ScandAsia April 2018

APR 2018

Business

Frontier SEA markets

Business Sweden report

Community

Thailand’s first Danish

Pastor

Human

Resources

The Return of the Vikings

Lifestyle

The Nong Khai oasis

International

Schools theme

With a diverse community of over 70 nationalities and a growing Scandinavian student population, Stamford

American International School is one of the leading International Schools in Singapore to offer the full

International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum aligned to American Education Reaches Out (AERO) standards

for students from 2 months to 18 years.

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to learning, hence Stamford offers students the choice of multiple

graduating pathways – IB Diploma, AP International Diploma, US High School Diploma, or a blended

program, aligned to their capabilities, interests and ambitions. Offering flexibility and choice, students can

choose from over 40 IB courses and more than 20 Advanced Placement (AP) Courses. Every student is

coached towards a successful academic outcome which is individually right for them.

Stamford’s dedicated Academic & College Counselling Team works closely with EducationUSA on campus,

the only SAT and ACT test center in Singapore, to provide the authoritative resources and relevant

up-to-date information for admissions to leading universities worldwide.

International

Baccalaureate Diploma

US

AERO

Standards

College Board

AP COURSES

Centrally located Campuses

With space at a premium in Singapore, Stamford’s bespoke campuses

are centrally located within close proximity to popular residential

areas. The campuses offer world-class facilities and cutting-edge

technology. With sensorial learning at every turn, the Early Learning

Village is Reggio-Emilia inspired and purpose built for students from 2

months to 6 years. Located just 2.6km away, the Woodleigh Campus

caters to Elementary & Secondary students from 6 years to 18 years

which combines best teaching facilities for each student to maximize.

Language and Community

A new language opens many doors for children, providing them with

greater ability to gain insight into cultures different from their own.

While the best foundation for learning different languages starts

young, languages can be picked up at any age. Stamford’s culture of

cultivating students to be internationally-minded is well supported by

the World Language Program which includes daily Mandarin and

Spanish lessons, a bilingual Mandarin/English Program for students

aged 3 and above as well as the English as an Additional Language

(EAL) Program for non-native speakers who wish to have specialist

English learning.

Children of any age can face difficulties integrating into a new

environment. Retaining some connection to their home country

becomes important and our Mother Tongue Program helps to do just

that. Ever ready to welcome, honor and celebrate all cultures and

languages, the Mother Tongue Program offers 12 languages. Led by the

parent community, the school provides support in the form of

classroom facilities, IT support, access to the libraries, event and

celebration space.

Innovation

Stamford believes in introducing emerging technologies to students

with the aim of developing their thinking for the ideas of tomorrow.

From as young as 18 months, students are introduced to bee bots,

virtual reality, coding and many more during their lessons for a

progressive future mind set. The Innovation Center acts as one of the

most prominent spaces in which students are given the opportunity to

explore and delve into new technologies with the objective of tapping

on their creative and innovative sides.

Arts and Athletics

As a thriving performing arts and sporting community, students are

able to enjoy 4 swimming pools, 3 air-conditioned sports arenas,

rooftop tennis courts, dance studios, rock climbing walls, the sports

field and our very own golf academy along with a sophisticated 500 –

seat professional theater.

Stamford accepts applications throughout the year. Why not come

for a visit or attend one of our monthly speaker series? Visit our

website at sais.edu.sg or call +65 6653 7907 to speak to our friendly

Admissions Team.

ATTEND OUR MONTHLY EXPERT PANELS

Register at sais.edu.sg/open-events

21/2/2016 – 20/2/2020

Stamford American International School CPE Registration Number: 200823594D Period of Registration: August 10,

2014 to August 9, 2018

April 2018

22

Ms. Christa Lund Herum

First Danish Pastor in Thailandl

ScandAsia

Stories

14 Singapore hosts Unleash

Innovation Lab

16 Ikea opened its largest

SEA store in Bang Yai,

Thailand

21 New NBAS Singapore

Board elected

52 The Nong Khai oasis

58 My latest position

Copyright : Ian Allenden/123RF

26

International Schools theme

ScandAsia

Business

10 Capture the growth

of the frontier SEA markets

Business Sweden report

18 Danish Tech Ambassador’s

Beijing office

Casper Klynge in China

19 Organisational structure

change starts at dtac

Norwegian Andrew Kvalseth new CMO

20 Finnish National Agency

for Education

Visited China, Hong Kong

Mr. Pasi Silander

Expert on school of the future

48

54

Mr. Chris Shern,

Co-author of new Nordic leadership book

14

16

52

inbound@asiantigers-thailand.com, outbound@asiantigers-thailand.com

Tel: +66 2687 7800 www.asiantigers-mobility.com/Thailand asiantigersmobilitythailand

April 2018 • ScandAsia 5

Editorial

Dear reader,

If you are a parent, you probably remember when

your little baby quickly wrapped all five fingers around

your one? Your child will continue to grasp your hand

throughout childhood and youth. You are your child’s first

and lifelong teacher. And, as a parent and teacher, you will

make important decisions for your child.

Some of the most important decisions you will make are

about your child’s education. You want your child’s school

to meet the same goals of high academic achievement you

have set. You may want your child’s school to reflect the

values of your family and community. In other words, you

want to choose a school that is a good fit for your child.

