October - November 2012 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

Association of Dutch Businesspeople in Singapore
www.adb.org.sg
Oct/Nov
2 0 1 2
Event
ADB Dinner & Dance 2.0
MITA 373/03/2001
Business
Project-based working in Singapore
Extra
NCA supporting local charities

PROLOGUE
Board Members
THE AFTER PARTY…
Mark Leenders
President
Market Director South East Asia,
Greater China and Korea Nespresso
Marleen Dieleman
Vice President
Visiting fellow NUS Business School
Raymond Hofstede
Honorary Secretary
Attorney-at-Law Loyens Loeff
Martijn Schouten
Honorary Treasurer
Business Development Manager
Vopak
Frank Kuijsters
Member / Chief Editor
Director Digne Consult Asia Pacific
Nico Derksen
Member
Director International Tax
Management
Rinske Bloemendal
Member
Senior Medical Receptionist
International Medical Clinic
Jan Benes
Member
Business Development Director
Philips Healthcare APAC
Secretariat
Lineke van Nederpelt
Executive Assistant
IMCD Asia
The Dutch Elections
September 12, 2012: the preliminary result back home
is 41-39-15-13-15-12, with the other 5 parties sharing
the rest of the 150 seats in our soon to be inaugurated
Parliament on Thursday 20 September. Some cheer, others
reflect. Let’s wait to see what happens next, as this is
all still very fresh. One thing is sure, in these turbulent
times our country needs to move forward. I wish all those
involved wisdom and patience to form a new coalition
soonest.
Heavenly White Dinner/Dance
What is also still very fresh in our minds is our wonderful
Dinner and Dance evening ‘Heavenly White’, in the Chijmes
chapel on 25 August. Over 100 ADB members and their
partners used their imagination and creativity to come
glamorously dressed in all hues of white to celebrate and
enjoy each other’s company during a fantastic evening in
this gorgeous setting. The event pictures in this edition of
the ADB magazine say more than a thousand words, so
I will let you judge for yourself if you missed the event.
No worries, next year’s organizing committee of the 2013
Dinner and Dance will have a challenge to outperform the
2012 version of this yearly milestone in ADB’s program.
The highlight of the evening was the raffle, resulting in a
net amount of S$ 3155 that we are proud to donate to the
Netherlands Charity Association.
The ADB Board
I am also happy to announce that Jan Benes has joined
the Board of ADB as a new member. Jan and Nico Derksen
will co-chair the sponsoring committee, enabling ADB to
continue its rich program throughout the year, satisfying
the needs of many of our members to interact and connect
in various pleasant settings.
The Board is still looking for an enthusiastic new member
with good penmanship to take over the duties of our the
Honorary Secretary. If you are interested and have a few
hours of spare time each month, please volunteer for this
open position. Just let Lineke know about your interest in
this position via adb@pacific.net.sg
“The ADB provides opportunities for Dutch business
people to meet, interact and share knowledge by
means of company visits, lectures, networking events
and membership communications.”
Mark Leenders
1

Contents
Vol. 22 / No. 6 / Oct-Nov 2012
Prologue 1 By Mark Leenders, ADB President
Events 3 ADB Dinner & Dance 2.0
6 An evening with Steve “Petrol-head” Slater
Business 7 Apps reviewed – DocuSign Ink and Beepmo
8 Sustainability & business: China
10 A learn journey to excellence
Interview with Jolle IJkema, Regional Director LEAN Asia Pacific
at CEVA Logistics
12 Project-based working in Singapore
14 Interview with Marcel van Doremaele, CEO Rabobank Singapore
16 Can you learn Charisma?
Column 17 Is there a unique Singaporean identity?
Extra 18 NCA supporting local charities: Thank You ADB!
19 A review of the Dutch elections from Singapore’s mail
polling station
Bizz News 20 Dutch business news
Know your tax 22 The flexibilisation of ‘b.V.’ Law
nOt to miss 24 Things to do in Singapore
Embassy News 25 Latest news by the Dutch Embassy
adB News 26 Announcements, member info and more
Photographer for cover: Frank Kuijsters
P3
Enjoy the pictures of the 2012
Heavenly White Dinner & Dance 2.0
party. Another great event
organised by the ADB and very well
enjoyed by the partygoers.
P12
A conversation about projectbased
working in Singapore with
Christiaan van Es from Resources
Global Professionals (hereafter
Resources) and interim IT project
leader Arthur Claringbould.
P18
Read more about how the NCA is
going to support small local charities
with the S$ 3155 that was collected
at ADB’s Dinner & Dance 2.0.
2

Events
ADB Dinner & Dance 2.0
25 August 2012 Heavenly White Chijmes Hall
Photos Lineke van Nederpelt, Frank Kuijsters and Peter Raar
• Vriendelijk dank voor de hulp bij het organiseren
van een geweldig Dinner and Dance. Het was
een prachtige avond, een gezellige sfeer en ik
heb weer veel mensen ontmoet.
• Ik hoop dat iedereen van de D&D heeft genoten; het was
fanastisch georganiseerd!
• Wat een mooie avond was het gisteren! Echt een toplocatie.
3

Events
Rinske Bloemendal
Linda Peters-Meijer, Rogier Peters,
Crista and Bjorn Sprengers
Steef Janssen, Raymond Hofstede, Wouter van Marle,
Qiumei Yee, Karen Steeman
Jacinta Vogel, Brigit van Dijk-van de Reijt,
Job van Dijk, Bart Sjoerdsma
Marcel and Karen van Doremaele,
Gisela and Theo de Rond
Bert and Anita Jansen,
Lineke van Nederpelt
Hanneke Verbeek,
Hester Calkhoven
Lorraine Nitisusanta, Krunal Jashapara,
The Kuan Yoe, Elienne de Vries
Wita Wirakama Medayu,
Erik de Boer
• Namens de NCA ontzettend bedankt voor het
organiseren en natuurlijk voor de super opbrengst
van de Lucky Draw.
• Was een mooi feestje gisteren, ben blij dat we zijn
aangehaakt!
• Petje af voor de organisatie.
• Thanks for the great party, Lineke and ADB!
We enjoyed it a lot.
• Thanks! Top feest!
• Wilde even laten weten dat ik het feest afgelopen
zaterdag erg geslaagd vond en goed georganiseerd.
Mooie setting, goed eten en een leuke band.
• Het was prachtig en bijna iedereen was in het wit
gekleed. Echt heel mooi!
• Het was echt een top avond, zaterdag. Prachtige
locatie en heerlijk eten, leuke mensen.
• Dank je wel voor een zeer gezellige avond! Lekker
eten, mooie lokatie, leuke mensen, goede sfeer dat
hebben jullie super goed georganiseerd.
4

Events
Anita Jansen and Ineke van Praag are proudly showing
the cheque received from Mark Leenders
Jos Dijsselhof, Marie van Houten,
Iain and Linnie Mackenzie
Paul Bloemendal, Jeroen Groothoff,
Josephine Feilzer
Pim Altena, Jetteke Hofman-Hesselink,
Arthur Post Uiterweer, Tamara Hofman
Annette Kunst,
Pauline Eizema
Vi Dinh, Olivier van
Hardenbroek
Gita Pelinck,
Frank Kuijsters
Twan Kersten,
Raymond Hofstede
Vi Dinh,
Hendrik ten Hoeve
A big thank you to:
Event sponsor:
Bronze sponsors:
Daniel van Dijk, Frank Kuijsters,
Raymond Hofstede
Karen van Doremaele,
Frank Kuijsters
Lucky Draw: DutchLink, Heineken, Hilton, Hollandse Club, La Croisette, Nespresso, Red Carpet Champagne Bar, SCC Rugby 7s
Committee, The BodyFirm, The Past Perfect Collection,Thyme & Parsley, Wine Directions
5

