Orient Issue 61

Orient MCI

SPECIAL FEATURES

ISSUE 61

9 770219 124002

61

Connecting Business Creating Opportunities WWW.BRITCHAM.ORG.SG

109/11/2016

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - SINGAPORE

ISSN 0219-1245

Building Networks

16

MARCH OF THE HUMANS — THE FUTURE OF WORK

29

IN FOCUS: OLIVER BRINKMANN, CEO, COMMERCIAL BANKING ASIA DIVISION, LLOYDS BANKING GROUP

ISSUE 61 / MAR 17

THE NEXT GENERATION HAS A

NEW PLACE

TO LEARN AND GROW

Introducing Stamford American International School’s new campus for early learners. Pioneer Class Aug 2017.

The world is changing. Education is changing. Today, how children learn is as important as what they learn.

And that’s the inspiration for our extraordinary new early learning campus which has been built entirely for little learners aged 18 months to 6 years.

Architecturally designed with input from environmental psychologists, every detail about this first class campus has been designed to help the next generation thrive in a new world.

Come and see for yourself the difference this purpose-built environment can make to your child’s vital pre-school years.

To visit our beautiful classroom display pod hosted by our friendly team simply register at www.sais.edu.sg.

21/2/2016 – 20/2/2020

Stamford American International School CPE Registration Number: 200823594D Period of Registration: August 10, 2014 to August 9, 2018

Inquir y Hotline +65 6653 7907

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Inspiration for the family, including yummy recipes and fun activities happening on the island

HEALTH CHECKS • DINING ROOMS • HAIR TIPS

Useful recommendations and reviews on where to shop and dine

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ARTS

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FOOD

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TRAVEL

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JAN 2017 January 2017 Issue 174

Fabulous features on home decor, travel, the arts, education, style, and more

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ONLY R

Re

pe Boo r ky st er so na ou at lt r w w w. ou r ai s

gi

An education that delivers results Another incredibly strong showing from the Australian International School graduating

.c

cohort, which saw our exceptional students achieve beyond their expected potential

IB 2016 Pass Rate

Point Average

100%

91.3%

70%

AIS

Asia Pacific

Global

10% Higher

Than Global Average

ATAR 2016

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Students Achieving

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% 40

Strongest results seen in 5 years

80+ NSW AIS

32.6%

69%

At AIS we believe that collaboration leads to success. Whether it be the dedication of our students, the passion of our teachers or the support of our families, every member of the AIS community has played their part in achieving yet another year of outstanding results. Congratulations to our graduates.

www.ais.com.sg +65 6653 7906

EDU-2-2037 19/2/2016 – 18/2/2020

Australian International School Pte Ltd is registered by the Committee for Private Education (CPE), part of SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). CPE Registration Number 199204405H. Period of Registration 6 July 2015 to 5 July 2019

om

.sg

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7

Advertorial

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

Best of British 2017 ­— Celebrating 5 Stellar Years

T

he British Club Singapore is back with two weeks of celebrations under the banner of the “Best of British”, commencing Sunday 4 June to Saturday 17 June 2017. This major celebration is an annual signature affair and will be open to the public.

Watch out for the exciting QEII Cup race held at the Singapore Turf Club, the classy Ladies Luncheon, the hilarious Comedy Night and the highly anticipated Grand Finale Ball: West End Premiere at The London Palladium on Saturday, 17 June at the One Farrer Hotel and Spa. Celebrating five stellar years of “Best of British”, The British Club will also be offering memberships at unbelievable prices, including an irresistible promotion to boot, so do keep a lookout for it nearer to date.

Definitely bigger, better and more exciting this year, The British Club is delighted to be bringing back some popular names as well as

new celebrities to celebrate this momentous event. Pete Price, the face of “Best of British, who provided much laughter from his hilarious “brand of comedy from the last four years, will be back this year as The British Club’s Master of Ceremonies. Flying in direct from England, celebrity chef brothers James and Chris Tanner from Plymouth will showcase their formidable culinary expertise at the Wine & Gourmet Dinner and Ladies Luncheon: Fashion Show and Cooking Demonstration.

On the musical front, The British Club has multiple award-winning actress and singer Lucy Williamson performing alongside highly acclaimed West End of London musical artiste Emma Dears at their Judy Garland & Liza Minelli Show. Stars from the West End — Mike Sterling, Shona Lindsey, Tom Solomon and Lisa-Anne Wood — will grace this awesome celebration with their cameo performances at the Grand Finale Ball.

Funds raised from the “Best of British’s” raffle tickets sale and auctions will be donated to The British Club’s two adopted charities, Gurkha Welfare Trust and Riding for the Disabled Association Singapore. So be sure to join them for this remarkable and worthy celebration.

Mark your calendars!

The Best of British is open to everyone!

Sale of tickets to the events will start from 15 March and members of the public can purchase them at The British Club, Singapore or online at www.britishclub.org.sg

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Contents

11

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

13

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE SPECIAL FEATURES

16

March of the Humans

29

In Focus: Oliver Brinkmann, CEO, Commercial Banking Asia Division, Lloyds Banking Group

FEATURES 21

The Power of Purpose

23

The Spirit of Giving More

26

New Energy Realities — What Does It Mean For You?

34

How Workshops Lead to the Best Decisions

38

Leadership — Out of Touch and Out of Time?

41

5 Reasons Why Singapore Makes an Ideal Relocation City for UK Start-Ups

44

Smart Planning for a Move to the UK

47

Still Running FRAILware in Your Environment?

48

Playfulness: The New Killer App

51

The TPP: What’s Next for the World’s Biggest Trade Deal?

AT THE CHAMBER 54

Britain in Southeast Asia News

56

Business Group News

58

Chamber Update

59

Business Services News

60

BritCham New Members

64

Sterling News

67

Corporate News

70

Members’ Offers

72

Events

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

British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore, Sponsors GOLD AND DIVERSITY SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

SUPPORTING PARTNER

BRITCHAM BOARD: PRESIDENT: Bicky Bhangu: Rolls-Royce Singapore VICE-PRESIDENTS: Damian Adams: Simmons & Simmons Sian Brown: Barclays Bank PLC SECRETARY: Cecilia Handel: Tanglin Trust School Ltd TREASURER: Veronica McCann, Manulife US Real Estate Mgmt Pte Ltd BOARD MEMBERS: Richard Warburton: Arcadis Annabel Moore: Diageo Singapore Pte Ltd Haslam Preeston: Jardine Cycle & Carriage Limited David Pugh: The Fry Group Mark Chowdhry: Baxters International Andrew Vine: The Insight Bureau Andrew Pickup: Microsoft Singapore Chris Reed: Black Marketing — Enabling LinkedIn For You Robert Williams: British Airways Steven Cranwell: HSBC Ronald Totton: BT Singapore Terence Yuen: BP Singapore COMMITTEES: Business Group: Richard Warburton Events: Sian Brown External Affairs: Bicky Bhangu Membership: Damian Adams

Editor: Lucy Haydon lucy@britcham.org.sg

Orient is a quarterly magazine published by the British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore.

Co-Editor: Nicole Alison Lim alison@britcham.org.sg

© All rights reserved.

39 Robinson Road #11-03 Robinson Point Singapore 068911 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. No reproduction of articles without the prior permission of the Chamber. Unsolicited transparencies and articles are sent at owner’s risk

BUSINESS GROUP CHAIRPERSONS: Built Environment: Marcus Eckersley Diversity: Stephen Trevis Energy & Utilities: Tim Rockell Entrepreneur & Small Business: Jonathan O‘Byrne Financial Services: Ashley Jones (Chairperson), Sunil Iyer (Co-Chair) InfoComm Technology: Andrew Pickup (Chairperson), Chris Reed (Co-Chair) Leadership in Asia: Stephen Wyatt Marketing & Creative: Chris Reed Professional Services: Mark Chowdhry Scottish Business Group: Neil Mclnnes Sustainability & Responsibility: Rosie Danyluk Transport, Logistics & Supply Chain: Simon Petch Women in Business: Dora Lui Young British Chamber: Joe Tofield (Chairperson), Gemma Tresser (Co-Chair) MANAGEMENT TEAM Executive Director: Brigitte Holtschneider Membership & Communications Manager: Lucy Haydon Membership Manager: Katie Hudson Membership Administrator: Siti Hadijah Marketing & Communications Executive: Nicole Alison Lim Senior Events Manager: Alexandra Packman Events Manager: Sophie Gowing Finance Manager: Pauline Yeo Business Services Manager: Carole McCarthy Business Services Advisor: Nico Putri Safari Office Administration Executive: Anna C Garciso

and the Chamber accepts no liability for loss or damage. Copy is not for sale and images belong to their respective owners. They are for illustrative purposes only, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Contact: Simon Cholmeley, simonc@novusasia.com

Designed by:

Creative Services: Kwan Gek Lian, gek@novusasia.com Pearlyn Kwan, pearlyn@novusasia.com

www.novusasia.com

Design: Erika Wong, erikawong@novusasia.com Khairunnisa, khai@novusasia.com Content Lead: Alison Marshall, alisonm@novusasia.com

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President’s Message

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

Dear Members, A happy new year and Gong Xi Fa Cai to everyone!

We are straight out of our very jolly celebrations of Christmas and New Year, right into the Year of the Fire Rooster. I certainly hope that you had the chance to rest and spend time with your family and loved ones over this rare quick succession of celebrations. It reminds us what it means to be in Singapore, a melting pot of cultures. The year of the Fire Rooster is recognised as a year of resolve, as well as achievements for all. It is also widely believed that one needs to stay focused and centred on tasks at hand, for the year will be good but chaotic.

Perhaps you may agree that it’s turning out to be quite true as global decisions of 2016 are paving the path for 2017 and beyond. In the UK, the MPs have voted, giving Theresa May the power to trigger Article 50 and begin negotiations with the EU.

Bicky Bhangu

President, British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore

While the outcome of these negotiations is yet to be seen, trade between UK and Europe has continued unabated. What is directly impacting businesses is the weakening of the pound, which provides an indication that costs are likely to increase driven by the increase in cost of raw materials and overheads, and this could in turn trigger higher prices. Meanwhile, the government continues to focus on restoring market confidence by negotiating a favourable business environment for growth, which includes taking a closer look at the Singapore model of low corporate tax.

Closer to home, Singapore is exploring options for the free trade area of Asia-Pacific and closer integration with other Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) nations following the formal withdrawal by the US. While the withdrawal is likely to have little immediate impact on Singapore, the long-term is very much dependent on US’ trade policies under President Trump’s administration.

Given the dynamic geopolitical environment, Singapore has already been thinking about developing robust strategies to increase its competitiveness and attractiveness for a sustainable future. Last year, the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) was set up and its recommendations will be announced in the near future.

Here, Singapore has set its sights on opportunities to leverage significant technological advances and build strength for a digital economy. Considering that 20 percent of Singapore GDP comes from manufacturing, there is likely to be a strong focus on the digitalisation of high-value manufacturing. Digital is already disrupting services and fintech.

While much is uncertain, we can be sure that 2017 is unlikely to be dull. The Chamber will continue to focus on creating business and professional opportunities for you. This year, we have intentionally focused our events on future business themes and we hope that you will find the perspectives of leading business thinkers and doers valuable.

We also want these events to represent forum opportunities for you to speak to me and the Chamber Board members so we can fully and properly represent your interests.

I look forward to seeing you at our events and network opportunities in the near future.

Best Regards,

Trinetic bossdesign.com

Designers and manufacturers of contract furniture E: rkillip@bossdesign.com

T:+65 8288 9959

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Executive Director’s Message

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

Dear Members, I hope you had a good start to 2017!

In my message for the first issue of ORIENT in 2016 I kicked off stating that a challenging and volatile economic environment was here to stay. This is all the more true now after the rather strange events that unfolded in 2016. We are seeing more uncertainty and complexity on the economic, regulatory and geopolitical fronts dominating the landscape.

Your Chamber is going to focus on a few key areas offering and providing value and support: • Regular meeting opportunities to exchange views and gain insights through the work of our 14 Business Group Committees. We invite every corporate member to connect with one or more of the following Committees: • • • • • • •

Financial Services & Banking Energy & Utilities Built Environment Manufacturing & Operations Women in Business Sustainability & Responsibility Entrepreneur & Small Businesses

• • • • • • •

Professional Services ICT Marketing & Creative Diversity Leadership in Asia Young Professionals Scottish

• Regular updates and dialogue around Brexit, how the situation progresses in the UK and Europe as well as how British and Singaporean businesses are impacted Brigitte Holtschneider

Executive Director, British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore

• Engagement and collaboration with the British High Commission and the Department for International Trade (DIT) • Include seminars and learning sessions on leadership, talent and technology in media and marketing into our programme • A frequent and diverse events calendar to allow members to connect, be informed and network Some highlights in the upcoming months are: • 21 March – Annual Economic Briefing with Parag Khanna, a leading global strategist • 27 April – AGM at Eden Hall, hosted by Chamber Patron High Commissioner Scott Wightman • 25 May – Rugby Dinner leading up to the British and Irish Lions Tour On a personal note I would like to welcome Sophie Gowing who joined the team on 1 February taking on the Events Manager role as Nicola Jackson is relocating to Taiwan.

