Orient Issue 62

Orient MCI

SPECIAL FEATURES

ISSUE 62

9 770219 124002

62

Connecting Business Creating Opportunities WWW.BRITCHAM.ORG.SG

109/11/2016

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - SINGAPORE

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Building Networks

18

DOUBLE FEATURE: PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FIRST 100 DAYS

27

IN FOCUS: KOK-LEONG LIM, REGIONAL DIRECTOR APAC, MCLAREN APPLIED TECHNOLOGIES

ISSUE 62 / JUNE 17

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Contents

11

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

13

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE AT THE CHAMBER

16

BritCham Board Members 2016/2017

SPECIAL DOUBLE FEATURES 18

President Trump’s First 100 Days

SPECIAL FEATURES 19

Trump’s First 100 Days: Anything to See From South East Asia?

23

The Trump Administration and Trade: An Emerging Picture

27

In Focus: Kok-Leong Lim, Regional Director APAC, McLaren Applied Technologies

FEATURES 31

Volunteering in the Field

34

Raising the Bar and Building a Strong Local Core Workforce in Singapore

37

Post-human Advertising: Does AI Spell The End of Media & Marketing As We Know It?

40

How Will Electric Vehicles Affect Oil Demand?

45

Collaborating With SMEs to Build a Digital Ecosystem

43

The Importance of Cultural Happiness

48

When Jargon Takes Over

51 53

Conflict Hides But Does Not Go Away The Golden Execution Strategies That Drive Success

AT THE CHAMBER 56 58 60

Britain in Southeast Asia News Business Group News Business Services Update

61

BritCham New Members

67

Corporate News

64 70 72

Sterling News Members’ Offers 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 Asia Chris Reed: Black Marketing — Enabling LinkedIn For You Robert Williams: British Airways COMMITTEES: Business Group: Richard Warburton Events: Sian Brown External Affairs: Bicky Bhangu Membership: Damian Adams BUSINESS GROUP CHAIRPERSONS: Built Environment: Marius Toime (Chairperson), RickHancock (Co-Chair)

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

Diversity: Stephen Trevis Energy & Utilities: Tim Rockell, Bree Miechel (Co-Chair) Entrepreneur & Small Business: Jonathan O‘Byrne, Miles Gooseman (Co-Chair) Financial Services: Ashley Jones (Chairperson), Sunil Iyer (Co-Chair) InfoComm Technology: Andrew Pickup (Chairperson), Magda Chelly (Co-Chair) Leadership in Asia: Stephen Wyatt Marketing & Creative: Chris Reed Professional Services: Mark Chowdhry, David Gardner (Co-Chair) Scottish Business Group: Neil Mclnnes Sustainability & Responsibility: Rosie Danyluk Transport, Logistics & Supply Chain: Simon Petch Women in Business: Dora Lui (Chairperson), Angel Cheung (Co-Chair) Young British Chamber: Joe Tofield (Chairperson), Gemma Tresser (Co-Chair) MANAGEMENT TEAM Executive Director: Brigitte Holtschneider Membership & Communications Manager: Lucy Haydon Membership Manager: Nicole Wharfe Marketing & Communications Executive: Nicole Alison Lim Senior Events Manager: Zoe Fazan Events Manager: Sophie Gowing Finance Manager: Pauline Yeo Business Services Manager: Carole McCarthy Senior Business Services Advisor: Nico Putri Safari Business Services Advisor: Jessie Or 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

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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, As we approach the second half of this year I would like to take this opportunity to announce changes to our Management team and reflect how far we have come as a professional Chamber of Commerce.

As you may be aware, our Executive Director of 10 years, Brigitte Holtschneider, will be stepping down this month. We have also recently bid farewell to our Membership Manager, Katie Hudson, who has also given 10 years of outstanding service to the Chamber and our network of members. I would like to thank both Brigitte and Katie for their contribution in making the Chamber grow in scale, capabilities and relevance in Singapore.

Bicky Bhangu

President, British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore

At Chamber board level, we’d like to thank for their years of service: Ron Totton, BT and Ian Williams, HSBC who have both stepped down. At our AGM it was shared that the Board shall continue to retain focus on growing our membership and network opportunities, delivering quality events that add value to you personally and your organisation and encouraging relevant sponsorship. We have also restructured the External Affairs Committee to strengthen the relationships with Singapore Inc. and strengthen direct relationships with the UK and Singapore government. I am also keen to build our regional connections in ASEAN among the wider BritCham community. The External Affairs Committee will also be responsible for supporting conversations around Brexit, identifying priorities for the bilateral foreign trade agreements.

As the incoming Chamber Board set priorities and direction to support our members’ concerns, future business agendas and personal ambitions, I recognise that we are only effective with a strong Chamber management team. So, I look forward to welcoming new people to the management team these next few months, as we bring renewed vigour in our focus to bring value to our members.

In the coming months, I look forward to seeing you at our flagship events.

Meanwhile, please do reach out to me at bicky@britcham.org.sg if you would like to share your feedback.

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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, This is the last time I write the Executive Director’s message for the Orient magazine. I can’t believe how fast time has flown by, I still remember vividly the first day I walked into the Chamber’s office at Cecil Court 10 years ago, and what a different Chamber it was then…

Before I say my goodbyes, I would like to share an update about activities conducted in the past quarter and what we have planned for the remainder of the year.

Highlights Q2 • Economic Briefing with Parag Khanna, a leading global strategist, providing deep insights on how politics is playing out in the major economic regions of the US, Eurozone, China and Japan, and how its likely courses of action will influence Asia.

• Launch of the 18th Annual Business Awards early April, welcoming Lloyds Banking Group as co-title sponsor. We look forward to many nominations in the nine awards categories!

• AGM on the 27 April welcoming a new incoming Board led by Chamber President Bicky Bhangu, commencing his second term. Congratulations!

• We welcomed two new annual sponsors: St James Place and GEMS International School. Many thanks for your support and collaboration!

Brigitte Holtschneider

Executive Director, British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore

• Member company Kadence conducted focus group discussions with invited members to gather feedback and input how to continue improving member value and engagement. The team and the Membership Committee will act upon the findings and you should see outcomes very soon.

Plans going forward: • Back to Work networking on 24 August and F1 Networking on 14th September, connecting members in a casual atmosphere.

• The Business Awards Gala Dinner takes place on 28th September and we have invited a guest of honour from the Singapore Government.

• BritCham Fair in October to showcase the Business Groups, who they are, what they address, how they operate, how to engage and how they benefit the membership.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Membership Administrator Siti Hadijah, who left the Chamber at the end of April and our long standing Membership Manager Katie Hudson who relocated the family away from Singapore leaving the team beginning of May. I would like to thank Siti for her meticulous and diligent work supporting members in all administrative matters, wishing her all the best for the future. It is a tough call to say goodbye to Katie! I would like to thank her for 10 years of dedication to the Chamber and the members, for her friendship, kindness and collaboration.

To conclude, I would like to thank every member with whom I worked and interacted during my 10year tenure. I was fortunate to closely work with four presidents and their boards, greatly benefiting from their guidance and support. I take back with me so many memorable experiences and met so many wonderful people. I am grateful for the trust that has been extended to me to build the British Chamber to the current size, status and international reputation. All started with the courage of one leader to make the most unconventional decision hiring a German woman to lead the British Chamber.

Cheers to that, Terry O’Connor!

I hope to stay in touch with many of you long beyond my Chamber days!

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

Wishing you and the British Chamber an exciting and flourishing future.

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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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At the Chamber

BritCham Board Members 2017/2018 We welcome the following board members who were elected at our Annual General Meeting on 27th April 2017

Bicky Bhangu Regional Director South East Asia & Pacific Rolls-Royce

PRESIDENT

Damian Adams Partner Simmons & Simmons

Sian Brown Director, Chief Controls Office Barclays Bank PLC

VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

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

Richard Warburton Head of Performance Excellence, Asia Arcadis

Annabel Moore General Counsel, Asia Pacific Diageo Singapore Pte Ltd

Haslam Preeston Regional Managing Director Jardine Cycle & Carriage Limited

David Pugh Director The Fry Group

Mark Chowdhry Managing Partner Baxters International

Andrew Vine Managing Director The Insight Bureau Pte Ltd

Andrew Pickup Senior Director, Communications, Microsoft Asia

Chris Reed Global CEO and Founder Black Marketing - Enabling LinkedIn For You

Robert Williams Head of Asia Pacific Sales British Airways

Building Networks Connecting Business Creating Opportunities

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Special Double Feature

President Trump’s First 100 days In this special section, experts from member companies Control Risks and Clifford Chance explore the possible economic and financial impacts of the President’s administration

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

Trump’s First 100 Days: Anything to See From South East Asia?

By Steve Wilford, Senior Partner, Control Risks As the news cycle spins red hot in North America, and pundits and business leaders warn us of how political risk is now back at the centre of corporate decision making, from a seat in South East Asia it is tempting to ask: “Is all this political risk assessment really necessary?”

Steve Wilford, Senior Partner at Control Risks, considers the options

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T

he headlines are once again awash with assessments of President Donald Trump’s performance after his administration passed its 100th day on 27 April. Or perhaps the correct phrase might be ‘more awash’ because a defining feature of this administration is the uncertainty it generates and the media scrutiny that such uncertainty produces. Are the ‘marines’, the ‘businessmen’ or the ‘zealots’ controlling the President’s thinking? Which US conglomerate will be next to receive the 3am Trump tweet treatment? When is the wall with Mexico actually going up? Will the Mar-a-Lago summit with Xi Jinping be the site of a surprise grand bargain or the start of a trade war? It turned out to be neither.

Perhaps the one question nobody was asking at that particular event was whether President Trump would launch a missile strike on Syria during entree or dessert.

On trade, we all remember candidate Trump’s threats to impose blanket tariffs on Chinese goods and brand China as a currency manipulator. Well, 100 days on, that mooted trade war has become a mutually agreed plan between Beijing and Washington to address the US deficit – and one that was initiated by the Chinese.

Indeed, the last trade action against China was carried out in the last days of the Obama administration over alleged aluminium dumping.

On security, candidate Trump’s assertions that America would act increasingly in its own interests and Asian allies had better pay up if they wanted US military support, has morphed into the April deployment of a US carrier battle group to support NE Asian allies coupled with categorical guarantees of existing alliances. Similarly, the Trump administration’s flirtation with putting conditions on the ‘One China Policy’ – a real red line issue for Beijing – was just that, a flirtation from which it quickly backed away. While the situation on the Korean peninsula is a concern, China’s exasperation with Pyongyang nowadays rivals that of Washington which, contrary to the current sabre rattling, actually bodes well for better collaboration between the two powers on this issue. For a cynic, it could almost be argued that the fizzling of the great Trump face-off with China and apparent moderation of ‘America First’

Special Feature: Trump’s First 100 Days: Anything to See From South East Asia? politics amounts to a missed opportunity for South East Asia. US firms who may have been bullied in the China market as trade tensions rose may now keep their response to that a diversification of their investment portfolio away from China and into ASEAN – locked away in a filing cabinet.

A defining feature of this administration is the uncertainty it generates and the media scrutiny that such uncertainty produces.

Continuity wrapped in the hype of a celebrity real-estate developer President is not, unfortunately, the only way to assess the Trump administration’s relationship with South East Asia. In many respects, the relationship hasn’t really begun yet.

Behind the rolling golf summits and ad hoc presidential decrees, the Trump administration has been spectacularly slow in staffing its machine, particularly in crucial areas such as the State Department and, to a lesser extent, the administration’s trade bodies. It was only recently that the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published the government’s trade policy agenda and this, again, was for the most part a study in ‘America First’ generalisations asserting US sovereignty of trade policy (vis-à-vis the likes of the WTO), and following on from that greater Commerce Department rigour in the pursuit of anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws under the 1974 Trade Act. But it does name names. China is, of course, on the list of states criticised in the report for running a significant surplus with the US, but Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia are also singled out. The USTR makes specific reference to the administration’s disappointment with the quality of existing trade deals.

To be clear, President Trump’s musings from the lectern are now concrete policy and his administration is clearly not walking away from forcing a better deal from specific surplus exporters. Indonesia, which

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

mainly exports the natural resources that US industry needs, can probably rest easy, but Vietnam and Malaysia, in particular, could be the outlet the Trump administration needs for punitive anti-dumping or currency manipulation measures at a time when the price of ‘going after’ China may be politically and economically too high. Traditionally, states in South East Asia have tended to respond in a ‘tit-for-tat’ manner to antidumping actions rather than singling out locally invested foreign firms for ‘special regulatory treatment’. The bad news is that Malaysia and Thailand in particular are going through a sensitive period in their domestic politics, and the Thai Junta and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will need to be seen to react to any US action on trade.

This would have direct implications for US businesses certainly, and the broader foreign investment community possibly.

Most intangible of all is: what is America’s place in South East Asia under the Trump administration? This administration will not be mobilising American exceptionalism in the region, that so-called ‘city on the hill’ that past presidents have used to mobilise American moral authority and soft power around the world. Trump has repeatedly critiqued that approach as simply benefitting foreigners at the expense of the US. Instead, the new mantra will be ‘transactionalism’, the diplomatic mobilisation of America First.

That model guides thinking that would have trade sanctions placed on Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam without considering the value of respectively two long-standing allies and a nascent one.