Events
An Evening with Steve
“Petrol-head” Slater
Text and Photos Arthur Claringbould
Steve is a F1 commentator for ESPN-Star Sports on TV.
He is also the F1 contributor to the Straits Times and Evo
magazine.
His infectious enthusiasm for motor sports reaches back
over 30 years. He initially became involved in the sport
as a hobby, while working as an engineer in the North of
England, competing in club races and rallies with cars such
as Mini Coopers and MG sports cars in the late 1970s.
Motoring and motor sport became a full-time
occupation in 1985, when Steve became a freelance writer,
radio broadcaster and motor racing commentator. In
1989 Steve moved to London and became involved with
promoting Canadian brewer Labatt’s sponsorship of British
Touring Car Championship motor racing. They went on
to sponsor the Williams Grand Prix team, giving Steve his
first entrée to the Formula One paddock. In addition to
contemporary drivers, Steve has been fortunate to work
alongside world champions including the great Ayrton
Senna, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen and
Jacques Villeneuve.
This evening Steve shows, in every aspect of his
performance, that his hobby has become his work. However,
it is obviously still his passion.
The sheer number of facts he knows had Mark Leenders
describe him as Steve ‘PDA’ Slater! The enormous number
of facts in his presentation could have made the evening
boring. The opposite was true. After 2 hours, everyone in
the room was still fully alert and interested to hear more.
Here is a littlie impression of the subjects Steve mentioned:
• The Singapore F1 circuit has 23 bends. This means that
a driver has to take a corner about every 2 to 3 seconds
and that for 61 laps.
• Changing all 4 tires in the pit takes currently 2.1 seconds,
using super coordinated teamwork.
• Admission fees for the public to the F1 races are among
the cheapest in the world. This is deliberately done to
keep the public’s interest in attending as high as possible.
• During F1 race weekends, there are about 40.000 foreign
visitors, of which many are top corporate guests. This
leads to a parking problem for private jets at Changi
airport.
• The carbon breaks of an F1 car are able to reduce the
speed of the car with 200 km/hour in 50 meters.
• The pressure we feel in a normal car in a fast, controlled
stop is about one G. Drivers in a F1 car experiences
about 4 times as much in most corners.
• To become a test driver in a F1 team, you will need to
bring in around $1.5 million in personal sponsor money.
This only guarantees you are part of the team, not
necessarily that you will be allow you ever to test-drive
a car.
In other words, every possible aspect of F1 racing was
discussed. Of course, there was also a lot to learn about the
characters of the current and past drivers. A nice touch was
a photo of 8-year-old Vettel, talking to Michael Schumacher.
Schumacher will actually drive his 300th race here in
Singapore. His 300th race was already celebrated in Belgium
but he had not actually raced 2 races that he could have
started in there. Asked whether Steve thinks Schumacher
will retire at the end of this season, he answers the chance
is 50/50. The reason being that Schumacher has not won
any race this season.
As Steve did the presentation for a Dutch oriented
audience, he even discusses the Dutch past and future
racers. To the surprise of most of the audience, he does
expect Dutch racers to take part in the F1 in the near future.
Of course, Bleekemolen and Verstappen were discussed.
However, this year Guido van der Garde is a test-driver
for Caterham (previously Lotus) and Jos Verstappen’s son,
Max Verstappen has been very successful in the European
carting championships. This last tournament is not to be
underestimated; many of successful F1 drivers nowadays
started their career in the carting championships.
Steve made us far more knowledgeable about the F1
scene than we were. By now you already know who won
the 2012 F1 in Singapore and about the renewal of the
contract. Those who attended this great ADB event already
knew even before the F1 weekend, thanks to Steve!
6

Business
Apps Reviewed –
DocuSign Ink and Beepmo
Text Jonie Oostveen
DocuSign Ink
Do you recognize this situation:
you are in hurry, not in the
office and you need to sign
a document. Before the
smartphone era you would
think “I’ll do this first thing
when I am back at the office”.
However, now there is a way to
sign your documents while on
the go. DocuSign has created a
nifty solution that lets you sign
documents on your smartphone and tablet!
After installing this app, you will have to go through
the registration process and create your signature and
initials (this takes a bit of practice as you are not signing
with a pen but using your finger). After that, there are 3
ways to sign a document. First, you can open documents
using the “Open In” option on your phone. The “Open In”
is supported by Mail, Dropbox, Safari Browser, Documents
to go, and more. Secondly, use the “Take a Picture” feature
of the DocuSign app, or thirdly, use the “import” button to
import docs from Google Drive/Google Docs. Most users
will probably use the “take picture” option (you take a
picture of the document you want to sign) or the “Mail”
option (opens the mail attachment in the app).
After the document is opened in DocuSign you can
easily add your signature, initials, date, printed name, and
other text. All items can be adjusted in size and be move to
any position on the document. Once you have signed the
document, added the date and your name in print you can
email the doc from within the app.
Rating : *****
Costs : Free
Platforms : iPhone, iPad, Android and Android Tablets
URL : www.docusign.com/ink
Beepmo
Beepmo is a business networking service that uses your
location to see which people with similar business interest
are near to you. When you create your profile in the app,
you have to connect it to your LinkedIn, Facebook or
Twitter profile. It then uses the info in your public profile
to show you other Beepmo users who are close to you
and are working in the same industry or have the same
interests.
The app is especially useful during an event or
conference (given that a lot of other attendees have
installed it as well) as it allows you to quickly scan who in
the audience is interesting to talk to. What is really useful
is the Ice Breaker feature. This feature, helps you to open
the discussion, it gives you a list of points you can use to
open the conversation, such as the number of people you
are both connected to on LinkedIn and Facebook, common
LinkedIn groups you are subscribed to, which items on
Facebook you both “liked”, and people that you are both
following on Twitter.
Rating : ***
Costs : Free
Platforms : iPhone, Android, Blackberry
URL : www.beepmo.com
Wij begrijpen wat u zoekt
Het Nederlandse makelaarskantoor in Singapore
Hester Calkhoven +65.9011.8055
www.executive-homes-consultants.com
EH_ADB_BW 180x56 staff.indd 1
2/7/2012 11:52:44 AM
7

Business
Sustainability & Business: China
Text Petra Pronk
If you look out of your hotel room window, if you are lucky
enough to get one, the Red Dragon is bathed in different
shades of green and grey light in the early morning. As the
biggest coal economy in the world, this colour scheme is
not likely to change very quickly. At the same time China
is often mentioned in relationship to renewable energy,
sustainable growth, etc. As the second largest economy, it
would be a major win if China could take a lead towards a
sustainable and more responsible future. Is China ready to
take on that challenge?
Economy
China’s growth has been remarkable in many ways. During
the first 4 phases of modernisation, between 1980 and
2000, this Red Dragon succeeded in keeping growing
energy demands at half the pace of their economic growth.
Most developing countries have their economies grow
in a one-to-one correlation with energy consumption.
Currently, however, this trend has been reversed in China
and the growth in energy demand is 1.4 times the rate of
the economic growth. By 2020, China intends to quadruple
its economy, which means that it will be the size of 3 more
Chinas by the end of that year. Without major government
intervention, China’s energy sector will be increasingly
dominated by the cheapest and easily available resources,
coal and oil. They are only cheap if health, safety and
environmental costs are ignored.
Connecting the Dots
The biggest challenge for China to ensure sustainable
growth is to connect the dots between economy and
ecology; between economic growth and environmental
costs. China’s challenge encompasses more than solar
panels, hybrid cars, wind turbines, carbon trade and green
buildings. From the outside looking in, it seems like a
paradox. Reports on major health and safety issues such as
air pollution, dirty factories and man-made droughts and
floods are all too familiar. At the same time, it is a startling
realisation that world’s biggest carbon polluter has lifted
400 million people from poverty since the 1980s, has 690
million people living in cities and an economy that grows
by 7% each year.
The world expects China to continue its growth in a
sustainable way. We are depending on China to get it right
the first time!
Coal Using Nation
One of the biggest challenges lies in the fact that China is
the world’s most coal dependent economy. It uses more
than the USA, Europe and Japan combined. As it sits on
the world’s third largest coal reserve, it is very attractive to
continue to use coal. However, this would be disastrous for
China, but also for the rest of the world. Although China’s
focus is on economic growth, the government has come to
the realisation that it needs to link the dots between the
economic growth and the environmental challenges.
With coal providing over 2/3rds of China’s electricity
needs, power stations have been opening at a rate of one
a week. They recently opened their first self-developed,
Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power
station. This is a far cleaner and more efficient way to
use coal, as it produces only 1/10th of the usual carbon
emissions. In this facility in Tianjin, tonnes of CO2
production is being sold, at a profit, to a local beverage
company to make fizzy drinks. However, the majority of
the CO2 produced is planned to be used to sequester in
off shore oil wells to help oil recovery. China may lead in
carbon capture technology in some areas of the country,
but this doesn’t mean that CO2 is always put to good use.
At a new facility in Shanghai, production far exceeds the
needs of other industries, so the rest of the CO2 is simply
released into the atmosphere.
This dualistic approach to dealing with coal dependency
and its effects is also in evidence at that world’s largest
8