In an increasing number of cities across Asia, you now

have the ability to do so. International schools are opening

up not only in the capitals but also in all major cities.

In this issue of ScandAsia we try to help you navigate the

process of choosing a school. We outline some steps that

you can follow to help you make a wise choice, balancing

the situation of your family, the needs of your child and the

offerings of the schools. We even include articles directly

from some of the best schools on issues of importance to

this choice you have to make.

Still, the opinion of other parents of your own nationality

remains of course importantr. This is one of the main

reasons why newcomers seek to join networks of other

people from their own country so they can exchange advice

and warnings. Not only about the best choice of school but

also on matters like choice of hospital, dentist, lawyer, etc.

ScandAsia has collected and keeps updating all

the traditional Scandinavian networks across Asia like

Scandinavian Society Siam, and Scandinavian Women’s

Association on the website www.scandasia.com under

the menu point “Contact Directory”. These associations

are these years being supplemented - some would say

challenged - by a vast number of online communities and

social media groups of which the ScandAsia website also

has the most comprehensive listing.

But regardless of how much can be done online,

eventually you will have to visit the school or schools on

your short-list. We hope you will find this issue of ScandAsia

useful as a tool to help you make an informed decisions. I

wish you success with this challenge.

Gregers Moller

Editor in Chief

ScandAsia is a printed magazine and online

media covering the people and businesses

of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland living

and working in China, Hong Kong, Thailand,

Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines,

Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Who should subscribe:

ScandAsia subscribers are typically Nordic

expats and companies from the Nordic

countries living in and active in Asia.

Another group of subscribers are Nordic

people living in the Nordic countries who

subscribe to ScandAsia for personal or

business reasons. We also have many Asian

subscribers, who for a wide range of reasons

are following the activities of

the Nordic expats and companies via a

subscription to ScandAsia.

The ScandAsia magazine is produced every

month and distributed to all print version

subscribers via postal services and to all

eMagazine subscribers via email. Subscribing

to the eMagazine is FREE - simply sign up

on the ScandAsia.com website.

Become a ScandAsia user/

get free digital ScandAsia magazine

or paid subscription via

www.scandasia.com!

Publisher :

ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd.

211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29

Prasert Manukitch Road

Bangkok 10230, Thailand

Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8

Fax: +66 2 943 7169

E-mail: news@scandasia.com

Editor-in-Chief :

Gregers A.W. Møller

gregers@scandmedia.com

Managing Editor:

Joakim Persson

Joakim@scandmedia.com

Advertising :

Finn Balslev

finn@scandmedia.com

Frank Leong

frank@scandasia.com

Graphic Designer :

Peerapol Meesuwan

Peerapol@scandmedia.com

Production Manager:

Sopida Yatprom

Printing :

Inthanon Interprint Co., Ltd.

6 ScandAsia • April 2018


Opinion

Why are Swedes abroad locked

out from security systems?

Sweden has internationally welldeveloped

security systems,

where healthcare is a part. The

welfare has been built during

a number of decades by

taxpayers, both Swedes and immigrants.

Many of these are pensioners today.

In this age of globalization, increasing

numbers of these retirees choose to

settle, or stay longer time, abroad. A lot

of pensioners live outside the EU / EEA

area, which means they fall outside the

security system that everyone living in

Sweden has.

Pensioners without health

insurance

A rather significant number of persons

are pensioners who reside or stay

longer time in warmer – and often

cheaper – countries. It can be because

you feel better in a warm climate, which

is especially true for certain diagnoses.

Another common reason is that you

have a low pension and are having

difficulty coping with it in Sweden.

Two thirds of all Swedish pensioners

in Thailand totally lack health insurance,

according to a simple survey made

by SAMS (Federation of Swedish

Associations in Thailand). This is because

the insurances are more expensive the

older you are – at a time when the need

for an insurance increases.

Another problem is that many

pensioners already have a disease /

diagnosis, which means that no company

accepts to insure them. However, if they

had remained in Sweden, they had

both been helped by Swedish health

insurance and Swedish health care - at a

significantly higher cost for the Swedish

security systems than if they were being

treated, with payment from Sweden, at

a hospital in Thailand.

Unpaid debts to hospitals

The number of foreigners, incl. Swedes,

who do not manage healthcare costs

in Thailand are increasing. This gives

hospitals – usually state hospitals with

already limited resources – problems.


Some of the repr. fr. Federation for Swedish Societies in Thailand, fr. left: Kjell Nystrom,

Swedes in Udon; Bo Jonsson, Swedes in Phuket; and Lars-Olof Fagerstrom, Swedish

Association in Hua Hin

Another aspect of this is that people who

do not consider they can afford hospital

care – refrain from visiting a hospital and

try to take care of themselves at home.

Sometimes with serious consequences.

Annika Strandhäll, Swedish Social

Minister has stated that “everyone

should be protected and the security

systems should be available when and

where we need them”. SAMS has the

opinion that there is no logic for the

government to distinguish between

Swedes inside or outside the EU / EEA

area.

The Swede abroad who becomes

ill can travel to Sweden and get care.

But the cost is much higher than for

those who are living in Sweden, plus

the cost of the travel to Sweden. At the

same time, Swedish healthcare is more

congested, a healthcare that has suffered

from shortages in capacity for many

years, having long care queues.

