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Coming Events
Christmas at the Norwegian / Swedish Church
Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in Singapore
The Norwegian Church in SIngapore invites both Norwegians and Swedes to celebrate a traditional Christmas Eve at the Church on 24 December 2014. The evening starts with a service at 15.00. Afterwards we all help arrange for the dinner - sometimes with the kids watching a movie on the second floor. At 18.00 everyone is ready for a traditional Christmas buffet with Christmas music and good company. If there are any well-behaved kids in the community, Santa Claus may stop by with some presents. Sign up is by email to sdw@sjomannskirken.no - remember to mention navn, telephone number and how many you will bring. There is limited space, so late comers may not be able to attend. Cost: Children under 3 years are free (but parents must bring a gift at aprox 15 SGD) - Children aged 3-14 years: SGD 50,- (and parents must bring a 15 SGD gift) - Students: SGD 75,- and Other Grown-ups: SGD 100,Payment by the door when you arrive.
ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in Singapore.
Christmas at the Danish Seamen’s Church
We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Thailand, and the rest of South East Asia.
Christmas Eve at the Danish Seamen’s Church is a long and cherished tradition that draws together a wide selection of the Danes in Singapore. The evening starts with the Christ Service with reading of the Gospel at 15.00 in the afternoon. After the service, the dinner is being prepared in the yard of the Church. Guests who prefer to come only for the Christmas dinner should arrive before 17.30 and the evening ends at 21.30.
Get your own FREE copy: scandasia.com Publisher : ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Assistant Editor: Thana Poopat thana@scandmedia.com Advertising : Frank Leong frank@scandmedia.com Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Distribution : Wanvisa Rattanaburi wanvisa@scandmedia.com Printing : Advanced Printing Services Co., Ltd.
New Years Eve 2015 in Singapore A headline on TripAdvisor says “Don’t spend new years eve in singapore!!” I don’t know which planet he came from. The wettest and wildest count down party you can imagine - if you don’t fancy doing drugs on a full moon island - is the Siloso Beach Party. There will be up to 12 hours of nonstop music to accompany your swim in the huge foam pool of Siloso Beach and beautiful 1.2 k beaches. Asia Largest Beach Countdown Party will have you all ready to celebrate the 2014 countdown. Then you can continue the party all night long at any of the 5 unique zones along the 1.2 k of beaches. Only alternative would be the Marina Bay Area, where you will find the largest number of people counting down. Get here early as it is difficult getting in to the area the closer you get to midnight.
WHAT IF...
T AUGU5S 201 NS
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Recent UWCSEA graduate Sophie experiences a high-powered IB education
… ACADEMICS LEFT STUDENTS ENERGIZED? Would their passion for intellectual pursuits be charged for life? That’s the aim of the UWCSEA learning programme. Just ask Sophie, Class of 2012. At UWCSEA, Sophie was encouraged to learn, share and challenge ideas by enthusiastic teachers in a culturally diverse environment.
In 2013, she began studying international relations at London School of Economics. Imagine the potential after that. What if your child joins UWCSEA? Visit www.uwcsea.edu.sg to find out more.
After taking a gap year, where she worked with a UWCSEA Global Concern project in India and then taught English in China, her energy didn’t stop there. UWCSEA Dover is registered by the CPE CPE Registration No. 197000825H Registration Period 18 July 2011–17 July 2017 UWCSEA East is registered by the CPE CPE Registration No. 200801795N Registration Period 10 March 2011–9 March 2017
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News Brief
A magical night with children book author Tone Almhjell
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he Norwegian Embassy in Singapore on 3 November invited all Norwegian children to the Ambassador’s residence for an story telling. Norwegian author Tone Almhjell has been in town for this year’s Singapore Writers Festival. Ms Tone Almhjell was there to read from her book, The Twistrose key, and share her experi-
ences of being an international renowned author. Tone’s passion is obvious: “books are a way to travel, a gateway to another world.” The children were all eager to learn about the book and Tone’s life. A few of them had already read the book, and was clearly excited to share the story. Luckily, they managed to keep the secret, so that those who brought the book
home with them would still have surprises in store. There was also Norwegian hot dogs, fruit and cupcakes for all, catered by the Norwegian Seamen’s mission. After the presentation, Cecilia Eek Thorstensen from The Norwegian Supplementary School in Singapore held an interview with Tone. We all got insight to how the mind of an author works, and Tone shared some tricks for those of us needing a little help. We hope that all the kids left feeling inspired to both read and write more in the future. It would not be surprising if some of the adults felt inspired too. This was the first time the Embassy arranged a kid’s only event at the residence. The night was a huge success, and we thank all the kids and parents for coming to this magical event. Until next time! The Twistrose Key is a fantasy novel that takes you on a journey to the land of Sylver Valley where all cherished pets live on in a magical world. Lindelin finds the key to this world and unlocks an adventure in a wintery landscape with her furry friend Rufus. Can they save Sylver Valley? Read the first chapter, and more about the book at thetwistrosekey.com. During the Singapore Writer’s Festival Tone had two workshops and presentations on Friday and Saturday. On Monday, she had a book reading at Tanglin Trust School. She also visited Crescent Girls School and United World College South East Asia Dover campus.
Norway’s oil fund to invest in Asian real estate
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orway’s sovereign fund, the world’s largest, plans in 2015 to start investing in real estate in Asia, Karsten Kallevig, its real estate chief, this month told Reuters. Norway’s fund has bought just over $10 billion in properties in a handful of European and U.S. cities since 2010 but has been buying rapidly this year and aims to invest about 1 percent of its assets in proper ty each year for the next several years. In Asia, the fund will stick to investing in property in two cities. The two cities have not yet been selected. “In Asia we have done a lot of work and we’ll probably pick two cities to start with, hopefully in 2015,” Kallevig said. “In Asia there are more than two cities of interest but to do your job properly, you can’t start with more than two.” Kallevig told Reuters that its real estate strategy had already yielded unexpectedly high returns. New investments will increasingly be alone, without partners. 6 ScandAsia.Singapore • December 2014
“The truth is that there’s not a single partner that has the capacity to invest as much as we would like to in a given market,” Kallevig said. The fund will also broaden its portfolio after primarily buying high-end office space in key cities, though residential property is not high on its priority list. “If we really understand these markets, then we should be able to understand the risk associated with taking on a vacant building, taking
on a repositioning, a redevelopment, even a full ground-up development,” Kallevig said. The real estate unit, which makes its commercial decisions from its New York and London offices, has grown to 60 people since its start in 2010 and could grow as big as 200 over time.