I regret to announce that Alexandra Packman is leaving the Chamber as well. Alex wishes to take up other opportunities in Singapore after three very successful years with the team. At time of writing we are in the process of recruiting a Senior Events Manager to succeed her.

I would like to thank both Nicola and Alexandra for their excellent contribution to the Chamber and for being such good fun to work with! I am sad to see them leaving and wish them all the very best for the future.

I look forward to seeing you at the Chamber office or at one of the upcoming events.

Warm regards,

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/britishchamber-of-commerce-singapore Twitter @britchamsg

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Sterling Members

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

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Special Feature

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

March of the Humans

By Laura Harrison The future of work is a big topic. Open a newspaper, swipe through your news bulletins or switch on the TV and someone, somewhere will be predicting the Relentless March of the Robots, the End of the Human and of the world as we know it.

Whether you subscribe to the view that wearable technologies improve our wellbeing or invade our privacy; whether you think Blockchain is a force for democratisation or just a concentration of power in new or different hands; whether you’re excited or depressed by the idea that your grandchildren may only see books in museums (hologram museums of course); it seems to me that there are neglected areas to the discussion.

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T

he first of these is the basis upon which we make these predictions.

Those with experience of big technology implementations will know that the business case made when we evaluate costs and benefits rarely delivers. It’s usually founded on the basis that work x (done by a member of the workforce) will be replaced by work y (done by the new tech).

What the business case rarely accounts for is the additional work that’s required in order to realise the benefits of the new system. It also rarely accounts for the fact that new tech systems are frequently not adopted to their full capabilities.

Like magpies, we become distracted by the promise of the next possibility, pushing to render obsolete the new system we’ve just sweated blood and tears to implement.

And the list goes on: how often does the business case account for the “collateral” capabilities required for the system to work? Take the example of drones. Drones are predicted to take over a huge variety of human intensive activity from postal services to private surveillance. It might be a flight (get it?) of fancy, but one starts to wonder about the collateral capabilities required in this new world of micro flying saucers and the associated innovations they could spawn. Drone accessories to manufacture, drone airspace to define and regulate, roads in the sky to police, drone safety to manage and enforce, anti-drone lobbies to staff. So in this future, are the robots putting us out of work, or simply giving us new things to do, new problems to solve, stimulating the emergence of new

Special Feature: March of the Humans

visions? And, are we accounting for these possibilities when we predict dystopian low work or no work futures?

Which brings me on to the second often neglected area of discussion; our role in shaping and creating the future we want to see. As citizens, consumers and business leaders, we have a choice in the technologies we adopt and the work that we value. In a world of rapidly diminishing natural resources but an apparently ever growing desire to consume, the differentiating advantage may well become one of experience. Smart businesses are on to this. Airbnb isn’t building hotels, gyms or cafes. It’s coupling our desire for human connection and experience (to live like a Parisian for a weekend, for example) with latent or existing assets (our homes). The technology’s the enabler, but the product’s the experience. And experience is a deeply human thing.

We might be delighted when our smart device congratulates us for outperforming that day, whether we’ve walked 10,000 steps, climbed 20 staircases or practised our Mandarin verbs. And yet we probably all reflect most warmly on experiences when we’ve been running with a friend, been understood and encouraged by a personal trainer or been congratulated by a teacher for the progress we’ve made.

Recent political developments around the world have shown that the “little guy” is starting to fight back. And he may not limit his battles to elections. Maybe he’ll decide that being “enabled” to bank

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

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Our research shows that in this hyper-connected, continually changing world, CEOs must attract top talent from various backgrounds and countries to build a truly diverse senior team.

Special Feature: March of the Humans

digitally while the bank’s shareholders reap the returns of his additional effort and workforce cost savings isn’t quite fair, particularly when his financial security is threatened by fraud and hackers. Maybe he’ll decide that the massive retail banks aren’t for him. Maybe we value the human interaction with the staff at the checkout in a store or in the mall. And maybe we’ll choose to shop where the human connection’s part of the deal. The question, as ever, is what we’re prepared to pay for human interaction, again, as consumers, citizens and leaders.

only to further debate, steps forward and steps backward.

Finally, I’ll leave you with the words of Sigmund Freud “Love and work… work and love, that’s all there is…”Debating the future of work is debating the future of society, in effect humanity’s future. And we can’t sleepwalk into a future defined by what can be done, only by what should be done.

The CIPD believes that the future of work can be, and must be, human. To find out more visit www.futureworkishuman.org

These are tough questions, and they don’t lend themselves to easy resolutions —

About the Author: Laura is the CIPD’s People and Strategy Director and leads the CIPD’s strategy, research and public policy teams, as well as its HR function. She has particular interest in the future of work and HR, organisation development and change. Laura

passionately believes that the future of work is human and is interested in exploring how organisations can create value for all their stakeholders for long term societal advancement as well as economic growth. She holds a first degree in chemistry and postgraduate qualifications

in law and tax. Laura has worked at the CIPD since February 2011. Her earlier career was spent at Aviva, where she was a HR Director in its European business and in various consulting roles with Ernst & Young and PwC. For more information visit www.cipd.asia

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Feature

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

The Power of Purpose

By Oliver Hall The businesses that will succeed in tomorrow’s world will be those that have an invigorating and challenging sense of purpose beyond commercial success. They seek to attract, retain and build people who feel they are changing the fabric of the society they serve. In this article Oliver outlines the drive that individuals and businesses will need to progress in their goals.

O

ur working life is a big part of who we really are and as such should be a rewarding experience; one that over time should be fulfilling and leave us with a sense of having achieved something personally meaningful. In the words of Robert F. Kennedy:

When this isn’t the case, it’s often because: a) we haven’t worked out how to be who we really are, or we feel we’re not allowed, or b) the organisation we work for is somehow preventing that from happening, or c) a combination of the two.

“The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.”

Whatever the reason, the outcome is always the same — opportunity lost for the

individual, the organisation, the customer and ultimately society as a whole.

The world we live in, the economic drivers that shape it, and our expectations as human beings, are changing dramatically.

Organisations are now largely driven by digitally enabled narratives and stories that management has only limited influence over. Once formal and

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Feature: The Power of Purpose

Real change starts to happen when people are confronted with themselves, by way of fundamental questions around who they are today and what they need to become to thrive and inspire the organisation to the next level. predominantly broadcast from the top down, conversations within organisations are now increasingly informal, often giving voice to insightful opinion formers who can no longer be ignored due to their lack of seniority, tenure or even direct connection to the firm. The world’s biggest brands are shifting spend from traditional market research to social listening capabilities — not to deal with a threat, but rather to harness something new and valuable.

These groundswell narratives are emotional in their nature and centred on the search for meaning and authenticity, by employees and consumers alike. They are also largely uncontrollable and hugely influential within the engine of change. Innovation, still the driving force behind growth and performance, now expects this freedom of expression, demanding the embrace of diversity and inexperience to flourish.

Faced with this changing landscape, how are businesses reacting?

Many organisations will stick with the familiar practices of yesterday. This is despite increasingly ineffective attempts to transform themselves, their cultures, systems, structures and processes.

Temporary shelter from the storm is sought in strategy and budget rewrites, reorganisations, process and system redesigns. This often triggers the use of increasingly complex data models, measurement protocols and cultural change programmes that tell people how to behave. Real change starts to happen when people are confronted with themselves, by way of fundamental questions around who they are today and what they need to become to thrive and inspire the organisation to the next level.

About the Author: Oliver Hall is responsible for developing and growing the Just Add Water business across Asia Pacific. He comes from a background of brand experience having worked on both sides of the field - on one side as the agency/ brand partner where he activated experiential brand campaigns, and on the other side where he developed and executed brand strategy.

His ability to connect best practice from business teams and the highly competitive world of sport led him to the unique world of Formula One where he helped brands to find the best rights holder to execute engaging brand activity. Oliver believes that people and businesses with a clear purpose and strong values are happier, more productive and more successful.

He is passionate about the importance of diversity in the workplace believing that the most effective teams are successful because of their differences, not despite them. For more information visit www.nowjustaddwater.com/asia Just Add Water helps organisations remain relevant, reinventing themselves to drive performance and growth whilst creating value for the societies in which they operate.

Just Add Water has offices in London and Singapore and works with local and multinational businesses globally.

The businesses that will succeed in tomorrow’s world will be those that have an invigorating and challenging sense of purpose beyond commercial success.

They seek to attract, retain and build people who feel they are changing the fabric of the society they serve. Run by courageous leaders, who embody the mindsets and behaviours that collectively shape such a culture, these increasingly dynamic and agile organisations will move away from traditional, hierarchical command and control structures. They will embrace collaborative and responsive coalitions of the willing, pushing accountability and decision making to the edges, and see intelligent risk taking and associated failures as part of growth.

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Feature

The Spirit of Giving More

By Martin Reimann, Regional Managing Director Asia Pacific, Edrington Corporate Social Responsibility lies at the core of Edrington’s company’s history. Owned by a charitable trust, the ethos of “Giving More” is shared by all employees, who are encouraged and supported in making a real difference in their communities by championing a cause they feel truly passionate about. In this article Martin discusses the impact of this principle on company culture and the charities they support.

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Feature: The Spirit of Giving More

T

oday, many companies practise some form of corporate social responsibility (CSR) — each doing so in its own way. It is a growing area of focus for businesses, hence the pertinence of the British Chamber’s Sustainability and Responsibility Committee. The Committee brings together a variety of stakeholders to discuss CSR issues and exchange practices.

It offers a forum to share approaches to CSR and looks at how companies go about making a difference. It is in the interest of learning from each other that I was asked to share Edrington’s experience.

I arrived in Asia 14 years ago to set up Edrington’s operations in the region, spending the first 10 years in Shanghai before moving to Hong Kong and then Singapore. As the business grew from three to more than 300 people spread across seven countries, many things changed, but our involvement in the community remained a constant. This was a bottom-up rather than top-down process, with new colleagues bringing new ideas, enthusiasm and personal projects to life as we expanded.

It was possible for them to do so because our business has always had social responsibility at its core. Edrington’s ownership model is unique in that it is owned by the Robertson Trust, which is Scotland’s leading independent funder of charitable causes.

As we grown internationally, this charitable ethos has driven us to continue contributing to the wellbeing of the communities in which we operate.

We term this “Giving More” and it is not only a company philosophy, but also constitutes a seamless part of what we are about. In our different markets, colleagues identify causes and actions they feel passionate about and Edrington empowers them to make a difference. Over the years, the breadth of activities covered has been truly impressive, going from environmental, to educational and broader social causes. Last year, among a range of activities, colleagues in Singapore spent time with senior citizens with dementia at the New Horizon Centre in Bukit Batok,

while others in the region volunteered to support the homeless (Hong Kong), elderly members of the community (Taiwan) or families struggling to get by (Korea). These initiatives were conceived and led by committees made up of local colleagues,

allowing them to take real ownership and responsibility for their communities.

Over the years, I have also been eager to promote cooperation among our different country offices, to inspire a real sense

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

of belonging to, not only our internal corporate community, but a regional and even global one.

In 2016, our key employee-led mass fundraising event was the charity cycle for the Kaohsiung Autism Foundation (KAF).

This activity saw 65 riders from Edrington offices across Asia complete a 500km bike ride from Taipei to Kaohsiung in Taiwan, to raise money for KAF. On this journey, we were joined by members of the local Taiwanese Cycling Federation, trade partners and many friends.

It was truly inspirational to see individuals from different countries and cultural backgrounds rally around this local charity that is devoted to providing support, professional advice and educational services to those affected by autism. The sense of accomplishment from completing the ride for such a great cause was fantastic, as was the vigour, determination and personal dedication that went into the months of training, planning and preparation that preceded it.

Thanks to the “Giving More Together” initiative, the charitable fundraising of our employees — and that of many generous sponsors — was amplified by the company, meaning that, in total, we handed over a cheque for $5 million NTD or $225,000 SGD to the Kaohsiung Autism Foundation.

Ultimately, we see participation and Giving More as key ingredients of a healthy lifestyle and staying true to our history. A healthy lifestyle is as much about getting involved and contributing to the health and wellbeing of our communities as it is about personal wellbeing. Giving More also has clear benefits for our business by helping us to attract and motivate great people in a competitive market for talent.

About the Author: Martin Reimann joined Edrington in December 2002 since when he has overseen operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Now based in Singapore, he has oversight of Edrington’s wholly owned operations in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, as well as

its partnerships in Japan, India, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Martin spent four years with the elite Royal Marine Commandos, followed by another four years as a police officer in the UK. He then enjoyed a varied career with Bulmers plc, the world’s largest producer of cider. Edrington

owns some of the leading Scotch whisky and rum brands, including The Macallan, Brugal rum, The Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark and Highland Park. The company’s principal shareholder is The Robertson Trust, which donated over £18.2 million to charity last year. For more information visit edrington.com

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Feature

New Energy Realities —

What Does It Mean For You?