Business
coal-to-liquid diesel plant that has opened in Mongolia.
Cracking the hydrocarbons in coal to produce diesel
generates up to twice as much CO2 as using oil for
this process. China is still developing and improving
access to energy to lift millions out of poverty. If China’s
technological power is to be matched by environmental
commitment, schemes like this have to be abandoned.
The planet can simply not afford for China to run its
cars on coal!
Going Green
Over the past 2 years, China has been the biggest
investor in green stroke green energy. In 2010, worldwide
investments in green energy were about $211billion.
China was responsible for $48.9 billion of that amount.
Although China is the biggest energy user in the world, its
investments in wind power are higher than the USA and
Europe combined. China is market leader. In 2012 China
installed 46.1% of the world capacity.
Investment in solar energy surged to $147 billion
in 2011, a year–on-year increase of 52%. China was
responsible for almost a fifth of the total investment,
spending $52 billion on renewable energy last year.
The Chinese government and the population is well
aware of the paradox and the balance the country needs
to find between achieving growth and balancing the
environmental aspects. China needs to get it right the
first time. A long list of policies aim to tighten regulations
and enforce them, promote technology (clean-tech
investments), awareness and engagement campaigns and
basically getting rid of the bad!
Although China will grow greener in relative terms,
judged purely on how much carbon it emits, the opposite
will be true. Trading schemes planned to be introduced
in the next year are seen by many outsiders to be an
important tool to channel production and demand of CO2
and to encourage the development of greener energy
production.
Outside all the focus on energy consumption, there
are interesting initiatives to make life in China more
sustainable. The recent interest in and take over by Chinese
buyers of companies like National Electric Vehicle Sweden
might give the production of PEVs (Plug-in Electrical
Vehicles) a nice push.
Some people might say “give China a break!” The
country has another 700 million people living in poverty.
This means that they live on energy and other resources
that is about 2% of the average Singaporean. If people in
developed countries would half their consumption, this
would enable 50 Chinese to double their consumption and
still use only 12% of our energy consumption.
is a wide range of top of the line technological sustainable
inventions and applications. Philips uses the International
School to try out its latest sound-and–motion sensitive
lights, which default to off unless the switch hears or
feels someone approaching. Other innovations include a
pneumatic municipal waste collection system, produced by
Swedish company Envac, which will eliminate the need for
waste trucks. In March 2012, the first 60 families moved
into the residential buildings, all of which were designed
to a minimum green buildings standard, including watersaving
sanitary, insulated waste and double windows. It is
rare for China that the emphasis there is on livability. Tap
water will be drinkable and piped in. A lot of effort has
been put into conservation and recycling. “It certainly feels
like a more pleasant place to live than the traffic choked,
polluted cities (there are 650 of them) further inland,
even at this incomplete stage” is how a BBC reporter has
described the city.
Investment Opportunities
Considering the continuous building and development
of China, finding the balance between economic growth
and environmental pressures offers an interesting set
of opportunities for foreign investors and companies.
Everybody wants a piece of the Chinese pie. Every
multinational wants a foothold in this Communist enclave.
The need for balance between economic growth and
environmental pressure offers opportunities for foreign
investment. As the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs states,
“opportunities for Dutch companies in China can be found
in some of the high-tech areas but also in sustainable
energy, green building and environmental technology.
Knowledge institutions, small and medium size companies
and multinationals can be very successful in taking part in
China’s sustainable growth.
Although 50% of world’s building projects will be
located in China in 2015, only 5% of them will be green
builds. China may be the largest investor in wind turbines
and the biggest manufacturer of solar panels, but only
a small part of energy consumption is satisfied by these
sustainable resources. In order to get it right the first time
around, the Red Dragon needs foreign investors.
The Red Dragon offers a big pie in the world of
sustainable, economic growth and we would be foolish not
take our share.
Smart cities: a Singapore-China Collaboration
The ecocity of Tianjin is an initiative of the Chinese and
Singaporean government, that will house 350,000 people
in a low-carbon, green environment around half the size
of Singapore by 2020. This ecological blueprint has been
established just outside one of the dirtiest harbours
in the world, Tanggu, which lies 150 km south east of
Beijing, the world’s 5th largest port. The site chosen for
this initiative was an industrial dump that was cleaned up
prior to the building works. Within the settlement, there
9

Business
A LEAN
Journey to
Excellence
Interview with Jolle IJkema,
Regional Director LEAN Asia
Pacific at CEVA Logistics
TEXT Aleid van der Schrier
PHOTOs CEVA Logistics
“Say what you do and do what you say” is how Jolle IJkema,
regional director LEAN for Asia Pacific at CEVA Logistics,
describes one of CEVA’s core values. Although the company
name CEVA is not widely known outside the logistics industry,
CEVA is the fourth biggest player in the logistics world. CEVA
provides tailor-made logistics solutions, including designing
the best supply chain for a variety of businesses and the
organisation of shipments by air, sea or road, including
customs clearance, contract logistics and end-to-end
solutions.
Creating a Logistics Giant
CEVA was established in 2007, with the merger of TNT
Logistics and Eagle Global Logistics. In 2006 TNT sold
its contract logistics activities (TNT Logistics) to Apollo
Management LP, a private equity investor, which renamed
TNT Logistics as CEVA. In 2007 CEVA acquired the American
freight forwarder Eagle Global Logistics, making CEVA one of
the world’s leading logistics companies. CEVA is active in more
than 170 countries and employs more than 51.000 people
worldwide. Jolle, who had been working for TNT Logistics
since 2000, has experienced the transition to private equity
investor as a positive one. “Since the merger, the company
has been very focused on realising growth and developing the
organisation into the company it is today,” explains Jolle.
Jolle is a logistician at heart. When he was young, he
used to watch orange TNT trucks in awe. After obtaining
a bachelors degree in logistics he started working at
Mattel, manufacturer of toy favourites such as Barbie and
HotWheels. He was posted to Jakarta in Indonesia, to work on
process improvement and IT. “I lived in Jakarta for five years
and really enjoyed living there. However, my job scope at
Mattel had drifted away from logistics and I wanted to return
to my passion. At that time, the logistics sector was better
developed in Europe than it was in Asia. So, I applied to TNT
Logistics, was hired and we moved back to the Netherlands.”
Return to Asia
In 2011 CEVA’s LEAN program brought Jolle, his wife and their
two daughters back to Asia. He says, “I had worked with lean
before. In short, the lean methodology focuses on eliminating
waste: identifying and eliminating unnecessary activities
in processes. In everyday life, there are many examples of
elimination of waste. For example, look at how you can
organize your office or kitchen. Items that you use frequently
should be close at hand, while items you seldom use are
positioned further away. This reduces the amount of walking
and moving, thus making you more efficient.” In 2004 CEVA
introduced a LEAN program, which aims to implement lean
thinking throughout the whole company. When he was asked
to manage the roll-out of the LEAN program in the Asia Pacific
region he did not hesitate at all. “We enjoy working and living
abroad and are happy to be able to share this experience with
our daughters. Moreover, Singapore combines the charm
of living in Asia with modern day convenience and solid
organization.”
A Company-wide LEAN Program
The CEVA LEAN program is a well developed company-wide
program. Lean experts are trained in the internally developed
LEAN program, which takes three years to complete.
Candidates for this program are recruited from within the
organisation. Upon entering the program, the trainees are
internationally trained for a period of one year. During this
year, they take part in several lean projects around the globe.
10

Business
Then they return to their original country and work on lean
projects there. The program focuses on learning by doing and
helps the participants to develop themselves into managers
who will be able to take up middle management functions
such as managing a warehouse. In this way, lean thinking is
integrated deeply into the company’s operations. Each year,
20 to 30 employees are identified and enrolled in the program.
The LEAN program was first developed and implemented
in The Netherlands. Since then it has been rolled-out in four
regions: Northern Europe, the Americas, SEMEA (Southern
Europe, Middle-East and Africa) and Asia Pacific. Jolle is
responsible for the roll-out in the Asia Pacific region, which
extends from India to Japan, and includes Australia and New
Zealand. His main focus is on managing the program on a
day-to-day basis. However, he is also involved in training and
coaching of employees in the region, as well as the further
development of the program. “Especially in the Asia Pacific
region, the cultural differences are huge. Training in India
is completely different from training in Australia. It is an
interesting challenge to integrate and sustain the lean way of
thinking in all our sites in the region.”
Jolle extrapolates, “one big advantage of having this
worldwide LEAN program is that a lean community is being
created. In the first year, trainees work on 5 to 6 different
projects in different project teams in different countries. They
build up an extensive network within the company, which
they use to discuss problems and share ideas. In this way best
practices are being developed, which are translated into what
we call ‘CEVA SMART solutions’, which in turn are being used
to provide our customers with the best possible solution for
their logistical requirements.”
The Power of Lean
The origins of lean can be found in the car manufacturing
industry. Lean thinking was developed by Toyota in the years
after World War II and fueled Toyota’s growth in the last few
decades. Isn’t it strange that a concept from the car industry
is being applied in a non-manufacturing environment?
“No,” answers Jolle, “Lean is a very powerful management
philosophy, that can be applied everywhere. The ‘kaizen’
aspect of lean, which focuses on continuous improvement,
applies not only to, for example, productivity, but also to
quality, safety or environmental issues.”
To consistently provide their customers with operational
excellence, a focus on continuous improvement is a must.
This is an integral part of the lean methodology. Jolle gives
an example to elucidate upon the improvements that can
be realized by using lean. “At one of our sites, the number
of picking errors in the warehouse was too high. As some
products looked very similar, workers would easily mix up the
products and pick the wrong item. After analysing the issue,
it became clear that the products only differ slightly in size.
The employees suggested using a mold during the picking
process. Then they could easily determine whether they had
picked the right product. After the idea was implemented,
the number of picking errors was drastically reduced by 89%.
Of course, our customer was impressed by this considerable
improvement in quality.”
That is what CEVA’s LEAN program is all about. Thanks
to this company-wide program, lean thinking and the focus
on continuous improvement is at the heart of what every
employee does. By making employees responsible for their
own processes and results, eliminating waste becomes part
of their daily routine. In the end, it is the customer who reaps
the benefits. Isn’t that what business is all about?
11

