore, London and Manchester in the UK and Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra in Australia. Reading Room is the UK’s top digital agency (Design Week Top 100 2010) and works with clients such as Philips Healthcare ASEAN, G4S, Skoda and UNHCR. Margaret recently featured in the BBC TV series ‘Working Girls’ and was voted Best Entrepreneur in EMEA at the International Stevie Awards in New York.

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https://foursquare.com/ http://amillionpagesofinspiration.com/2011/06/mc-donalds-pick-n-play/ 3 http://gigaom.com/2010/02/17/average-social-gamer-is-a-43-year-old-woman/ 4 http://asiajin.com/blog/2010/01/22/dentsu-ibutterfly-experiments-ar-and-location-based-coupon-service/ 5 http://www.layar.com/ 2

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F E AT U R E : S O C I A L M E D I A R AC E

WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA CAN DO FOR YOUR BRAND

by Simon Kemp, Engagement Planner, Bartle Bogle Hegarty

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ocial Media have been attracting significant attention thanks to their explosive growth all over the world. Figures suggest that well in excess of 1 billion people around the globe already use social networks, and that millions more join them every week.

Facebook and China’s QZone report more than half a billion users each. Even more startlingly, estimates suggest that the time spent on Facebook alone each month is approaching 1 trillion minutes – an astounding 62,000 years worth of sharing photos, commenting on walls, and ‘Liking’ videos, every single day.

However, effective use of social networks entails much more than creating a Facebook page or Twitter account for your brand – especially if you hope to see a meaningful return on your investment.

Social media are free Sadly, this is a long way from the truth; while the media space itself may be considerably cheaper than it is in newspapers or TV, the time involved in creating effective social marketing means social channels still require substantial financial investment.

The Evolution of Social Networks The current excitement surrounding digital social media might suggest that they are a recent phenomenon, but their roots go back more than 30 years. As early as the late 1970s, systems like Usenets and Bulletin Board Systems (BBSes) paved the way for the kind of online interaction that lies at the heart of today’s social networks.

Marketing has no place in social media A number of researchers have reported this to be the case, but there are plenty of case studies to suggest that, when done properly, people even welcome branded activity in social media. The caveat to this is that social marketing must offer real value to its audiences, and not adopt the interruptive model we’ve become used to in mass-media advertising.

However, the launch of Friendster in 2002 is widely recognised as the birth of the social networking model we’ve become familiar with today, and although its popularity has waned in recent years, Friendster is seen as the primary influence for platforms like MySpace and Facebook.

Principles for Success There are no set rules for social media marketing, and even the most admired practitioners are still learning what works best. However, the following guiding principles will help you get started.

Relatively speaking, social networks are still very much in their infancy though, and the recent launch of Google Plus demonstrates many still believe they offer huge potential.

So what can social media do for your brand?

Debunking Social Media Myths Social media will replace all other advertising media It’s unlikely that social media will actually replace anything; rather, they’re simply one more – albeit very powerful – addition to the array of channel options at the marketer’s disposal.

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Do It For A Reason Before you can develop a social marketing strategy, you need to know what you hope to achieve. Will you use social media simply to deliver advertising? What about customer service? Do you expect your social activities to generate revenue? Critically, you need to identify social marketing’s role within your broader business strategy, and how it will complement and build on other activities.

People vs. Platforms Ultimately, social media are simply means to an end; their popularity lies in the fact

that they help us to interact with other people. Consequently, users gravitate towards those platforms that help them do this best, and if a superior alternative appears, people are quick to change their behaviour (remember Second Life?). It’s also vital to remember that most people use social networks to socialise, so it’s vital for brands to adapt their approach to suit the channel. Critically, brands can’t act in the self-centred ways that often characterise conventional advertising. Brands are merely guests in social media, and even in situations where they are the guests of honour, they still need to behave with some degree of humility and social grace.

Deliver Real Value The average social network user has connections to hundreds of people, organisations, and brands.

Consequently, it’s very difficult for brands to capture people’s attention; unlike the interruptive paradigm of TV advertising, social marketing must compete with videos of unbelievably cute kittens, photos of last weekend’s party, hot celebrity gossip, and countless conversations about everything in between.

The only way to ensure your brand doesn’t get lost is to make sure everything you do adds real value to your audience’s world.

This involves building activities around what your audience cares about; not around what you want to sell.

By creating and sharing a variety of entertaining content, and joining the subsequent conversations around it.

Conversations vs. Campaigns Historically, marketers have used advertising as a way to introduce their brands, products, and services – in many ways, advertising is the business equivalent of a chat-up line.

Over the years, these chat-up lines have become ever more elaborate, but one key challenge has remained: how to evolve a series of disjointed one-liners (campaigns) into a lasting relationship.

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Social media makes this evolution much easier, offering marketers a way to include two-way communication within their marketing mix. In so doing, social media allow marketers to establish a regular exchange of mutual value.

By understanding what their audiences want, need and like, marketers can better tailor their approach – indeed, social channels can be used to deliver highly effective R&D, market research, and customer service, all at the same time.

What’s more, brands aren’t restricted to direct conversations with their audiences either; with the help of today’s online monitoring tools, marketers can also track other public conversations about their brands, and identify new ways to deliver incremental value.

Be Prepared For Awkward Situations The old adage states that you can’t please all of the people all of the time, and nowhere is this more evident than in social media. Although the kinds of conversation we see in social media are nothing new, social platforms allow people to have them on a much greater scale.

Some brands have already witnessed what happens when things go wrong in social media, but it’s likely that we’ll see many more examples of brands being called out by disgruntled consumers in social media.

As in most relationships, though, social media is more about a journey than a destination. While it’s vital to have clear objectives before you set out, the things you learn along the way will inevitably influence where you get to, and it’s worth allowing yourself the flexibility to adapt to new and unexpected opportunities as they arise.

Next Steps: Getting Started These principles should help you begin to formulate your brand’s social media strategy, but there’s no substitute for experience.

Fortunately, social channels are well suited to a ‘test-and-learn’ approach, where you can constantly evolve and refine your activities based on interactions with your audiences and the results they deliver.

Once you’ve developed the core of your strategy, try it out on a small scale, with a particular focus on watching, listening, and learning; you’ll quickly identify what works for your brand, and what you’d prefer to avoid repeating.

Through its ‘Twelpforce’ service, US technology retailer Best Buy uses Twitter to great effect, involving employees throughout its business to deliver tips, advice, and support to a variety of different audiences:

Be Responsive And Adapt As You Go One of the greatest limitations of traditional advertising is that it can be very difficult and costly to change campaigns that fail to deliver what the advertiser intended, especially where media must be paid in advance. The conventional broadcast reality is ‘ready, aim, fire’, and if the shot is wide of the target, you need to start again.

Social media work quite differently, offering marketers real-time control over their communication activities. Critically, the interactive nature of the channel means that we can stop, start, or change different elements very quickly, depending on the audience response (or lack thereof ).

Take Things Slow And Steady The Supremes shared some wise words on social marketing as early as 1966: You can’t hurry love; No, you’ll just have to wait.

Love don’t come easy; It’s a game of give and take.

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Brewerkz also makes effective use of Foursquare, a location-based social networking service that allows people to ‘check in’ to physical locations and tell others what they’re doing:

About the Author

Popular Singapore bar, Brewerkz uses a wide variety of simple but effective social media activities to drive business at its outlets, proving that even brands with small budgets can make great use of social media.

Simon Kemp is an Engagement Planner with advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) in Singapore, where he helps clients to develop social media solutions as part of broader brand communication plans. Simon shares regular social media tips and advice on his blog at http://eskimon. com, and on twitter as @eskimon

The brand has a popular Facebook page where it shares a variety of news and social content:

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IN S I D E B R I TA I N

UK DIGITAL MEDIA

By Sarah Croft, Director, Trade, UK Trade and Investment

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he UK has one of the world’s most advanced industries in the rapidly changing phenomenon of digital media; the combination of digital technology and creativity in areas such as digital TV and radio, interactive media, the internet, e-commerce and mobile telecommunications.

The UK’s thriving digital media sector is one of the fastest-growing successes of the past decade, accounting for around 8% of the economy and driving productivity gains.

It plays an important role in every creative sector, helping to deliver content through a digital medium.

Innovations in the digital media realm are increasingly viewed by both companies and consumers as a vital part of creating new business opportunities and reaching new audiences. Importantly, it is often regarded as key in helping organisations reduce their carbon footprint and adapt to a low-carbon economy.

University’s internationally recognised Media School, for example, is set to receive some £3m (SGD$6m), awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, to establish a new Industrial Doctorate Centre in Digital Media, Special Effects and Animation.

UK now comprises 1.5 million people; 5 per cent of the total current UK workforce.

This is made up of 900,000 specialists within the IT & telecoms supply industry and a further 600,000 working as IT or telecoms professionals embedded in other industries.

Not only does the UK’s digital media industry enjoy a supportive economic environment, it also draws strength from the fact that UK has one of the strongest and most embedded digital audiences in the world. By 2012, £1 in every £5 of all new commerce in the UK will be spent online.

The UK is a strong market for technology, with some of Europe’s most voracious consumers of technology, spending an estimated £110 billion (S$220bn) on ICT products and services in 2009. UK consumers are experimental, and have been early adopters of services such as mobile broadband and digital television.

When it comes to social media, the UK’s universities are leaving businesses way behind, according to a study by Virgin Media Business. Of the top 50 universities, 72% have official Facebook pages, and 94% have official Twitter accounts, whereas just 35% of businesses are using social media to engage with customers and recruit new staff.

The UK is a powerhouse for software development attracting £900 million pa software R&D investment from international businesses with over 100,000 specialist software companies in the country, as well as sizeable operations for all the global software businesses such as Microsoft, Oracle, IBM and HewlettPackard. The software sector employed more than 335,000 people directly in the UK in 2008, according to the Office for National Statistics with over 27 per cent of UK jobs being ICT related.

Social Media Use in the UK Facebook. In the UK, nearly 30 million people are on Facebook, with most of its users below 25 years old, and close to 30% between 35 and 54.

Twitter. 11% of the UK’s online population is on the site. Popularity continues to grow, accounting for 1 in every 184 UK internet visits (as of May 21st 2011).

In the UK, this sector employs a highly educated and talented workforce. The South West region alone is home to over 1,800 digital media companies, creating cutting edge solutions.

The UK Government is committed to building the infrastructure that supports the UK digital media sector. Bournemouth

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The ICT Sector The UK is one of the most influential markets for ICT globally. For instance, technology designed by UK company ARM is used in more than 95% of the world’s mobile handsets and over 25% of all smart electronic devices.

The total IT & telecoms workforce in the

YouTube is the third most visited website in the UK, overtaking Hotmail at the end of 2010. It has also established itself as the 2nd most popular social network with over 20% of the UK’s social traffic. The Royal Wedding was streamed live on the website.

LONDON TECH CITY London Tech City is a growing technology hub in East London for over 300 innovative businesses. UKTI has formed the Tech City Innovation Organisation (TCIO) to accelerate the growth of this area and turn it into Europe’s leading digital technology

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hub. The TCIO is attracting Venture Capitalist funding to the area and encouraging new entrepreneurial overseas companies to set up there.

The adjacent London Olympic Media Centre has been designed so it can quickly be adapted to become a commercial hub after the Games. The Press Centre will become a 29,000m2 office building with five floors of flexible space while the Broadcast Centre will provide 62,000m2 with 9,000m2 of office space and 53,000m2 of commercial space.

Tech City is already burgeoning into what is to become a world leading creative innovation cluster. After 2012, the Olympics site will be added to the existing Tech City site to create the UK’s own Silicon Valley.

Already IT ‘supercompanies’ are committed to setting up there: • Facebook will locate part of its Developer Garage programme there; • Intel is establishing a research laboratory focusing on computing and energy efficiency; • Google is building an Innovation Hub where researchers collide with developers and academics to create; • CISCO is planning an innovation centre at the Olympic Park.

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Silicon Valley Bank from the US, who specialize in funding hi tech business, will set up in London while the UK’s leading research Universities of Cambridge and Imperial College London are close by, adding their entrepreneurial technology commercialization skills.

UKTI has a specialist team and £15m (S$30m) of funding, including access to the Government’s financial leveraging Innovation Investment Fund designed to advance technology start-ups and fast growth micro businesses.

Facts and Figures Total ICT sales in the UK are expected to grow in 2011 by 2.2 per cent to 128 billion Euros, showing that the IT sector is growing stronger than the telecommunications sector.

• The telecommunications sector meanwhile is expected to increase by 1.1 per cent to around 53 billion Euros.

• At nearly 8 per cent of UK GDP, ICT is a larger part of the UK economy than that of France, Germany or even the USA. • Around 27 per cent of UK jobs are ICT related, the highest percentage in the G20.

• The UK is the largest market for mobile handsets in Europe, generating £4 billion revenue.

• From global players to small start-ups, the UK has 100,000 specialist software businesses The UK is home to more than 40% of the EU’s independent electronic design community by turnover and by number of design houses. (Source: EITO) • The UK is ranked as the top internet gateway in the world – with the highest international bandwidth and 36% of inter-regional traffic.

• Around 23% of R&D funding in the UK comes from abroad All the world’s major consumer electronics companies have operations in the UK.

About the Author Sarah Croft Director, Trade UK Trade & Investment

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ECONOMIC & BUSINESS INSIGHTS

IMPROVING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY IN THE WEALTH MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY

by Liew Nam Soon, Partner, Financial Services Advisory Leader, Asia Pacific for Ernst and Young Solutions LLP

T

he financial crisis events in 2008 have accelerated wealth management client demands in three areas: Transparency and simplicity, robust risk management practices and service quality.

The implications are that wealth management firms from Universal Banks with mass affluent segments to pure play Private Banks are emphasizing on improving operational capabilities – and not solely from a cost management or compliance perspective, but also to improve customer service and experience.

Yet, there is a lot of legacy to overcome.

Years of silo-ed process and systems buildup coupled with under-investment in operating and technology platforms have made it all the more difficult to achieve operational efficiency gains.

There are a number of key operational challenges that plaque most Wealth Management firms. Yet these operational inefficiencies – primarily in the areas of structured products processing, credit

reconciliations.

In most Wealth Management firms these pose efficiency and operational risk issues. Primarily, automation opportunities exist in the areas of corporate actions, fixing and maturity settlement, and fees and billings.

management process tends to be laborious and error-prone. Recent events have also highlighted the operational and financial risks, as well as client issues resulting from the lack of a robust credit monitoring framework.

“automation opportunities exist in the areas of corporate actions, fixing and maturity settlement, and fees and billings” Automating confirmation generation and matching in order processing and settlement can yield tremendous efficiency gains. In the area of corporate actions, counterparty and market systems integration can greatly generate business value-add. Equally, a number of firms have begun to implement systems with built-in support for fixing, maturity settlement, fees and billing.