By Tim Rockell & Peter Godfrey The British Chamber’s Energy & Utilities Business Group held its year-end Breakfast Club event in December 2016. Entitled “New Energy Realities — What Does it Mean for You?”, this panel session served as a post-Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) event to review key themes and look ahead at prospects for the sector in 2017. This article summarises the issues and key takeaways from the discussion.

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uring the panel event with speakers James Cameron (HSBC), Edwin Khew (Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore), Ng Wai Choong (Energy Market Authority), Goh Swee Chen (Shell) and Peter Godfrey (Energy Institute), the following questions were addressed alongside themes emerging from the SIEW. Attendees gained insights into how local and regional impacts would affect their roles in 2017 and new opportunities for the sector in Singapore.

• With commodity prices in a “lowerfor-longer” environment, what are the impacts on investment flows and funding mechanisms in the energy sector?

• What are the impacts from the trend to increase renewables in the energy system? What will be the reaction of the oil and gas industry to this trend in Southeast Asia?

• Should Singapore be a leader in technology and innovation and; what are the implications for the sector?

The world is transforming around us

The International Energy Agency’s end of 2016 forecast suggest that there will be a major transformation of the global energy system over the coming decades as governments aim to tackle climate change and energy efficiency takes effect. Singapore’s Minister for Trade & Industry (Industry) Mr S. Iswaran at SIEW said that new energy realities are characterised by lower-for-longer energy prices, new impetus of greener energy systems and key advances in technologies and energy systems and networks.

Is there an under calculation around the interplay of old energy, and gas as a

transitional fuel, in a move to renewables following commitments given by nations in COP21?

Old energy — fossil fuels including coal — is not going away. Nuclear remains a significant part of the energy mix. There is a miscommunication somewhere.

A number of financial institutions and investors are quite binary in their views.

Many European investors will not make new investments into greenfield or high emission projects. Coal however continues to play a significant role in the power sector.

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One area that governments should collectively focus on is creating a pricing mechanism for carbon to level the playing field by factoring in externalities.

Large growth markets for renewable energy will continue to be in China, with India displaying fastest new targets for growth.

When we think of new energy realities we should remember that electricity only accounts for around 20 percent of total energy demand. We need to consider new energy solutions more broadly. One major use of fossil fuels and natural gas is in petrochemicals. The world is developing fast and we need products for plastics e.g. in cars and tyres.

Can Singapore create an industry out of solar? From a regularity standpoint, we are in a world where structurally we cannot make money from new energy, so what new frameworks are required?

There is an opportunity for smart nations’ type solutions, e.g. conversion of HDB blocks and meters and revised regulation. Energy storage and contracts with fluctuations to supply will enable buildings to be smarter in the system.

Singapore believes in pricing energy right, so competition and the market decides. The government is seeking more solar deployment through R&D, innovation and reduced red tape. The allocation of land for a test bed with industry to allow the accommodation of more solar in Singapore is a reality. With land at a premium, innovative deployment of floating solar PV on reservoirs will test options to allow for greater roll out.

Singapore will focus on a tropical solar model and micro grids. Most solar in the world is manufactured to European standards —

Feature: New Energy Realities — What Does It Mean For You?

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designed to withstand northern climates.

In the tropics we are able to make thinner glass modules with greater irradiance and reflection. This provides more energy per square metre so each module becomes more energy efficient. If every square inch of Singapore was covered in solar panels then buildings could put power back in to the grid.

The word “digital” is taking on a range of meanings depending on the role of an organisation in the energy value chain.

What will we see in Singapore in new technology, digitalisation and innovation?

The world is becoming very digital and we have seen a shift in power to the consumer and resource holders. Singapore can take on a role to discover what is in the mind of consumers and how to connect them.

Singapore has set a minimum energy efficiency standard for buildings and appliances e.g. refrigerators in place by December 2017. What matters today is not overall consumption but demand profiling.

Singapore launched Project OptiWatt at the SIEW in 2016 to look at different ideas for optimising energy consumption; with the aim to shift demand from peak to off-peak.

Sixteen public and private organisations and research institutions each signed an establishment MOU. All new ideas need money. Are there different mechanisms such as crowd funding and distributed customers doing their own thing? How do we create a dialogue between players, including finance, to take new energy realities to the next level?

The finance sector is excited by new energy and understands the macro trends that need to be supported. It presents a tremendous opportunity for innovation in the finance industry with an active and healthy dialogue including the public and private sectors; 2016 was a watershed year for transactions with a move in investor appetite towards boards that are keen to decarbonise their businesses,

and issue sustainable bonds and green bonds.

Asset managers are being incentivised to show the sustainability their portfolios.

Old energy’s oil and gas and nuclear is here to stay for some time. New energy advocates are not conversing well with old energy. How does old and new energy communicate?

We may see a trend towards more companies partnering rather than acquiring technology in the new energy ecosystem.

It is worthwhile putting into perspective that “old energy” will be important for the next 100 years. Currently USD 300 billion is being invested per annum into new energy; however old energy investment is USD 800 billon. Cumulative investments in the existing energy system is USD 55 trillion. It will take a lot of new investment dollars to change that.

With the current uptake of renewables the planet will not get to net zero emissions by 2050 without large scale carbon capture and storage; without it we will not meet global climate change objectives. The issue is that right now carbon capture and storage is not currently financially feasible — but neither was a lot of renewable energy, which has seen unit costs falling more rapidly than predicted.

In an energy world in transition, it is up to new and forward-looking leadership of countries and communities to make sure that everyone is protected equally and to do so without burdening future generations with the task of paying for the solutions they come up with.

This is beginning of longer discussion on the future old and new energy. Government and private sectors, older and younger generations together. The British Chamber of Commerce and Energy Institute is keen to play its part and create opportunities for the United Kingdom and Singapore to play a role together.

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Left to Right: James Cameron (HSBC), Edwin Khew (Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore), Ng Wai Choong (Energy Market Authority), Goh Swee Chen (Shell) and Peter Godfrey (Energy Institute)

Summary

The fact is that we went from a world dominated by Western economic might where 50 percent of us worked on family farms to where less than two percent do today, but that took us 8-10 generations.

There are big changes brewing, and it is up to us to determine what those changes will be.

We live in a world where the relative wealth of nations is changing so rapidly and the multiple millions who make their living in the “traditional industries” of the past whether in energy or other sectors see their jobs fundamentally transform or even evaporate in little more than a single generation.

About the Authors: Tim Rockell relocated to Singapore to launch the KPMG Global Energy Institute for Asia Pacific in November 2012. Peter Godfrey is Managing Director of the Energy Institute (UK) in Singapore. Both Tim and Peter are members of the British Chamber of Commerce Energy & Utilities Business Group Committee, which meets on a regular basis to discuss the latest trends in the industry and to develop

About the Singapore International Energy Week The 9th SIEW was held at the end of October 2016 by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and attracted more than 13,000 energy executives to discuss a range of topics under the heading of “New Energy Realities”.

The 10th edition of SIEW will be held on 23–27 October 2017 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

relevant events for the Chamber in this sector.

More events under these themes are planned for 2017. Member companies represented within this group include BP, DNV GL, Energy Institute, InfraCo Asia, KPMG, Shell, Simmons & Simmons, Societe Generale and the UK Department for International Trade. Find out more at www.britcham.org.sg/ businessgroup-details/energy--utilities

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In Focus

Oliver Brinkmann,

CEO, Commercial Banking Asia Division, Lloyds Banking Group

By Lucy Haydon Having worked throughout Asia for more than 15 years, the new CEO at Lloyds Bank Asia is no stranger to leadership and change management. In this exclusive interview, we discussed his plans for Lloyds Bank and the upcoming trends within the current volatile geopolitical environment.

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You start 2017 in the new role of CEO for the Asian Commercial Banking Division. What will be your immediate strategic priorities?

My immediate priority is to support Lloyds Bank to grow its franchise in Asia and support the strategic aim of Helping Britain Prosper Globally. The bank has a sharp focus on ensuring that we work with existing clients, particularly Global Corporates, to achieve their international aspirations and that Asia-based clients are supported in their investments into the UK. We see ourselves as an Asia-UK gateway for our clients. After working in Asia over the past 15 years, I know that there is a huge opportunity here and a priority for me is to ensure that clients are aware of what we, as Lloyds Bank, can do to help them achieve their strategic objectives. I am also very keen to ensure that we build the best team in Singapore by taking the time to invest in and develop our existing team, but also to ensure that we recruit and retain the right people for the long-term growth of the bank in the region.

Lloyds Bank is building its footprint in Singapore; how do you intend to build on the bank’s larger awareness in the UK to expand the brand in the region?

From a personal perspective, I am delighted to have recently joined Lloyds Bank. As the UK’s largest retail and commercial bank, Lloyds Bank has a footprint that touches almost every community and household in the UK and I am proud to be part of such a prestigious organisation. We have over

In Focus: Oliver Brinkmann, CEO, Commercial Banking Asia Division, Lloyds Banking Group

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I would also say don’t shy away from making an investment in the region now… Although there may be volatility, I also see opportunity.

250 years’ experience of supporting clients and, in Asia, have maintained a branch presence in Singapore since the early 1970s. Clients tell me that in a troubled banking environment, they really value the strong rating and good liquidity that an established bank like ours can offer them and our excellent reputation also helps us to attract and recruit the best people for our teams. This is well known in the UK and I want to build on this in Asia.

The Commercial Banking Asia team focuses on supporting businesses, particularly those with strong links to the UK, mirroring the priorities of the British Chamber for our members. Given the current economic uncertainties, this support will be critical this year. What recommendations would you make to business owners and leaders concerned about their future?

As you say, we are in a volatile environment, both economically and politically, and against that backdrop both banks and clients must focus on getting the basics right. I think it’s crucial that business owners and leaders focus on their core strengths as this offers strategic direction in times of uncertainty and also helps to avoid the tendency to try and be all things to all people, which can result in greater costs and lack of cohesion. I’m seeing a lot of clients slimming down operations to focus on the essentials for their organisation, which has to be a good thing. Simplifying

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a business can appear to lead to a lack of optionality to grow but I believe strongly that it means that one’s principal and core business is also protected in an environment with potential for increasing trade barriers.

We have spent a lot of effort in simplifying our own organisation in recent years in order to make us more efficient, responsive and easier to do business with and I’ve seen the benefits of this first hand.

You have held leadership positions in Asia for more than a decade. What advice would you give to leaders starting out on their journey in our region?

One of the biggest things I have learned from working in Asia is that it is a mistake

In Focus: Oliver Brinkmann, CEO, Commercial Banking Asia Division, Lloyds Banking Group

Endurance and long-term sustainability is key in Asia — an organisation has to commit to the long term and not just try to dip in and out of the market here.

to think of it as a homogenous region.

Singapore is a prime example of the depth of diversity to be found here, with a vibrant mix of Chinese, Indian, Malay and Western people in one country. I believe anyone working in Asia needs to develop a strong sense of cultural awareness and learn to focus on building strong relationships with their counterparts in business. My experience with building teams in Asia is that colleagues expect a high degree of personal investment in their careers by their line managers, which means that the really great managers inspire a huge amount of personal loyalty from their direct reports, to the extent of long-

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standing working relationships being built up which may encompass moves to different organisations by the same team.

I would also say don’t shy away from making an investment in the region now. The countries in Asia have large numbers of people with an ever-

increasing consumer market. Although there may be volatility, I also see opportunity. The Indian economy is very strong and China will inevitably recover and be a big driver of growth. Endurance and long-term sustainability is key in Asia — an organisation has to commit to the long term and not just try to dip in and out of the market here.

About Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking Asia Lloyds Banking Group is a UK-focused retail and commercial bank with more than 30 million customers across the globe, including 1 million SME customers and 91 percent of the FTSE 100. The Group’s strategy is built on being the best bank for customers and colleagues alike, and creating value by investing where we can make a real difference for our clients. Acting as a gateway to expert Asia-UK financial services, teams of sector and product specialists deliver industry insight and experience alongside tailored solutions to suit our clients’ individual business needs. Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking has teams in Singapore, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris, New York and Houston. For more information visit commercialbanking.lloydsbank.com/international/asia

I’m also increasingly seeing Asian investment into Europe as well with examples such as Tata buying Jaguar Land Rover and Bright Food acquiring Weetabix. I’d recommend business leaders to not just look at Asia as a market place for their products but also seek out Asia investors and partners with whom you can then work in your home market.

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Feature

How Workshops Lead to the Best Decisions

By Philip Steggals

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In this article, Philip discusses why using best practice is so important to effective decision making and provides some tips on how to use workshops to consider all possible options before committing to the best course of action.

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ou make decisions every day. From the simpler — what to wear, what to eat today? — to the harder to solve — should we launch this product, should we change our strategy? There are times when you need to make important decisions, where the future success of your team, department or your whole business may depend on the outcome. For these decisions, it is important to make sure you prepare everything that you can to get it right.

In an article for the Harvard Business Review Erik Larson discussed a study that was completed with 500 managers and executives where only two percent regularly applied best practices when making decisions. Yet the importance of having best practices has also been clearly documented — in a separate study in the same article Larson identified that in a three-month study of 100 managers, those who did use best practices achieved expected results 90 percent of the time and 40 percent of them exceeded expectations.

