JUN 2011
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Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in South East Asia. We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Thailand, and Singapore.
Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher: Scandinavian Publishing Co., Ltd. 4/41-2 Ramintra Soi 14, Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief: Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Advertising: Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com
Malaysia International Jewellery Fair 2011 Kylie Minogue Aphrodite Tour 2011 Date: 5 July 2011 Location: Araneta Coliseum, Manila The World’s Dancing Queen - Kylie Minogue will perform for her Aphrodite Tour 2011 in Manila on 5 July 2011 at Araneta Coliseum. Kylie is the best entertainer ever and her concert is beyond expectation of performance, costume, light & sound! This is your chance to sense the world’s best concert by Kylie Minogue. Her fans around the world look forward to this concert. If you are Kilie’s fan, just grasp ticket at www.ticketnet.com.ph.
Date: 7 - 10 July 2011 Location: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre July is definitely a thrilling month for jewellery-lovers when Malaysia International Jewellery Fair 2011 (MIJF 2011) - the Malaysia’s largest jewellery fair organized by Elite Expo Sdn Bhd is back in town from 7th to 10th July 2011. Setting up in the world class exhibition venue, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, MIJF is consistently positioned as an ultimate trading platform, gathering more than international 100 exhibitors, impressing 15,000 invited quality buyers and jewellery traders with extensive gallery showcasing latest premium jewellery collection and innovative technology and advanced craftsmanship. The exhibition is opened to public but visitor must be register priority at www.elite.com.my/mijf.
Shoes & Leather Vietnam 2011 Date: 21 - 23 July 2011 Location: Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center The 13th International Shoes & Leather Exhibition - Vietnam is an integrated exhibition showcasing machinery and equipment, products, materials, systems and technology in the field of shoes and leather. All are to keep abreast of the fast growing of these industries. The exhibition will be held on 21 - 23 July 2011 at Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC) HCMC. For more information and register, please visit the official website: www.shoeleather-vietnam.com.
Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer: Supphathada Numamnuay supphathada@scandmedia.com
Incubus World Tour
Distribution: Pimjai Chaimongkol pimjai@scandmedia.com Printing: Advanced Printing Services Co., Ltd.
Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com
Date: 23 July 2011 Location: Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur Date: 26 July 2011 Location: Istora Senayan, Jakarta Date: 28 July 2011 Location: Araneta Coliseum, Manila
Incubus is an American rock band, from Calabasas, California. Incubus has received both critical acclaim and commercial success, reaching multiplatinum sales, as well as releasing several highly successful singles. In 2011, the band has planned to visit fans in Asia in July where are Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea and Japan. Please check out the band’s schedule at an official website: www.enjoyincubus.com. If you love alternative rock, this concert cannot be missed!
On the lookout for CNH? The only Nordic Private Bank in Asia Pacific. Now also offering offshore Chinese Yuan investments.
Tel: +65 63 57 08 95 E-mail: singapore@sebprivatebanking.com.sg www.sebgroup.com/privatebanking
MNBC Waterhole Networking in April
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nce again, H. E. Arild Braastad and Nina Braastad opened their lovely home to Malaysia Norway Business Council (MNBC) members and guests for another successful Waterhole Networking event on 14th April 2011. About 100 MNBC members and guests attended our waterhole networking session. MNBC would like to give special thanks Ms. Weyna Ang from Deloitte for giving them a memorable presentation.
SWEA Kuala Lumpur Easter Lunch
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aster Lunch is a traditional event of the Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA) in Kuala Lumpur. The Easter Lunch this year was held at Monica Grill on the 20 April 2011. The 16 ladies brought one or more dishes and enjoyed sharing, eating, singing, and schnapps together.
