ScandAsia Singapore - July 2017

JULY 2017

From an industrial era to the businesses of the future:

Göran Seifert

BUSINESS GM Anders Fagerdahl, Handelsbanken

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

CULTURE

COMMUNITY

Acoustic – all about Digital Transformation

Moomin Day in Singapore

Denmark’s Constitution Day in Singapore

WE MAKE

LEARNING LARGER THAN

LIFE

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17 JULY 20

Past events

l era industria re: From ans of the futu sinesse bu e to th

Seifert Göran

ESS BUSIN

l,

rdah ers Fage GM Andbanken Handels

SHIP RENEUR ENTREPall about Digital – Acoustic ation Transform

RE CULTU Day Moomin e in Singapor

UNITY COMM k’s Denmar tion Day Constitu e in Singapor

Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in Singapore

Photo by Petri Jarvinen

Photo: Marica Salokangas

ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in Singapore.

More than 600 people at Moomin day in Singapore

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Thailand, and the rest of South East Asia.

by Nadja Dam Jensen

T

he Moomin philosophy of love, tolerance and friendship was spread around at Central Public Library in Singapore, as Moomin day was celebrated on Saturday 3 June 2017, as part of SF100SG, Finland’s 100-year independence celebrations.

Over 600 people came to the library during the day to listen to storytelling from Moomin books and participate in the different activities.

The opening words of the day were presented by the Ambassador of Finland, H.E Paula Parviainen.

Parviainen introduced the famous Finnish cartoon characters Moomins to the audience and highlighted the impor tance of kindness and tolerance, the values that the Moomins live by and which are also present in Singapore’s multicultural environment.

The day included storytelling sessions in English, Finnish, Japanese and Chinese, welcoming many different people. After the reading, children and their parents could meet Moomin in a meet and greet at the storytelling stage. Furthermore, children had a chance to do Moomin coloring, watch Moomin animations and participate in lucky draws, giving them a chance to win Moomin themed prices.

Originating from Finland the Moomins have been deeply loved around the world for the past six decades, since the first book by creator Tove Jansson was published in 1945. Moomin storylines are filled with adventure and pensiveness, but you can also find love, importance of family, bravery, tolerance, and loyalty in Tove Jansson’s works.

“The Moomin char acter s are a vivid representation of the wide range of human emotions, but they are mostly kind and good

natured and keen on helping and promoting a message of peace and forgiveness. This message perfectly fits the needs of today’s world,” says Katarina Benedetti, Project director of SF100SG. The Moomin stories have been translated into over 50 different languages, and have given inspiration to animation series and movies. In Asia, in addition to Japan, Moomins have a strong fan base in Korea and China. Singapore is a new market for the Moomins, but they are steadily gaining popularity through different events organized in the city.

“The culture of kindness that Singapore is promoting happens to be a perfect environment for the Moomins. They are welcoming by nature, they are accommodating, they are gracious and helpful. They make mistakes but they learn from them,” says Benedetti.

On of the many visitor s who came to experience the little piece of Finnish Moominhaven brought to Singapore was Rachel Chan who came to the library with her son Asher Lim. Rachel found out about the Moomins when she was looking for books to read for Asher, and now they are both eager Moomin fans.

“I wish my childhood could have been spent in a place like Moominvalley. It is otherworldly, but completely at peace and perfectly safe. The Moomins, childlike as they are, solve their troubles as fairly and bravely as they possibly can, which is more than what we can hope for in the real world”, says Rachel.

Source: sf100.sg

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 Managing Editor: Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com Advertising : Frank Leong frank@scandasia.com Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Distribution : Wanvisa Rattanaburi wanvisa@scandmedia.com Printing : Inthanon Interprint Co., Ltd.

July 2017

ScandAsia Community Denmark Constitution Day

3 Moomin Day in Singapore 8 Food Recipe: Cones 18 Swedish National Day in SEA

6

Celebrated at Mandarin Oriental Singapor

Göran Seifert, corporate executive and business advisor

10 3 14

ScandAsia Stories

Mr. Anders Fagerdahl New GM for Handelsbanken South Asia Pacific

8

5 Singapore author wins Pingprisen 9 Food & Beverage

Jamie’s Italian, Jazz by the Beach, D.O.P. Mozzarella Bar & Restaurant

13 Fintech MoU

Copenhang and Singapore enters collaboration

18

16

Mr. Erik Ingvoldstad Digital Tranformation consultant

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4 ScandAsia.Singapore • July 2017

Community

Author from Singapore wins Pingprisen 2017

By Nadja Dam Jensen

‘‘T

he Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye” by Sonny Liew awarded best international comic at the Denmark’s Pingprisen 2017, held at Storm P Museum in Frederiksberg on Friday 2 June 2017.

“When I was writing and drawing the book, I never imagined it would be read in Denmark, much less win any awards there – so this is a real surprise and honour. I’ve actually looked up what the award looks like on the internet, and it’s one of the nicest statuettes I’ve ever seen – it’s full of character and whimsy, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the little guy in person. ” wrote the Singaporean graphic novelist for his acknowledgment at the award presentation.

“The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye” by Sonny Liew awarded best international comic at the Denmark’s Pingprisen 2017, held at Storm P Museum in Frederiksberg on Friday 2 June 2017.

“When I was writing and drawing the book, I never imagined it would be read in Denmark, much less win any awards there – so this is a real surprise and honour. I’ve actually looked up what the award looks like on the internet, and it’s one of the nicest statuettes I’ve ever seen – it’s full of character and whimsy, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the little guy in person. ” wrote the Singaporean graphic novelist for his acknowledgment at the award presentation.

Norbakken-family

It is an extremely ambitious tale of the struggles for Singapore’s independence from the British empire in the 1950s and 1960s. The main characters are two historical fighters for independence – Lim Chin Siong and Lee Kuan Yew – and Charlie Chan who, despite in a coffee table book and sketches, never existed. ”The Art of Charlie Chan belongs to the everpresent group of comics that produce a particular historical event or period through the eyes of an ordinary human being. This is something Sonny Liew is extraordinarily good at, while he at the same time stands out by playing genre and media conventions in ways that continue to surprise and impress over the more than 300 pages,” says Pingprisen.dk on why Liew wins the price iew has achieved several awards for his graphic novel, having bagged the Singapore Literature Prize, and winning Book of the Year accolade at the Singapore Book Awards in 2016. His comic also became the best-selling local fiction title in 2015, and went on to make it to the bestseller lists at Amazon and The New York Times when it was published in the US.

