June - July 2013 - Association of Dutch Businessmen
June - July 2013 - Association of Dutch Businessmen
June - July 2013 - Association of Dutch Businessmen
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<strong>Association</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Dutch</strong> Businesspeople in Singapore<br />
www.adb.org.sg<br />
Jun/Jul<br />
<strong>2013</strong><br />
EVENT<br />
Doing business in<br />
Myanmar<br />
MITA 373/03/2001<br />
BUSINESS<br />
Interview with Jan Wolter<br />
Oosterhuis - Dockwise<br />
TRAVEL<br />
Destination: Myanmar
Bottom line:<br />
1We are connected!<br />
ING Bank has been, and will continue to be, one <strong>of</strong> the few European banks with a large Asian<br />
network covering 14 markets. The strength <strong>of</strong> our international network is what connects us.<br />
We work together to serve international clients in this region and Asian corporations that want<br />
to expand their operations in other parts <strong>of</strong> the world. We connect.<br />
www.ingcommercialbanking.com
PROLOGUE<br />
Board Members<br />
Mark Leenders<br />
President<br />
Market Director South East Asia,<br />
Greater China and Korea Nespresso<br />
goodbye and<br />
welcome<br />
Marleen Dieleman<br />
Vice President<br />
Visiting fellow NUS Business School<br />
Kuan Yoe The<br />
Honorary Secretary<br />
Business Development Manager<br />
Intertrust Singapore<br />
Martijn Schouten<br />
Honorary Treasurer<br />
Business Development Manager<br />
Vopak<br />
Frank Kuijsters<br />
Member / Chief Editor<br />
Director Digne Consult Asia Pacific<br />
Nico Derksen<br />
Member<br />
Director International Tax<br />
Management<br />
Jan Benes<br />
Member<br />
Business Development Director<br />
Philips Healthcare APAC<br />
Nynke Kinderman<br />
Member<br />
Market Development & Innovation<br />
Exploring opportunities<br />
Ay Wen Lie<br />
Member<br />
Senior Manager Transaction Services<br />
PricewaterhouseCoopers<br />
Secretariat<br />
Zsuzsika Oostinjen - Belovics<br />
Owner / Freelance Consultant<br />
I Interim - Marketing,<br />
Communication & Projects<br />
Dear ADB Members,<br />
On 15 April <strong>2013</strong>, fifty members attended an intimate and<br />
exclusive event at the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. How<br />
does one run a not-for-pr<strong>of</strong>it organization as a business<br />
and what are the roles and responsibilities <strong>of</strong> the Board<br />
<strong>of</strong> Directors? After the theoretical introduction, Maestro<br />
Tsung Yeh, the Music Director, and Mr Quek Ling Kiong, the<br />
Resident Conductor, explained the instruments and Chinese<br />
classical music. This was followed by a performance by<br />
the SCO Ensemble. It was a truly local and cultural event<br />
appreciated by all.<br />
Totally different in character but also enthusiastically<br />
welcomed by almost one hundred members was the May<br />
event ‘Doing Business in Myanmar’. Myanmar is the new, hot<br />
destination for businesses. The country recently opened up<br />
and lacks everything we take for granted; from mobile phones<br />
to infrastructure, from good c<strong>of</strong>fee to health systems. It can<br />
be a challenge finding your way in the bureaucratic, legal and<br />
political maze <strong>of</strong> this country. The panel shared insights on<br />
their experiences, including the many do’s and don’ts, while<br />
dealing with the many government institutions and local<br />
population. You can read more in this issue <strong>of</strong> the magazine.<br />
As already mentioned via email, ADB has lost its ever<br />
enthusiastic and energetic secretary, Lineke van Nederpelt,<br />
who recently decided to step down after nine years <strong>of</strong> loyal<br />
service. The Board again wishes to express its gratitude<br />
and admiration to Lineke who has performed so many and<br />
such varied functions over the years. We are also happy to<br />
announce that Zsuzsika Oostinjen–Belovics has taken over<br />
Lineke’s tasks as from 1 May. Welcome on board, Zsuzsika!<br />
The ADB Board wants to thank Rinske Bloemendal, our<br />
Membership Board member, for her contribution over<br />
the last year. Rinske has decided to step down and will be<br />
succeeded by Nynke Kinderman. To strengthen the Board<br />
further, Ay Wen Lie has joined us as well, bringing the<br />
new Board to nine members in total. With the support <strong>of</strong><br />
our new secretary, we aim to provide a continued flow <strong>of</strong><br />
valued events and activities for members, as well as our ADB<br />
Magazine and online information.<br />
The results <strong>of</strong> the recent ADB survey will be published in the<br />
next ADB Magazine. My thanks to all participants for their<br />
valuable input.<br />
“The ADB provides opportunities for <strong>Dutch</strong> business<br />
people to meet, interact and share knowledge by<br />
means <strong>of</strong> company visits, lectures, networking events<br />
and membership communications.”<br />
Mark Leenders<br />
1
Contents<br />
Vol. 23 / No. 3 / Jun-Jul <strong>2013</strong><br />
Prologue 1 By Mark Leenders, ADB President<br />
EXTRA 3 Lineke bedankt!<br />
Events 4 Singapore Chinese Orchestra<br />
A peep behind the scenes<br />
8 Doing business in Myanmar<br />
Business 12 Car racing in Singapore and Malaysia<br />
Interview with Wijnand Schagen<br />
14 Realising the inconceivable<br />
An interview with Jan Wolter Oosterhuis - Dockwise<br />
EXTRA 18 Life <strong>of</strong> a <strong>Dutch</strong> INSEAD student in Singapore<br />
Know Your Tax 20 Unravelling the Gin and Tonic Myths<br />
Bizz News 22 <strong>Dutch</strong> business news<br />
Column 24 Labor day<br />
travel 26 Destination: Myanmar<br />
nOt to miss 28 Things to do in Singapore<br />
Embassy News 29 Latest news by the <strong>Dutch</strong> Embassy<br />
adB News 29 Announcements, member info and more<br />
Cover photo: Frank Kuijsters<br />
P8<br />
During the ADB Myanmar panel<br />
discussion insiders shared their<br />
insights on working and doing<br />
business in Myanmar in an<br />
informal and open setting.<br />
P14<br />
Read about Dockwise’s ability to<br />
achieve the inconceivable, about<br />
the things they do and their<br />
international orientation.<br />
P26<br />
Interested in going on a holiday<br />
where your brain is on all the time<br />
because everything you see invites<br />
further questions, visit Myanmar.<br />
2
LINEKE BEDANKT!<br />
“Hey Mark, do you have five minutes for me?”<br />
If somebody asks me this question, I know what it is about<br />
and normally the people asking the question will present me<br />
with an envelope containing their resignation letter.<br />
Lineke asked me if I had five minutes after the <strong>2013</strong><br />
Annual General Meeting was finished.<br />
During the almost one and a half years I have been<br />
working with Lineke, I must have received hundreds <strong>of</strong><br />
emails from her, a few per day at least. On top <strong>of</strong> her<br />
‘normal’ job, Lineke had a hawk-eye for details concerning<br />
ADB. She was in total control, wanted to be in total control<br />
and was in control around the clock, 7/24/365. Total<br />
commitment and dedication to this degree is seldom seen<br />
as far as I know. Her employer must be totally pleased with<br />
her and even more so now that she has finally started to<br />
disconnect as ADB’s passionate secretary.<br />
How would I describe Lineke?<br />
During my months as chairman <strong>of</strong> ADB she was my brain,<br />
right and left side. Reminding me <strong>of</strong> my obligations and<br />
appointments, whispering pr<strong>of</strong>iles and names in my ear<br />
(she knows all 450+ ADB members by face and name,<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ession and hobbies, gossip and payment behavior). She<br />
also was involved with providing background information<br />
on speakers, organizing events, Dinner & Dance editions,<br />
assisting and supporting ADB Magazine, initiating<br />
and updating the ADB website, trying to improve the<br />
membership administration, liaising with our partners and<br />
so on and so forth.<br />
Lineke could also be grumpy if things did not work out<br />
or did not take the direction she wanted it to go. A very<br />
normal and human reaction if you put so much <strong>of</strong> yourself<br />
behind it, I guess.<br />
So <strong>of</strong>ten I received feedback on statistics and other info<br />
immediately or a few hours after major events had finished,<br />
simply meaning that Lineke would work until sunset to<br />
deliver her impressions, points for improvement, advice for<br />
the next board meeting etc.<br />
When we spoke after the AGM Lineke explained her real<br />
job took too much time to remain fully committed to ADB’s<br />
secretariat in the way she wanted to perform this crucial<br />
function.<br />
I can imagine that after nine (!) years <strong>of</strong> 100% dedication<br />
you want to have a good night’s sleep without thinking<br />
about filling the grey cells <strong>of</strong> your chairman.<br />
When we spoke after the Myanmar event she confessed<br />
she had difficulty filling her free hours.<br />
Lineke, once cured from the addiction called ADB,<br />
all members and I are convinced you will come up with<br />
something new and exciting. For now, relax and enjoy your<br />
regained spare time.<br />
I take my hat <strong>of</strong>f to you and take a deep bow as a token<br />
<strong>of</strong> my sincere appreciation for everything you have done for<br />
our <strong>Association</strong>.<br />
Truly yours,<br />
Mark<br />
Extra<br />
3
Events<br />
Singapore Chinese Orchestra<br />
A peep behind the scenes<br />
Text Aleid van der Schrier<br />
Photos Lineke van Nederpelt<br />
On April 15, around 50 ADB members paid a visit to the<br />
Singapore Chinese Orchestra at the Singapore Conference<br />
Hall, located in the Central Business District. It turned out<br />
to be an enchanting evening, filled with an interesting<br />
blend <strong>of</strong> Asian and Western music. And one thing is for<br />
sure, it made us curious for more!<br />
The host <strong>of</strong> the evening was Ferry de Bakker,<br />
who volunteers as a consultant for SCO. The SCO was<br />
inaugurated in 1997 and is Singapore’s only pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
Chinese orchestra. It aspires to be a world renowned<br />
Chinese Orchestra with a uniquely Singaporean<br />
character. To achieve this, SCO is working on getting more<br />
international recognition. One way to do that is to invite<br />
different types <strong>of</strong> business groups to networking sessions,<br />
where SCO can present itself.<br />
Chinese classical music and instruments<br />
The evening started with a presentation <strong>of</strong> Chinese classical<br />
music and instruments by Mr Quek Ling Kiong, resident<br />
conductor. In a Chinese orchestra, there are four groups <strong>of</strong><br />
instruments: wind instruments, plucked string instruments,<br />
bowed string instruments and percussion instruments. The<br />
wind instruments contain amongst others the ‘bangdi’,<br />
which is a kind <strong>of</strong> bamboo flute, the ‘suona’, also called<br />
a Chinese trumpet and a ‘sheng’, which is an ancient<br />
Chinese instrument, made <strong>of</strong> several small pipes, similar<br />
to an organ. The plucked string instruments are unique to<br />
a Chinese orchestra and are played by using the fingers.<br />
The ‘yangqin’ is a kind <strong>of</strong> laying harp, while the ‘quzheng’,<br />
which has 21 strings, is the Chinese harp. This section<br />
also consists <strong>of</strong> different string instruments <strong>of</strong> different<br />
sizes, including the ‘pipa’, the ‘ruan’ and the ‘sanxian’. The<br />
largest section in a Chinese orchestra is the bowed string<br />
instrument section, which makes up 50% <strong>of</strong> the orchestra.<br />
In this section there are two Western instruments, the<br />
cello and the double bass. The Chinese instruments are the<br />
gaohu, the erhu and the zhonghu, which all look the same,<br />
but have a different tonal range. The last section consists <strong>of</strong><br />
the percussion instruments.<br />
During the presentation, ‘You Tube’ videos <strong>of</strong> SCO<br />
performances were shown to illustrate the abovementioned<br />
instruments. When I heard the music <strong>of</strong> SCO,<br />
I was amazed. It did not sound like Chinese opera and it<br />
did not sound like Western classical music. It sounded like<br />
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fusion. By combining Chinese and Western instruments<br />
and by recomposing scores from Western and Asian<br />
composers, SCO has created its own unique sound that is<br />
easy to relate to.<br />
When the sounds <strong>of</strong> SCO’s music faded, Mr Patrick<br />
Goh, the director <strong>of</strong> SCO, took the floor. He passionately<br />
explained that the Chinese Orchestra only has a 60 year<br />
history. Although Chinese music is at least 5,000 years old,<br />
it was mainly written for solo instruments. With the gradual<br />
opening up <strong>of</strong> China after World War II, composers started<br />
to put the solo instruments together in works for orchestras.<br />
Mr Goh also explained that it is very expensive to<br />
maintain an orchestra. The expenses are around $14 million<br />
per year. Currently, the SCO has 78 full time musicians. They<br />
perform in 110 concerts yearly. “But”, Mr Goh added, “The<br />
income from ticket sales is never enough to cover the costs.”<br />
In addition to the concerts, the musicians also perform in<br />
smaller groups at schools, hospitals and community centres.<br />
In this way they bring music to all people.<br />
Running a non-pr<strong>of</strong>it organisation<br />
The next item on the agenda was a presentation by<br />
Mr Terence Ho, who is the general manager <strong>of</strong> SCO. He<br />
manages 40 administrative staff and has 121 people on the<br />
pay-roll. Of the total expenditure <strong>of</strong> SCO, around 70% is<br />
covered by government grants.<br />
In the organisational structure, SCO looks more like<br />
a private company than a non-pr<strong>of</strong>it organisation. First<br />
<strong>of</strong> all, there is a board <strong>of</strong> directors, who are volunteers,<br />
appointed by the minister. They serve a 2 year term.<br />
The directors decide on the strategy for SCO, while the<br />
management team operates the orchestra. Supporting<br />