Many also find it hard to understand

that Sweden offers free healthcare to

people staying illegally in Sweden, but

the country can not offer subsidized

healthcare to taxpayers who choose to

reside outside the EU / EEA.

Issue about justice

Seniors residing in e.g. Thailand pay tax

to Sweden. The tax system and the

benefit systems have different rules.

You are forced to pay taxes to Sweden,

even if you are not entitled or able to

avail of the social benefits that residents

in Sweden are entitled to. The system is

not adapted to today’s mobility patterns

and is perceived as unfair. Our legislators

must understand that it is reasonable

that all taxpayers also get something for

the tax.

For the Federation of Swedish

Societies in Thailand

Bo Jonsson, Swedes at Phuket Lars

Olof Fagerström, Swedish Association

in Hua Hin Kjell Nyström, Swedes in

Udon Thani

Disclaimer: The views and opinions

expressed in this article are those of the

authors and do not necessarily reflect

the official policy or position of ScandAsia

Publishing. Examples of analysis

performed within this article are only

examples. Neither ScandAsia Publishing

nor any person acting on its behalf may

be held responsible for the use which may

be made of the information contained

therein.

If you would like to share your

thoughts and insights on this

page contact Managing editor,

joakim@scandmedia.com

ARE YOU READY FOR THE FUTURE?

•

You are often pressed for time, but have also realized that you need to invest

the time to acquire the right business skills to navigate in a turbulent and ever

changing world.

•

With 6 Saturday-workshops during a 5–month period, the Mini MBA course is

easy to fit in your busy everyday schedule.

•

Unlike traditional MBA programs - which can be both time consuming and quite

costly - the IME Mini MBA offers a brief program covering the most important

business disciplines, such as Strategy, HR, Marketing, Change Management,

Finance and Process Management & Lean.

•

Our approach is very hands-on. We want you to be able to apply what you’ve

learned directly in your organisation.

•

Special focus on self-development and your career plan through the Design

Your Career module.

Visit our website for more information about the course.

WWW.SG.IME.EDUCATION

IME Singapore Pte. Ltd. | TWC, 140 Robinson Road #04-01 | Singapore | INFO@IME.COM.SG

Business

‘Capture the growth of

the frontier SEA markets’

– new Business Sweden report

Swedish companies can, and should, despite expected challenges,

invest in the ‘frontier Southeast Asia markets’ – Cambodia, Laos

and Myanmar. The business opportunities are there – especially

within four sectors that Business Sweden (BuS) has pinpointed in

its new ‘point of view’ report.

By Joakim Persson

In its report BuS’ Mekong office shines light on these

very much emerging and promising growth markets. It

also pinpoints the right way to do it in terms of entering

- where of course BuS is there with its know-how,

network and expertise consultancy services to help.

Aside the need for a long-term approach, it also requires

stamina to enter these markets. Key challenges in any venture

are: corruption, finding the suitable partner (s), finding/

recruiting people with right capabilities and infrastructure

(transportation, access to electricity etc.)

Vivianne Gillman, Trade Commissioner Vietnam &

Thailand, and Vlad Månsson, Project Manager, have

presented the report to the business community

in both Bangkok and Singapore. They pointed out how

Business Sweden helps Swedish companies reaching their


full international potential and it is in that setting these

growth markets in Southeast Asia is of relevance.

Myanmar, for instance, is as characterized by a large

population, high growth and rapid development.

“We all know that Asia is the growth engine of the

world and a lot of the Swedish companies are looking east

towards Asia for business opportunities and for growth.

And on the typical markets one looks at entering, such as

China or Thailand, there are great opportunities – but also

fierce competition,” started Vivianne Gillman.

“But in that global battle for growth there are some

countries usually not looked at, and that actually are some of

the fastest growing markets in the world right now. They are

also somewhat white spots for many Swedish companies.”

BuS’ research also shows that Sweden is behind European

peers in exports and FDI to these SEA frontier markets.

Their rapid development

requires investments and

modern solutions

Meanwhile, Swedish industry matches well with the

investments going into the Mekong region.

Introducing the markets Vlad said that they have

among the fastest growing GDP worldwide. “But one very

important factor here is that it comes from a very low level.

Even Myanmar with a population of Thailand’s size has just

one fifth of the GDP as Thailand. Absolute growth is actually

still smaller than Thailand’s.”

“There are many differences between these countries

but some things they have in common are a very young

population, high growth, very dynamic markets and of

course many challenges.”

Their rapid development requires investments and

modern solutions. Key characteristics are: enormous needs

of infrastructure and construction development; rising

middle class: more and more consumers can afford an

increased consumption; industrialisation: Shift from basic

agriculture to more industrial manufacturing; and complexity

in doing business: despite high growth, these markets are still

underdeveloped and pose challenges in doing business.

Recently “democratized” Myanmar is undergoing

urbanization and shift from agriculture to light manufacturing.

It has potential to become a trade hub but lacks the

transport infrastructure; roads, ports and airports.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing a lot of troubles politically

in Myanmar and could actually see in 2017 some hesitation

to enter the market due to this. But we definitely see a lot of

industrialisation going on, with investment in oil and gas, the

power sector, transportation, and ICT (where penetration

is skyrocketing).”