Business
Project-based Working in
Singapore
Text Arthur Claringbould
A conversation about project-based working in Singapore
with Christiaan van Es from Resources Global Professionals
(hereafter Resources) and interim IT project leader Arthur
Claringbould.
Resources is one of the largest players in the world when
it comes to project-based consultancy services. They are
often seen as an alternative to the big 4 consulting firms.
That is not only because of the big 4 heritage of Resources
itself, but especially because of its highly experienced
and competent consultants. We discussed Christiaan’s
experience in project-based working in Singapore and the
differences between Europe and Singapore.
Christiaan lived in Hong Kong and Dubai for several
years and relocated to Singapore in April 2011. Arthur
arrived in Singapore one year ago and continues to work
on some projects in the Netherlands from Singapore (using
telecom and internet).
Differences in the Labour Market
Skilled personnel is strongly and easily attracted to
Singapore. Europe and, more specifically, the Netherlands
has no such systems in place to easily attract talent from
outside for a shorter time frame. However, companies
often have projects that they need specific knowledge and
resources for. Companies like Resources help to fill these
short-term assignments. In Europe and the Americas there
is a long history and a large pool of freelance workers. To
give you a rough idea, in the Netherlands 750.000 people
are registered as freelancers, comprising almost 10% of the
working population. Project-based work makes optimal use
of the limited availability of skilled workers, while giving
optimal flexibility to employers, specifically in countries
with less flexible labour laws.
Globalisation
Resources is serving global clients and needs to have a
strong presence in the APAC region in order to support
global and/or regional projects. They face a challenging
business model; global firms want projects staffed, with
local firms and consultants that are hardly used to working
with interim consultants.
To begin with, local staff is not used to working with
experienced interim consultants. This often leads to
comparing the costs of a regular full-time employee with
the higher cost of an experienced consultant, and not the
value of the experience. Usually, more experience results
in far more effectiveness and possible structural (process)
improvements. Convincing people of the added value of
experience is difficult in Singapore. For Resources, a global
presence often proves to be highly valuable and a unique
selling point. For example, American law has a tendency
to affect business. This is not only the case for the parties
that do business in the US, but very often indirectly
12

Business
too. (Examples include, Sarbanes-Oxley, SEC reporting
requirements, Conflict Minerals (Dodd-Frank Act), or
specific banking laws). By making knowledge available for
all consultants worldwide, the individual consultant has a
higher added value.
Local culture
Another issue is to find out where local managers need
support. In Asia, managers do not like to admit that there
is a “monkey on their back” or a problem. Discussing
issues that you have been unable to solve yourself with an
outsider means you run the risk of losing face. Many are
unfamiliar with the possibility of hiring project consultants
who can work from within the organisation’s own teams.
Often there is pressure to keep the headcount as low as
possible, to the point where Asian managers will often put
in more hours to try to solve an issue themselves.
The other side of project-based business is, of course,
finding suitable project consultants. Christiaan describes
this side of the work. In principle, people in Singapore are
very used to working “full-time”. Although more people
would like to step off the treadmill of long working hours
with very little paid leave, there are strong forces ensuring
workers do not actually improve their work-life balance.
Christiaan shares that he has noticed that there is
still a strong preference for the traditional employment
model. Not only the applicant, but also his or her family
often put a strong emphasis on having a regular job. This
perhaps explains why, in Singapore, significantly more
project consultants tend to accept offers for a permanent
position from the company to which they are assigned
than consultants in the Netherlands or Western cultures.
In conclusion, the family’s influence is far more important
than we, as Westerners, often realise. You need to take into
consideration that discussions with an individual are always
relative, because the family always plays a strong role in
decision-making behind the scenes. We only get to see
what goes on from the outside, but what goes on inside is
often protected from our view.
When asked where their consultants are typically
recruited from, Christiaan shares that they are sometimes
people who can afford not to work full-time. “They prefer
the life-work balance offered by Resources’ business model
in combination with attractive project opportunities with
world-class clients,” he explains. For that reason talented
and experienced professionals are also attracted to
Resources, as the company offers to them a stepping stone
to their next longer term career move. Another important
source are “trailing” spouses, often from different cultures
and backgrounds (Western).
After the Match
A professional organization like Resources has the vision
and an obligation to regularly assess whether the project
and the consultant still fit and that the expectations are
being met. In the Netherlands, the most efficient way
to achieve this is to sit down for a discussion with the
consultant and the client. Here in Asia, this is not exactly
customary. Direct talks with the consultant and the client
over the progress and status of the consultant’s project
increases the risk of someone losing face. Christiaan has
found interesting ways to work around this problem, such
as meeting with both parties separately, although this is a
not his preferred way of doing this. The best way is to do
it the local way; by inviting everyone to lunch or dinner,
where you then carefully steer the conversation on to the
desired subject.
The Future
Project-based working in Singapore is relatively new for
employers as well as employees. On both sides, there
are significant developments that are leading to a more
mature market. Acting sensitively to local culture and
using globalisation will certainly help with this interesting
development.
13

Business
Interview with Marcel van
Doremaele, CEO Rabobank Singapore
Text and photos Rabobank
My name is Marcel van Doremaele. I studied Business
Economics and Horticulture in the Netherlands. Upon
graduation I started working for Rabobank and have
since then been working for the bank. Asia is familiair to
me, having worked for Rabobank Hong Kong from 2002
to 2007. I arrived in Singapore in April 2012. In between
I was responsible for leading Rabobank’s treasury sales
organisation in the Netherlands and internationally for mid
corporates.
Why Rabobank?
My roots are in agribusiness as I grew up with Rabobank
coming from an agricultural family.
What made you decide to come to Singapore?
For me it was the opportunity to grow our business in
South East Asia. Also the Asia region and people are dear
to me.
What’s your role in the company?
I am the CEO of Rabobank Singapore & Representative
Markets with the responsibility for the overall management
of the branch in Singapore and the markets the Singapore
office serves. We cover Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand,
Philippines, and Vietnam. Rabobank also has two offices
and many customers in Malaysia, so I visit them regularly.
How important is Asia & Singapore for Rabobank?
Singapore and Asia are considered important for Rabobank
to grow our food & agri and commodities business. Asia is
a powerful engine of growth in the coming decades. The
eyes of Rabobank are on us to step up.
We are a client-centric bank, supporting both local and
global customers. We pay attention on our local service
delivery and capabilities. Our plan for the next 5 years is to
grow on our core strength in servicing clients in the food
& agri and commodity space. We realise this growth by
delivering financial solutions in various areas for example
corporate and commodity financing, risk management
solutions, and mergers & acquisitions advisory services
with the latter being executed through our global
partnership with Rothschild.
14

Business
How does Rabobank distinguish itself from its
competitors?
Rabobank distinguishes itself through its dedicated focus
on food & agribusiness and commodities clients. We
build strong relationships with them, which last for many
years. This goes back to our agricultural roots, and has not
changed over time. Our clients remain at the heart of our
international proposition.
Building further on our strength as the world’s leading
food & agri bank. To better service our clients in an
increasingly globalised world, we have global sector teams
covering every major F&A sector, from dairy, seafood and
meat, to grains and oilseeds, fertilisers, sugar, beverages
and food services and retail.
These global sector teams consist of a team of bankers,
product specialists and food & agri research analysts
with most of them located in or close to all these major
F&A sector areas. Through these teams, we are able to
share with with our clients quicker what’s happening in
their F&A sector around the world so they can anticipate
market developments and position themselves better.
For many of our clients, Rabobank is a key source for
important F&A issues.
What is the difference between being a manager in
Singapore vs Europe?
For me, there is not much difference. It appears to me that
our staff speaks the same “Rabobank” language across the
continents, from Santiago, to Shanghai.
What is the best location / country you have lived so far?
Each place has its own typical attractions and flavours.
The Netherlands, has a rich culture, excellent museums,
wonderful nature and architecture. Asia shows an amazing
transformation of its countries to modern and vibrant
societies. Still many places keep their typical charm and
character.
How do you spend your weekends?
Weekends are usually spend with family and catching
up with friends. Besides this, I enjoy playing golf and
discovering Singapore and the region. Vietnam, Myanmar
and Seychelles are on the wish list of countries to visit.
About Rabobank
Rabobank Group was founded in the Netherlands
115 years ago on the basis of cooperative principles.
Today, Rabobank is an international full-range financial
services provider offering retail and wholesale banking,
asset management, leasing, insurance and real estate
services. With a presence in 44 countries, Rabobank
employs over 60,000 staff serving more than 10 million
clients globally. For more than 10 years, Rabobank is
the only privately owned bank in the Top-10 ranking of
Safest Banks in the world by Global Finance Magazine.
In terms of Assets and Tier-1 capital (the core measure
of a bank’s financial strength from a regulator’s point
of view), Rabobank is ranked 26th among the world’s
largest financial institutions.
Rabobank has been present in Singapore since 1986
with the Singapore office being the first office opened
in Asia. The Singapore office offers wholesale banking
services to primarily the food & agribusiness and
commodities companies across the global food chain.
15