the management team is a large number <strong>of</strong> committees,<br />
such as the artistic committee, the audit committee, the<br />
finance committee, the human resource committee and<br />
the marketing & sponsorship committee.<br />
Mr Ho compared running a non-pr<strong>of</strong>it organisation with<br />
his favourite pastime, running. With an average mileage <strong>of</strong><br />
2,500km per year he is an expert runner. And as he said,<br />
“Running speeds you up, age slows you down”. So, you<br />
really have to keep running when you are managing a nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
organisation.<br />
Next, Mr Ho introduced us to the dreams, inspiration,<br />
imagination and aspirations <strong>of</strong> SCO. Their aspirations<br />
cover 8 dimensions, which are audience, brand,<br />
employer, management, music, musicians, orchestra and<br />
place. These dimensions should work together to deliver<br />
the desired outcomes, which are artistic excellence and<br />
international stature; broader audience base and more<br />
sophisticated demand; organisational excellence and<br />
financial stability. And just like private companies, these<br />
desired outcomes are measured using key performance<br />
indicators, for example, number <strong>of</strong> commissioned and<br />
arranged works, number <strong>of</strong> ticketed performances,<br />
number <strong>of</strong> internships or earned income excluding<br />
grants.<br />
Panel discussion<br />
After this quick introduction to SCO we were given the<br />
opportunity to put all our burning questions to a panel,<br />
consisting <strong>of</strong> Mr Patrick Goh, Meastro Tsung Yeh (music<br />
director), Mr Terence Ho and Mr Ferry de Bakker.<br />
Where are the compositions sourced, given the short<br />
history <strong>of</strong> Chinese Orchestras?<br />
Of course, there is a lot <strong>of</strong> material from the 5,000 year<br />
long history <strong>of</strong> China. These scores are being used as a<br />
basis for compositions. There are a lot <strong>of</strong> composers from<br />
China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and even<br />
the UK. Western composers are flown in to Singapore to<br />
learn about the Chinese instruments, so that they are<br />
able to include these instruments in their compositions.<br />
In addition to that, SCO has its own scores library, which<br />
contains more than 8,000 pieces. Local Chinese orchestras<br />
(more than 200!) source from this library.<br />
What percentage <strong>of</strong> the musicians are locals?<br />
Most <strong>of</strong> the musicians are Singaporean or naturalised<br />
Singaporean, just a small percentage have a work pass or<br />
are permanent residents.<br />
Where do you source your musicians?<br />
In Singapore Chinese instruments are very popular. The<br />
huge number <strong>of</strong> local orchestras provides an enormous<br />
source <strong>of</strong> talented musicians. For auditions, SCO normally<br />
attracts three to four hundred candidates. SCO also<br />
operates the Singapore Chinese Youth Orchestra (SCYO),<br />
which currently consists <strong>of</strong> 98 musicians.<br />
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How are scores that were written for individual<br />
instruments adapted to scores for a complete orchestra?<br />
Meastro Tsung explained that in the 50’s a traditional<br />
melody was taken, which was combined with a western,<br />
functional melody. In the 70’s and 80’s more sophisticated<br />
techniques were used to blend Eastern and Western<br />
compositions. Singapore developed its own blend, which<br />
today is known by the name <strong>of</strong> ‘Nanyang flavour’. Another<br />
source <strong>of</strong> compositions is the composition competitions,<br />
which were held in 2006 and 2011.<br />
Does SCO perform internationally and does this add to<br />
the income stream?<br />
Yes, SCO performs internationally. Over the past few years<br />
there have been performances in Europe (Budapest, London,<br />
Newcastle, Paris), Taiwan and China. The tour to Edinburgh,<br />
where SCO performed at the Edinburgh Music Festival, was<br />
very special, because SCO was the first Asian orchestra ever<br />
to be invited to this festival. Normally, SCO gets invited to<br />
ethnic or folk festivals, but this invitation made clear that<br />
SCO is now considered a mainstream orchestra.<br />
Of course, these international concerts help to<br />
introduce SCO to a broader audience. However, the fees for<br />
these concerts cannot make up for the costs <strong>of</strong> the trips.<br />
Usually the Singapore government supports the musicians<br />
by covering their travel costs.<br />
four groups <strong>of</strong> Chinese instruments. First, the sheng<br />
(mouth organ) was played, followed by the erhu (string<br />
instrument). Then a dazzling performance on the<br />
zhongruan (kind <strong>of</strong> guitar) was given, expressing a sword<br />
fight. A powerful drum (percussion) ended the introduction<br />
and made the Singapore Conference Hall shake to its<br />
foundations. Last but not least, the ‘Fantastic 4’ treated<br />
us to a combined performance, leaving us with a good<br />
impression <strong>of</strong> what SCO and its music is about.<br />
Experiencing the SCO Nanyang flavour<br />
Curious for more? As Mr Goh stated in his introduction,<br />
“The only way to experience the excitement <strong>of</strong> the<br />
instruments is to visit a concert.” More information on<br />
SCO can be found on their website, but Mr Ho pointed<br />
out that SCO also has its own app, available for free from<br />
the App Store. The app contains information on SCO, the<br />
performance calendar, free music downloads and you can<br />
even book tickets for the performances via the app, which<br />
directs you automatically to the Sistic website. There is<br />
only one way to experience the SCO ‘Nanyang flavour’-<br />
book a ticket, sit down and enjoy. Try it!<br />
Bronze sponsors:<br />
Live performances<br />
The evening was concluded by an introduction to the
Events<br />
Doing Business in Myanmar<br />
text Nynke Kinderman photos Ay Wen Lie<br />
After almost half a century <strong>of</strong> isolation, Myanmar is now<br />
emerging as the hottest investment destination in the<br />
region, maybe even the world. Business opportunities in<br />
Myanmar are plentiful. However, to be successful, it is<br />
crucial to understand the cultural, regulatory, political, tax<br />
and financial challenges one faces when doing business in<br />
Myanmar.<br />
To support its members in understanding this business<br />
potential, as well as the challenges, ADB hosted the panel<br />
discussion on ‘Doing Business in Myanmar’, moderated by<br />
Nico Derksen, on 20 May <strong>2013</strong>. The Myanmar insider panel<br />
shared their experiences and insights on working and doing<br />
business in Myanmar in an informal and open setting.<br />
With around a 100 participants, including representatives<br />
from <strong>Dutch</strong>Cham and the <strong>Dutch</strong> Embassy, it was a very<br />
successful event!<br />
Introducing Myanmar<br />
Myanmar has a strategic seaside location and borders<br />
India, China and Thailand, as well as other countries. It is<br />
a relatively young country, as it only gained independence<br />
in 1948. Here are some numbers to illustrate its current<br />
situation:<br />
Introducing the panel members<br />
His Excellency, Mr Joan A. Boer, the Netherlands Ambassador<br />
to Thailand, with additional responsibility for Myanmar.<br />
Best Myanmar experience: standing outside at the<br />
by-elections and watching the NLD (National League for<br />
Democracy) win.<br />
Worst Myanmar experience: trying to confirm an<br />
appointment with a specific minister and ending up with<br />
three different appointments.<br />
Mr Gert-Jan (GJ) van den Akker, Platform Leader <strong>of</strong> Energy,<br />
Transportation and Metals (ETM) and a member <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Cargill Corporate Center. Based in Singapore, GJ is an<br />
Executive Vice President <strong>of</strong> Cargill Asia Pacific.<br />
Best Myanmar experience: personally, it was visiting<br />
Bagan, a very special and spiritual place, definitely a mustsee.<br />
Businesswise, it was listening to the people on the<br />
street and hearing their hope in spite <strong>of</strong> all the pain and<br />
difficulties they have been through.<br />
Worst Myanmar experience: the bureaucracy and large<br />
number <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficials one has to meet.<br />
Mr. Fernando Erazo, the Senior Director ASEAN & Pacific,<br />
Country Manager Myanmar, at Royal Philips Electronics.<br />
Best Myanmar experience: the people you meet and<br />
work with. As a healthcare company, Philips focuses on a<br />
primary need, and I was impressed by the hunger <strong>of</strong> the<br />
local doctors to receive support and work together.<br />
Worst Myanmar experience: that is actually within<br />
Philips itself, to help management understand the flexibility<br />
required. It is difficult to communicate the opportunities<br />
you see when you visit Myanmar to people who have not<br />
been there.<br />
Mr. Edwin van der Bruggen, founding partner VBD-Loi,<br />
a regional legal and tax firm, lives full-time in Yangon<br />
(Myanmar).<br />
Best Myanmar experience: encounter with a member<br />
<strong>of</strong> the cabinet. When discussing a project on the list<br />
<strong>of</strong> restricted activities (up to 80% foreign investment<br />
allowed), the cabinet member asked whether they would<br />
invest more if they could invest on a 100% foreign basis.<br />
This was indeed the case due to financial considerations.<br />
The minister reacted, “I can put it (the specific project)<br />
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on the list, so I can take it <strong>of</strong>f the list.” The interest <strong>of</strong> the<br />
country goes before all.<br />
Worst Myanmar experience: the number <strong>of</strong> power cuts.<br />
We had a small <strong>of</strong>fice in a condo, which the owner said had<br />
a generator. When a one-hour meeting got interrupted by<br />
fifteen power cuts, I asked him about the generator. His<br />
reply, “Yes, we do have a generator, but we do not switch<br />
it on!”<br />
Discussing the financial, political, regulatory<br />
and tax landscape<br />
After the panel member introductions, the different key<br />
challenges to consider in Myanmar were discussed.<br />
As the panel unanimously agreed, Myanmar <strong>of</strong>fers<br />
enormous possibilities, with all the signals pointing in the<br />
right direction. Now is the time to start doing business<br />
in Myanmar in order to gain an early mover advantage,<br />
or at least stay on par with competitors. However, as<br />
put forward by Mr van den Akker, “Everything still needs<br />
to happen”. The infrastructure is lacking, with only one<br />
main road, no mobile network coverage, and it is a real<br />
cash economy where you have to pay with brand new<br />
US dollars. Furthermore, the 2015 elections provide an<br />
overarching uncertainty on Myanmar’s way forward. As<br />
summarized by Mr van den Akker, “We will go in, but with<br />
our eyes open”.<br />
“As business people, it is very important to understand<br />
the barriers and issues before going in, for example,<br />
regulatory versus logistical,” mentioned Mr. Erazo. He is<br />
very positive and believes change is irreversible due to the<br />
access to and dissemination <strong>of</strong> information. A key concern,<br />
however, is brand exposure. For Philips, its brand is a<br />
major asset, which is especially sensitive in the healthcare<br />
industry. So Philips needs to understand the exposure.<br />
On the political side, his Excellency Mr. Boer<br />
emphasizes the positive developments, like more freedom<br />
<strong>of</strong> the press, which is actually overtaking the current<br />
system. There is no government fabric yet. The only<br />
institutional structure is the military. The West needs<br />
to understand these dynamics, and that demobilizing<br />
the army, for example, would not be the way to go. The<br />
elections in 2015 will shape Myanmar’s future political<br />
landscape. However, at this stage there is a lot <strong>of</strong> room for<br />
real transition. From personal discussions with opposition<br />
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, his Excellency has learned that a<br />
strong sense <strong>of</strong> “Realpolitik” exists.<br />
Concerning the regulatory landscape, Mr van der<br />
Bruggen points out that even for restricted activities<br />
you can own up to 80%, which is high compared to<br />
countries like Vietnam and Thailand. However, the current<br />
regulatory situation is not perfect, and will not be perfect<br />
soon. Some laws and contract acts stem back as far as<br />
1872, which <strong>of</strong>ten leads to interpretation difficulties. On<br />
the other hand, the new laws have never been applied,<br />
including the Foreign Investment Law, which means<br />
nobody knows how they will be interpreted. But, as Mr<br />
van der Bruggen shares about his clients, “About a year<br />
ago our clients were very uncertain about Myanmar, not<br />
sure about the risks and whether to enter. They now say,<br />
they cannot consider not getting in there. They need to go,<br />
almost at any price, right now.”<br />
For tax regulations specifically, there are a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
problems and misunderstanding due to the enormous gap<br />
between theory and practice. 80% <strong>of</strong> any deal is based on<br />
your relationship with the government, 20% is having a<br />
good lawyer.<br />
(In)formal business etiquette, culture and<br />
partner selection<br />
Moving from the key challenges within the formal<br />
landscape to the more social context, the panel discussed<br />
the culture, style <strong>of</strong> negotiating and selection <strong>of</strong> potential<br />
partners.<br />
As experienced by His Excellency, you can have very<br />
straightforward discussions with the people in Myanmar,<br />
provided you are not complaining. Be prepared for the<br />
conversation, as questions asked will get answered. Mr van<br />
den Akker further highlights the huge sense <strong>of</strong> learning and<br />
business savvy, both <strong>of</strong> government and business people.<br />
An example is an issue for Cargill with the FIL, as trading<br />
is not allowed. This would make it impossible for Cargill to<br />