The question is: what can be considered best practice? Whilst there are many who still advise to “go with your gut”, there needs to be a collective wisdom applied to decisions.

In the bestselling The Book of Leadership, Anthony Gell discusses the concept of Group IQ, the idea of collective intelligence of a group always being higher than that of a single person and that great leaders should be 100 percent open to the ideas of others.

The true challenge is how to get ideas from a diverse group of colleagues, digest, filter and then use them to help make decisions. This is where workshops come in. Despite the term “workshop” becoming overused and wrongly ascribed to basically any meeting nowadays, when run correctly, with proper facilitation and preparation, they can be a very powerful tool in decision making.

What is a workshop?

A true workshop is a carefully structured and pre-planned session that involves intense discussions, lively debates and a healthy element of fun. It brings together a diverse range of participants, and is designed to create fresh, novel ideas to achieve a predetermined objective.

A common barrier to running workshops is an assumption that they are day-long events and involve huge amounts of creativity and

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Despite the term “workshop” becoming overused and wrongly ascribed to basically any meeting nowadays, when run correctly, with proper facilitation and preparation, they can be a very powerful tool in decision making.

Feature: How Workshops Lead to the Best Decisions

effort. The fact is there are many types of workshops. Some can last as long as five days; others can be as short as an hour.

At their heart, workshops are a mindset.

They are an agreement for a group of people to creatively collaborate as a team to achieve a common goal. Workshops are designed with the aim of generating action from ideas created in the group; in this way they have more structure than a brainstorm and therefore require more preparation.

Workshops are a creative process where everyone participates fully, and so naturally involve more energy and planning than a meeting. To manage and direct this creativity, they need a central, guiding figure, a facilitator, to drive this energy and keep the participants focussed on the objective. Following a clearly set out workshop flow can help enhance any would-be facilitator. In a recent study of 7,000 leaders and managers from 27 countries conducted by Kadence we

discovered that the most important element when attending a workshop is a correct structure and planning followed by the role of the facilitator.

Tips for running a good workshop

There is no one way to run a workshop.

They can be tailored to numerous time frames, objectives and audiences, which is what makes them so successful. However, underlying each workshop are three key principles: flow, variety and insight.

Flow relates to the overall flow of the workshop. It’s pre-prepared and planned in advance. In Nobody Wants a Hammer: how to run workshops that turn insight in action — we identify the five main stages of a workshop. These can be thought of as a linear, traditional flow, where a workshop starts at the beginning of the five stages and works through to the end. Stages can be omitted, repeated or the sequence moved around depending upon what works best for you.

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Variety ensures there are a range of participants in the workshop.

Avoid just one department, but rather try and achieve a diverse mix of backgrounds. Ideally, everyone essential to agreeing an action step should be in the room.

Insight is the starting point for any decision-based workshop. Provide condensed findings from a variety of sources, from primary research to sales data and everything in between.

This should be given as homework for participants ahead of the workshop.

More interactive and engaging material could be placed around

About the Author: Philip Steggals has been with Kadence for over 10 years and is the co-author of Nobody Wants a Hammer – How to run workshops that turn research insights into business action (www.kadence. com/insightled-workshops).

He previously worked in the Kadence UK office before moving

the walls of the workshop venue, so everyone can immediately re-focus on the core insights.

Making decisions from the workshop

Workshops can be used for pretty much any kind of decision making, however big or small. According to our study, 91 percent of those occupying C-Suite positions believe that workshops are a very effective method of generating impact in their business. As long as there is a common goal in mind, and those attending are willing to participate to achieve that goal, a workshop can give

to Singapore five years ago. He now heads up the regional Asian hub for Kadence. Equally experienced with quantitative and qualitative research methods, he has worked with some of the biggest brands in the region on some of their toughest and most strategic questions. Philip has spoken at multiple conferences, was instrumental in Kadence winning HR

awards in 2015 and2016 and has co-authored a book on the effective use of workshops in business.

For more information visit www.kadence.com

you everything that you need to make the best decisions.

Interestingly, as part of study of international leaders, we found that two thirds want to know more about how to run workshops, which suggests there is a growing appetite for tapping into Group IQ, and doing this efficiently and effectively through workshops.

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Feature

Leadership — Out of Touch and Out of Time?

By Ray Bigger Numerous surveys over the past five-plus years suggest leadership is out of touch with the needs of the new knowledge age workforce and still relies on an industrial age leadership model. Change is resisted. In this article Ray considers why leaders have not progressed further in recent years.

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oo many business leaders are out of touch with their employees, so say a raft of surveys, and if you doubt that, here are some of the results from just some of the research reports/surveys over the past five-plus years looking at leadership performance and associated topics.

• The 2016 Edelman Trust Survey revealed trust in business at 58%, 33% of employees do not trust their employer/ leaders whilst peers and colleagues are more trusted (53%) than the CEO (49%) • AT Kearney in late 2015 showed almost 50% of strategies never get implemented. Execution is a people problem not a strategy problem

• A McKinsey report in late 2016 revealed that 70% of change projects fail. That figure has been consistently high. What are the chances of innovation succeeding?

• Another McKinsey study said 94% of CEOs saw innovation as key. Yet 88% of those same CEO’s didn’t think their companies were very good at it!

• A Gallup report in 2015 showed 85% employee disengagement. In the past it might have been optional. Today it is an imperative Being in touch is prominent in other areas.

Take social media, where consumers, not the brands drive the news. Brands have to be on

their game by being proactive but above all brands, or rather the people, must listen. In education, Finland continues its revolution by abandoning the teaching of specific subjects.

In their place are scenarios, projects, case studies, situations etc., where key subjects are built in and taught interactively focusing on challenging assumptions and asking searching questions to name but two. Finland has vastly improved its education over the past decade because its teachers are listened to and trusted to do whatever it takes to turn young lives around. I can hear the shrieks of horror from the status quo brigade!

In business, the status quo appears entrenched and a transformation is well

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overdue. As Gary Hamel, Visiting Professor at the London Business School noted, “CEO’s cling to the past until technology and the future overtakes them.” He does have a point doesn’t he?

We have an increasingly knowledge age workforce still being led by an industrial age leadership. Gallup reported in late 2015 that 82 percent of manager appointments were wrong; astonishing when you consider many of those managers were/ will be promoted to leadership positions.

Look at any business magazine covering “productivity” — levels are falling. Steve Jobs commented, “We should not be employing talent and telling them what to

do, the talent we hire should be telling us what to do.”That’s called letting go. You cannot ignore the consistency of these survey results.

Today’s knowledge workers are people who likely know more about what they are doing than their boss does and that frightens a lot of leaders to death. Peter Drucker opined “Fundamentally, the everincreasing presence of the knowledge worker threatens to render our traditional assumptions about top-down leadership obsolete.” Would anyone argue with that? We should remember that people don’t leave companies, they fire their boss.

Leaders like to say “they resigned”.

Does the programme “Undercover CEO” strike a chord? What the CEO discovers usually comes as a complete surprise not to mention to the executive team, so are they out of touch? Surveys from PwC and Bain & Co over five years ago highlighted that businesses were significantly out of touch with their clients and employees respectively.

Today leadership is still out of touch.

Leaders/CEOs simply have to recognise: • A high degree of Emotional Intelligence is a key requirement i.e. people skills • Being technically/functionally competent is no longer a pass to leadership • Trust is not an option • They need to understand themselves

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Feature: Leadership — Out of Touch and Out of Time?

and their executive member far better.

Most do not as they rely simply on out-of-date experience and subjective assessment. Science can help here if they care to look or ask • “Telling” is replacing “asking”. Can leaders let go, pass control along the line and help coach people/teams to grow and improve? Coaching is underutilised and under-developed. CEOs think that they know best • They and their board/executive need to be aligned within and across the executive team and with the teams all the way down and through the organisation. Misalignment is common.

We see it in our work

About the Author: Ray Bigger is the Managing Director of Think8, a consultancy that works with C-level Executives to help design and run retreats, off-sites and conferences specifically addressing Leadership Alignment, Transformation, Communication and

• They must be champions of change, better still transformation. They may know “what” the changes are but struggle with the “how” • They must get employees engaged in every transformation from the outset; in fact they have to be part of the implementation team • A senior leader must drive that transformation consistently, not delegate it • They must be great communicators and that means primarily active listening • Admit their vulnerabilities, weaknesses and errors • Establish a clear purpose, not just a vision and mission and live it everyday

Effectiveness. Think8 has a portfolio of awarding-winning Sales Force Development tools to transform sales force strategy and revenues. Ray can be contacted at ray@think8.net

• Recognise that failure is part of growing and improving. As AJ Laffley Chairman of P&G said ,“Fail early, fail cheaply” • The ability to adapt is paramount. As the economist John Keynes said “As the facts change so I change my mind.” Are CEOs just “one-trick ponies” • Innovation is key • Need to be intuitive, dynamic, collaborative and build a culture that reflects that When people believe in a) the company’s purpose b) the CEO and the leadership team and c) can see their role playing its part, extraordinary things happen. Now that’s a nice touch.

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Feature

5 Reasons Why Singapore Makes an Ideal Relocation City for UK Start-Ups

By Sharon Lim Singapore’s government promotes economic vibrancy and encourages entrepreneurialism through reliable public infrastructure and businessfriendly policies. Today, Singapore is home to a thriving community of entrepreneurs, techies, start-ups, venture capitalists, incubators and accelerators. This article explores five reasons why Singapore makes an attractive city to relocate to, particularly for UK start-ups.

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hen it comes to choosing the city for relocation, top factors that matter to UK start-ups include ease of doing business, strong public infrastructure and policies that support innovation. These were revealed in a study spearheaded by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and YouGov that examined UK’s start-up environment through a survey among 193 UK-based tech start-ups.

These global-thinking UK start-ups also further highlighted that important contributors to their business growth include the right product-market fit and reliable public infrastructure such as pervasive connectivity.

With English as its official language and the lingua franca for business transactions, Singapore makes an entrepreneur-friendly start-up hub. The city-state’s high levels of transparency and business-friendly regulations have also made its pro-business environment attractive to global investors worldwide. In this article, we explore the five reasons why Singapore makes an ideal relocation city for UK start-ups:

Feature: 5 Reasons Why Singapore Makes an Ideal Relocation City for UK Start-Ups

1. Simple and convenient incorporation

Incorporation is made easy in Singapore with a two-step process: choosing a business entity, and registering the company itself. Company registrations are typically done in just 1–2 days, and registration is possible with just one shareholder. As shareholder(s) need not be residents in Singapore, non-residents are also welcomed. However, they are advised to engage the services of a local incorporation services provider for the process.

2. Easiest city to do business in

According to the World Bank’s 2016 Annual Doing Business report, Singapore has consistently outranked all other countries as the easiest investment destination to do business in for the 10th year running.

The ease of doing business does not mean fewer regulations but rather it connotes a system of rules that enable the efficient functioning of businesses while safeguarding public interest. Resolving a commercial dispute in Singapore, for example, takes an average of 150 days, the

shortest time in the world; whereas in Myanmar (ranked 167th), it might take more than three years.

Singapore’s efficiency is aided by the presence of good institutions, such as specialised courts and effective case management. Sophisticated court automation tools also mean that claims and court fees can be paid electronically.

3. A flourishing start-up scene

Singapore has been described by The Economist as the “world’s most tightly packed entrepreneurial ecosystem”. Just last year, the city leaped seven places to 10th in US business analytics company Compass’ international report on the world’s best start-up ecosystems, beating leading financial hubs such as Paris, Toronto and Sydney. The fastexpanding JTC LaunchPad @ one-north, Singapore’s very own Silicon Valley, is also home to hundreds of start-ups, incubators and accelerators.

In addition, as part of its Smart Nation vision, Singapore has begun rallying industries, research institutes and

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government agencies as well as the man in the street in the co-creation of forward-looking solutions for a better city. “Live” test beds are available for these solutions to be prototyped nationwide, giving a boost to inventiveness and innovation.

Singapore. Though updated over the decades, the roots of Singapore’s legal system trace back to British Common Law. Start-ups will therefore be able to retain the same legal structure in Singapore, while being protected by laws similar to the UK’s.

4. A robust rule of law framework

5. An attractive tax system

Singapore is known for its low crime rates and law and order, making it a safe and secure place to base a start-up. At 9th place globally for its rule of law based on a study by the World Justice Project, Singapore was the only country in Asia to be in the top 10. Singapore also came first in the world for regulatory enforcement and order and security.

In addition, start-ups in the UK can feel right at home with their shift to

One of the reasons for Singapore’s stream of foreign investments is its corporate tax rate, which is one of the lowest in the world.

Compared to UK’s 20 percent, Singapore’s corporation tax goes up to a single-tier flat rate of 17 percent. Here, there is no tax on capital gains, which include gains on the sale of fixed assets, as well as foreign exchange on capital transactions. Furthermore, if a company files its returns, capital gains and share dividends paid to shareholders will not be taxed.