Business
Can you learn Charisma?
Transform yourself into a person others want to follow (part 2)
Text Frank Kuijsters
As mentioned in the last ADB magazine of August /
September, we will discuss the remaining nine verbal
Charismatic Leadership Tactics (CLT’s) in this article. In
the August /September issue, we discussed the three
Nonverbal CLT’s; Animated voice, Facial Expression and
Gestures. The nine verbal CLT’s are:
1. Metaphors, Similes, and Analogies;
2. Stories and Anecdotes;
3. Contrasts;
4. Rhetorical Questions;
5. Three part lists;
6. Expression of Moral conviction;
7. Reflections of the groups sentiments;
8. The setting of high Goals; and
9. Conveying confidence that they can be achieved.
The aim is to use the CLT’s not only in public speaking,
but also in everyday conversations, thereby being more
charismatic all the time. The tactics work because they
help you create an emotional connection with followers.
In Greek the word “charisma” means special gift. Start to
use the GLT’s correctly, and that’s what people will begin to
think you have. Let’s now look at the tactics in more detail.
Metaphors, similes, and analogies: These are a powerful
way to help listeners understand, relate to, and remember
a message. Martin Luther King Jr. was a master of the
metaphor. His “I have a dream” speech was full of
metaphors. Metaphors can be effective in any professional
context. Once, I heard a manager use one to predispose his
team to get behind an urgent relocation. He introduced it by
saying, “When I heard about this from the board, it was like
hearing about a long awaited pregnancy. The difference is
that we have for months instead of nine months to prepare.”
The team instantly understood it was about to experience an
uncomfortable but ultimately rewarding transition.
Stories and anecdotes: They also make messages more
engaging and help listeners to connect with the speaker.
We all have stories we can share. We only need to remind
ourselves to use them.
Contrasts: These are key because they combine reason and
passion. They clarify your position by pitting it against the
opposite, often to dramatic effect. Think of John F. Kennedy’s
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask yourself
what you can do for your country”. Once I heard a manager
introducing herself to her team by saying: “I asked to lead
the medical division not because it has the best location but
because I believe we can accomplish great things for our
company and at the same time help saves lives.”
Rhetorical questions: These are used to encourage
engagement. They are merely asked for the effect they
produce, with no answer expected. The answer may be
obvious or immediately provided by the questioner. For
example, how many roads must a man walk down before
you call him a man? You don’t expect me to go along with
that crazy scheme, do you?”
Three part lists: Lists of three are an old trick of effective
persuasion. They distill any message into key takeaways.
These lists work because most people can remember three
things, and three of anything sufficiently provides proof
of a pattern. Next time you need to deliver an important
message, divide it into three parts. You can openly
announce your three-part list, as in “There are three
things we need to do to get our bottom line back into the
black,” or they can be more subtle, as in “We have the best
product on the market. We have the best team. Yet we did
not make the sales target.”
Expression of moral conviction and Reflections that reflect
the sentiment of the group: Even if that sentiment is
negative, establish your credibility by revealing the quality
of your character to the listeners and making them identify
and align themselves with you. An example is Ravi, a senior
IT Director, reflecting on the sentiments of his disheartened
team: “I know what is going through your minds, because
the same is going through mine. We all feel disappointed
and demotivated. Some of you have told me you have
sleepless nights. Others, that there are tensions in the
team, even at home because of this. Personally, life to me
has become dull and tasteless. I know how hard we have
all worked and the bitterness we feel because success just
slipped out of our reach. But it’s not going to be like this for
much longer. I have a plan.”
The setting of high goals: Another CLT to demonstrate
your passion, is setting high goals. Gandhi set the almost
impossible (and moral) goal of liberating India from British
rule without using violence. The CEO of Sharp, Machida,
energised his employees in 1998 when Sharp faced
collapse by stating the unthinkable at that time, “By 2005,
all TVs we sell in Japan will be LCD models.”
However, you must also Convey confidence that
they can be achieved. Gandhi noted, “I know the British
government will not be able to withhold freedom from
us, when we have made enough self-sacrifice.“ Machida
of Sharp personally took his vision to Sharp’s engineers
to convince them that they could realise his risky goal. He
even created the company’s most important goal. Passion
cannot emerge unless the leader truly believes that the
vision and the strategic goals can be achieved.
Now you have an understanding of the 12 verbal and
non-verbal Charismatic Leadership Tactics, it is time to put
them all into practice to become a charismatic leader. You
will see, even if you think you are not a charismatic leader,
you will become one.
16

column
Is there a unique
Singaporean identity?
by Richard Soemita
“The Singaporean identity
is not clearly defined enough
due to its multi-racial
society.”
Whenever I travel, I notice that Singapore seems to struggle
the most with its identity. This is still a very young nation.
Perhaps this identity crisis is caused by the increasing
foreign population, who bring in their own ‘culture’ with
them, such as ‘talk screaming’ on their mobile to parents
in India while in a packed MRT, spitting in public such as in
China or cooking a wicked adobo meal next door.
Recently, I attended the ‘Diner Blanc’ event, which a
French organisation introduced to Singapore. The idea is
that everyone needs to dress in white, bring along your
own table with a white table cloth, with only wine and/
or champagne allowed and eat posh food. Apparently,
good old, delicious Singapore dishes like rendang and
chicken rice are not posh and are not good enough for the
organizers, which caused a massive stir. Why would you
force foie gras down people’s throats in Singapore?
One way to measure country spirit is through football.
I have seen several neighbouring nations play football such
as Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and, of course, Malaysia.
Being a football fanatic (since I miss supporting Oranje
live!) I have been to Jalan Besar stadium to support the
Singapore national team with my Singaporean friends
several times. Who do I see there: around 400 Malays, an
Angmoh or two, who also seems to go along for the ride
...and me! The few Singaporean Chinese who are there all
seem, for some strange reason, to speak Malay as well.
Singaporeans face a common problem of identifying
themselves when overseas. They have to say “yes, I’m
Chinese but I’m Singaporean”, “yes, I’m Indian but I’m
Singaporean” or “yes, I’m Malay but I’m Singaporean”. It
will, therefore, take a long time for a unique Singaporean
identity to develop; perhaps as long as two generations.
There is an absence of a common Singapore identity,
except on National Day. I feel that there is always this
problem of a Singapore identity. As globalisation is
ongoing, there is this sense of a loss of the Singaporean
spirit. This is due to the young peoples’ attitudes
nowadays. When Singaporeans talk about the old guard of
the PAP, there is a strong desire to improve upon them.
Another reason for the lack of a common Singapore
identity may also be because teenagers are more exposed
to many more cultures, other than the four main races
in Singapore, citing American culture as an example.
Currently, the Singapore mindset is still very traditional
because of the older generation. That is why the younger
generation doesn’t really like the older generation’s views.
They feel that they are very backward and obsolete. Again,
as a young nation they haven’t really managed to create
an identity that is very salient in the global community.
The problem is that the Singaporean identity is not clearly
defined enough due to its multi-racial society. There are
different races and different cultures living together. So
there is a gap between different cultures, and efforts need
to be made until there’s a point in time where they can
actually say, “that’s Singaporean culture”. When you say
‘Singaporean culture’ in the future, you won’t distinctively
think of Malays, Chinese or Indians, but you will just think
of everyone as comprising one culture.
On the other hand, Singlish is a common feature of the
Singaporean identity. You only hear it in Singapore and
when you go to other parts of the world, you immediately
recognize a Singaporean by the way he or she speaks and
their accent. We can recognise a Singaporean from the way
he or she behaves. I have met several ‘new Singaporeans’
who have traded their old passport in and some seem
more proud of their new nationality than the ‘real’ locals.
At the time of writing this column, I was in New York and
felt like I was back in my own little Amsterdam; multi-racial,
tolerant, but most of all, happy individuals who have a
strong NY or Amsterdam identity.
17

Extra
NCA supporting local charities:
Thank You ADB!
Text Anita Jansen, Treasurer NCA Photo Peter Raar
Fundraising is not an easy job!
Counting the money behind the curtains of the
beautiful Chijmes dining hall was fun!
ADB guests bought almost all the lucky draw tickets
during the ‘Heavenly White themed Dinner & Dance 2.0’.
We would like to thank Lineke and Frank and team for
their enthusiasm in approaching the generous sponsors for
the amazing gifts and vouchers. These great prizes were
received by happy winners. But the real winner was the
Netherlands Charity Association (NCA): the total amount
was a stunning S$ 3155!
Thank you very much to the ADB board and members.
You have really made the NCA speechless. You can rest
assured that all the money will go to small charities in
Singapore!
Small Local Charities
What are the small local charities?
Every year, we carry out careful research into where
the donations should best go. They do not go to wellknown
and, sometimes, world famous charities that
are supported by the government or to those who have
large organisations behind them. Even some long term
beneficiaries have lost yearly NCA donations because they
received huge donations from other parties.
We prefer focus on the ‘Tom Thumbs’ or small and
deserving initiatives:
• Breadline Group is a community service group
comprised of volunteers, formed because they share a
concern for the welfare of the old and underprivileged.
They have adopted more than 200 families, most of
whom are recommended by medical social workers.
These people are elderly and physically handicapped
and often have dependents to support.
• H.O.M.E is short for Humanitarian Organization for
Migration Economics. They not only offer shelter to
abused (physically or financially) domestic workers
and migrant workers, but also provide them with legal
assistance if necessary.
• Good Shepherd Centre is a place where teenagers,
women, mothers and their children can rebuild their
lives after violence, abuse and victimization.
• SiLRA (Singapore Leprosy Relief Association) provides
food, lodging, recreation and healthcare services for
ex-leprosy patients. It also teaches the patients some
handicraft skills and rehabilitative work. Ex-leprosy
sufferers who are destitute are elligible for their help.
• Sanctuary House offers a two-fold service; babies are
placed in loving family environments and the mothers
are given the time and help they need to figure out
their next step when facing emotional, financial or
health problems.
• “Our” 2 students (S$ 3000 this year) are children from
poor families, who get a monthly allowance to pay for
their books, uniform and to join necessary after-school
activities.
Besides the financial support, NCA also tries to make a
difference by helping through donations of goods, like:
• NCA and Unilever worked together on a project, where
Unilever provided personal care products like shampoo
and bodylotion for Lee Ah Mooi old age home. Lee
Ah Mooi takes care of (ill) old men and women with a
small budget or no financial means. The care is basic,
but very professional and loving.
• NCA received 9 computers from the Netherlands
Embassy and had them made operational and upgraded
them with learning programmes (S$ 2250). The male
H.O.M.E. shelter received 6 computers. Bedok South
Secondary School was very happy with the other three.
• All the good items not sold during the Annual
NCA Garage sale are donated to MINDS, a nongovernmental
organisation that caters to the needs of
people with mental disabilities in Singapore. MINDS
restores and repairs items and sells all these good-asnew
items in their thrift shops.
Please visit our website www.nca,org.sg where you also
can find the links to our charities!
Donations in 2011:
Breadline Group 25,000.=
H.O.M.E. 7,000.=
Good Shepherd 5,000.=
SiLRA 5,000.=
Sanctuary House 5,000.=
18