Wennemo-family

Summer substitutes at Sjømannskirken Singapore

S

ummer holiday 2017 is coming up, and the Norwegian Seamen’s Church in Singapore, Sjømannskirken, is introducing its new families who be summer substitutes at the church.

The first family will arrive at Sjømannskirken in Singapore on Tuesday 20 June 2017. Ingelin and Bengt Norbakken lives in Sandnes, where Bengt works as a cantor in Gand Church and Ingeling as a deacon in Gausel Church, Stavanger. They bring their three children; Brage Martin, 16, Ive, 14, and Eskil, 12.

The family have previoudly been summer

substitutes at the Seamen’s Church in Costa del Sol, El Campanario, for three summers, but this year it did not fit in with their holiday plans, so instead they are coming to Singapore.

“We look forward to trying something a little different, and both get to know Sjømannskirken in Singapore and the people there – and explore the city and surrounding areas in our free time,” says the family who will be staying in Singapore until Monday 24 July 2017.

The other family of summer substitutes will arrive on Monday 10 July 2017. Bente Sverdrup

Wennemo is an educated preschool teacher and works as a church educator and coordinator in the churches of Nes Municipality in Akershus.

She is also conductor of Nes Soul Children, who counts approximately 70 children. Andreas Wennemo runs an advertising company. He plays guitar, piano and sings in his free time, and runs his own chess club at Årnes.

Bente and Andreas bring their two 17-yearold girls, Andrine and Benedikte, and will travel back to Norway on Monday 14 August 2017.

July 2017 • ScandAsia.Singapore 5

Community

Denmark’s Constitution Day

O

n 5 June the Danish National (Constitution Day) and World Environment Day, Singapore, were celebrated at Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Among the Danish Ambassador Ambassador Dorte Bech Vizard’s distinguished guests were Ambassador to Denmark Mr and Mrs Karan Singh Thakral; Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Mr Darryl David, Members of Parliament of Singapore (Ang Mo Kio GRC); and Mr Sam Tan, Minister of State, PM’s Office, Ministry of Manpower & Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

While the VIPs arrived guests enjoyed drinks, mingling and an exhibition of Danish products, designs, and chocolates, while Bicycle Barista (a ‘Profit for Purpose Social Enterprise’, focused on empowering entrepreneurship in the Specialty Coffee industry) served coffee.

The official programme began at 7 pm when the MC Deepika Shetty welcomed all the guests and invited the Ambassador of the Royal Danish Embassy, Singapore to give here speech.

Ambassador Dorte Bech Vizard welcomed the Minister, the Members of Parliament and the Ambassador to Denmark couple and all other guests to the celebration.

6 ScandAsia.Singapore • July 2017

She continued to announce that it was a triple celebration: the Danish Constitution Day, the World Environment Day and the strong relations between Singapore and Denmark.

Then the Ambassador explained the Danish day:“Unlike Singapore, Denmark does not actually have a national day. The birth of Denmark as a nation was a gradual development, which can be traced back more than a thousand years. But Constitution Day is the closest such thing we have.”

“Today, we commemorate the signing of the Danish constitution in 1849, which ended absolute monarchy. It’s a celebration of our democracy – not only as a political system but as a way of life,” H.E. continued.

Her speech then focused on the new hyped concept and Danish word ‘hygge’: “The Danes are modest people, so it has come as a surprise to us, to experience a recent growth in international interest in the Danish way of life.”

The Danish word was included, only beaten by ‘Brexit’ and ‘Trumpism’ by British Collins Dictionary among the most talked about new words of 2016.

“I translate hygge as ‘pleasant togetherness’, as it reflects the Danish national spirit, good and

bad. Danes like to feel good together, also “by having low power distance, being very informal and consensus-seeking,” said the Ambassador and continued: “On the more negative side, we have to admit, that hygge can also mean avoidance of disagreement and settling for the lowest common denominator. Here we could definitely benefit from taking a leaf from Singapore’s book and better celebrate skills and talent.”

Turning to the UN World Environment Day the Danish Ambassador highlighted the fact that the United States had “regrettably” decided to exit the Paris Accord on Climate Change. “Never theless, we are hear tened to see that other countries have not followed suit. We commend Singapore for a very swift announcement of its continued support for the pact and for its steady national efforts to curb climate change. Denmark and the rest of the EU also stand by the Paris Accord and will not lower our national commitments. Copenhagen has set an ambitious target to become carbon neutral already by 2025. Denmark as a whole aims at reaching the target by 2050.”

“And we are serious about it, even tonight, where we have succeeded in making this the first

celebrated in Singapore carbon neutral national day event in Singapore,” Dorte Bech Vizard added.

She also highlighted and compared with Singapore the fact that Denmark has created an infrastructure that enables green mobility, including cycling. “An astonishing 50 percent of people in Copenhagen commute to work or school by bike ever y day. Cars are down to 9 per cent. So profound is this change that it has given rise to another new international word, ‘Copenhagenize’. Today, Copenhagenize is used as a concept in urban planning and design for encouraging cycling. Ang Mo Kio model bicycling town is an example of Copenhagenizing right here in Singapore. Singapore is serious about improving cycling through impor tant infrastructure developments. We are impressed to see bicycle lanes being incorporated in the upcoming North-South corridor development.

This is good news for cycling in Singapore.”

To fur ther highlight the many things that Denmar k and Singapore have in common the ambassador pointed to their size, being rich countries but with no significant natural resources, their openness to tr ade , and impor tantly, sharing the same desire to future proof our economies.

“We seek to address future realities early to ensure we keep our top positions and leave our countries robust, richer and with an even better quality of life for our future generations. And in this endeavour, we look for inspiration from oneanother as we each chart out our own unique development course.”

“This past year again, we have had large number of visits and delegations both ways.

Most notably, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited Denmark in March 2017 with a SkillsFuture delegation to study the Danish approach to lifelong learning and adult training.”

“I am pleased to note, the cooperation has expanded with new areas such as smart urban development, health care and liveability.