News Brief
Swedish DJ Otto Knows draws huge crowd
T
he gig with Swedish Otto Knows on November 15 in Singapore had a great turnout and a full dance floor all night
long! Otto Jettman, known internationally as Otto Knows, was brought to the attention of Sebastian Ingrosso, and his development as a DJ and producer came through first-hand experience of touring alongside the Refune head honcho. Debuting alongside none other than Avicii and Ingrosso, with their collaboration ‘iTrack’ international recognition came quickly for Otto Knows and his breakthrough was with the single ‘Million Voices’ that topped the charts in 2012. He has since been touring the world alongside stars like Alesso and Avicii, produced music for Britney Spears and played at some of the world’s biggest festivals and clubs and earlier this year he released his new hit ‘Parachutes’. Excerpts from an interview with Embassy staff: Q: What inspired you to start DJ-ing? Who were your influences? A: I have always been interested in music; I was in a choir as a kid and star ted playing guitar early. But I knew it was what I wanted to do for a living, when I saw Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell, Steve Angello and Eric Prydz play at a club called the Frog in Stockholm. It’s a small place where
the guys started their careers and I’d sneak in and watch. Seeing them got me hooked on house music and I knew it would be a big part of my life!
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Making it possible Nordea Bank S.A, Singapore Branch is part of Nordea Group, the leading financial services group in the Nordic and Baltic Sea regions. Some products and services may, due to local regulations, not be available to individuals resident in certain countries and their availability may depend, among other things, on the investment risk profile of persons in receipt of this publication or on any legislation to which they are subject. Nothing in this publication should be construed as an offer, or the solicitation of an offer, to purchase, subscribe to or sell any investment or product, or to engage in any other transaction or provide any kind of financial or banking service in any jurisdiction where Nordea Bank S.A., Singapore Branch or any of its affiliates do not have the necessary licence. Published by Nordea Bank S.A., R.C.S. Luxembourg No. B 14.157 on behalf of Nordea Bank S.A., Singapore Branch, 3 Anson Rd #20-01, Springleaf Tower, Singapore 079909. www.nordeaprivatebanking.com subject to the supervision of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (www.mas.gov.sg).
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14/08/2014 13:437 December 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore
News Brief
Minister of Defence Carl Haglund visits Singapore
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he main agenda of the visit included questions related to defence materiel cooperation and defence industry. Minister Haglund’s visit in Singapore was a par t of his series of working visits in Asia, and was preceded by visits in China and Japan. He arrived in Singapore on Wednesday night of October 29, 2014 from Tokyo. On the 30th of October, Minister Haglund met with his Singaporean colleague Dr. Ng Eng Hen over a breakfast, and later in the afternoon he participated in an export promotion event initiated by the Association of Finnish Defence and Aerospace Industries.
How Norwegian firms can help Asia meet energy challenges
T
he rapid economic growth in Asia is highly dependent on an increased supply of energy. While common access to affordable and reliable electricity is a prerequisite for prosperity growth, there are substantial economic, political and environmental challenges associated with energy supply and distribution.
Stegt Flæsk is Denmark’s new national dish
R
oast pork with parsley sauce, the bookies’ favourite, easily beats Smørrebrød and Hakkebøf Stegt flæsk, a traditional roast pork dish served with parsley sauce, is Denmark’s new national dish. Some 27,893 Danes voted for south Jutland’s selection in the final round of the national dish competition. Over 60,000 Danes took part in the voting process, which saw east Jutland’s Smørrebrød finish second with just over 17,000 votes, while the capital’s favourite, Hamburger steak with onions and fried egg, finished third with over 7,600 votes. ”The voting for Denmark’s national dish has started a debate about Danish food products and our mutual food culture,” Dan Jørgensen, the food and agriculture minister, said in a press release. ”The national dish was at the top of the agenda in the workplace canteens, around the dinner table and in the media, and I am pleased and proud about that.” Over 25,000 people follow the national dish campaign on Facebook, while nearly 175,000 have made their way onto the Food Ministry’s campaign sites, danskernesmad.dk and nationalret.dk, since the competition was launched in October. As part of a follow-up on the national dish competition, the food authorities Fødevarestyrelsen will in the new year publish a booklet of the dishes that took part in the competition. Recipes for the dishes will also be made available on the Food Ministry’s website. Some will be presented in various versions, including healthy, light and vegetarian options. 8 ScandAsia.Singapore • December 2014
A need for innovative solutions In a recent conference jointly held by Innovation Norway,The Norwegian Embassy and DNV GL, “Energy solutions for Asia – Contributions from Norwegian companies”, during Singapore Energy Week 2014, Norwegian companies made known their readiness to help Asia meets energy challenges. Among the speakers were Oliver Tonby, Managing Partner at McKinsey in Singapore, Mr. Kwok Foo Seng of the Singapore Energy Market Authority, Hilde Nafstad, President for Statoil Asia Pacific, Erik Knive, Executive Vice President Asia of SN Power and David Fullbrook, Senior Strategy and Policy Consultant at DNV GL. The conference was divided into two parts; 1. LNG emerging as a major energy carrier on regional and national scale, 2. Deployment of renewable energy for rural electrification on micro-scale level. The objective of the workshop was to bridge Norwegian expertise within maritime transpor t, natural gas and electricity to challenges and oppor tunities in the evolving Asian energy markets. Among the participants were business representatives, researchers and government representatives. Participants in the Singapore – Norway third country 2014 co-operation programme – government representatives from Thailand, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia and Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh took part in the seminar. New technology challenges the way we think Through many years of experience, Norway has gained expertise in the field of LNG. One of the speakers, Mr Jakob Stampe was the Managing Director of Höegh LNG in Asia, whose company has been in the industry for more than 40 years. Höegh is a fully integrated ship-owning company offering long-term floating production, transportation, and terminal solutions for LNG.