Extra
A Review of the Dutch
Elections from Singapore’s
Mail Polling Station
Text Frank Kuijsters Chair of the Singaporean polling station
Photos Embassy Of the Netherlands
On the 12 th of September at 2 p.m. the regional mail polling
station for Singapore was opened. The members of the
Singaporean Polling station were Annette Kunst, Renée
Calis and Frank Kuijsters.
The regional mail polling stations provide a solution
for the Dutch voter abroad. The Ministry of Interior Affairs
has established the mail polling stations at 22 embassies
worldwide as a place where the Dutch can send their
votes. Singapore is one of them.
In Singapore, 392 voters registered in The Hague before
the deadline of 1 August. They all received the following
before 12 September:
1. A voting form
2. An envelope for the voting form
3. A proof of voting (briefstembewijs)
4. An instruction letter
5. An orange return envelop
In order to ensure that the vote was valid, voters had
to mark the ballot with a red pencil, put the voting form in
the white voting envelope, seal the voting envelope, sign
the ‘briefstembewijs’ and fill in the date that the ballot
was signed and put the white envelope and the signed
‘briefstembewijs’ in the orange envelope. This orange
envelope had to be delivered or sent (with a stamp) to the
Dutch Embassy.
The task of the polling station is:
• to check if all the orange envelopes contained the white
voting envelope and the signed ‘briefstembewijs’;
• to check if the signature on the ‘briefstembewijs’ is the
same as the signature on the registration forms sent to
The Hague;
• to check if the voters used a red pencil/pen and/or
nothing was written on the voting form;
• and calculate the votes.
When the Singapore polling station opened at 2 p.m.,
all the orange envelopes that the embassy had received
until 2 p.m. were handed over by the Ambassador to the
chairperson of the Singaporean Polling station. Voters still
had the opportunity to deliver their envelope before 3 p.m.
All 392 registered voters had send in their envelop. 37
of the 392 votes were found to be invalid due to the fact
that; the voting form was not in the voting envelope, the
signature on the ‘briefstembewijs’ was not the same as the
one on the registration form or the vote was done with a
black pen instead of a red pen/pencil.
After checking all the envelopes, the next step was to
calculate all the voting forms. From 5 p.m. until 7.30 p.m.
the polling station was busy counting all the voting forms.
Finally, at 8 p.m. we could send the results of the Singapore
polling station to The Hague:
VVD 186 votes (52%)
D’66 88 votes (25%)
PvdA 35 votes (10%)
SP 14 votes (4%)
CDA 11 votes (3%)
Groenlinks 9 votes (2.5%)
PVV 5 votes (1.5%)
ChristenUnie 3 votes (0.8%)
SGP 1 vote (0.3%)
Partij voor de dieren 1 vote (0.3%)
Piratenpartij 1 vote (0.3%)
Libertarische partij 1 vote (0.3%)
Total 355 votes (100%)
19

Bizz News
Greek eurozone withdrawal would cost the Netherlands €22bn: ING
The collapse of the eurozone would not only cause a major recession in the Netherlands, but would cost the country
hundreds of billions of euros in lost assets, according to economists. In total, the cost to the country would be €339bn, of
which banks’ finances would contract by €111m and the government’s by €121bn, the report said. If rather than a total
collapse, Greece left the eurozone instead, the impact on the Dutch economy would be around €22bn.
Manageable
Of this, the government would have to write-off €17.75bn and the private sector the rest. ‘That will hurt, but it does not
have to lead to insurmountable problems for the country,’ the report said. ‘So at first sight, a Greek withdrawal would
be manageable.’ However, ‘the biggest problem would be that a Greek pull-out could trigger a domino effect,’ the report
concluded. The best option for the eurozone crisis is to ensure the survival of the euro, but it is impossible to say how
much that would cost the country, the report said.
Hotel prices
remain high in the
Netherlands
The price of a hotel room in
the Netherlands remains high
despite the economic crisis, with
the average rate at €110 a night.
Only Finland’s hotels are slightly
higher, according to figures
released in the ING Hotel Price
Index. Hoteliers in other tourist
countries such as Italy, Spain and
France have slashed prices. Hotel
rates throughout the Netherlands
are influenced by the prices in
Amsterdam, where the dearth
of hotel rooms means the price
can remain high, said Jan van der
Doelen from ING. The average
price of a room in Amsterdam is
€123 a night.
Financial sector sees drop in consumer
confidence
Consumer confidence in the financial sector fell again in 2012, according to
research by Porter Novelli among 500 people over the age of 18. Of those
questioned, 66% were critical about banking bonuses and 87% thought
financial products are too complex, the research shows. ‘Of course the
economic crisis does not help, but it is clear the financial sector must
itself take steps to win back confidence,’ said Porter Novelli’s Frank Peters.
According to Peters, banks, insurers and pension funds must renounce the old
financial world culture and be seen to do so.
State-owned railway group NS uses Ireland to dodge Dutch taxes
The state-owned Dutch railway company NS has managed to cut its Dutch tax bill by at least €250m since 1999 by routing
the cost of new trains through Ireland. The tax dodge means the treasury has lost out on income generated by a company
it owns. The finance ministry, meanwhile, is said to be ‘unhappy’ about the arrangement, which it has been aware of from
the beginning. In effect, NS’s Irish subsidiary, NS Financial Services, has spent €1.7bn on new trains which it then rents to
the NS in the Netherlands. None of the trains has ever been used on the Irish railways.
Dividends
This allows the Dutch operation to avoid tax. In Ireland, railway companies have paid an average 9% tax on their profits in
recent years. In the Netherlands, NS would have to pay 25% profit tax on the train rental. Some of the ‘missing’ cash does
end up with the treasury in the form of dividends. In a statement, the NS said the tax route had been developed to allow
it to ‘better compete in the market’. Other large transport firms also use Ireland to reduce their tax liabilities and there
is nothing illegal about this, the NS said. There is effectively no competition on the Dutch railways and NS operates all
intercity and most local train services.
Morals
Political party leaders were quick to react to the news. CDA leader Sybrand Buma said it showed a ‘lack of morals’. Labour
leader Diederik Samsom said the NS had used a ‘bizarre construction which just is not right’, and an SP spokesman said
the situation is ‘unacceptable’. Caretaker tax minister Frans Weekers said: ‘Of course, we would rather have seen these
activities take place in the Netherlands.’ Economist Martin Holterman, who is an expert on the Dutch railways, said the NS
is busy ‘playing at being a company’. But the NS is not a company but a government service, he said.
20

Bizz News
Prostitutes’ lobby group bankrupt
A lobby group dedicated to turning prostitution into an acceptable
profession while working to combat violence and exploitation has gone
bankrupt. De Rode Draad (red thread) was declared bankrupt and its
office has been closed. The group’s financial problems have been caused
by the withdrawal of subsidies because of spending cuts. Donations have
also gone done because of the economic crisis.
Police consultations
Rode Draad acted as an official sounding board for prostitutes in meetings
with police and officials. It had five permanent workers. Prostitution is
legal in the Netherlands and brothels and escort agencies are supposed to
have council licenses. Prostitutes are also expected to pay tax. In an effort
to stop young women becoming involved, moves are currently under way
to raise the official age limit from 18 to 21. But despite official regulation,
according to some police experts between 50% and 90% of the prostitutes
working in Amsterdam’s sex industry have been forced into it, even in
officially-licensed brothels and clubs.
Reality
Last November, Amsterdam council executive Lodewijk Asscher said the
Netherlands often deals with prostitution by turning a blind eye to the ‘raw
reality’. Many opinion writers and officials ‘deny’ that there are problems
and believe the sex industry is well ordered, he said. But there is a
‘collective silence’ about the truth, he said, referring to forced prostitution
and human trafficking. For years Asscher has been involved in efforts to
clean up Amsterdam’s notorious red light district by reducing the number
of buildings licensed for prostitution and trying to combat crime.
Most doctors oppose market forces in
healthcare
Three quarters of Dutch doctors think efforts to introduce market
forces into the Dutch healthcare system should be reversed, according
to research by health sector magazine Medisch Contact. In total, 86%
of family doctors and 70% of specialists want an end to competition
between healthcare providers. Further competition is considered a good
idea by 8% and 16% would like to keep things as they are now. Doctors’
main objection to market forces is the increasing power given to health
insurance companies, the survey shows. Insurance companies now have
to make agreements with providers based on price as part of government
efforts to cut over spending on healthcare. ‘Doctors are seen as each
other’s competitor not colleague and this is bad for cooperation,’ magazine
editor Hans van Santen said.
Business service sector
grows turnover but
remains somber
The business service sector has seen
slight growth but expectations remain
somber, the latest figures from the
national statistics office CBS figures
show. Turnover in the sector grew 1.3%
in the second quarter compared with
the year-earlier period, the CBS said.
Over the first half growth was 0.7%.
Travel agents and inspection agencies
booked the best growth, with 9.4% and
5.9% respectively. Architects had the
worst quarter with a drop of 10% in
turnover. The business service sector
is experiencing a worsening economic
climate and expects average turnover
and prices across the sector to remain
the same as 2011, but with fewer workers.
Former ABN Amro unit
under investigation
in Libor scandal
The Dutch central bank DNB is
investigating the role of part of the
ABN Amro bank in the Libor scandal.
The part of ABN Amro responsible for
setting Libor rates is now owned by
Scottish bank RBS. Until 2008, ABN
Amro was part of the panel that set
the daily Libor rate - which forms the
basis for interest on credit and loans.
That same year, the bank was split up
and the three parts taken over by RBS,
Santander and Fortis. When Fortis
went bankrupt, its part returned to
the Dutch state under the name ABN
Amro. Both RBS and DNB confirmed
the investigation. An investigation into
the part played in the Libor scandal by
Rabobank is already under way.
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23/3/12 10:34 AM
21