For similar reasons, the Trump administration is unlikely to expend political capital attempting to moderate the uglier manifestations of populism emerging around the region, from the widespread support in Myanmar for the persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority to the popular extra-judicial mass killing of drug dealers in the Philippines. It will not be considered expedient or in America’s interests to do so. This is pertinent to us as investors in the region. As the region’s populists act with greater impunity, so will reputational risk to foreign investors rise (see above examples) and then, almost inevitably, the broader fabric of the foreign investment climate begins to erode.

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Special Feature: Trump’s First 100 Days: Anything to See From South East Asia?

Picture Credit: The Japan Times

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All this analysis comes with a very big caveat.

It presumes South East Asian states are purely passive actors in Washington’s diplomacy. The next 100 days will emphatically show they are not. It’s no coincidence that Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s special envoy to the US is President Trump’s former business

partner (and now presumably the Trump children’s business partner). The flip side of transactionalism is that the ‘deal’ that gets done can be highly influenced by how President Trump perceives his opposite number on a personal level; Japan’s Shinzo Abe instinctively understood this when he

rushed to Trump’s side after his poll win and then used the greens at Mar-a-Lago to carve a much better deal for Japan than the Trump campaign had promised. And don’t forget, when it comes to golf course diplomacy, Abe is a rank amateur compared to the leaders of this region.

About the Author: Steve Wilford is a Senior Partner for Asia-Pacific in Control Risks’ Global Risk Analysis team, in which role he leads a group of specialists conducting country, sector and regulatory risk assessment work. Prior to this, Steve was the Director of Corporate Investigations for South-East Asia. Steve is a regular BBC, CNN, CNBC, radio and print media commentator on trends in insurgency, political succession, corporate governance and threats to business assets in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as a frequent presenter at regional risk management conferences. Steve holds a master of philosophy in international relations from the University of Oxford, and a first-class honours degree in South-East Asian studies and language from the University of Hull, where he specialised in Thai military politics and Malaysian corporate governance issues.

About Control Risks Control Risks is an independent, global risk consultancy specialising in political, integrity and security risk. They some of the most influential organisations in the world to understand and manage the risks and opportunities of operating in complex or hostile environments. Working across five continents and with 36 offices worldwide, Control Risks provides a broad range of services to help clients manage political, integrity and security risk. For more information visit www.controlrisks.com

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Special Feature

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

By Romesh Weeramantry, Foreign Legal Consultant, Janet Whittaker, Partner, Paul Landless, Partner, Jessica Gladstone, Partner, Clifford Chance Despite President Trump making ‘America First’ a key plank of his campaign, as with many issues that the Trump administration is confronting, the precise contours of its trade policies remain to be seen

Picture Credit: World Global News

The Trump Administration and Trade: An Emerging Picture

Building Networks Connecting Business Creating Opportunities

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O

ne of the first actions taken by President Trump was to follow through on his campaign promise to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). For many, this signalled the start of the United States’ retreat from its traditional position as a global leader in free trade. However, despite candidate Trump making ‘America First’ a key plank of his campaign, as with many issues that the Trump administration is confronting, the precise contours of its trade policies remain to be seen.

There are three reasons why the Administration’s agenda on Trump is still developing. First, the authority available to the President on trade is not unlimited, so the campaign rhetoric by necessity will adjust to the practical constraints on his executive powers. Second, there are many players with potential to influence trade policy — some of whom, including, importantly, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) — are

Special Feature: The Trump Administration and Trade: An Emerging Picture

not yet in place; those who have taken up their positions come to the table with different perspectives on the pros and cons of free trade and are jockeying for sway with the President. Third, the administration will not only need to cater to those who wish to constrain free trade, but it will also have to confront the multitude of constituencies — including US farmers and consumers — who benefit from free trade and are beginning to make their voices heard.

In this context, it is helpful to review some of the administration’s trade-related actions over its first three months.

Having campaigned on a commitment to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and calling it “the worst trade deal ever”, President Trump appears to have pulled back from his threats. A widely-reported draft letter sent to Congress suggests that the administration intends to keep much of the trilateral agreement in

place, while seeking to make changes that would address areas of specific concern.

For example, it is reported that the United States wants to propose changes to NAFTA’s rules of origin and “to level the playing field on tax treatment”. While the draft letter may provide some indication of the administration’s broad objectives, its formal position on NAFTA remains unknown. Importantly, however, it is interesting to note that the draft letter reportedly reasserts the United States’ acknowledgment that Canada, Mexico, and the United States have “shared borders” and “shared goals, shared histories and cultures, and shared challenges.”

The administration’s focus on levelling the playing field is carried through in two trade-related executive orders signed by the President in March. The first executive order focuses on the United States’ trade deficit, requiring the Department of Commerce and the USTR to conduct a 90-day review

Picture Credit: South China Morning Post

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

to assess the major causes of the trade deficit in respect of foreign trading partners “with which the United States had a significant trade deficit in goods in 2016”.

In particular, it directs that the “Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits” identify areas where trade practices and market barriers are contributing to the United States’ trade deficit in goods, and the impact of the relevant trade relationships on US manufacturing, employment and wage growth.

The second executive order is directed at addressing the unfair trade practices of foreign importers, including through rigorous enforcement of trade remedies and through measures to make enforcement more effective. Indeed, the Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, has confirmed that enforcement is one of the administration’s trade priorities and that he plans to pursue anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases to protect US industries — primarily in the manufacturing sector — harmed by imports.

The trade deficit in goods has also been a focus in the administration’s bilateral trade discussions to date, including, for example, with South Korea. In April, Vice-President Pence, during a visit to Seoul, suggested that the United States would seek to renegotiate the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) to address the concern that the United States’ “trade deficit with South Korea has more than doubled since KORUS came into effect”.

One of the most interesting developments has been with respect to China. Much of President Trump’s criticism’s of past trade policies have been targeted at China, which in 2016 had a US$ 347 billion trade surplus with the United States. However, the recent summit between Presidents Trump and Xi signalled a strong intent on both sides to minimise frictions in the bilateral relationship, including in the area of trade.

The two countries agreed to engage in a

new Comprehensive Economic Dialogue and to develop a 100-day plan for talks aimed at cutting back the United States’ trade in goods deficit with China; there was also some initial discussion of opening certain sectors of the Chinese economy to US exports and investment.

Going forward, it appears that bilateral — rather than multilateral — trade relationships are likely to form the pillar of the administration’s trade negotiations. For example, the United States has just opened a “new chapter” in its relationship with Japan through the establishment of the US-Japan Economic Dialogue. Similarly, during Prime Minister May’s visit to the White House earlier this year, both countries committed to talks on a United States-United Kingdom free-trade agreement.

In Asia, the withdrawal of the United States from the TPP has given momentum to another significant multilateral trade

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Special Feature: The Trump Administration and Trade: An Emerging Picture

Picture Credit: CNN

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agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). It comprises 16 countries — the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and six countries with which ASEAN has existing free-trade agreements, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. Once finalised, this trade bloc will account for almost half of the world’s

population, about 25 percent of global GDP, and over a quarter of world exports.

The key winners in the RCEP will be the countries that currently do not have trade agreement relationships with each other, such as China with India and Japan with Korea. However, tariff reductions under RCEP are reported to be less

comprehensive than those agreed in the TPP. Additionally, RCEP is not expected to handle issues such as the environment and human and labour rights, which the TPP did include. There have been calls, for example, by Malaysia, for RCEP to be concluded by the end of this year. Whether this ambitious target will be achieved remains to be seen.

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About Clifford Chance

Romesh Weeramantry, Foreign Legal Consultant

Paul Landless, Partner

Janet Whittaker, Partner

Jessica Gladstone, Partner

Clifford Chance is one of the world’s pre-eminent law firms with significant depth and range of resources across five continents. As a single, fully integrated, global partnership, we pride ourselves on our approachable, collegiate and team-based way of working. We always strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, which include corporates from all the commercial and industrial sectors, governments, regulators, trade bodies and not-for-profit organisations. We provide them with the highest quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise. Clifford Chance brings experience of numerous international trade and public international law matters that make us well placed to help you navigate your trading environment. This includes WTO law, anti-dumping, anti-subsidy, trade barrier regulations, customs and rules of origin, export controls, economic sanctions, the effect of bilateral and plurilateral trade and investment treaties, and related disputes. For more information visit www.cliffordchance.com

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In Focus

In Focus: Kok-Leong Lim,

Regional Director APAC, McLaren Applied Technologies

By Lucy Haydon McLaren’s ‘learn fast in order to succeed’ innovation culture, developed through 30 years in the motorsport industry, is now feeding into new technologies, with the McLaren Applied Technologies organisation working on highly complex problems. Regional Director for APAC, Kok-Leong Lim, sat down with me to discuss its corporate culture, constant drive for progression, and more

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In Focus: Kok-Leong Lim, Regional Director APAC, McLaren Applied Technologies

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aving originally trained as an electrical engineer and focused much of your professional career in the IT and communications space, it must be inspirational to work on innovative projects that can reach a much broader scope. Can you give our members some examples of how McLaren Applied Technologies has been able to take the learnings from McLaren’s Technology Group’s motorsport division and other projects to drive improvements in other industries?

The nature of Formula 1 is to constantly innovate, test and run scenarios for microseconds in performance improvement.

Because of these constant changes, we always say the car is a prototype, never a finished product. Having been in the motorsport industry for many years, the use of a ‘learn fast in order to succeed’ approach has been the main learning for us to bring into the commercial world – being flexible enough to come up with new concepts, rapid prototyping, and distil from these the concepts that will and will not work.

In a commercial world, this fast approach is quite abnormal. This innovation culture is ingrained into us with a continuous improvement cycle, driving performance.

Our experience in the use of sensors leads to real-time data which can be applied in a multitude of solutions across many verticals. We use models and simulations to drive decisions. What comes out of these decisions is the precision engineering and control systems that drive the solution on the particular project we are working on. It is a constant feedback loop.

We have been concentrating on two main markets in Singapore, health and public transport systems. We have already started collaborating with local transportation bodies in Singapore to explore how we can use data, modelling, and simulation to predict peak performance parameters.

The desired outcomes for intelligent transportation have great synergies with competing and operating in F1; the vehicle needs to be high performing, reliable, low maintenance and the operation needs to be timely, compliant and seamless. With targeted data acquisition, you can provide insight to design systems, driving everything from predictive maintenance to efficient operations of a whole transport system.

This learn-fast in order to succeed culture is ingrained into us with a continuous improvement cycle, driving performance.

In digital health we are already collaborating with one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, monitoring human as well as just physical assets. The problem here is measuring the effectiveness of a drug, and whether patients are even using them according to the doctor’s prescription guidelines. In the past, pharmaceutical companies would do clinical studies, but this has limitations in terms of

the resulting data. The use of sensors can allow us to use a digital wrapper around a pill box, for example, to gather data without making it an intrusive process.

This data holds potential applications both for the pharmaceutical companies and for the wider health industry. Population data is required to personalise healthcare; stratification is required to model the data before personalisation. The vision is to use health records to build models around population health data, with the hope of optimising the ‘care pathway’.

These are just two very different examples of how McLaren Applied Technologies can use data-driven insights and decision science can be applied across diverse markets.

When McLaren Applied Technologies looked to expand into Asia from the UK headquarters, what made Singapore the most attractive option?

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Singapore is of course strategically located for travel within the South East Asia and Pacific region, and with its stable politics, pro-enterprise government and infrastructure, it was a simple decision when we considered expansion into the region. Singapore has proven to be a magnet for quality talent from our perspective, including those relocating to the country to progress their careers. The corporate ecosystem, supported by various

Our experience in the use of sensors leads to real-time data which can be applied in a multitude of solutions across many verticals.

government schemes and grants, lends itself to further future expansion.

is so exciting; as a team, every challenge is new and fresh.

At the time of expansion, our pharmaceutical work was a factor, as many top pharmaceutical companies have a regional headquarters in Singapore.

This decision was further compounded due to Singapore’s wide concentration of innovation and technology companies. The transportation landscape is also globally unique — the perfect proving ground for Intelligent Mobility. For McLaren Applied Technologies right now the focus is heavily on innovation, incubation and proximity to like-minded visionaries, so for us, Singapore is a natural home.

Have you witnessed any issues with building a regional pipeline of expert talent? How are you working with the local government to encourage future generations into this area and particularly within McLaren?

When I started hiring, I transferred a small number of employees from the UK, partly because of their skill levels but mostly to introduce and maintain the culture of innovation that we need to cultivate.

When I began to hire here, it was a difficult challenge — which industry should I draw from? I went to the research institutes to look for broader skillsets and hired from there, and as I built the team I introduced people who were more commercialised in translating the data into a solution. There is no perfectly matched resume for McLaren Applied Technologies; it is about the transferable skills.

Are there specific industries which McLaren Applied Technologies focuses on for the application of new technology, and how do you nurture that important culture of constantly generating ideas within the organisation?

When McLaren Applied Technologies started almost 30 years ago, we were providing equipment and electronics to the motorsports industry. Around 10 years ago, we began to move out to other industries, taking a wider approach to solving complex problems. The focus remains on core capabilities; we are not consultants but solution providers, through long-term partnerships and collaborations.

The business is focused on key verticals such as public transport, health and wellness, motorsports and automotive. With this way of working we are able to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation in a targeted, meaningful way.

In motorsports, the drive is to win.

Commercially, you have to consider what would winning look like? We aspire to provide solutions to the end user for some of the world’s most complex problems, and that drives our employees — to improve lives through our data-driven design approach. We collaborate on challenges with like-minded visionaries, and ensure that we all buy into the idea that we have something to contribute. What problem are we actually solving? We must think beyond the commercial to the end user. This is why working for McLaren Applied Technologies

The use of sensors allows us to use a digital wrapper around a pill box, for example, to gather data without making it an intrusive process.