manage supply chains in Myanmar. The solution: don’t use<br />
the word trading, just say buying and selling!<br />
Regarding cooperation with local partners, Mr Erazo<br />
stresses the effort required for the channel partner<br />
selection. An important consideration is the kind <strong>of</strong> market<br />
Myanmar is for your business. Is it an export market in the<br />
long term or do you want to establish a local presence?<br />
As partner due diligence is very expensive and time<br />
consuming, Mr Erazo shares a key lesson learned by Philips<br />
when selecting partners. Get your market insights locally<br />
by installing local risk assessors on the ground. Also, the<br />
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9
Events<br />
level <strong>of</strong> transparency in who is bidding for what and who<br />
is partnering with whom provides a quick way <strong>of</strong> reference<br />
checking. Looking at the experience Philips has had with<br />
the government, Mr Erazo is positive. “I was impressed by<br />
their very hard work and good intentions, although the<br />
outcomes are still pending.”<br />
As a final comment on culture and business etiquette,<br />
Mr. van der Bruggen points out that business people in<br />
Myanmar have a strong emotional bias for decision-making<br />
in negotiations, which means they can get upset and<br />
insulted relatively quickly. The right framing and wording to<br />
avoid misunderstandings may require some practice.<br />
Q&A<br />
Although the bar was already open, there were quite a few<br />
interesting questions from the audience. Here is a short<br />
selection:<br />
Q: What are the opportunities for SMEs?<br />
A: Significant funds are required to get started in Myanmar,<br />
as costs are high. If you can’t sit it out for several years,<br />
don’t go in. The Embassy provides support for <strong>Dutch</strong><br />
business people through the website, organized visits and<br />
through their <strong>of</strong>fice, which is opening in Myanmar.<br />
Q: As mentioned by the panel, everybody wants to get in<br />
at this time, at any price. Are we experiencing a Myanmar<br />
bubble?<br />
A: There is definitely a Myanmar wave. But even if things<br />
go wrong, people still need oil, food, roads etc. There are<br />
so many basic needs to be met that we do not have to<br />
worry about the market.<br />
Conclusion<br />
If you want to do business in Myanmar, it is important to<br />
talk to the right government <strong>of</strong>ficials in the appropriate<br />
way. Now is definitely the time to go in, but not without a<br />
healthy amount <strong>of</strong> caution as well as resources.<br />
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Business<br />
Car Racing in Singapore<br />
and Malaysia<br />
Interview with Wijnand Schagen<br />
Text Ay Wen Lie Photos Wijnand Schagen<br />
The F1- circus has been visiting Singapore for several years<br />
now, creating an exciting event each year in September.<br />
For Singaporeans, it’s an event impossible to miss. A less<br />
well-known fact is that there’s a whole range <strong>of</strong> other types<br />
<strong>of</strong> motorsports both in Singapore and in the region besides<br />
F1. There are many accessible forms <strong>of</strong> motorsports<br />
available which individuals or (corporate) groups can easily<br />
take part in.<br />
Wijnand Schagen, (ex-Yamaha test driver, licensed<br />
instructor and automotive engineer) tells us about the<br />
available options in Singapore and Malaysia. He talks about<br />
racing, improving your driving skills, hiring racing cars for<br />
on-track racing, and where to get engineering services to<br />
optimize performance <strong>of</strong> sports- and racecars.<br />
Can you give an overview <strong>of</strong> the Singapore motorsport<br />
scene?<br />
A popular form <strong>of</strong> motorsport in Asia is drifting, a driving<br />
technique whereby the driver intentionally causes the rear<br />
end <strong>of</strong> the car to slide at a great angle, while maintaining<br />
control from entry to exit <strong>of</strong> a corner. Specifically modified,<br />
rear wheel drive cars are used for this type <strong>of</strong> motorsport.<br />
Up and coming in Singapore is Gymkhana, a motorsport<br />
style whereby the driver must manoeuver through a<br />
pre-determined track, set out with cones on a big, empty<br />
parking lot. The driver must perform many different driving<br />
techniques, such as 180 degree spins, 360 degree spins,<br />
parking boxes, figure 8s, and other advanced skills. Any<br />
road car can be used, but a car equipped with a manual<br />
gearbox is more suitable than an automatic.<br />
On the road you see quite a lot <strong>of</strong> modified Japanese<br />
cars and high-end European sports cars. A number <strong>of</strong> these<br />
fast cars are being used from time to time on so-called<br />
Track Days, mostly on Sepang Formula One racetrack in<br />
Malaysia, near Kuala Lumpur. Track Days are organized by<br />
various driving clubs and provide the opportunity to drive<br />
your car around the racetrack as fast as you like. There<br />
is no competitive element here and no racing license is<br />
required for this.<br />
Ultimately, enthusiasts who want to engage in racing<br />
competitions can compete in top-level race classes in<br />
the region like GT Asia, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, and<br />
Malaysian Super Series for Sports Prototypes, GTs and<br />
Touring Cars. Pr<strong>of</strong>essionally built, competition-dedicated<br />
racecars are used for these race series.<br />
What services do you provide?<br />
For motorsport enthusiasts who want to drive on a<br />
racetrack, I <strong>of</strong>fer track day experiences. This entails an<br />
Arrive & Drive concept, whereby a track-prepared rentalracecar<br />
is provided.<br />
The drivers’ level <strong>of</strong> driving experience varies, therefore<br />
a variety <strong>of</strong> rental-racecars is available, ranging from fast<br />
Touring Cars to lightweight, open-top Westfield Cup cars,<br />
up to very fast, big-winged Sports Prototypes. Usually<br />
people start out in a Touring Car, getting the hang <strong>of</strong><br />
driving on-track and getting used to the high levels <strong>of</strong><br />
grip a racecar generates, learning correct racing lines and<br />
getting a feel for the high cornering speeds. Then drivers<br />
progress onto Ariel Atom and Westfield Cup cars. These are<br />
lightweight, open top racing cars with an exciting power<br />
to weight ratio and lots <strong>of</strong> mechanical grip, making them<br />
significantly quicker than the Touring Cars. Speeds in these<br />
cars are higher, lap times are faster and the skills required<br />
to drive these cars are higher. Finally, it’s on to the Sports<br />
Prototypes. These ‘junior Le Mans’-cars generate a lot<br />
<strong>of</strong> down force and are seriously fast. It takes a while for<br />
your brain to adjust and accept how extremely late you<br />
can actually brake in such a car and how much speed you<br />
can carry through a corner. Very exciting stuff! It’s a great<br />
experience for drivers to learn how to drive all <strong>of</strong> these cars<br />
at racing speed and learn the skills required to do that.<br />
What else do you provide?<br />
For local car clubs, I provide instruction at club events, such<br />
as Gymkhana instruction at the Mazda MX5 club.<br />
Group-instruction can also be done at (corporate)<br />
karting events. Learning only a few basic things such as<br />
12
Business<br />
racing lines will help you beat your friends or colleagues<br />
at a karting event. Karting provides a nice introduction to<br />
motorsport and a step-up to on-track car racing.<br />
I also provide on-track race instruction, so drivers<br />
can gain knowledge, skill and experience. Drivers can<br />
be trained over an extended period <strong>of</strong> time to become<br />
competition-racing drivers. This can be done on any <strong>of</strong> the<br />
circuits in Malaysia. And when the Changi Motorsports Hub<br />
materializes, a Race Academy will be set up there.<br />
For racing drivers that participate in the local<br />
championships I provide engineering services. I prepare<br />
their racecars, develop car and driver and <strong>of</strong>fer technical<br />
track-support throughout the racing season, making the<br />
driver and the racecar more competitive.<br />
What tracks are there in the region & what are the<br />
differences between the tracks?<br />
The most famous track is Sepang circuit in Malaysia, famous<br />
for its international events such as F1, MotoGP and Super<br />
GT. It’s a modern track, with very fast straights and, with<br />
its big run-<strong>of</strong>f areas, it’s relatively safe. Closer to Singapore,<br />
in Johor there’s also a circuit, Pasir Gudang. It’s an older<br />
circuit, with a layout that gives it the feel <strong>of</strong> a classic<br />
‘European’ track. The track follows the natural flow <strong>of</strong> the<br />
terrain. It’s got elevation and several exciting corners that<br />
resemble the best from other famous tracks (for example:<br />
Laguna Seca’s ‘Corkscrew’ and Zandvoort’s ‘Scheivlak’). It’s<br />
a real drivers’ track. I personally enjoy driving there.<br />
There are several karting tracks in the region. Two <strong>of</strong><br />
these are in Singapore. There’s a technically demanding<br />
track in Jurong and a new track was recently built in Changi.<br />
It’s a wide, fast track, built to international standards. Also<br />
in Johor there’s an exciting, flowing track built in the middle<br />
<strong>of</strong> a rubber plantation. These tracks are much more exciting<br />
and fun than the tight, narrow, (slow) indoor go-kart tracks<br />
that are available in Holland. Regarding karting tracks, we’re<br />
really spoiled here in Singapore and Malaysia.<br />
Rental karts are available at the track and for (corporate)<br />
groups, tailored karting events can be organized. A<br />
typical program would include a brief instruction and a<br />
familiarization session, followed by a qualifying session to<br />
determine starting position and <strong>of</strong> course several races.<br />
That’s an exciting day with your mates, or a good way to<br />
form a bond with colleagues or clients.<br />
How can you participate in competitions?<br />
It’s generally a good idea to get trained on how to drive<br />
a car fast around a racetrack. It greatly enhances the joy<br />
you get out <strong>of</strong> driving on-track, plus you’ll be safer and<br />
more competitive. In fact, in the Netherlands it is standard<br />
practice to go to a racing school for a full season <strong>of</strong> racing<br />
lessons, prior to doing a racing exam and obtaining your<br />
license.<br />
After obtaining a racing license from either the<br />
Singapore Motorsport <strong>Association</strong>, or its Malaysian<br />
counterpart, you’re allowed to take part in races.<br />
You then require a racing car, fit for the racing class you<br />
want to compete in. Upon request, I can source a suitable<br />
racing car from anywhere in the world, ship it in and<br />
import it.<br />
What are the ‘signature’ races held in the region?<br />
Singapore F1 Grand Prix in September, Merdeka 12 hour<br />
race for GT’s and Touring Cars in August and the Sepang<br />
1000km race in December.<br />
What has been your favorite event <strong>of</strong> the past year?<br />
My favorite event is the Sepang 24 hour race that was held<br />
last February. I joined 4 other drivers to share a Sports<br />
Prototype car for the event. Aside from the excitement<br />
from the performance <strong>of</strong> the car, what appeals to me is<br />
the consistency and endurance required from both the car<br />
and the driver during such a race. And it was a thrill driving<br />
through the night. The companionship and fun you’re<br />
having with the other drivers in your team is great.<br />
Many things can (and will) happen to the car over the<br />
course <strong>of</strong> 24 hours <strong>of</strong> racing and it requires perseverance<br />
and resourcefulness to overcome any technical setbacks.<br />
That makes the sense <strong>of</strong> achievement even greater when<br />
your team reaches the finish line.<br />
I’m already looking forward to the next endurance race,<br />
the Fuji 1000km in Japan, where we’ll be entering two<br />
identical cars. A few seats are still available for keen drivers.<br />
Wijnand is an automotive engineer with over 20<br />
years <strong>of</strong> racing experience, both as a driver and as an<br />
engineer. His engineering experience ranges from Sports<br />
Prototypes, Touring Cars (DTCC) and Dakar to ex-DTM<br />
cars, IMSA cars (<strong>Dutch</strong> Supercar Challenge), GT3 and<br />
Westfield Sevens. Wijnand has worked for Yamaha’s<br />
4-wheeled vehicles division and has worked with Öhlins<br />
on development <strong>of</strong> experimental suspension systems<br />
as later used on Citroën’s WRC car and Audi’s Le Mans<br />
contenders, with great success.<br />
For more info, please contact: wijnand.schagen@<br />
lm-eng.nl<br />
13
Business<br />
Realising the inconceivable<br />
An interview with Jan Wolter Oosterhuis - Dockwise<br />
Text Aleid van der Schrier<br />
Photos Dockwise<br />
On March 20, <strong>2013</strong> André Goedée, CEO <strong>of</strong> Dockwise, was<br />
interviewed on the <strong>Dutch</strong> program ‘De wereld draait door’.<br />
He was invited to appear on the show because Dockwise<br />
is considered to be a perfect example <strong>of</strong> a <strong>Dutch</strong> company<br />
that has continued to grow over the past few years, despite<br />
the economic crisis that The Netherlands is still coping<br />
with today. Dockwise’s ability to achieve the inconceivable,<br />
to do things that nobody else can, and their international<br />
orientation gives them a competitive advantage that fuels<br />
their success.<br />
From shipping company to <strong>of</strong>fshore service<br />
provider<br />
Dockwise was founded in 1993 after the merger <strong>of</strong><br />
Wijsmuller Transport and Dock Express Shipping, two<br />
companies specialising in heavy marine transport. The<br />
head-<strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong> Dockwise is located in Breda, where around<br />
20% <strong>of</strong> Dockwise’s employees are based. The rest <strong>of</strong> the<br />
employees are spread out around the world. Engineering<br />
centres can be found in Breda, Houston and Shanghai,<br />
while sales <strong>of</strong>fices can be found on all continents, except<br />