know your tax
THE FLEXIBILISATION OF ‘B.V.’ LAW
Text Raymond Hofstede, Loyens & Loeff, Singapore
Introduction
Many entrepreneurs worldwide carry on a business in
the form of a Dutch private company with limited liability.
In Dutch, the ‘besloten vennootschap met beperkte
aansprakelijkheid’ is usually referred to as the B.V. As
from autumn of this year, the rules for the B.V., with
respect to the protection of capital, will be simplified and
the governance structure of the articles of association
will become more flexible. The Act on simplification and
flexibilisation of private limited liability companies (the
‘Act’) will come into force on 1 October 2012, and will
apply to all B.V.s (hereafter referred to as “FlexBV”). This
article aims to summarise some key changes.
Non-voting shares and non-profit shares
The Act allows the articles of association of the company to
exclude certain shares from voting (1) , thereby making it far
easier to allocate voting rights to individual shareholders
separately. The company will also be able to issue shares
with more than one vote, which could be conducive to
structuring joint ventures or family owned companies.
Furthermore, the FlexBV gives the opportunity to create
shares with a right to vote, but without an entitlement
to profits or reserves (i.e. non-profit shares). As a result
of all these changes, shareholders will be more flexible in
structuring their mutual relationship.
Shareholders resolutions and general meetings
The Act also provides for some amendments in the
provisions on decision-making by the general meeting of
shareholders. Under the Act, it will be possible to have
general meetings of shareholders outside the Netherlands.
Decision-making outside a meeting will be allowed in
more cases and will no longer require a unanimous vote
of all shareholders. The statutory deadline for convening
a shareholders’ meeting will be shortened from fifteen to
eight days before the date of the meeting.
Direct rights of appointment
Under the Act, it is possible to grant a direct right to the
meeting of holders of shares of a certain class or specified
number to appoint or dismiss one or more management
board members. A condition for the application of the
direct right of appointment is that every shareholder
with voting rights, directly or indirectly, may vote on
the appointment of at least one management board
member. As a result, the articles of association may allow
a shareholder to appoint, suspend and dismiss its “own”
managing or supervisory director.
Instructions to the management board
With the FlexBV, the articles of association can provide
that the management board shall act according to the
instructions (2) of the general meeting of shareholders
or another corporate body. The management board is
obliged to follow these instructions, but will retain its own
responsibility as management board. It may (and must)
refuse to follow instructions if doing so is contrary to the
interest of the company and the business related thereto.
Transfer restrictions optional
With respect to the private character of the B.V., a
remarkable change has been implemented: including
transfer restrictions contained in the articles of association
22

Know your tax
when transferring shares becomes optional. It will no longer
be mandatory to include share transfer restrictions in the
articles of association of the company. Hence, the transfer
of shares can be made completely without restrictions,
or only submitted to a contractual arrangement in a
shareholders agreement. (3) It will also be possible to include
detailed provisions on how to determine the price of the
shares in relation to the transfer restrictions.
Lock up under articles of association
A new introduction under the Act is to include a lock
up period in the articles of association, meaning a
certain period of time during which the shares cannot
be transferred at all. Such an arrangement may only be
included with the consent of all holders of the shares that
are subject to the lock up.
Capital structure and creditor protection
The FlexBV abolishes the minimum issued share capital
requirement of 18,000 Euro. Formalities such as the bank’s
statement regarding cash payment on shares and the
obligation to submit auditor’s reports for contributions
in kind will no longer be required. (4) The nominal value of
the shares may be defined in foreign currency and may be
indicated in units lower than hundredths. The requirement
that at least 25% of the issued capital must be paid up no
longer applies.
Distribution to shareholders
Under the Act, the authorisation of the general meeting
of shareholders to resolve to distribute profits or reserves
can be limited in the articles of association or attributed by
another corporate body. Unless the articles of association
provide otherwise, the general meeting of shareholders is
authorised to resolve to distribute profits or reserves. This
resolution will be subject to the approval of the managing
board. The exercise of such a veto by the management
board, however, is restricted to the situation where the
distribution will cause a serious insolvency risk for the
company. Distributions can only be made “in so far as the
equity capital exceeds the legal reserves and the reserves
provided for by the articles of association”.
Dispute settlement rules
The statutory dispute settlement rules will also become
more flexible. The Act introduces an extended departure
scheme, in the sense that the shareholder who claims
resignation may also lodge this claim against the company.
This means that a shareholder will not only have the
opportunity to initiate exit (buy out) proceedings against
the other shareholder(s), but also against the B.V. itself.
In addition, the shareholders may, completely or in part,
diverge from the statutory dispute settlement rules
by including a personal arrangement in the articles of
association or in an agreement. The Court is competent to
refrain from appointing experts to determine the price for
the shares if the articles of association or a shareholder’s
agreement provide for clear criteria for determining the
price or if the parties agree on the price. The Court’s
decision to allow for a mandatory transfer may be declared
provisionally enforceable. It will be possible to include
a provision to have disputes settled by the Enterprise
Chamber of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal or by means of
arbitration.
Conclusion
The changes introduced by the Act will create more options
in structuring B.V.s. Under the new regime, the articles
of association of a B.V. can be much more tailor-made
in accordance with the preferences of the shareholders
of the company. In addition to the advantageous Dutch
corporate tax system, the extensive double taxation treaty
network and the excellent network of bilateral investment
treaties, the introduction of the FlexBV will strengthen the
Netherlands to remain a very favourable jurisdiction for
establishing (holding) companies and joint ventures.
If and how your company will be able to benefit from
the Act will depend on the wording and purport of the
existing articles of association. In any case, we strongly
recommend to examine the existing decision-making
procedures and to review the articles of associations of
existing B.V.s. We will be pleased to advise you in this
respect.
1 The introduction of non-voting shares can be regarded as a new
alternative for the current depositary receipts for shares.
2 The instructions need no longer be limited to general policy lines on a
specific area, but may also be specific instructions.
3 If no provision is included in the articles of association, a right of first
refusal will apply.
4 With contribution in kind it is, however, still required to draw up a
contribution statement.
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23

Not to miss
Rugby Sevens Tournament
2-4 Nov
65 th Singapore Cricket Club International Rugby Sevens Tournament: One of the
World’s Premier Rugby Tournaments featuring Top Sevens Sides from around the
world. The Padang is transformed into a fully fledged stadium for this weekend,
where fans and party goers alike get to soak in the Olympic sport of 7s in the
famous Friendly Sevens. This year will see the inclusion of the Asian Sevens Series,
which is a Rugby Sevens World Cup Qualifier. Top Class Sporting Action, Variety of
Food and Beverages, and Non-Stop Entertainment for the Weekend!
More Information www.sistic.com.sg
Singapore Wine Fiesta 2012
2-4 Nov
The Straits Wine Company and DBS are proud to present The Singapore Wine
Fiesta 2012. Featuring more than 50 international winemakers and over 200
labels, this year’s Fiesta will drops anchor at the Custom’s House Pavilion against
the stunning backdrop of Singapore’s skyline.
More Information www.sistic.com.sg
Barclays Singapore Open 2012
8-11 Nov
Catch the thrills and skills as the world’s best players like Adam Scott, Rory
McIlroy and Phil Mickelson battle for the crown of Asia. Join us for a showcase of
great golfing moments and spectacular fanfare at Asia’s richest national Open.
More Information www.sistic.com.sg
‘’The Tribute to Michael Jackson’’
21-22 Dec
Erick Guansing came to Singapore, won the Best of the Best Champion at WoW!
The SG Street Festival Award 2004. He went on to release an album ‘Straight from
My Heart’ and also started a vocal studio in Singapore. Erick is a fan of Michael
Jackson songs, so think it timely to pay a tribute to MJ.
More Information www.sistic.com.sg
24