The team is going to continue with rapid growth over the next few years and will need a sustainable local talent pipeline.

To feed this, we have already started an internship programme with the local universities for engineering and computer science students.

They will experience six months in McLaren Technology Centre’s UK base before returning to take their learnings forward in their final year research project, with the potential to join the team here in Singapore.

We are also beginning to look at hiring post-graduate students, working on research which is relevant to us. Eventually we hope to introduce local internship programmes.

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Our members share a keen interest in companies which demonstrate the benefits of collaboration between the UK and Singapore. Can you elaborate on how your team in Singapore is able to leverage on the experience and expertise within the UK operation to benefit the company here in Singapore, and vice versa?

We work on common projects, regardless where the project started, so it is part of our everyday culture to collaborate with our UK colleagues. Within McLaren, the mindset is not that intellectual property sits solely within the UK headquarters; the

In Focus: Kok-Leong Lim, Regional Director APAC, McLaren Applied Technologies

culture is that wherever we can progress further and faster, that is where the initiative should be driven.

What do you see as the main obstacles and opportunities for progression in technology over the next few years, particularly in our region?

I am hoping that the adoption rate for new technology will improve, particularly as there are less obstacles to progress here and many learnings to take from others.

The drive for innovation is there from the government, so I see plenty of opportunity for the future.

We have been utilising the Internet of Things for over 20 years!

About McLaren Applied Technologies For more information on McLaren Applied Technologies’ projects and services visit http://www.mclaren.com/ appliedtechnologies/

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Feature

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Volunteering in the Field

By Dr Marlene Lee, Volunteer Field Psychologist & Board Member, Médecins Sans Frontières

While looking for opportunities to help others, Dr Marlene Lee discovered that providing support to people in the places with the greatest need requires a different skill set and mindset to working in the private sector, with life-changing outcomes

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ecoming a field worker for Médecins Sans Frontières — or Doctors Without Borders — was, for me, a matter of good timing. I returned to Singapore after completing my PhD in the United States, and lectured for a short while at the National University Singapore before moving to James Cook University Singapore to be part of its clinical psychology training programme.

I was already contemplating a change by then; training others gave me something more applied to do for a while, but it wasn’t sufficient. I wanted to have a more handson experience in helping others. At the end of the day, I decided that I wanted to help

As a mental health officer, you’re basically a one-person show, from assessing the needs to kick-starting the programme, which would usually involve recruiting the local staff with the right experience, and to train them to deliver the interventions.

people in the places with the greatest need. A friend of mine told me about Doctors Without Borders and I applied to be a volunteer. I was accepted soon after and received my first field assignment to Kashmir, India.

Working in the field is vastly different from professional practice in a place like Singapore.

As a mental health officer, you're basically a one-person show, from assessing the needs to kick-starting the programme, which would usually involve recruiting the local staff with the right experience, and to train them to deliver the interventions. Doctors Without Borders’ preferred approach is to have the

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Feature: Volunteering in the Field

interventions delivered by local counsellors because of language and cultural barriers, but in urgent situations, where there's no time to hire and train, the expats will have to do the work ourselves.

In Singapore, you’ll have a nice room and all the privacy that you require. In the field, we’ve had counselling sessions in barns, or out in the open with just a piece of curtain to give as much privacy as possible.

In Singapore, you’ll have a nice room and all the privacy that you require. In the field, we’ve had counselling sessions in barns, or out in the open with just a piece of curtain to give as much privacy as possible.

You also don’t have the luxury of time; when you're out in the field doing crisis counselling you have to think in terms of just one session with that person, because there's a high chance you won't see them again. In the refugee camp in South Sudan there was a constant influx of people; you’d see someone this week and next week they’d be gone, so you really have to focus on how you can help them in a single session.

This hands-on, no frills experience also applies to the other roles. Dr Lim Chin Siah has been on three missions with Doctors Without Borders, and observed that he often feels “more like a doctor” out in the field, where he is able to spend more time focusing on treating patients without the administrative requirements that come with the daily running of large hospitals in a busy city.

These experiences don’t just stay in the field.

The missions I’ve done with Doctors Without Borders — in places like China, Myanmar and South Sudan — have taught me things that now influence my professional practice.

Hans Olijve, a logistician, also recalls having to be more direct in his work while out in the field: “In corporate life you have to massage the message a bit better; you can disagree but you can’t be so blunt. But with Doctors Without Borders, I made it very clear. In that environment, you shouldn’t leave any ambiguity in what you do. It doesn’t work if you give false expectations.”

Everyone you meet in the field has a story to tell, and often their story is one of immense devastation and great loss. But you see people picking up the pieces quite quickly and having to move on, because their living circumstances don’t give them the time or the opportunity to sit down and work things out emotionally. So, for example, you've had to evacuate your home because it's all

ruined from an earthquake and you're now in a camp for internally displaced people.

Everyone in the camp looks out for each other. They know exactly who the children are, and how each child is coping, and everyone keeps an eye out for each other.

As a clinical psychologist, my training had been about learning how to identify, assess and treat abnormal psychological conditions.

There’s a strong focus on deficiencies; because our training helps identify gaps, we tend to look more at the negatives and how we can fix them. We don't necessarily look at the existing coping mechanisms, strengths, or the persons’ courage and

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resilience. That’s the biggest thing that has changed for me: I learnt very quickly that these things are very important, and they actually do contribute to the person's recovery. Now, even in my conventional psychotherapy practice, I focus a lot on resiliency and empowerment.

In the end, you realise that people everywhere are just the same. They want a house, they want food and electricity, and to have a better life and a better future.

All my peers in Doctors Without Borders say that professionals who are thinking about applying to go to the field should do it. It’s not a cliché to say that it’s a life-changing experience. It’s changed my own priorities in life, and taught me not to sweat the small stuff. Things can change in an instant, so I find that people, friends and loved ones are more important to me now, rather than material success and achievements.

“You see how other people work and live around the world,” says Hans. “It gives you an opportunity to work with people from a lot of different nationalities, different cultures.

And in the end, you realise that people everywhere are just the same. They want a house, they want food and electricity, and to have a better life and a better future.”

About the author Dr Marlene Lee is board member of Médecins Sans Frontières Hong Kong. She was a full-time volunteer field psychologist with Médecins Sans Frontières from 2007 to 2009. Her missions with the organisation have taken her to India, South Sudan, China, Myanmar and Indonesia.

About Médecins Sans Frontières Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. MSF offers assistance to people based on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.

As Médecins Sans Frontières has not been registered in Singapore, donations to the organisation’s causes may be made via the Hong Kong office at https://ssl.msf.hk/donate/en. Aside from doctors, MSF is also in need of non-medical professionals for the efficient running of its medical activities and programmes. For those interested to partner with MSF, kindly visit www.msf-seasia.org.

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Feature

Raising the Bar and Building a Strong Local Core Workforce in Singapore

By Ruth Wilkins, Director, Magrath Global As the Fair Consideration Framework nears its third anniversary, Singapore’s evolving immigration policies have had an increasing impact on businesses across the size spectrum that are facing increased scrutiny and challenges in relation to foreign manpower profiles and hiring processes

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t is well documented that the Fair Consideration Framework was introduced in 2014 as part of the government’s overall strategy to promote fair employment practices and an effort to strengthen the Singaporean core in the local workforce. Since that time, the practical measures designed to facilitate this have been carefully calibrated in their implementation and increasingly felt by companies and individual foreign employees.

The Ministry of Manpower has made clear that a quota for foreign professionals qualifying for Employment Passes is not being introduced but that foreign workforce growth will continue to be moderated to ensure it acts as a supplement to the local workforce in a sustainable manner. In essence, the measures aim to maintain the delicate equilibrium between protecting and nurturing the local workforce and utilising foreign talent to enable the longer-term growth and expansion of the Singapore economy. Consequently, development of

the local workforce is key, as unemployment rose slightly in 2016 with net growth in local employment still slow compared to levels seen in recent years. A company’s interpretation of the spirit of the framework is therefore crucial in an employer’s active demonstration of its commitment to these policies.

Fair employment and hiring practices

The requirement to advertise in the Singapore Work Development Agency (WDA) Jobs Bank before filing new Employment Pass applications is arguably a cornerstone of the framework. The advertisement must be open to all Singaporeans and comply with the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, and must run on the WDA Jobs Bank for at least 14 calendar days. Certain exemptions continue to apply; however the MOM encourages firms to advertise all their job vacancies, even those positions that technically qualify as exempt.

The principles of Fair Employment and Hiring Practices encompass recruitment and

A company’s interpretation of the spirit of the framework is crucial in an employer’s active demonstration of its commitment to these policies.

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selection on merit (including qualifications, experience or ability to perform the job) and regardless of race, gender, age, religion, disability, marital status or family responsibilities. It also requires the fair treatment of staff with equal opportunities for training and development based on their strengths and needs, and the incentivising and reward of employees commensurate with their ability, experience, performance and contribution.

The MOM is increasingly demonstrating that it will not shy away from taking action in the form of curtailing work pass privileges, in circumstances where firms are found to have nationality-based or other discriminatory HR practices. Around 250 companies are currently estimated to be on the Watch List and are required to work alongside the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) to demonstrate their commitment to improving internal hiring and employment practices. The term ‘triple weak’ has been used to describe companies

not found to be actively nurturing a strong Singaporean core or having a strong relevance to Singapore’s economy and society.

Increased Employment Pass processing times

Once an employer has navigated the recruitment and jobs bank advertising criteria, the submission of an Employment Pass itself is also subject to increased scrutiny. The strength of an application hinges as much on the company’s profile as the individual’s personal credentials.

This has led to the MOM confirmation in March that the typical processing time of an application has been revised from one to three weeks. The increased timeline facilitates additional scrutiny of supporting documents, company profile, qualifications, and potential exchange of information with other government agencies or overseas organisations. Further delays beyond the standard three weeks are also possible if additional information is requested or if there are other unexpected complications.

Raising of the Employment Pass salary criteria

The minimum monthly salary for an EP application rose to S$3,600 in January. This was in line with the gradual tightening of criteria in recent years calibrated against rising median wages for locals at the Professional Managerial Executive and Technical level. However it remains the case that the salary threshold is assessed in the context of the overall application profile.

Career Support and Human Capital Partnership Programmes

Encouragement and reward of companies is arguably at the heart of the policies, in the form of a raft of generous government supported schemes and the prestigious Human Capital Partnership (HCP) Programme.

Job skills and profile matching

Two foreign employment agencies are being introduced under a two-year pilot initiative

by MOM to assist unemployed whitecollar workers to re-enter the workforce.

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Job seekers must be referred through Workforce Singapore or the National Trades Union Congress as the focus shifts towards active jobseekers as opposed to sourcing candidates in existing employment.

The schemes are supported by organisations including the National Trades Union Congress, SPRING Singapore, Workforce Singapore and MOM. These include the Lean Enterprise Development designed to support companies to become more manpower lean through improved processes. The WorkPro initiative now includes grants of up to S$480,000 to incentivise the recruitment and retention of older workers and implement flexible work arrangements for all. Similarly, Place and Train Programmes ‘P-MAX’ are designed to enhance the opportunities for matching SMEs with job-seeking PMETs, with Workforce Singapore providing up to 90% funding support for the workshop fees.

Feature: Raising the Bar and Building a Strong Local Core Workforce in Singapore

The strength of an [employment pass] application hinges as much on the company’s profile as the individual’s personal credentials.

Recognition of the ageing population is central to these initiatives. In 2006, the ratio of the population over 65 years of age was 1:7. This has risen to 1:5 in 2017 and is predicted to reach 1:3 by 2030.

About the Author Ruth Wilkins is a qualified UK lawyer and Director of Magrath Global. Ruth has more than 10 years of experience in all aspects of Singapore immigration, advising a wide range of clients from individuals to multinational companies on the practical implications of transferring employees to Singapore, managing the service delivery of a large team of immigration specialists and also providing immigration training and updates to HR professionals.

About Magrath Global Magrath provides comprehensive immigration advice and support to businesses and individuals in the Asia Pacific region. For more information visit www.magrath.sg

The Human Capital Programme by TAFEP is underpinned by three key objectives, the strength of the Singaporean core, ‘complementarity’ between foreign and local foreign employees and a skills transfer from foreign to local employees.

Companies are encouraged to invite an assessment of its good practices and human capital development plans, and those awarded the status of a HC Partner will enjoy a number of benefits including faster responses to MOM transactions, recognition of their endorsement and better access to government resources.

The message therefore remains clear that a two-way dialogue between government and businesses will continue to be encouraged in the pursuit of raising the bar on these core strengths and foreign manpower policy must inevitably adapt to this longer-term strategy.

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Feature

Post-human Advertising:

Does AI Spell The End of Media & Marketing As We Know It?

By Scott Button, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Unruly As AI grows ever more commonplace, what are the implications for media and marketing? Unruly’s Scott Button shares his thoughts

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echnology cycles like this: magic, mainstream, mundane. Artificial Intelligence is firmly in its mainstream moment and is becoming so embedded in the everyday that we risk not noticing it at all. Selfdriving cars, humanoid robots and Go grand masters may grab the popular imagination, but it’s the way that AI is seeping into everything from voice recognition to fast-food delivery that better illustrates its quiet ubiquity.

Alexa and Siri don’t just seem to be getting smarter, they are getting smarter, day by day, along with most other connected devices.

In the domain of digital advertising, predictive models and machine learning have been with us for several years now, used both to combat ad fraud and to improve campaign goal optimisation, whether that’s customer lifetime value or video viewability. Neural networks and deep learning have the scope not only to improve these sorts of capabilities but also to introduce novel ones.