Laos has the smallest economy of the three but has

demonstrated high growth in recent years. “In the energy

market it’s seen as the battery of the Mekong region. It

has an extremely high surplus of energy, partly due to our

Nordic neighbours Norway and Denmark investing a lot

into the power sector,” said Vivianne.

Major projects in Laos include airports, railways, wind

farms and hydro power plants. In Cambodia this also

concerns railways, hydropower as well as commercial

construction.

Manufacturing (with textiles and clothing dominating the

sector) and tourism are its two major economic drivers. Its

government has set target of 7,5 million tourists by 2020.

“Cambodia is the market of the three where BuS has

seen the least interest among Swedish companies, even

though it has a larger economy in size than Laos. In the

garment sector, H&M and some others are present,”

presented the Trade Commissioner.


Vlad Månsson, Project Manager, Business Sweden

There is no chance

you can drive business

in Myanmar from

Sweden, not even

from Thailand


Vivianne Gillman, Trade Commissioner Vietnam & Thailand,

Business Sweden

BuS’s report identifies the key industries and

opportunities in the frontier SEA markets, with large

demand for innovative solutions and technologies

and high growth.

“FDI is really booming after 2012 and what is driving this

are these sectors; construction & infrastructure, transport,

energy and food & beverage (F&B). These are also where

we see potential for Swedish companies, and that are also

leaders in these sectors.”

“There is very poor transport infrastructure in these

countries today. And that is where there are large needs

and where global funding agencies like ADB and World

Bank are funding projects in airports, roads and ports,”

continued Vlad.

The booming infrastructure and constant development

will require various solutions, where there are opportunities

for large and midsized Swedish companies with innovative

and efficient infrastructure solutions.

In the transport sector there is high growth across the

transport segment, from passenger cars to commercial

vehicles. For instance, Laos’ strategic position connecting

China to South-east Asia will drive infrastructure and

construction, driving demand for heavy trucks and

commercial vehicles. And in Cambodia rising disposable

incomes will drive dealership expansions and new vehicle

sales.

“In the transport sector we can see very big competition

from Chinese, Japanese and Korean companies but there

are still good opportunities in this sector as well.“

“Companies that could have potential include Volvo and

Scania with world class trucks and buses. Volvo Cars is also

increasing its presence in these countries. And you have

everything around it, such as smart solutions.”

Think digitalization and connectivity solutions, railway

equipment and systems, air traffic and maritime management

solutions etc.

Within energy understanding the public and private

stakeholders is key to success.

The Mekong markets see tremendous need for modern,

high quality energy solutions as well as alternative energy

solutions.

“Here, ABB is involved in these countries. But we see

that there are opportunities for more Swedish companies

in this sector for sure.”

F&B is another growth market, where world-leading

companies have been present for years and are ramping up

investments, with rapid growth expected in the food and

beverage industry, especially in Myanmar.

“We believe Swedish companies can follow and track

these investments and deliver equipment and solutions for

this. Companies like Tetra Pak are already quite big in the

region. But there is everything related to food manufacturing.

In packaging solutions Sweden is one of the best countries

in the world,” said Vivianne.

In the report BuS also give their view and what they think

are key success factors to enter these markets. “The

first one is to really do your homework and spend the

time in understanding the market ecosystem, and work

continuously to re-learn and develop the market.”

Second, ensure presence or a strong, local partner is

key. “This is probably the most important point; to be on

the market. There is no chance you can drive business in

Myanmar from Sweden, not even from Thailand.”

In addition one needs to continuously: engage with the

market, actively support one’s partner, and be patient and

long-term oriented.

“Localise your offering and educate the market. If you

are going to sell a product that is five times more expensive

than the Chinese you need to educate customers on factors

like the benefits and total cost of ownership.”

The report also includes some success cases here that

BuS believes represent this learning.


Business

Singapore next for ‘Unleash’

A global innovation lab

serving the planet

In 2017, Denmark hosted the

very first UNLEASH Innovation

Lab, gathering 1,000 talents

from all over the world to

develop solutions for the UN

Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2018, Singapore will be the

new host. Board Director Henrik

Skovby speaks to ScandAsia.

By Eva Eriksen

Board Director, Henrik Skovby, believes that the

global community must embrace and collectively

work to meet the SDGs for us to maintain a

positive outlook on the future.

The UN has formulated 17 global goals as a call

action for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring

peace and prosperity for all people by 2030. To help meet

these goals a consortium of passionate, core partners from

both the private and public sectors created this innovation lab.

“There is a very important need for new innovative

solutions, which cannot be developed only by governments,

because they simply do not have the resources to finance

and scale the required solutions,” says Henrik Skovby, Board

Director, Unleash, and Chairman, Dalberg Group.

Through a competitive process top talents from all

over the world are invited to Unleash to design new global

solutions through understanding global problems, generating

ideas for solutions, prototyping these solutions, and creating

implementation plans to bring their ideas to life. They will

present to mentors and advisors, impact investors, and

corporates that are interested in partnering and supporting

new innovative solutions.

The lab format is designed to help a diverse group of

talents work together on breaking down complex challenges

and designing solutions at an accelerated pace. Talents

leverage a toolkit of innovation facilitation activities, and work

with facilitators and advisors throughout the week to further

their ideas. After the innovation lab ends, talents are a part

of a global network with perpetual access to the Unleash

ecosystem, both for their Unleash ideas and for any SDGfocused

ideas that they wish to pursue in the future.