The ambassador mentioned that two collaboration agreements had recently been signed in Singapore, which will kick star t collaboration on Smart Cities Living Labs and Financial Technologies.

Dor te Bech Vizard then thanked all the sponsors who hade made it possible to organise the event.

We are fortunate to have a large and thriving Danish business community in Singapore. It spans across Shipping and Maritime, Green and

Smar t City Solutions, Engineering and Clean Tech, Healthcare and Danish design, lifestyle and quality consumer goods, food & beverage, banking, relocation services and even defence!

She then read out the names of all the premium sponsors and also thanked Mandarin Oriental with the Danish General Manager Christian Hassing and his team, “for accommodating us on your beautiful Harbour Terrace tonight with authentic Danish food and hygge.”

Singapore singer Liwani then performed the Singaporean national anthem, followed by the Ambassador proposing a toast to the President of the Republic of Singapore.

Singapore Representative Minister of State Mr Sam Tan then delivered his speech, followed by the Danish National Anthem, performed by students from the German European School Singapore’s Danish Mother Tongue Programme.

Following a toast in Champagne, ES-Power presented a Carbon Neutral Certificate to the Danish Ambassador, certifying that the event did not leave any carbon footprint. It was in fact the first ever carbon neutral national day event in Singapore!

Source: Embassy of Denmark, Singapore July 2017 • ScandAsia.Singapore 7

Food recipe

Cones

with whipped cream and jam

By Sine Neuchs Thomsen

Ingredients:

• 1 egg • 1 cup white sugar (90 gram) • 1 cup wheat flour • 2-2,5 ts. water • 25 gram melted butter • A bit salt if not in the butter If you want to see a grown man cr y, ser ve “kræmmerhuse med flødeskum og syltetøj” for your Danish husband! It is easier than it may look.

8 ScandAsia.Singapore • July 2017

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Whisk egg and sugar frothing with a handheld mixer. Add the flour with a ladle. Add water and mix the mass smooth.

Draw three circles with ten centimetres in diameter on a piece of baking paper and glaze thin layer melted butter in each of the circles.

To each cone you use one teaspoon dough, which you spread in the circle with the spoon.

Add a little more water if the dough is too thick to spread out.

Bake the circles in the oven a couple of minutes. Only bake 2-3 at a time. Take them out when they are brown on the edge. Quickly after taken them out you loosen them with a spatula and shape them to a cone around a spoon. To keep the shape, let the cone cool down in a bottleneck. If the dough gets too stiff to shape, you can put it back in the oven for a short time, then the sugar will melt, and you can try again…

Serving Suggestion:

Serve with whipped cream and preferred type of jam.

Food & Beverage

Jamie’s Italian New Super Lunch & Evening Menu

P

op in between Monday to Friday, 12pm to 3pm and enjoy two courses from $24.90 or three courses from just $29.90 and be one of the first to tuck into Jamie’s Italian brand new lunchtime menu. Choose from a fantastic selection of main courses that will put an end to those lunchtime grumbles as well as some delicious starters and desserts that you won’t be able to resist.

And in the evening, come check out Jamie’s brand new evening menu – made up of some of our favourite Jamie’s Italian dishes for you to enjoy such as the delicious selection of antipasti, main cour ses and decadent desserts to choose from.

The full three-cour se experience star ts from only just $39.90.

New menus are available at both outlets!

Jamie’s Italian (VivoCity) 1 HarbourFront Walk #01-165/167 Jamie’s Italian (Forum) 583 Orchard Road #01-01/04

JAZZ BY THE BEACH AT COASTES, SILOSO BEACH

J

azz by the Beach, Singapore’s only beachfront jazz event, returns for the seventh year in a row at Coastes, Sentosa. Held every Friday evening in August from 8pm onwards, the event features a stellar line-up of some of Singapore’s most talented jazz artistes.

Held right on the golden stretch of Siloso Beach Sentosa, jazz fans can revel in superb live jazz performances while indulging in a wide range of premium beers, house pour spirits and refreshing cocktails accompanied by a range of Coastes’ mouthwatering beach comfort food.

Coastes beach bar offers a rustic charm and casual, laid-back beach vibe where the sunbeds and deck chairs flow right to the water’s edge. Tuck into generous servings of Coastes mouthwatering burgers, pizzas, pastas and delicious fresh seafood and soak up the sun, sand and sea - everything you need for that idyllic island getaway is at Coastes!

Jazz by the Beach Details Where : Coastes, 50 Siloso Beach Walk #01- 06, Sentosa, Singapore 099000 When : Every Friday in August 2017

D.O.P. Mozzarella Bar & Restaurant ULTIMATE DINING EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER

L

uca Iannone, the owner of D.O.P. Mozzarella Bar & Restaurant’s principles are to serve only fresh and authentic Italian products and to ensure their products are always presented as stylish as their quality demands.

From the fertile plains of Campania Region, where Luca is from, come the unique Mozzarella de Bufala d.o.p., endowed with a protected origin denomination certificate.

The owner has selected the very best farms, who milk their own herds, and ensure a superior product with the characteristic porcelain white shine, milky texture and distinctive taste.

Located in the charming Robertson Quay, the restaurant is the perfect venue whether it is for a gathering of friends to indulge in small plates and wine, or an intimate three-course meal with a loved one.

Some of the recommended dishes are Mozzarella Ball, Spaghetti Carbonara, Penne Ragu Bolognese, Risotto Chicory, Homemade Scialatielli, Pizza with Truffle Creme, Grilled Angus Rib Eye Steak 35 and Lemon Cake for dessert.

Also, if you are looking for authentic Italian food ingredients, feel free to ask the restaurant staff for the variety of Italian ingredients that D.O.P currently offers.

HAPPY HOUR PROMOTION EVERYDAY! Mon-Fri: 5-8pm Sat-Sun: 12-8pm GIS Red/White Wine, GIS Prosecco $7++, Bottle Red/White Wine at $40++ Peroni Draught Beer ALL DAY $7++ Address: 60 Rober tson Quay, #01-04A, The Quayside, Singapore 238252 Tue-Fri: 5pm – 11pm Sat, Sun & Public Holiday: 12nn – 3pm & 5pm – 11pm Mon: closed Tel: +65 69080830 Email: dop.restaurant@gmail.com Website: www.dop.restaurant

July 2017 • ScandAsia.Singapore 9

Business

From an industrial era to the businesses of the future:

Göran Seifert

H

e represents the generation that worked for multinational corporations born out of the second industrial revolution. As an executive and country manager, Göran built up corporate presences in countries around the world, and witnessed first hand how companies underwent dramatic restructuring as they grew into larger multinationals. That era, now being replaced by the new ‘smart industry’ industrialization, means businesses may never look the same again on operational and management levels.