Reality check: the world’s first AI media agency already exists; Blackwood Seven was

Feature: Post-human Advertising: Does AI Spell The End of Media & Marketing As We Know It?

in fact set up three years ago. It’s slightly intimidating but seems fairly obvious that machines will do a better job of planning and optimising media than lightly trained execs shuffling Excel sheets around.

But what about creative? While digital has always promised the possibility of customising (and then multivariate testing) thousands of creatives for different audience clusters, this strategy has tended to fall over in practice or be implemented simplistically because it’s expensive and slow. If AI can make it fast and cheap, this might just revolutionise mass marketing.

Thinking further out, it’s not crazy to speculate about the creation of the world’s first AI ad agency, perhaps implemented as a conditional adversarial network. One neural network churns out thousands of ideas and storyboards with the goal of them being indistinguishable in terms of originality, relatability and emotional impact from award-winning campaigns of the past and present. A second neural network rates the ideas of the first and attempts to figure out which ones are really award-winning human-authored efforts and which machinegenerated, thereby generating further feedback for the first machine.

In the realm of video, IBM Watson and Fox have already used AI this year to produce a movie trailer for the sci-fi horror flick Morgan.

Convolutional neural networks were trained on a database of horror films to recognise scenes of high tension and high terror. There’s risk of overclaim, of course. The neural network suggested scenes but a human editor was still needed to stitch them together into a coherent whole. At least for now.

This stuff is not as fanciful or as distant as it may seem — it is much closer to science fact than science fiction. An appropriately trained neural network is not only better at spotting objective patterns and images than an expert human (measuring brand prevalence in a video for example) but also has the potential to be better at recognising the soft stuff too — the tone of a creative, the sentiment of the editorial in which the ad is inserted, the

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emotional reaction of the audience, and even, at the fringes of current research, the aesthetic and creative value of the ad itself and its tendency to exemplify a set of stereotypes.

What’s vertiginous here is not so much the breathless pace of technological change but rather the trajectory we’re headed on, to a time in the not-so-distant future when machines are better than us — not just at the mundane tasks that threaten hundreds of millions of jobs in the developed and developing world, but also at the sorts of things that we think of as being elevated and

distinctively human, including the creation of advertising and culture.

Farther out, advertising and media may be subject to more radical change still. The more we entrust our purchasing and lifestyle decisions to algorithms with which we share ever more data, the less influence any form of advertising has over those decisions. It’s the algorithms that need persuading in such a future, not us humans.

The claims here ought not to be especially surprising or contentious, though perhaps

About the Author Scott Button is Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of video ad tech company Unruly, where he’s taken the company from start-up to category leader with 300 Unrulies across 20 locations worldwide. Unruly was acquired by News Corp in September 2015. Before launching Unruly in 2006, Scott was CEO of Connextra, a venture-backed UK ad serving firm. He holds an MA from Cambridge and a BPhil from Oxford, both in philosophy.

About Unruly Unruly was founded in 2006 and acquired by News Corp in 2015, with 300 staff across 20 locations worldwide. For more information visit https://unruly.co/

the evidence is, through familiarity, becoming increasingly invisible to us. In many areas of life we’ve already handed responsibility to intelligent machines. News and our life stories to social networks. Navigation to mapping apps. Collision prevention to autonomous driving systems. Medical diagnosis to neural networks. Life partners and one-night stands to dating platforms. EdgeRank. PageRank.

We trust the algorithm to know us better than we know ourselves. This is the end of the human as we know it: Man displaces God, Machine displaces Man... and, more prosaically, Algorithm displaces Ad.

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Feature

How Will Electric I Vehicles Affect Oil Demand?

magine a time when electric cars could outsell gasoline cars by 10 to one. It may seem unlikely, but that era has been and gone. This was actually a reality in the United States at the turn of the 20th century, when 600 electric taxis roamed the streets of New York and an electric car held the land speed record.

Then, in 1908, gasoline-powered Model T Fords began rolling off the production line in their thousands, making motoring more affordable and stifling the progress of electric vehicles.

By Spencer Dale, Global Chief Economist, BP More than half a million new electric cars hit the world’s roads last year, making it a question of how, not if, energy demand will be affected in the future. So, what will this mean for traditional resources such as oil?

Today, electric vehicles are back. What was once the aspiration of one or two niche car makers has become a central element in the strategies of virtually all of the world’s major manufacturers. With improving technology, falling battery costs and the need to improve urban air quality on its side, the electric vehicle is well placed to increase its share of the global car fleet.

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Will more electric vehicles on the roads mean lower demand for oil?

BP’s Energy Outlook 2035 forecasts growth in electric car numbers over the next two decades from around 1.2 million vehicles today to around 70 million in 2035 (Fig 1) — nearly a 60-fold increase.

Meanwhile, the total global car fleet will only double — but that means adding about another 900m cars to the 900m on the world’s roads today (Fig 2).

>

The world currently consumes 95 million barrels of oil per day (Mb/d) overall, with the global car fleet accounting for 19 Mb/d, or around one fifth of that total.

(Fig 1)

Overall, global oil demand is projected to grow by around 20 Mb/d over the next 20 years, driven by increasing prosperity in fast-growing Asian economies. In short, electric vehicles will have an impact on oil demand over the next 20 years, but not a game-changing one.

What if electric vehicles grow faster than you think?

BP’s Energy Outlook 2035 forecasts growth in electric car numbers over the next two decades from around 1.2 million vehicles today to around 70 million in 2035

Anything is possible. In its ‘450 scenario’, the International Energy Agency (IEA) sets out a pathway for the entire energy system consistent with limiting carbon dioxide emissions, such that there is a better than evens chance of global mean temperatures increasing by less than two degrees celsius by 2100. In this forecast, the IEA assumes 450 million electric vehicles on the roads by 2035, some 380 million vehicles more than we envisage in our outlook. This is at the very top end of the range of external forecasts I have seen, consistent with significant changes in technology or policy.

In this scenario, growth in oil demand would be almost 5Mb/d lower relative to the case in which electric vehicles didn’t grow at all. This will dampen oil demand to some extent, but it won’t stop it from

>

So, demand for oil from cars will continue to increase – by about 5Mb/d by 2035.

But the increase will be less than double, despite the numbers of cars doubling.

Some of that mitigation is down to increasing electric vehicle numbers, but much more will come from gains in the fuel efficiency of gasoline engines.

(Fig 2)

increasing overall. We have to keep in mind that 80% of oil demand comes from other parts of the transport sector and from industry which are likely to continue to expand.

Are there other factors that will curb the growth in oil demand?

Efficiency is a key factor, and one that could dwarf the impact of electric cars.

Over the past 20 years, passenger vehicles have become increasingly efficient, moving from a typical car range of 25-30 miles per gallon (mpg) to 30-35 mpg today.

This process will continue to evolve over the next 20 years, with the potential for vehicles to reach up to 50 mpg. This would lead to a huge saving in oil consumption of up to 15Mb/d – compared to a prospective 1-5 Mb/d drop in demand due to electric vehicles.

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This suggests we should perhaps place more attention on the pace of gains in vehicle efficiency and less on the growth of electric vehicles.

Will more electric vehicles mean lower carbon dioxide emissions?

There is no straightforward answer to that question.

Electric vehicles are likely to dampen the growth in oil demand and hence carbon dioxide emissions.

But, during the phase when electric vehicles account for a minority of passenger cars, which could last for decades, the emissions benefits could be outweighed by the

Feature: How Will Electric Vehicles Affect Oil Demand?

potential gains associated with oil-powered cars becoming ever more efficient.

And, of course, there is the question of the fuels used to produce the electricity used to charge the batteries of the electric vehicle. In some parts of the world where the power sector is heavily reliant on coal, reductions in overall carbon emissions may be minimal — or worse: it is tantamount to switching from an oil-fuelled car to a coalpowered one.

Does this mean electric vehicles are a bad idea?

Of course not. They are a very good idea for a variety of reasons, not least the need to improve urban air quality and reduce

About the Author Spencer Dale is Group Chief Economist of BP plc, joining in 2014. He manages BP’s global economics team, providing economic input into the firm’s commercial decisions. Prior to joining BP he was Executive Director for financial stability at the Bank of England and a member of the Financial Policy Committee. Between 2008 and 2014, Spencer was Chief Economist of the Bank of England and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee. Spencer joined the Bank of England in 1989 and served in numerous roles, including Private Secretary to Mervyn King and Head of Economic Forecasting. Spencer served as a senior advisor at the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors between 2006 and 2008. Find out more at http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics.html About BP BP is a global energy company with wide reach across the world’s energy system. BP has operations in Europe, North and South America, Australasia, Asia and Africa. For more information, visit www.bp.com

carbon emissions. All of this will be coupled with a rapid evolution of the transportation sector as autonomous driving, shared-car ownership and ride sharing change our relationship with cars.

Electric vehicles will form a foundation for a lower carbon future, but it would be wise for us to pay as much attention to improving car efficiency and using more gas, and less coal, in power generation.

These two factors alone could generate carbon savings over the next 20 years many times greater than that associated with the expansion of electric vehicles. Of course, in an ideal world, all of these things will advance at once. But in the real world with limited resources, choices have to be made.

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What drives happiness?

There has been much research on the factors that most influence happiness and well-being. The most influential is that of the discipline’s founder. Seligman’s PERMA theory suggests that happiness arises most from five well-being constructs: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Purpose and Accomplishment.

Although certain human needs are almost universal, the expression, attainment, and ways of fulfilling those needs can be quite culturally-specific.

The Importance of Cultural Happiness

By Karen Schofield, Managing Director, Join the Dots In June 2016’s Orient magazine Karen Schofield advocated that businesses should stop asking consumers rational questions and start focusing on understanding and measuring people’s happiness. In this article, Karen returns the topic to ask what the underlying drivers of happiness are, and are they the same across cultures?

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ur research with Manchester Business School and BJ Fogg from Stanford University demonstrated that brands which make people happy are more likely to be re-purchased, and — arguably more importantly — to become habitual purchases.

But what sits beneath this: what are the underlying drivers of happiness, and are they the same across cultures?

The impact of culture and happiness

While we know that the pursuit of happiness is a universal human trait that crosses nations, we hypothesised that different cultures may

vary in the ways happiness is attained and fulfilled. There have been many debates within psychology and cultural studies about whether human motivation is largely ‘culturally free’ or ‘culturally embedded’, and it’s our belief that regarding happiness as a completely universal trait that is culturally free is too simplistic.

Although certain human needs are almost universal, the expression, attainment and ways of fulfilling those needs can be quite culturally specific. Psychologists have shown that culture has a very big impact on the way we think.

What we value, and how we behave affects the way we approach concerns that are universal.

However, much happiness research to date has been conducted in the USA and specific markets in Europe, and frameworks often do not take into account cultural specificities. This goes far beyond the simplistic understanding of categorising societies as individualistic or collectivistic, and requires us to understand the reasons and causes of cultural differences and how they influence mindsets and behaviours to maximise happiness. For example, experiences of positive emotions can vary culturally, as seen in how Americans associate feelings of happiness with personal factors, while Japanese associate those feelings with an entire society’s harmony. However, this doesn’t mean that positive hedonic experiences through personal achievements do not contribute to happiness in cultures that prioritise social harmony.

So, subtle differences in happiness between societies require cultural contextualisation.

Cultural understanding must be unpacked in order to fully understand the nuances which shape people and societies. There are others who have suggested more factors are as important as the five delineated by Seligman.

Indeed, an academic study conducted in Malaysia in 2014 recognised that health was the fifth highest driver that made people happy. Taking this into account, we have developed a set of happiness drivers to suit a broader international market. We have taken the opportunity to realign our existing drivers to mirror those proposed by Seligman, and included two new drivers of Health and Security.

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The first five drivers are:

Positive Emotions. Positive emotions encompasses hedonic feelings such as happiness, pleasure and comfort. These emotions are frequently seen as connected to positive outcomes, such as longer life and healthier social relationships. Life provides many challenges and potential stresses. Those who are able to approach them more positively can alleviate many of the physiological negatives associated with stress and genuinely live a happier life.

Engagement. Engagement refers to a deep psychological connection (e.g. being interested, engaged and absorbed) to a particular activity, organisation or cause. Complete levels of engagement are known by psychologists as a state of flow, i.e. a state of singleminded immersion or an optimal state of concentration on an intrinsically motivating task. Awareness of time may fade and positive thought and feeling may be absent during the flow state.

Achievement. Across many cultures, making progress towards one’s goals and achieving superior results can lead to both external recognition and a personal sense of accomplishment. Goal setting can not only help people achieve things but also provides a sense of purpose. Although achievement can be via formal learning such as education or at work, it can be any type of challenge where you learn something new.

Relationships. Relationships not only include feelings of being cared for by loved ones and being satisfied with one’s social network,

Feature: The Importance of Cultural Happiness but also feelings of integration with society, cultural heritage, or a community. Much of our experience as humans revolves around other people. Support from social relationships has been linked to less depression and psychopathology, better physical health, lower mortality and other positive outcomes. Feeling close to and valued by other people/society is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world.

Meaning. Meaning refers to having a sense of purpose and direction in life and feeling connected to something larger than the self. In many countries, this is facilitated by cultural traditions and religious faiths. In more secular societies, meaning can be provided by a sense of community or other goals or perspectives. There is evidence from many cultures that a virtuous life also enhances well-being. More specifically, giving and helping others are linked with happiness.