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December 2014 โ ข ScandAsia.Singapore 9
Danish superstar
in the business guru league Martin Roll swapped a thriving career in the Copenhagen advertising industry with an entirely new life in 2000, without a safety net on the other side of the world. Read this interview by Kim Berckentin about what it really takes to elevate yourself and become one of the most outstanding individuals. This is a story about shifting from a local to global trajectory. By Kim Berckentin Translated by Gregers Moller 10 ScandAsia.Singapore • December 2014
It was his curiosity about why Asian brands had little success globally, that sent him off on a journey to the East after his graduation from INSEAD in 1999. This was at a time when Samsung was almost non-existent.
“T
he Swedes love Volvo, however in Denmark we have a hard time with Maersk. The Swedes are much more sympathetic to the American corporate spirit than we are in Denmark, where the American approach and culture is often met with skepticism,” says Martin Roll. “For the Danes, the small-is-beautiful culture makes sense. There is a limit to how big it seems wise to be, when the nation only 150 years ago and due to collective self-delusion lost a third of its territory and 40 percent of its citizens. Consequently, risk appetite may very well have a different meaning to the average Dane than to anyone else in the world. Although we daily convince ourselves that we have done away with the “Jantelov” (a group behavior “law” that makes Scandinavians negatively por tray and criticize individual success and achievement as being unworthy and inappropriate), it has for generations rubbed off on our business environment. There is always a “Varnæs against a Skjern”, Martin adds, referring to the two main business characters in a popular historical TV drama which provides an excellent insight into the souls of Danish people. Talking to Martin Roll for just a minute takes you far and wide. He pieces together facts, trends and perspectives at an impressively fast pace that gives food for thought. After all, he is not just anyone. As an international management consultant and C-level advisor, he is used to talking to and socializing with top management teams, boards of Fortune 500 companies and leading companies in Asia that include a number of family-owned businesses. He is among the (very) small group of Danes who is in global demand and is therefore able to collect international top league fees for his lectures, management consulting and business coaching - a fact one cannot completely avoid thinking about while interviewing him. Fortunately, Martin is one of the most pleasant persons to talk to. He is good company and when he speaks it is with a sense of authority that implies that he is not a man to be interrupted - you may say he is unstoppable. As an expatriate Dane for the last 15 years and a resident of Singapore, Martin has got Denmark at a distance. He has a global mindset owing to his MBA from INSEAD in France - as well as an excellent English vocabulary that he uses spontaneously and vigorously. His life journey gives him a different perspective on the world than most Danes - yet without losing his “Danish-ness”. One of the most impor tant parameters that he analyzes when evaluating a new client,
is whether there is an emerging “arrogance and complacency in the organization”. It is the indolence and lack of foresight, which struck companies like Esprit in the 90s, gave Adidas major challenges before they again found their tone and with which Tesco are struggling today. Just when everything is going well, arrogance and complacency may hit the organization, weaken the power of leadership, fade your brand and you may lose the whole market. Then it may quickly go downhill - a direction that is hard to turn around. This “victory” disease is one of the things the Danish mindset is sensitive to: Danes smell hubris from afar. So when describing Martin Roll, and why he is successful, his Danish mindset is integral, along with his curiosity and global vision. It was his curiosity about why Asian brands had little success globally, that sent him off on a journey to the East after his graduation from INSEAD in 1999. This was at a time when Samsung was almost non-existent. Martin settled down in Singapore as a management advisor in 2001 and established the Martin Roll Company. He began working for his clients on the big questions: How to build an Asian brand that can succeed globally? What dogma must be overcome? How do you become “global” in the first place, and what management mindset does it take? The answers to these pivotal questions became his trade. Asia in 2001 was characterized by local companies: South Korean Hyundai, Japanese Shiseido and Chinese Huawei. None of them were anywhere near to where these brands are today. Clients across the region were skeptical of Martin’s approach - but they were curious to meet the tall Dane who had come to talk to them about growth and a global approach to running their businesses. He advised them that the road to global success was to build their own brands and not primarily compete on cost production and low price, something Asia had done that far. By following this path, they could increase the value of their businesses. Martin had his theoretical ballast and toolbox in order. Actually, he would have liked to become a journalist, but instead he worked his way up in the global advertising industry. At Ted Bates (later Bates), he was given responsibility for the Ericsson Mobile Phones and the Ericsson corporate brand worldwide accounts. He discussed 3G and 4G with them already in the early 90s. In 1995, Martin moved to DDB Needham (later DDB) and for the next four years he was the lead for McDonald’s in Denmark. The American fast food chain expanded during this period from 23 to 140 restaurants and in the process Martin learned ev-
erything about commercial strategy the American way. “Learning today, leading tomorrow” was the mantra from the Hamburger Marketing University in Chicago. Martin was given the responsibility to design the strategy that leveraged the tremendous expansion. According to him the four years with DDB Needham was one of the best places he worked. DDB had a unique spirit and culture. Professionally, Martin was sent to attend the Young Managers Summer Programme at INSEAD in Fontainebleau in 1998 and he became so fascinated by the international environment and the high level of professionalism that he in 1999 pursued an MBA at the same business school. His time here became a “life changer” as Martin describes it, a crucial point in his career. The towering level of international professionalism and the social aspect of going international opened up new roads and it was clear that his agency life back home in Copenhagen had come to an end. Martin decided to change and moved into deep waters, where he could test himself. After the first years in Singapore, the conclusions from his learning journey were clear and he moved on to materialize his ideas. His first book Asian Brand Strategy was published in 2005. The book was like a recipe - 10 guidelines for Asia’s big challenge in management, strategy, branding and internationalization. After the usual few months of vacuum, while the book found its way out to its audience through the distribution channels, Martin started his marathon. He went on a 15-month long road show, where he delivered hundreds of lectures in Asia, US and Europe. He lectured for a variety of management audiences in 40 countries. Often there were two lectures per day, and on top of that, interviews with all relevant media. This required great stamina. Back then there was no social media to drive hype. So Martin combined his hard work with hiring an international PR agent in London and New York respectively. And it worked: CNN called him up, so did CNBC, Bloomberg, BBC - and Martin flew in and gave interviews with them all. Martin found himself in the center of gravity of a global media campaign, and the book won international recognition. The American marketing professor Kevin Lane Keller from Tuck School of Business, the world’s leading brand expert in academia, wrote: “Martin Roll’s Asian Brand Strategy provides superb motivation and substance into Asian brands and branding. It offers invaluable inspiration and guidance into one of the hottest areas of marketing.” In addition to hitting the global bestseller lists, the book was also voted “Best Management Book” December 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 11
Today, his work has three distinct components - an international keynote speaker, an external adviser to companies, and a facilitator for management meetings, board meetings and family councils.