ScandAsia talks to Göran Seifert, who shares his corporate journey and how he has found his way to advising boards, companies and universities.

The Philips years

By Joakim Persson

Mr Göran Seifert, MD at Anda Pacific, a consultancy firm, is a long-term resident of Singapore. Sitting on a wealth of experiences over the course of his 40-year career, he is today a sought-after advisor to various businesses, serves on a number of boards, and enjoys sharing his knowledge with the younger generation through guest lectures at Singapore’s top universities.

10 ScandAsia.Singapore • July 2017

A large part of Göran Seifert’s career took place at Philips where he star ted off in Holland in 1980, working in public telecommunications. A Dutch company founded in Eindhoven in 1891, Philips represents the industrial era during which the modern world developed, although today it has evolved into a technology-oriented business focusing on health.

“What attracted me when I started was that there was an enormous diversity of businesses.

Philips had everything back then, from home electronics to professional equipment: telecom, data, medical systems, defense, and so on,” begins the Swedish executive. He moved on to building the telecom infrastructure in Peru, and then came back to Europe to be in charge of the white goods division, based in Italy.

Göran’s role grew and he was then appointed Country Manager for Philips Thailand.

“That was a fantastic job because we sold nearly all products that Philips was producing back then. I managed 3,000 employees, a semiconductor assembly plant, lighting and TV plants, a large sales organisation, and some 30 service centres countrywide. This was exactly when Thailand was beginning to take off,” he reflects, “and GDP was growing with 13-14 per cent per year. Those were incredibly exciting times.”

Next, the Swede was appointed President for Philips Lighting in Asia, assigned to grow the unit out of Hong Kong. “Lighting is where it all started for Philips so that was, based on tradition, an especially favoured unit of Philips. And that was also an incredibly interesting time when we acquired companies in Japan and China, and built several joint ventures. We grew 25 to 30 per cent per year, with between 10,000 – 11,000 employees in our lighting business in Asia.”

For Philips, however, change was inevitable: after strong decades following the Second World War, Japanese competition began to make things much more difficult. Göran experienced this and saw how things evolved first-hand.

“Back then Philips was a typical matrix or ganisation, which came from the two brothers who started it; one was responsible for manufacturing and the other for selling. Philips had nine product divisions that each amounted to a couple of billion Euro in turnover, and each product division had sub-units, adding up to a total of almost 150 separate business units.

Nobody really looked in detail at the various business units, at profit and loss; there was always money around which meant that some projects that were less profitable continued.”

And so, as Göran explains, “We star ted questioning the matrix with the country vis-àvis production divisions and started tilting the responsibility more towards the product divisions to be responsible for profit and loss.The countries would function as sales organisations, but under the regime of the product divisions.” Philips then recruited some new top executives from the outside, which, says Göran, was unprecedented up until then. One of them, earmarked to become the next President, was appointed in the Philips management Board for the Global Lighting Division as well as the Asia Pacific region, and became Göran’s boss.

“Since Philips was an extremely complex organisation, and so large that one needed to understand people and organisational issues in order to really grasp what was happening and why.

He asked me to come back to the Netherlands and help restructure and run Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Essentially, he needed someone with some grey hair and Philips experience.”

The new boss told Göran: “Philips is like a plate of spaghetti, you look at it, take hold of one pasta piece and have no idea what will move on the other side, because everything is entangled. I want to turn Philips into a plate of asparagus. Each asparagus should be placed nice and straight so one can see that this represents Lighting, and here we have Consumer & Electronics etc.”

In order to improve efficiency, regional headquar ters were set up around the world, and Göran was one of the senior managers who recommended Singapore as the Asia headquar ters. He was also appointed head of the Philips Corporate Regional Operations for Asia, based in Singapore. Concurrently a semiconductor plant was set up there, strongly suppor ted by EDB, the Singapore Economic Development Board.

“We had many managers in their fifties who had been on the country organisation side in the matrix their whole career. They were autonomous, with great power and connections to the local government and business community.

There weren’t many checks and balances concerning whether local strategy and execution were beneficial for the company – all country managers, around 70 of us, repor ted directly to the board. When I was the Thailand country head I met my “real” boss only a couple of times per year.”

With the new “tilting of the matrix” in place, the local CEO’s were transformed to a sort of hotel manager, meaning that they no longer had any bottom line responsibility. But they still had to “fly the Philips flag” – making sure relations with governments, local business communities, and unions were running smoothly. Many of them could however not adapt to the new structures, which lead to several of them retiring early.

“When I star ted in 1980, we numbered almost 400,000 employees worldwide and today, what is left of the ‘old’ Philips is down to about a third of that number, mainly in the medical systems division, whilst Philips Lighting was spun off and listed separately.”

World’s first autonomous indoor drone developed by Blue Jay, which navigates using technology from Philips Lighting

We started questioning the matrix with the country vis-à-vis production divisions and started tilting the responsibility more towards the product divisions to be responsible for profit and loss. The countries would function as sales organisations, but under the regime of the product divisions.

The time for change had also come for Göran, who left the multinational in 1998.

Settling down in Singapore

“I had worked for Philips for 18 years and been given some offers from competitors throughout the years. Philips wanted to relocate me again, to a very interesting top position in Holland, running Philips Worldwide Combined Projects. But our children were becoming teenagers and wanted stability, and we all wanted to stay Singapore.”

At that point in time Göran and his wife decided staying in Singapore was the priority for the sake of the family. After living in nine countries they were deeply impressed with Singapore’s rule of law, transparency, professionalism and governance, all of which made the Seifert’s big supporters of the city-state. “We have lived here now for 21 years and love it. Our two children are back home in Singapore, both working here in the communication sectors.”

After a two-year stint with Williams PLC, an erstwhile world leader in security and fire systems, which was then de-merged and sold, he joined the Italcementi Group. At the time this was a listed, family-controlled cement company, one of the world’s largest five groups.