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ScandAsia News Brief May 17 Celebration in Kuala Lumpur Cybersex Swedes Claim Not Traffickers
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mil Andreas Solemo, 35, and Bo Stefan Sederholm, 31, were convicted of human trafficking after being found running an operation in which 17 naked women in an office building performed in front of cameras for overseas internet clients. But both men claim most of the evidence against them was fabricated or obtained illegally, and appear bewildered why they should be jailed for Internet pornography when prostitution is rampant across the Philippines. “We don’t see ourselves as human traffickers at all,” Solemo, 35, said in an exclusive interview with AFP on Thursday from a crowded jail in the southern city of Cagayan de Oro where they have been since their arrest in April 2009. Solemo said he and Sederholm were IT consultants who had been hired to set up the computer systems at the cybersex shop where the women worked in Cagayan de Oro. Sederholm stressed that the women were not forced to do anything they did not want to. Although they refused to say who hired them, they denied police charges that they owned the business and recruited the women, saying they only arrived in the country a month before being arrested. The Swedes also pointed out that the women working in the cybersex operation were all adults - prosecutors never alleged that minors were involved - and said the case against them smacked of hypocrisy. Sederholm said they believed they had become scapegoats to make authorities look good to the United States, which put the Philippines on a blacklist of countries deemed as not doing enough to
combat human trafficking. “They wanted to make a trophy case of us to show to the United States that something is being done about human trafficking,” Sederholm said. But the judge who delivered the verdict against the Swedes, Jeoffre Acebido, said anyone who sexually exploited impoverished Philippine women should be punished. “Disrespect for Filipino women and violations of our laws deserve the strongest condemnations from this court,” Acebido wrote in his ruling. “It will not shirk from its duty to impose the most severe of penalties against anybody, be he a foreign national or a citizen of this country, who tramples upon the dignity of a woman by taking advantage of her vulnerability.” Beverly Musli, the head of a local women’s rights group that helped prosecutors gather evidence in the case, also said the Swedes deserved to be in jail. “It’s still trafficking because the victims were recruited from all over the Philippines and transported to the south,» said Musli, who is a lawyer. “You just can’t bury yourself and say you’ll not move, not eat. We have to keep going and hoping. Of course we will appeal. We’re not going to lie down,” Solemo said. But they indicated they were struggling physically and mentally in the crowded jail, sharing a small cell with five other people accused of crimes including murder and drug trafficking. “In some ways it’s worse than a nightmare in that you cannot wake up. It’s the nightmare of not knowing whether we would be spending the next 20-25 years of our life in jail,”Solemo said
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n the 17 May H.E. Ambassador Arild Braastad and his wife Nina Braastad hosted the Norwegian National Day Celebration in Kuala Lumpur. It was held in the fashionable Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel where more than 350 people attended the festivities. Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Muhkriz Mahthir proposed a toast to the Kingdom of Norway, and then H.E. Ambassador Arild Braastad reciprocated the toast and wished prosperity for Malaysia. Both countries national anthems were then played. The rest of the evening the guests were able to enjoy food from both Malaysia and Norway. The menu included tasty treats such as Norwegian salmon and herring. Desserts and numerous cakes were also prepared making them a feast both to the eyes and the stomach. The entire evening was accompanied by pictures displaying a multimedia presentation of the beautiful sceneries of Norway, on a big screen on stage.
First B2B Environment Joint Venture in Indonesia
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he first JV partnership in the B2B Environment Programme in Indonesia has been signed. The Indonesian companies Gikoko Kogyo Indonesia and Panca Bhakti Utama signed a JV agreement together with the Danish company Q2 (partly-owned by GasCon) on Friday, 20 May 2011. At the same time the deed starting up the company was signed in front of the notary. Gascon and Gikoko have been on the B2B Programme since 2009 where they applied for their first study visits. Since then the two partners have been very productive. They completed a pilot project where they used Gascon’s expertise in landfill gas extraction to save a CDMproject at the Sumur Batu landfill.
June 2011 • ScandAsia.South East Asia
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Sweden Malaysia Innovation Days By Kristene Silva Marie
The Sweden Malaysia Innovation Days was an effort by the Embassy of Sweden in collaboration with the Special Innovation Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office.