Antarctica. The area manager at the Singapore <strong>of</strong>fice is Jan<br />
Wolter Oosterhuis, who I met at the Dockwise <strong>of</strong>fice at the<br />
top floor <strong>of</strong> Suntec Tower 2.<br />
“When Dockwise was founded in 1993, they started<br />
<strong>of</strong>f as a shipping company,” explains Jan Wolter. “Over<br />
the years additional services were added to our portfolio.<br />
Nowadays, Dockwise is an <strong>of</strong>fshore service provider. This<br />
extension <strong>of</strong> our service portfolio required a different<br />
way <strong>of</strong> doing business. Offshore installation requires a<br />
project management approach, which is different from<br />
just arranging transport from A to B.” The diversification <strong>of</strong><br />
the product portfolio is reflected in their service <strong>of</strong>fering.<br />
As well as heavy marine transport, Dockwise also <strong>of</strong>fers<br />
transport & installation services, logistics management<br />
services, engineering services and <strong>of</strong>fshore installation<br />
equipment.<br />
In March <strong>2013</strong> Dockwise was acquired by Boskalis. Jan<br />
Wolter sees a lot <strong>of</strong> potential in this merger. “Boskalis is a<br />
huge company, well-known for their dredging activities.<br />
They would like to strengthen and expand their position<br />
in the <strong>of</strong>fshore energy market. Dockwise’s experience in<br />
this field can help them realise this. For us this acquisition<br />
opens up an even bigger market <strong>of</strong> potential clients.<br />
Moreover, it supports our strategy to expand our <strong>of</strong>fshore<br />
services and logistics management market.”<br />
From one-man band to commercial centre <strong>of</strong><br />
Asia<br />
Jan Wolter started working for Dockwise in 2002. “Being<br />
a son <strong>of</strong> a seafarer, I have always had an interest in the<br />
maritime industry. After graduating from the Technical<br />
University in Delft as a Naval Architect, I joined an<br />
engineering firm in Rotterdam, but I soon found out that I<br />
was stuck behind my desk. Dockwise <strong>of</strong>fered me a position<br />
to develop my engineering skills while seeing the projects<br />
I worked on in real life also.” Dockwise has an interesting<br />
history. They started <strong>of</strong>f as a small company, but have<br />
14
Business<br />
grown to be the market leader in heavy marine transport<br />
within twenty years. “The evolution <strong>of</strong> Dockwise from a<br />
small privately owned business to a major listed company<br />
is a good example <strong>of</strong> the entrepreneurial and innovative<br />
spirit <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Dutch</strong>. This way <strong>of</strong> thinking and working is<br />
still actively present in our company.” In 2009 Jan Wolter<br />
was sent to Singapore to set up a Singapore <strong>of</strong>fice for<br />
Dockwise. He started <strong>of</strong>f as a one-man band, but now has<br />
7 employees working for him and he also manages an<br />
<strong>of</strong>fice in Malaysia. In the four years that Dockwise has been<br />
present in Singapore, the <strong>of</strong>fice has become Dockwise’s<br />
commercial centre for Asia.<br />
Jan Wolter’s first task in Singapore was to build strong<br />
relationships with clients. “In the Asian culture relationship<br />
building is very important”, says Jan Wolter. “In order to<br />
build good relationships you have to be present locally,<br />
especially when competition increases. Singapore is a<br />
central maritime hub. Many ships stop in Singapore for<br />
bunkering and loading and unloading and a lot <strong>of</strong> marine<br />
related companies have <strong>of</strong>fices in Singapore. Just by being<br />
here and walking around, you can pick up relevant market<br />
information fairly easily.” Another reason for Dockwise’s<br />
presence in the region is that Asia is developing fast<br />
and their requirements for oil, gas and energy will keep<br />
increasing over the coming years. This will increase the<br />
demand for drilling platforms in the region, which will<br />
bring a lot <strong>of</strong> potential business for Dockwise. An example<br />
is Malaysia. When Jan Wolter was sent to Singapore,<br />
expectations were that China would be the biggest growth<br />
market. “It turned out that China focused mainly on its<br />
internal market and appeared to be more closed than<br />
expected. In Malaysia, however, the developments in oil &<br />
gas took <strong>of</strong>f, generating enough business for us to open up<br />
a Dockwise <strong>of</strong>fice there.”<br />
When asked about his biggest challenge, Jan Wolter<br />
replied, “My biggest challenge is to support the Asian<br />
countries in their development, without taking over<br />
their projects. In Malaysia, for example, the government<br />
encourages companies to employ local people, provide<br />
education for people (like engineers, quality safety staff<br />
and project managers) and to use local ships. In this way<br />
they are trying to develop their local talent, but actually<br />
they are not yet ready to manage these types <strong>of</strong> projects<br />
efficiently. I really have to be careful to give them a chance<br />
and not take over.” Another challenge Jan Wolter face is<br />
the cyclic market in which they operate. “During the good<br />
times you always have to prepare for the bad times.”<br />
The competition Dockwise faces in heavy marine<br />
transport is fierce, especially at the low end <strong>of</strong> the market.<br />
Here, competition from China and Korea is increasing. Jan<br />
Wolter explained, “Given the relatively low production<br />
costs and grants from the government in these countries<br />
is it relatively easy to build and operate a ship for heavy<br />
marine transport. However, our competitive advantage<br />
is that we have a big fleet with a broad range <strong>of</strong> ship<br />
types and a client base located all around the world. We<br />
hardly have any ships sailing empty, because in most cases<br />
return-cargo can be arranged. This <strong>of</strong> course reduces costs.<br />
And, last but not least, we have 30 years <strong>of</strong> experience<br />
in heavy marine transport.” In other service areas, like<br />
the <strong>of</strong>fshore activities, competition comes from other big<br />
<strong>of</strong>fshore companies, like Heerema. However, in the logistics<br />
management and transport and installation services,<br />
competition can only be found in either transport or<br />
engineering, but not in the combination <strong>of</strong> the two. This is<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the strengths <strong>of</strong> Dockwise.<br />
Although the competition limits itself to certain parts<br />
<strong>of</strong> Dockwise’s business, Jan Wolter stays at the ready at<br />
all times. “The Vanguard, our newest and biggest ship,<br />
will be copied sooner or later. But, operating such a huge<br />
ship requires a lot <strong>of</strong> experience. By keeping an eye on<br />
customer requirements and by always creating added value<br />
you will remain their preferred supplier.”<br />
From big ships to game changer<br />
For the past few months the world has been in awe <strong>of</strong><br />
the newest addition to Dockwise’s fleet, the Vanguard.<br />
The Vanguard is the biggest ship in the heavy lift category,<br />
measuring 275 meters in length and 70 meters in breadth.<br />
Pictures <strong>of</strong> enormous structures being transported by sea<br />
have been circulated among everyone interested in marine<br />
transport.<br />
The vastness <strong>of</strong> the Vanguard suggests a complicated<br />
design, but actually it is quite simple. That makes the<br />
design and build period rather short, being around 2 years<br />
in total. Jan Wolter explained, “Simply said the Vanguard is<br />
just a flat ship. But the ground breaking innovation is that<br />
the accommodation is placed alongside the ship. Also, the<br />
ship is equipped with movable casings. These innovations<br />
increase the deck space and make it possible for cargo<br />
to stick out at the front, but also at the back. Another<br />
innovation is the fact that the Vanguard can submerge and<br />
have a maximum 16 meters <strong>of</strong> water above deck, which<br />
enables it to ‘pick up’ cargo from underneath.”<br />
But where did the idea for such a big ship come from?<br />
“The Vanguard was designed and developed following<br />
market demand”, answers Jan Wolter. “But the heavy<br />
marine transport market is rather special, in that the<br />
market determines the size <strong>of</strong> the ships and the ships<br />
determine the market. For example, the Blue Marlin, our<br />
biggest ship at that time, had a breadth <strong>of</strong> 42 meters. But<br />
then, for a particular project a width <strong>of</strong> 63 meters was<br />
required. So, the Blue Marlin was upgraded significantly to<br />
be able to fit those requirements. As a result <strong>of</strong> Dockwise<br />
being able to transport bigger cargo, demand for this type<br />
<strong>of</strong> shipment increased.”<br />
15
Business<br />
For example, advances in technology and in heavy<br />
transport possibilities have changed how the design <strong>of</strong><br />
refineries is done. “The current possibilities in heavy<br />
marine transport have resulted in a modular approach in<br />
building refineries. Complete modules are being produced<br />
by the supplier and then shipped to the final destination,<br />
where they are installed. Because <strong>of</strong> this, the Vanguard will<br />
become a game changer, since even bigger and heavier<br />
units can now be shipped.”<br />
Changes in drilling requirements also fuel the<br />
development <strong>of</strong> even bigger ships. Oil wells are getting<br />
deeper, drilling is done in deeper water and drilling fields are<br />
becoming bigger. In addition, the hurricane risk in the Gulf<br />
<strong>of</strong> Mexico requires the <strong>of</strong>fshore platforms to become taller<br />
and heavier. So, the sizes <strong>of</strong> cargo change which changes the<br />
requirements for the design and development <strong>of</strong> the vessels.<br />
Up until now Dockwise has navigated successfully<br />
through the economic crisis. The biggest producers <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong>fshore platforms are located in China, Korea and even<br />
Singapore, while the users can be found in the North Sea,<br />
the Gulf <strong>of</strong> Mexico and Western Africa. These cargo flows<br />
do not even touch European soil. Dockwise navigates<br />
where growth can be found. With the Vanguard, Dockwise<br />
has proven that they can achieve the inconceivable. And as<br />
was said in ‘De wereld draait door’, Dockwise is definitely a<br />
good example <strong>of</strong> ‘Hollands Glorie’!<br />
Company Pr<strong>of</strong>ile<br />
The history <strong>of</strong> Dockwise dates back to 1992, when Wijsmuller Transport (a division <strong>of</strong> Heerema) and Dock Express Shipping,<br />
two companies specialising in heavy marine transport, established a joint venture. In 1993 they decided to merge and<br />
Dockwise was founded. Until 2006 Dockwise was owned by Heerema. In 2006 Dockwise Transport was bought out. At the<br />
beginning <strong>of</strong> 2007 Dockwise was sold to a private equity firm and later that year it became a listed company in Norway. In<br />
2009 a secondary listing on the Euronext Amsterdam followed. In March <strong>2013</strong>, Dockwise was acquired by Boskalis.<br />
Over the last twenty years Dockwise has become a leading specialist in heavy transport shipping. In addition,<br />
they have extended their service portfolio to include heavy marine transport, transport and installation, logistical<br />
management, engineering services and <strong>of</strong>fshore installation equipment. Industries serviced include oil & gas, mining,<br />
power, renewable energy, military and port & marine.<br />
Dockwise is the world’s leader in heavy marine transport. They operate the largest and most versatile fleet <strong>of</strong> semisubmersible<br />
heavy-lift vessels in the world. Their newest vessel-on-the-block, the Vangaurd, is a one-<strong>of</strong>-a-kind innovation,<br />
which enables Dockwise to deliver the most specialised worldwide transport solutions for their clients. Examples <strong>of</strong><br />
cargo carried are <strong>of</strong>fshore drilling rigs, <strong>of</strong>fshore production structures, modules for onshore industrial projects, military<br />
equipment & vessels and port & marine equipment.<br />
With Transportation & Installation Dockwise delivers one-stop-shop solutions for <strong>of</strong>fshore platform transportation<br />
and installation needs. This includes load-out <strong>of</strong> installations from the fabrication site, transport to the field, launching<br />
and installation <strong>of</strong> jackets and topsides.<br />
For onshore projects, Dockwise delivers logistical management solutions that cover all facets <strong>of</strong> modular project<br />
transportation. Within these services, they plan, manage and execute the logistics chain from multiple facilities all over<br />
the world, to ensure timely delivery <strong>of</strong> modules, all in a single contract.<br />
From their three global engineering excellence centres in Breda, Houston and Shanghai, Dockwise <strong>of</strong>fers engineering<br />
services specialised in deep water fixed structures, floating system design and <strong>of</strong>fshore transportation and installation.<br />
Offshore Kinematics <strong>of</strong>fers innovative <strong>of</strong>fshore installation equipment services. Within this service, area float-over<br />
installation systems are developed and supplied.<br />
Today, Dockwise has 1,200 employees worldwide and has <strong>of</strong>fices which are strategically positioned around the world.<br />
Their fleet consists <strong>of</strong> 24 vessels, almost all are self-propelled. The smallest ship is the Super Servant 3, with a length<br />
<strong>of</strong> 139 meters and a breadth <strong>of</strong> 32 meters, their biggest ship, the Vanguard, is almost twice as big with a length <strong>of</strong> 275<br />
meters and a breadth <strong>of</strong> 70 meters.<br />
16
Exceptional.<br />
Offshore.<br />
Solutions.<br />
2010: Dockwise was contracted by<br />
the Vyborg Shipyard to perform the<br />