in 2006 by the renowned Strategy+Business Magazine, published by PwC Strategy&. Finally, one of the world’s most respected top management advisors, Dominic Barton (worldwide managing director for McKinsey & Company) wrote: “Building successful global brands is - and will be - critical for the rapidly increasing number of Asian champions on the global stage. Martin Roll provides a compelling and practical road-map on how to do this based on his extensive experience advising Asian corporations”. The success of the book provided Martin with the legitimacy to work world-wide. Business owners, wealthy family dynasties, business schools, organizations and governments reached out to Martin to tap into his knowledge, insights and recommendations about expansion strategy and branding. Before he knew it, he gave the main keynote speech at a conference in Seoul where the President of South Korea attended along with 3500 people in the audience. So what is it that Martin is capable of? Basically he seeks always to inspire his clients to be the “most admired” - they must be in a class by themselves, rather than necessarily being the largest. It involves a number of parameters that are rarely put into use because of the usual short-term, one-sided focus on increased volume. This is where Martin challenges his clients. One of his key questions is: What’s your purpose? He challenges his clients to think about what they deeply believe they are best at, what values they stand for and what they actually provide to their customers - and more broadly what they provide to the world around them. He helps them with the compass called “purpose”. If you are driven by a strong purpose, and actually meet expectations 12 ScandAsia.Singapore • December 2014
all the time, then you have a strong chance to become an “admired” company. But it is not a position that comes easily. It requires full attention and hard work over a long time period of time and attention to every detail. LEGO’s turnaround is a good example. If your company would close down tomorrow, what would happen then? Would the world be any different? The Danish company LEGO has got this purpose. Most children and parents would be sad if LEGO closed tomorrow! If that is the case, a company and a brand have all the opportunities at its disposal. Think of Apple, BMW, Estee Lauder, Singapore Airlines and many other brands - they are strongly positioned in people’s minds. “Powerful brands enable people to do what they could not do otherwise,” as branding exper t Peter Fisk has said. Unfortunately, there are many companies that never really reached the goal of their purpose. One senses that Martin has an underlying question that could be formulated as: “Where are you going?” Whether it is the customer, company, brand, writer and it is the many possible answers that fascinates and drives him - that is exactly what he challenges all the times. He stubbornly insists that the ultimate goal has to be the best. Otherwise he refuses to accept the answer! This approach has a clear international, tough appeal to global businesses - something which is not often the case in Denmark. Martin mentions CEO Lars Rebien Sørensen as one of those that come very close with his statement that Novo Nordisk MAYBE one day could become the world’s most valuable pharmaceutical company. Bernard Arnault, who is the principal owner, chairman and
CEO of the French luxury group LVMH, has built one of the world’s most impressive companies by - with steely determination - redefining what luxury stands for now and in the future. It also becomes clear that Martin enjoys motivating and inspiring others to bring out the best in them. But not as a traditional coach, more like a top manager of an elite sport. As a close ally, a business coach, which is a well-known concept in global business where being a top-level decisionmaker, is very demanding and often a lonely journey.This is where Martin Roll enters and becomes a close ally of his clients, and becomes one of their closest confidants. At the same time he is one of their harshest critics - with a constructive approach to the role of a business coach. He says that he thrives watching others having success, and that is probably largely due to his own milestones in life - “be an architect of your own life”. He is a pronounced ENFP profile for those who are familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: Creative, inspiring and with high impact. He uses his skills to help others to develop their untapped potential. During his childhood, he was preoccupied with playing school theater and to be a communicator, but today he no longer has the need to be in the limelight and to take credit for the results. Martin orchestrates in the background the handling of large complex problems and becomes a very trusted sparring par tner for global decision makers. He serves the role of the director - and sometimes also the producer. In his youth he devoted himself to his great passion for photography – he even lived off it for some years. Martin still today views the world through a photographer’s lens, and is often annoyed when
his camera is not within reach. Instinctively, he has always seen things that are about to happen, he says - and a good photographer presses the shutter a split second before! It’s all about daring to press the button before the other; to do so, even if it is wild. Daring to be different, he says. The moment the power levers are pushed forward in the cockpit, the aircraft is in take-off mode. While it accelerates on the runway, the aircraft reaches the phase of “velocity 1” – the moment when it is no longer possible to stop the aircraft on the runway length that is available. Pilots know that. Only option is to increase speed to “velocity 2”, where the nose begins to raise from the ground - now there is no way back, the plane must BE in the air to avoid a disaster. Bringing the plane through these critical phases until it reaches a safe flying altitude and later full cruising altitude, requires high professionalism and lots of power - the same goes for entrepreneurs and business owners who try to lift their brand. They have to understand that they must make a choice - will they take off: Yes or no? Often it is a long haul, even before you are ready to touch the levers. Everything must be in place. The patience for this is not always in place in a country like Denmark. We like solutions to be ready for anything in half the time. But in Asia, they need to see that you have a long term perspective. It fits poorly with the impatient Danish management statement: “When I am presented with a three-year plan, I always ask how we can do it in one year.” Execution and efficiency do not always go hand in hand. The linear development that we cherish in the West will not work in Asia. You cannot enforce unnecessarily in Asia. In Chinese, the phenomenon is called “Guanxi”, and in all places in the region, they have a phrase for it: Trust through relationships. This means that a Dane will have to slow down a bit, and wait. When the relationship is developed, the reward will follow - for nowhere else in the world can things move as fast as in Asia. The Chinese handset maker Xiaomi is a good example of this paradigm: They are now the world’s fifth largest mobile brand and move extremely fast - they came almost out of nowhere. The products are well designed, can only be purchased online, and Xiaomi do not do marketing in the traditional way. In turn, Xiaomi’s brand is driven by viral marketing and social media. It is the linear curve vs. the exponential - and in Asia you can employ both when it suits you. We must be careful in the West to underestimate the latter - because time is money. The example above from aviation was not picked out of the blue. From his base in Singapore, Mar tin flies annually over 350,000 miles - preferably with the top of the class company Singapore Airlines. They are the “most admirable”. He has a PPS Club Membership (highest membership for a narrow circle of highflyers) with a permanent seating at the front of the plane by the window. Martin Roll, who has since 2001 helped companies in both Asia and countless other places globally to reach new heights, is by far the closest we get to a genuine Danish superstar in the business guru segment. His success is impressive. Originally, he advised within the domains of branding and marketing only. But today it is much broader general management.