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tretching over a period of five days from 6 to 10 May, Sweden Malaysia Innovation Days event kicked off with a gala dinner at the Hilton KL. The crowd was served actual Nobel Banquet courses prepared by renowned Swedish chef Michael Elfwing. A keynote speech was given by the former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad and some classy performance were presented from both Malaysian and Swedish artists including Ramli Ibrahim, The Harvest, Frank Scott Hew and Syafinaz Selamat and speaker Fredrik Härén. The main course of the entire event spread out with workshops, music performances, gaming and bloggers making appearances, to challenges which involved 100 000 of the famous IKEA meatballs to be eaten up. It was an event where visitors got to be the participants. There were other competitions such as the Angry Birds competition and the innovation challenge. The squeals of laughter and cheers from the supporting crowd filled the centre court of the Pavillion shopping mall as participants tried to defeat
their opponents. On 9 May, the main course was the innovation exhibition where various Swedish companies came out to exhibit their innovative abilities by displaying new products or using interactivity to pitch their ideas. Later, there was an interesting exhibition of cartoons themed ‘Innovation’. The next day, 10 May, the event held a forum as Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Dato Sri’ Mustapa Mohamed gave a keynote speech. The panel discussed topics such as ‘How companies can stay innovative’ and ‘How to create an innovative society’. The panel included renowned figures such as Director General of the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA) Ms Charlotte Brogren, Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, Mr Azran Osman-Rani, Air Asia X, Dato Sheikh Muszaphar, Dato Jimmy Choo, Syafinaz Selamat and also Dato Kamal Jit Singh, who is from the Special Innovation Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office. When it comes to innovation, Prime Minister Abdul Najib Razak has recently identified it as the main mechanism to obtain vision 2020,
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of Malaysia becoming a developed nation, and Sweden has consistently been ranked as one of the world’s most innovative countries. With that in mind, together with the Special Innovation Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office, the Swedish Trade Council, MASBA and Go International Group, the Swedish Embassy has put together this programme
which acknowledges innovation in diverse fields including technology, design, music, business and academia. Sweden Malaysia Innovation Days is one of the biggest projects ever organised by the Embassy of Sweden. The event was the ideal opportunity to increase the depth of the existing cooperation on innovation and creativity.
They Know Vietnam After more than five years in the furniture industry in Vietnam, Sven-Erik and Åse Eiksjo moved into the travel industry. Now they are ready to help the Scandinavians living in Asia experience Vietnam. By Bjarne Wildau
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ix years ago the Norwegian couple Sven-Erik and Åse Eiksjo did what other people just dream about. They sold their property in Tønsberg, and moved to the other side of the planet to start a new life. Sven-Erik had been doing business in Vietnam for several year, but still it was a big step. Today, they both agree that the radical shift in their life has paid off. “We will probably never get rich, but living in Vietnam has been very good for us,” Åse, 36, says and Sven-Erik, 48, agrees. “We came here because of my trade, furniture, and made all the mistakes but also had a few victories. In the beginning, Vietnam could compete in the high class leather furniture range, but that’s not possible anymore. China can make the same things cheaper despite higher salaries. Therefore we have dusted off an old dream. We have instead entered the travel industry cooperating with Norway’s biggest travel agent on Asia”. “Since my first trip to Vietnam I have always wondered why Vietnam had so few visitors from Europe. Compared to Thailand or Indonesia, Vietnam only get a small piece of the cake. Fewer than 6% of the western tourist to Asia visit Vietnam,” Svend-Erik explains. “I began to study how Vietnam was sold in Europe. While Bali and Phuket are sold on their beaches, their palm trees and the adventure, Vietnam was sold on war! It’s a disgrace how travel professionals in Europe still hold this wonderful country tied to the dark wartime,” Sven-Erik says. Doing business in Asia he has over the years been talking to hundreds of Scandinavian. And it was clear to him, that those people living and working in China, Singapore
or even within Vietnam itself, always went to Thailand or Bali on vacation. Almost never to Vietnam. “We have a fantastic beautiful country here. We have beaches they can only dream of in Thailand or Indonesia. We have the Highlands. Yes, we can provide whatever you dream of here in Vietnam,” Sven-Erik says. Svend-Erik and Åse will try to change that and help more Scandinavians discover the very same wonderful country they have travelled themselves. “I wrote some letters to several travel bureaus in Norway, describing what we were able to provide for them and their guest. Within days we got an answer from the biggest Norwegian bureau on Asia. And in the beginning of 2010 we could welcome our first guests to Vietnam. We have appointments with more than twenty hotels in Vietnam, and we have visited all of them to check the quality, and what they have to offer in the vicinity,” Sven-Erik Eiksjo says. Svend-Erik and Åse Eiksjo are not only good at presenting Vietnam to tourists. Among other Norwegians in Saigon they are known to be equally good at introducing newcomers to expat life in Saigon. “I missed meeting and getting together with other Norwegian people in Vietnam so I started The Norwegian Club of Saigon,” Åse Eiksjo says. “It makes many things easier when you can talk with people with the same background”, she adds. “The downside is that only few of the Norwegians here are long term stayers like us. So we say goodbye almost as often as we say hallo to new people. Very often we have to say goodbye just when we start to get close to our friends. It’s tough. Very tough.”
Since my first trip to Vietnam I have always wondered why Vietnam had so few visitors from Europe. Compared to Thailand or Indonesia, Vietnam only gets a small piece of the cake. Fewer than 6% of the western tourists to Asia visit Vietnam.