transportation and integration operations<br />
<strong>of</strong> two 15,000 mt hulls and two 19,000<br />
mt topside structures by float-over in the<br />
area <strong>of</strong> Geoje, South Korea.<br />
2011: Dockwise’s Black Marlin was<br />
contracted for the transport and floatover<br />
installation <strong>of</strong> the 19,500 mt<br />
PPS deck for HHI as part <strong>of</strong> the PTTEP<br />
Greater Bongkot South development in<br />
the Gulf <strong>of</strong> Thailand.<br />
2012: Dockwise was contracted by HHI to install<br />
the 22,000 mt jacket and 30,000 mt topside for<br />
SHWE field at the Bay <strong>of</strong> Bengal <strong>of</strong>fshore Myanmar.<br />
The jacket was launched in 110 meters water<br />
depth, the topside, one <strong>of</strong> the heaviest in the world,<br />
was installed by means <strong>of</strong> a float-over operation.<br />
Dockwise is the contractor <strong>of</strong> choice for ocean transport, logistical management and installation solutions for<br />
exceptional projects in the <strong>of</strong>fshore industry. With our track record <strong>of</strong> marine transportation and installation <strong>of</strong> structures<br />
up to 65,000 metric tons, we strive to exceed our customers’ expectations each day. That is the reason why we have<br />
built the world’s largest, semi-submersible heavy transport vessel: the Dockwise Vanguard. With a length <strong>of</strong> 275<br />
meters and a carrying capacity <strong>of</strong> up to 117,000 dwt, we set the standard for innovation in our industry. Our success<br />
depends mainly on the expertise <strong>of</strong> our dedicated employees who create superior value by realizing the inconceivable.<br />
www.dockwise.com<br />
Realizing the Inconceivable<br />
Heavy Marine Transport • Offshore Transport & Installation • Logistical Management • Engineering Services • Offshore Installation Equipment
Extra<br />
Life <strong>of</strong> a <strong>Dutch</strong> INSEAD<br />
student in Singapore<br />
TEXT Jasper S. Knoben Photos INSEAD<br />
Introduction<br />
For those who don’t know me yet, let me introduce myself.<br />
My name is Jasper Knoben and I am from Limburg, in the<br />
south <strong>of</strong> the Netherlands. I studied Marine Engineering<br />
in Delft and worked for the strategy consulting practice <strong>of</strong><br />
Accenture for four years. Before moving to Singapore to<br />
pursue my MBA at INSEAD, I was living in Amsterdam with<br />
my fiancée, Nynke.<br />
Why INSEAD?<br />
During my studies, I participated in the UNITECH<br />
international program. This brought together eighty<br />
engineering students from the top eight European<br />
technical universities to spend one year abroad learning<br />
about business, teamwork, leadership and different<br />
cultures to prepare us for a career in business. As part <strong>of</strong><br />
that program, I spent half a year in Barcelona studying<br />
economics and half a year in China on an internship<br />
(setting up a factory in Suzhou). Needless to say, I was<br />
hooked on ‘business’ after this great year.<br />
An MBA was always on my mind as a logical next step<br />
in my personal development after my engineering degree.<br />
This would solidify my skillset in economics, marketing and<br />
finance in preparation for my next career steps. It would<br />
also help me to build a strong and international network<br />
and meet a lot <strong>of</strong> interesting and fun people from different<br />
backgrounds and countries.<br />
INSEAD stood out for multiple reasons. I wanted a<br />
school in the top ten with a very international outlook, and<br />
preferably a one-year program. INSEAD was the only school<br />
that ticked all the boxes. It is a truly international school,<br />
with over eighty nationalities in one class and a strong<br />
alumni network in countries all over the world – hence its<br />
slogan, “The Business School for the World”. I also loved<br />
the opportunity to study in both Fontainebleau (France)<br />
and Singapore, as the MBA program runs in parallel on<br />
both campuses.<br />
Last but not least, it is one <strong>of</strong> the very few one-year<br />
MBA programs. They cram 85% <strong>of</strong> the courses <strong>of</strong> a twoyear<br />
program into ten months, which makes it a pretty<br />
intense experience, but which also means that you’re<br />
closer to gaining work experience. That makes a lot<br />
<strong>of</strong> sense with the above average study duration in the<br />
Netherlands.<br />
18
Extra<br />
INSEAD Facts & Figures<br />
Why Singapore?<br />
During the time I spent in China, I was amazed by the pace<br />
at which Asia is developing. Urbanization, infrastructure,<br />
economic growth, decision making - everything seems<br />
to go so much faster in Asia compared to Europe. The<br />
people are truly driven and motivated to work hard to<br />
reach their goals and improve their lives, a drive that I see<br />
less <strong>of</strong>ten back home in Europe. I always knew I wanted<br />
to go back to Asia at some point out <strong>of</strong> admiration for this<br />
can-do attitude and drive, a pr<strong>of</strong>essional interest in growth<br />
strategy, and the opportunities that this growth presents.<br />
Singapore’s function as a hub for the region, where a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
growth is coordinated, made it a logical choice.<br />
Why ADB?<br />
After arriving in Singapore on New Year’s Eve, our first<br />
introduction with the <strong>Dutch</strong> community in Singapore was<br />
the ADB New Year’s reception the Ambassador’s residence.<br />
The openness <strong>of</strong> the ADB members in the <strong>Dutch</strong> community<br />
made it a very welcoming experience where we met a<br />
lot <strong>of</strong> interesting people and made friends immediately.<br />
The combination <strong>of</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essional relevance and a very<br />
strong social character makes ADB the default network in<br />
Singapore, and it just felt like a natural community to join.<br />
Life at INSEAD<br />
The program is structured as five periods <strong>of</strong> two months<br />
each (P1-5). The first two periods are made up <strong>of</strong> the core<br />
curriculum, and the remainder can be tailored to individual<br />
ambitions from a wide range <strong>of</strong> elective courses across all<br />
business topics. I started P1 and P2 in France and moved to<br />
Singapore for the last three periods. Some people do it the<br />
other way around, switching campus for only one or two<br />
periods, or spending the entire year on one campus. Many<br />
variations are possible. Differences between the campuses<br />
are huge. In France people live in villas, townhouses and<br />
chateaus in the villages in the Fontainebleau forest. They<br />
get around by rented cars and they cook and eat at home.<br />
In Singapore most INSEADers live in shared apartments<br />
in two condos near Buona Vista MRT (Heritage View and<br />
Dover Parkview), travel by MRT or taxi and eat downtown<br />
or at ‘yellow chairs’, the nickname <strong>of</strong> the Dover road<br />
hawker center.<br />
Classes are lively and interactive, and the variety <strong>of</strong><br />
cultures and pr<strong>of</strong>essional backgrounds makes discussions<br />
very interesting. For example, discussions on Chinese/<br />
Japanese territory conflicts (Senkaku islands) or business<br />
practices in India are a lot more interesting with people<br />
who are actually from those countries and have worked for<br />
the respective governments.<br />
While being academically engaging, INSEAD also has<br />
a work hard, play hard culture, so people <strong>of</strong>ten have<br />
to juggle their time between coursework, job hunting,<br />
traveling/social activities and sleeping. The latter is,<br />
therefore, <strong>of</strong>ten reduced to a bare minimum.<br />
Life after INSEAD<br />
A lot <strong>of</strong> people use their MBA as a pivot point in their<br />
career, switching from industry to consulting or vice versa,<br />
and then continue to work in a different country after<br />
graduation. My personal goal is to move from Amsterdam<br />
to Singapore and from consulting to a regional strategy<br />
or business development role in industry, for which I’m<br />
actively exploring opportunities.<br />
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to know<br />
more about INSEAD or my pr<strong>of</strong>essional ambitions. I look<br />
forward to seeing you at the next ADB event!<br />
*<br />
Autohuur tarieven vanaf € 23,- per dag<br />
all-in<br />
Laagste eigen risico - Geen extra verzekeringen bij aankomst - No nonsense voorwaarden<br />
www.bblcarrental.nl<br />
*28+ dagen tarief categorie A, excl. Schipholfee<br />
bb&l_2010_ad_194x61.indd 2<br />
19<br />
12/9/09 4:13:43 PM
know your tax<br />
Unravelling the Gin<br />
and Tonic Myths<br />
Text Yvette Gorter<br />
The Netherlands: tax haven?<br />
If one would ask any <strong>Dutch</strong>man whether they think <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Netherlands as a tax haven, it’s safe to say that almost all<br />
would answer ‘No’. Many would ask how a country with<br />
a top personal income tax rate <strong>of</strong> 52% ever be referred to<br />
as a tax haven? Well, the recent controversy that came to<br />
light about the ‘tax strategies’ deployed by economic giants<br />
Google, Starbucks and Amazon in the United Kingdom (UK)<br />
has also dragged the Netherlands into the spotlight. Some<br />
companies have been using the Netherlands to structure<br />
their worldwide operations in such a way that they are able<br />
to pay little or no taxes in the UK or the Netherlands. So<br />
does this make the Netherlands a tax haven?<br />
The first question that comes up is how have these<br />
companies managed to pay no taxes in the UK while selling<br />
billions <strong>of</strong> cups <strong>of</strong> c<strong>of</strong>fee or books there? In general there<br />
are two ways to reduce pr<strong>of</strong>its and thus pr<strong>of</strong>it tax: either<br />
decrease revenue or increase costs. As you can imagine, it’s<br />
not desirable to decrease revenue from sales. However, it<br />
is possible to increase costs. This can be done by increasing<br />
the amounts charged by other companies within the group<br />
that are established in a jurisdiction with a lower corporate<br />
tax rate, such as the BVI and Cayman Islands.<br />
So how the scheme works is that UK income is<br />
generated by sales in the UK, but that money flows out<br />
<strong>of</strong> the UK as a cost paid to other companies in the group,<br />
in order to decrease UK revenue. This outflow can take<br />
the form <strong>of</strong> interest or royalty payments. It is common<br />
that new companies are funded by other companies<br />
within the group to finance operations; such funds can be<br />
provided through loans, to be repaid with interest. It is<br />
also common for a company to protect its brand name or<br />
other intellectual property in a safe and stable jurisdiction,<br />
for which royalty payments would be made. But many<br />
jurisdictions will tax such payments through withholding<br />
taxes if made directly from the country where the income<br />
is generated to a ‘tax haven’ like the BVI.<br />
So this is where the Netherlands gets involved.<br />
Corporate structuring can place the Netherlands as an<br />
intermediary for such transfers. By using the tax treaties<br />
concluded by the Netherlands, the originating country<br />
(UK) reduces its withholding tax on interest and royalty<br />
payments, in some cases even down to 0%. Moreover, the<br />
Netherlands does not levy any withholding tax on interest<br />
or royalty payments made to any other country, including<br />
the BVI. The result is that only the difference (spread) in<br />
incoming royalty or interest income and outgoing expenses<br />
to the BVI is taxable in the Netherlands at 25%. In short,<br />
by interposing a company in the Netherlands, pr<strong>of</strong>its can<br />
be exported from a ‘high’ tax jurisdiction (UK) to a low tax<br />
jurisdiction (BVI).<br />
But does this make the Netherlands a tax haven? The<br />
Netherlands does not have the general characteristics <strong>of</strong><br />
a tax haven such as no or a low corporate tax on pr<strong>of</strong>its,<br />
and no withholding tax on dividend distributions to its<br />
shareholders. So on the basis <strong>of</strong> such a definition, the<br />
Netherlands is not a tax haven. However, the Netherlands<br />
can be used so as to make optimal use <strong>of</strong> the numerous<br />
tax treaties which reduce the foreign withholding taxes to<br />
0% in some cases while paying only a 25% <strong>Dutch</strong> corporate<br />
income tax on the relatively small spread, if structured in<br />
a way that there is limited economic activity and sufficient<br />
risk borne in the Netherlands. In this particular case, the<br />
Netherlands might seem like a tax haven.<br />
The question that remains is whether the Netherlands<br />
can still be used in international tax planning in light <strong>of</strong><br />
recent events? In my opinion, the Netherlands can still<br />
be used for bona fide holding activities or IP planning<br />
purposes. However, as tax authorities might begin to<br />
challenge these structures more openly due to the<br />
recent public outrage, it is essential to carefully plan and<br />
substantiate the economic activities in each jurisdiction<br />
and support this with proper documentation and sufficient<br />
substance in each company.<br />
Wij begrijpen wat u zoekt<br />
Het Nederlandse makelaarskantoor in Singapore<br />
Hester Calkhoven +65.9011.8055<br />
www.executive-homes-consultants.com<br />
20<br />
EH_ADB_BW 180x56 staff.indd 1<br />
2/7/2012 11:52:44 AM
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will forever change the way you view ultrasound as a clinical tool. Now you can see more<br />
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Bizz News<br />
Economic downturn knocked €11bn <strong>of</strong>f<br />
expected treasury income<br />
The economic downturn meant the government collected less tax than<br />
expected in 2012, according to the national accounts. The shortfall amounted<br />
to €11bn, pushing the budget deficit up to 4.1%. This is ‘directly attributable<br />
to lower growth figures’, the finance ministry said. The downturn affected<br />
all forms <strong>of</strong> tax, from income tax, corporation taxes, value added tax and the<br />
tax on house sales. The shortfall was partly <strong>of</strong>fset by a €2.6bn bonus in the<br />