The diversity of his clients is impressive and broad: Governments, industry manufacturers, retail chains, airlines, fashion companies, cosmetic brands, and business schools from around the world. You only reach Martin’s level by constantly monitoring what is happening around you and with your clients. Slackness is no-go. When HSBC launches a concept like YUMMY, you must know what it is - and whether it is relevant to your customers when held up against a study that finds that 55% of luxury purchases in China is carried out by men against only 40% worldwide. You must have knowledge to analyze things critically. Mar tin’s hallmar k is deep knowledge combined with a horizontal view, where you can walk across professional fields and global issues of all kinds. It covers a top class specialization that ties it all together into a powerful strategy. You must have solid knowledge in a broad field so that you can always engage with C-level in the Forbes 500. The bar must constantly be raised. But according to Martin that is not a problem if you have the will to be professional and the desire to be the best. It also makes it easy to imagine his office in Singapore - a pure research lab from where the whole world is monitored and where he also spends his time reflecting on behalf of his clients on what will happen next in management - characterized by “Newness occurs in the margins”. His intuition has only become more astute with the years, he says - and it takes clarity to cut through the clutter. It also reflects on the extremely dynamic job where the toolbox is constantly changing and where one should always be two steps ahead. You are only as good as your last meeting and your last advisory project with a client. And as long as it is fun, he keeps on doing what he is doing. “Remember, I have created the job myself,” he laughs. He knows he is able to contribute. “Put a dent in the universe” as Steve Jobs put it. The advice from Martin to young people, who really want a successful career, is to create some platforms, where one has deep knowledge and at the same time a horizontal vision - the degree of specialization to be established in the early years, and the horizontal visibility will naturally follow when the basics are in place, and the career develops. For Martin, it took a period in his life where he worked seven days a week. Nothing comes from nothing. Today, his work has three distinct components - an international keynote speaker, an external adviser to companies, and a facilitator for management meetings, board meetings and family councils.There is a duality in his work, as a lecturer and through books, ar ticles and his own site martinroll.com everything is retrievable – unlike when he is working as an adviser, when everything is behind double-closed doors. Discretion is paramount and an important part of his global signature. His clients know it and appreciate it thus he becomes involved as closely as he does with both owners and management.There can be no doubt about his integrity. Increasingly, he is hired by owners of businesses as a mentor for the next generation. He starts by challenging them with the question: What would you like your legacy to be? It is important to understand how these “sons and daughters”
look at what lies ahead of them. It is Martin’s task to form and shape the heirs, creating a balance between the old and the new. All of this is done with momentum as the overarching theme. He believes in creating change and consistency at the same time. The day when the transition occurs, the track must be laid well into the future. It is the same combination of knowledge and new ideas, which also needs to lift Denmark forward. If one looks at the big picture, there are definitely skilled, knowledge-intensive companies in Denmark. Novo, Maersk, Danfoss, Grundfos, Ramboll and COWI are examples, which Martin highlights with enthusiasm. But otherwise the Danish business world, with too many small and medium-sized enterprises, needs a more ambitious focus on wanting to be the best. We need crystal clear answers to “what’s your purpose?” Without large enterprises, Danish businesses cannot be present where growth takes place. But small businesses can grow and can become the “most admired”. It is all about having the right mind-set. So we arrive at what Martin does every day preparing his clients for growth. Martin’s primary focus areas are innovation and differentiation, which of course require capital. Unfortunately, in Denmark the investments are too little and too late. There are too many companies where time is running out. There is little margin between calculated risk and rashness. The risk acceptance is simply too small in the Danish venture capital environment, and that means that many sustainable ideas do not reach through velocity 2. Business angels in the US would rather distribute 1 billion among 20 start-up companies with the aim of finding the ONE company that once calculated - would have a 100 % probability for success. The mindset is the difference. Finally Danish investors and entrepreneurs may not be skilled enough to convince each other that we could indeed become the best. Mar tin is, however, optimistic about the trend he sees globally and in Denmark. In family businesses, the 3rd generations are in several cases replacing the 1st and 2nd generations. They are active in the field with a more globalized approach, and they often have international experience from large international companies and consulting firms like McKinsey & Company. They are very well trained. They are far more connected with tomorrow. And they are daring to press the button to create a new reality in companies. Martin welcomes it. Change is good! --Follow Martin and his company Martin Roll Company on his website www.martinroll.com - and keep an eye on him towards 2016, with five releases: “Chief Marketing Officer - A New Boardroom Role”, “Next in Global Marketing - 25 Perspectives from The Leading Global Marketing Professors”, “Family Business Transition - A Guideline”, “Brand Leadership - The Role of the Boardroom” and a revised version of Asian Brand Strategy (May 2015). --The interview first appeared in Danish here: http://berckentin.dk/index.php/martin-roll
December 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 13
Swedish ERP syste companies in South East
A
Swedish enterprise resource planning system and company from Sweden called Monitor ERP System, which is now increasing its presence in Southeast-Asia, has a history that speaks volumes. Behind this by now very mature, comprehensive and tried-and-tested business process management software lies 40 years of development dating back to the days prior to the existence of the personal computer. Following on a successful introduction on the Chinese market (today some 40 clients there based on the many Swedish companies present) Monitor ERP System Southeast Asia is now expanding its customer base within manufacturing in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia under the management of Mr Daniel Häggmark. A lot of development of this particular ERP system has happened since its launch three de14 ScandAsia.Singapore • December 2014