There are significant benefits arising from deploying operational and IT systems that support credit monitoring and collateral management. In particular, the focus will be to provide the ability to manage multiple credit lines against a pool of mixed collateral of different lending-to-value.

Integrating platforms that support different customer segments In more recent times, many universal banks have evaluated the feasibility of operating a common platform or employing greater integration to service both the private banking and retail mass affluent segments.

Additional capabilities are then built on top of the platform to support the uniqueness of the two different segments.

monitoring, Straight-Through-Processing (STP) and data management – also provide opportunities for banks to innovate and differentiate themselves in the competitive Wealth Management marketplace.

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Implementing a credit monitoring framework The credit monitoring and collateral

To a large extent, the effectiveness of such a strategy depends on the degree of this uniqueness in terms of service and product requirements. This applies from Front Office areas like Sales and Marketing, Customer Management, and Portfolio Management to Middle-to-Back Office areas like Credit Management, Corporate Actions, Fees and Billings and the all important Client Reporting.

Regardless of or specialised

a common platform platforms, firms will

“In the area of corporate actions, counterparty and market systems integration can greatly generate business value-add”

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initiatives that ensure the proper disclosure of product complexity and risks to clients and also to provide a reasonable basis for product recommendation • Sound analysis and creation of a crossborder framework, providing products and services that are compliant with regulatory and tax-law requirements • Implementing proper operational risk management and controls to ensure a culture of high risk awareness, good governance and compliance

benefit greatly from consolidating customer and security data repositories through integration and improved data management policies.

Strengthening the Advisory Framework Finally, there has been increased risk and

regulatory pressure on firms to relook at the advisory framework with a view to address key issues like mis-selling, cross border businesses, fraud management as well as portfolio management.

Emphasis has generally been in the following three areas: • Operational process improvement

About the Author Liew Nam Soon is Partner, Financial Services Advisory Leader, Asia Pacific for Ernst and Young Solutions LLP.

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14 offices in Asia Pacific. Unrivalled For further information, please contact: paul.chaggar@bakermckenzie.com

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ECONOMIC & BUSINESS INSIGHTS

STATUTORY RESIDENCE TEST

by Martin Rimmer, Tax Technical Manager, The Fry Group

I

n the March 2011 budget, the UK Government announced its intention to formulate a legal definition of residence.

The aim was to come up with a framework which could be easily used to help people decide with certainty whether they are resident in the UK or not year on year.

On 17th June 2011 the Government issued a Consultation Paper outlining their thoughts. After the consultation period ends, new legislation will be enacted which will bring new residence rules into effect on 6th April 2012.

Now that the Government’s thoughts on these matters are known, it is clear that the proposed changes will impact the UK tax planning of every British expatriate anywhere in the world to a greater or lesser degree.

Happily, the consultation document shows that the Government has a good appreciation of the difficulties people have faced when trying to establish whether they are resident in the UK or not. It is clear that they are striving to arrive at a new set of rules which are faithful to the principles established in case law over the years.

If there are no major changes after the consultation, 6th April 2012 will herald a new system in which residence status is decided on an annual basis, with each year being viewed in isolation from the previous one.

One of the principles established over the years is that residence has an ‘adhesive quality’. So, the new rules seek to make it harder to break residence for UK tax purposes than to become resident again or to drift back into residence.

The well-known ’91 day average test’ will be scrapped. Instead: • Anyone who is present in the UK for 183 days or more will always be resident • Anyone who is present in the UK for less than 10 days will always be non-resident • Those who fall outside of these narrow definitions will be reviewed through a series of tests

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Test A – a ‘Conclusive non-residence test’ – if certain conditions are met, the individual is definitely non-resident: • They were not resident in the UK in all of the last three tax years and spent less than 45 days in the UK in the year under consideration • They were resident in one or more of the last three years and spent less than 10 days in the UK in the year under consideration • They left the UK to carry out full-time work abroad, are present in the UK for less than 90 days and spent less than 20 of those working in the UK in the year under consideration Test B – a ‘Conclusive residence test’ – if certain conditions are met, the individual is definitely resident: • They are present in the UK for 183 days or more • They have only one home and that home is in the UK (or have two or more homes all of which are in the UK) • They carry out full-time work in the UK Test C – an ‘Other connection test’ – if the results from tests A and B are inconclusive, the matter is determined by a combination of time spent in and a person’s connectedness to the UK. Test C operates a sliding scale whereby the more a person

is connected to the UK, the less time they may spend in the UK during the year. The connecting factors include whether the individual has family, employment and accommodation in the UK, how much time has been spent in the UK in the two previous tax years and whether the individual spends more days in the UK than in any other country.

The number of factors present will set the limit on the maximum number of days a person may spend in the UK in a particular tax year. For example, if someone has 4 or more of the factors present in the year, the maximum number of days they can spend in the UK is 44. If they have 3 or more factors, the maximum number of days is 89 and so on.

At first glance, the proposed rules seem basically unchanged for those leaving the UK for full-time overseas employment, save a complication if they work for more than 20 days in the UK per tax year. This will be a tremendous relief to many thousands of expatriates.

However, anyone leaving the UK for any other reason (retirement, change of lifestyle etc) will find the rules quite restrictive and an exit from the UK would need to be planned very carefully. For example, in certain circumstances leaving the UK for anything less than full-time overseas

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employment and spending more than 10 days in the UK in the year of departure, will still mean ensuring resident status in the UK for tax purposes for that year. As a result, the timing of a departure from the UK is likely to become more important.

For those who are already non-resident and are not working full-time, advice will be needed as to the strength of connections to the UK, and the maximum amount of time which can be spent in the UK in each year. An annual review will, almost certainly, be needed. Those who claim non-resident status whilst undertaking ‘substantive’ employment in the UK and who have other connecting factors are likely to be the most at risk of becoming resident.

Ultimately it is a question of how carefully each expatriate plans their overseas life. The Government appears focused on applying new guidelines to those who are trying to claim non-resident status whilst everything in the way they live their life points in the opposite direction.

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For the British expatriate who lives abroad and has only modest connections to the UK, the proposals look to be good news. For those not working full time abroad, whose families remain in the UK, whose main home may be in the UK and who are keen to spend as much time in the UK as possible, the proposals are not much more concerning.

Finally, it is important to note that this is merely a summary of the Government’s proposals. The final rules are likely to be somewhat different, and time will show just what the British expatriate will face in terms of residence rules.

About the Author: Martin Rimmer is Technical Tax Manager at the Fry Group.

The Fry Group is a specialist in residence and domicile matters, and has helped British expatriates with their UK tax and financial planning for over 100 years. More information is available at www.thefrygroup.co.uk.

Martin Rimmer will be relocating to the Singapore office in August 2011.

Expert tax and financial planning since 1898.

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ECONOMIC & BUSINESS INSIGHTS

“WHERE IS THE CRIME?”

by Michael Harakis, Solicitor in the Bribery Team at Hill Dickinson LLP

W

e have all heard the old business adage, “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. It is not often considered that giving someone an apparently free lunch is a crime, however.

Under the United Kingdom’s Bribery Act 2010 it sometimes can be. What is more from 1st July 2011 UK prosecutors will have enhanced powers to pursue offenders who commit bribes outside the United Kingdom and to fine any company that does business in the United Kingdom which benefits from a bribe given by it or by anyone no its behalf anywhere in the world.

You are said to bribe when you give a financial or other advantage to someone who is in a position of trust in order for them to act improperly.

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Why this? Why now?

Bribery of one sort or another has been unlawful in the United Kingdom for a very long time, but the law existed in dusty statutes and old cases. The law covering acts of bribery has developed piecemeal via legislation and case law and enforcement has been sporadic.

The project of law reform originally begun in 1995 expanded its scope and included the incorporation of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.

One of the driving forces behind the legislation, Clare Short, the former Minister for International Trade and Development,

likened corruption of foreign public officials to theft from the world’s poorest people.

The legislation is, therefore, intended to modernise the law of bribery, but at the same time sets us on a mission to combat it wherever it happens.

The challenge set by the Bribery Act 2010 There are several. First, there is no de minimis rule. Anything worth money can potentially be given as a bribe. Remember the Act is intended to combat bribery in some of the poorest countries in the world, where a dollar is a day’s wages. Never mind a free lunch, a packet of cigarettes is enough to bribe someone with.

Secondly, the Act has extraterritorial

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application. It brings the actions of any British person or any company that does business in the United Kingdom within its reach. How much business is not yet clear. One of the difficulties with this is that companies doing business in the UK are required to maintain UK standards of integrity in places where bricks do not see mortar without someone being paid secretly.

out “adequate measures” to prevent bribes like that taking place.

Thirdly, “facilitation payments”, small bribes to facilitate routine government action are to be clamped down on. These are payments made to “grease the wheels” or to receive services quicker.

The answer is in almost all cases, “yes” at least as far as the Bribery Act is concerned.

However, great care should be taken with generosity that could be misconstrued.

Fourthly, companies can be made liable for the consequences of the actions of the people they do not directly control. If the agent of to a UK company, for example, bribes an official in China for the purpose of obtaining some dispensation; the UK company may be liable despite the fact that it did not even know about what was being done on its behalf. The only way it can avoid liability, which can be a hefty fine and disqualification from public procurement exercises, is by showing that it had carried

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As you might imagine, lawyers have been busy trying to advise clients on how adequate their existing measures are and what else they need to do. This has not been easy.

So can I accept an invitation to lunch?

The real problem is not the kind of thing that would be considered “normal” business practice that you would not be ashamed to make public. The context in which a thing is given counts for a lot. A five course meal for a visiting CEO is not a bribe. A chicken paid to a poor Egyptian civil servant who demands it in exchange for permission of a tanker to pass through Suez is a bribe.

Incidentally, this has happened and the company concerned refused to provide it.

the fight against corruption and it has used the blunt instrument of the criminal law to achieve that objective.

The “adequate measures” businesses are required to have in place are onerous. A firm that does business in the UK must project to the world that it has a zero tolerance policy to bribes, does not want them and does not want anyone to give them on its behalf.

Some companies will be caught out, if prosecutors are less than convinced.

About the Author: Michael Harakis is a solicitor in the Bribery Team at Hill Dickinson LLP

The government has enlisted business in

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ECONOMIC & BUSINESS INSIGHTS

BANKING IN 2050

by Dominic Nixon, Asia Financial Services Leader at PWC Singapore Highlights: • China could become biggest banking market in the world within 15 years with projected domestic banking assets of over US$30 trillion by 2030; India to overtake Japan by 2035 • E7 domestic banking assets to overtake G7 in 2036 - ten years earlier than projected by pre-crisis analysis • G7 banks need access to the relatively unbanked populations of the emerging markets • UK to be overtaken by India by 2030 and Brazil before 2050.

In a recent report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), ‘Banking in 2050’, it suggests that the combined domestic banking assets of the ‘E7’ emerging economies of China, India, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey will exceed those in the ‘G7’ countries sooner than predicted before the financial crisis.

The G7 comprises the US, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Canada.

In terms of domestic banking assets, Vietnam has shown a strongly increasing ratio since 1998. As in the case of China, this is most likely due to the large amount of lending to state owned enterprises in earlier periods combined with strong growth in property-related lending in more recent years. South Korea is an interesting

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example of a country that has changed from being an emerging economy into a developed economy over the last 30-40 years. Between 1988 and 2000 Republic of Korea had the lowest ratio of banking assets to GDP of the developed economies considered in this study, but this ratio has since risen to a level more in line with the other developed economies.

The report clearly highlights the speed of the shift in global economic and financial power to the emerging E7 economies, which by 2050 could have banking markets around 50% bigger than the established G7 economies. This could mean global banking assets quadrupling to around $300 trillion by 2050 with banks around the world fighting for a share.

What this means is that as the emerging economies develop, they will require increasingly sophisticated financial services and banks are likely to expand to meet this need and reap the benefits of greater economies of scale as a result. Furthermore, socioeconomic issues such as ageing populations and increasing demand for natural resources will also have an impact on borrowing and lending requirements.

This then throws up questions about the strategic options and scenarios that banks in emerging and developed economies should be looking at, as well as how policymakers should respond to this challenge.

Particular questions organisations may want to consider are: Which economies have the greatest future potential for growth and investment?

What are the areas of greatest competitive advantage for our organisation?

high street banks or more specialised or localised players) and how will they integrate with and shape the future evolution of the global financial system (e.g. as regards dominant currencies)?

In practice, this means investing in infrastructure, opening up markets to increased competition, reducing bureaucracy, reducing budget deficits and increasing rural education. In the longrun, India could overtake China as China’s growth is expected to slow as its population ages. Brazil looks set to overtake Germany and the UK by 2045. The reality is that the E7 doesn’t need the G7 for capital, decisionmaking or consumers, so the established economies will have to make a strong case to convince new economy policymakers of the benefits of inviting foreign competition in.

Crucially, when compared to our original report on this topic in June 2007, we find that the project shift to the emerging markets has accelerated significantly due to the global financial crisis. With significant changes in the banking landscape already in progress, it is vital for banks to adapt their strategies accordingly.

About the Author Dominic Nixon is the Asia Financial Services Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers Singapore.

About the Company The Financial Services Industry Practice in PwC Singapore is the Asia’s leading professional services firm to the financial services industry. Diverse perspectives and deep relationships with our people and clients are at the core of who we are. See pwc.com.sg/fs for more information.

What growth strategies are open to our business to compete in this shifting global landscape? Will competition become more intense? Is greater consolidation an effective strategy? How should opportunities be valued given these growth expectations?

What types of banks will we see developing in the emerging economies (e.g. universal

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ECONOMIC & BUSINESS INSIGHTS

IT’S NOT “JUST A GAME”...

by Colin King, Associate Director, GS Wealth Pte Ltd

“I

don’t know about us not having a Plan B when things went wrong, we looked like we didn’t have a Plan A.” Geoff Cooke, the former England Rugby Coach, after England was beaten by New Zealand in the 1995 World Cup semi-final.

As with rugby, managing money is all about strategy and tactics. Rules, technologies and conditions change and, as in nature, a failure to adapt can have serious consequences.

Past performance is no guarantee to future success as many a team will testify. Financial markets are similarly unpredictable. Adapting investment tactics and strategies to the changes that occur in the financial markets is essential and not least during these times of extreme volatility. Forecasting the future of the financial markets is not a science and it is therefore wise to have a plan B in the wings.

Traditional investment strategies were found wanting during the financial crisis that unfolded in 2008. Classical techniques such as diversifying investments across different asset groups failed to protect investors’ wealth during the crisis because asset classes become highly correlated during times of market excesses.