form <strong>of</strong> lower government spending. In total, the government spent €24bn<br />
more last year than it generated - the equivalent <strong>of</strong> €67m a day. The European<br />
Commission said it is giving Netherlands until 2014 to get its budget deficit<br />
under control, a year past the original deadline. European commissioner Olli<br />
Rehn told a news conference the current deficit is due to the nationalisation<br />
<strong>of</strong> financial services group SNS Real and ‘economic conditions which are more<br />
serious than expected’. ‘That leads to changes in the recommendations; the<br />
deficit should be reduced to under 3% in 2014,’ Rehn said. This means further<br />
cuts will be inevitable, commentators said.<br />
More workers are<br />
worried about<br />
their job<br />
The number <strong>of</strong> workers worried<br />
about their job has doubled to 32%<br />
since 2007, the year before the<br />
financial crisis began. The figures<br />
from research institute TNO and<br />
the central statistics agency CBS<br />
show that the number <strong>of</strong> people<br />
worrying about job security has<br />
increased nearly every year since<br />
2007. In 2012 the increase was 6%<br />
year-on-year. The 50 to 60-yearolds<br />
are the biggest worriers - with<br />
40% saying they fear for their jobs.<br />
But they are also most likely to<br />
be happy at work. Three-quarters<br />
enjoy their jobs, compared with<br />
67% <strong>of</strong> workers as a whole. The<br />
oldest and youngest workers<br />
are least concerned about their<br />
employment. Some 23% <strong>of</strong> the<br />
over 60s worry about losing their<br />
job and <strong>of</strong> those under 20, just 17%<br />
are concerned about job security.<br />
<strong>Dutch</strong> unemployment rate outstrips Germany<br />
The unemployment rate in the Netherlands is now higher than that <strong>of</strong><br />
Germany, reversing the situation which has existed since the fall <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Berlin Wall, according to research by national statistics <strong>of</strong>fice CBS. Calculated<br />
according to international standards, the jobless rate in the Netherlands<br />
is now 6.4%, compared with 5.4% in Germany, the CBS said. By its own<br />
calculations, the <strong>Dutch</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficial unemployment rate is now over 8%. The main<br />
reason for the shift is that the German economy continues to grow, while the<br />
Netherlands is in recession. In Europe as a whole, the unemployment rate is<br />
over 12%.<br />
Health ministry<br />
overspent budget<br />
by €900m last year<br />
The government was €900m<br />
over budget in its spending on<br />
healthcare last year, according<br />
to the national accounts. This<br />
follows a €2bn overspend in 2011.<br />
Overspending on residential<br />
healthcare accounted for the bulk<br />
<strong>of</strong> the extra – at €662m. But the<br />
budget for medicine and medical<br />
aids showed a surplus <strong>of</strong> €930m.<br />
Financial shocks loom for thousands with investment policies<br />
Tens <strong>of</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong> people with an investment policy to pay <strong>of</strong>f their mortgage or provide a pension have no idea if<br />
the policy will actually generate enough cash, said the financial services regulator AFM. One in five <strong>of</strong> some one million<br />
policyholders do not know if their investment will generate enough money when it matures to meet their financial<br />
obligations. And <strong>of</strong> the 800,000 who are on top <strong>of</strong> their financial situation, three-quarters expect to get less money from<br />
their policy than expected, the AFM’s latest consumer survey shows.<br />
Stock exchange<br />
The economic downturn means many investment policies are likely to produce much lower returns than expected. And<br />
even though financial service firms have to update their clients every year, many people are still not aware <strong>of</strong> their own<br />
situation. The AFM is also urging financial service firms to alert clients who may be in difficulty and to recommend steps<br />
they can take to make up any shortfall. The nearer a policy is to maturing, the more difficult it will be to bring it back up to<br />
the expected financial return, the AFM says.<br />
22
Bizz News<br />
IMF chief welcomes Brussels’ approval for <strong>Dutch</strong> budget deficit delay<br />
The decision by Brussels to give the Netherlands an extra year to reduce its budget deficit to under 3% is a good one,<br />
according to Christine Lagarde, head <strong>of</strong> the International Monetary Fund. European commissioner Olli Rehn said that<br />
the Netherlands had until next year to ensure its budget deficit meets eurozone rules. ‘It is important the Netherlands<br />
meets European budgetary rules but people should not hurry unduly. I am very pleased with the European Commission’s<br />
decision to give countries more time,’ she said. However, cuts in spending are not enough, Lagarde said. The Netherlands<br />
should make it easier to start a company, more must be invested in research and development and the problems in the<br />
housing market need solving.<br />
Free public transport for poor Amsterdam<br />
pensioners<br />
Pensioners in Amsterdam with an annual income <strong>of</strong> no more than €15,112,<br />
will be able to travel free on the city’s public transport system from<br />
September. The free transport experiment will run until the end <strong>of</strong> the year.<br />
Pensioners, whatever their income, already have free public transport in<br />
several other cities, including Dordrecht, Rotterdam and Nijmegen.<br />
One third <strong>of</strong> housing corporations forego<br />
higher rent increase<br />
Around one third <strong>of</strong> housing corporations have not given an extra rent<br />
increase to high-earning tenants because they have not had enough<br />
information from the tax <strong>of</strong>fice, according to the sector’s umbrella<br />
organisation Aedes. A survey <strong>of</strong> half <strong>of</strong> the country’s 400 housing corporations<br />
showed around one in five requests for information about which income band<br />
a household fell into were not met. Two weeks ago, housing minister Stef Blok<br />
said the tax <strong>of</strong>fice did not know the income <strong>of</strong> around 5% <strong>of</strong> tenants and most<br />
<strong>of</strong> the problems have been solved. The three million people living in social<br />
housing with a current rent <strong>of</strong> up to €681 a month face an increase <strong>of</strong> at least<br />
4% this year. Tenants with an annual income over €33,614 have been given<br />
a 4.5% increase and those earning over €43,000, a 6% boost. Rents will rise<br />
again by the same percentages next year. According to the tax <strong>of</strong>fice, around<br />
25% <strong>of</strong> all housing corporation tenants have a household income <strong>of</strong> more<br />
than €33,000. Technically this means they are too well-<strong>of</strong>f to qualify for rentcontrolled<br />
housing.<br />
Tens <strong>of</strong> thousands sign up for <strong>Dutch</strong> mission<br />
to Mars<br />
The <strong>Dutch</strong> company which claims to be planning to establish a base on Mars<br />
said 78,000 people have so far applied to join the mission. The Mars One group<br />
aims to establish a colony on Mars in 2023 and has appealed for volunteers<br />
to make the one-way journey. ‘We are on target to achieve our target <strong>of</strong><br />
500,000 applications,’ spokesman and company founder Bas Lansdorp said.<br />
The deadline for applications is August 31. Many <strong>of</strong> the applications, in the<br />
form <strong>of</strong> a one-minute video clip, can be seen on the Mars One website. Most<br />
applications have come from the US, followed by China and Britain. The<br />
company says the applications will be whittled down to a shortlist <strong>of</strong> 28 to 40 in<br />
2014. The winners will then undergo a seven-year training programme and the<br />
final team will be chosen by public vote. Despite much scepticism, Mars One<br />
says it has developed a realistic road map and financing plan for the project<br />
based on existing technologies and that the mission is perfectly feasible. Much<br />
<strong>of</strong> the funding would apparently come from the broadcast rights.<br />
Inflation fell in<br />
April<br />
The <strong>Dutch</strong> inflation rate dropped<br />
from 2.9% in March to 2.6% in<br />
April, according to figures from the<br />
central statistics agency CBS. Much<br />
<strong>of</strong> the improvement came from<br />
a drop in petrol prices, which fell<br />
by 7 cents to an average €1.74 a<br />
litre. However, inflation remains at<br />
a 10 year high due to increases in<br />
energy prices, the introduction <strong>of</strong><br />
insurance tax and the rise in valueadded<br />
tax (btw). The Netherlands<br />
still has one <strong>of</strong> the highest inflation<br />
rates in the eurozone, says the CBS.<br />
Councils fail to cut<br />
spending on jobless<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficials<br />
Efforts by local councils to curb<br />
the special unemployment<br />
benefits paid to politicians are<br />
failing. Despite tougher rules,<br />
the 30 biggest <strong>Dutch</strong> local<br />
authorities spent more than €4m<br />
last year on payments to former<br />
council aldermen. Apeldoorn<br />
has the biggest bill – paying out<br />
€675,000 last year, an increase <strong>of</strong><br />
€200,000 on 2011. The situation<br />
in Rotterdam and Amsterdam<br />
last year is still unclear, the<br />
paper said. In 2011, Rotterdam<br />
spent €220,000 on the benefit,<br />
known as wachtgeld, or waiting<br />
money. Amsterdam spent more<br />
than €2.7m. The new rules say<br />
people who have held political<br />
<strong>of</strong>fice will now receive benefits<br />
for a maximum three years, two<br />
months – the same length <strong>of</strong> time<br />
as unemployment benefit is paid.<br />
Until now they have had benefits<br />
for four years.<br />
23
Column<br />
Labor Day<br />
by Richard Soemita<br />
Normally, after celebrating Queen’s Day, I wake up the next<br />
morning with a massive hangover thinking what to write<br />
on my placard for the protest march. Would it be ‘Increase<br />
Minimum Wages’, ‘More Power to the Unions’ or something<br />
more radical like ‘We want a new Den Uyl’? On my way<br />
to the protest march I would also buy some petrol for my<br />
empty beer bottles and old motorbike tires from the bicycle<br />
shop down by my canal. After all, it can’t be a good protest<br />
without a good fight with the Military Police and the burning<br />
<strong>of</strong> tires. So this year I was very happy to hear that Singapore<br />
would have its own Labor Day ‘event’ at Hong Lim Park,<br />
which this is also known as Speakers Corner. My wife told me<br />
that she would only escort me if I put on the Singaporean<br />
national costume (burms, T-shirt and flip-flops) and leave all<br />
my ‘accessories’ at home. This would be the first May Day<br />
rally in Singapore’s history and I was getting very excited to<br />
see how NTUC would rally workers to the park to listen to<br />
their speeches. However, when we got there I was in total<br />
shock to see the entire field converted to a huge picnic feast<br />
with children running around and aunties stuffing their faces<br />
with snacks. Where were the radicals, the police charges,<br />
black smoke from burning tires and the good old smell <strong>of</strong><br />
teargas and stinging eyes? Of course this only happens in<br />
Europe. Let me explain to you some interesting facts about<br />
HL Park and the ‘rules’ governing Speakers’ Corner.<br />
In Singapore, Speakers’ Corner is an area located<br />
within Hong Lim Park where people can demonstrate,<br />
hold exhibitions and performances, and speak freely on<br />
most topics. It was launched on 1 September 2000 as a<br />
“free speech area” where speaking events could be held<br />
without the need to apply for a license under the Public<br />
Entertainments Act, now the Public Entertainments and<br />
Meetings Act (“PEMA”). However, it was necessary for<br />
people to register their intention to speak at the venue with<br />
a police <strong>of</strong>ficer at the Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post<br />
any time within 30 days before the event, though there<br />
was no requirement for the police to be informed <strong>of</strong> the<br />
topic <strong>of</strong> the proposed speech. Other conditions imposed<br />
were that speeches had to take place between 7:00 a.m.<br />
and 7:00 p.m., and the use <strong>of</strong> sound amplification devices<br />
was prohibited. In 2002, exhibitions and performances<br />
were permitted to be held at Speakers’ Corner. Conditions<br />
for use were further liberalized in 2008. Responsibility for<br />
registering people wishing to speak or stage an exhibition or<br />
performance was taken over by the Commissioner <strong>of</strong> Parks<br />
and Recreation, and online registration was introduced.<br />
It became possible to hold demonstrations provided they<br />
were organized by Singapore citizens and the participants<br />
were citizens and permanent residents. Events can now<br />
be held around the clock, and self-powered amplification<br />
devices like loudhailers may be used between 9:00 a.m.<br />
and 10:30 p.m. In <strong>July</strong> 2009, the police installed CCTV<br />
cameras for “safety and security”. The police said that the<br />
cameras complemented the presence <strong>of</strong> their <strong>of</strong>ficers on<br />
the ground and did not record audio inputs. On 1 December<br />
2009, the size <strong>of</strong> Speakers’ Corner was reduced so that it<br />
now occupies only half <strong>of</strong> Hong Lim Park. The number <strong>of</strong><br />
groups registering to stage events at Speakers’ Corner fell<br />
from 39 between September 2008 and August 2009, to 9<br />
between September 2009 and August 2010. The number<br />
<strong>of</strong> individuals registering dropped from 102 to 57 during<br />
the same period. According to the authorities its use has<br />
declined because there are now other avenues for people<br />
to express themselves such as the internet (including the<br />
Government’s online feedback portal Reach), newspapers,<br />
radio and television. Also the authorities say that people<br />