June 2011 • ScandAsia.South East Asia
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Iron Chief
Stig Andersen talks about being the Managing Director of DSV Air & Sea Jakarta, a participant in the recent Aviva Ironman Triathlon, and time spent with his wife and children. By Kristene Silva Marie
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ix and a half years ago, Stig Krogh Andersen, landed in Surabaya alone and on a mission to revitalise the operations and develop the DSV Air & Sea branch there. His family, wife and daughter, back in Denmark were only able to contact him through emails and phone calls. Four months later, they joined him in Surabaya before he was appointed as managing director of the company and were all relocated to Jakarta where they settled down. It was a big change for his family as they had never lived outside Denmark before. Everything was new including the culture, surrounding and new people but they eventually adjusted.
Family Stig’s wife, daughter and son who was born in Indonesia, have become much closer now after the move to Jakarta especially because now they are not tied to the tight schedules 10 ScandAsia.South East Asia • June 2011
of work that was required of them back in Denmark. They are able to have more family time and enjoy each other’s company without having to worry too much about works constraints and responsibilities. Their tight schedules before prevented them the luxury of having cleaners, gardeners and drivers to help them out with chores. This Easter, Stig and his daughter had gone surfing and as Stig said,” it was a great father and daughter bonding time.” “We now spend far more time together as a family, which was one of the main reasons we left for a life in the East,” he said. He also said that in Denmark, one’s salary was not enough to keep a household afloat but in Asia, one is given the luxury of leaving one’s wife at home to raise the children,” he said. His wife Helle manages the home affairs, which according to Stig can be quite a challenging task
in Indonesia. Apart from getting the children ready and seeing them off to school, she has to go through the daily hassle of shopping for the house and for dinner. “In Denmark, she would typically visit one or two shops at the most and would have acquired all the necessary groceries she needed but here she has to visit several supermarkets and gourmet stores before everything is sorted for the dinner,” he explained. Travelling to send his son to school every day can also be quite a challenge because although his school is exactly 10km from their home, the journey there takes around two hours each way due to the traffic congestion. “The traffic in Jakarta is horrendous. Once we decided to go for dinner in town and we left a little earlier but reached the restaurant two hours late,” he said in disbelief. He continued saying “In Surabaya, my wife would arrange to meet with the other expat wives. They would
make plans to meet in a coffee shop and half hour later they would be there but in Jakarta, she can’t do that. The traffic is really dividing people.” His daughter Ida currently studies at the British International School, which takes around 45 minutes to go to by bus. She is 12 years old now and came to Indonesia when she was five. Ida participated in her first 5km run a few weeks ago and did well. She has signed up for her next race with Stig being by her side coaching her. Stig explains that Ida misses home especially after she has been in Denmark for one month for the holidays, staying with grandma and granddad and her auntie. “When we come back to Jakarta after the holidays in Denmark, everything is just horrible and she wants to go back there. Then one week after school begins, everything is forgotten and back to normal,” he said. His son, Gustav, is currently five years of age and goes to a Montes-
sori kindergarten away from home. He is interested in sports particularly football. He also swims and rides his bike as often as he is able to. “He just got his first real leather football for Easter, which he has been playing as we can see clearly from the missing light fixtures that used to be in the garden,” Stig joked. Talking about his son, Stig said despite being born and raised here, Gustav refers to Denmark as home.