Additionally, Skovby explains how the young talents can

influence corporates and companies to be more aware of

their own impact and to create more sustainable solutions.

“Daily, lots of companies are producing things that have a

negative footprint on the planet. At Unleash, corporates can

learn from young talents about their passions, preferences,

new technologies, and what it will take to partner with the

leaders of tomorrow.”

Why the young generation?

There are two reasons why Unleash focuses on a younger

generation of talents. First, the younger generation is the

one that will live with the consequences of today’s misuse

of resources and who will experience the effects of climate

change. This sense of urgency provokes the youth to take

action more than the older generations.

Secondly, today’s youth have an appetite for new business

models and a willingness to quickly adapt to new technologies.

This combination of technological awareness and innovative

thinking needs to be leveraged in terms of finding new

solutions.

“Today, there is a sharing economy paradigm that for many

young people is second nature,” Henrik Skovby says. “We

need to think in new business models, and so it is important

to get youth involved, because young people are much more


The younger generation

is the one that will live

with the consequences

of today’s misuse of

resources and who will

experience the effects of

climate change

eager to share resources, to experiment and to adapt. That is

essential in terms of scaling fast.”

Singapore is the DNA of Unleash

Although Unleash was born in Denmark, it is a global initiative.

It is set to move around the world every year until 2030.

“From the very beginning, we understood that in order

for Unleash to have a global effect, we must be a global

movement. Having different host countries that can bring

different capabilities to the platform is essential.”

This year, Singapore is the host due to its unique position

in the world:

“Firstly, Singapore’s track record shows immense

development through a very short period of time, going from

a developing country to a first world country in 50 years.

Secondly, Singapore is a place which has shown commitment

to leadership, innovation and science. And thirdly, it has a

rich and vibrant ecosystem as a hub for many international

companies and organizations that can accelerate and scale

solutions rapidly, which in many ways is the DNA of Unleash,”

Skovby says.

Global goals and awareness

The marketing of the global goals has been stronger than

Henrik Skovby had anticipated. He thinks the UN has done a

much better job promoting the SDGs, which were announced

in 2016, than was done when the millennium goals were

announced in 2000. However, Skovby still thinks there is a

lot of work to be done in terms of promoting the SDGs.

In countries with the highest exposure to the goals, only

about 30 percent of the population know about the SDGs.

Therefore, Skovby and Unleash sees a great responsibility in

helping to educate the broader public about the importance

of the SDGs and the opportunities they bring.

“We all need to know them because we all need to act

upon them. We cannot expect governments and NGOs to

do all the work. Ultimately it comes down to us as citizens

taking action. Whether or not we meet the SDGs comes

down to our own personal choices of how we live our lives

and how we influence people around us.”

Should we be positive about the

future?

Based on data about the health of the planet, the Board

Director cannot deny that the future looks grim. Climate

change is more drastic than ever before detected in a

hundred million years. The amount of plastic in the ocean

will in 2050 be as great as the tonnage of fish. Biodiversity is

declining greatly. The list of troubling outlooks goes on.

“Knowing this, the question is: do we push the fear

button or do we push the opportunity button?” Skovby asks.

“To keep moving forward, I think we must remain positive

and really try to find innovative solutions and not give up.

However, we must maintain a sense of reality and not lose

sight of the work that needs to be done because I do think

the situation is actually very grim.”


Business

Ikea’s largest Southeast

Asian store opens in

Greater Bangkok

Text and photos: Joakim Persson

There, Ikea Bang Yai is strategically located right

next the Greater Bangkok’s ring road and next

to end station of Purple Line metro, Talat Bang

Yai station. And perhaps most importantly, this

is the only Ikea store in the world that, with its

50,278 sqm, is fully integrated into a shopping centre.

Situated right next to the partner CentralPlaza Westgate

this store has no less than six access points: three directly

connected to the shopping centre, and three directly from

the IKEA store.

Mr. Christian Rojkjaer, Managing Director of Ikea

Southeast Asia welcomed all the V.I.P guests and a very large

group of media in attendance. He compared the new store

with the great success Ikea has already enjoyed in Thailand

with Ikea Bangna and Mega Bangna.

“Ikea Bangna is one of the most successful stores in the

world and it’s of course our customers who deserve the

credit for that. What did we do to make that happen? It goes

back to being super-affordable, accessible, a great day out,

and of course having the products available for instant takehome,”

he said.

“So everything we did for Ikea Bangna we have done

also here and tried to make it even better. So I am really

looking forward to that. And when we open a new store

it’s not only about being a retailer, it is also to be part of

society, being a good citizen where we are and that means

a lot to me, to our co-workers and hopefully to he societies

that we are in.”

“What we did we concretely do? We invested more than

6 billion baht into this building. And as a big employer we

already have more than a 1000 people employed. We offer

career, knowledge in many different positions – you name it,

we’ve got it! We have a fully-fledged company here with all

the fantastic functions and career possibilities for Thailand,“

Christian continued.

“The reason that Ikea has been so welcome in Thailand

is that we share this foundation of loving family and home.

I think this store will be very successful and make us a

successful contributor to Bang Yai, Bangkok and Thai society

for many years to come,” he furthermore analysed.