cades ago, and fur ther back in time when its owner had started drawing up formulas for measuring production effectiveness within Sweden. By launching a new version yearly, Monitor continued improving its system based on customer’s handson experience and needs and have expanded its operations (with own management or via partners) in Finland, Norway, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Brazil, China, Malaysia and Singapore. “Why we are so popular is because we are entirely niche, with one product, Monitor, and our focus on small to medium-sized companies, and only within manufacturing. Now the system has 30 years of history, and we have grown based on the needs of our customers, so we have a pretty complete product,” Daniel begins. Today, Monitor, with its focus on manufacturing resource planning has established itself as a leading supplier of ERP systems in this market
em helps Asia grow
segment, used by more than 2,400 companies and translated into 13 languages. Malaysia in particular, with its expansive manufacturing sector, is now a core target, where Monitor is making inroads in Penang as its initial focus. “We found Penang a good place to star t in Malaysia since there are many manufacturing companies there. We have already got customers in Kuala Lumpur as well but our main focus is still in Penang where we also have our local office” Daniel explains their initial focus. In nearby Ipoh, Monitor also has a great referral in the Swedish client Bromma (Malaysia) that has been using its ERP system for ten years, in the production of spreaders used in ports worldwide. “So far it’s been a very smooth ride in the fast lane, obtaining new clients with ease. We cannot take anything for granted but so far it’s looking
good. The response we are getting here is overwhelming and we already gained good references that are very satisfied, so they spread the word in their respective network.” “We have worked like that in Sweden from day one, with satisfied customers. We will try to build a real foothold in Malaysia first and then continue our expansion, since we have also received a customer in Indonesia, through references here.” “The local systems on the market is not as strong as our product, I feel. And the biggest ERP systems used by all large corporations don’t work for smaller companies here – it gets too expensive and complex. We feel the market here is very big for our product; there are loads of manufacturing companies within the SME sector.” Monitor’s focus has always been to have a standard system that should work for no matter what you produce, be it cars, furniture, electronics – whatever. So it should be easy to install, and start up. “That’s why we are so popular; you buy the system and all is there that you need more or less. No need for customization. Since we have focused on the manufacturing business for 40 years we know the requirements.” The only challenge Monitor had in entering Malaysia was the need for certain customisation to the local market. “The basic flow in all manufacturing companies is more or less the same no matter if it is in Sweden, Russia, Malaysia or China. But there are always some local standards and requirements that we need to adapt to. By now we have a fully-fledged system fine-tuned for Malaysia and Singapore.”
By Joakim Persson
“Another challenge we face is that companies are not used to use an ERP System so the implementation takes a bit longer than back in Sweden.” A case in point is the Malaysian customer Prestige Dynamics Industries. “Before using Monitor, we had difficulties in controlling output and input of production. After starting to use it, we were able to grasp the situation of our stock precisely and also have more control in production to not overbuild,” Prestige Dynamics Industries explains. “Monitor shows sensitivity to different requirements from different countries.Their consultants always bring solutions to our needs and at times introduce us to new functions or propose a better solution, showing a great interest in improving their clients system in regards to what they can offer,” says its testimonial. “The highest benefit our customers gets using Monitor concerns the whole material flow: companies get total control of the whole chain, from what and when you need to purchase materials, to what/when something should be manufactured. This leads to much better on-time delivery reliance. Everything is also integrated with the accounting, which saves time,” adds Daniel. “If they don’t have a system today they spend thousands of man hours on reporting in excel sheets in order for the management to have an overview of the operation. With Monitor one can extract all such reporting directly from the system.”
December 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 15
Tsunami survivor “You never know how you react in a situation like this,” says one survivor of the Tsunami. By Lasse Henriksen
L
eif Steensen survived the tsunami by clinging to a concrete pillar, a man he was trying to rescue died in his arms and he helped identifying corpses in Khao Lak. Even though the Tsunami is something Leif just wants to forget, he never will, but at least the nightmares are gone and the way he talks about the Tsunami has changed. At Christmas 2004 Leif Steensen had just moved in to his new 3rd floor apartment with his girlfriend. The 25th December there was a big Danish Christmas lunch, so when he woke up on the 26th Leif was a bit hung-over. As a smoker first thing in the morning was a cigarette on the balcony, this day was not an exception. Leif was standing back against Patong Beach and the ocean while lighting up a cigarette. The sky was clear and blue when the wind wound up and shook the palm trees. “It just said, splash, and then the wave hit me. I didn’t see it coming and the only thing I had time for was grabbing the pillar, the wave smashed the windows to the apar tment and suddenly it was gone again.” Leif clung to a concrete pillar on his balcony while the wave blasted by. Barely woken and feeling the aftereffects from yesterday’s drinking, he did not know what was going on, so he ran down the stairs to beach-level to see what had happened. “A British man came running, screaming: ‘get the fuck out of here a new one is coming’ –a new what? ‘-a new wave you idiot’, then I realized what had happened. I ran up to my girlfriend who was still in our bedroom, she had not even woken up, so I shook her up and forced some clothes on her,” Leif says. Lucky for the couple they lived at a steep hillside and Leif ’s motorcycle was parked high enough to avoid being flushed away.
Escaping the sea Leif and his girlfriend drove like hell to a hilltop hotel, where people were gathering. At the hill a few people were badly injured. Being trained in first aid, Leif wanted to help, and was quickly directed to a young man who sat in a tuktuk covered by a blanket. Leif got him out of the vehicle and removed the blanket. The young man had been smashed into 16 ScandAsia.Singapore • December 2014
some rocks and was ripped open from collarbone to navel. He was losing a lot of blood. One of his lungs was hanging out and a stone had pierced one of his legs. Leif ’s training as a diving instructor and from his time in the military serving the Royal Danish Life Guards kicked in. “You never know how you react in a situation like this, but here 10 years later it is comforting to know that I won’t freeze in this kind of situation,” Leif says. He removed the rock, stopped the bleeding from the leg and put the man on his collapsed lung to prevent blood from running into the healthy one. “I am no doctor, but I could see that I couldn’t do much, just keep him warm and hope he didn’t go into shock,“ Leif says, “Just as we could hear the ambulance coming, he started shaking and then he died in my arms. I knew it was bad, and I knew he would die if he didn’t get treatment quickly. I can’t remember what I thought right
there, maybe I didn’t think much, or maybe you just forget things like that.”