His Job “A Managing Director in a company of our size has a lot of different jobs. He has to be involved in finance and HR., both of which I have very little background in,” he said. Air freight, on the other hand, is something Stig is familiar with as it is his background. Handling the requirements of the job had made Stig use much common sense to work around everyday issues and processes. “The main challenge, however, is that I have to constantly be re-
minded that I’m working alongside people of a different culture. I can’t carry on doing things the way I did in Denmark,” he said. When sending out mails and messages, he would send a draft to his HR manager and she would proof read it so to eliminate any seemingly offensive content. On other times, they would agree on a text and she would then translate it into Bahasa Indonesia. Stig refers to the Indonesians as religious people because religion is a very big part of their life. He recalls the time he was managing an office in Surabaya when everyone was required to fill out an emergency list with individual names, phone numbers and religion. He was shocked to see the space for religion and could not understand why it had to be included. Although initially Stig found it disturbing, today, he has gotten used to it and is glad to say that the office consists of a nice mix of Catholics, Christians, Muslims, and
even Hindus, in their Bali office, “living peacefully,” he said. Punctuality is another major struggle Stig has had to deal with in Jakarta. Time is not seen in the same way as it is in Denmark. According to him, time is money and a matter of respect for others, especially for a meeting, where everyone else had put in an effort to be there early and one person walks in late. “I think I have not succeeded one hundred percent in implementing punctuality but we are improving,” he said. DSV is a global supplier of transport and logistics services. The company has offices in more than 60 countries all over the world and an international network of partners and agents, which makes DSV a truly global player offering services worldwide. By our professional and advantageous overall solutions, the approx. 21,000 DSV employees recorded worldwide annual revenue of 5.7 billion euro for 2010
June 2011 • ScandAsia.South East Asia
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The Norwegian at Pan Hans G. Winsnes from Norway has been managing Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s five-star hotel, Pan Pacific KLIA, for over ten years. By Joakim Persson
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ith Hans Winsnes in his eleventh year as General Manager of Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport it’s about time to highlight this successful Norwegian hotelier. His long stint prompts the question: what has kept him with his wife and children for so long in one location, and at an airport hotel among the multitude of choices within the industry? Three main reasons emerge during a chat with Hans: One, he likes his colleagues. Two, he likes to work with the hotel’s owner. And three, his family likes Malaysia very much. “Within this industry you often move around a lot. I have a family with three children in school and it’s a big advantage when you can keep the children in the same school for a longer period of time.” Thanks to this, his children have been able to really settle down and establish great friendships for many years, unlike most expat children. “The group I am working for, Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts, has approached me for relocation opportunities, but the grass is not always greener on the other side. As 12 ScandAsia.South East Asia • June 2011
n Pacific KLIA We must follow what happens in this highly dynamic industry and not only wait for our customers to tell us. We bring in what we can to put us in the forefront in the industry and make guests feel they have access to only the best.
a family we prefer to stay here, since it’s great to live in Malaysia.”
Great owner “I have also enjoyed an incredibly good relationship here with the owner which is Malaysia Airports. The hotel has been doing very well over the years and we’ve had the opportunity to undertake projects that others can only dream of.” “We have been the only fivestar hotel at the airport and enjoyed good business, supported by a great workforce and have been able to focus on quality all the way. This is truly a city hotel at an airport with extensive 24-hour-services. We have regularly been introducing new services for our customers. We now have a check-in desk out at the international arrival hall, with buggy transportation straight to the lobby. We offer modern facilities and free internet to all our customers.” Hans has recently also been involved in openings of new hotels within the group, assisting on the opening of Pan Pacific Services Suites in Bangkok and last year he undertook the re-branding of Pan Pacific Nirwana in Bali as team leader. “We have many exciting projects in the pipeline related to this
hotel. You only have as much fun as you create for yourself, that’s my view and clearly this is also benefiting our guests.
nology supports us,” says the GM and demonstrates with a fresh example.
Started at Grand Hotel
As the first hotel in the world Pan Pacific KLIA has just acquired and launched a fascinating new digital food and beverage menu system. The customers use an Apple iPad to order from the restaurant’s upto-date and descriptive menu. This eco-friendly solution is in line with the hotel strive to provide guests with service excellence and the latest in hospitality technology. It also brings cost-savings and other benefits to the operation. The same goes for a sustainable room automation environment system they installed before, enabling them to have more effective housekeeping as well as saving on energy consumption when guest rooms are not occupied. The service level is improved by using a lot of technology says Hans who is always on the lookout for something new. “We must follow what happens in this highly dynamic industry and not only wait for our customers to tell us. We bring in what we can to put us in the forefront in the indus-
Hans Winsnes started as an apprentice with Grand Hotel in Oslo. After working in England he moved over to Asia in 1992. He has worked in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Philippines Singapore and Thailand, before Malaysia. Being the multiple winner of global awards as best airport hotel and lastly the winner of the Global Luxury Airport Hotel award also means that guest’s expectations are very high, admits the GM. “But guests have very varied expectations. Thus we need to have a broad offer; we operate with many different prices to meet as many wishes as possible and that works well.” Guests can utilize the preferences service for upgrades and obtain special discounts at all times. We provide a dynamic online shopping experience in choosing add-on’s for one’s stay. “Many hotels are starting this and what will happen here is that we’ll take this much further as tech-
The menu card is an iPad
try and make guests feel they have access to only the best.” “These things are revolutionizing when it comes to effectiveness in business and giving top service to customers, in that we want them to be able to choose whatever they want to do in the hotel.” “Our industry is predominantly customer-focused but has increasingly become highly product-oriented. You must sell what the customers ask for. If you are introducing something which is very unorthodox you must ensure it is a sound investment.”