Thomas Friberg, Store Manager at IKEA Bang Yai continued

the presentation and told the press conference that they

have invested in all the extra square metres to create a great

and unique shopping experience for the many people.

“Ikea Bang Yai is one of the first stores in the world where

we have taken a few more steps to let the customer explore

but also enjoy their shopping.”

Customers will have more freedom in creating their own

shopping journey. They can just grab and go or take the full

tour of our blue box store. To further enhance the customer

experience, IKEA Bang Yai plans to launch a new feature; the

Ikea Store App. Customers will be able find the items they

want with ease.

“We also have taken to our heart how much Thais love

food. Except from the normal Ikea restaurant, where we

serve the famous Swedish meatballs we have invested in one

more restaurant where we serve the more sustainable and

healthy choices of food – still with a Swedish touch and based

on Scandinavian ingredients.”

Many of the food ingredients come from sustainable

sources, states Ikea.

“Also core for us is sustainability. This is the first store

and retail shop in Thailand that will meet LEED Platinum and

Green Mark Platinum requirements, the highest qualification

for both certificates, which shows IKEA’s commitment to the

planet. It’s a great pleasure to introduce that to Thailand and

to our consumers,” he concluded Thomas Friberg.

At 10 am sharp the Swedish store manager personally

welcomed and escorted the very first guest to Ikea Bang Yai,

and the many hundreds of employees had lined up on every

floor to welcome all the customers that that flooded into

the huge store.


Business

Denmark’s Tech Ambassador opened

Beijing office

In recognition of the growing

importance of China’s booming tech

industry, the Tech Ambassador of

Denmark has now opened an office in

Beijing.

As the first country in the world,

Denmark has elevated technology to

a foreign policy priority and established

a diplomatic platform and presence

to promote this agenda across the

globe. The initiative is taken based

on the recognition of the key role

technology and digitalization plays and

will increasingly play in the future for

individuals and societies alike from China

to Denmark and the rest of the world.

“It’s interesting to see how China’s

tech industry has grown into being

among the most advanced in areas of

artificial intelligence, machine learning

and cloud-computing. The resources

and the willingness from the Chinese

Government to drive and push this

development together with the big

tech companies is very significant, said


Denmark’s Tech Ambassador, Casper

Klynge.

“In that light, it’s only a natural step

for the Danish Government to expand

our technological diplomacy – or our

so-called TechPlomacy Initiative - to

China,” said the Ambassador, who will

be in China next week to officially open

the Beijing leg of the Tech Ambassador’s

Office at the Royal Danish Embassy in

Beijing.

The Tech Ambassador’s Office will

have a physical presence in three time

zones across the globe, in Denmark’s

capital Copenhagen, Silicon Valley in the

United States, and Beijing.

Tech Ambassador Casper Klynge

and his global team will work to build

strategic partnerships and engage

directly with tech-hubs, governments,

international organizations, civil society,

cities, regions, world-class universities

and other stakeholders.

“I really look forward to engaging

in dialogue on a broad range of topics

with the tech-industry and Chinese

authorities. We need a stronger multistakeholder

discussion on how we

want these new technologies to shape

our societies in the future. And with

a stronger dialogue we will be better

equipped to meet both opportunities

and challenges new technology creates,”

said Ambassador Klynge.

The Office of the Danish Tech

Ambassador is located at the Embassy

in Beijing.

Denmark is one of the most digitised

countries in the world. Denmark has a

relatively small and agile bureaucratic

system, a robust, green and reliable

energy ecosystem, and a creative and

adaptive workforce, which is relatively

well equipped to succeed in the fourth

industrial revolution. Yet, like other

countries, cities and regions around the

world, we need to be ready to adapt and

engage with new technologies and their

adverse impacts on society, economy

and labour market.

Business

Organizational structure change starts

at dtac

dtac has announced changes to its

organizational structure, designed

to better fulfil the company’s

purpose, stated a press release.

The Digital Group, which focuses

on digital sales and marketing, will be

merged into the Marketing Group.

This will strengthen dtac’s ability to

use analytics and digital capabilities to

create real-time personalized offers.

The changes are in response

to current Chief Marketing Officer

Sitthichoke Nopchinabutr’s resignation.

During his time at dtac, Mr. Sitthichoke

was instrumental in revitalizing the

dtac brand thanks to highly visible

campaigns, innovative products (chief

among them Go No Limit) and the

dtac rewards program. He leaves dtac

in a position of great strength and will

stay until March 1. Former Chief Digital

Officer, Andrew Kvalseth will be the

new Chief Marketing Officer.

The Commercial Group will

integrate and streamline the product

management; Post-paid and Pre-paid

into the core distribution and channel

management, allowing greater endto-end

ownership of daily revenue

generation. K. Panya Vechbanyongratana

will continue as Chief Commercial

Officer.

“By bringing closer teams that

currently share the same focus yet

are divided across group lines, the

new organization will allow us to

drive customer engagement and

value creation through increased

personalization,” said Lars Norling, dtac

CEO. “It positions us to do a superlative

job of connecting our customers to

what matters most.”

How can you make your money work

while you enjoy life?