“I joined in 2000 and was responsible for Asia in the Group Management Committee, still based in Singapore. We bought, built and expanded businesses in China, India and Thailand. I was really given great support to build up the business in Asia, and I must say it was an extremely rewarding fifteen years with them, although very different from Philips.”

After Göran retired from Italcementi he was requested to remain on the Asia subsidiary boards that he had built up. Their competitor Heidelberg Cement bought and incorporated Italcementi in 2016, so it no longer exists as a separate company today.

July 2017 • ScandAsia.Singapore 11

Business

When it comes to corporate governance I believe that virtually all companies must have skilled ‘digital directors’, although there are relatively few of those today

Lecture for MBA students on ‘Emerging Markets’ at Nanyang Business School

Beyond corporate life

Based on all his experiences, Göran Seifert today runs a boutique business consultancy, advising Western mid-caps on their Asia strategy. He also serves as Chairman and board member in listed and non-listed companies (both in Singapore and internationally) in diverse business sectors, such as technology, law, risk management consulting and furniture sourcing and distribution.

He also sits on the Wharton Business school executive education board in the USA, and it is clear that he does not want to retire from an active business life.

“It’s interesting to note the varied reactions I got to continuing work after retirement,” he chuckles. Swedish friends were incredulous that he wanted to keep working after retirement age.

“Meanwhile, my Asian friends said: ‘What? Retire?

What foolishness is that! Why are you retiring?’

I replied that I have so many other things to do; family, own investments and other assignments.

They just shook their heads in disbelief.”

This, he says, “is one of the things I bring up when teaching at the universities as a key difference between Asians and Europeans. In Asia it never ends – if you have a family business, you never retire. In Europe, however, one often lives for an early retirement. I have seen with friends that it’s not always a good decision: some studies actually show it is actually not good for your health, physically or mentally.”

12 ScandAsia.Singapore • July 2017

Göran is happy to share his wealth of insights, especially concerning cross cultural communication: “I have seen so many mistakes that were made, due to wrong persons sent to the wrong countries and behaving insensitively, so that’s one of my favourite topics to discuss with students. And that concerns not only westerners coming to Asia – today you have outgoing investments to the West where Asians need to understand the do’s and don’ts there.”

He also is a regular speaker at conferences, panels and universities, finding this to be extremely rewarding. He especially enjoys discussing the experiences of businesses he led in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and North and South America with students. He was also invited at the round table discussion on the subject of income inequality, held by the Nobel Prize organisation in Singapore.

His advisory and consultancy firm Anda Pacific works with medium-sized Western companies in need of advice or introductions to businesses in Asia and Singapore in particular. “Since I have been lucky to work within large corporations in most countries in Asia, I still have a broad network of contacts and good friends here. I am fortunate to be in a position where I can advise businesses on where to start in Asia.”

LightLab Sweden, in which he is also a Non Executive Director, is one such company. He introduced this technology company to Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), which led to a joint research collaboration. LightLab’s unique proprietary technology based on field emissions uses UV light for disinfection of water, air and surfaces. Together with NTU, they have applied for joint patents and have miniaturised the LightLab technology. “We are developing this chip-scale lamp here in Singapore together with NTU, and it is an extremely positive and fruitful co-operation,” says Göran. “Their resources and support are invaluable.”

Among its advantages are low cost mass production, small size, low energy consumption and the lack of poisonous substances, such as mercury, which is normally inherent in UV lamps.

“Currently up to half the patients warded in hospitals worldwide are being treated due to waterborne bacteria, so the market is huge, and several large firms are very interested in this product, says Göran.”

He is, since July this year, Chairman of the Board of another company in Singapore with Scandinavian roots, SourceByNet, which are specialists in large-scale custom designed furniture sourcing and distribution. “I am lucky to serve on boards and businesses in very diverse sectors, which means I am constantly learning.”

Looking ahead, he agrees that the fast-paced technology development, lead by digitalisation and disruption, is already causing dramatic changes.

“When it comes to corporate governance I believe that virtually all companies must have skilled ‘digital directors’, although there are relatively few of those today.” He adds that he is also a big advocate of the increased participation of women in business, especially on boards and in senior leadership positions.

“But I also support diversification beyond gender, and looking at nationality and background, as well as knowledge and experience. I think we have a lot to learn from the younger generation.

There is a substantial need for qualified people that can adapt to the new realities of artificial intelligence, internet of things, big data, and so on.

All these are gigantic wave formations flooding old conservative companies that I think will face difficulties in sur viving — unless they evolve with the times.” He also believes the method for managing and steering companies will change.

“The old way of doing business, with quarterly repor ts, obsolete business models: all that is unwieldy.”

Göran anticipates some mix between old and new business models: “There are exciting times ahead for us all, and especially for people like myself who are a bit older, it is vital to adapt quickly. Now more than ever, the name of the game is to be fast and flexible.”

Copenhagen and Singapore enter Fintech collaboration

C

openhagen FinTech and Singapore Fintech Hub on 23 May 2017 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to kick-start an “exploratory process between the associations”.This includes the potential scope of collaboration, identifying possible roadblocks and building a bridge between Singapore and Copenhagen.

“It is the right time and with the right people” stated H.E. Dorte Bech Vizard, Ambassador of Denmark to Singapore and Brunei, at the signing of the first MoU between Copenhagen Fintech and the Singapore Fintech Association.

Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer from the Monetary Authority of Singapore described Denmark as “Singapore-like” as it is equally reliable, consistent and a gateway to the region.

Both countries are similar in size and demographics. Each enjoys a straightforward business culture combined with stable regulatory environments. With these characteristics, they may be used as a test bed for solutions and provide access to the wider markets of Europe and ASEAN respectively.

Copenhagen Fintech was founded in September 2016 as an incubator and co-working space for fintech companies, with a remit to drive innovation and to position Denmark as a global player in the industry.The Copenhagen fintech cluster opened in November 2016, hosts 35 companies, employing 80 people and growing rapidly.

Its vision is the wish to create a Danish fintech ecosystem in Nordic topclass. Partners of Copenhagen FinTech are responsible for building up the fintech ecosystem. Partners are privy to a range of special benefits such as the option of nominating a member to the board of directors and access to entrepreneurs.