Time for the guests “The hardware is one thing, but the most important in all hotels will always be our associates that are dedicated to their roles,” Hans says, deliberately using the word associates instead of employees. “With technology, we can eliminate boring and repetitive tasks and give the associates more time for personal interaction with guests. Technology leaves us with more time to do what we love; which is to interact with our customers and ensuring them a memorable experience.”
June 2011 • ScandAsia.South East Asia
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Future Is Biofuel “Biofuels could make South-East Asia oil independent,” says Swedish Per Dahlen By Joakim Persson
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iofuel needs plants that grow fast all year round. That’s what makes tropical Asia the ideal location for biomass energy production, says Per Dahlen. “With the tremendous developments over the past 5-10 years in biotechnology, biofuel technologies today make production both more economical and more environmentally friendly.” “Biofuels could make SouthEast Asia oil independent,” he says The ultimate success would be if we could avoid the mistake of building large centralized power plants and instead have it distributed and renewable from the very beginning, he points out.
Any biomass is usable Practically any biomass which contains cellulose can be turned into biofuels, bio-chemicals or bio-plastics. It can be sugar cane, palm trees, cassava and different types of grass like sorghum or energy grass. “We need things that grow fast, are easy to harvest and do not consume too much water. Here in South-East Asia we have ten times more biomass production than in Europe. We are in the tropics and things grow fast.” 14 ScandAsia.South East Asia • June 2011
Abundance in waste
Partner in Portelet
The region is also abundant in biomass residues where so much material is laid to waste. The Palm, sugar cane and rice industries together represent 75% of the total agricultural output of South-East Asia. To date only 25-30% of the harvested biomass ends up as an end-product, the remaining parts are discarded in the field or at the processing plants. “At the palm mills they just waste hundreds of tons of waste materials every day!,” says the Swede who has a solution to plug into these mills – there are around 900 of them in Indonesia and Malaysia – and get not only palm oil, but also fuel from the residues. “A palm plantation owner could then double his income. “
Per Dahlen is a partner in the company Portelet which has the Malaysian government as one of its early clients. Portelet assist the government charter a strategy for the future The company also links the technology developing companies with those buying the technologies to run the plants. A former Internet business developer and “intrapreneur manager” at Philips, Per Dahlen has a multidisciplinary educational background, combining technical engineering with an MBA from Spain. Within Philips he worked in Singapore back in 1997, his wife’s home country. After settling down in Singapore in 2006 he soon turned fully dedicated to the fast growing cleantech market, primarily as a facilitator in deal sourcing and investment management. Per Dahlen senses big business opportunities for instance in importing Swedish cleantech technology that fits here and assisting those companies. “Sekab from Sweden, for example, they should come here! They have developed enough now,” he says.
Only need 4.5 mill. hectares “With second generation biofuels crops and technologies we would only need 4.5 million hectares of land for full oil independence.” “There is no production of advanced fuel from biomass here today but ten producers have announced that they will build the first plants in South-East Asia. So we can already see that those with the most advanced technologies and a strategy to grow are on their way.”
Quality and CSR in Vietnam Krister Kling, the Swedish Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City who first came to Vietnam in 1995 as General Manager for Guston Molinel, is passionate about delivering high quality work wear with Cooperate Social Responsibility to his demanding consumers in Europe and Australia. By Bjarne Wildau
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rister Kling loves the fast changing view of Ho Chi Minh City skyline from his balcony on the top floor of the building where he has been working for fifteen years as Managing Director of Guston Molinel Textile Vietnam and for the past four years as Swedish Consul General. “When I started here in HCMC, I could view the entire City from here,” Krister Kling says while pointing down on the older buildings below. Since Krister Kling first came to Vietnam in 1995, investments from abroad has exploded. Krister Kling’s own workplace, Guston Molinel Textile Vietnam, now employs over 1.000 Vietnamese. And the Consulate is no longer the multi-task operation, it used to be since Sweden now has its own Trade Council office in the very same building as the General Consulate. Krister Klings’ office is on the 7, floor. His phone rings and Krister answers in English with a French accent. But when he hears it’s a fellow Swede, he turns to Swedish - now with a Southern Swedish accent as spoken in his home town Malmö. “Yes. I am from Malmö,” he confirms. “I was educated at the University of Lund in radiology,” he adds. After his graduation, he first worked for the Norwegian shipping company Thome from 1991 to 1994, before moving to Vietnam for FrenchSwedish Guston Molinel Textile. “When I came here, everything was different. The party was still in control, but Doi Moi led to a complete change of the Vietnamese society. Hundreds of foreign investors arrived in Vietnam. Manage-
ment and workers were educated, and most importantly peoples lives started to improve at a rate you can hardly imagine,” Krister Kling recalls.