Pontus Cavefors Svensson

pontus.cavefors@nordea.sg

www.nordeaprivatebanking.com

Nordea Bank S.A, Singapore Branch is part of Nordea Group, the leading financial services group in the Nordic and Baltic Sea regions. Some products and services may, due to local regulations, not be available to individuals resident in certain countries and their availability

may depend, among other things, on the investment risk profile of persons in receipt of this publication or on any legislation to which they are subject. Nothing in this publication should be construed as an offer, or the solicitation of an offer, to purchase, subscribe to or

sell any investment or product, or to engage in any other transaction or provide any kind of financial or banking service in any jurisdiction where Nordea Bank S.A., Singapore Branch or any of its affiliates do not have the necessary license. Published by Nordea Bank

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


Business

Finnish National Agency for Education

in China, Hong Kong

Director General of the Finnish

National Agency for Education,

Mr. Olli-Pekka Heinonen, has

visited Shanghai and Hong Kong.

In China there is an ever-growing

interest towards the “Finnish education

miracle”, further fueled by the recent

high-level visits between the two

countries. This visit by Mr. Heinonen

– who was traveling together with a

business delegation of Finnish education

technology companies and education

experts – was aiming at solidifying

education cooperation between

Finland and China on many levels. The

delegation’s visit was a continuation to

the visit Finland’s education minister Ms

Sanni Grahn-Laasonen made to China

in autumn 2017. The visit was part of

the operations for Education Finland, a

national government-level programme

aimed at boosting Finnish education

export.

The delegation comprised

twelve companies and organisations

representing various branches of

Finnish educational solutions: learning

environments, digital learning solutions,

education tourism, learning contents,

early childhood education and care, and

higher education.

As a new approach the Finnish

organisations (in addition to both private


and public sector organisations, such as

Shanghai Education Council and Hong

Kong Education Bu) also met Chinese

educational investors.

As a part of the busy three-day

schedule in Shanghai, educational

collaboration between Finland and

China reached an important milestone:

22 upper secondary vocational

students from Shanghai Commercial

Accounting School received a Finnish

vocational education certificate after

completing a study module in Marketing

Communications. Mr. Heinonen awarded

certificates to the students. The certificate

was the first of its kind in China.

The study module in Marketing

Communications forms a part of the

Finnish Vocational Qualification in

Business and Administration. The training

was carried out by Jyväskylä Educational

Consortium Gradia in co-operation

with EduCluster Finland, an education

expertise organisation. Export of Finnish

vocational qualifications has been

possible since 2017, when 11 Finnish

education providers received a pilot

license to provide qualifications outside

Europe. Gradia was one of the licensed

education providers.

“Finnish education has a great

reputation in China. Our countries

share a long track-record of fruitful

collaboration in educational issues. I am

pleased to be here to witness how also

Chinese investments in Finnish vocational

qualifications are bearing concrete

results. This is a major milestone for

Finland and Finnish educational business,”

said Director General Heinonen.

The Finnish vocational qualification

programme received excellent feedback

from Chinese students. In particular,

they enjoyed the experience of learning

together in teams, having close dialogue

with teachers and learning by doing.

“What was new to the Chinese

students was learning outside of school,

and the fact that evaluation was based on

practical competence demonstrations

and an evaluation discussion,” said

teacher Johanna Ärling from Gradia.

The investment in education in

Shanghai was Gradia and EduCluster

Finland’s second education export

collaboration in vocational qualifications.

In Shanghai, Mr. Heinonen also visited

for example the Shanghai Municipal

Education Commission. For the business

delegation there was a separate pitching

event with Chinese investors interested

in education business.

Sources: Consulate General of Finland

in Shanghai, Finnish National Agency for

Education

Business

New NBAS Singapore Board 2018 elected

After a successful Annual General

Meeting held at the Norwegian

Seaman’s Mission Norwegian

Business Association Singapore

introduces the following new members

of the NBAS Board for 2018:

• Gustav Heiberg, MD, Hydro Aluminium

Asia

• Hege Raade Solstad, Regional Director,

Asia Pacific Wilhelmsen Ships Service

• Torgeir Willumsen, Resident Partner,

Simonsen Vogt Wiig

• Karoline Riis Rigault, Commercial

Manager, Orkla Asia Pacific

• Jan Fredrik Skjeltorp, Head of Asia

DNB

• Christian Gleditsch, Shipbroker and

Head of Singapore Steem1960

The remaining Board consists in:

• Leonard Opitz Stornes, President,

Managing Director of NHST Media

Group Asia (re-elected)

• Dag Rømmen, Honorary Treasurer,

Owner of Rommen Pte Ltd

• Torunn Aas Taralrud, Honorary

Secretary, Director of Innovation

Norway in Singapore

• H.E. Anita Nergaard, Ambassador,

Royal Norwegian Embassy in

Singapore

• Håkon Bruaset-Kjøl, Senior Vice

President, Head of Group Public and

Regulatory Affairs at Telenor Group

• Magnus Grimeland, Founder and Chief

Executive Officer of Antler

• Erik Strømsø, Managing Partner and

Head of Pareto Securities Asia

• Tom Zachariassen, Head of Shipping,

Offshore & Oil Services - Asia at

Nordea (re-elected)

• NBAS Annual General Meeting

(AGM) 2018 was followed by a Lunch

Talk on Norwegian Personal Taxes

by Erland Nørstebø, Head of Global

Mobility at PwC.