Fundamentally, little has changed since 2008, indeed, it could quite reasonably be argued that the current predicaments that the US, Europe and China are contending with are simply extensions of the same ongoing crisis. In all cases, policy makers are trying to hold back the tide of deleveraging that is taking place at all levels, more often exacerbating the underlying problems by their actions. For this reason, we are likely to see far more frequent shocks to the markets, as we move from crisis to crisis. Economies are adapting (slowly) to the realities of what is taking place in the world and it behooves investors to do the same. Traditional investment strategies, whilst not without their merits, are not a robust enough solution to maintaining your wealth and strategies, which are not dependent upon asset appreciation, should be included as major core holding components of your portfolio.

The hedge fund universe is quite broad with managers employing many different styles and techniques, but the key to hedge funds is the ability to take short positions (to capitalise on a depreciating asset) across different markets or to exploit market pricing anomalies by arbitraging.

As with any investment, market conditions can dictate that a particular hedge fund strategy will work better sometimes than others, however, certain strategies do exhibit a low correlation with traditional markets and provide genuine diversification within a portfolio. One such category are trend tracking strategies. At one end of the spectrum, these can be totally quant driven, i.e. the entire investment process is governed by an algorithm (“black box”) that determines what positions are automatically bought and sold. At the other end, the strategy can be completely discretionary, managed by an individual manager.

“Investing based upon forecasts is the triumph of hope over experience. However although financial markets are inherently unpredictable, they all exhibit one reliable feature. They trend - often for considerable periods of time,” says Chris Sawtell of Gordian Capital, Singapore, who manages the GC Dynamic fund. The Dynamic fund employs a market tracking system, developed and managed by Chris Sawtell, based upon trend following measures designed to capture intermediate term market moves, lasting a few weeks to a few months, across a mix of different asset classes and markets.

The beauty of strategies such as Dynamic is that their returns are not dependent on rising markets, indeed, they are just as likely to make strong gains should markets decline heavily, which is what makes them a valuable inclusion in an investment portfolio. As with all investments, there are optimal investment conditions for trend tracking strategies and times when the going is not so easy. As the strategy requires market trends to make good returns, range bound, volatile markets do not bode well for many trend trackers. This is where tactical allocations to more traditional asset classes can pick up the slack.

Although trend tracking strategies can be very successful, many managers in this sector give up much of the upside during range bound periods due to the high leverage that many employ.

To avoid this situation, Chris Sawtell does not leverage the fund and reducing the positional exposure of the fund during range bound periods, thus keeping any downside returns to within low single digits. However, it is only the magnitude and duration of a market trend that limits the upside potential of the fund.

For many of us older guys, rugby bears little relation to the game that we played at school and club level. Everything has changed about the game from the players to the tactics now commonly adopted.

The financial markets are also undergoing marked changes and the tactics employed to capitalise on opportunities and protect wealth also have to adapt. It used to be that government bonds were viewed as risk free assets and formed the core of many peoples’ portfolios, not any more.

What’s your plan B?

About the Author: Colin King is Associate Director at GS Wealth Pte Ltd.

Building Wealth Through Knowledge

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CO R P O R AT E S O C I A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

THE BODY SHOP SINGAPORE CONTINUES TO LIVE UP TO ITS VALUES F

rom the humble beginnings of a small store in the United Kingdom in 1976, The Body Shop is now a global business with over 2,500 stores across 65 countries. In Singapore alone, 40 stores bring customers products bursting with effectiveness to enhance one’s natural beauty. While the company has expanded over the years and the product range has broadened, the values that make up the DNA of The Body Shop haven’t changed a single bit.

The Body Shop has five core values: Defend Human Rights Protect Our Planet Against Animal Testing Support Community Fair Trade Activate Self Esteem Defending Human Rights As part of its passion to defend human rights, The Body Shop has campaigned to raise awareness and funds for HIV and AIDS organisations globally. Its latest campaign, Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People, commenced in 2009 and has become the largest global campaign for the company to date.

In Singapore, The Body Shop joined hands with a trio of NGOs - ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes), H.O.M.E. (Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics) and National Committee for UN Women Singapore, to raise awareness of the issue locally. The Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign saw 114,886 petitions from local customers in support of the United Nations International Conventions call for governments to build awareness and understanding on the trafficking issue. These will be presented, along with about 6.3 million collected worldwide, to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 30th September 2011.

In addition, in June this year, The Body Shop Singapore together with ECPAT International released a new research report that revealed sex trafficking of children and young people in the city-state

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Your personal, spacious haven onboard We understand that true luxury means having the freedom to stretch out and unwind in privacy. So when you travel in First you can sink into a comfortable seat that’s 60% wider DW WKH VKRXOGHU DQG FRQYHUWV LQWR D IXOO\ úDW EHG IRU D JUHDW night’s sleep.

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CO R P O R AT E S O C I A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

is more common place than previously thought.

Titled “Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Research Report”, it was commissioned to provide local law enforcement and government bodies, and most importantly the Singapore public, with better information & real insights into the plight of victims. Another aim was to highlight this important issue which has not received due attention in Singapore.

Released in August 2011, this report marked a major milestone for The Body Shop Singapore and its campaign to Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People. “It is important for Singaporeans to understand the child sex trafficking situation here better. The report’s findings are vital for us and our campaign partners, H.O.M.E. and National Committee for UN Women Singapore, to effect long term change,” says Josephine Chow, General Manager, The Body Shop Singapore.

ECPAT International’s Deputy Director, Mark Capaldi, believes this report provides one of the first serious looks into the issue of trafficking of women, children and youths moving through Singapore. “Child sex trafficking is a heinous crime which

unfortunately affects all countries worldwide. ECPAT International is very happy to partner with The Body Shop Singapore on this important piece of research because it has allowed us to raise awareness in Singapore that children are falling victims to sex trafficking here too. Importantly, the fantastic public support that Singaporeans have shown to this campaign and some of the recent actions of the Singapore government gives us the hope and belief that all children can be protected from trafficking and exploitation.”

Protecting Our Planet In addition to defending human rights, The Body Shop knows that every product consumed has consequences for the planet— from the contents and ingredients of the product, to the packaging it comes in. As one of its many ways to help protect our planet, The Body Shop has recently blazed the trail to a new eco-conscious standard. Introduced in 2010, this symbol appears on products that meet The Body Shop’s own stringent set of environmental criteria designed to respect the aquatic environment, monitor the level of product biodegradability and limit packaging waste. The eco-conscious Rainforest Hair

Collection was The Body Shop’s first range of products that meets this standard.

A second 100% biodegradable range that also adheres to the standard is The Body Shop ® Earth Lovers™ Shower Gel range, available in six naturally-inspired fragrances and an un-fragranced version.

Just by choosing to buy these products from The Body Shop, consumers can immediately do their bit to help protect the Earth.

To discover how else The Body Shop Singapore is supporting its core values and how you can help, visit www.thebodyshop. com.sg

About the Company For further information on The Body Shop Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign and the research report on Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Children and Young People in Singapore, or The Body Shop values and campaigns, please contact: Eleanor Chin (Ms) Head of Brand & Values eleanor.chin@thebodyshop.com Adlena Wong (Ms) Assistant PR & Values Manager adlena.wong@thebodyshop.com

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OU T O F T HE B OX

INSIDE THE WORLD OF CHINA’S TOP ENTREPRENEURS

By Nick Rosen, Head Of Vivum Intelligent Media, London; Producer, One In A Billion, bbc.com

W

hen I met Zong Qinghou for the first time it was with a sense of anticipation. This was arguably China’s richest man, although who knows what hidden riches other top entrepreneurs may be concealing – not from the State but from public gaze.

There were no artworks, no trophies on his desk other than a pair of Red Flags, Chinese and Russian, no glamorous secretaries. Just a rather dour PR man and me – until a small door at the back of the office opened and a rather dishevelled, yet powerfully built individual emerged brushing the sleep

The world is fascinated by the success of China’s economy; but most of the stories in the media are about statistics – 10% annual growth, 5% inflation, hundreds of millions moving from country to city, the undervalued Renminbi, and so on.

It is all too rare to see and hear the human side of this success story. I hope that by the time I am finished, the world will have a better understanding of the men and women at the top of the Chinese economy who are shaping the future for all of us.

The world wants to know them, and understand their long march to the top table of international capitalism. But they are hidden individuals. I set out to tell the intimate inside story of the new Chinese dollar-billionaires, all of whom had risen from nothing, all of whom could vividly remember years of hunger and deprivation. Zong chuckled as he told me of the times when his belly was empty, but whether it was out of embarrassment or relief that those times had passed I could not tell.

China’s billionaires are not like Russia’s Oligarchs – they are modest rather than showy, and they prefer to operate under the radar.

But Zong was already one of the betterknown Chinese entrepreneurs. He had risen from a small school shop selling iced lollies and vitamin drinks to a $12.5 billion fortune. His long work days and lack of interest in the trinkets and trappings of wealth were already documented. Yet I was not prepared for the simplicity with which this extraordinarily rich and powerful individual operated.

I arrived unexpectedly early at his company HQ in Hangzhou, an hour South of Shanghai on the fast train, and having been given a meal that would not have been out of place in a station café, I was ushered up to his office, agog at what I might find.

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from his eyes. It was about 6 in the evening, and Zong had been resting in the cubicle behind the most imposing item in the room – his desk.

I glanced into the tiny room, a small bed, a phone and a great many papers – no treasure trove there.

Great documentaries are never easy to make, but I knew that it would be especially difficult to prepare an intimate portrait of China’s new class of super-rich entrepreneurs. Men like Zong eschew publicity – they don’t need it and they know from experience that it can be double edged – promoting their brand but also bringing unwelcome attention – from the State itself but also from other journalists, who as Zong told me, all too often fail to check their facts and then circulate inaccurate accounts of the man and his work.

I set out to uncover the differences and similarities between Chinese billionaires and their Western counterparts. What are their roles in politics and society? How soon will they turn their attention from the domestic market to the international; and how soon after that until they own large parts of Western economic infrastructure?

These entrepreneurs were unleashed by China’s community party. It was the party’s decision to allow a form of state-approved capitalism to develop over the past two decades. But the Party can put an end to careers as swiftly as it can create them. That is one reason why many of the country’s billionaires are not keen on publicity. Why put your head above the parapet to satisfy the curiosity of a British documentary filmmaker? The business history of the past decade is littered with the names of super-wealthy, who have suddenly been investigated by the Chinese authorities for tax evasion or bribery. Some of them return

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Liu YiQian

Dai Zhikang - Shanghai-based entrepreneur

Zhu Gongshan - Chairman of Hong Kong power firm, GCL Poly.

Zhou Xiaoguang - one of China’s richest women

from the experience and continue to trade.

Others are never heard from again.

The billionaires I interviewed may still be wondering why they let me into their lives. But I hope that the series of films running on bbc.com <http://bbc.com/> will reassure them that the approach I am taking is serious and worthwhile. After all these people are shaping the next century just as men like Henry Ford and John Rockefeller shaped the last century. The world wants to know and understand them, and from a Western democratic standpoint, we have a right to know about the people who are deciding our fate, buying our debt in the form of bonds, making and selling products that we need and want, from rare earth minerals to recycled paper.

And there’s also simple curiosity – who are these people, and why did they make it to the top rather than their 1.3 billion fellowcountrymen.

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From their own point of view, the billionaires are understandably shy about letting cameras into their homes, offices and business meetings. But I hope I have persuaded them that it is good business to have the cameras follow them, if only to allow fellow-businessmen, as well as

politicians and bankers a good close look at them. I hope that the One in a Billion series begins that process of personalising the Chinese economic story. My next step is to create a long film that brings these personal stories together to help us understand the entire phenomenon of Chinese wealth.

About the Author: Nick Rosen is Head of Vivum Intelligent Media, London. He is Producer, One In A Billion, bbc.com About the Company The BBC is one of the most respected brands on the Internet and offers up to the minute international news, business, sports, travel, weather, lifestyle and technology content and in depth analysis. BBC.com is the online expression of the BBC outside of the UK and is run by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC. In November 2007 the site introduced advertising outside of the UK to an audience of 54 million unique users* generating revenues to reinvest in BBC content and services.* (Omniture Jan – July 2010)

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OUT O F T HE B OX

THE CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER’S NEW BOARDROOM ROLE

By Martin Roll

T

he Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) has become one of the more commonly talked about corporate designations in recent years. Given the tremendous marketing potential offered by new media and the proliferation of distribution channels, companies have begun to realise the huge potential that marketing has in guiding strategies at the corporate level.

Yet, not many companies have a senior marketing representative in their C-suite.

Why do companies need a Chief Marketing Officer?

As the business landscape evolves, marketing also evolves into an organisationwide strategic discipline. Given marketers’ knowledge of the customers, it is imperative that the CEO and the corporate board have a representative of the customer to continually educate them. Additionally, companies need a strategic CMO to benefit from: • Aligning marketing with the corporate business strategy: Newer technology, powerful channel partners and empowered customers have made the competition highly intense and marketing a very involved and strategic discipline. Marketing can no longer be confined to the 4P framework. Marketers, with their in-depth knowledge about markets and customers, should act as a major resource for strategy formulation.

In all issues of corporate strategy – what markets to compete in, what segments to target, what entry mode and strategy to adopt, which partners to strategically ally with – marketing offers substantial information. In order to convey these holistic perspectives,

it is imperative that marketing is represented by the CMO in the corporate boardroom who can speak to the directors and the CEO in their language.

A classic example is the iPhone from Apple. Given the tremendously successful iPod and iMac, Apple could have become complacent. But the marketing acumen of the executives recognised the need to constantly excite the customers. As such, marketing has played a crucial role in guiding Apple’s corporate strategy.

• Connecting the corporate boardroom with the customer: As Peter Drucker said, the only two functions of any organisation are innovation and marketing. Irrespective how innovative a company is, how committed the employees are, or how competent the top management is, unless the company connects with the customer, success will be elusive. Top management should constantly evaluate their strategic decision in the context of customer feedback.

The CMO plays a crucial role in constantly updating the boardroom and the CEO about the latest customer preference and how well aligned the corporate resources are to meet those evolving customer needs.

Companies such as Levis Strauss, Sony, Toyota, Nike and Singapore Airlines are some of the pioneering companies which manage to constantly feel the pulse of their customers. As such, marketing takes on a central role in guiding the corporate strategy of these companies by having the top management team and the CEO regularly updated about their customers and markets.

• Creating a customer centric organisation: Given the innumerable choices that customers have, ensuring long term customer loyalty and sustainable competitive advantage

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becomes highly challenging. The difference between the successful companies that achieve those objectives and those who fail is the corporate orientation.

Customer-oriented companies design and operate every aspect of the company with the customer in mind. To build a customer-centric organisation requires the concerted effort of all functions within a company, along with every employee, becoming a customer champion. These issues deal with organisational culture, organisational structure and corporate policies. Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts is a classic example which showcases such a customer-centric philosophy.