About the Author: Sharon Lim is the Senior Manager, Corporate Secretarial Services, for Hawksford Singapore. She leads a team of corporate secretarial professionals providing corporate advice and support to the board and management of Hawksford Singapore’s clients to ensure they are in compliance with regulatory

requirements and maintain best practices, standards and corporate governance aspects. Sharon has over 18 years of experience as a Company Secretary and has acted for several hundred Singaporebased firms including SGX-listed companies. She previously headed the corporate secretarial team in a multinational corporate

Recently, open-source blogging platform Ghost announced that it will be shutting its UK operations and incorporating it in Singapore. In the words of its founder, John O’Nolan, Singapore is “one of just a couple of countries in the entire world which was able to fulfil all of our needs”.

He further noted that Singapore “is exceptionally in tune with the times” and that it has “a great many other benefits which add up to make it the second most efficient economy on the planet. Not bad for a country which is, geographically, smaller than New York City”.

services provider and has also provided corporate and regulatory compliance services to MNCs, domestic companies and familybusinesses. She is an associate member of and certified by the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA).

For more information visit www.guidemesingapore.com

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Feature

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Smart Planning for a Move to the UK

By Martin Rimmer In this article Tax Manager Martin Rimmer outlines the key considerations for a return to the UK and how to negotiate the complex personal financial implications to maximise your assets.

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t’s not unusual at this time of the year to be saying goodbye to people who are on the move out of Singapore and to be welcoming new arrivals. Anecdotally the number of British expats returning home this year seems to be on the rise as companies in under pressure sectors like Oil and Gas and Financial Services restructure teams and reduce or in some cases, eliminate what were the previously typical expatriate packages.

Much as it’s great to go back to friends, loved ones and familiar environments, the organisation and arrangements can be daunting and not everything is clear cut. If you think you will probably move back to the UK at some point, it is worth getting a sense of the tax and financial issues involved. In the midst of packing, address changes, leaving parties and general arrangements, it is easy to overlook sensible financial planning and there is potentially a lot of tax to be saved.

For example, you may be required to transition over a period of time into a new UK-based role. If you are spending time in your UK office you may unknowingly qualify for UK resident status before you actually move. In addition, moving part way through a tax year may impact tax payable on any investments you hold and plan to sell here.

Let’s take a look at your portfolio. You probably have bank accounts here and in the UK, some share investments, a property in the UK (or more than one), perhaps a holiday home and a retirement plan in place. You won’t just experience the sticker shock of higher rates of income tax — all of these assets are likely to be affected to a greater or lesser extent.

A good tax adviser will be invaluable to help you navigate some potentially tricky tax matters around all these issues. However, here are some things you should know and

consider before you seek advice and make choices.

• If possible, review your situation in the tax year prior to leaving and take some actions at that time • Make sure you review all your financial interests including property, accounts, life assurances, pensions and investments • Consider liquidating any assets that are gainful while you are overseas and only sell the ones making losses after you have become resident in the UK • Consider closing non-UK deposit and savings accounts so interest is not unnecessarily taxed after return • In the last four years, HMRC has established a fixed set of rules to determine who qualifies as resident and non-resident. Be sure to check how that applies to you on the HMRC website and maintain a record of your

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Feature: Smart Planning for a Move to the UK

“midnights” in the UK in the tax year prior and for ideally five years before that. If for instance at short notice you are required to manage a team back in the UK which requires you to be on the ground for several months, this could affect how you are classified Getting the most favourable tax outcomes may involve some restructuring. For example: • If you have UK property, consider selling it whilst you are still nonresident, thereby avoiding unnecessary Capital Gains Tax (CGT). If you plan to live in it for some time, you can get a bit of a break on your CGT but not necessarily full exemption • It may be possible to use trusts to avoid a large measure of eventual CGT • Consider investing surplus funds into offshore bonds prior to leaving to provide tax-free income while in the UK and to shelter from UK IHT • If your spouse is not British, you could look at how you can shelter non-UK assets from IHT by using their “nondomicile” status effectively Typically, a more diversified portfolio will give you greater tax breaks. ISAs and a range of further allowances can all be used to minimise your annual tax bill. Also some life assurance bonds or non-UK pension schemes can deliver tax-favoured income in retirement.

Much of this planning can be done well in advance so that if notice of a move to the UK is short, you can be largely “ready to go”. In the fast-changing world today, you may be required to move swiftly. If you have planned well ahead of time or at a minimum in the tax year before your return, the tax implications of your move back can be hassle free.

About the Author: Martin Rimmer is Tax Manager – Asia Pacific at The Fry Group and a specialist in residence, domicile, inheritance tax planning and tax-efficient wealth structuring and protection. Based in Singapore, Martin joined The Fry Group in 1999 and now has responsibility for private clients throughout South East Asia, providing bespoke UK tax

planning and compliance solutions, opinions and technical briefings. Martin is ATT qualified and holds a BSc Hons in German with Economics and International Business. For more information visit www.thefrygroup.sg

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Feature

Still Running FRAILware in your environment?

By Phil Aldridge In this article Phil outlines the risks to businesses of continuing to use outdated servers which are no longer supported or updated by the manufacturer. More than half the companies in Asia are still running at least one copy of Microsoft Server 2003, more than a year after Microsoft stopped supporting it or patching any vulnerabilities.

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t is over 12 months since Microsoft officially stopped providing any support for Windows Server 2003. Its End of Life (EOL) was 14 July 2015. Of course, there are many companies which still pay US$600 per server to Microsoft per year to keep their environment protected and some government departments are paying millions per year for this facility.

However, for many companies, probably a scary number, they have simply left the 2003 servers running unprotected and evermore vulnerable.

Statistically in July 2014 there were approximately 65 percent of all organisations in the Asia-Pacific region running Windows Server 2003. In the 12 months leading up to 14 July 2015 EOL deadline that percentage reduced to 60 percent. In the 12 months since the deadline, anonymous, aggregate technology usage data provided by Spiceworks users in Asia shows that a little more than 50 percent of organisations still have at least once instance of Windows Server 2003 running in the environment, a staggering statistic more than a year after Microsoft stopped supporting it or patching any vulnerabilities.

In the first half of 2015 there were 36 CVEs issued identifying confirmed vulnerabilities for Microsoft Server 2003 and since the

EOL any new vulnerabilities are no longer documented for unsupported software. One could extrapolate this for the last 18 months and deduce that there could be as many as 100-plus unidentified vulnerabilities that have not been patched for Server 2003. Running software that is unsupported by the vendor not only puts an organisation at risk from a cyber security perspective but it also opens the company up to a multitude of potential regulatory compliance issues. Compliance frameworks such as PCI-DSS, SOX, HIPAA, and GLBA do not identify specific platforms for compliance issues but instead write their guidelines in such a way that inferred compliance would not be possible should the organisation be running unsupported software. Most frameworks require you to ensure your systems are patched against the latest threats, therefore any software where the vendor no longer provides patches it would be very hard to justify compliance in this case.

For companies that handle personal data, every country has a privacy data ordinance. Most ordinances state that the company should take all reasonable efforts to ensure the security of the data stored and again a system running Server 2003 even if it is not the server storing the personal data could be used as a gateway to access the private data. The consequences

About the Author: Phil Aldridge is COO of FunctionEight Ltd. Headquartered in Hong Kong and with regional offices in Singapore and New Zealand, FunctionEight provides IT managed services and private cloud computing solutions to SMEs and regional offices of MNCs across the APAC region. As COO, Phil heads up the product, marketing and sales functions as well as providing technical

oversight. Phil has been in Hong Kong since 1991 and having worked in various firms in positions of regional IT manager or similar, he joined FunctionEight in 2006. For more information visit www.functioneight.com

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of this vary from country to country and from fines to jail time.

Some companies will argue that the server running Server 2003 operating system is not connected to the internet and is therefore not at risk. Whilst technically correct, this will impact a network environment. If that Server 2003 machine happens to be a Domain Controller then it will keep the Active Directory schema of that entire network on an older, less secure model ultimately meaning the network can still be at risk. It should also be noted that even if this is not the case, the hardware aspect would still pose a threat would also be old and at some point fail and it may not be possible to get legacy hardware.

There are in total 8 versions of Server 2003 covered by this article, namely:• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition (32-Bit x86) • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition with Service Pack 2 • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition with Service Pack 2 • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition (32-Bit x86) • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition (32-bit x86) • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x64 Edition To put things into perspective most of the versions above came into existence in March 2006, and are now over 10 years old.

Realistically, any corporate user would not want to be running any desktop or mobile software that old. The same logic applies here in that a server operating system that is 10 years old is also obsolete. If your organisation has any Microsoft Server 2003 instances still running or even is unsure whether there are, please contact us and allow us to resolve this serious security risk.

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Feature

Playfulness: The New killer App

By Caroline Essame & Andrew Duffy Playing with ideas gave homo sapiens a step up the evolutionary ladder. Now it gives corporations an edge, too. The question is not whether companies need their staff to be playful, but how they can best encourage it.

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he philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein is rarely associated with fun. But he did say that “if people didn’t sometimes do silly things, then nothing intelligent would ever get done.” The combination of playfulness and brilliance is gaining traction in companies which have found that innovation, instead of rising from the bloody arena of competition, emerges best from collaborative, non-confrontational play.

Work and play have always mixed. With client lunches, office parties, team-building away-days, karaoke sessions and now the X-Box in the corner by the squishy sofa (usually red), a little play goes a long way in making the world of work turn more smoothly. Now it’s being taken more seriously as the path to competitive advantage—and a happier workplace.

Here’s how playfulness works: • It encourages innovation. The vogue for on-the-go repairs or a hack has introduced the Hindi word jugaad into academic curricula on innovation— creative problem solving that requires a fresh approach • It increases self-confidence as staff feel empowered to act because they trust their colleagues • It grows team cohesiveness as staff feel comfortable discussing ideas when there’s less risk of them being shot down. This has a knock-on effect with communication round the workplace being easier • It reduces staff churn and increases discretionary effort • It’s not just for the creative industries.

Doris Bergen at Miami University calls it

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The combination of playfulness and brilliance is gaining traction in companies which have found that innovation, instead of rising from the bloody arena of competition, emerges best from collaborative, nonconfrontational play. the best medium for teaching scientists and mathematicians, playing with elements, numbers and ideas • Playfulness frees our minds from the pressure of having to perform and allows originality to surface. We can knock around several ideas without getting hung up on which one is the best. A playful, open mind allows us to “explore the possible” in the words of Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play in the US

Work becomes child’s play

Playfulness is a foundation of childhood development. Before children speak or understand language, they wire their brains through creative play, and there’s a direct link between how much children play and how well they learn. Adults, too, know that they get more from training if they enjoy themselves.

Play links the two halves of the brain, combining creative and logical, verbal and instinctive thought. It lights up the brain and stimulates neurotrophins, molecules which help neuron development, according to Gwen Gordon in the American Journal of Play. New connections grow when synapses start firing as new ideas are knocked around until, like the arc-reactor in Iron Man’s chest, playfulness becomes self-sustaining as new routes open up more connections that makes innovation easier.

Perhaps because of this, millennials and playful organisations go hand in hand. The Cartoon Network and online fashion firm Zappos have designed their offices to be

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Feature: Playfulness: The New killer App

funky. Zoopla, Amazon and Innocent have the ubiquitous table tennis table. Pixar’s animators design their own wooden huts to work in.

something new to emerge. Playfulness is process oriented, not goal-oriented. It indirectly leads to the goal, but it should not be undertaken with a fixed goal in mind.

Few companies can afford to be so generous with space in high-rent Singapore, but there are other ways to boost playfulness at work.

Sessions with Lego (without instructions), collaborative board games, role-playing and improvisational theatre games, crayons, paint and paper, and messy play with sand and modelling clay all create space for fresh ideas to flourish.

Make it fun

These activities plant the seeds of playfulness. But there’s no picture on the packet to say what will sprout; that’s the point of playfulness—it allows for

It takes a while to hardwire playfulness into the corporate DNA. For the first step, playfulness is more like a costume in a dressing-up box which people wear when the moment is right. Organisations which want to boost innovation and empower staff encourage employees to play — if they want to. Fun theorist Bernard De Kovan sets a simple rule: don’t force it. “As soon as you have to play,” he says, “It’s not play any more.” But once a group starts playing, it becomes hard for others not to join in, until it becomes self-sustaining.

About the Authors: Caroline Essame is the founder and Managing Director of CreateCATT and CreateCorporate. Her area of expertise lies in education, human development and creativity.

Andrew Duffy is a director of CREATECorporate and an

Senior executives need to lead the way by showing rather than telling staff to be playful, for three reasons: first, it sounds weird to instruct people to be playful; and second, few staff are comfortable being the first one in the room to be playful. Third, and most importantly, multiple studies have shown that playful adults live on average 10 years longer, which C-suites would presumably consider a benefit.

Integrating playfulness into the workplace is not easy. But the next step for most companies is a move up the value chain, which depends on innovation and collaboration which are the lifeblood of both globalised MNCs and growing SMEs. So there’s a time for focus and getting on with things, but there’s also a time for messing about and low-risk playfulness.

Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University. His area of expertise lies in training and written communication. Both specialise in human development, creativity and communication.

For more information visit www.create-corporate.com

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Feature

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The TPP: What’s Next for the World’s Biggest Trade Deal?

By Cristián Rodríguez Chiffelle Can the Trans-Pacific Partnership thrive without its American partner? A look at the options from the World Economic Forum.

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t was set to be the biggest regional trade deal in history. But now, hopes of ratifying the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are dashed. On 21 November, PresidentElect Donald Trump declared he would make good on his promise to pull the United States out of the agreement when he took office in January 2017.

So what next for the TPP, the signature trade initiative advanced by President Barack Obama and painstakingly pieced together in formal negotiations over the past seven years?

The TPP is broken. Is that bad?

Well it’s not great. The deal would have launched a new epoch for world trade, at least on a regional basis. Covering everything from environmental protections to intellectual property, milk and sugar, it would have slashed trade barriers between some of America and Asia’s fastest-growing

economies, and turned a huge section of the world — as much as 40 percent of the global economy — into a single market.

But for US presidential hopefuls, and in particular for Donald Trump, the deal was “a potential disaster” and billed as a threat to American jobs. Many of the 12 TransPacific partners are yet to ratify the deal secured in October last year, but following Trump’s announcement it looks unlikely they’ll go ahead.

What exactly is the TPP?

Hailed by the Obama administration as “the agreement that will define the future rules of the road for the Asia-Pacific region,” and the “gold standard” for the global trade system, the TPP is a pact between 12 countries to further regional integration, advance 21stcentury standards and boost trade; effectively to function as a single market. These are the

signatory countries and how much they trade with one another:

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Why is the deal so controversial?

It’s not just the TPP that’s unpopular: there’s Brexit, the current scrutiny of NAFTA and other stalled negotiations, such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the US and Europe. These have long been viewed with suspicion by unions, workers’ groups and environmental advocates — all of whom believe international trade empties their job markets and damages the environment, while filling the pockets of large global corporations. And no one — whether politicians, negotiators or free traders — has managed to explain to the broader public why these groups may be wrong.

Even members of Obama’s own party are against the deal. Hillary Clinton wrote in her book Hard Choices that it would give businesses “the power to sue foreign governments to weaken their environmental and public health rules”. Bernie Sanders said the TPP allows multinationals to “rig the system to pad their profits at our expense”. Even traditionally free-trade advocates among the Republican Party are unsupportive.

Feature: The TPP: What’s Next for the World’s Biggest Trade Deal?

Who stands to win if it fails?

It depends on your perspective. The biggest benefactor could be TPP’s largest “outsider”, China. (The country is not a member of the agreement.)

Not only is this because the demise of TPP and failure of an Obama-Clinton “pivot to Asia” removes a major new trade initiative — complete with heavy geopolitical ramifications — from Beijing’s backyard, but also because China now has free reign to lead an alternative regional integration pact, as already signalled by President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in Lima this month, when he referred to the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) negotiations. This could be the next big trade game in town. Expect news from this side.

China and the 10 member countries of the ASEAN economic bloc are also leading efforts to secure a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that includes Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Unlike the TPP, the Regional Comprehensive partnership will likely see the light of day next year. The deal is expected to

include lower standards than the TPP, but this may now be a case of not letting the perfect be the enemy of good.

Can the TPP still go forward in some capacity?

It’s extremely unlikely Trump will let the United States stay entangled with the TPP in the short to medium term. And with the US out of the picture, other partners are sending conflicting messages on the deal’s feasibility.

The agreement “has no meaning” without the US, says Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “What it comes down to is...the Americans, I think, need to have time to weigh up the pros and cons,” says Australia Trade Minister Steve Ciobo, in a more conciliatory statement.

Then there are the optimists, such as Chile Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz, who offered: “Whether it be with the United States or without the United States, there’s a willingness among the countries that make up the TPP to move forward.”

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As for me? It now seems a remote possibility following the unravelling of Trump’s policy plans for his first 100 days in office.

RIP TPP: who are the losers?

Countries without a pre-existing trade deal with the US — such as Vietnam and New Zealand — lose access to the world’s major market. But businesses and service providers in the US (not to mention the rest of the TPP area) will also miss out. Just think of all the economies of scale and links to global value chains that could have been created.

Also, nations hoping that an international regulatory push will help boost market access and sharpen up domestic rules, such as Japan, will lose. (Although it remains to be seen if the Trump administration will start pursuing a separate trade agreement with Japan.)

About the Author: Cristián Rodríguez Chiffelle is a former Chilean TPP negotiator, now the Lead for Trade and Investment Policy at the World Economic Forum.

This article was originally published by the World Economic Forum in November 2016.

Anything else we’ve missed?

Yes. Another thing the TPP had going for it was the way it aimed to make regulatory issues more coherent, raised standards with respect to the environment and labour. It offered a great opportunity to further align trade with inclusive growth agendas and the Sustainable Development Goals.

key advances now lost in the TPP could eventually be brought back to the WTO table, reigniting momentum in Geneva, where the negotiations take place. But others believe — and with good reason — that plurilateral and multilateral trade talks will slide into irrelevance. They think trade supporters should focus on maintaining the current rule book and fighting protectionism.

The deal created groundbreaking new regulation on other 21st-century issues, such as cross-border data flows and state-owned enterprises, which now remain deregulated at the international level.

Finally, the TPP was America’s best chance of leading in the Pacific. Not only commercially but geopolitically.

And what about the World Trade Organization?

After the US leaves the TPP, it’s not clear what the impact will be on the multilateral trading system. There’s a suggestion that

It looks like the die is cast. Now, it remains to be seen how the Trump administration — along with other Pacific players, such as China and Russia — reformulate the equation in such a crucial region for commerce, and beyond.

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Britain in Southeast Asia News

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BiSEA News

The BMCC has opened the first British Business Centre in Malaysia (BBCiM) dedicated to UK companies seeking to establish a physical presence in Malaysia. Officiated by The RT Hon Greg Hands MP, UK Minister of State for Trade & Investment, the BBCiM offers incubation services via fully furnished private offices and open desk units rentable from hourly to annual basis. Virtual offices services are also available. Conveniently and strategically located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the BBCiM offers 24-hour secure access with a full range of amenities, where tenants can enjoy Chamber benefits as eligible members of the BMCC. For more information visit http://www.bmcc.org.my/bbcim

BritCham Philippines, in partnership with HSBC, held a business lunch meeting with Chamber’s Platinum members last December to welcome Alok Sharma MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Minister for Asia and the Pacific). The meeting was an opportunity to discuss some industry challenges and growth potential for British businesses in the Philippines. Earlier that month, the Chamber hosted a Christmas party garnering high participation and very positive feedback from attendees. Upcoming events include the Great British Golf Tournament on 24th February and a Trade Mission to Davao City in March aimed at further fostering cooperation and trade opportunities among local and international businesses, especially the British companies.

For more information, please email uksme@britcham.org.ph or visit the website http://www.britcham.org.ph/uksmesphilippines

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At its Annual General Meeting on 26th January BCCT elected eight of its 14-strong board of directors. Thanks to all the 2016 Board members for their contribution and support last year. The full BCCT board of directors for 2017 with officers elected as indicated is as follows: Chairman: Mr. Simon Matthews Vice Chairmen: Mr. Simon Landy, Mr. Chris Thatcher, Mr. David Cumming Directors: Ali Adam, Billy Chomsakorn, Carl Sellick, John Christie, Kate Manning, Kelvin Tan, Mark Bowling, Summer Xia, Kate Manning, Stephen Frost and Viriya Chongphaisal For more information visit www.bccthai.com

The Guide to British Business in Indonesia 2016/17 has been published recently by BritCham Indonesia. This publication is another example of the significant facilities provided by the organisation for businesses at a time when bilateral trade between the two countries is growing rapidly and pledges of some $19 billion of investment in Indonesia were settled during President Jokowi’s very successful visit to London in April 2016. In order to improve the investment climate in Indonesia, BritCham also managed an annual survey namely “Joint European Business Confidence Index” (BCI). The outcomes represents a powerful overview of business sentiment of European businesses already in the market. It is used by our embassies, our board’s stakeholders both in Indonesia and in home countries. We will launch the full results of BCI 2016 to the Indonesian Government at a formal event in early March 2017. For further information please contact communications@britcham.or.id

Last year was the most successful year to date for the blossoming British Chamber of Commerce Cambodia. Culminating in a successful Trade Mission for UK companies to Cambodia to explore opportunities in the country’s burgeoning construction sector, which grew from investments of $3.3 billion in 2015 to $8.5 billion in 2016. Britcham Cambodia began 2017 by launching two research papers on the country’s e-commerce and e-business sectors to promote awareness around the current lack of skills being developed in this growing and increasingly relevant sector. This year promises to be another expansive year for both the chamber and business opportunities in Cambodia, with a particular focus on education, construction and infrastructure and agri-business. The Chamber will be publishing a further research paper in collaboration with Euro Cham Cambodia in early 2017 that gives an encompassing overview of the country’s agriculture and agri-processing sectors. For further information please contact Executive Director Ritchie Munro director@britchamcambodia.org

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At the Chamber: Business Group News

Women in Business Group Chairperson: Dora Lui — Barclays

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he final quarter of 2016 was a very exciting one for the British Chamber Women in Business Group, with a wide variety of events, many new members and a new Chairperson, Dora Lui. Sadly we will also be saying goodbye to two key members: Katharina Lange and Juliet Wolfe. We thank them for their valuable contributions and wish them well in the future.

We hosted several well-attended events in the second half of 2016, with topics ranging from unconscious bias in the

workplace to developing personal resilience, and are well into the planning stages for 2017 starting with our Demystifying the Board event. Many of us are unaware of the benefits of joining a board, or how to go about it, so we’ve brought together both technical and practical insights designed to demystify the concept of a “board”. The Breakfast Club session will feature distinguished speakers Su-Yen Wong from Human Capital Leadership Institute, Mui Hoon Poh from SP Telecom, and Murli Ravi from Unicorn Venture Capital.

The main event in the Women in Business Group’s calendar for 2017 is,of course, International Women’s Day on 8 March.

The theme for 2017 has been decided — Be Bold for Change — and in the coming weeks our committee will be discussing in detail what that means for our own Women’s Day event.

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Transport, Logistics & Supply Chain Group Chairperson: Simon Petch — Watson Farley & Williams LLP

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ost-truth” is The Economist‘s word for 2016, it announced in January. (One could argue that’s two words, so maybe they are leaving themselves with scope for 2017 as well).

I was reminded of this when discussing with my six-year-old daughter her election campaign to be class rep at school. In the midst of other, worthier parts of her manifesto, she pledged that, if elected, she would fight for every lunchtime to include jelly and ice cream for pudding. She won.

In this post-truth era, the Transport, Logistics and Supply Chain Group (TLSC) is making no election-time promises.

Our interest is in deliverables and facts.

Transportation, logistics and supply chains have an impact on everyone, in almost all aspects of our lives — as individuals, as organisations, as businesses. I was thinking of trying to list some of the Chamber’s members, and wider Singapore business community, to whom TLSC applies and where interests might lie but, put simply, it’s all of you to some degree. Globalisation increases the scale and complexity. We have looked to draw on this for our kick-off event in March (of which more below).

At the time of writing, TLSC is the newest of the Chamber’s Business Groups. We formed in November 2016. We have adopted, as our mission statement, the following: • To provide British Chamber of Commerce members and the wider Singapore business community with a forum in the transportation, logistics and supply chain sectors: • To meet and develop contacts • To share information and know-how • To create a channel of communication to the Singapore Government • To share and highlight key trends; and • To provide relevant insights for businesses to benefit and learn

Our objectives are to: • Provide the platforms to deliver relevant and topical events • Create a community spirit within Chamber members • Connect with relevant Singapore Government Agencies and Think Tanks.

• Create a one-voice channel of communication to the Singapore Government • Attract new members/sponsors/ collaborators • Contribute to the BritCham knowledge bank and the ORIENT This distils down to one salient thought: the more we can put in to the Chamber — as individuals, as businesses and as sectors — the better placed the Chamber is to benefit us.

As with all of the Chamber’s business groups, there is plenty of overlap from TLSC into the spheres of the other business groups, and we will be working closely with them. Our kick-off event, in March

2017, however, is a solo mission. Under the tag-line “Hanjin – when supply chains go wrong”, we are looking to build an interactive panel discussion around the premise that the ideal supply chain is one that goes unnoticed, at least from the outside. When a link in the chain fails on the other hand... The bankruptcy of the Korean container shipping group, Hanjin in 2016 has brought this into sharp focus.

Not only was a huge shipping company affected, not only its suppliers, financiers, creditors, but billions of dollars-worth of cargo has been delayed, misrouted or stranded. It is only when such a breakdown occurs, that one gets a sense of the complexity, the inter-connectedness, and the contagion-risk of these structures.

These are expressions that were used in analysing the financial crisis of 2008, that we are still feeling the reverberations from today. Food for thought.