The first of our new drivers is Health. Suffering, pain and general poor health all adversely impact on feelings of happiness and well-being. Research has shown that exercise can improve mental well-being, and there is substantial evidence that subjective wellbeing is related to better self-reported health, longevity and reduced pain. The reverse is also true – where the key to a healthier life can be shaped by positive life circumstances, such as emotional vitality, optimism and having a supportive network of relationships, conversely, lower happiness as result of other factors can impact on physical health.

The second is Security. The factor at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is often

About the Author Karen Schofield has overall responsibility for running the Singapore operations, including sales and business development, managing the business P&L, overseeing client relationships and research/ consultancy projects, and managing the Join the Dots Singapore team. She has specialised in consumer psychology, consumer journeys and decision-making for a number of years and has a particular interest in the application of behavioural sciences, creative thinking and design. She developed Join the Dots’ unique framework for understanding consumer decision making and is a strong believer in making sure research projects are future-facing, culturally relevant and drive business change.

Karen is a regular speaker and presenter at conferences and industry events and was part of an awardwinning session (‘best overall contribution to conference’) at Impact 2015 in the UK where she spoke with our Consumer Trends Director, Kelly McKnight, about why brands should be measuring happiness rather than satisfaction, and the psychological links between happiness and habit formation. Karen has been at Join the Dots for around nine years, having previously spent time in the business as Innovations Director and as a Research Director.

About Join the Dots Join the Dots is an award-winning consumer insights agency, deepening the connection with consumers and their cultures. For more information visit www.jointhedotsmr.com

ignored by many well-being researchers in developed markets. However, when basic security is challenged in some way, it can have a major impact on well-being. Security encompasses everything from living in a peaceful environment without fear through to absence of financial or economic woes. It can also extend as far as concepts such as freedom of speech and political freedom. In developing countries around the world, security is fundamental, and still a concern. Even in Europe, aspects of security are beginning to be an issue as a wave of migration is displacing millions of citizens. In developed Asian markets like Singapore, security plays a huge part in the nation’s psychology — there’s always a survival need that drives the nation’s growth and success. This corroborates with a separate study conducted by Deakin University in Australia that investigates the ‘golden triangle’ of happiness, where good relationships, financial security and a sense of purpose are key to being happy.

Using happiness to optimise brand performance

Happiness is a constant work in progress as it goes through re-evaluation and never-ending negotiation and adjustments. Yet the deepest core needs and values stay anchored. These are the core values which form the motivating drivers, giving meaning and purpose to the actions and lives of people.

Brands which can make consumers happy when they’re being experienced are more likely to be re-purchased and — importantly — become habitual purchases. But while happiness is a universal concept, understanding how cultural differences interact with the underlying drivers of what make people happy is key to optimising brand performance and driving repurchase across different markets.

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Collaborating With SMEs to Build a Digital Ecosystem

By Bicky Bhangu, Regional Director South East Asia and Pacific, Rolls-Royce Announcing a spending of S$80 million in the 2017 budget to help SMEs to go digital, the Singapore government is looking to enhance the country’s capabilities in the areas of data and cybersecurity

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Feature: Collaborating With SMEs to Build a Digital Ecosystem

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nveiling measures to boost Singapore’s economic growth, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat delivered the 2017 Budget, laying out the government’s priorities over the coming year. With a sharpened focus to develop Singapore’s digital capabilities and remain an innovative nation, it has made small and medium enterprises (SMEs) its priority this year. Announcing a spending of S$80 million to help SMEs to go digital, the government is looking to enhance Singapore’s capabilities in the areas of data and cybersecurity. It also plans to increase its collaboration with global partners and customers.

As an organisation centred on innovation, Rolls-Royce is developing its digital capabilities through a coordinated approach across Europe and Asia. Specific to Singapore, there is a strong fit between our digital strategy and Singapore’s vision to boost its capabilities in driving a digital economy.

At the core of the company’s digital strategy is the consistent investment in research and development (R&D). Last year alone, we invested £1.3 billion in R&D initiatives to keep us at the forefront of innovation and help bring to life future-forward products and solutions. Furthermore, we have made a very deliberate and considered focus on building our digital capabilities and with that, a digital ecosystem. This will help us win future global market share and provide us with a complete end-to-end view of our products through its lifecycle — from research & technology (R&T) through to helping our customers maximise the benefits of their assets and optimise their operations.

A common thread of success in our digital activities to date is the collaborative work between SMEs, research institutions, academic partners and airline customers. This can be seen through the Applied Technology Group based in Seletar and the CorpLab in Nanyang Technological University. Our Customer Service Centre, which supports all airline customers across Asia Pacific, also enables a more responsive workflow.

Long-term partnerships

For several decades, we’ve successfully used a collaborative approach and developed strong partnerships that go beyond standard

endowments or research programmes. Such collaborations have seen the successful delivery of key technology programmes that have resulted in cross-sector applications.

The Advanced Remanufacturing & Technology Centre (ARTC) is one such example. Launched in 2014, the ARTC follows an industry-led public-private partnership across sectors and supply chains.

It is a platform for the public sector research laboratories to partner with academia and industries to help bridge technological gaps in the adoption of advanced manufacturing processes. One example is our collaboration at the ARTC with a local SME, AmpTec Industrial Heating; together, we developed a dry-ice blasting machine, which is an eco-friendly technique for cleaning aircraft engine components without using industrial chemicals. Apart from creating digital efficiencies within the industry, projects like this are helping Singapore move to a more sustainable manufacturing process as well as opening up new business possibilities for local enterprises.

Digital and innovative excellence are increasingly seen as equally important facets of a country’s economic status and clout as well as major contributors to the global economy. The government is also working closely with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) to support 400 companies over the next four years to create roadmaps for operation and technology. This will enable enterprises to remain competitive and develop deep capabilities.

Earlier this year, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with A*STAR. The MoU will facilitate the growth and development of a local digital ecosystem encouraging SMEs to work collaboratively in technology centres. The centres are essentially a ‘sandpit’ where SMEs and industrial players can work together to uncover a world of data and the huge potential that comes with it. They can find new patterns, solutions and products to facilitate the areas of sensor technology

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and computational science development.

These solutions could potentially be applied beyond the aerospace and marine industries, and to similar context industries like the healthcare and cyber security sectors. Such innovative playgrounds related to knowledge generation and sharing will help Singapore grow on a

global scale, thus, creating in the process new jobs and opportunities, generating wealth and adding punch to the soft power of the city.

Equally important are partnerships between the public and private sector. As Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat shared,

About the Author Dr Bicky Bhangu is Regional Director for South East Asia & Pacific at Rolls-Royce. He has been with Rolls-Royce since 2007, initially based in UK, and subsequently moved to Singapore in 2009. Bicky is the Chairman of the Institution of Engineering Technology (IET), Engineering Fellow of the IET and a Chartered Engineer. He is the Chairman for IET Singapore Network.

Bicky served as the Chairman for Aerospace Industry Skills and Training Council (ISTC) supporting Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to oversee the skills development for the Singapore aerospace industry (2013 – 2015). He is serving the Singapore Maritime Port Authority (MPA) as select committee member for R&D investment in green port technologies.

Bicky has a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Nottingham, an MSc in Control Systems, PhD in Advanced Machines and Drives from the University of Sheffield and an MBA in Technology Management. Bicky is an Adjunct Professor at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

About Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce is a pre-eminent engineering company focused on world-class power and propulsion systems. Established in Singapore since the 1950s, today the country is a key regional hub for the Rolls-Royce Civil, Defence, Marine and Power Systems businesses.

For more information, visit https://www.rolls-royce.com/country-sites/singapore.aspx

digitalisation and innovation is what enables cities to prosper, while staying connected to the world. Through valuable collaborations with local industry partners, there is a unique opportunity for Singapore to accelerate and develop smart manufacturing capabilities that can place Singapore as digital leaders on the global platform.

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When Jargon Takes Over

By Freya Simpson Giles, Owner & Director, Giles Publications

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hat is the most important quality of good marketing or corporate communications copy?

Depending on the purpose, you might think a piece should be respectful, sophisticated, accurate, engaging or full of brand personality. While important, these qualities are all stylistic considerations.

The most important element of any successful communication is clarity. This

cannot be overemphasised, and should be top of mind whenever pen goes to paper — or fingers to keyboard.

Unfortunately, there are many ways to muddy a message. Jargon is one of them.

Expressing, not concealing

A famous lover of plain English was George Orwell. The author felt so strongly about the importance of clear and concise language that he produced “six rules for

writing” designed to guide the writer.

These include: cut out unnecessary words, use short words in place of longer options, always use the active voice, and avoid overused metaphors or figures of speech.

Although Orwell penned his advice in the 1940s, it remains relevant today, especially in marketing and business communications.

Rule number five in Orwell’s list was, “Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday

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English equivalent”. He explained that language should be used “as an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought”.

When jargon takes over, engaging, inspiring or prompting the reader to action becomes as impossible as their struggle to extract the message. The dangers of jargon range from the irritating (wasting a co-worker’s time) to the costly (an unsuccessful marketing campaign) to the legally contentious (hiding or twisting the truth). Using impenetrable prose may not only render your communication ineffective, but deeply wound your brand (or personal) reputation.

Business jargon

The use of jargon often arises from an attempt to ‘elevate’ language to

sophistication. Long-winded, obscure or even obsolete expressions are used in an attempt to sound intelligent and convey professional standing and expertise.

However, this approach does not act as an architect of change to ideate the iconicity and flexponsive nature of any corporate family (read: it doesn’t work). Toe-curling corporate speak such as “swim lane” and “blue-sky thinking” falls into this category.

simple English and making your piece accessible to everyone should remain the aim. After all, you never know who’s picking up your annual report.

Then there’s industry jargon. Certain terms or acronyms have developed within particular industries to describe aspects of that sector not succinctly captured by plain English. Industry jargon may be difficult to avoid entirely – and in internal communications, where reader comprehension can be assumed, it may have a role. However, in general, using

Amusing entries highlighting particularly head-scratching turns of phrase include, “hair management system” (read: swimming cap), “entrance solution” (read: door), “affordable portable lifestyle beverage” (read: bottle of water), “bilateral telephonic meeting” (read: telephone call), “liquid workforce” (read: adaptable staff) and “life performance

Jargon gone wild

Some extreme cases of jargon abuse can be found in the Financial Times’ ‘Guffipedia’, a humorous compilation taken from realworld corporate communications.

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solutions”, which in the given context translates to socks (yes, really).

Amusing though they are, such phrases can seriously damage your attempts to communicate clearly and effectively with your stakeholders.

Feature: When Jargon Takes Over

Straight talking

Rather than aiming for lofty language, consider what you are hoping to achieve.

Whether it be convincing customers to purchase a product, requesting something of your staff or selling your colleagues on a new business idea, it is far cleverer to write

in a way that achieves your goal.

Ensuring that purpose is always at the forefront of one’s mind goes a long way towards informing, engaging and educating your audience, rather than obfuscating, befuddling and bewildering.

About the Author Freya Simpson Giles is the owner and director of Giles Publications, an Asia-based communications agency. She has over 15 years’ experience as a copywriter and has produced marketing copy for clients around the world, from start-ups to large multinationals. Freya also works as a trainer and in this mini-session she will break down this big subject into bite size pieces that you can use immediately.

About Giles Publications With offices in Hong Kong and Singapore, Giles Publications is an Asia-based communications agency supporting many of the region’s best-known and best-loved organisations. The company acts as an extension of a client’s internal communications team, complementing in-house skills and bringing ideas to fruition. For more copywriting tips visit the Giles Publications blog at http://gilespublications.com/blog/.

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ane’s team is responsible for designing new B2B products. She was recruited by the company 13 years ago as a bright engineering graduate. In her first few years she made impressive contributions to product design and development.

Gradually she realised that recent graduates were ahead of the curve on technical knowledge and that her value to the company lay in her growing familiarity with the organisation. So the company promoted her — she is now seen by the C-suite as a leader who knows how things work in the business, and her team perceive her as a dedicated fighter of their corner, especially at budget time.

Conflict Hides But Does Not Go Away

By Greg Spiro, MBA, Chartered MCIPD, CEDR Accredited Mediator, Founding Director, SpiroNicholson Singapore Sometimes, power over does not work in networks, it is all about presence and power to change the world.

Greg explains this concept in the following scenario

Jane has assigned two direct reports — Eddie, software wizard, and Max, a designer — to a cross-departmental project that involves working with peers worldwide in manufacturing and strategic marketing.

Some of the team have complained to their manager, Jason, that Eddie does not share crucial information and makes humiliating comments about his colleague’s levels of knowledge. He seems bent on working autonomously presumably in search of the credit. They also point out that Eddie and Max barely talk to each other and speculate that their team under Jane must be excessively competitive. Jason passes the feedback to Jane who meets with Eddie and Max separately. Eddie half-heartedly accepts that he is acting like a lone wolf but agrees to ‘play the game’. He denies a dysfunctional relationship with Max, who tells Jane that Eddie and he do not get on.

Jane knew they were not friendly but was embarrassed to discover from Jason that two subordinates, whom she individually admires, do not respect each other and this might be undermining the project.

Jane reminds everyone at her weekly meeting that teamwork is a core value so it was up to each to interpret this and live it. “Awesome – but we’re appraised as individuals,” says Eddie. Privately she knows that he has a point – that some of the values are out of alignment with the reward systems. She will raise this with the HR director. A fortnight later Jason tells Jane that Eddie seems to be making a real effort to co-operate with the team but that continuing iciness between him and Max is creating widespread tension.