The founder has managed to instill a culture that allows constant interaction between marketing and other functions with the company. Such an emphasis has resulted in world class resorts that always manage to delight the customers.

From this discussion, it is evident that CMOs are strategic requirements of any corporate boardroom. But in spite of such a significant role played by the CMO, companies have not completely embraced the concept.

Challenges faced by the CMO The challenges faced by the CMO are problems increasingly faced by the marketing discipline of late. It has been long argued that one of the fundamental challenges undermining marketing credibitly and threatening its standing within a company - and has even threatened the very existence of the discipline as a distinct entity - is marketing’s failure to quantify its outcomes and justify investments in marketing activities.

The three main impediments in this regard are: (i) relating marketing activities to long-term effects; (ii) separation of individual marketing activities from other actions and

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

(iii) use of purely financial methods for justifying and benchmarking marketing investments.

The CMO and marketing division of a company have many challenges. Two such daunting challenges are:

The CMO and the corporate boardroom Given rather strong antipathy towards marketing within any company, and especially within the top management team, CMOs should keep up-to-date and optimally utilise every resource at their disposal to address some of the

“Marketers are usually engrossed in their own jobs and fail to leverage their centrality in a company.”

• Measuring marketing outcomes: Marketing fundamentally differs from other functions within a company like finance or operations in a couple of aspects. As marketing deals with people, their attitudes and eventual behaviours, they are not as predictable as a machine process. As such, there can be a considerable time lag between marketing actions and their intended outcomes. Furthermore, measuring these outcomes will have to involve both financial and non-financial metrics.

Given these underlying challenges, it is often difficult for the CMO to convince the top management of marketing’s ability to competently allocate resources and significantly contribute to the company’s growth.

• Explaining marketing’s centrality in a company: Many companies continue to equate marketing with advertising and sales. But marketing has long evolved from being a tactical departmental function to an organisation-wide strategic discipline. Given marketers’ knowledge about customers and other stakeholders, marketing plays a central role in leveraging the internal capabilities.

But to assert such a central role within any company, marketers should be able to understand the different aspects of the company, its strategies, its resources and its limitations. Marketers are usually engrossed in their own jobs and fail to leverage their centrality in a company.

CMOs face an immense uphill task in educating and convincing the C-suite of their capabilities and their rightful status.

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fundamental complaints against marketing.

• Leveraging new media: Even as the Internet and other new media channels continue to challenge many of the fundamental ways of doing business, they also offer some tremendous advantages hitherto not within the reach of companies. As a majority of companies compete to create an online presence, they also should establish structures in their websites that would help measure many marketing variables.

Software allows companies to track their customers’ footprints, the stickiness, i.e. the amount of time a customer stays on your website and the click-throughrate of online advertisements. These tools can be effectively leveraged by the CMOs to begin the process of quantifying marketing outcomes. These early experiments also allow companies to gradually design their own set of useful metrics. Such an essential first step not only brings credibility to marketing, but also allows marketers to make a strong impression with the CEO. • Internal training: In order for marketing to rise up to the boardroom level, marketers should be able to thoroughly understand the strategic imperatives of the company across functions and be able to speak the boardroom language.

This can be acheived through formalised internal cross disciplinary training. Such a training system would allow marketers to understand the dynamics of corporate strategy and also enable marketers to effectively leverage collective internal resources towards ensuring profitability and optimal results.

This article raises some very fundamental questions about the way that companies should be run in the future. The role of marketing within a company is going to become even more central as managing customer interactions and ‘co-creating value’ becomes the building blocks of any corporate strategy.

Companies must create an organisational structure where CMOs can guide the company’s vision and mission by integrating the myriad functions within the company. The time is not too far away from when the success of the company will depend upon the strength of its marketing and the CMO. Asia has an unprecedented opportunity to elevate marketing to the boardroom level so that the CMO can take center-stage in shaping and executing the corporate strategy, leading to better shareholder returns.

About the Article This editorial was commissioned by The Insight Bureau as part of the “From The Desk of…” series of short thought-pieces written by speakers represented by the bureau.

The Insight Bureau represents Martin Roll and other leading speakers, moderators and presenters who make up a powerful resource network of top economists, writers, authors and management specialists.

About the Author

Martin Roll is a leading global expert on leadership, strategy and branding based in Singapore. To learn more about Martin Roll or The Insight Bureau visit www.insightbureau.com.

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

HIG H CO M M I S S I O N N E WS

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION NEWS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011

I

am writing this edition’s column just as UKTI has announced the foreign direct investment (FDI) results for the UK for 201011. The UK attracted 1,434 FDI projects last year, and UKTI played a role in securing 849 of these, which generated nearly 50,000 jobs. The UK Government sees these results as a strong vote of confidence about the long term economic prospects of the UK. Investors are confident that if they come to the UK, they will grow and succeed and it’s why, once again, the UK is the top investment destination in Europe in 2011.

Investment came from 54 different countries and four countries in the top ten are in Asia Pacific - India, China, Australia and Japan.

Sectors that saw particular growth include environmental technologies projects, reflecting the emphasis being put by the Government on low carbon growth, and financial services, which saw the largest increase in jobs associated with investment - up by 212% to 17,004.

UKTI Singapore also had a major growth year in terms of the number of projects we supported going into the UK - up by 40%, which meant for the first time, we made it into the top 20 UKTI investment teams (at number 19, up from number 27!) For us, one of the most interesting developments of the last year, is that we have begun to help BritCham members set up their businesses in the UK. If you are thinking of setting up in the UK, please do contact us to see if we can help you. Phil Hickson, the head of the investment team (phil.hickson@fco.gov.uk) will be delighted to support you.

August is the month for the UKTI Singapore team where we can catch our breath and prepare for the Autumn, which is always our busiest time of year. Already we are expecting two VIP visits and six separate missions of companies from different parts of the UK. And of course we will also be running the next in our series of events with BritCham about Doing Business in Asia - this time covering India.

For me looking ahead to the Autumn is very different this year. As many of you already know, I will leave Singapore in September to take up a post on the UK’s Growth Review in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Chamber has played a very big part in my life over the four very happy years I have been here. The relationship between the Chamber and UKTI has gone from strength to strength, and delivering joint events about the region has been just the latest initiative. I have to say I have thrown a number of unenviable challenges the Chamber’s way over the last four years, and I’d like to thank Terry and Steve as the

four years. In case I don’t get chance to say goodbye to you personally, thank you for your friendship and support. I have really appreciated it. And of course, if you happen to be in London and have time for a coffee, please do get in touch. Molly will always know how to track me down!

I am delighted to be handing over the UKTI team and the relationship with the Chamber to Judith Slater, who some of you met at the BritCham AGM when she was in Singapore briefly in May. Judith and her family are moving to Singapore from Pretoria, where Judith has been the Deputy High Commissioner for the last four years. Before that, she was Consul General in Houston. She brings with her a wealth of experience that I know you will find invaluable and I am sure that you will all give her the support and friendship that you have given me.

With very best wishes to you all for the future.

two Presidents I have worked with closely, the Board members (past and present) and of course Brigitte and the Executive Team for always rising to these challenges so positively and constructively. There’s much UKTI simply couldn’t have done without you. BritCham’s membership also includes many people who have been good friends and colleagues over the last

Amanda

AMANDA AMAN AM MAN ANDA DA B BROOKS ROOK RO OKS OKS DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER DIRECTOR OF TRADE AND INVESTMENT

www.ukinsingapore.fco.gov.uk • www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk PAG E 4 0

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August ’11

Dear Members, I hope you enjoyed a relaxing summer break and are now back in town, fully recharged and inspired to tackle the he second half of 2011.

Whilst you were enjoying a well deserved rest your chamber finalised the production of the membership directory ctory book 2011/2012 listing 330 paid up Members and 1,256 Executives. We hope you find this useful and wish you happy ppy browsing!

One of our main business initiatves, the Business Awards, is well under way with nominations closing on August 12.

This year, the Awards evolved further and eligibility is now in line with our open membership policy. As a consequence ence we are promoting the “12th Annual Business Awards organised by the British Chamber of Commerce”. We encourage rage every chamber member and every Singapore registered enterprise to take this opportunity to showcase excellent ellent results and achievements in the past 12 months. This year we are proud to have EDB, SPRING, SBF and EuroCham as our official supporters next to long term partner UKTI. We also collaborate with BBC as our exclusive media partner, another first in the history of the Awards.

We are going to know who the winners are when we gather for our gala dinner in the Shangri-la Hotel on October ber 5th.

I hope you have submitted your nomination!

Just two weeks prior to the Awards Gala dinner Singapore is once again host to the 4th SingTel Singapore Grand Prix Night Race and as every year we will be organising a networking evening at the Singapore Cricket Club on the 22nd of September. We hope to see many of you there as we are preparing an inspiring programme. Log on to www.britcham.org.sg to find out more.

Please mark your diary for our Economic Briefing presented by Chamber Economic Spokesperson Roman Scott on November 10th and the party of the year, the BritCham Ball on November 18th.

The British Chambers and Business Groups of all ASEAN countries, known as BiSEA (Britain in South East Asia) met for their sixths conference in Ho Chi Minh City in June. The informal BiSEA grouping was launched end 2008 to address the need to share best practice and facilitate business information and contacts for members. As part of the collaboration all our members have access to events hosted by BiSEA chambers at local member rates.

I wish you a good start back to business and hope to see you at one of our upcoming events.

Brigitte Holtschneider Executive Director British Chamber of Commerce www.britcham.org.sg

Best regards

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NE W M E M B E R S

BRITCHAM NEW MEMBERS: JAN – JULY 2011 STERLING MEMBERS

Barclays Capital Charlie MacLean

Bonvo Travel (Singapore) Pte Ltd Gerald Andrew Hendrick

Helping Hand Group Pte Ltd Oliver Slobodetsky

London School of Business & Finance Pte Ltd Elisabetta Ceragioli

Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd Kevin Holmgren

STERLING ADDITIONAL MEMBERS Barclays Capital April McKenna Bonvo Travel (Singapore) Pte Ltd Christine Moorthy Daryl Bisset Richard Money BP Singapore Pte Limited Francisco Villarreal Helen McCabe John Pexton British American Tobacco (S) Pte Ltd Cindy Wu Lee Wan Yun Shee Liang Mey BT Singapore Pte Ltd Eric Feddal Shikha Ojha Clifford Chance Pte Ltd Calvin Tan Elisabeth Socolow Ganesh Prabhu Roy Tay Cognita Asia Holdings Pte Ltd Grace Liu Jakob Bergholdt Lay Keng Tey Rea Marinell Scott Johnson Courts (Singapore) Pte Ltd Amanda Koon Helen Ding Tim Luce Deloitte Consulting SE Asia Arpit Rai DHL Global Mail Andrew Mitchell David Christmas Ronald Foster Samantha Jane Nelson Dimension Data Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Andy Cocks Duncan Nursey Philip Swallow Wong Wen Ming Garner International (S) Pte Ltd Bob Ellison Jonathan Duckfield Gazprom Marketing & Trading Singapore PTE Ltd. Jeremy Choo Joy Harnprasopwat Milorad Doljanin Ong Chek Kai Pavel Smotritskiy PAG E 4 4

Global Process Systems Pte Ltd Andrew Scobie David Freeman Graham Hanna Ian Prescott Lars Mattias Nordin Lou Picco Prashant Newaskar Richard Williams Scott Mackenzie Steven Lee GS Wealth Pte Ltd Jemima Block Hays Specialist Recruitment Pte Ltd Christian Fischbach Clifford Wong Georgina O’Brien Grant Torrens Kevin Immerman Tanya Lee Wesley Blaquiere Helping Hand Group Pte Ltd Li Xiao Ru HSBC Bank Alexander Charles Hungate Alexey Samkov Andrea Hajdu-Howe Chang Tou Chen Chris Harwood Desiree Handy Lee Chung Keet Willie Tham Lloyds of London (Asia) Pte Ltd Yann Marmonier London School of Business & Finance Pte Ltd Paul Merison Rick Sturge Zuleha H R Marlborough Hospitality Services (S) Pte Ltd Kim Walker Nokia Siemens Networks Singapore Pte Ltd Alistair MacIntyre-Currie Angela Allanson Mathilda van Wyk Oil Spill Response Limited Neo Meiping Alice Sher Chong Tan Swee Huang Winnie Au PricewaterhouseCoopers Maureen Jeganathan-Arm Michael Johnston McCreadie Victoria Thornton

Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd Alex Lee Chew Chu Seng David Ng Delon Choo Francis Mook Gan Peck Yeow Goh Boon Chye Marcus Ho Michael Ho Rolls-Royce Singapore Pte. Ltd. Erin Atan Ho Tin Pau Paul Broadhead Sanjeev Verma Rothschild (Singapore) Limited Eunice Tai Sea Consortium Pte Ltd Allen Teo Mabel Choo StarHub Ltd Kevin Lim Wong Weng Thong The Royal Bank of Scotland plc Amit Upadhyay Anna Nowotarski Benjamin Pynt Claire Fallon Claire Robley David Hourican Emma Jeffery Jayne Street Kenn Pereira Madan Menon Nadim Sheikh Ng Siting Patricia Lim Tan Ping Ping The Sentosa Resort & Spa Nathalyn Fong Tri-Zen International Pte Ltd Tony Regan Unilever Asia Private Limited Carlos Eduardo Ismael Torres Galicia Conny Braams Dhaval Buch John Nolan Jonathan Sanchez Shanahan Chua Tanay Misra Zurich International Life Mark Kelly

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CORPORATE PLUS, CORPORATE, CORPORATE SME MEMBERS AND ADDITIONAL MEMBERS Air Energi Group Singapore Pte Ltd Manton S Townend Allied Pickfords (S) Pte Ltd Axel Steyer Jacob George Onanong Mortensen Avid Technology Andrew Olding Bartle Bogle Hegarty Asia Pacific Neil Small Preeti Kaur Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP Alistair Duffield Simon Michaels BG Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Christine McNamara British Council Terence Toney BSI Group Alex Hoo Burberry (Singapore) Distribution Company Pte Ltd Giovanna Melfi Joan Marina Rozario Business Monitor International Rahul Ghosh BW Furniture Pte Ltd Amelia Chai Cambridge University Press Asia Branch Anthony Lund CBI-Asia Pte Ltd Dennis Baker Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Sarah Miles Cicero Group Andrew Naylor Hock Bao Yap Jeremy Swan Crimsonlogic Pte Ltd Madelyn Kia Cushman & Wakefield Toby Dodd DH-BUDENBERG PTE LTD Kevin Gove Douglas Westwood Jason Waldie Dyson Operations Amelia Austin EC Harris Singapore Pte Ltd Ian Shenton Marc Gurman Scott Forbes Ella Cheong Spruson & Ferguson Philip Dudley Woods Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd Chan Cheow Hoe Duncan Edwards Gerry Chng Graham Handy Grahame Wright Julia Ann Smith Liew Nam Soon Lim Eng Hong Paul D’Arcy Expat Insurance Anne Morgan Danielle Bray Francesca Last Sarah Banks Simon Warner PAG E 4 5