might feel that the venue is not always the best place “to<br />
meaningfully and constructively express their views on<br />
issues”. Nowadays Speakers’ Corner plays the same role as<br />
envisaged …. mostly dormant but good to have.<br />
Then the afternoon changed. Finally speakers entered<br />
the stage, banners were hung showing ‘Sign NO to 6.9<br />
million population’ and more people gathered with placards<br />
showing slogans like, “Singapore for Singaporeans” and<br />
‘Save Singapore’. What I thought would be a protest for<br />
the underpaid workers and fight for more social rights<br />
changed to a second protest against the latest White Papers!<br />
I was totally disappointed, especially when I found out<br />
that foreigners were not invited. Then someone tried to<br />
interrupt the speakers. The crowd obviously thought this<br />
was a foreigner and chanted, ‘Go home, Go home’. Later it<br />
appeared that this was a Singaporean who wanted to start a<br />
proper debate, as you do in a speakers’ corner. The speeches<br />
all had the same message - do not let any more foreigners<br />
into Singapore. But the most remarkable line I heard was,<br />
‘Most <strong>of</strong> our ancestors came from other countries and<br />
settled in Singapore, but we DO NOT want this country to be<br />
ruled by immigrants!’<br />
A few days later I was at Kranji War cemetery for the 4<br />
May commemoration. There lie 24,000 men and women<br />
from United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, India,<br />
Malaya, the Netherlands and New Zealand who died<br />
defending Singapore against the invading Japanese forces<br />
during World War II. Without the hard labor <strong>of</strong> foreign<br />
workers, Singapore would not be what it is today, which<br />
brings me to the placard I will design for next year -<br />
‘Remember Kranji, WE also fought and died for you!’<br />
24
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Travel<br />
Destination: Myanmar<br />
Text and Photos Frank Kuijsters<br />
Before we left on our trip to Myanmar, I had read<br />
extensively about this Southeast Asian country, and not<br />
just because its history <strong>of</strong> military dictatorship demands<br />
due diligence from travelers. Owing to how fast things have<br />
been changing, nothing I read had actually prepared me.<br />
Most everything I experienced - from the relentless street<br />
scene in Yangon to the serene temples <strong>of</strong> Bagan, the touristy<br />
monasteries <strong>of</strong> Mandalay and the amazing floating gardens<br />
at Lake Inle - was more complex, vibrant and pr<strong>of</strong>ound than<br />
I had imagined. It was the type <strong>of</strong> holiday where your brain<br />
is on all the time, because everything you see invites further<br />
questions. If things continue to change as fast as they have<br />
been, it will be different to visit even six months from now.<br />
Since the contested elections in 2010, Myanmar - under<br />
sanctions from the U.S. and Europe for decades - has been<br />
steadily moving towards democratic change. What began<br />
as a whisper <strong>of</strong> transformation has grown louder as timid,<br />
but extraordinarily hopeful signs point toward a lasting shift.<br />
The release <strong>of</strong> longtime opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi,<br />
known as the Lady, from house arrest in 2010 was a marker<br />
for me. Just three years ago locals were not able to access<br />
online blogs, could not exchange U.S. dollars and could get<br />
into a lot <strong>of</strong> trouble for distributing pictures <strong>of</strong> the Lady or<br />
her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). Now,<br />
the country is open and her pictures are sold openly. Obama<br />
has visited. Boycotts have been lifted, and everyone wants<br />
to rush in to see the land that Kipling immortalized in poetry<br />
before it becomes too Westernized.<br />
Travelers are right to want to go, but not if they are the<br />
kind who want to stay in fancy hotels and check <strong>of</strong>f major<br />
sights robotically. The infrastructure remains primitive with<br />
more than half <strong>of</strong> the city <strong>of</strong> Yangon commonly still without<br />
power. Credit cards are accepted almost nowhere. The first<br />
ATMs are just arriving; we went to an <strong>of</strong>fice building where<br />
the money exchangers were set up between curio shops and<br />
the exchange rates were different for brand new and worn<br />
bills. Most <strong>of</strong> the time they don’t even except worn US$<br />
bills. However, adventurous souls who can handle changes<br />
in plan, are open to discovery and appreciate the magic <strong>of</strong><br />
foreign encounters will find themselves enchanted.<br />
On the first day <strong>of</strong> our eight-day tour through Myanmar<br />
we went to the legendary Shwegadon Pagodain Yangon. A<br />
massive gold stupa rising more than 330 feet into the sky<br />
sits at the center <strong>of</strong> dozens <strong>of</strong> smaller temples. Some were<br />
painted with murals depicting stories <strong>of</strong> Buddha; others<br />
were adorned with mirrors and tiles and still others were<br />
filled with gold Buddhas. There were even pulsing electrical<br />
neon Buddhas. Young and old came to pour water over the<br />
Buddhas at stations for each day <strong>of</strong> the week or to make<br />
gold leaf <strong>of</strong>ferings to Buddha, like we did, or to pray, or even<br />
take strolls with their lovers or children. We were among the<br />
many Westerners in the vast complex that wanted to watch<br />
the changes <strong>of</strong> the color <strong>of</strong> the Pagoda in the sunset. This<br />
was for us one <strong>of</strong> the highlights <strong>of</strong> Yangon. Luckily, we also<br />
caught glimpses <strong>of</strong> the crumbling grand colonial buildings,<br />
which may or may not be preserved as foreign investment<br />
pours into the city.<br />
The next day we flew up to Began after a two-hour delay<br />
due to fog, to the land <strong>of</strong> one thousand temples, but its<br />
fields are really strewn with many thousands <strong>of</strong> temples.<br />
Bagan, like Luxor or Angkor Wat, cannot be comprehended<br />
until you see it in person. In every direction rise the spires<br />
<strong>of</strong> stupas in varying degrees <strong>of</strong> decay, like ancient prayers<br />
laid in brick and left over for centuries. The place is known<br />
as the birthplace <strong>of</strong> Theravada Buddhism. The temples and<br />
stupas were built in the era between the 11th and 13th<br />
centuries, and still exist today as a National Heritage Site on<br />
the banks <strong>of</strong> the Ayeyarwady river. It is impossible to see all<br />
the amazing Pagodas and therefore it is necessary to select<br />
a few outstanding Pagodas to see in detail. The highlights<br />
are Ananda Temple, Manuha, Nanphaya, Wet Gyi In Gu<br />
Pyauk Gyi, Shwezigone Stupa, Mingalar Zedi, Damayangyi<br />
26
Travel<br />
Temple, Sulamani Temple and Damarazika Stupa. Shwe San<br />
Daw, Bupaya, Lawkananda and Mingalar Stupas are famous<br />
for good sunset views. Besides that, we also visited many<br />
stupas, we talked with many very friendly locals trying to sell<br />
souvenirs, had lovely dinners and we had a beautiful private<br />
sunset cruise on Ayeyarwaddy River.<br />
After two night in Bagan we had our one hour flight to<br />
Mandalay. Mandalay is the second capital <strong>of</strong> Myanmar and<br />
it was the last capital <strong>of</strong> the Myanmar kingdoms before<br />
the British Empire took control. Gold leaf beating, tapestry,<br />
turnery, marble stone carving, silk weaving and gold smiths<br />
are worth visiting if you are interested. Mandalay, as a<br />
town, is not as attractive as others in the country, but we<br />
loved walking around the market. We were almost the<br />
only foreigners walking there; we were invited to try the<br />
local food, we bought some great shopping bags and other<br />
local souvenirs, and chatted with many vendors about<br />
their products. Besides the almost half day we spend<br />
in the market, we had a very relaxing boat tour on the<br />
Ayeyarwaddy River to the small town <strong>of</strong>f Mingun. We visited<br />
Mandalay Palace, Mandalay Hill, the old Mandalay palace<br />
and moat, the longest teak wood foot bridge, the touristy<br />
Bargaya Monastery and the amazing serene and more quiet<br />
Shwe Kyaung Monastery.<br />
Our next stop was Inle Lake. The closest airport is Heho,<br />
which is approximately a one-hour taxi-ride away from Inle<br />
Lake. Inle Lake is situated 900 meters above sea level and<br />
is surrounded by blue and hazy mountain ranges. There are<br />
about 100,000 people inhibiting Inle Lake and its shores. It<br />
is 22 kilometers in length and 10 kilometers at the widest<br />
point. Various tribal (e.g. Intha, Pa-O and Shan) people’s<br />
daily life and markets, the leg rowing Intha fishermen and<br />
the floating gardens are the main tourist attraction.<br />
Market days in Shan State are most attractive to tourists<br />
who love to see the daily lives <strong>of</strong> ethnic people. The Market<br />
is not held daily in certain places, but is held every five days.<br />
The Feudal Lord <strong>of</strong> Shan State invented the system. The<br />
distance between the villages and the market places is quite<br />
big, so sellers and buyers cannot come to the market places<br />
everyday. This five-day market system is convenient to local<br />
people as well as to the sellers. The market rotates from<br />
one village to another and comes back every five days to<br />
each place. Markets in Shan State also double as community<br />
centers where people meet friends from other villages and<br />
exchange news. Food, beverages and most necessities can<br />
be bought at the markets. The markets are colourful, and<br />
tribal people wearing their traditional costumes can be<br />
seen. Visitors should not miss the market day while being in<br />
Shan State.<br />
The Intha people row their boats with their legs. It is<br />
more powerful and more suitable to use their traditional<br />
fishing method by putting a conical shaped fishing trap into<br />
the lake. In addition they can see ahead by standing in reedy<br />
areas. The Intha are the only tribe who row their boats with<br />
their legs.<br />
These floating gardens are formed naturally from the<br />
mixture <strong>of</strong> hyacinth, buoyancy and some decaying roots, and<br />
are anchored with bamboo poles in the shallow lake. Mainly<br />
tomatoes and gourds are planted on the floating gardens.<br />
After two night nights at Inle Lake we flew back to<br />
Yangon and then to Singapore. Eight days in Myanmar is<br />
not enough, but it gave us a great experience <strong>of</strong> life in this<br />
beautiful country. We look back on a wonderful experience<br />
and advise you to go as soon as you can to experience this<br />
complex, vibrant, pr<strong>of</strong>ound and beautiful country.<br />
For more info on travelling to Myanmar:<br />
• www.myanmartravel.com/<br />
• www.lonelyplanet.com/myanmar-burma<br />
• www.travelmyanmar.com<br />
27
Not to miss<br />
HIGH CLASS<br />
5-14 Jul<br />
Who wants to be Singapore’s next top tai tai?<br />
A wicked comedy inspired by the ditzy rom-coms <strong>of</strong> the ‘50s & ‘60s, where<br />
earnest young girls did their darnedest to find themselves millionaire husbands.<br />
Set in modern-day Singapore, the story here revolves around five very different<br />
Cinderellas who end up on a reality TV show hoping to find and marry Mr Rich.<br />
Their fairy godmother is Alexis, the newly-divorced (and wealthily-minted)<br />
socialite who decides to groom these women to infiltrate the ranks <strong>of</strong> high society.<br />
More Information www.sistic.com.sg<br />
Ballet Under the Stars<br />
19-21 Jul and 26-28 Jul<br />
Immerse yourself in the perfect evening at Singapore Dance Theatre’s (SDT)<br />
18th Edition <strong>of</strong> the annual Ballet Under the Stars. In the year <strong>of</strong> SDT’s 25th<br />
Anniversary, the Company will be presenting two enchanting weekends <strong>of</strong> Ballet<br />
Under the Stars. From 19 – 21 <strong>July</strong>, SDT will perform a dazzling showcase <strong>of</strong><br />
contemporary dance works, featuring guest artists from Australia’s Expressions<br />
Dance Company as as stunning pieces from the Company’s repertoire. From 26 –<br />
28 <strong>July</strong>, SDT will revive the heart-wrenching romantic tale <strong>of</strong> Giselle a classical.<br />
More Information www.sistic.com.sg<br />
Drum Tao<br />
2-4 Aug<br />
Come celebrate the 20 years <strong>of</strong> Drum Tao this August as they bring their<br />
celebration to Singapore! Seen by over 20 countries, 400 cities, 5.5 million<br />
spectators worldwide, and received rave reviews by audiences and media, Drum<br />
Tao has touched the hearts <strong>of</strong> many with their dynamic drumming and beautiful<br />
choreography. Using not only Japanese drum but also with other Japanese<br />
traditional instruments such as three strings Japanese guitar, bamboo flute,<br />
and Japanese harp, TAO presents an unprecedented and timeless drumming<br />
performance that brings a brand new genre to the stage.<br />
More Information www.sistic.com.sg<br />
Franz Schubert un(Finished) Piano Sonatas<br />
23-24 Aug<br />
“to continue where Schubert stops…”<br />
British Pianist-Composer, Neil Crossland, was deeply inspired while listening to<br />
the first movement <strong>of</strong> Schubert’s unfinished piano sonata in F-sharp minor D.571.<br />
Of the 21 piano sonatas <strong>of</strong> Franz Schubert, 7 were left unfinished. Based on<br />
Schubert’s materials and in a Schubertian fashion, Neil Crossland, had completed<br />
all 7 unfinished piano sonatas and would be performing them across two<br />
evenings. During the concert, the point where the page-turner lifts up her hand is<br />
precisely where Schubert had stopped; and where Crossland had picked up.<br />
More Information www.sistic.com.sg<br />
28
Embassy ANd ADB News<br />
Tour Singapore | NDT 2<br />
Nederlands Dans Theater 2 goes on tour to Singapore on <strong>July</strong> 12 th and<br />
13 th <strong>2013</strong>. They will perform Gods & Dogs van Jiří Kylián, Shutters Shut<br />
en Subject to Change van Sol León & Paul Lightfoot en Left Right Left<br />
Right van Alexander Ekman.<br />
Job seekers / Internship<br />
Name : Marjon Huizing<br />
Tel. no. : +65 9864 4905<br />