Details of the event are available from the usual sources. Refreshments will be provided. No jelly or ice cream is promised, though.

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At the Chamber

Chamber Update

Our plans for 2017 are well under way with many exciting events and engagement points coming up for our members.

We also begin this year by saying goodbye to two key team members:

Alexandra Packman, Senior Events Manager, is leaving the Chamber this month after three years to take on an exciting new role.

Nicola Jackson, Events Manager, is leaving Singapore with her family to experience new adventures in Taiwan.

We wish both our colleagues every success for the future and many thanks for all of their fantastic contributions! We welcome Sophie Gowing to the team who joined us in January as Events Manager and will be joined by Zoe Fazan in March, who joins the team as Senior Events Manager.

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Business Services News

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2016 Activity

In 2016 the Business Services team at the Chamber helped 370 UK companies with their export plans in Singapore.

We delivered 46 bespoke projects for UK companies across all sectors. Some companies have now opened an office in Singapore while others have found business partners and distributors.

We encourage UK SMEs considering exporting to Singapore to avail of our Business Matching service, where we can organise a programme of meetings during a two- to three-day visit.

We coordinated four trade missions from

the UK, including a cross-sector trade mission from UKTI South East around the Air Show, a SDI Big Data trade mission, a joint food and drinks trade mission around FHA (in association with FDEA, AHDB, SDI and PS8) and a joint oil and gas trade mission around OSEA (with SDI, EIC and Subsea UK).

We also supported some pre-trade mission activities around the Invest Northern Ireland trade visit to Singapore in March.

We assisted 24 companies with special events at Eden Hall, from company launch to networking receptions to forums — all with the view to facilitate business growth in Singapore.

Did you know that Eden Hall, the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Singapore, is available for hire by organisations promoting UK business, UK organisations or UK interests?

The British Chamber can help you organise a range of events from smaller dinners to large receptions. The flexible space can also be configured for seminars and presentations, and to showcase products.

For more info, please contact Carole: carole@britcham.org.sg

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At the Chamber: New Members

Sterling Select Property Elliot Vure

BritCham New Members

Corporate Plus Tower Transit Singapore Andrew Bujtor

Guardian Health & Beauty Sarah Boyd

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Corporate Bird & Bird Alexandra Shepherd

AON Singapore James Li

Atom Global Consulting Reeta Nathwani

Harney Westwood & Riegels Singapore Dipti Thakar

McLaren Applied Technologies Michael Shearer OBE

All3Media International Asia Pacific Sabrina Duguet

Tullet Prebon Rhys Spencer

JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Derek Flint

Boss Design Group Richard Killip

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At the Chamber: New Members

Corporate SME Rugby Singapore Sam Chan

BritCham New Members

Squire Patton Boggs Robert Shakespeare

Giles Publications Beatrice Seilern

Citiprop Property Management Juliet Stannard

RI Xander Friedlander

EnVeritas Group Tara Kallstrom

Visionnaire David Desbordes

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Overseas Corporate 2Stallions Razy Shah

Complete Healthcare International Belma Yebka

MTM Solutions Mark Moore

The London Speaker Bureau Kenny Gan

Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) Adam Cotter

School of Management, University of Bath Katie Calvert-Jones

University of London Andrew Mellor

Medicins Sans Frontieres Hong Kong Lauren Ho

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At the Chamber: Sterling News

Deloitte Southeast Asia has officially launched its sports business practice to provide professional services that are specially tailored to the business of sports. Globally, Deloitte is a recognised leader in the sports business sector, with a dedicated team providing professional services to some of the world’s largest sports teams, leagues and associations.

The Deloitte Southeast Asia sports business practice is an extension of the Deloitte Sports Business Group into the region. In recent years, the sports scene in Southeast Asia has been burgeoning, particularly with governments in the region committing to developing elite sports in their respective countries and with many world-class events now being held in the region. “The region is growing its sports scene, and we see this in their increased focus on developing their athletes to compete at elite level in world games. Many major sporting associations are also beginning to venture into Southeast Asia as part of their tour, seeing the potential gain from the emerging pool of affluent spectators, and the countries’ openness to cater state-of-the-art facilities and venues to host these events,” said Mr James Walton, Sports Business Group Leader, Deloitte Southeast Asia. For more information visit www.deloitte.com/sg

On 17 November 2016, the new Nixon Building at Tanglin Trust School was officially opened by Minister S. Iswaran and acting High Commissioner, Alexandra McKenzie. Named in honour of Dominic Nixon, former Chair of the Board and governor at the school for more than 10 years, the event was attended by governors, members of the school community and members of the local neighbourhood of one-north. Minister Iswaran gave a poignant speech in which he made reference to the relevance of international schools to Singapore and the role they play in supporting globalisation. “You are really at the nexus in many ways between Singapore and the world,” he said. “You bring the world to Singapore, and you bring Singapore to the world.” Having secured its lease at Portsdown Road until at least 2038, the Nixon Building forms part of a capital development plan that will see the school adding more facilities to provide its community with outstanding spaces and resources that match its aspirations for the future. For more information visit www.tts.edu.sg

The British Club Singapore’s General Manager, Mr Sean Boyle was awarded the prestigious British Empire Medal (BEM) on 30th December 2016 in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2017.

Sean was awarded the medal in recognition for his numerous years of service to promote British business and support charities in Asia during his 20 years in Singapore.

The full list was announced on the official government website of the United Kingdom, www.gov.uk and major media websites, including the London Gazette, Mirror and The Sun. “On receiving the news, I was overwhelmed and so grateful to have been bestowed this honour. And I thank all those who have supported me over the years in being able to achieve it,” says Sean. The British Empire Medal is a British medal awarded for “hands-on” service to the local community. This could be a long-term charitable or voluntary activity, or innovative work that has made a significant difference. It is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The British Club offers its heartiest congratulations to Sean.

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Addleshaw Goddard has announced the appointment of Axel Koelsch as the firm’s Chief Operating Officer. Axel will join AG in February 2017, as a member of the firm’s five-strong Executive Team, which is responsible for implementing strategy and running the operations of the business. He will report to Managing Partner, John Joyce. Axel has significant experience working across continental Europe and leaves Freshfields where he has been COO of the Germany and Austria region since 2010. Prior to joining Freshfields, Axel was responsible for Lovells’ operations across Continental Europe, including the planning and execution of the merger which created Hogan Lovells and, before that, spent several years at Linklaters (Germany) as COO and also Global Head of Strategy. As a McKinsey consultant from 1999-2002, Axel advised a range of international corporates and professional services businesses. For more information visit www.addleshawgoddard.com

ANZ today announced the appointment of Sanjay Mathur as Chief Economist, Southeast Asia and India, reporting to Khoon Goh, ANZ’s Head of Asia Research.

Mr Mathur joins from Royal Bank of Scotland where he was Head of Economics Research (Asia ex-Japan) leading research teams across economics, foreign exchange, rates and credit. Prior to this he held senior economic roles at Barclays and UBS. At ANZ Mr Mathur will be responsible for providing macroeconomic analysis and insight on key Asian markets with a particular focus on Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and India. Commenting on the appointment Mr Goh said: “Sanjay’s extensive economic experience and deep knowledge of both Southeast Asia and India markets will be highly valued by our clients during a period of significant reform within the region.”

Mr Mathur will commence in February, based in Singapore. For more information visit www.anz.com

Troels Oerting, Group Chief Security Officer & Group Chief Information Security Officer at Barclays has been appointed 2017 Chairman of the Board at the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA). The GCA is an international, non-profit organisation dedicated to confronting cyber risk and improving our connected world. On his appointment Troels said: “I look forward to my year as Chairman of the GCA. Over the past year, since its inception in late 2015, tremendous strides have been made in development of projects that will have dramatic impact on the state of cyber security. “Systemic cyber risk is an issue that every organisation — large or small, public or private — needs to address for themselves, their customers and to improve the digital world we all live in. The work GCA does is important for all.” For more information visit https://www.globalcyberalliance.org/

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At the Chamber: Sterling News

BT has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Asia Pacific Managed Security Services. In this year’s report, BT has moved from the Major Player category to the Leaders category. The report notes BT’s remarkable growth in the Asia Pacific cybersecurity market and its “cloud of clouds for security” strategy. The IDC MarketScape also notes BT’s extensive and diverse network of partnerships and its significant investments in internal security R&D. According to the report, “At a global level, BT has consolidated its security services and assigned a strong management team to run the security business. BT claims a staggering triple-digit year-on-year growth in Asia Pacific, with a high proportion of its sales coming from newly-acquired customers over the last year.” For more information visit www.bt.com

City Developments Limited (CDL) has emerged as the Top Singapore Company and the Most Sustainable Corporation in Real Estate Management & Development in the prestigious Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World in 2017. Coming in at the 30th spot, CDL is also the first and only Singapore company to be listed on the Global 100 ranking for eight consecutive years. Conducted by Corporate Knights, a Toronto-based international media and investment research firm, the Global 100 is recognised as the world’s preeminent sustainability equity index and gold standard in corporate sustainability analysis. The 2017 ranking was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. For more information visit www.cdl.com.sg

In PwC’s 20th annual survey of CEOs worldwide, ASEAN CEOs surveyed name Singapore as the most important city for their organisation’s growth (37 percent). This comes against the backdrop of CEO confidence in growth prospects that are rising slowly around the world but dropping in ASEAN. Yeoh Oon Jin, Executive Chairman, PwC Singapore, comments, “While regional CEO confidence levels are low, with Singapore being one of the most open economies in the world, any signs of optimism across the globe could lead to positive knock-on effects for us. “This is reflected clearly in this year’s survey results which show that Singapore (37 percent is the most important city named by ASEAN CEOs for their organisation’s overall growth prospects, ahead of Kuala Lumpur (23 percent), Jakarta (23 percent), New York (13 percent), London (12 percent), Beijing (12 percent), and Hong Kong (12 percent).” For more information visit www.pwc.com/CEO-survey

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At the Chamber: Corporate News

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The CFO Centre welcomes its newest addition to the team, Chii Wen Ho. Chii Wen (C.W.) is a Chartered Accountant in Singapore, and a seasoned senior Financial and Strategic/Business executive in several industries. With more than 20 years of work experience, he is also an experienced people manager who has worked in the United States, Europe and various parts of Asia. For more information visit www.cfocentre.com.sg

Dr. Tim Errington’s new book reveals that in this modern world of computers and handheld devices, the poor posture we are adopting is having an exceedingly detrimental effect on our health. In fact, the local Chiropractic Doctor has found that over 80 percent of the people he has treated in Singapore are allowing postural changes to negatively impact their health. Posture is increasingly in the news, as is the fact that long hours of sitting is really detrimental for your health. The stark truth is quite simple — lose your posture, lose your health. The book, ‘Posture Matters’, is designed to help improve the posture of the people of this small island and therefore their health and vitality. For more information visit www.totalhealthchiropractic.com.sg

This year has seen the inaugural Sovereign Art Charity Students Prize Singapore, celebrated in an exhibition in January hosted at Suntec Singapore. Each year, secondary schools and higher education institutions throughout Singapore are invited to select art works produced by students in their school/higher education institution to enter the prize. A select panel of judges will shortlist 20 finalists from which the winner is chosen, receiving a cash prize for both themselves and their nominating institution.

Furthermore, the finalists have the option to sell their artwork via silent auction, where 50 percent of the sale goes to the student and 50 percent to the charity. The Sovereign Art Charity will conduct art therapy projects in Singapore. For more information visit www.sovereignartfoundation.com

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At the Chamber: Corporate News

UWCSEA announces the opening of a new Conference Centre situated at its Dover Road campus. The Centre is a modern facility offering 600 sq m of fully customisable space to accommodate groups of up to 600. Our dedicated staff will work with you to design an event that fits your budget and your group’s unique needs. If you are looking for a venue to hold a training session, workshop, exhibition or simply a place to bring people together, the UWCSEA Conference Centre has the space for you. Get a head start on the success of your meeting and book your event at the UWCSEA Conference Centre today. UWCSEA Conference Centre: creating successful events together. For more information visit www.uwcsea.edu.sg/centre

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars was delighted to be honoured with the “Best British Luxury Craftsmanship” award at the 2016 Walpole British Luxury Awards in November 2016. The annual awards recognise individuals and companies in the luxury industry who exemplify British excellence and leadership in a field that contributes £32 billion every year to the British economy. Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “We are delighted and honoured to be the recipient of this prestigious award, building on our previous Walpole success of “British Luxury Brand of the Year”. Every Rolls-Royce is hand-built at the marque’s global centre of excellence in Goodwood, West Sussex. Our success is born of a profound understanding that patrons of true luxury seek to curate, commission and collect extraordinary objects, crafted to their exacting specifications at true global centres of excellence. It is this approach that ensures we proudly fly the flag for British manufacturing and design across the world.”

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is the professional body for HR and people development. We are the voice of a worldwide community of more than 140,000 members committed to championing better work and working lives and have been setting the benchmark for excellence in people and organisation development for more than 100 years. Individuals can complete qualifications and training through our academic centres in Singapore and Malaysia and through our suite of award winning digital qualifications. Across Asia we are helping to develop HR teams in leading organisations including RBS, Technip, Shell, Total and AIA. Through our expertise and research, we provide a valuable point of view on the rapidly changing world of work via topics such as the Future of HR and well-being in the workplace.