Faithful + Gould Pte. Limited Ee Ee Tan Hannah Feddon Jonathan Mobbs Faststream Recruitment Pte Ltd Paul Ratcliffe Sandy-Elisha Li FD SIngapore Pte Ltd Thomas Richard Evrard Finnair Plc Petteri Kostermaa Fitco-Consulting Pte Ltd Cliff Hegan Katherine Wang Geodis Wilson Singapore Pte Ltd Charles Imbault Ivy Sim Kenneth Lim Patricia Han GL Noble Denton Stuart Guy GlaxoSmithKline Pte Ltd Janice Armstrong Global Financial Consultants Pte Ltd Raje Raman GMR Marketing Lisa Rose Johnson Grass Roots Asia Pacific Gina Lee Kevin Lee Marcella Pert Arul Grayling Asia Pte Limited Christina Koh Melissa Ng Sam Ran Boolsambatra Hill & Associates Risk Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd John McFarland Hongkong Land (Singapore) Pte Ltd Edward Barrow Hurrah! Productions James Rotheram I.J. Martin & Co Ltd David White Marlene Uetz Ink Publishing Pte Ltd Liz Weselby Peter Stephens ipac Financial Planning Singapore Pte Ltd Sazlina NR Kimpton Wayne Daley IRRI Fund Ltd Leo Chen Ian Jones Day Carolyn McNabb Simon Agar Kadence International Pte Ltd Greg Clayton KPMG LLP Gary Haran Doyle Mark Elia Sean Anthony Collins Law Asia Paul Supramaniam Leahy Brand Design Angeline Yam Lightfoot Travel Pte Ltd Simon Cameron Logica Singapore Pte Ltd Fermin Fautsch Richard Davies

Luminous EMC Singapore Pte Ltd Tamsyn Kate Barker M Moser Associates Nirmala Srinivasa Steven Louie Mandarin Orchard Anisa Johnny Marina Mandarin Singapore Kurt O. Wehinger MATADOR Systems Pte Ltd Christina Eun Jung Sung Edward Herbert Noel Matthew Robert Hall Sara Herve Wesley Wan Mazars LLP Alan Chang Chris Fuggle Dana Cameron Faye Thompson Richelle Carbonell MC Corporate Services Pte Ltd Farzin Karma Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay Kevin Glenn Bossino O Melveny & Myers Boon Siew Kam Dean Collins Lynn Chan Pooja Sinha Simone Adler Ogilvy & Mather Singapore Pte Ltd Benoit Wiesser Pacnet Internet (S) Pte. Ltd. Richard Carden PANGDEMONIUM! Tracie Pang Portfolio Builders (S) Pte Ltd Stephen Chilcott Professional Investment Advisory Services(P.I.A.S) Ltd David Griffiths RBS Coutts Bank Ltd Claire Gillingham Richard Lewis Reading Room Margaret Manning Robert Half International Pte Ltd Scott Townend Tim Hird

Roffey Park Institute David Lines Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc (Singapore Branch) Elliot Hill Savills (Singapore) Pte Ltd Julian E M Sedgwick SDL Multi-Lingual Solutions (Singapore) Pte Ltd Bhagwat Pant Sensei International Sameera Malik Singapore Telecommunications Limited Dan Ong Wilson Tan Societe Generale Andrew Arthur Eric Simon Maurice Nhan Sylvie Louisfert SpiroNicholson Greg Spiro The Ascott Limited Christina Lee The Body Shop International (Asia pacific) Pte Ltd David Smith The Economist Group (Asia/Pacific) Limited Justin Wood Wendy Lau The Insight Bureau Pte Ltd Naomi Pescheux The Planet Group Faraaz Noor Vriens & Partners Pte Ltd Daniel William Giles Hans Wouter Vriens Wing Tai Retail Pte Ltd Nicole Loh YPC Group Pte Ltd Kevin Caldwell

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS Alex Bower Amanda James Andrew Wetton Clive Anthony Little Colin Thomson Eduardo Pedrosa Emerson Holmes Evan Galanis Ewan Makepeace Hans Raj Ian Chapman-Banks Jenny Costelloe Joanna Wells Jonathan Ashenhurst Luc Verley Marcus Haigh Max Rehman Minhas

Michael Gray Michael Hughes Michelle Tan Mike Schilling Owen Bach Paul Norris Peter Milnes Philip Hall Simone Vaz Susan Owen Tim Openshaw Tim Pullan Timothy Kneen Veldanda Rao Vince Brabazon Yenny Ang

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

CH AM B E R N E W S

2011 BRITCHAM EVENTS ry BritCham Breakfast Club / UKTI Briefing (Aug – Oct 2011) Mastering Intercultural Intelligence in Singapore Wednesday 17th August 2011 How Lean Supply Chains are Transforming Global Business Wednesday 14th September 2011 BritCham/UKTI Briefing – Doing Business in Asia Thursday 22nd September 2011 Lifecycle of an Expat Thursday 20th October 2011

a i D r u o Y k r a M

Business Tour / Networking Young Professionals Business Tour at the SAESL facility Thursday 25th August 2011 YBC Mentor Series with Ian Mullane, CEO Vanda Sports Group Friday 9th September 2011 Business Networking: Leadership in Turbulent Times Friday 16th September 2011 F1 Networking Thursday 22nd September 2011

Lunches Leaders in Business Lunch with HE Antony Phillipson Friday 2nd September 2011

BritCham Business Awards 2011 Gala Dinner & Award Ceremony Wednesday 5th October 2011

BritCham Masquerade Ball 2011 The Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore Friday 18th November 2011

BritCham Economic Briefing British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore Thursday 10th November 2011

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BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEMBERS OFFERS AVIS Car Rental & Leasing As a member of the British Chamber of Commerce you can receive up to 20% discount off standard rates on your car rental booking. Visit http://www.avis.com.sg/ bccs/ today.

British Airways Book British Airways flights and SAVE with your exclusive BritCham discount. 10% Discount!

Save 10% on all airfares in Club World (Business Class), Premium Economy and Economy to UK, Europe, Australia and North America including when departing Singapore. The 10% discount is also extended to any current promotional fares on ba.com. With a limited number of seats available at our best value fares, make sure you plan your trip in plenty of time.

Visit : http://www.britishairways.com/travel/britcham/public/ en_sg?redirect=RD_britcham to book.

British Club British Club offers a 15% discount (= S$ 600) for their 1 year membership* which retails @ S$ 4,000 to members of the Chamber who are not yet members of the Club. *For more information please contact: membership@britishclub. org.sg

Bupa Britcham members will enjoy special rates for Bupa Lifeline or Worldwide Health Options covers. Enquiries: Mui or Liz, Office Tel No: 66345888, Mobile: 97544770, Email: liz@bricon.com.sg CITYGOLF Save $500 off the membership fee at CityGolf. Join the exclusive Citygolf Personal Membership at a special rate of S$1,000 (usual rate S$1,500), limited to the first 50 BritCham members only.

T&Cs apply. Please call 6536 4846 for enquiries and bookings.

Courts 5% off electricals and 10% off furniture.

Please show membership card to obtain discount.

Damai Spa - Grand Hyatt Singapore Grand Hyatt, Damai membership for $280 (plus GST) per month with no annual fee (one year contract. Annual fee is normally $2000). Enjoy all the benefits of being a Damai Member for less than $ 10.00 a day. 20% discount at Oasis restaurant - 20% discount on all Spa treatments.

Lightfoot Travel is an Asia based luxury tour operator offering bespoke travel solutions for couples, families, friends or corporates – be it multi-city adventures or luxury villa getaways, a call to Lightfoot Travel ensures a seamless travel planning service for a fabulous holiday.

Brit Cham members can now begin and end their holiday in style with complimentary return limousine airport transfers with Lightfoot Travel (Usual price SGD 140).

Terms & Conditions: • Minimum 4 nights stay • Minimum SGD 2,000 holiday • Maximum 4 pax • Valid till 31 Dec Get in touch with Lightfoot Travel at info@lightfoottravel.com for more information or call 6438 4091 Harry’s Bar 15% discount rate for Chamber members when you present your membership card.

Raffles Hotel, Singapore Britcham members will be entitled to: • 15% discount of all Food and Beverage outlets of Raffles Hotel, Singapore • 15% discount off meeting and banquet packages at Raffles Hotel Singapore • Please present your BCC membership card on payment to receive your 15% discount Regus 30% off Regus Businessworld card!

Regus Businessworld is great for professionals who work from home or on the road or who travel frequently on business.

Say goodbye to...meetings in noisy coffee shops, catching up on emails in your hotel room and having to host conference calls at the airport.

Say hello to...productive business lounges or your own private office where you can hold meetings, check email, print reports and run your business.

Regus are pleased to offer Chamber members a 30% discount on the first 6 months of a Businessword card.

For more information call 1 800 622 1565.

Rubicon Reserve Wines We would like to offer the following SPECIAL to Britcham Members: Durvillea Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Marlborough NZ Buy 12 / Get 18 Delivered! *Free 6 bottles* Save $ 216 Average cost @ $ 24 net per bottle (min. purchase of 12 bottles) * Free delivery included *

Expat Living FREE THREE month subscription to Expat Living magazine (Usual annual price $60 for Twelve monthly issues). Expat Living is full of great ideas for making the most of living in Singapore. Take a peek inside the homes of your fellow expats and read their personal referrals on living, shopping, dining, traveling and keeping fit and healthy. Whatever you need to know about expat life here, our monthly magazine will put you on the right track! Usual annual price $60 for Twelve monthly issues plus five annual guides worth a total of $108 delivered to your door.

Call us on +65 6259 0058 or email circulation@expatliving.sg to subscribe for a longer period or to sign up a friend. For more information on Expat Living visit http://www.expatliving.sg

MSIG Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. BritCham members can now enjoy 15% off their new individual Prestige Healthcare policy purchased directly from MSIG Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. Contact us today at 6827 7602 or service@sg.msig-asia.com to enjoy this offer, valid only till 31 August 2011.

Lightfoot Travel

Orders online www.rubiconreservewines.com/britcham or call our sales team on 6837 8012 and Quote “Britcham Wine Club Special” Singapore Cricket Club The Singapore Cricket Club are offering Chamber members their special Term Membership (1 year term) at a rate of SGD2,500 (usual rate $3,500). Contact snow@scc.org.sg *offer available for Britcham members only

Vanda Boxing Club Free trial session for Boxing training and Muay Thai.

Plus (exclusive for Britcham members) join for 6 months and receive one month free.

Join for 1 year and also receive a free pair of gloves and wraps worth $100 upon joining.

No joining fee (usual joining fee is $250) For full details contact Sarah Livingston sarah@vandasportsgroup.com Tel 63052288

For more information on member offers visit www.britcham.org.sg

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B R I TC H A M YO U N G P R O F E S S I O N A L S

Objective This new BritCham group is exploring ways to encourage and engage with the under 35 professionals in Singapore. Companies are provided with the opportunity through Chamber activities and networking to develop the skills of their up and coming employees by encouraging Chamber involvement. In doing so, the group is providing a forum for ‘young professionals’ to connect and learn from each other.

Young British Chamber of Commerce

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is really all in the mind.

by Lindley Craig, certified NLP Instructor & Master Practitioner Speaker at YBC Event “Insights from an Expert - How the brain works” held on Thursday, 21 July 2011 at the Pan Pacific Hotel (Marina Square) The components of its name refer to the mind-body connection, our language (including body language) and how our experiences over a lifetime have shaped the processes & systems by which we operate.

•

• Its founders Richard Bandler & John Grinder conceived NLP in the early 1970s. They chose to model the behavior patterns of the best therapist at the time in an attempt to duplicate each of their successes. Fritz Pearls, Virginia Satir, Milton Ericsson and Gregory Bateson were just a few of the experts that were modeled. From each of these greats, Bandler and Grinder extracted the specific system of language, mental thought, and process that they used to achieve extraordinary results with their respective clients. From these models, NLP was born.

NLP has continued to develop and grow beyond therapeutic uses alone. Nowadays, NLP is used in applications from sports to sales, from child development to the executive boardroom. Its tools are flexible, intuitive, and applicable in such a variety of ways it is hard to think of a situation where NLP could not be used. If the current state is not the desired state, NLP has a solution to the problem. However, it all begins with the willingness of the individual to change.

In NLP, the basic formula that is used in change work is (present state + resources) - interferences = desired state.

Simply put: Where are you now? Where do you want to be?

What resources do you currently have or can obtain to get to where you want to be? And what is stopping you?

The fact is that NLP is not rocket science but these days it is rare for someone to actually sit down and think about the situation they are in, where they would rather be instead and what is stopping them from getting there. These days it seems that everyone is caught up in the busy-ness of life that growth and development are sacrificed.

The tools of NLP start at home, with the individual. Taking a look inside and being truthful isn’t always on the top of someone’s priority list. Though, if disputes, stress, and/or physical ailments are re-appearing in your life, perhaps a further look into oneself is warranted. NLP is a tool that can be used to explore and enhance what already exists.

• • • • •

Think of a group or a ‘whole’ of which you belong/are a part. For example, you could be a part of a family or an organization; you could be a member of a group or the leader of a group.

Notice this group as a whole and all of its dynamics as a whole. Just notice as if you were observing from afar. If you ‘think’, you add judgment. So, just notice.

Ask yourself: “Who am I in this group?” What answer do you notice comes from within?

Ask yourself: “What do I believe about myself as part of this group?” and “What values do I have in this group?”

Again, just notice the answers that come from within.

Ask yourself: “What am I capable of in this group?” What answer do you notice comes from within?

Ask yourself: “What behaviors do I have in this group?”

Again, notice your answers.

Ask yourself: “What is this environment in which I am in?”

Again, notice your answers.

It is a simple exercise that may take only 5 minutes or so. In its simplicity, it has the ability to bring about an understanding that is far more complex. It is so easy to dismiss it until you have honestly tried it. So, give it a go and take in what your mind tells you. After all, it is all in the mind.

About the author: Lindley Craig is a certified NLP Instructor and Coach.

She conducts public & corporate workshops on Neuro Linguistic Programming, Communication and is one of only 90 licensed instructors of Marci Shimoff ’s workshops based on her NY Times best-selling books “Happy for No Reason” & “Love for No Reason”.

Lindley holds a Bachelor of Science from Florida International University and previously worked with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in the USA, Japan and Singapore.

Visit www.allinthemind.com.sg for more information on NLP.