Opened and closed in Myanmar “While I was running the factory here, we also opened a factory in Myanmar in 1995. The start was fantastic, and we brought our values about corporate citizenship with us. We did all the right things”, Krister Kling explains. But while he and Guston Molinel Textile did all the right things, the generals who was ruling Myanmar did almost all the wrong things for the wrong reasons. Democracy was never given a proper chance. International trade and investments boycotts were introduced, and in 2005 Krister Kling and Guston Molinel Textile was forced to close down the factory. “Unfortunately it was the only solution. It was very sad. First of all for the people who had good jobs with us, and then lost it all”, Krister Kling says.
Quality and CSR Meanwhile the renovation of the Vietnamese society called Doi Moi carried on. Every week new contracts with new investment were inked. And Vietnam and its people subsequently achieved rapid growth in almost every corner of the society. At the Guston Molinel factory in Vietnam, Krister Kling guided his staff creating policies securing both quality and Cooperate Social Responsibility in all social aspects.
Scrutinizing consumers “Today a third wave is breaking,” Krister Kling adds.
“Consumers are starting to ask hard questions about the internal corporate practices behind the brand name products they buy.” “At Guston Molinel we understand the need to be good corporate citizens. We appreciate the value of corporate and brand name reputations and we realize that lasting damage can result from harm to a firm’s reputation. That is why quality concerns, environmental awareness and responsible corporate citizenship are important tasks.,” Krister Kling emphasizes. Does it show on the bottom line? “Yes. We are doing good. Of course we saw a downturn like everyone else in terms of production output during the latest crisis, but we are through that,” says Krister Kling, whose company exports its products mainly to Scandinavia, France, the rest of Europe and Australia.
Doing well Two years after his arrival, the Swedish Honorary General Consul asked him to be involved in the work serving other Swedish companies interested in establishing production in Vietnam. At that time, there were around 40 Swedish companies in Vietnam. Today the figure have almost doubled. So its not only Guston Molinel and Krister Kling who is doing well in Vietnam. Privately, Krister Kling is married to the well-known painter and artist Helene Kling. Together they have five children, but the oldest is living in Sweden so it is only the four youngest that are living with Krister and his wife in Saigon.
June 2011 • ScandAsia.South East Asia
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Danes Doing Good in
“I
was born into a Christian family. Religion has always been an important part of my life. In 1995, I was in Poland on a short term contract, using my education as a missionary when working with Christians there. It was a very positive experience. When I returned, I dreamt of being able to go somewhere as a missionary and help people. When Charlotte and I married, we shared that ambition,” Andreas Peters-Lehm recalls. Today, Andreas is team leader for DLMC - Dansk Luthersk Mission Cambodia – with residence in Phnom Penh. This is where Andreas and Charlotte moved four years ago with their small baby boy, Noah, and a ten year contract in their pocket and a lot of energy to do good for the Cambodians in a human and Christian way.
Do good as a job
Andreas Peters-Lehm took an education as a missionary when he was young. When he got married, his wife Charlotte shared his wish to do good for people in a poor country. Since three years back, they have been trying their very best in Cambodia. By Bjarne Wildau
16 ScandAsia.South East Asia • June 2011
It’s a Saturday morning and Andreas has agreed to meet me for the second day in a row to show me more of the projects, the Danish couple is working on and talk about how life is when it is your job to do good for other people under if not difficult, then at least very different conditions. “Charlotte and I have contracts with DLM and get our salaries from Denmark, and it is DLM who has selected the clinics, schools and trainings centres they want us to work with. In that sense we simply do what we are told,” Andreas explains with a smile. Charlotte Peters-Lehm is on her way out. Several times a week the mother of Noah, 4, and now also Elias, 2, do what she can as a human and as a nurse to help the staff and the patients at Mercy Medical Centre (SCI) in Phnom Penh. “I am at the clinic two or three times a week,” she explains. “I support the staff and help with the patients. We have a lot of larynx cancer patients. Unfortunately many of these people come to us too late. They have been in the public health system, and will typically turn to Mercy Medical Centre when they run out of money,” Charlotte explains. In some cases, the Mercy Medical Centre is able to send patients abroad for further treatment and operations. And the Christian or-
n The Name Of God ganisation does not make any difference between Buddhist and Christian patients. “Lack of knowledge among the common people, and even among the doctors is a huge problem in Cambodia. Every single day more than 160 children below 5 years die simply because the parents or the doctors have no idea what to do with a sick child. Out of 1000 Cambodian children, 85 will never turn five years old,” Charlotte says.