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Unfortunately many managers let conflict fester for a long time and this breeds further conflict avoidance. There can be crosscultural factors, personal anxiety, and lack of training and mental resolve to address difficulties. Passive and sometimes expressed aggression become the default behaviours.

What would you do in Jane’s role?

Jane enlists the help of a business mediator, Sam, who, following a briefing, meets Eddie and Max off-site to explore their relationship initially one on one, before bringing them together. He contracts for confidentiality assuring them that he will seek their permission before divulging any salient issues, especially to their manager. It emerges that Max feels that Eddie is racially biased because he excludes him from bipartisan work. Eddie is shocked to hear this but confesses that his autonomy might be mistaken for bias.

Additionally Eddie feels that Max cast doubt on his professional competence at a meeting, which Max does not recall but apologises for his misleading behaviour and that he did not mean to offend. They draw up a simple agreement which specifies some minimum standards of behaviour and a commitment

Feature: Conflict Hides But Does Not Go Away

to provide mutual timely feedback and discuss any differences before they build up as hostility and inertia. It is more about accommodating differences than becoming best friends. They indicate that they are comfortable for Jane to be briefed about the outcome but for one specific personal sensitivity. Sam coaches Jane in managing the two executives and her team.

Secondly, he runs some workshops with Jane’s team to equip them to: • Distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ conflict • Position conflict resolution as a business alignment requirement • Explore emotion, bias, interpersonal communication and how to build trust • Promote responsive listening and dialogue skills • Develop understanding of how profiles and data help to recruit and manage for team compatibility • Explore power relations in hierarchy and collaborative networks • Develop negotiating, assertiveness, influencing and coaching as a skills portfolio

• Explore cultural factors —the variety of assumptions, attitudes and practices with respect to conflict and harmony • Design a conflict management process to deal with difficult issues in a timely and effective way Jane and her team became more self-reliant and are gradually seen as a group skilled and competent at building relationships across the business.

As a team and business mediator I realise that conflict can be quite overwhelming and embarrassing for people and this often leads to postponing resolution. That causes misery, undermines performance and attracts a cost.

There is no shame in asking for help and a great deal to be gained.

A longer version of this article including a bibliography is available in the online Knowledge Bank.

If you have any issues of team or colleague conflict please get in touch by email at greg@spironicholson.com to arrange a no-obligation initial chat.

About the Author Greg is the Founding Director of SpiroNicholson Singapore. Clients include AccorHotels, Barclays Capital, GE, GSK and M&G Asia. He sat as an independent member of the United Distillers APAC Executive and worked on culture building and collaboration within their regional joint ventures with Moet Hennessy. Previous clients include the BBC, UBS, BT, the Audit Commission and the NHS. Greg was educated at Cambridge and Aston Universities. He has 30 years of experience as management consultant, executive coach, commercial and certified intercultural mediator and educator. He has taught at London Business School (1985-89) and on the Georgetown University Advanced Management Program with Oxford University (2003-13).

About SpiroNicholson SpiroNicholson’s mission is to help clients engage in their key strategic relationships with insight, technique and confidence.

For more information visit www.spironicholson.com

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The Golden Execution Strategies That Drive Success

By Colin Price, Executive Vice President & Managing Partner, & Sharon Toye, Partner, Heidrick & Struggles In a world where capital is effectively priced at zero, as much as 30 percent of bottom line performance stems from the leadership process of harnessing and implementing ideas better than competitors do. Yet most companies state that their leaders reliably get only 50 percent of the full potential of their people

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aving an accelerating mindset and excellent execution rhythms can go a long way in helping you execute your business plans and strategies. Below are the five golden rules you should pay attention to.

Put the right team in place

You can never move the needle on your own, so your team must be right. Move people out of the team quickly if they are not performing or are not a good fit, and

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develop capabilities of team members as quickly as possible. Executives often regret moving too slowly to restructure their teams — even when they know the tendency is to move too slowly. Executives almost never mention they regret moving too fast.

Set your strategic priorities

The most important thing is to work out what three to five things you and your team can do that will move the company forward.

Get them right and you have a natural energy to execute. Get them wrong and you get confusion. Remember that setting priorities is iterative, but don’t take more than six months to determine priorities.

Engage your entire leadership team in the process and make sure that the business case is right.

Plan properly

Take time to develop a good execution plan.

Set measurable and clear key performance indicators, and allocate responsibilities and accountabilities. Set a regular operating strategy for delivering and constantly measure against the plan.

Feature: The Golden Execution Strategies That Drive Success

When Alan Mulally became CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 2001, a time when the division of Boeing was having trouble executing, he set a strategy of one plane a day. If Boeing could get one plane a day out of manufacturing and off to a customer, the business would thrive. Mulally then set up a meeting of his top team every morning to discuss what they needed to do to remove any obstacles to achieving that strategy. There was no going off and studying something for days or weeks; if you promised to do something, you had to face your colleagues again the next morning and report on what you had done. Mulally got the strategy he needed.

Adopt rigorous strategy and processes Establish a fit-for-purpose strategy of meetings. Map out your annual calendar of meetings. Never miss one. If someone can’t come to a meeting, insist on a fully briefed alternative. Start and end on time and have only people on the call or in the meeting who need to be there. Use these meetings to be in control of execution, to troubleshoot problems and to challenge,

support and coach. Be sure that you are one of those leaders who does less telling and more asking.

Generate energy

Leaders who could sustain energy and optimism by managing stress levels were much more evident in accelerating companies than in derailing companies.

We’ve all been around leaders who we refer to as ‘mood hoovers’—people who suck the energy out of a room or the people they work with. You feel tired after five minutes around these leaders.

On the other hand, as we can see just from looking at leaders around us, those who manage their energy and point it in the most useful direction accelerate the creation of value.

Energetic leaders have authenticity, a clear purpose, passion for that purpose, discipline and excitement around possibility and opportunity. The energy of a leader spins out into an organisation from the most senior levels through to the front line and across internal and

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external organisational boundaries. It’s viral. It creates a social movement that infuses customers, stakeholders, regulators and opinion formers. Leaders who create energy prepare for every moment, meeting and conversation in which they can bring energy. This contributes significantly to acceleration. This is how the leader sets the pace.

The goal here should be exothermic, rather than endothermic, leadership — in

other words, leaders who produce more energy than they consume. There is no acceleration without energy.

Core mindsets

You can’t know what the future will hold.

However, building the discipline of adopting and maintaining accelerating mindsets enables leaders to meet full on and with dexterity the ever-changing contexts and requirements within which they galvanise and lead those who follow them.

Derailing leaders’ mindsets

Think of yourself as sitting in a swivel chair — you can swivel between multiple different systems to make sense of things rather than having straight-through, simple processing. At the core is your ability to be agile as change erupts all around you.

What are the few compelling mindset shifts that enable leaders to be agile and, in turn, set the pace in today’s ever-changing landscape? The answer can be found in the table below:

Accelerating leaders’ mindsets

I need to know the answer

I need to constantly discover patterns and connect the dots

These are my resources

My job is to optimally match resources to opportunities

It’s either/or

How do I dissolve the paradox?

I have the power and authority

Working through a traditional hierarchy takes too much time

I need to know

Doubt is powerful

It’s okay to be grumpy

I’m on 24/7, and what I do impacts every second

I don’t have enough time to be a good leader

Creating leadership is my goal

I know myself well

Feedback is a gift

Leading an organisation to thrive in the volatile world we live in today requires excellent execution strategies and an ‘accelerating mindset.

Remember, simple changes could lead to big rewards!

About Heidrick & Struggles Heidrick & Struggles (NASDAQ: HSII) serves the executive talent and leadership needs of the world’s top organisations as a premier provider of leadership consulting, culture-shaping and senior-level executive search services. Heidrick & Struggles pioneered the profession of executive search more than 60 years ago. Today, the firm serves as a trusted advisor, providing integrated leadership solutions and helping its clients change the world, one leadership team at a time. www.heidrick.com About the book Accelerating Performance: How Organizations Can Mobilize, Execute, and Transform with Agility by Colin Price & Sharon Toye gives leaders a step-by-step framework for taking action and transforming their organisations, teams, and even themselves — starting today.

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Britain in Southeast Asia News

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BiSEA News

BritCham Philippines, in partnership with the British Embassy in Manila and other business groups such as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), organised a Trade & Investment Mission to Davao City from 30 – 31 March 2017.

A total of 50 delegates joined the mission to explore business opportunities, meet relevant business contacts and determine areas of collaboration between public and private sectors in the region. Main highlights of the mission included business matching, a networking reception with the Davao Chamber, site visits to economic zones/homegrown industries and the Mindanao Trade & Investment Forum, which brought together over 120 businesses and entrepreneurs. Upcoming Chamber events include the BCCP Annual General Meeting on 25 April and the Joint Economic Briefing on Sustainability of Foreign Direct Investments in the Philippines on 8 June. For more information, please email uksme@britcham.org.ph, call +63 2 556 5232 or visit http://www.britcham.org.ph/uksmesphilippines/

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With Theresa May’s triggering of Article 50, the BMCC has been actively ensuring that its members are updated with both the impacts and new opportunities of Brexit towards their businesses. UK ministers the RT Hon Liam Fox MP and Richard Graham MP visited Malaysia to speak at a convention titled ‘Malaysia and Britain: Partners in a Post-Brexit World’, with the BMCC supporting the event hosted

by MITI and DIT. Also ye rugby fans, get your tickets to the BMCC’s 13th Annual Charity Rugby Dinner returning in roaring style this May with an All Blacks star and two British Lions legends. For more information visit www.bmcc.org.my

In the midst of local political turmoil, and as the results of several elections held in Indonesia and overseas are digested, BritCham Indonesia and the OBNI team continue to extend their attentive support for Anglo-Indo economic partnerships.

BritCham recently conducted a vital Business Confidence Index for 2016 in collaboration with the Joint European Chambers. BritCham also encourages more active participation for UK and Indonesian business executives through its sector group and networking events. BritCham initiated the ministerial series of 2017 which kicked off to a great start, discussing Brexit and the future of UK Trade in Indonesia with Liam Fox. In the year to end March 2017, the BritCham Indonesia OBN team has fielded more than 300 exporter inquiries and directly assisted around 50 companies through Business Support Services (BSS). With this in mind and to stimulate interest, BritCham Indonesia is confirmed to have its GREAT campaign featured at various exhibitions across all sectors in Indonesia; key examples include Manufacturing Surabaya 2017. We have two options for UK companies that intend to join; co-exhibit with displaying brochures, leaflets, etc.

Contact us at communications@britcham.or.id or obn.team@britcham.or.id

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At the Chamber: Business Group News

Information & Communications Technology Author: David Grainger — Sales Director SEA, Arkadin

T

he transformative potential of technology has never been quite so present in the dayto-day lives of us regular (read: not techy) people than it is today. From the way we book our holidays and buy our groceries to how we order our — soon to be driverless — taxis, things that have not changed for decades are now unrecognisable due to the unrelenting march of technology. You may have noticed, in a potentially scary development, the mainstream media here in Singapore are warning of the need to create a flexible job market as more and more of our roles are replaced by robots and artificial intelligence (see also the Special Feature in the March 2017 edition of Orient).

Despite concerns over job security, it is a fascinating time to be an active member of the Chamber’s ICT Committee and never before has the relevance of its work impacted more of our membership base.

Aligned with this theme, the committee ran a number of well-attended and highly engaging events during the last quarter.

Firstly, we enjoyed a wonderful turnout at the Shangri-La hotel with over 170 BritCham members enjoying a Leaders in Business Lunch with Ralph Haupter, President of Microsoft Asia. Ralph argued that the impact of technology is so great that we can consider ourselves to be experiencing the Fourth Industrial Revolution. A combination of massive increases in data, ubiquitous cloud computing and advances in software algorithms have combined to create digital transformation opportunities for many businesses and industries. During the lunch, Ralph was able to share examples of digital transformation as far removed as online healthcare and oyster farming in Tasmania.

But with revolution comes concern over security, and the recent Business Tour of Microsoft’s new Transparency and Cybercrime Centre showed that a technology revolution is no different.

Over 400 million people are affected by cybercrime each year, and it is an issue

that transcends traditional geopolitical boundaries and organisations. A select group of BritCham members were afforded an opportunity to see how state-of-the-art facilities, such as the one in Singapore, collate and monitor data from millions of devices and

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software installs to identify where the next threat is coming from. The feedback on this tour was excellent and is as close as many will get to visiting a reallife Bat Cave.

We have some equally relevant and exciting events planned for the rest of 2017, so watch this space.

During this past quarter, we are also pleased to introduce the latest members to join the committee. Michael Shearer OBE is External Relations Director & Group Senior Advisor, Asia Pacific at McLaren Applied Technologies, an organisation that provides a perfect example of the blurring of lines between industrial and consumer technology.

Michael shared with us that McLaren “is applying motorsports technology insights to Singapore healthcare through, for example, a unique collaboration with the National Neuroscience Institute… exploring predictive analytics and data management technology in neurological care, potentially helping clinicians to better monitor, analyse and treat patients for neurological conditions”.

Arwen Berry is a technology lawyer at Pinsent Masons MPillay and is an excellent addition to the ICT Committee, providing insight into the new world of legal considerations being thrust upon us during this technology revolution.

“Robots are going to unleash a profound social revolution and the interaction of humans with machines will give rise to significant privacy implications. Amazon attempting to stop detectives accessing audio from an Echo electronic personal assistant for a murder investigation is just the tip of the iceberg. For ordinary consumers, the privacy implications will be far more wide-reaching. From

the smartphones in our pockets to the personal assistants on our kitchen counter, a conversational computer will always be within easy reach. The trade-off that we will make for that ever expanding connectivity is the sharing of vast amounts of our valuable personal information."