Take this simple NLP process as a starting point:

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W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

IAN HORSBURGH

BC Y g n i m o c p U s.... t n e v E 1 1 0 2

Consultant - The Consulting Partnership C

2011 5th August the Thursday 2 ness Tour at si u ssionals B fe o Pr g n u Yo y SAESL facilit 011 eptember 2 S ith Ian Friday 9th tor Series w en M s al n io ss fe Young Pro s Group Vanda Sport Mullane, CEO

M first year in recruitment after moving My ffrom a Media background has been a ssteep learning curve, a challenge that I’ve ttaken head on and enjoyed every second.

M My career through the support of The C Consulting Partnership and the British C Chamber has grown beyond expectations aand I’m excited to see what new challenges llie ahead.

My company The Consulting Partnership is the Talent Voice in multiple sectors for Multinational and Regional Companies doing business in Asia. We help shape our clients thinking within their industries’ talent space - available skills, experience levels, compensation packages and ssuccession planning - which has enabled TTCP to attract, recruit and retain the best aavailable candidates in Asia.

W What prompted you to join the chamber?

Having attended several events with the British Chamber and also varying other cchambers, the value of such institutions e especially for younger professionals became very evident. Consequently tthrough my company I was given the o opportunity to join the Young British C Chamber committee, the opportunity to e expand my own professional and social network alongside sharing my experiences and knowledge of Singapore with other likeminded professionals was a big draw and thus I snapped up the opportunity quickly. Along the way I must admit that I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed the organisation of events aspect – with the help of the BCC team of course – and have also been able to utilise some of my Media/Marketing skills to push the YBC brand.

Why Should Young Professionals in Singapore join the chamber?

I would say young professionals should join for the same reasons I joined the chamber: It gives young professionals, especially those new to Singapore, a chance to expand their professional and social network, also to meet and exchange ideas / experiences with other likeminded people with varying paradigms in conjunction with the exposure to the experience of more mature members.

such as business tours, mentor talks and social events. A portal for exposure / learning that is hard to find.

About Ian: Nickname: Horse (obvious) / Chalky (don’t ask) Hometown: Tough question, can I have two: Ayr (Scotland) / Singapore Hobbies: Any sport to do with the water or a board – Sailing especially racing, Diving, Wakeboarding. I’m also a Newcastle fan when it comes to football, Howay the lads let’s get some silverware.

Favorite Music: Incubus and the Silversun Pickups are my all time favorites but it depends on the mood. Chopain with a coffee on the walk to work in the morning puts a smile on my face or some ear damaging Drum & Bass in the Gym. Where is the top of your ‘must travel to list’: I’ve done a lot of travelling and my list of places to go is still the length of my arm but I would have to say somewhere like the Southern Ocean on a yacht race, the Mariana Trench or Everest. Somewhere you need to push the limits to get there.

How do you think your friends would describe you?

I guess they would say that I’m quite an easy going, social guy, love a good laugh and some banter. Always on-the-go and looking out for the next challenge that lies ahead.

If you were to be stranded on an island and could take only 3 things with you, what would you take and why?

Easy, the 3 things that make a man happy (the order varies): • Food: A cow to put on the BBQ • Beer: A solar powered fridgee full of Tiger • The female species: Eve

The YBC offers more than other chambers in Singapore: Alongside networking events we have a host of different opportunities PAG E 4 9

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

M EM B E RS - S T E R LI N G N E WS

GROWTH STRATEGY INTO ASIA

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ngloINFO, the global expat network with over two million regular users across 56 sites in 22 countries, is continuing its expansion into Asia with new national and regional sites planned to launch in 2011. As a major presence within the

English-speaking expat community in Singapore, AngloINFO has proved to be a huge success in one of the world’s most competitive business environments. The company’s franchise model has allowed enterprising individuals throughout the

world to set up and run their own media business in regions as diverse as Paris, Dubai and São Paulo. New regional sites in Asia and throughout the world are available for franchising now; for more information visit www.angloinfo.com/franchising.

COGNITA ASIA PACIFIC NETWORK

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ognita welcomes back parents, students, teachers and administrators to another exciting school year at the following schools of the Cognita Asia Pacific network.

• The Australian International School of Singapore (AISS) • The Stamford American International School in Singapore (SAIS) • The St. Andrews Group of Schools in Thailand

• The International School in Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC) The global Cognita network currently includes 52 high quality schools. Cognita employs over 3,000 teachers and staff, and educates more than 15,000 students.

The group’s unbridled focus on quality education starts with its global Chairman, leading educationalist Chris Woodhead.

Through this unparalleled commitment to academic excellence, Cognita schools offer

parents the assurance of consistent, high level education a c r o s s different countries. In Asia Pacific, the network is growing and bringing top notch education standards to new markets. www.cognitaschools.co.uk

GET INSIDE ANALYTICS WITH DELOITTE

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o accelerate its growth in Analytics, Deloitte has established its Asia Pacific Deloitte Analytics Institute (DAI) in Singapore. With strong support from the Economic Development Board, Singapore was chosen as the site for DAI (Asia).

The Institute will undertake cutting-edge research, provide innovative solutions to the industry, and conduct continual training for Deloitte professionals and clients, not just in Singapore but throughout the region. Deloitte Analytics powers informed

decision-making by applying analytics deep within an organisation, allowing businesses to confidently make fact-based decisions. www.deloitteanalytics.com

NEW EXECUTIVE SOUS CHEF  RYAN JETTE

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e are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Ryan Jette, 30, as the new Executive Sous Chef at The Sentosa Resort and Spa. With 14 years of experience in the restaurant and luxury hotel industry under his belt, Ryan joins us from the Farm restaurant at The Carneros Inn, Napa, California where he was formerly

Chef de Cuisine.

Despite his relatively young career, Ryan has worked for The French Laundry, a three-Michelin star restaurant in Yountville, California

and international hotel chains such as the JW Marriott (San Francisco), Mandarin Oriental (New York), Mandarin Oriental (Hyde Park, London) and Mandarin Oriental (Miami, Florida).www.thesentosa.com

COVERING SUPPLY CHAIN VULNERABILITY

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011 has shown that the effects of a catastrophe in one part of the globe can be felt far beyond the region where the disaster occurred. The tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan devastated the local community and disrupted business operations throughout the world, PAG E 5 0

particularly for the electronics and the car industries. Lloyd’s expects to pay claims of US$1.95bn to help people and businesses rebuild after the disaster in Japan. And insurers are playing an important role in covering the risk of disruption to global supply chains, which increasingly

have minimal room for error. Business interruption insurance covers physical damage to goods or premises and trade disruption insurance provides cover when the goods are undamaged, but you can’t physically move them. www.lloyds.com

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

GSM CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

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n July 1, 1991, the world’s first GSM call on a commercial network was made between Finland’s former prime minister Harri Holkeri and vice mayor of the city of Tampere Kaarina Suonio. The first GSM network was built by Telenokia and Siemens – today’s Nokia Siemens Networks. Today’s 838 GSM networks in 234 countries and independent territories

around the world have more than 4.4 billion subscriptions. GSM is still growing fast, with 1 million new GSM subscriptions added every day. That’s a rate of nearly 12 a second. Nokia Siemens Networks technology directly supports 2.9 billion subscribers – almost half of the world’s population – in 365 GSM networks in 143 countries. www.nsn.com

NEW MARKET STRATEGY APP ON BB PLAYBOOK

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ingapore, Hong Kong, 23 June 2011: The Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) Global Banking & Markets (GBM) division launches a new market strategy app today for its institutional clients in Singapore on the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. RBS is the first investment bank to launch an app on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet,

from Research In Motion (RIM). The RBS app for the BlackBerry PlayBook, a first in the market, allows RBS to use the latest innovation in mobile technology to better serve the needs of its clients globally.

Singapore is the first country in Asia Pacific where RBS is offering the new research and strategy app. It will be subsequently rolled

out to clients in the Asia Pacific region. The app has also been launched in the US and Europe. This launch also coincides with RIM’s launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in the region. RIM has announced that the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will be available in Singapore from today, followed

by Hong Kong in early July. www.rbsm.com

NEW ONLINE TRADING PROVIDING ACCESS ACROSS10 COUNTRIES

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June 2011, Singapore – Standard Chartered has launched an Online Trading platform providing access to 14 exchanges across 10 countries. Standard Chartered is the first and only bank not to charge a minimum commission for Online Trading. With Online Trading integrated within the Online Banking website, customers can at any time see a consolidated view of their holdings

and banking relationship and manage their portfolio with ease on one platform.

On the launch, Andrew Chia, Regional Head of Wealth Management, Singapore and Southeast Asia, Standard Chartered Bank said: “We increasingly see our retail customers managing their money more actively: on their own and on the go. Our Online Banking customer base has grown by 24 per cent year-on-year and active

users have grown by 30 per cent yearon-year. Introducing the capability for our customers to trade stocks, exchangetraded funds and other exchange-traded instruments through our Online Banking platform is a natural-extension of our remote banking offering, as we enhance banking convenience to meet the changing needs of our customers. Now everyone can trade.” www.standardchartered.com.sg

GLOBAL CLOUD ACCELERATED WITH NEW ACQUISITION

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imension Data has acquired OpSource, an enterprise cloud company, in a deal that will see Dimension Data, a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT Holdings, accelerate its cloud computing services offerings. OpSource is headquartered in Santa Clara, California with operations in Virginia, United Kingdom, Ireland and India. Over 600 enterprises, service providers and Software-as-aService Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) employ OpSource’s expertise, experience and cloud automation

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technology to operate high-availability, business-critical cloud computing and hosting environments. Dimension Data’s

competencies and capabilities in IT integration are a strategic differentiator and critical to helping organizations effectively adopt a cloud architecture. The Group’s experience with complex multi-national systems integration projects, coupled with its managed services, data center and storage, and security expertise are critical to accelerating the transition to cloud computing for clients across all regions. www.dimensiondata.com

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

BRITCHAM E VENTS

BUDGET 2011 HIGHLIGHTS FOR BUSINESSES - THE PRODUCTIVITY & INNOVATION CREDIT SCHEME

by Joan Fuan - Tax Specialist, IRAS Wed, May 25, 2011, Pan Pacific Hotel

INSIGHTS FROM A CEO: LOBBYING AND BUILDING TRUST IN THE EU

by Jeremy Galbraith - CEO, Burson-Marsteller EMEA Mon, June 06, 2011, The Tanglin Club

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building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

BRITCHAM E VENTS

BUILDING A WORLD CLASS FINANCE FUNCTION

by Raphael P. Young - Managing Principal, SAP and R. Raghunanthan - Partner, Advisory Consulting Business, PWC Fri, June 10, 2011, Pan Pacific Singapore (Marina Square)

IPHONE AND IPAD AS PART OF A MOBILITY STRATEGY SERVING BOTH EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS

by Trevor Haeger - Chief Information Officer, Standard Chartered Tue, June 21, 2011, Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

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building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

NEW MEMBERS NIGHT Thu, June 23, 2011, Host @ Clarke Quay

DZUKANI THE WAKE UP CALL

by Helen Lee - Founder and Principal, Lee Heiss Coaching and Clive Wilson - of Talent Liberation, Prime East Tue, July 12, 2011, Singapore Cricket Club

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building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

M E M B E R S - CO R P O R AT E N E W S

ACTA DESIGNS INDIA HEADQUARTER OFFICE

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his unique, dynamic and gravitydefying building has been designed by aCTa international for Unimark-Asia as their new India head quarter office.

Located prominently in the heart of the city, the buildings distinctive profile will ensure that it will stand prominently in the

Kolkata skyline affording spectacular views across the city. The characteristic terraces allow occupants to easily step out of their office. aCTa has introduced a number of green initiatives to target a platinum rating. www.acta.com.sg

JOHN SIMON APPOINTED AS CS MANAGER

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ohn Simon brings with him 16 years of across-the-board experience in the moving and relocation industry, both professionally and personally. From his early days in packing through to sales, operations, customer service and general management, Singapore will be John’s

eighth city of residence in 12 years. A native Australian, John arrived with his wife Fin and two cats from the U.S. Becoming fully entrenched to life in Singapore during one of the relocation and moving industry’s busiest periods,

John looks forward to the interaction and one-on-one opportunities with customers in his new position with Allied Pickfords Singapore. www.alliedpickfords.com.sg

JOB SEEKERS EYE SG OVER HK

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mbition, the leading global boutique recruitment business confirms that job candidates in Hong Kong are increasingly eyeing Singapore as their preferred destination for their next

assignment. From January to May 2011, the company has seen a 58% increase in candidates expressing interest in relocating to Singapore from Hong Kong over the same period last year. Citing a number of

issues, from pollution to the size and cost of accommodation, job candidates have indicated growing levels of disenchantment with Hong Kong as a place to work and bring up a family. www.ambition.com.sg

ARUP CELEBRATES OPENING OF SOTA

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INGAPORE, Friday, 15 July 2011 – Arup, the name behind some of the world’s most iconic performing arts venues including Sydney Opera House; Australia, Tempe Center for the Arts; US, Melbourne Recital Centre; Australia and Kings Place Recital Hall; UK, celebrates today the official

opening of School of the Arts (SOTA) in Singapore.

A purpose-built campus, SOTA houses a 423-seat drama theatre, 708-seat concert hall and 200-seat flexible studio theatre, and supporting facilities. www.arup.com

ASCENDAS DEVELOPS NEW MOBILE APP

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inding appropriate business space solutions can be challenging.

Leading business space solutions provider, Ascendas Pte Ltd has introduced its first mobile application, the ‘Spacetobe’ App, which allows anyone to access Ascendas’

portfolio across Asia conveniently. The app is a mobile extension of services available on Ascendas’ online property directory (www.spacetobe.com.sg) and includes features such as 360-degree panoramic property views, search filters and

information sharing via email and social media platforms. Download the App for iOS and Android devices here: www.spacetobe. com.sg/mobileapp

BBC NEWS APP COMES TO ANDROID DEVICES

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ingapore, 14 Jun 2011. BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC has today launched the BBC News app for Android mobile devices for audiences all PAG E 5 6

around the world. The free app has already proved hugely popular on the iPhone and iPad with over 3 million downloads outside of the UK since it launched in April 2010.