Similarly, the Singapore Fintech Association is also new; launched in November 2016 so far with 120 companies now members. The nonprofit, cross-industry association has active plans to develop the fintech ecosystem through a range of initiatives and partnerships, at local and international level.

The initiative is intended to be a platform designed to facilitate collaboration between all market par ticipants and stakeholders in the FinTech ecosystem. It is designed to be an effective platform for members to engage with multiple stakeholders to find solutions to issues.

The first step of the Copenhagen-Singapore collaborative process is to build bridges that connect Asian companies to European and vice versa. Joining Copenhagen Fintech for the event were representatives from three star t-ups – Sophie Blakstad CEO Hiveonline; Simon Ousager Account Executive Chainalysis; Nicholas Meilstrup CEO CrediWire, along with Jan Sirich, leader in Group Digital Nordea.

From Singapore were Pauline Sim program manager FinLab, Shailesh Naik CEO MatchMove

Business

and Varun Mittal representing the Singapore Fintech Association.

Shailesh Naik, founder of payments solutions company MatchMove, with offices in Singapore, India, Chile and the US identified what he described as the “fundamentals” that made locations attractive: Regulatory regime, the depth and breadth of technical skills and the ability to connect with other countries for outsourcing and access.

Denmark has earned a reputation for success in innovation, incorporating human-centric design as an essential element in their approach.

Singapore on the other hand is adept at scaling and execution. These comparative advantages combined provide a powerful platform for mutual innovation and success.

How can you make your money work while you enjoy life?

Michael Kaj Blom Michael.Blom@nordea.sg www.nordeaprivatebanking.com 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 license. Published by Nordea Bank S.A., R.C.S. Luxembourg No. B 14.157 on behalf of Nordea Bank S.A., Singapore Branch, 138 Market street Capita Green #09-03 Singapore 048946. www.nordeaprivatebanking.com subject to the supervision of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (www.mas.gov.sg).

July 2017 • ScandAsia.Singapore 13

Business

Handelsbanken in South Asia Pacific Handelsbanken is the oldest company on the Swedish stock exchange, with some 11,000 staff operating in 20 countries. As the Singapore branch celebrates its 30th anniversary, we had a chat with the new General Manager, Mr Anders Fagerdahl.

Arriving in Singapore, Anders replaces Jan Djerf, who after a long time in Asia has returned to the bank’s head office in Stockholm.

By Joakim Persson

Connection to home market

Handelsbanken first came to Singapore in the early 1970s, at a time when the Swedish Finansinspektionen did not yet allow Swedish banks to open branches overseas. As such, the first 15 years were spent in a representative office format as great potential was seen in the country and throughout the region. When approval was given, a branch was opened in 1987 and Handelsbanken has had its regional head 14 ScandAsia.Singapore • July 2017

office in Singapore ever since. The geographical area now covered is South Asia Pacific, from India in the north to New Zealand in the south.

One of Handelsbanken’s core pillars is to be close to the customer geographically, and as such four Representative Offices have opened, the first being in India some 11 years ago, followed

by Malaysia, Australia and most recently in Indonesia.

“The whole idea to be outside our six

home markets is to suppor t the companies and customers coming from there – Nordic companies and from the U.K and Holland – both existing customers and prospects in these home markets, and to support them when they have subsidiaries in Asia in doing business here. A strategic decision was made not to work with local companies doing local business in Asia.

There should be some connection to our home markets.”

Mergers and Acquisitions is a common method to enter any market in this region and the bank can assist also in this provided, again, that there is a connection to the home markets.

“We can assist anything as long as there is this connection,” states Anders and adds: “The large advantage that we have, as I have seen now when travelling and meeting customers, is that they experience our service level is enormously high compared to say a local bank. Things that might take a week or two we fix within maybe one day. The advantage with the niche type of customers we have chosen to support is that the number stays relatively limited – which also means that all customers get VIP treatment.”

In principal they can offer the same services that you can get from a Handelsbanken branch in any of the home markets.

“Via agreements with local banks throughout our area we can also offer our customers additional services via the par tner bank, with all contact being handled by us. So we can in fact offer local bank services in all countries throughout our region, even in countries with non-conver tible currencies. A local bank in our region may never have heard of the company, or its parent, but with a guarantee from Handelsbanken they are able to assist our customer as they take the risk on us, one of the highest rated banks in the world. So we can in fact help customers with all sorts of business in all countries.”

“The customers and the purpose of the credit are decisive. We help the customers with the banking needs they have; such as investing in a new plant, working capital needs or trade finance services, for example letter of credit and bank guarantees.”

Looking to go abroad

While Asia is entirely new to Anders Fagerdahl, Handelsbanken is not: he has worked for the

bank, in 12 different roles, for nearly three decades. Now a new big adventure is starting as he is moving to Singapore with his family, bringing along three out of the family’s four children. A new existence awaits them in the Southeast Asian metropolitan city that, he says, the whole family is looking forward to.

As he steadily climbed up the career ladder within Handelsbanken, Mr Fagerdahl knew the time was now right to gain the international experience that he was lacking.

“Handelsbanken is now represented in over 20 countries, so I missed that experience and star ted looking for oppor tunities. When Jan Djerf announced he was leaving Singapore and the position became available, the timing felt right to apply, and it also felt right for the entire family,” he says.

Close to customers

Anders has so far spent the time travelling around to meet his teams and clients, and familiarised himself with the different markets via the offices. He also joined the Swedish State Visit to Indonesia in May. “There is a lot of know-how about Asia at Handelsbanken´s home markets too. But the best is to travel around and gain experience hands-on. Since we have local presence through our Chief Representatives, we have very good knowledge about the local markets where we are present.That’s the whole idea of Handelsbanken; if you’re based in the local market you have better knowledge, and is better placed to satisfy the customer’s needs. In addition we also have a big network of local banks that we collaborate with whom we also meet on a regular basis, and thereby get to know their view of their respective home market. Then, there is a lot one can study, of course,” Anders replies to ScandAsia concerning how he has familiarised himself with this vast new geographic area he will now oversee.