Despite these huge advances in technology and its application to our day-to-day lives, some things are just better left as they always have been; therefore, I leave you with a picture of some the excellent ICT Committee enjoying a few cold beers after one of our recent meetings.

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At the Chamber: Business Services News

Business Services Update The British Chamber of Commerce Singapore is the appointed delivery partner for DIT (Department for International Trade) in Singapore. Our Business Services team offers market entry support services to British companies looking to do business and grow business in Singapore

Recent Events Trade mission from Northern Ireland We were delighted to organise a networking reception at Eden Hall for the trade delegation led by Northern Ireland at the end of March. Nine companies from Northern Ireland took part in the market visit and enjoyed an evening of networking with the Singapore business community.

Upcoming Events Trade mission from Wales

We look forward to welcoming the trade delegation led by the Welsh government to Singapore in July.

Details on the programme of activities to follow.

Export opportunities Helping UK companies find and apply for export opportunities from businesses looking for products or services in Singapore. Britcham Singapore is committed to source and publish export opportunities on a regular basis across most sectors.

Invest Northern Ireland announced on the night that it is appointing a regional manager based in Singapore.

Programmes of meetings Our Business Services team regularly assists UK companies from all sectors with programmes of meetings to maximise on their market visit to Singapore.

Events at Eden Hall Did you know that Eden Hall, the residence of the British High Commissioner, is available for hire to promote British business? We are working with the High Commission on a number of launch events and private events held at the residence.

Visit www.GREAT.gov.uk for the opportunities in Singapore and worldwide.

Contact our Team Please contact Carole our Business Services Manager carole@britcham.org.sg

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At the Chamber: New Members

Sterling

BritCham New Members

Stamford American International School Trudi Pryde

Australian International School Claire Ettinger

Corporate Plus Brintons Robert Killingback

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At the Chamber: New Members

Corporate

BritCham New Members

Intercontinental Singapore Robertson Quay Mark Winterton

World Gold Council Andrew Naylor

Airplus International Savin Ma

Standard Life Investments Choon Wah Wong

Pestbusters Praba Menon

Synetic Systems (Asia) Poh Tiong Tan

Profile Search & Selection James Rushworth

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Hotel G Singapore Felicia Song

The Drum Charlotte McEleny

Hill & Associates Richard Ang

Trident Trust Company Jeanette Wong

Tripura Multinational Venkataraman Subramanyan

Asia Market Entry Steven Dawson

Singapore Repertory Theatre Charlotte Nors

BRIDGE Simon McKenzie

The Appointment Group Victoria Hartley

Overseas Corporate Corporate SME Transforming Conversations Elizabeth Pickup

Northernstar Fraser Alan Bell

Belisarius Strategies Carlino Selles

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At the Chamber: Sterling News

Tanglin Trust School hosted the Across Asia Youth Film Festival (AAYFF) at a gala event on Friday 24 March, which was simultaneously live–streamed across Asia. The AAYFF was established to celebrate the talents of students as young as 10 and the judges were overwhelmed by the incredible response of 274 submissions from 50 different schools from 13 countries across Asia such as Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and as far away as Iran. Winners were awarded in 12 categories with the overall prize of Best Film, which recognises standout excellence in creativity, storytelling, technique, and innovation in the narrative form, going to Tayo, a film about the universal nature of motherhood through the journey of an overseas Filipino worker who comes to terms with leaving her own child behind in order to work abroad to give him a better life; a subject matter that moved many in the audience to tears. For more information visit www.tts.edu.sg

JLL has introduced the 'Future of Work' website, its unique perspective on the changing nature of work and the impact on the next generation of corporate real estate. The website provides companies with insights on how to navigate the seismic shifts taking place in the world of work, as they grapple with technological disruption, automation and an increasingly fluid workforce. "Technology is driving immense change in every facet of business: corporate real estate is no different," says Anthony Couse, CEO, JLL Asia Pacific. "JLL's Future of Work addresses in practical ways how organisations can evolve and transform to be better equipped for the challenges of tomorrow." While JLL is helping its clients navigate these changes, the company is also in the process of transforming its own workplaces to become Future of Work-ready, starting with its new office in Shanghai.​Visit www.futureofwork.jll to understand how JLL is helping companies take charge in the changing world of work.

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EY has announced its 2017 Entrepreneurial Winning Women Asia-Pacific class.

Selected for this year's programme are 15 female business executives who lead their own organisations in Asia-Pacific. The selected executives from Singapore are Jill Ang, Managing Director, Ha Li Fa Pte. Ltd and Helene Raudaschl, Managing Director and Co-owner, Indoguna Singapore. The Entrepreneurial Winning Women Asia-Pacific programme targets high-potential women entrepreneurs with established businesses that are at least five years old; have annual revenues in excess of US$2m for the last two fiscal years; are ready to scale their operations and become global market leaders, and with the entrepreneur currently the majority owner (at least 51% ownership) of her company. The programme assists established women-led businesses that are ready to become global market leaders, equipping participants with tools and information needed to help them grow and scale their businesses and to realise their full potential.

For more information visit www.ey.com/ewwasiapacific

Lloyds Banking Group (“the Group”) welcomes the news today that the Government has sold its remaining stake, returning the Group to full private ownership. The sale has returned £21.2 billion to the taxpayer, £894 million more than the initial investment, including over £400 million in dividends. The sale marks the successful delivery of the Group’s strategy to transform itself into a simple, low risk, UK focused retail and commercial bank. Since the Government first acquired shares in 2009, the Group has repaired its balance sheet, reduced its cost base, cut complexity and international exposure, built and sold TSB, and addressed legacy issues. The Group returned to profitability in 2013 and resumed paying dividends in 2014. Today, the Group is strong, safe and focused on meeting the rapidly changing needs of its customers. The Group is well placed to help Britain prosper, is the largest digital bank in the UK as well as being the highest payer of UK tax in the most recent PwC Total Tax Contribution Survey for the 100 Group, contributing over £11 billion since 2010. This year the Group has confirmed new, ambitious targets as part of its 2017 Helping Britain Prosper Plan to help address pressing issues such as the housing shortage, lending to SMEs and apprenticeships and skills. By going beyond business-as-usual activities to empower people, businesses and communities − the Group believes it is well positioned to help Britain prosper while creating sustainable value for its 2.5 million shareholders. For more information visit www.lloydsbankinggroup.com

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At the Chamber: Sterling News

To mark International Women’s Day, PwC has released a new report, Winning the fight for female talent: How to gain the diversity edge through inclusive recruitment, which looks at what employers can do to attract and retain female talent and underscores the importance of embedding diversity and inclusion into the employer brand. PwC surveyed 4,792 professionals globally (203 from Singapore) with recent experience of the jobs market from 70 countries and from different organisations to find out about their career aspirations and employer diversity experiences and expectations. In parallel, PwC surveyed 328 executives globally with responsibility for diversity or recruitment strategies in their respective organisations to explore current diversity trends and practices. To view the full survey and statistics visit www.pwc.com/femaletalent

To highlight the economic benefits of international education, Study Group and the other leading pathway providers in the UK, (known as Destination for Education) have launched a campaign to support removing international students from the net migration targets. Around the world, education institutions are providing high-quality education to international students, giving them a global perspective and expert knowledge when it comes to gaining employment after graduation. According to the Higher Education Policy Institute, 55 current heads of state around the world benefited from an education in the UK. For more information visit www.destinationforeducation.co.uk

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At the Chamber: Corporate News

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Marlborough College Malaysia will open a pre-school in August 2017. The pre-school will be staffed by fully qualified Marlborough trained teachers and is part of the prepreparatory school; this allows the college to offer a true British preparatory education for pupils from age three. The pre-preparatory school follows the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, taught and embedded through play and practical activities, with an emphasis on early literacy and maths development. This will encourage children to gain a head start, in a safe and structured environment, in preparation for formal school. For more information visit www.marlboroughcollege.my

It’s been a busy few months at the CIPD and we continue to make progress against our mission of championing better work and working lives. We do this by working with individuals, organisations and governments to help professionalise HR and L&D across the region. Already in 2017 we have disseminated thought leadership on well-being and our new Professional Standards Framework through a series of events in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, while our consultants have been working with organisations including Shell, RBS, Technip and Standard Chartered to deliver a range of professional HR and L&D solutions. To find out more about how we are helping raise the standards of HR in the region please visit our website www.cipd.asia

BRIDGE is a global consultancy that helps leaders and organisations develop and evolve to be an extraordinary force for good in the world. Our core service offerings are: • Leadership Development – catalysing the evolution of leaders to tackle increasingly complex challenges of our time • Culture Advantage – developing disruptive culture change strategies that drive sustained performance • Customer Experience – accelerating business growth through extraordinary sales and service capabilities • Purposeful Advantage – helping businesses harness the power of purpose and do good while they do business • Bridge Institute – taking our work to progress the most pressing societal issues For more information visit www.bridge-partnership.com

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At the Chamber: Corporate News

Global talent mapping and pipelining specialist Armstrong Craven has made two hires as it expands its presence in the Asia Pacific region. Indrani Karthic and Mark Lim have joined the AC team as Talent Partners. Indrani has over 14 years’ experience in recruitment, working across multiple sectors including Consumer, Industrial, Healthcare and Technology. Mark also has extensive experience of talent mapping and pipelining with particular knowledge of the Technology, Consumer, Industrial, Retail, Professional and Financial Services industries. The two appointments follow sustained growth for AC’s APAC office, which works with clients in Singapore, Hong Kong, Greater China, Australia and New Zealand, Japan and South East Asia. For more information visit www.armstrongcraven.com

On 28 March 2017, Norma Group announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire 80 percent of Fengfan Fastener (Shaoxing) Co Ltd, a manufacturer of joining products in China, for an undisclosed sum. Subject to regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of this year. Pickering Pacific advised Norma Group on this transaction. Norma Group is a global market leader in engineered joining products. The company manufactures more than 35,000 products in 100 countries with over 6,700 employees. Fengfan Fastener (Shaoxing) Co Ltd is based in China, and principally manufactures joining products made of stainless steel, nylon and speciality materials. Its products can be segmented into two main categories: cable ties and fabric products. For more information visit www.pickeringpacific.com

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According to the specialist professional recruitment firm Robert Walters, 72% of women surveyed in Singapore have taken a career break at some point in their lives while 49% of hiring managers in Singapore have not employed any returning women in the past year. The report was created to assist employers in identifying and addressing any possible biases in recruitment and inclusion to ensure women are given the opportunity to re-gain entry into the workforce after a career gap. The survey gathered the views of over 2,200 clients and female professionals across China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. To read the highlights of the survey findings visit www.robertwalters.com.sg

Boss Design is pleased to announce that its Trinetic task chair has won the ‘Red Dot – Best of the Best’ Product Design Award 2017 — an accolade whose previous winners include Apple, Dyson and Ferrari. Beating submissions from 54 countries, Trinetic impressed with its exceptional quality of design and manufacture, scoring highly across judging criteria that included innovation, functionality and ecological compatibility. This internationally recognised quality seal represents one of the most stringent evaluation processes in the world for industrial design and innovation, fully endorsing the pioneering form and intelligent engineering that has resulted in a truly unique product. Established in 1983 and privately owned, Boss Design currently manufactures in five continents and has an international supply chain servicing more than 30 countries. For more information visit www.boss-design.com

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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 (S) Pte Ltd

CMC Partnership (UK) Ltd

Garner International (S) Pte Ltd

Anagram Group

Courts (Singapore) Pte Ltd

Harry’s Holding Pte Ltd

Black Marketing enabling LinkedIn for you

Developing Global Leaders Asia Pte. Ltd.

Hotel G Singapore

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

Get 10% discount at Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar on presentation of your BritCham Membership Card

British Airways

Emirates

Hotel G Singapore

BSI Group Singapore Pte Ltd

EnVeritas Group

IOM (Institute of Occupational Medicine) Singapore

Two hours’ free Handyman Service

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

Bupa Global

10% off Medical Insurance Plan

City Developments Limited

10% discount on facilities and services

Discount on Change Management training & certification

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

Enjoy up to 10% off Emirates fares

10% off* Digital Content Marketing Services

EVA Group

5% discount on training

FREE: Two hours’ consultation with Garner International Executive Search & Recruitment Services

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

Get 10% discount at 25 Degrees Burgers & Liquor bar on presentation of your BritCham Membership Card

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

JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach

Special offer at Beach Road Kitchen on presentation of your BritCham Membership Card

Expat Living

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

JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach

Special offer at Media Bar on presentation of your BritCham Membership Card

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Mandarin Orchard Singapore

Regus

Mega Adventure

Regus

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

20% Off Team-Building Programmes

15% Discount for all Britcham Members on all products

Special Membership Offer for BritCham Members

Survival Chic

Survival Chic (SC) Partnering with Citi Bank — amazing access & privileges

The British Club

The British Club Special Signup Promotion for British Chamber Members

The Fry Group MSIG Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. 15% off MSIG’s Prestige Healthcare

MSIG Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. 30% off MSIG’s TravelEasy Insurance

Shangri-La Hotel Limited Shangri-La Business Travel Programme for BritCham Members

Singapore Cricket Club

Up to $1,000 credit for F&B for BritCham members

10% off UK Tax Return Service

The Institute of Marine Engineering Science & Technology

Up to 75% off Sustainable Maritime Operations degrees

Total Health Chiropractic Pte Ltd 50% off first visit at Total Health Chiropractic

PizzaExpress Singapore Pte Limited 25% off at Pizza Express on presentation of your BritCham Membership Card

Progress - U PTE Ltd 5% off International Corporate Coaching Program

Raffles Hotel Singapore Discounts off Food & Beverage, Restaurant Bookings & Event Meetings

Singapore Management University

5% discount on SMU Executive Development Programme

Sonru Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

10% off Annual Subscription for Corporate Members

Survival Chic

Special Membership Offer for BritCham Members

Tower Club

Enjoy a six-week complimentary trial membership at Tower Club

Transformify

Complimentary Marketing for Britcham Members via Transformify

Ultimate Performance (UPFitness Pte LTD) 10% off personal training packages with Ultimate Performance

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At the Chamber: Special Event

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Special Lunch Briefing with Dr Liam Fox MP, Secretary of State for International Trade 21 February 2017 Our members and guests had the opportunity to hear the UK’s plans for trade and investment priorities directly from the Secretary of State for International Trade.