The new arrival of the BBC News app within the Android Market means that even more

audiences will be able to get instant access to its breaking news, watch video reports and read the latest updates wherever they are. www.bbc.com

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

BLP SINGAPORE EXPANDS

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LP Singapore has expanded rapidly with the recent hire of a team of five lawyers, led by Alistair Duffield, an acknowledged expert in the mining and energy sector in Asia. The current office comprises thirteen lawyers with extensive transactional experience in SouthEast Asia and South Asia across corporate

finance, asset finance, project finance and private client specialisations. Clients include MNCs, regional Asian conglomerates, financial institutions, airlines and ship-owners and highnet worth individuals. www.blplaw.com

BTP  MAKING A DIFFERENCE

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he British Chamber of Commerce and European Chamber of Commerce joined the British Theatre Playhouse in presenting “Buddy vs The Killer” charity gala performance and dinner held over two evenings at Raffles Hotel and raising $130,000 for Viva Foundation for Children with Cancer. The charity’s aim is to improve

the survival rate among children with cancer and support efforts to cure pediatric cancer in Singapore and the region. “We all have children and the opportunity to make a difference to help save lives”, says Cecilia Leong-Faulkner, Director, British Theatre Playhouse. www.britishtheatreplayhouse. com

From left: Micheal Collins, Cecilia Leong-Faulkner, Jennifer Yeo, Steve Puckett and John Faulkner.

FUNDING AND SUPPORT INVITED

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able&Wireless Worldwide, the mission critical communications provider, announces its charitable foundation, and is inviting organisations and individuals to apply for funding and support. The

Cable&Wireless Worldwide Foundation will enhance the lives of those with special needs through its expertise in mission critical communications, and will look to partner and build relationships with

institutions that support, research, develop or implement the appropriate, specialist communication requirements. Individuals and organisations looking for funding should go to www.cw.com/foundation.

SG IN TOP 3 GLOBAL RELOC DESTINATIONS

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INGAPORE (June 29, 2011)— Singapore has ranked third on the list of top 25 expatriate destinations, outpacing China’s volume, just after the United States and United Kingdom. The figures represent

all international moves by Cartus clients during last five years. “Singapore is one of the top expat destinations as the citystate is reputed to attract foreign investors, companies and professionals. Schooling

and healthcare have always been key factors our assignees and families find attractive about Singapore.” said Kenneth Kwek, head of Cartus Asia operations. www.cartus.com

NEW MARCOMM MANAGER APPOINTED

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entaurs Group, a leading provider of youth rugby, kids sports parties & camps and corporate team building in Singapore has appointed Joanna Rathbone as their Marketing and Communications Manager.

Joanna has extensive experience in both Public Relations and Marketing in Singapore and overseas. Several years prior to her appointment, Joanna was a freelance journalist writing for local and international magazines and newspapers.

Centaurs is entering into its 10th year of operations and is looking to expand current core business units and explore new business opportunities. www.centaursgroup.com

THE UK BRIBERY ACT  NOT SO SCARY?

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ome of you may recall Steven Cannon’s Britcham Breakfast Seminar on the UK Bribery Act earlier this year. The Act is now in force, following the publication of guidance by the UK Ministry of Justice, and we are advising clients around the region upon its impact. In PAG E 5 7

particular, the guidance issued provides a relatively restricted interpretation of the scope of the Act, leading to the possibility of strategies for limiting or even excluding its effect. For more information please contact stevencannon@eversheds.com.

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

M E M B E R S - CO R P O R AT E N E W S

CIMA CONFERENCE AT CAPE TOWN

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IMA international conference from 24-25 October 2011 will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa. The theme for the 2011 international conference is ‘Business

in Tomorrow’s World – a sustainable future’.

The conference will showcase organisations and people who have successfully emerged as leaders within their respective industries, who have showed success in transparency,

sustainability, leadership, enterprise governance and management accountancy.

500-600 finance decision makers from local and international companies are expected. www.cimaglobal.com

CIMB GROUP RECEIVES BSI CERT

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IMB Group’s Treasury department in Malaysia became the first bank in Southeast Asia to achieve their Business Continuity Management (BS 25999) certificate. On May 25th, 2011 the certificate was presented to Dato’

Lee Kwok Kwan, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Treasury and Invesment, CIMB Group by Mr. Alwi Hafiz, ASEAN Managing Director, BSI Group in a presentation ceremony. www.bsigroup.com

ECSF CELEBRATES 10 YEARS IN SOUTH EAST ASIA!

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lla Cheong Spruson & Ferguson (ECSF) recently celebrated the firm’s 10th anniversary of providing expert Intellectual Property services in Southeast Asia. Founded in 2001, ECSF has grown to become a leading IP firm in the region representing a diverse list of local companies, government organisations and international corporations. With its expanding team of experienced and

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highly-qualified patent and trade mark professionals and technical experts, ECSF is well placed to provide quality IP services.

To coincide with the anniversary, ECSF will soon announce the launch of their new brand which reflects the dynamic and progressive nature of both intellectual property and ECSF itself. www.ecsf-asia.com

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

INCE LAW ALLIANCE

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nternational law firm Ince & Co has recently established the Ince Law Alliance with Incisive Law LLC, being the first of the English firms specialising in maritime law to do so. Through the Ince Law Alliance, Ince & Co Singapore now offers an experienced team of dual-qualified lawyers in a ‘one-stop’ shop for both Singapore and English legal advice. www.incelaw.com

LEADING WORLDWIDE PROVIDER OF PAYMENTS SOLUTIONS, ANNOUNCES RECENT UPDATES 1. New product, iSMP for EMV mobile payment for iPod-Touch and iPhone, readily available.

2. New partnerships of affiliate TransferTo launches international airtime transfer

application for Apple-iPhone/iPAD and Google-Android Smartphones, which enables users to transfer airtime to customers of over 185 mobile operators in 70 countries.

3. Additional 40.000 units of EFT930G order from PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk, Indonesia’s largest bank in terms of total assets, loans and deposits. www.ingenico.com

NEW HK OFFICE OPEN

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with American Express to provide bespoke experiences for Platinum and Centurion cardmembers in Singapore.

In May 2011 Lightfoot Travel officially opened a Hong Kong office. www.lightfoottravel.com

ightfoot Travel is a Singapore based luxury tour operator offering bespoke travel solutions to private clients and corporates. Our tailor-made corporate travel services include Incentives & Rewards, Conferences & Meetings, and Client & Corporate Entertainment. The company has recently teamed up

LAUNCHING IN SINGAPORE

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.J. Martin & Co Ltd – Executive Coaches for Global Business Leaders is the ‘Unique Boutique’ for ‘excellent executive’ coaching.

Tailored programmes with ‘C-Suite’ coaches

mean fast-track leadership development for executives and bigger bottom-lines for business. Clients are never alone with I.J. Martin & Co’s 24/7 service in Asia, USA

and Europe. This high-end firm brings global coaching and centuries of executive experience to support Singapore’s business success. www.ijmartin.com

S$2M DONATED TOWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS

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ingapore, 4 July 2011 – Overseas Union Enterprise Limited (OUE) announced a landmark partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to provide SIT hospitality students with scholarships worth a total of S$2 million.

The official signing ceremony for the scholarship

deal was held at Mandarin Orchard Singapore.

The scholarships aim to reward outstanding SIT hospitality students, in keeping with the institution’s commitment to remain strongly industry-relevant. OUE will grant SIT S$200,000 per annum over a period of 10 years with committed scholarship grants totalling S$2 million.

SG SALARY & EMPLOYMENT FORECAST

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ichael Page International is soon to release the Singapore Salary & Employment Forecast. Our annual employment survey, which this year includes the responses of more than 400 senior managers from Singapore’s corporate sector provides useful insights into the hiring expectations, recruitment challenges and salary PAG E 5 9

forecasts of key roles within each of our specialist areas for the coming year. Andrew Norton, Regional Managing Director, Southeast Asia, wishes to thank everyone who contributed to this year’s Salary & Employment Forecast and trust you will find the new report helpful and informative. www.michaelpage.com.sg

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

M E M B E R S - CO R P O R AT E N E W S

SUNBEAM PLACE PASTRY CLASS

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n 25 June 2011, 22 children from Sunbeam Place were treated to a pastry class organized by the team at Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel. The little ones picked up basic baking skills from the culinary team, who surprised them with a sumptuous buffet lunch after the class. The children were also able to bring back their creations, except for some who could not wait and consumed the goodies

fresh off the oven! Sunbeam Place is a home and gazetted Place of Safety for abused and neglected children, under the aegis of Singapore Children’s Society. With Singapore Children’s Society as Pan Pacific Orchard’s adopted charity in 2011, the hotel hopes to provide more fun-filled activities, where the little ones can interact safely with adults in the long-term. www.panpacific.com

NEW COUNTRY MANAGER APPOINTED

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ingapore, 30 June, 2011 – RSA, a world leading insurance group and one of the largest insurers in the region, has announced the appointment of Elliot Hill as Country Manager for its Singapore Retail operations. In his new role, Elliot will be responsible for leading RSA’s existing retail business. Elliot joins our Singapore business from RSA’s Emerging Markets central team, where he reported

to Paul Whittaker as General Counsel for Emerging Markets.

With over 13 years in the corporate world, Elliot is a qualified solicitor who has spent the last 5 years with RSA focusing on the strategic agenda in Emerging Markets across areas such as mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance, as well as his core legal and compliance responsibilities. www.rsagroup.com

NEW AWARDWINNING CRM SOLUTION

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age CRM v7.1 offers enormous benefits to businesses looking to accelerate marketing success. It is packed with new features which will make a real and immediate impact to businesses looking to stay ahead in today’s competitive marketplace including fully integrated E-marketing, powerful interactive dashboards, point-and-

click integration with MS Exchange for seamless calendar and communications management regardless of device or location, full iPhone support, and Twitter integration.

All features have been developed to maximise ease-ofuse and ensure our customers can be effective from day 1 with Sage CRM. www.sageasiapac.com

TWENTY20 ACTION IN SINGAPORE CRICKET CLUB

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atch world-class twenty20 cricket as eight top clubs from around Asia Pacific battle over three days for the crown of SCC-PayPal Twenty20 Tournament Champion! The fast-paced twenty20 format is providing a thrilling live spectacle at Kallang Field and The Padang. The

tournament kicks off on Friday, August 19, and gets its exciting close on Sunday afternoon at The Padang. Aside from the thrilling on-field action, various spot prizes will be up for grabs. So head on down to catch the top players putting on a show! www.scctwenty20.com

THE BRIDGE PROJECT  RICHARD III STARRING KEVIN SPACEY

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he Bridge Project – Richard III starring Kevin Spacey will be held from 17th26th November at the Esplanade Theatre as part of the Audi Classics Series. Following very successful productions of The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest the last instalment PAG E 6 0

of Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes’ The Bridge Project is Richard III with Kevin Spacey leading a star-studded cast.

Unique Corporate Entertainment Packages available. www.srt.com.sg

building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities

W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

NEW SG PARTNER APPOINTED

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nternational law firm Stephenson Harwood has promoted Daryll Ng to partnership in its Singapore office, bringing the total number of partners to 10.

Daryll rose through the ranks in Stephenson Harwood in the firm’s Marine and International Trade practice. He has significant experience in dry shipping litigation and

has been involved in disputes relating to charterparties, cargo claims, ship sale and purchase as well as trade finance issues. He has also acted for owners, clubs, shipyards, charterers and cargo interests. www.shlegal. com

SYNDICATE OF LENDERS ADVISED

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June 2011: The Singapore office of Watson, Farley & Williams, a leading international law firm, acted as lead and English counsel for a syndicate of international lenders led by ABN Amro Bank N.V., Singapore Branch as arranger and as security trustee and NIBC Bank Ltd as agent, in connection with syndicated

project loan facilities of up to an aggregate of US$110,000,000 made available by (i) ABN Amro Bank N.V, Singapore Branch, (ii) NIBC Bank Ltd, (iii) Credit Industriel et Commercial, Singapore Branch and (iv) Northern Barge LLC, as lenders (and ABN Amro Bank N.V., NIBC Bank N.V. and Credit Industriel et Commercial, Singapore Branch

each acting as swap banks) to a joint venture company (incorporated in the Marshall Islands (the “MI Company”)), to part finance various project and construction costs in relation to the heavy lift derrick pipe laying barge with 3,000MT crane.

20 TEAMS. 100 TONNES OF EQUIPMENT. IN POSITION, READY FOR KICK-OFF. DHL is the Official Logistics Partner for Rugby World Cup 2011.

Before a ball is kicked we’ll deliver 100 tonnes of team equipment.

Our fleet will cover up to 30,000 km and from the opening match to the Final, we will distribute tickets worldwide, safely and securely.

Delivering Rugby to the world.

www.deliveringrugbytotheworld.com

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building networks • connecting business • creating opportunities TM © Rugby World Cup Limited 2008

AR TS & CULTURE

PUT AWAY THAT POKER FACE AND COME LAUGH YOUR HEADS OFF!

by Adrian Pang

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ollowing on from their first two hugely successful productions, the musical comedy THE FULL MONTY and the psycho-sexual drama CLOSER, Pangdemonium!’s third production in September is the Singapore premiere of the “exhilaratingly funny and emotionally acute” (The Independent) contemporary cult classic “poker comedy” DEALER’S CHOICE. Patrick Marber’s playwriting debut DEALER’S CHOICE won the prestigious Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Comedy, and the Writers’ Guild Award for Best West End Play, and was a hit with audiences and critics alike. But the genesis of the play was rather less glamorous.

Marber was at the time a recovering poker addict, and had at even visited Gamblers Anonymous. “I learned a lot playing that game,” he says, “and some of the anarchy and the pain and the pleasure of it went into the play.”

And the characters in DEALER’S CHOICE comically and truthfully reflect all that wealth of experience: six men – each one with his own dreams, his own demons and his own delusions of what it means to be a man – meet in a London restaurant to joke about sex, argue about money and fight about everything else. Their hilarious highjinks lead to a game of poker… except that for these men, poker is never just a game: for Stephen poker is an obsessive power trip; for Sweeney it’s a distraction from his domestic dilemmas; for Frankie it’s an extension of his manhood; for Carl it’s a hopeless addiction; for Mugsy it’s an escape from his loser’s life; and for Ash it is his life…

As the cards are dealt and the stakes are raised, whom will Lady Luck be smiling on?

What ace does Stephen have up his sleeve?

What’s the dodgy deal between Frankie and Sweeney? What’s the secret relationship between Carl and Ash? And what is it with Mugsy and toilets??? …

What begins as a seemingly innocent poker session turns into a survival of the fittest to find out who will outwit, outplay, outlast.

And by the end of the night, as the delicate house of cards crumbles, the men are PAG E 6 2

separated from the boys.

Pangdemonium!’s Artistic Directors Adrian and Tracie Pang chose DEALER’S CHOICE because they “love Marber’s wonderfully warped world-view and his hilariously self-deprecating and painfully honest perspective of the world of men.” Tracie says: “We wanted to do a comedy that was entertaining, accessible and relevant to Singapore audiences, and at the same time had heart and humanity. DEALER’S CHOICE fits the bill perfectly.”

“DEALER’S CHOICE”, Marber says, “could have been called Men Without Women. You could argue that it’s all about lack of sex”.