Waiting for another wave At the hilltop Leif and his girlfriend met a Danish honeymoon couple who had a satellite phone. Since the cellular network was down, this phone became their only contact to the world. Through the phone they kept hearing that CNN reported a new wave was coming, so they kept waiting even though Leif really wanted to collect the plastic cards and valuables he had left in the apartment. When it was about to get dark and there were still no signs of another wave, Leif and his girlfriend decided to go to the apartment. When they came down from the hill the streets were empty and it looked like a bomb had hit Patong Beach. “Cars were on their on their roofs. People had been running like they were crazy, and they
10 years later “Cars were on their on their roofs. People had been running like they were crazy, and they still thought a new wave was coming.,” says Leif Steensen, who admits that he can’t help getting emotional. asked to retell his experience in the aftermath of the disaster.
still thought a new wave was coming.There were only few people from the police and military,” Leif says. After a quick visit to the apar tment, the couple drove towards the Danish guesthouse were they had their Christmas lunch the night before. The place was located a little further off the beach and the place was constructed solid as a Viking castle. The road to the guesthouse was full of grim sights but one is more vivid than the others. “There was a young girl pierced through her stomach by a bended street sign. I thought I saw her arm move so I stopped the motorbike and went over to check on her, meanwhile my girlfriend was screaming like a harmed animal, but I had to see if she was alive. Of course she wasn’t, the wind or maybe some water had made it look like she was moving, or maybe I was just seeing things,” Leif says. Several times in the years after the tsunami Leif has woken up, bathed in sweat after dreaming of this girl, even though the dreams are gone now, obviously, this is not something he will ever forget.
Drunk but alive
There was a young girl pierced through her stomach by a bended street sign. I thought I saw her arm move so I stopped the motorbike and went over to check on her, meanwhile my girlfriend was screaming like a harmed animal.
At the Danish guesthouse and restaurant 30-40 Danish expats had gathered. Everybody went up there because it seemed like a secure place and the obvious meeting point. People were talking and drinking, trying to figure out if everyone was okay and telling their tsunami stories, some had felt the earthquake and most of them had escaped serious injuries. At this time the Danes had no information on what happened, they just knew a wave had hit and had not really grasped the severity of the situation yet. The drinking got intense and the humor turned morbid. Few weeks in advance a group had sent a box of t-shirts they had made for a festive trip to Phuket. The shirts were black with white letters and read “Vi er stive , men vi er i live” which is a Danish pun that roughly translates into “We are drunk, but we are alive”. The original meaning of feeling alive because you are drunk suddenly changed with the horrid context. As the number of casualties grew and as the Danes got news of entire villages being swallowed by the ocean, they began to realize just
how big of a disaster this was. While heavy drinking can seem like a rather brute way to react to a catastrophe, a psychologist send to Phuket from Denmark later told Leif that drinking and especially talking it all out, like the group did, was probably one of the best things they could have done from a psychological perspective.
Trying to help The day after the disaster Leif went to the beach to offer his help. He got turned down. At this point it was only corpses, and Leif ’s CPR would not be a help. A few days later Red Cross was seeking interpreters at Khao Lak in Phang Na, the Thai region with the most tsunami victims. Leif went up there, ignoring his doctor’s recommendation and the risk of exposing himself to a long range of diseases. “It was all dead people. There were a lot more casualties up there, than in Patong. My job was to identify people, so I had to look at dead persons all day and the worst was this little Swedish girl who had lost both of her parents. She was immediately drawn towards me, probably because I could speak a language similar to hers. It was hard because she was sweet and miserable and cried, and followed me around while I had to identify corpses. I was there two days, and then I couldn’t take it anymore,” Leif says. For Leif the work of identifying corpses was hard, it was too late to save anyone. Not at all like the hilltop, where he clicked into another mental mode trying to save the man with the collapsed lung. The work in Khao Lak was mentally tiring and just very nauseating. After this, Leif went for a 3 day trip to Singapore to get away from the disaster area.
House full of spirits Leif was not the only one that needed to get away. His girlfriend was feeling a mental pressure too. Just few days after the tsunami, their apartment was ready to move into again. Everyone living on the floors below them had perished. “I took my girlfriend back to the apartment, but she was shaking. She was afraid of the spirits of everyone that had died in that house,” Leif says. From the apartment they could see bodies wash up on the beach. First they went back to December 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 17
The worst was this little Swedish girl who had lost both of her parents. It was hard because she was sweet and miserable and cried and followed me around while I had to identify corpses. I was there two days, and then I couldn’t take it anymore than the old apartment. But this was not crucial for the decision to move there, even though Leif considered that it would make his girlfriend feel a little safer, he mainly chose it because he liked it.
Absurd stories Now when Leif meets with the other expats that witnessed the tsunami, they rarely talk a lot about the disaster. But when asked to retell his story he can’t help getting emotional. According to him this is probably one of the reasons why he and his friends avoid talking about it. When Leif and his friends talk about the tsunami, the subjects have changed over the years. While they started out discussing the horrible scenes they witnessed, now they can have a laugh of some of the absurdities that came with the wave. Like when a naked man came walking in to the Danish Guesthouse on the evening of the disaster. “We were sitting and drinking when a completely naked man arrived at the bar. He woke up when his window broke and water crashed into his hotel room, furniture was blocking the door and window and he was trapped until the third wave came and sucked everything out of the room. He came in butt naked and said ‘I can’t pay, but I promise to send some money when I get home’,” Leif says. the Danish guesthouse and later when Leif was about to return to work, his girlfriend went to stay her family for a while.