With the triggering of Brexit just around the corner, establishing Britain’s place in the world and ensuring the best possible trade deals with the world’s leaders will be critical. Dr Fox discussed the importance of finding new exporters and overseas direct investment channels, also touching on the fundamental strengths of the UK economy and plans for infrastructure upgrades to encourage investment.

In light of the substantial task ahead in negotiating multiple trade agreements for the UK with countries who each have their own priorities to balance, Dr Fox spoke of the steps his department have already taken to increase resources and capabilities in the Trade Policy team and their key priorities of working to remove barriers to free trade, building strong ties with key growth nations and minimising the potential disruption and uncertainty to business.

Dr Fox was keen to reiterate the message that the UK has not chosen to turn away from Europe, but rather to choose a new relationship for the future with its European neighbours.

In discussing Singapore’s potential place in the global network of trade partners, Dr Fox commented that the ASEAN region countries, including Singapore, had the potential to become some of the most important partners for the UK.

Dr Liam Fox MP — Secretary of State for International Trade

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At the Chamber: Leaders in Business Lunch Events

The 4th Industrial Revolution: How Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence Will Change Everything 28 February 2017 We are at the tipping point of the 4th Industrial Revolution, one that is characterised by the fusion of the physical, digital and biological worlds; one that is already dramatically disrupting traditional industries, business models, systems and governance.

At the heart of this change is artificial intelligence, where software algorithms are capable of performing tasks that would normally require human intelligence.

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In this session, Ralph Haupter, President of Microsoft Asia, shared new customer research into the current pace of digital transformation among Asian businesses, offered examples of organisations in the region that are already benefiting from this trend and discussed how artificial intelligence would change businesses, governments and societies.

Ralph Haupter — President, Microsoft Asia

Sponsored by:

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At the Chamber: Special Events

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Addressing the Key Challenges of the Future: A Built Environment Perspective 10 February 2017 In this panel session, Simon Wild, Sustainability Director, Integrated Projects at Lendlease brought into focus the key drivers and implications of change in the built environment sector leading up to 2030.

Simon shared his perspectives on big data and its role and impact on environmental decision-making, emphasising the need to collect meaningful data to facilitate informed strategic decision-making.

Simon stressed the importance of a humancentric approach and ecosystem. “We have seen a lot of changes over the last couple of years. Take the workplace for example — employee well-being and flexibility are now buzzwords. The concept of an office space is evolving. At Paya Lebar Quarter, we are focused less on just building a physical space and more on the human-centric approach and ecosystem around it. You can work on Wi-Fi, from home, in the promenade, the café or at the bar. Traditional views are shifting beyond form and function, taking into account technological transformations towards a holistic workplace with health and wellbeing of employees at its core,” he concluded.

From left to right: Zaheer Minhas — Director, Capital Projects & Infrastucture Team, PwC Singapore, Simon Wild — Sustainability Director, Integrated Projects, Lendlease, Will Myles — Regional Managing Director, Asia Pacific, RICS, Gordon Falconer — Global Director, Smart Cities Global Solutions, Schneider Electric, Cosette Canilao — Managing Director, PPP Advisory, Atkins Acuity

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The panel also discussed the challenges of attracting young and quality talent. Simon cited a STEM initiative by Paya Lebar Quarter (Lendlease’s latest development in Singapore) involving partnerships with schools to immerse students in real-life projects, such as the use of drones to map out construction progress and monitoring, BIM modelling and virtual reality simulations to get young talent excited in what the industry offers.

The future of the built environment and the prevalence of smart cities in national agendas formed another hot topic.

Sponsored by:

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BritCham Open House 22 February 2017 BritCham hosted its bi-annual Open House on 22 February. The Open House was complimentary and specially organised for members and their guests to learn more about the benefits of the 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.

At the Chamber: Special Events

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At the Chamber: Special Events

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International Women’s Day 2017 #BeBoldForChange 08 March 2017 UN International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. This year, we focus on striving to #BeBoldForChange.

On 8 March, our Women in Business group together with our Diversity sponsor Barclays, celebrated the day with a spectacular panel of speakers. Panellists included Goh Swee-Chen, Chairman of Shell Companies in Singapore; Liz Corbin, Singapore Bureau Chief of the BBC; Diviya GK, Singapore Women’s National Cricket Team Captain; Rachel Eng, Deputy Chairman of Wong Partnership; and Guillermo Cabeza, Managing Director and Head of BNC Traded Assets APAC at Barclays Bank PLC. The event was moderated by Hayden Majajas, the Asia Pacific Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Bloomberg.

> From left to right: Goh Swee-Chen - Chairman, Shell Companies Singapore, Rachel Eng - Deputy Chairman, Wong Partnership, Diviya G. K - Captain, Singapore Women’s National Cricket Team, Guillermo Cabeza - Managing Director and Head of BNC Traded Assets APAC, Barclays Bank PLC, Liz Corbin - Singapore Bureau Chief, BBC, Hayden Majajas - Asia Pacific Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Bloomberg

Sponsored by:

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At the Chamber: Special Events

BritCham Annual Economic Briefing Populism v. Globalism: Geo-Economics in the Age of Trump 21 March 2017 We were delighted to welcome Parag Khanna, a leading global strategist, world traveller and bestselling author as our keynote speaker. Our members and guests gained insights on how politics is playing out in the major economic regions of the US, Eurozone, China and Japan, and how its likely courses of action will influence Asia.

Following the keynote, Parag was joined

by HE Scott Wightman, British High Commissioner and Karishma Vaswani, Asia Business Journalist at the BBC, as they discussed key trends and took questions from the audience. The enlightening evening ended with networking over drinks and canapes.

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From left to right: Karishma Vaswani — Asia Business Correspondent, BBC Scott Wightman — British High Commissioner, Parag Khanna — Global Strategist

Sponsored by:

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At the Chamber: Special Events

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New Energy Realities Digital Transformation 27 April 2017 Digital spans a broad spectrum of new ways to do business and is increasingly front of mind in surveys of CEOs (PwC/ KPMG). This panel discussion covered three broad themes - underpinned with a foundation of cyber security: 1. Smart technology – Using IOT sensors, robotics and digital labour, to transform business operations in areas such as predictive maintenance 2. Skills – How to empower employees in a digital world 3. Innovation and insights from data — new ways to build out and increase loyalty from customers with new products and services

> From left to right: Ynse de Boer — Managing Director, Accenture Danny Venables — Chief Digital Advisor, Microsoft Asia Pacific Claus Nehmzow - Digital Innovation Organization APAC, BP Singapore Roger Hunter — General Manager, Connected Customer, Shell Mathias Steck — Executive Vice President and Regional Manager Asia Pacific, DNV GL Energy

Sponsored by:

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At the Chamber: Breakfast Club Events

Demystifying the Board 25 January 2017 Over the past few years, several studies have shown that diversity in the boardroom increases profits and decreases the chances of corporate scandals, thanks to the depth and breadth of insight, perspective and experience that a diverse board can offer to leaders. However, many of us are unaware of the benefits of joining a board, or how to go about it.

BritCham’s Women in Business group brought together both technical and practical insights designed to demystify the concept of a ‘board’. This highly interactive session provided a detailed understanding of what it means to sit on a company board, such as the roles and responsibilities, as well as the risks involved.

> From left to right: Katharina Lange — Academic Programme Director, Executive Development, Head Custom Programmes, SMU, Mui Hoon Poh — Chief Executive Officer, SP Telecom, Murli Ravi — Co-founder, Unicorn Venture Capital, Su-Yen Wong — Chief Executive Officer, Human Capital Leadership Institute

Sponsored by:

Making Corporate Transformation Happen: How Microsoft Re-Discovered Its Mojo 22 March 2017 Microsoft recently undertook the largest and most significant transformation in its 41-year history. In this session, our members and guests learned about the dramatic changes taking place in the global IT industry, how Microsoft are addressing these transformational challenges, and the role of technology and communications in making it happen.

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Andrew Pickup — Senior Director of Communications, Microsoft Asia

Sponsored by:

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At the Chamber: Breakfast Club Events

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Scotland and Singapore: Collaborating on the Digital Economy 06 April 2017 The Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell, was in Singapore to highlight the collaborations between Singapore and Scotland and to identify new areas in which the two could work together in the future.

He was joined by a number of speakers from Scottish companies and universities with a presence in Singapore.

> Neil McInnes - Chair of the Scottish Business Group, Dr Fannon Lim - Programme Director, University of Glasgow.

Ian Myles - Founder, area51, Serene Lek - CEO/Founder, Clinnovate Health, Sheila Power - Managing Director, APAC, Big Data 4 Humans

Sponsored by:

Building Networks Connecting Business Creating Opportunities

82

At the Chamber: Evening Events

Joint Chamber Networking Night for Marketing & Creative Professionals 20 April 2017 Guests joined BritCham and AmCham Singapore for a night of fun and networking, with the Marketing & Creative Business Group. It was a great chance for our members and guests to connect with marketing and creative professionals from two of the biggest chambers in Singapore, as they enjoyed a free flow of beers, wines, soft drinks and canapes.

Wine Tasting and Networking with Equatorial Wines 15 February 2017 Our members and guests met and networked whilst simultaneously enjoying the opportunity to drink and learn more about a selection of different New World wines from Australia and New Zealand.

Seven different wines (three whites, three reds and a bubbly) were available on free– flow for two hours along with cheeses and meats to snack on. Mike Back, Director of Equatorial Wines, shared an overview of the wines and went into detail for guests interested to discuss the selection in more depth.

Mike Back — Director, Equatorial Wines

>

Event Sponsors:

Venue Sponsors:

Building Networks Connecting Business Creating Opportunities

83

At the Chamber: Evening Events

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

Getting Started in D&I - Featuring Andy Barrow, Paralympian & Gold Medallist 29 March 2017 The Diversity Committee with Young British Chamber were delighted to jointly host an evening reception and presentation for 3 times European gold medallist and former captain of Team GB in Wheelchair Rugby, Andy Barrow. We also launched our new diversity publication ‘Getting Started in D&I’.

You can access ‘Getting Started in D&I’ either on issuu or by requesting a copy from the BritCham team.

>

Andy Barrow - Paralympian, gold medallist and former captain of the GB wheelchair rugby team

Sponsored by:

BritCham SME Speed Networking 30 March 2017 Members and guests met at the longest bar in Singapore for a lively networking evening with free-flow drinks and canapes. They met fellow SME members spanning various industries and business sectors, all looking for the opportunity to connect and strengthen their businesses through networking. BritCham hopes its attendees enjoyed this unique and networking activity and expanded their opportunities with new potential partners, clients and service providers.

Sponsored by:

Building Networks Connecting Business Creating Opportunities

84

At the Chamber: Evening Events

Transitioning from Traditional to Digital – Esplanade Case Study 4 April 2017 BritCham members and guests had the opportunity to learn how the iconic Esplanade, also dubbed Theatres on the Bay, went from traditional marketing strategies to actionable digital strategies. They discovered ways to reach a broad and culturally diverse audience through successful digital marketing strategies. Following the presentation, the attendees networked at the Esplanade’s rooftop bar, Orgo, with free– flow beer, wine and soft drinks.

>

Eunice Yap - CMO, The Esplanade Co Ltd

Networking Evening with the Scottish Rugby 7s Team 13 April 2017 To celebrate the HSBC Singapore Rugby 7s weekend, members and guests came and shared a night of networking with drinks and food amongst the fantastic Scottish 7s players; Ally Miller, Blair Kinghorn, Grayson Hart, James Fleming, Jamie Farndale, Mark Robertson and Scott Wight. Players from the team networked and shared their stories and insights with our attendees throughout the evening.

In addition to the free flow of food and drinks provided by our hosts, The British Club, our members and guests had the opportunity to sample various Scottish whisky, craft beers, gin and snacks provided by our partners; Scottish Development International, Gain Brands and Oh Deli.

Event Sponsors:

Building Networks Connecting Business Creating Opportunities

85

At the Chamber: Business Tour Events

Business Tour of Microsoft’s New Transparency and Cybercrime Centre 27 March 2017 Microsoft recently launched its first combined Transparency Centre and Cybersecurity Centre here in Singapore.

Members were given a tour of the centre’s facilities and a presentation by Keshav S Dhakad, Regional Director of the Digital Crimes Unit in Microsoft Asia. They also had the opportunity to network in a small reception accompanied with light snacks provided by the centre.

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Andrew Pickup — Senior Director of Communications, Microsoft Asia

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Keshav S Dhakad — Regional Director, Digital Crimes Unit, Microsoft Asia

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

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