Email : mhuizing@exceleratetalent.com<br />
Study:<br />
• MsC International Business - Strategy & Organisation,<br />
and HRM;<br />
• Organisational Psychology<br />
Specialization: HR, Learning & Development,<br />
Organisational Development, Change management,<br />
Strategy, Coaching and Project Management<br />
Working experience:<br />
• Over 7 years HR generalist experience;<br />
• Ran an international HR consultancy, training, and<br />
coaching organisation in London (Excelerate Talent);<br />
• Worked for a number <strong>of</strong> years for Deloitte in the<br />
Netherlands Antilles as HR and Strategy consultant and<br />
in the Netherlands as Change and Strategy consultant.<br />
Looking for: A challenging and dynamic role as HR<br />
Business Partner or HR manager role with a focus on L&D,<br />
OD, change or talent management or a People and Change<br />
Consultancy role. Availability: immediately.<br />
For more information: http://nl.linkedin.com/in/marjonhuizing<br />
Name : Igor Madzura<br />
Age : 23<br />
Tel. no. : +31 624825838 (O)<br />
Email : igormadzura@gmail.com<br />
Study:<br />
• BSc. International Business (one semester at the<br />
University <strong>of</strong> Hong Kong)<br />
• MSc Strategic Management (graduating 07-<strong>2013</strong>)<br />
Specialization: Project Management, Strategic<br />
Management, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing-Sales<br />
Working experience:<br />
• Chairman Integrand Tilburg: Internship mediator for<br />
academic students<br />
• B2B Sales assistant at Quintiq: SCP&O S<strong>of</strong>tware<br />
multinational<br />
• Project Management assistant at Rewin NV<br />
• Several student committees during the length <strong>of</strong> the<br />
studies<br />
Looking for: Looking for a new challenge to gain<br />
additional work experience. I would prefer project<br />
management/ something entrepreneurial, yet I’m open<br />
minded and flexible as long as the learning curve is<br />
steep!<br />
Name : Floor Weenen<br />
Age : 24<br />
Tel. no : +31 644031919 (O)<br />
Email : floor_weenen@hotmail.com<br />
Study: MSc Business Studies, Major in Marketing, Minor<br />
in International Management.<br />
Specialization: Marketing, International Management,<br />
International Strategy, Sustainability.<br />
Working experience:<br />
• Marketing/Sales/PR internship at the social enterprise<br />
ONEforONE. Being proactive and innovative was<br />
essential here.<br />
• Learned to be self-steering and flexible during<br />
volunteers work in India: English teacher, development<br />
<strong>of</strong> education material and conducting research at a<br />
campus for physically and mentally disabled children.<br />
• Used and further developed my leadership skills as<br />
president <strong>of</strong> my student sorority.<br />
Looking for: Being a very analytical and<br />
communicative person with a true passion for marketing,<br />
strategy and challenging environments I am looking for<br />
an inspiring internship to apply and further develop<br />
my skills in (one <strong>of</strong>) my fields <strong>of</strong> interests. Preferably in<br />
a multinational or FMCG, but I am interested in other<br />
options as well.<br />
Available from 01/08/<strong>2013</strong> onwards. Period: 6 months<br />
29
ADB News<br />
Hello,<br />
My name is Ay Wen and I have just joined the ADB board.<br />
Two years ago my husband and I arrived in Singapore<br />
with our two kids. I was sent on a 2-year secondment<br />
by PwC Netherlands and lead the FS post-deal services<br />
practice in Singapore. We support our clients with the<br />
integration <strong>of</strong> organisations after a merger or acquisition.<br />
We also provide carve out / divestment assistance.<br />
Although I mainly focus on Financial Services, I get<br />
involved in other regional restructuring programs outside<br />
the financial services industry as well.<br />
I have just extended my contract because we enjoy<br />
Singapore so much and are not yet ready to leave. Even<br />
after two years it still feels as if we have only just arrived.<br />
There is so much to see and do. The kids love it here<br />
and we enjoy the good food and our trips in the region.<br />
An additional bonus is that I get to see my family in<br />
Indonesia more <strong>of</strong>ten now that we live so close by.<br />
There are certain things I still haven’t gotten used to,<br />
like the freezing temperatures in <strong>of</strong>fices and shopping<br />
malls, especially when it rains. However I am now so<br />
‘ingeburgerd’, I permanently have a woollen shawl in my<br />
drawer and an umbrella in my bag.<br />
Since coming to Singapore my husband and I started<br />
reliving our youth, (or is it a mid-life crisis?). He picked<br />
up his old passion for BMX riding and enjoys East Coast’s<br />
Extreme Park and I started skateboarding. When my<br />
daughter mentioned she wanted to go skateboarding,<br />
I thought it would be nice to join her and take classes<br />
together. Since then, it has become an addiction and I<br />
like to devote some time every week to skateboarding<br />
and forgetting about everything else.<br />
I joined ADB about a year ago to get connected<br />
with more people outside <strong>of</strong> family, school and work. I<br />
personally enjoy ADB events for its relaxed atmosphere<br />
and the diversity <strong>of</strong> people I meet. I look forward to<br />
contributing to the events and would like to encourage<br />
anyone who has a good idea for the ADB to let me /<br />
us know. Tell us how we can make ADB even better<br />
and more attractive to you, our members. I am looking<br />
forward to meeting many <strong>of</strong> you at the upcoming events.<br />
Dear ADB members,<br />
Entering a new world was what we did when 1.5 years<br />
ago my husband Theo, our 4 month old daughter Veerle<br />
and I set foot on Singaporean soil for the first time. After<br />
we had settled in, it was time for me to set up my own<br />
business, I Interim – a Marketing, Communication &<br />
Project Management company. I started working for<br />
Dining City which is an ongoing project. In addition to<br />
that, I focus on other projects and am now ready to start<br />
working for ADB. For me, it’s important I have a click<br />
with an organization and its people, and that I am able to<br />
contribute to improving the company.<br />
Having said that, when I was asked to take over from<br />
Lineke at ADB, I knew immediately that it was the right<br />
decision. I totally support the mission <strong>of</strong> ADB and I am<br />
happy that I will be connecting <strong>Dutch</strong> business people in<br />
Singapore. After having had our first board meeting, I’m<br />
even more convinced I made the right decision as the<br />
ADB board consists <strong>of</strong> a great group <strong>of</strong> people, all with<br />
interesting backgrounds and many ideas to represent the<br />
wishes and expectations <strong>of</strong> our members. And I’m proud<br />
to be part <strong>of</strong> that.<br />
After completing my studies at the Hotelschool, The<br />
Hague, and then gaining a Marketing degree, I ended<br />
up working mostly in PR, Communications, Marketing<br />
& Project Management. The Service industry is still a<br />
passion and I strongly believe that the key to success is<br />
in taking the interests <strong>of</strong> the guest or client as a starting<br />
point.<br />
My first focus, in this new role, will be on membership<br />
subscriptions and everything related to that. I will<br />
continue the job done so well by Lineke over the past<br />
nine years and will carry on “modernizing” this.<br />
Secondly, I will try to focus on projects related to<br />
making ADB more relevant to you as members. From<br />
30
ADB News<br />
Dear ADB members,<br />
It’s a great pleasure to introduce myself as a new<br />
member <strong>of</strong> the ADB Board!<br />
My name is Nynke and I was born and raised in<br />
Friesland (which explains the spelling <strong>of</strong> my name). I<br />
studied Business Economics in Groningen and Sweden.<br />
After graduation and a few months in Spain learning<br />
Spanish, I started working for Capgemini Consulting<br />
and moved to Amsterdam. As a management<br />
consultant, I initially focused on investment analysis<br />
and value-based decision-making. However, after<br />
realising I had a strong interest in business innovation<br />
and growth, I transferred to the Strategy & Innovation<br />
team. Ever since, my pr<strong>of</strong>essional drive has been<br />
to initiate, improve and expand an organization’s<br />
market footprint through new products, markets and<br />
especially business models.<br />
When Jasper, my fiancé, was accepted as an INSEAD<br />
MBA student, this gave us the chance to move to<br />
Singapore. With the emerging markets on its doorstep<br />
and many regional MNC headquarters, Singapore has<br />
innovation and growth written all over it. We decided to<br />
move abroad for a few years and arrived in Singapore on<br />
28 December 2012. We were just in time to celebrate<br />
New Year’s Eve in temperatures above 25 o C. Being the<br />
comfortable bubble Singapore is, we settled in quickly.<br />
I started job hunting, looking for market development<br />
and business innovation roles (I’m still open to<br />
opportunities), and discovered a great new sport called<br />
dragon boat racing. I also found out very quickly that my<br />
love for wine is quite an expensive one here!<br />
Being new in a foreign country, one <strong>of</strong> the obvious<br />
places to turn to is the <strong>Dutch</strong> community. The New Year<br />
event at the Embassy was a great way to get to know<br />
people and to start building a (business) network. As<br />
a loyal ADB participant ever since, I am happy to play<br />
my part now and to give new arrivals to Singapore the<br />
same s<strong>of</strong>t landing that I was given. As the board member<br />
for Membership, my goal is to ensure both new and<br />
current members feel connected, that relevant events<br />
are <strong>of</strong>fered and that a sound and active membership<br />
base is maintained. Your input is, <strong>of</strong> course, invaluable,<br />
so feel free to contact me at any time with suggestions<br />
or comments.<br />
I look forward to meeting in person and having a chat!<br />
Kind regards,<br />
Nynke<br />
website to Linkedin, from events to anything else which<br />
may follow from the survey which many <strong>of</strong> you filled out.<br />
On a more personal note, I got married in 2010 with<br />
Theo and gave birth to our little sweetheart Veerle in <strong>July</strong><br />
2011. This summer she’s looking forward to having a little<br />
baby brother. Aside from my work, I enjoy watching our<br />
daughter becoming a big girl, spending time with family<br />
and friends, traveling where possible and developing other<br />
interests.<br />
I look forward to meeting you soon but in the<br />
meantime, feel free to reach out to me if you have any<br />
questions. Sharing your thoughts with us is THE way to<br />
make sure ADB is relevant to its members.<br />
Cheers,<br />
Zsuzsika Oostinjen – Belovics<br />
31
ADB News<br />
SUMMER IN THE CITY<br />
27 Jun<br />
The temperature is rising (well, especially the humidity),<br />
vacations are being planned and the Great Singapore Sale is<br />
about to start.<br />
Yes, there is no denying it, summer is coming! To kick <strong>of</strong>f<br />
the summer season together, ADB is organizing the Summer<br />
in the City social. We will keep the location secret for just<br />
a bit longer, but we promise great food, cool drinks and a<br />
sunny atmosphere!<br />
We look forward to seeing you on the 27 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong>.<br />
Date : 27 <strong>June</strong><br />
Time : 8pm - 10pm<br />
Location : To be confirmed<br />
RSVP : Will be included in the invitation<br />
Bronze sponsors:<br />
New members<br />
Adriaan Smits, Thales<br />
Bart Beune, NTS Group<br />
Eric Jan Bakker, Astrium Services<br />
Femke Hellemons, Adecco Personnel<br />
Pte Ltd<br />
Halbe Veenstra, BAM International BV<br />
Henricus van de Kerkh<strong>of</strong><br />
Hubertus Elffers, Shutdown Control BV<br />
Jaap Willems, Schroders Investment<br />
Management<br />
Jan van Schaik, Ensinger International<br />
GmbH<br />
Jan-Willem Adrian, EBI Consultancy<br />
Jasper Knoben<br />
Joyce Campagna van Saane, Van<br />
Saane Pte Ltd<br />
Julie Beusmans<br />
Marion van IJzendoorn, Vitasin Pte Ltd<br />
Marjon Huizing, Excelerate Talent<br />
Naoual Haddouch, Nexus Business<br />
Services<br />
Paul Van Doodeweerd<br />
Paula Kant, InsightAsia Research<br />
Group Pte Ltd<br />
Raul van Ree, Martifer Solar<br />
Singapore Pte Ltd<br />
Sander Laugs, Saxo Capital Markets<br />
Pte Ltd<br />
Simone Driessen<br />
Zornica Zafirova, INSEAD<br />
Leaving members<br />
Jasper Doornbos<br />
Marieke Ghijsen<br />
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE<br />
Frank Kuijsters, Chief Editor<br />
Aleid van der Schier<br />
Arthur Claringbould<br />
Jacinta Noonan<br />
Petra Pronk<br />
Richard Soemita<br />
Zsuzsika Oostinjen - Belovics<br />
SECRETARIAT<br />
Zsuzsika Oostinjen - Belovics<br />
MAILING ADDRESS<br />
ADB Singapore<br />
c/o 22 Camden Park<br />
Singapore 299814<br />
Telephone: +65 8189 8529<br />
Email: adb@adb.org.sg<br />
WEBSITE www.adb.org.sg<br />
DESIGN<br />
Jennifer Phua<br />
PRINTER Khoo Sun Printing Pte Ltd<br />
MITA 373/03/2001<br />
This magazine is distributed free <strong>of</strong><br />
charge to all members and relations<br />
<strong>of</strong> the ADB.<br />
We invite members to contribute to<br />
the next issue.<br />
The contents <strong>of</strong> this magazine are<br />
partly based on information received<br />
from third parties. The Committee<br />
does not take responsibility for the<br />
correctness <strong>of</strong> the articles.<br />
Membership fee is S$ 125 per<br />
calendar year. For registration, please<br />
see the website www.adb.org.sg<br />
Membership is renewed<br />
automatically effective the first<br />
month <strong>of</strong> the new calendar year.<br />
Make your cheque payable to<br />
“ADB Singapore” and send to ADB,<br />
c/o 22 Camden Park, Singapore<br />
299814.<br />
Termination <strong>of</strong> membership must<br />
be received by ADB Secretariat in<br />
writing before 1 January. If there<br />
are any changes in your personal<br />
particulars, please update your<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ile in the Macoocoo-system.<br />
32
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