Back to normal Leif was impressed with how fast the Thai’s rebuild Patong Beach and got over the tsunami. Already before he left 5th January, it just looked like a construction site with green nets everywhere. When he came back from his work trip, he had to look for traces of the tsunami. “It almost looked like itself, there were still a few construction sites, but the life and everything else was like 3 months earlier before the Tsunami,” Leif says. None of the Danish expats considered leaving some of them talked about the risk of a new tsunami, but knew it was microscopic. Leif never 18 ScandAsia.Singapore • December 2014
considered leaving Phuket. Patong had become his first real hometown in many years. “When you live away from Denmark you gradually lose all of your acquaintances, so I only had my sister and a few friends back there, all my close friends and girlfriend were in Thailand,” Leif says. Since his girlfriend was worried about the spirits in the apartment, Leif knew he had to find a new home, if he wanted to keep her. Leif himself did not mind that people had died in the building, because people die everywhere. “It was impossible to argue with her. She saw the spirits and talked with them, and when I asked her why I could not see the spirits, she told me that I could not see them because I’m farang,” Leif says. The new house is located a little higher up
Not the sort of thing you forget Leif have been to some of the memorials. For instance he went to one at the stadium in Phuket City. Even though he did not understand the monks, the mood and the lanterns made it a beautiful experience. Leif mainly goes to memorials, to honor the Thais and the victims. “I think that it is mostly expats with Thai spouses that go to the events, to show their respect to the local community. The ones that are here alone seems to be more likely to mark the day with candlelight in private,” Leif says. Leif believes that his life was spared due to a row of coincidences before and on that fatal December morning in 2004. “I have never been religious, after so many years in Thailand I feel more like a Buddhist, and I just think I was lucky. It wasn’t my turn; my number wasn’t drawn that day. ”
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Phuket’s beaches free of vendors By Joakim Persson
B A G S VÆ R D K O S T S K O L E GYMNASIUM Tættest på København
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20 ScandAsia.Singapore • December 2014
W
hen the Danish Hotel Manager, Michael GaardeNielsen at Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket on Karon beach told ScandAsia that all of the beaches on the tourist island - including Karon were completely cleared from sunbeds, umbrellas and vendors, it just had to be witnessed. Up until recently what has seemed almost impossible to imagine had become reality! Not just a quick make-over, shifting some sort of control on how much anyone can utilze a public beach for commercial purposes - no, everything had been cleared! Surin beach had become one of the worst with local media complaining about the uncontrolled activities that had grown out of proportions, to the extent that the entire beach was occupied: beach clubs, buildings and sunbeds all the way down to the shoreline. An early November vissit confirmed the new situation: below the tiny road along the beach separating the sandy area from the land it was all gone – except the trees and a few removable massage beds! Completely cleared. Catch Beach Club was busy finalising their new allocated area with bar and DJ booth, now above the road instead. Guests were lying down on the sand under the shade of real trees. Over at Kamala beach, Johan Magnusson at Sunprime, Tour operator Ving’s adult hotel, confirmed that the situation was the same. As he brought ScandAsia down to the beach he immediately got into conversation on the beach topic with some of the hotel’s guest from Sweden, just as the high-season weather had finally returned to the island after a couple of very rainy months. “We did not receive any specific instructions or notifications regarding the stricter implementation of the already existing Beach rules and regulations. Big noticeboards with info text in Thai was posted by the government on several places near and along the beach, in order to inform tourists and business operators of the change,” Johan told ScandAsia. Fortunately for Sunprime/Sunwing - although being beachfront the resorts had not invested in setting up their own beach clubs. “Several hotels had to remove and close down their beach clubs.
Sunwing Kamala Beach didn’t use to have any sunbeds on the beach at all. Sunwing guests either stayed around the many pools or rented sunbeds from the local vendors on the beach. Sunprime Kamala Beach used to have a few big double Sunbeds (only five in the low season and fifteen in the high season), in front of the hotel. Most Sunprime guests however, also used to stay around the pools or rented sunbeds from the locals on the beach.” No operators are allowed to offer sunbeds and umbrellas on the beach anymore. “We have received quite a few mails and phone calls from overseas guests enquiring about the beach situation. Some are worried not only for the sunbeds but also that all restaurants, long-tail boats and shops will also be gone.” “It is still too early to fully say something about the guests’ response regarding the new situation. We’re only in the very beginning of the high season and so far we are getting mixed comments; many think the beaches look serene, relaxed and beautiful, with a pristine and cool atmosphere - others are more negative, missing the possibility to have a sunbed and especially the shadow and protection from the sun that a parasol gives.” “Of course both hotels now can see an increased demand for sunbeds around our pool areas. To cope with the situation extra sunbeds are added, not only around the pools but also on grass areas that have never been used before.” The resort also has a rule that its guests cannot pre-occupy sunbeds before 9.30 am, while having breakfast, so that everyone can have a fair chance at the most popular spots. The big question is, of course, if the current new situation will remain? Or will some kind of organised sunbed/parasol rentals be allowed where badly needed, as on Karon beach? That is another story that only the future can tell…
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December 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 21
Rice Porridge (Risengrød)
By Gregers Moller
R
isengrød. It is simply not Christmas without it! I serve it for all our employees in ScandMedia at our year end party every year and they have come to expect it - although not really like it, I suspect. What they do like, though, is the hidden almond in the porridge and the gift that comes with finding it in your portion! Ingredients: • 1 liter milk • ½ tsp salt • 110 gram rice (1 1/4 dl) (round grains preferrably) Cinnamon sugar mix: • Mix 4 tablespoons of sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon powder. Almond: • Raw almond with brown shell on (or raw, white cashew nut).
I usually boil up the rice in plain water as the problem is that the milk may easily burn. When the water has boiled a few minutes, I pour in the milk and let it boil while stirring. Then I take it off the burner and pack it in my bed with a few blankets around it and leave it there for a few hours. At the same time I put an unpeeled almond in hot water. Before serving it, I bring it back on the stove and heat it up while stirring constantly. If it is too thick, I add extra milk. This is when you put in the white almond - the shell will by now be so weak that you can rub it off with your fingers - or one year I used a white, un-roasted cashew nut. It is served in noodle bowls. Sprinkle it on top with the cinnamon sugar. Some like a lump of butter in the middle. Whoever finds the almond in their portion wins a gift, that you must have prepared in advance.
22 ScandAsia.Singapore • December 2014
December 2014 • ScandAsia.Singapore 23
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