“The impression one gets, coming from Europe, from a business perspective, is that Asia is the place to be right now. Many of the challenges faced in Europe do not exist here where there are amazing growth figures almost everywhere. Many of the companies who struggle back home have a completely different development here in Asia. It feels like a very positive business climate,” he adds.

Customer focus

Prior to Asia Anders was the head of business suppor t for corporate business within the Sweden organisation, where he supported the regional banks. Before that he has, among others, held the position as Area Manager ; working with product development as well as having experience from the branch network and also the credit organisation.

“I have worked a lot with development and digital ser vice, so that knowledge I do bring with me of course, while here we will focus on working methods and trying to meet more customers and collaborate well.”

“There’s always the challenge in that out on the field you have a lot of manual processes; it’s a bit catch 22, but one must try and utilize digital tools to the extent possible, and tr y to work more effectively in the processes.

Handelsbanken aims to become more effective day by day, enabling more time to be spent with customers, and spending less time on processes overall.”

In this regards the Singapore head presents a positive spin on the ever-increasing regulations for banks.

“The challenge is the same as on the home market; the regulations around running a bank today is tough and we can be cer tain that it will be even more regulated tomorrow. So we have to relate to that and view the regulations as our friend basically. The compliance of the regulations is meant to generate happy customers. One must try and find the model that can give as much time as possible to spend with customers and focus on doing business while at the same time being compliant. That is the challenge.”

In terms of oppor tunities Anders thinks things look ver y bright: “It feels – it’s a big word – unlimited, but this is a growth region and many companies are coming here all the time. We have big oppor tunities and will seek to increase our manpower and stake more at having employees who are meeting the customers.”

“Business is growing ever ywhere, is my reflection, from the parts I have seen so far. It feels like everyone here is very positive about their position and future here.”

States Anders: “That’s I why I think it is a joy to come here. We have a growth ambition here to increase the bank’s business. All our customers back home who are here or plan to come here should be customers with us; that is our ambition.”

We’re a classic bank and believe in having local presence, to be as close to the customer as possible combined with ver y good digital services. And we bring that philosophy from our home markets out in the world.”

July 2017 • ScandAsia.Singapore 15

Business

Culture of innovation

brings out the business formula for tomorrow All about digital transformation with Acoustic

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Text and photos: Joakim Persson here is a buzz around ‘digital transformation’. Ever ybody reads and hears about it these days. But what does it actually mean for one’s business? And how can, or should, one go about addressing it?

As there is a Nordic per son based in Singapore, and who has made it into his service to help companies to take this journey, Scandasia curiously turned to him to share his advice and approach to, what is for many, a complex topic.

He is Erik Ingvoldstad, a veteran in digital media, creativity and strategic development, who today runs Acoustic Group, an independent, str ategic innovation and tr ansfor mation consultancy.

Erik, presents very clear and understandable advice, which also constitutes the guiding principle also for his services – what he can do for you and me. Then, it is up to every individual to make one’s own assessment of it. One thing that is for certain is that no sector can disregard this.

Digital by definition

He writes on his blog: “Digital Transformation is on everyone’s lips these days, from cool new start-ups, to the mastodons of the corporate world. The business models of yesterday are changing, and disruption is happening in all industries, across all markets. The disruption is driven by new competitors, new ideas, new technology, new mind-sets and new cultural shifts that are making it more and more challenging for companies to stay connected with their customers and to just keep the business running as usual.”

And yet, it is far from new – having had big business impact for a long time already.

The issue has been on the desk of the leaders of every single industry for the past 20 years, as stated by an expert in the field, Alberto Barreiro: “Since the emergence and democr atisation of digital technologies, ever ything that could be digitalised was 16 ScandAsia.Singapore • July 2017

digitalised. Ever ything was produced, stored, multiplied, distributed and consumed globally for a marginal cost that tends to zero.”

“All business strategy is digital by definition, because digital is not about software, it’s the mind-set that defines the wor ld that surrounds us.”

Solving real problems

Erik’s approach is completely in line with this – working in the cross-section between technology, strategy and creativity.

“Acoustic come from a cultural perspective; meaning that we work with developing internal innovation culture, but also solving real problems that real people have,” he says. “So we help companies look for the end problem, their core problem, which sits outside the company.”

“You have to have a strategy about: What is my business model for the future? And that’s where the creativity comes in, looking for problem solving in other spaces than you would usually look for it. And that’s what we work with.”

“Create a strategy that is flexible enough to leverage the right technologies at the right time for the right purpose. Make sure that the focus remains on solving customer problems, service challenges, and making life generally easier for your customer,” recommends the Norwegian.

“As a creative director and person I have always been interested in solving problems. And note that I call it problems and not challenges; I like to call a spade a spade; if it’s a problem, then it’s a problem, and it’s a great thing, because problems can be solved.“ “Now, how do traditional companies do that? Some of them have kind of lost their way.

So we try to help them to find that way and help them how to use technology to connect with the audience.”

Adaptive transformation

Meanwhile, Erik also points out the importance to be adaptive, and that the use of any technology therefore needs to be that too.

“This will keep changing over time, and you can’t be stuck with a strategy that locks in a specific technology or platform. Digital transformation is not primarily about technology.

Sounds counterintuitive, I know, but it is a cultural and strategic process, where technology plays an important part.”

We don’t sell technology, no products whatsoever, because I believe that the solution may be artificial intelligences for some clients, it could be building physical hardware products for others, or software solutions, big data solutions – anything!”

“The problem is that the definition of digital transformation is hard for people to grasp because it has got the word ‘digital’ in it. It’s more about transformation than about digital, and that’s my focus. As for ‘digital’ – it goes without saying – we live in a world that is completely digital.”

Erik explains this transformation process further: “It’s the process to get to wherever your business needs to go in this new multi-facetted world, where linear strategies are doomed to fail. It’s about trying to find new ideas to drive tomorrow’s business, finding ways of creating a

They become stuck in the fear of making the wrong move.

This sentiment is truly what separates the old businesses from the new; they’re always kind of one step behind.

What I am selling is one step ahead.

culture of on-going innovation and creativity that is fully customer-centric. It may sound easier than it is, as it requires focus on truly understanding the customer.”

Acoustic takes the company (client) through strategic workshops and creative processes to possibly come up with new technology, new software solutions, new ways of using existing technology, or new non-technological ways.