For more information visit www.cipd.asia

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A design-led landmark in the heart of Singapore’s art and culture district, the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach features 634 guest rooms including 47 suites, 17 meeting rooms/venues, a grand ballroom with Philippe Starck-design interiors, two sky gardens, two outdoor pools and five unique food and beverage concept outlets, including a restaurant helmed by world-renowned chef, Akira Back, of Iron Chef America fame. Located in close proximity to Singapore’s key tourist attractions, Shenton Way CBD) and the Marina Bay entertainment/business district, the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach is the perfect choice for leisure and corporate travellers seeking enriching experiences and hospitality excellence.

The MINDSET Challenge is the Jardine Matheson Group’s signature fundraiser for mental health causes, raising over S$1.2 million since 2012. The 2016 vertical race raised S$365,000 for MINDSET Learning Hub — a job training and placement centre for people recovering from mental health issues. The race attracted over 250 participants, who scaled the 33-floor Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1 on 13 November 2016. Marking the fifth anniversary of MINDSET (a Jardine Matheson Group charity) in Singapore, the first Jardines MINDSET Carnival was also held. It brought together employees, families, friends and mental health beneficiaries for a day of outreach and fun.

Knight Frank, the independent global property consultancy, on 6 December 2016 announced a long-term partnership in the Philippines with Rick Santos, who heads the leading real estate brokerage and consulting firm in the country. The business will operate as Santos Knight Frank, with effect from 1 January 2017. This partnership builds on a close alignment in ethos, business culture and service offering with a strong focus on long-term client relationships. The alliance will add a well-respected and highly professional operation in the Philippines to the Knight Frank network which in Asia-Pacific, will comprise more than 5,000 employees across 14 countries.

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At the Chamber: Members’ Offers

To find out more about our members’ offers, visit our website under Membership -> Members Offers.

Allied Pickfords

Two hours free Handyman Service

Bupa

10% off Medical Insurance Plan

Emirates

Enjoy up to 10% off Emirates fares

Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar

Get 10% discount at Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar

Anagram Group

City Serviced Offices

EnVeritas Group

Harry’s

Black Marketing - Enabling LinkedIn For You

CMC Partnership

EVA Group

IMarEST

British Airways

Courts

Expat Living

IOM Singapore

British Standards Institution

Cultural Training Asia

Garner International (s)

JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach

One Hour Training Session at $990 and 10% off all one-day training workshops

Free One Hour Consultation on How You Can Use LinkedIn To Achieve Your Business Goals

10% off airfare for British Airways

10% discount on ISO certification, training services and purchase of standards

10% discount on facilities and services

Discount on Change Management training & certification

5% off electrical & 10% off furniture on presentation of your Membership Card

5% off Women in Leadership Programs — Developing Global Leaders Asia

10% off Digital Content Marketing Services

5% discount on training

50% off Expat Living Subscription (usual price $78)

FREE: Two Hours Consultation with Garner International Executive Search & Recruitment Services

15% off at Harry’s on presentation of your Membership Card

Up to 75% off Sustainable Maritime Operations degrees

NEBOSH International General Certificate (IGC) course on 20% off

Special offer at Beach Road Kitchen

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JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach

Pizza Express

SandBank

Sonru

The Fry Group

Mandarin Orchard Singapore, by Meritus

Progress U

Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

Spaces

Total Health Chiropractic

Mega Adventure

Quayside Isle

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Survival Chic

Tower Club

Singapore Cricket Club

The Bank Bar

Transformify

Singapore Management University

The British Club

Ultimate Performance (UP Fitness)

Special offer at Media Bar

Enjoy 20% off Best Flexible Rates at Mandarin Orchard, Singapore

20% Off Team Building Programs

MSIG

15% off MSIG’s Prestige Healthcare

MSIG

30% off MSIG’s TravelEasy Insurance

25% off at Pizza Express on presentation of your Membership Card

5% off International Corporate Coaching Program

Up to 15% off F&B on presentation of your Membership Card

Raffles Singapore

Discounts off Food & Beverage, Restaurant Bookings & Event Meetings

Regus

15% Discount for all Britcham Members on all products

Enjoy 10% off* total bill on presentation of your Membership Card

Exclusive Association Rates for BritCham Members

Shangri-La Business Travel Programme for BritCham Members

Up to $1000 credit for F&B for BritCham members

5% discount on SMU Executive Development Programme

10% off Annual Subscription for Corporate Members

Special Membership Offer for BritCham Members

Special Membership Offer for BritCham Members

Enjoy 15% off* total bill on presentation of your Membership Card

The British Club Special Signup Promotion for British Chamber Members

10% off UK Tax Return Service

50% off first visit at Total Health Chiropractic

Enjoy a 6-week Complimentary Trial Membership at Tower Club

Complementary Marketing for Britcham Members via Transformify

10% off personal training packages with Ultimate Performance

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At the Chamber: Breakfast Club

Resetting Marketing for 2017 12 January 2017 Phil Townend, Chief Commercial Officer of Unruly Asia Pacific gave us a closer look at what having an entrepreneurial mindset really means and how our guests can adopt a startup point-of-view to reset and future proof their marketing strategies for 2017.

We took in some examples from the world’s biggest brands and studied how incorporating elements like disruption, courage and purpose has helped them raise the bar industry wide.

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Chris J Reed, Chairperson of our Marketing & Creative Committee with Phil Townend, Chief Commercial Officer, APAC, Unruly

Cyber Security — An Insider Perspective 23 November 2016 In this event, security experts explained the ways in which cyber-crime continues to impact a range of organisations. They shared unique insights in the disciplines of emerging technologies, operations and enforcement, and academic and pragmatic experiences.

Members and guests enhanced their awareness of technology risks, learned how to mitigate the impact and mastered ways to protect themselves.

Finding the True Value of Your Projects and Programmes 22 November 2016 In this breakfast talk, the founder of the ROI Institute, Dr. Jack Phillips, showed our members and guests how to credibly derive the true business impact and dollar value of their organisational and departmental projects, programmes and initiatives, using the globally adopted Philips ROI Methodology.

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Dr. Jack Phillips - Founder/Chairperson, The Business Evaluation Centre of the ROI Institute, Partner of the ROI Institute

Unified Communications: Cutting Through the Noise 11 November 2016

David Grainger - Sales Director, Arkadin Andrew Milroy - Senior Vice President, ICT, Asia Pacific - Frost & Sullivan Byron Radar - General Manager, Applications & Services Group, Microsoft Asia Pacific Chris J Reed - Global CEO & Founder, Black Marketing

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In this event, our panel explained and discussed Unified Communications; • Its definition and potential • The quick wins and efficiencies available • The long-term promise • The pitfalls to be avoided • The benefits to the different areas of one’s organisation • The options for differently sized and differently distributed companies • The considerations and next steps when embarking on a UC strategy Following the event, a complimentary webinar was provided by Arkadin, giving participants a recap of the discussion. To view the webinar of this event visit https://goo.gl/y3xDw

The BritCham Breakfast Club is proudly sponsored by:

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At the Chamber: Breakfast Club

New Energy Realities — What Does It Mean For You? 1 December 2016 This breakfast session served as a post Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) event to review key themes and look ahead at prospects for the sector in 2017 and beyond.

At this panel session, attendees gained insights into local and regional impacts affecting their roles in Singapore in 2017.

The panel discussed how regulation is changing the status quo; impacting Singapore-based businesses and providing new opportunities for the sector and those who service it.

For more information on this topic turn to page 26.

Google Chief Marketing Officer Simon Kahn: Technology’s New Frontier 20 January 2017 In front of 100 members and guests in a special breakfast club event at the new Google Singapore offices in Mapletree, Chief Marketing Officer Simon Kahn outlined the present and future scope of machine learning and its impact on our lives and businesses.

Attendees enjoyed an open question and answer session where we learned more about Google’s key regional countries, their approach to talent, cyber scurity and more.

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Simon Kahn - Chief Marketing Officer, Asia-Pacific, Google

The BritCham Breakfast Club is proudly sponsored by:

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At the Chamber: Leaders in Business Lunch

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Leaders in Business Lunch with Ho Kwon Ping 18 November 2016 Members and guests joined us for our final Leaders in Business Lunch in 2016 welcoming Ho Kwon Ping, Owner-Founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings.

Ho Kwon Ping looked into the future 50 years of Singapore and shared his views and thoughts. How can Singapore continue its tremendously successful story considering: • The implications of global links: the effects of the US election — now with Donald Trump as elected President — and the Brexit Referendum • Singapore’s up and coming ASEAN neighbours, as well as China and India • Singapore’s diverse society, identity and purpose • Singapore’s economy • Millennials and the future of Singapore’s education, work and employment

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Ho Kwon Ping - Executive Chairman, Banyan Tree Holdings

Sponsored by:

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At the Chamber: Evening Events

Fintech — A Live Experience 7 November 2016

HE Scott Wightman, British High Commissioner; Wynthia Goh, Chief Digital Officer - Aviva; Jon Yong-Fook Cockle, Head of Digital Product & Design - Aviva; Luke Janssen, Executive Chairman & Founder - Tigerspike; with members of the Aviva Digital team

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The concept of Fintech has arrived and it will change the face of finance in the coming decade. For firms that embrace the change opportunities will undoubtedly abound but those that resist run the risk of being left behind.

BritCham joined up with the Aviva Digital Garage to provide our members and guests with the opportunity to witness the next generation of technology in action.

Sponsor:

Scottish Business Group Networking — Skyscanner’s Singapore Story 28 November 2016 In this event, members and guests got to find out more about Skyscanner’s story since setting up in Singapore in 2011 and how it has successfully used Singapore as a hub to grow its Asia Pac operations. They also enjoyed some of the finest Scottish craft beer thanks to Brewdog.

Sponsor:

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A Celebration of Women in Music 7 December 2016 This session challenged people’s perceptions that musical composers, both historical and current, are male. The audience learned about female composers and had the opportunity to listen to music and enjoy food and drink in a convivial pre-Christmas setting at Eden Hall.

Samantha Holland, a pianist and music teacher at UWCSEA school, played some musical pieces and discussed the largely unknown role of women as composers.

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Samantha Holland - Music Teacher, UWCSEA

Sponsor:

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At the Chamber: Special Events

BritCham Open House 27 October 2016 BritCham hosted its bi-annual Open House on Thursday 27th October. The Open House was complimentary and specially organised for members and their guests to learn more about the benefits of BritCham membership through conversations with the Chamber’s board members, business group heads and the management team.

Members and guests had the opportunity to network and mingle with one another over drinks and canapĂŠs provided by our Supporting Partner, The British Club.

Sponsor:

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Singapore Immigration: The Fair Consideration Framework 2 Years On 4 November 2016

This seminar Q&A with the Director for Foreign Policy of the MOM, discussed the Fair Consideration Framework and its evolution since it was introduced in August 2014. This seminar provided an update on the current MOM regulations relating to the recruitment and employment of foreign professionals in accordance with the FCF, and how this has impacted job advertising transparency and HR practices in Singapore.

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Two years ago, the Fair Consideration Framework was introduced, and its proposed changes to Singapore’s immigration laws had a profound effect across all business types, including sole proprietors, SME’s and large multinational organisations.

Christopher Koh - Director, Foreign Workforce Policy Department, Ministry of Manpower Ruth Wilkins - Director, Magrath Global

Sponsor:

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The BritCham Ball: A Very British Christmas 10 December 2016 Over 400 guests joined us this year for a wonderful and special evening filled with all the magic and sparkle of a very British Christmas!

We kicked off the holiday season with the nostalgia of Christmas in the surroundings of the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel. Guests were greeted by carol singers to put them in the festive spirit with bubbly kir royales and mulled wine cocktails. The British High Commissioner, Scott Wightman and Chamber President, Bicky Bhangu, were dressed as Father Christmas, spreading their cheer during the drinks reception and guests having their pictures taken with them.

It wouldn’t have been Christmas without the traditional dinner and all the trimmings including Xmas puds with brandy butter, and of course there were crackers to pull along with fun and games throughout the evening.

Following dinner, the band 10.seconds played all our favourite tunes as guests danced the night away.

It was the perfect occasion to celebrate the festive season with friends, family or colleagues — the Christmas party to end all Christmas parties!

At the Chamber: Special Events

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THIS IS WHAT WE DO BEST. The Chamber plays a strong role within the community in Singapore, providing valuable links for our members, whilst maintaining a focus on delivering quality support to our growing membership base.

We currently represent almost 400 companies across all industry sectors. The network of executives representing their companies grew substantially over the past years to now over 3000 a dynamic development that is continuing in 2017.

Our Membership is open to all nationalities.

Join us today! Visit www.britcham.org.sg

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DISCOVERY EMIRATES BUSINESS Savour regionally inspired gourmet cuisine, paired with the finest wines, all served in the perfect living space to relax and unwind.

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