Values for the future The day before, Andreas and I had visited one of the projects, the Australian managed East West International School. Here, 260 “rich” children get one of the best educations you can get in Cambodia. That made me ask him directly, why on earth Danish Christian missionaries are helping a school for rich children. “If you think in the lines of hunger, suffering and so on, you are
absolutely right; the children at that school could do without me,” Andreas replies. “But the East West International School is about thinking out in the future. The idea is to ensure that these privileged children get some proper humanitarian values, because when they grow up one day they will become important decision makers to the benefit of the country and not at least, people in need.” A more direct approach is another project that the Dane is involved in, Project Future. This vocational training centre provides young men with the opportunity to get a job as a tuk tuk driver.. “But today there are far too many tuk tuks in Phnom Penh already so we are now focusing more on teaching mechanics because it will be easier for the young men to get a job working with motorbikes, than as a tuk-tuk drivers,” Andreas explains.
“There are several million motorbikes in Cambodia, and in the rural areas there are not many who can fix the complicated problems, so when these boys go back to their home provinces they will have an ability not many other in their area will have. They will be able to make a living as specialist mechanics”, Andreas explains.
Life as expats Until now, we have been talking about other people’s needs. But what about Andreas and Charlotte, two well educated adults and two small children working in a country like Cambodia. Other westerners live “expat lives” in beautiful houses with a huge gardens. Andreas and Charlotte have a very nice apartment, but their children have no access to a garden, and if they want to leave the apartment, they have to go down a very steep a dangerous staircase. “The minimum rent for a house
with a garden is at least 1000 US $ in Phnom Penh. And we cant afford that. During the weekends, I often take the children to a restaurant with a huge garden and a playground. We stay there as long as possible, often four or five hours”, Andreas says. Another problem the family is facing is about their oldest son Noah. His ability to speak is developing slower than the average of children his age. “We are aware of the problem and so is my boss in Denmark. Children develop differently. They say that Einstein did not talk before he was five. So we hope the best. We have a 10 year contract, but if Noah is not improving, we have to do something. Maybe we have to go back to Denmark. But even if we choose to go home, we have to face a waiting list, at least 18 months counting from the day we have a permanent address in Denmark.”
June 2011 • ScandAsia.South East Asia
17
Medium
Potato Salad With this recipe for 4 persons you can easily make one of the most delicious lunch dishes enjoyed by all Scandinavians. 15 egg sized Potatoes
Evil
2 1/2 dl. sour cream 2 1/2 dl. soured milk or yogurt natural - not sweetened! 2 teesp. sweet mustard 2 tablesp. teared shallots 2 teesp. lime 2 teesp. fresh chives 2 teesp. parsley Salt and pepper Tomatoes as garnish- optional
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hen you have completed the above puzzles, please send your solution by fax to +66 2 943 7169 or scan and email to puzzles@ scandasia.com. We will make a lucky draw among the correct answers. Five lucky winners will receive a ScandAsia polo shirt. Name:
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Deadline for submitting your solution is 15 July 2011 18 ScandAsia.South East Asia • June 2011
• Boil the potatoes with the skin on and peel the skin of when the potatoes are cooled - that makes the potatoes more firm. • Slice the potatoes, on the long side, into three or four slices, not too small. • Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, taste with salt and pepper to suit your taste and finally add the peeled potatoes. • Turn it all around in the bowl with a big spoon carefully, to preserve the potatoes from breaking. Top with some fresh spices and tomatoes. • Let it calm/cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 min.
Tip: Alternative to sour cream is to use yogurt natural add with a bit of sugar, olive oil and whipped cream. Then you will also get a more calorie reduced salad. Make it your own personal salad! Add other vegetable with the potatoes for instance pineapple, mango or whatever you like. The best fruit or vegetables to add are the hard ones, so they wont get smashed.
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