And change does not occur in a moment of time. “In order succeed in the new disrupted markets, you need to develop your business continuously and turn the disruption to your advantage. In most businesses, there are areas where you can and must continuously change the model in order to find the right formula for success. Your strategy must allow for that, and consider the different scenarios that may play out.”

Harvesting ideas a core value

In order to get this right, according to Acoustic, one needs a partner who understands the digital culture around us, but who knows people must come before technology.

The company might go and find someone who understands digital, and assign the process to that person. “But like any change process that is of significance for the future of the business, the CEO must own the process, together with the rest of the C-suite. That doesn’t mean that the executive team has to come up with all the input and ideas to drive the change – quite the contrar y – getting input and ideas from the customer-facing end of the business is crucial in a customer-centric process.”

“You need to create a culture of creativity and acceptance in the entire organisation. Make harvesting ideas a core value of the business, and make sure others are exposed to the ideas, because as anyone who’s worked with ideas knows, a nugget of a small idea can become a huge idea if the team collaborates, and builds on each other’s input.”

Taking charge of change

“By fully understanding what digital transformation can, and should mean for your business, there really is no downside. The most important thing is to take charge, lead the change rather than letting the change lead you.“ “And disruption in this sense is a good thing; it’s a wake-up call,” adds Erik. If you think, as an existing business in any industry, that: ’I know something’s going to happen in our industry but we’re doing well right now so we will focus on our core business’, then this is the moment where you have to make that shift because disruption is coming whether you like it or not. I like to say that change happens all the time. We can either chose to let it happen or take charge and make it happen, and make sure that we are in control of the change instead of waiting for the change to kind of disrupt us.”

“Many people believe that if you don’t know what to do, it’s better to do nothing than to do the wrong thing. They become stuck in the fear of making the wrong move. This sentiment is truly what separates the old businesses from the new; they’re always kind of one step behind.

What I am selling is one step ahead. So that is the challenge for me but the timing is right. I think there’s a growing understanding of the need for digital transformation.”

Acoustic’s core challenge in targeting midsize to large Singapore-based companies is that this business is very traditional and conservative.

Fur thermore, digital transformation is a strategic process, where the outcome will vary from company to company, industry to industry, market to market and strategy to strategy.

“We don’t know what the outcome is going to be – being one of my other challenges that I am not selling something where I can say what you will get out of it. No it’s a process, and that process involves a lot of people internally in the business and harvesting ideas wherever they can come from.”

July 2017 • ScandAsia.Singapore 17

Community

Swedish National Day celebrated all over Southeast Asia

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By Nadja Dam Jensen uesday 6 June 2017 was a celebratory day for all Swedes around the world, and Southeast Asia was no exception.

As the calendar turned to the Swedish National Day, Swedes and the Swedish embassies got out their blue and yellow flags for a celebration of a nation.

The tradition of celebrating this date began 1916 at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, in honour of the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523, as this was considered the foundation of modern Sweden.

About 120 people gathered at the British Club to celebrate the Swedish National Day on the 6th of June in Singapore.

Here the National Day celebration was a collaboration between the Embassy of Sweden, SBAS Swedish Business Association of Singapore, Swedish Women’s Educational Association, SWEA, and the Swedish Supplementar y Educational School.

Guests from local authorities and businesses as well as the Swedish community in the region had the oppor tunity to try Swedish food by Olearys.S.B.D, drink water in Tetra Pak boxes and listen to Swedish live music performed by Erik Stenberg-Roos.

In Thailand, the Embassy of Sweden celebrated Swedish National Day at Dusit Thani Hotel in Pattaya. Ambassador Staffan Herrström held a speech about why the Swedish National Day is on 6 June, explaining how it was an important step on the road to democracy. The Ambassador also expressed how much Swedes enjoy travelling to Thailand.

Guests from local authorities and businesses as well as the Swedish community in the region had the oppor tunity to try Swedish food by Olearys.S.B.D, drink water in Tetra Pak boxes and listen to Swedish live music performed by Erik Stenberg-Roos.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the local Swedes celebrated the National Day already on Monday 22 May, where they held a reception sponsored

by Atlas Copco, Bae Systems, Saab, Scania and Volvo.

“A thousand thanks to all you dancing queens and kings who came to celebrate with us the National Day of Sweden and the 70th year anniversary of Sweden-Philippines diplomatic relations last night!” wrote Embassy of Sweden in Manila on their Facebook following the day of celebrations.

In the Philippines, they did not only commemorate our National Day, they also 18 ScandAsia.Singapore • July 2017

celebrate the 70th year anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sweden and the Philippines.

In Vietnam, the Swedish Ambassador, Pereric Högberg, took the National Day as an opportunity to share some of his thoughts on Sweden and on Sweden in Vietnam.

“Today it is the Swedish National Day and we recognize and celebrate peace, Swedish values, Swedish traditions, Swedish culture and Swedish food! And our strong relations with the Vietnamese people!” wrote the Ambassador on his Facebook as he shared a piece he had written for Dan Tri newspaper.

The Embassy of Sweden in Phnom Penh celebrated Swedish National Day at Raffles Hotel Le Royal Ballroom. The special event was presided over by guest of honor H.E Ouch Borith, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, hosted by Swedish Ambassador Maria Sargren.

Fur thermore it was attended by 350 distinguished guests including government officials, diplomatic missions, private sectors, development partners and friends to Sweden. The event was

also an occasion to showcase and give visibility to Sweden activities in Cambodia during the past year. Environment, Climate Change, and oceans were the main themes.

In Myanmar more than 200 guests attended the Embassys reception in Nay Pyi Taw.The Guest of Honour was the Union Minister from the Ministry of Health and Sports, Dr. Myint Htwe, who gave a much appreciated speech. The Union Minister from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, U Ohn Win, was welcomed at the reception as well.

The speech by Myint Htwe was followed by a speech from Ambassador Staffan Herrström about Sweden and the National Day. The Ambassador devoted most of the speech to gender equality and the photo exhibition that was on display during the evening. The photo exhibition was about Swedish dads and equality between parents, and especially dads taking more responsibility at home with the children.

The evening continued with Ms Pwint Mar Han being officially welcomed as Sweden´s Honorary Consul by Ambassador Staffan Herrström.

July 2017 • ScandAsia.Singapore 19