And with the explosion of casino culture in Singapore and the constant “cautionary tales” in the media about gambling addiction, coupled with the government’s lamentations about our nation’s declining birth rate, there is an amusingly ironic resonance to the play.

The cast includes theatre veterans Adrian Pang (The Full Monty, Macbeth), Daniel Jenkins (Blackbird, The Pillowman), Keagan Kang (Closer, Macbeth) and UK’s Daniel York (Boeing Boeing, The Importance of Being Earnest), and the testosterone levels will be under the watchful eye of director Tracie Pang (The Full Monty, Closer). The cast members have been hard at work brushing up on their poker skills, a couple of them having to work harder than the others, being new to the game. One of these “poker virgins” is Adrian himself.

in London in 1995,” Adrian recalls, “and even though I didn’t know a thing about poker, it was one of the most enjoyable nights out at the theatre I’d ever experienced.

And now that I’m producing and acting in Pangdemonium’s own production of it, I’m enjoying the play even more – even though I still don’t know a thing about poker!”

Eminent theatre critic Dominic Cavendish from The Telegraph agrees: “As a non-poker player, I feel it’s my duty to proclaim it from the rooftops: this is it, this is the play that will remind you why we go to the theatre – and just how good it can get.”

So while Adrian has his work cut out for him learning the bare basics of poker, and Tracie has her hands full dealing with six men behaving badly, they are both determined to make sure that DEALER’S CHOICE is a fun-filled night out at the theatre.

As Tracie declares: “I defy anyone to sit through DEALER’S CHOICE with poker face!”

For more information please visit www. pangdemonium.com.

DEALER’S CHOICE Drama Centre Theatre 29th September to 16 October 2011.

BritCham members - present your membership card at any Sistic outlet and enjoy a 15% Discount!

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W W W. B R I T C H A M . O R G . S G

FUTURE MEMORY

by Kay Vasey, Director, Arts, British Council

Asif Khan studied architecture at the Architectural Association and The Bartlett, University College London. In 2008 he founded Asif Khan Ltd., a design office based in London that aims to combine the disciplines of architecture, products, interiors, and furniture in new and unexpected ways. In 2011 he was awarded the W Hotels Designers of the Future Award and in June, he presented his new work, ‘Cloud’ at Design Miami. In October, he will be building a micro public space in Singapore commissioned by the British Council, the Royal Academy of Arts and the Preservation of Monuments Board, Singapore.

You recently visited Singapore for the first time. What were your impressions of the architecture and design scene?

Singapore is a country where everything that isn’t urban space yet has the potential to become it very soon. For an architect to work in that context must be both a world of opportunity and a massive responsibility for the future. Maybe because of this, I found the architecture scene quite lively in debate with some very interesting characters each dealing with that weight on their shoulders in different ways. Amongst these Liu Thai Ker of RSP Architects; Randy Chan of Zarch Collaboratives; and Khoo Peng Beng and Belinda Huang of ARC Studio were very generous with their time and providing their individual take on Singapore and its built environment.

Asif with Khoo Peng Beng and Belinda Huang at the top of their award-winning building, Pinnacle@Duxton

What did you think of the past, present and future of the built environment in Singapore?

We’re trying to explore exactly this in the Future Memory Pavilion which we have been commissioned to design by the British Council and the Royal Academy of Arts in close collaboration with the Preservation of Monuments Board of Singapore. During the Singapore Architecture Festival, ArchiFest in October 2011 we’ll create an experimental temporary structure made from ice and sand in front of the National Museum of Singapore which will encourage people to question their understanding of the built environment and maybe inspire a little for the future!

What’s coming up for you in the next couple of years?

The work of the studio is pretty diverse so look out for lighting made from porcelain to a restaurant opening in London’s Borough Market called Elliot’s Cafe this summer. After Singapore we’re doing an exciting project for Design Miami in December which will then be followed by launching a furniture range for primary schools in Malawi and then a very special bit of architecture for London 2012. After that who knows…Maybe something in Singapore!

Asif visiting Pulau Ubin and Marina Bay Sands

For further information on the Future Memory Pavilion, please visit: www.futurememory.sg.

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SPOR TS

SLEEPLESS IN SINGAPORE

By Anne Ng, Communications Manager/National Press Officer, Singapore GP

O

ver the past three years, 300 million television viewers worldwide witnessed a spectacular view of cars racing past historical landmarks and modern skyscrapers under a canopy of stars and some 1,500 lighting projectors illuminating a street circuit. It is the world’s only Formula One night race and the three-day event is celebrated in full fanfare in host city, Singapore.

Come September, this dramatic race set against the backdrop of heritage buildings, iconic modern architecture and a glowing city skyline, will once again enthral crowds with a unique combination of sights, sound and an electric atmosphere at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Attendees will witness first-hand Formula One cars racing on public roads at exhilarating speeds of up to 300km/h. The 5.073km Marina Bay Street Circuit presents a riveting combination of long straights and challenging turns, a stern examination even for the finest drivers.

2011 looks set to be a nail-biting and unpredictable season with five former champions competing, new drivers on the

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grid, and numerous technical revisions such as the return of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), enabling of movable rear wings and re-introduction of the 107% qualifying rule. The position of Singapore as the 14th race on the Formula One calendar also means that the drivers have everything to fight for which ensures truly thrilling race action.

Nestled in the heart of the city and adjacent to numerous five-star hotels, shopping malls and entertainment centres, the Marina Bay Street Circuit is regarded as a premier Grand Prix destination amongst racing enthusiasts. With a total of five subway stations encircling the race venue, getting in, out and around the circuit is supremely convenient.

In addition to the Formula One action and support races on track, spectators can catch a myriad of entertainment performances including international headlining artistes – all with just the one race ticket. As part of the S$5 million entertainment line-up within the circuit park, multi award-winning band Linkin Park has been confirmed as the headlining act on race day 25 September 2011 at the Padang main stage.

SPECIAL FOR BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEMBERS From now until race week, enjoy up to 15% savings for group bookings of 2011 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX tickets. Purchases can be made online (www.singaporegp.sg) or via the ticketing hotline +65 6738-6738.

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SPOR TS

A LITTLE BOOST GOES A LONG WAY FOR A BIG DREAM

By Jansen Yeo, Strategic Communications Executive, Singapore Sports School

E

very athlete dreams of competing in the Olympic Games, and it is the same for swimmer Tao Li and table tennis players Isabelle Li Siyun and Pang Xue Jie from Singapore.

On 11 July 2011, the three Singapore Sports School alumni received a boost from the British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore (BCC), to push them towards their Olympic dreams; they were presented with the “Dream 2012” award for 2011/2012, which comes with a plaque and $3,500 cash award.

The “Dream 2012” award was established soon after London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. It has middledistance great, Lord Sebastian Coe, as its patron.

respective sports,” said BCC President, Mr Steve Puckett.

From left to right: Steve Puckett (President, BCC), Tao Li (SSP alumnus, swimming), Isabelle Li and Pang Xue Jie (both SSP alumni, table tennis)

BCC organises fundraising activities to fund the “Dream 2012” award. Since its inaugural presentation in 2006, a total of 22 awards worth $77,000 have been presented to nine student-athletes from Singapore Sports School. Tao Li, 21, has received the “Dream 2012” award since 2006, a total of $21,000, while Xue Jie, since 2007 ($17,500). This is Isabelle’s second time receiving the award; her first being 2008.

“These awards are the British Chamber of Commerce’s way of showing its strong support for student-athletes of the Singapore Sports School who have the determination to make the sacrifices needed to realise their dreams of becoming future top athletes. We believe that these student-athletes deserve all the support they can get, to go as far as they can in their

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At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Tao Li became the first Singaporean to qualify for an Olympic swimming final. She finished fifth in the 100m Women’s Butterfly stroke, in 57.99 seconds.

“I’m grateful to the British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore, for presenting me with the ‘Dream 2012’ award. The cash award has allowed me to eat food that is more nutritious, giving me the energy that I need for training as well as recovery.

“Other top swimmers from around the world are returning better times. So I can’t afford to slack even during one training session. I am definitely working hard to make the cut for London. I want to win a medal. That will be the best way of showing my gratitude to the British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore, which has been my constant backer for six years,” said Tao Li.

medal at the 24th Southeast Asian Games at Nakhon Ratchasima, Korat, Thailand, in 2007. At the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, he also contributed significantly to Singapore’s Gold medal in the Table Tennis Men’s Team event.

Isabelle, 16, is best remembered for winning the Table Tennis Women’s Singles Silver medal at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. Other “Dream 2012” award recipients include swimmer Ho Shu Yong, table tennis player Zena Sim, long jumper Stefan Tseng, sprinter Valerie Pereira and sailor Sherman Cheng.

“Dream 2012”, as the name suggests, is scheduled to end next year with the start of the London Olympic Games. But Mr Puckett said: “It would be great to see some success for Singapore in 2012. I’m sure we will maintain our links with the Sports School and keep our links with the athletes we’ve supported along the way.”

Xue Jie, 18, rose to the rank of the Team Singapore Table Tennis Elite Squad at the tender age of 13, and he was just 14 when he contributed to the Men’s Team Gold

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SPOR TS

LONDON 2012: THE FIRST SOCIAL GAMES

By Sarah Croft, Director, Trade, UK Trade and Investment

F

rom the launch of the controversial London 2012 logo (specifically designed to work with digital formats), to the online ticket application process, the London games are setting themselves up to be the first truly digital games.

In an increasingly digital age the role played by technology in the planning and staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is vital. The London 2012 team is working with new media technologies to use appropriate platforms to share vast amounts of information with an increasingly wide community; enabling everyone to access, share and participate in the Games.

During the Games themselves of course core competition information and accurate sport results will be captured, produced and communicated to a worldwide audience. In addition to the conventional broadcasters, YouTube is planning to stream highlights of the games around the world. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. In the lead up to the games the primary route to engage the public has been and continues to be through digital media. And this is what is making these games different.

Already on the London 2012 website you can: • Access webcams at the main venues • View timelined maps of events • Browse still images of venues and related events • “fly through” venues • download videos and follow developments via blogs www.london2012.com The two London 2012 mascots, Mandeville and Wenlock, have their own microsite with individual twitter feeds and facebook fan pages: www.facebook.com/iammandeville www.facebook.com/iamwenlock http://twitter.com/#iammandeville http://twitter.com/#iamwenlock But its not just the London 2012 organizing committee who is making full use of new media. Many of the Games sponsors are PAG E 6 8

doing so too. Back in 2009, Adidas was the first sponsor to launch its social media campaign. More recently Scottish Widows launched an online tickets competition and Samsung is preloading Games content onto its new products.

Social media is being used by Scottish Widows for a competition to win tickets to either the London Olympic or Paralympic Opening Ceremonies.

To support the competition and its London 2012 Olympic Games partnership, Scottish Widows has launched a dedicated social media programme through its new Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

The new Facebook page will act as a hub for both the competition and Scottish Widows’ London 2012 Games related activity, and will include information on the young athletes Scottish Widows sponsors, the Golden Hopefuls, and their journey to London 2012.

It will also have messages from Sarah Storey, OBE (who is hoping to compete in both the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games), and Roger Black, MBE.

Britain games related content available to all Galaxy Tab customers in the form of an application and ‘Best of Britain’ widget.

The same contents will also be available for download on all Samsung smartphones through the Samsung Application Store. By delivering content in this manner, the two organisations hope to engage visitors of all ages - but particularly young people - to encourage online and offline participation in the Games and give a major boost to efforts to create a tourism legacy post 2012.

VisitBritain has also developed a range of social media platforms on Facebook and Twitter while VisitBritain.com, voted the world’s best national tourism organisation website, is available in 21 languages opening up exclusive access to content for visitors to Britain from around the world.

About the Author Sarah Croft Director, Trade UK Trade & Investment

Samsung, worldwide wireless communications partner of the Olympic Games, has committed to making Visit

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WIN E CLU B

DRINK BETTER WINE AND PAY LESS!

By David Coleman, CEO Rubicon Reserve Wines

I

t seems that one of the most common talking points around the dinner party table these days is the cost of the beverage they are drinking and how it is either so much cheaper at home or how the tax here is to blame.

But is it?

Singapore actually has one of the fairer tax systems in the world when it comes to alcohol and is actually the focus of many studies from countries around the world who are trying to find the most efficient way for their revenue man to go collect and in some cases like Australia how they can combat the abuse of cheap alcohol.

The same can’t be said for the rest of the region, where it seems it does not matter if it is run by some Tin Pot General and his cronies or a respectable former Tin Pot General and his cronies, as they now wear suits, they all have it in for those of us who have evolved enough to enjoy a glass of wine with our meal. More is the shame that many of the places we all love to spend our long weekends such as Phuket and Bali have some of the highest tax systems in the world and as such wine is either not available or is stored so badly that who would drink it anyway. The result of which, each weekend Singapore becomes the dispatch point of the world’s largest army of amateur bootleggers, all with an extra bottle of two crammed in their bag and a few US $20 notes ready to change hands.

This experience for many is really quite traumatic as no one really likes to flaunt officialdom and the haggling can leave you feeling like your boogie board bag could be tampered with at any time! This situation has been made even harder in recent times in areas like Bali as they try to knock a few dents out of their tin cup and clean up their act. I am not sure if this now officially makes them mugs, but it has lead to a few unfortunate amateur bootleggers spending a little bit more time than they planned at the airport in a dark room answering some very embarrassing questions.

So what to do for all of us law abiding citizens that just want to enjoy a nice direct.com cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc by the pool while someone rubs our feet? The answer lies in a newly formed distribution business called Indo Wines Direct (www.indowinesdirect.com) . This operation allows you to buy your wines online in the security of Singapore and delivered to your address of choice in Indonesia, namely Jakarta and Bali at this stage with more destinations to open up as the word spreads. While they openly admit that they can’t do much about the tax in the country of destination, as all wines arrive stickered and fully duty paid, what

they can do is ensure that the wine you order is kept in the correct condition and there are no limits to how much you can buy. This system now makes the prospect of organising a party or wedding in Bali a whole lot easier and all without the ugly confrontation at the airport.

INDO WINES

So back to the dinner party and the discussion about Singapore’s tax - Fact or Fiction? To end the argument here is how tax in Singapore duty is worked out. Pure alcohol is taxed at $70 a litre, so to work out how much tax you will pay on a bottle of wine you just times $70 x volume of the bottle x % of alcohol. This system pays no heed to the value of the bottle, is not too high that bootleggers can find a market and is simple to collect. So while you will not find your bottle of 2 buck chuck in Singapore what you will find is the value to quality ratio of wines over $30 in Singapore is excellent. So what’s there not to like about that, drink better wine and save money!

About the Author David Coleman. CEO Rubicon Reserve Wines www.rubiconreservewines. com/britcham

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