Embassy news
September 2012
Koffie-bijeenkomst op de residentie
Aan de Nederlanders in Singapore
Het is weer tijd voor een nieuwe bijeenkomst op de residentie. Er zijn ongetwijfeld deze zomer weer
veel nieuwe mensen aangekomen.
Graag nodig ik U uit op vrijdag 5 oktober vanaf 10.30 uur
Deze bijeenkomst is bedoeld om “nieuwkomers” in Singapore op een ongedwongen manier kennis
te laten maken met de hier al langer verblijvende Nederlanders en tevens de vertegenwoordigers en
leden van de NCA (Netherlands Charity Association), Hollandse Club en andere interessante groepen te
kunnen ontmoeten.
Voor bevestiging van uw komst of nadere inlichtingen graag contact opnemen met het secretariaat van
de Nederlandse Ambassade:
tel. 6739 1116 of e-mail sin@minbuza.nl
Met vriendelijke groet en hopelijk tot 5 oktober,
Barbara Jansing
Echtgenote v/d Ambassadeur van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
23, Ridout Road
248416 Singapore
*
Autohuur tarieven vanaf € 23,- per dag
all-in
Laagste eigen risico - Geen extra verzekeringen bij aankomst - No nonsense voorwaarden
www.bblcarrental.nl
*28+ dagen tarief categorie A, excl. Schipholfee
bb&l_2010_ad_194x61.indd 2
25
12/9/09 4:13:43 PM

ADB News
Name : Lennart Luten
Why did you come to Singapore, and why did you decide
to join ADB?
I moved to Singapore with my girlfriend Zornica in August
of 2012. We chose this location as it sounded like a great
place for her to do her INSEAD MBA program, and for
me to gain more international working experience in
the energy (PM/BD) field (any tips, pointers or positions
would be most welcome). We love to travel, play sports
and network, and Singapore has made a great first
impression on us! See you around at the ADB events or
contact me on Linkedin.
Name : Kim van Vliet
Why did you come to Singapore, and why did you decide
to join ADB?
In 2010 we were in Singapore for a short term
secondment and we got a great taste of Asia. When my
boyfriend, Jochem, got offered a permanent position
at Aon Singapore it didn’t take long to accept, even
though this meant giving up my great job as a banker at
Rabobank. Luckily, the banking business is booming in
Singapore and I’m always in for adventures, so I took my
chances. The main reason for joining ADB is meeting likeminded
people and, of course, finding a job!
Name : Jeroen Goldman
Why did you come to Singapore, and why did you decide
to join ADB?
I came to Singapore as Regional Managing Director in Asia
for Aon GRIP Solutions. I have been with Aon since 2007.
In my previous role, I was managing various Aon GRIP
Solutions clients in Europe, the Middle East & Africa, while
also supporting GRIP Solutions operations in this region.
For me, membership of ADB combines ‘gezelligheid’,
keeping in touch with the Dutch and networking.
Name : Mariska Nijhuis l’Ami
Why did you come to Singapore, and why did you decide
to join ADB?
We moved to Singapore at the end of March of this year.
Now finally everything is in place, I would like to expand
my network and meet new people. I joined my husband
for his job and I am looking for one here. Seems like a
good reason to join ADB!
Name : Cecile Goldman
Why did you come to Singapore, and why did you decide
to join ADB?
As a senior manager in Dutch hospitals, I was
responsible for a division (260 FTE) of several
departments, managing strategy, finance and HR, as
well as quantity and quality of daily processes. Also
project-leadership of organisation wide projects was
part of the job. I look forward to finding a new challenge
(full-time) in which I can contribute my knowledge of
hospital processes and/or my experience in managing
projects and businesses.
Name : Jolanda Hakvoort
Why did you come to Singapore, and why did you decide
to join ADB?
We moved to Singapore 2 months ago and are
enjoying the city already. Of course, we miss the
canals and the “gezelligheid” of Amsterdam, but we
feel quite at home already. I restarted my company
Marketingcommunication4you here, where I help
companies to export to Asia. In addition, I started
Unforgetty.com, where we are looking for talented
persons/ funtrepeneurs who want to organize
unforgettable activities. I am looking forward to meeting
new people for networking and nice conversations at ADB.
26

Job seekers
Name : Donny de Borst
Age : 24
Tel. no. : +31 66 49904514
Email : donnydeborst@hotmail.com
Study: Aeronautical Engineering
Specialization: Quality Assurance
Working experience: I graduated at Fokker Elmo
in the Quality Assurance Department for control of
Manufacturing Processes. After graduation I worked
on a project base at Fokker Elmo, until I got my current
job as a Stock Analyst at Nayak Aircraft Services.
Before graduation I had several part time jobs.
Looking for: A job in Quality Assurance, with the
possibility to develop myself (for example through
studying, besides work). Preferably in the Aerospace,
but other interesting companies can also be an
opportunity. Besides Quality Assurance a job in Supply
Chain Management is also interesting.
ADB News
New members
Celine Peek-Grimbergen, Smit Singapore
Dirk Veldhuis, ASM Front-End Manufacturing
Floris van Halder
Gita Pelinck, BHP Billiton
Jeroen Kok
Jeroen van der Waal, Doedijns International
Jolanda Hakvoort, Marketingcommunication4you.com
Kim van Vliet
Lennart Luten
Lennard Keijzer, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek
Maarten van Aller, Petrofac Floating Production
Marijn Booman
Marrein Schraven, Akzo Nobel Paints
Michael van Eggermond, Singapore EZTH Centre
Raymond Gillon, UTi Worldwide
Reinder Peek, Smit Singapore
Sander Jacobs
Wilbert de Groot, IXBLUE Pte Ltd
Wilfred van Wel, SAP Asia
Leaving members
Barend van Drooge, VoskampLawyers
Denis Brouwer, Mammoet
Dick Verhaagen, Deep Water
Frits Peski, Metro C&C
Gwen Roelofs, KLM Cargo
Houda Helal, DutchCham
Michiel Stange, Dining City
Pieter van Idenburg, Suntec
Willem van Donge

ADB News
Doing Business in Indonesia
8 Oct
For ADB Members only
Indonesia is the largest economy and most populous country in the ASEAN.
Business opportunities in Indonesia are plentiful and are possibly only matched
by the number of cultural, relational, regulatory, political, fiscal and financial
challenges one faces when doing business in Indonesia.
ADB is proud to have among its members reputed Indonesia specialists
Hans Vriens (Vriens & Partners), Joe Teng (Amicorp), Pieter de Ridder (Loyens &
Loeff), and Marleen Dieleman (NUS) who will kindly sharing their expertise and
experiences in a panel discussion.
There will be ample time for questions from the floor. However, you are
also invited to raise your questions beforehand, by sending an email to our
moderator, Nico Derksen (nico.derksen@itm.com.sg).
Date : Monday 8 th October 2012 Time : 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Place : Main Hall, The Hollandse Club Cost : Free of charge
RSVP : www.adb.org.sg/events. Registration is required
Bronze sponsors:
ABN AMRO - New Beginnings, Charting our Future
22 Nov
For ADB Members only
ABN AMRO Bank in the Netherlands has roots in Asia, that date back to 1826,
making ABN AMRO, the oldest bank in Singapore.
ABN AMRO today is a leading universal bank in the Netherlands with a dual
international strategy of supporting the activities of our Dutch clients around the
world, while also continuing to develop the leading global positions of our Energy,
Commodities & Transportation (ECT), Private Banking and Clearing businesses.
Hugues Delcourt, Country Executive ABN AMRO Bank Singapore and CEO of
Private Banking Asia & Middle East is looking forward to share the ABN AMRO
story of its new beginnings and the importance of Asia to the ambition of the
new bank.
Date : Thursday 22 nd November 2012 Time : 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Place : ABN AMRO
Cost : Free of charge
RSVP : www.adb.org.sg/events. Registration is required
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Frank Kuijsters, Chief Editor
Aleid van der Schier
Arthur Claringbould
Bridget Schiff van Akkooi
Lineke van Nederpelt
Petra Pronk
Richard Soemita
SECRETARIAT
Lineke van Nederpelt
MAILING ADDRESS
ADB Singapore
c/o 22 Camden Park
Singapore 299814
Telephone: +65 9101 6201
Email: adb@pacific.net.sg
WEBSITE
www.adb.org.sg
DESIGN
Jennifer Phua
PRINTER Khoo Sun Printing Pte Ltd
MITA 373/03/2001
This magazine is distributed free of
charge to all members and relations
of the ADB.
We invite members to contribute to
the next issue.
The contents of this magazine are
partly based on information received
from third parties. The Committee
does not take responsibility for the
correctness of the articles
Membership fee is S$ 100 per
calendar year. For registration, please
see the website www.adb.org.sg
Membership is renewed
automatically effective the first
month of the new calendar year.
Make your cheque payable to
“ADB Singapore” and send to ADB,
c/o 22 Camden Park, Singapore
299814.
Termination of membership must
be received by ADB Secretariat in
writing before 1 January. Please
notify the ADB secretariat of any
changes in employer, (email)
addresses or any other personal
particulars that might be of interest
to the ADB administration.
28

Don , t miss our
Charity
Christmas
Fair
November 15 from 10 AM - 5 PM
Hollandse Club, 22 Camden Park
Don’t miss special performances by Lila Drums (LilaDrums.com)
and some shopping stress relief by the SAVH Mobile Massage Team (SAVH.org.sg)
All NCA proceeds benefit local Singapore charities. Sponsored by:

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drinkable since 1873