Source: Norwegian Business Association

Singapore

YOUR First step toward

Industry 4.0

A modern demand driven planning system, giving

better control over variability, less inventory

dependence and more working capital

www.monitorerp.asia


Community

Thailand’s first

Danish pastor

Christa Lund Herum was on 18 March 2018 officially installed

as the first Danish pastor in Thailand.


Starting a church from scratch is not a small task.

There’s the administrative process, rooms to

be found, furniture to be installed, raising funds,

creating logos, building a website and setting up

social media. People need to know you exist.

Christa Lund Herum is currently experiencing all this

first hand. Since November last year she has been the only,

and also the very first, Danish pastor in Thailand.

“Before I came here there was no Danish Church in

Thailand. We had to build everything from scratch with

help from the local network of Danes, such as the Church

Council, who made an enormous effort to get me here

and help me get settled,” she says.

We are sitting in her recently decorated office inside

The Church of Christ Thailand (CCT) between BTS

stations Siam and Ratchathewi.

Finding their place in society

So by now the church is more or less settled, but there’s

no church without visitors. Therefore a lot of work has

to be put into making the Danes aware of the presence

of the church. At the same time it is important to detect

what there’s a need for – what Danes in Thailand actually

wants from a church.

As of now an intern, who arrived mid-March from

Denmark, is planning on hosting a bi-weekly youth café

for Danish backpackers in Bangkok and also Christa is

planning on slowly starting up confirmation preparation

classes.

“Many of the Danish kids who live here may not have

much of an understanding of their cultural background in

Denmark, and that could be a role to fill for the church.

We could host afternoons where we introduce kids to the

Danish culture, language and food, something the church

undeniably has been a big part of,” Christa says.

Christa does not expect the Danes to attend her

church out here more than they attended the church

when living in Denmark.

“As I see it, it isn’t in the spirit of Danes to go to

church every Sunday. For them, the relationship with God

is private and is something you might as well find in the

forest or the beach,” she says. However, on the special

occasions, such as Easter, Christmas, confirmations etc. the

Danes do come to the church in larger numbers, proving

that under the surface there is still a strong bond between

the Danes and their church.

Christa Lund Herum has

decorated the first office

of the Danish Church in

Thailand in Scandinavian

style. The location at the

entrance to CCT between

BTS Siam and Ratchathewi is

extremely convenient for the

Danes in Thailand.

I performed my first beach blessing recently and I

have also been visiting a Dane in a prison here. I can

visit someone when they are scared or sad or I can be

part of some of the greatest moments in their lives.

The ups and downs of a pastor’s life

Being a pastor is not just about holding Christ services. An

important part of the job is to be by people’s side during the

hard times in their life.

“When someone is very ill or has passed away, the

embassy will ask if the family would like a pastor to

pay them a visit. Many say “Yes, please!” Christa Lund

Herum says.

When asked whether the job is hard, she says it is

balanced out with the joy of being a part of the most

important moments of a person’s life:

“I performed my first beach blessing recently and I have

also been visiting a Dane in a prison here. I can visit someone

when they are scared or sad or I can be part of some of the

greatest moments in their lives.”

“There are many things I wish I could do for those in need,

but I’m not the embassy and I can’t help with legal matters.

But I can be by their side and listen to them for a moment,

and that brings great comfort to some. I’ve recently met

with a very ill man. He told me that he hadn’t spoken a word

Danish for several months. That little thing alone meant a

whole lot to him,” she says.

From Egypt to Thailand

Christa graduated in 2003, but didn’t become a Pastor

until she moved to Bangladesh in 2015. Prior to that she

had worked for Dan Mission in Egypt, but it was not until

she moved to Bangladesh with her husband and their two

children that she began working as a volunteer pastor.

Meanwhile the Danish Church Council was looking for

the first Danish pastor in Bangkok. When that opportunity

came up, Christa took it. Her family still lives in Cambodia, the

country they moved to prior to Christa moving to Bangkok.

She is officially employed by DSUK – Danske Sømandsog

Udlandskirker – a fusion between Danish Seamen’s

Churches and Danish Churches Abroad. The Danish Church

in Thailand is hosted by the international organization Church

of Christ in Thailand, an umbrella organization for protestant

churches from all around the globe.

This is where she is currently setting up a small office by

the entrance, the office you may from now on meet the first

Danish pastor in Thailand when she is not out and about

meeting people in special need.

Pastor Christa Lund Herum was officially installed on

Sunday the 18th of March.


Festive installment

of first Danish Pastor

in Thailand

Some 80 members of the Danish community in

Thailand gathered at 7 pm on Sunday night, 18

March 2018, to take part in the first Service of

the Danish Church in Thailand and the elaborate

ceremony that marked the instalment of Pastor

Christa Lund Herum as the first Pastor of the Church.

The service was conducted by Danish Bishop Marianne

Gaarden and Dean and Secretary General of the Danish

Church Abroad Pia Sundboel and of course the new Danish

Pastor herself, Christa Lund Herum. The instalment service

was also a musical experience. The Church organ was

played by Mr. Okechukwu and during the service there were

three musical intermezzos by Okafor Band, Asbjoern Kroell

on guitar, Ofek Tal on piano and with Jakob Dinesen on

saxophone and Yasmin Kierkegaard as the vocalist.

The instalment and inauguration service took place at

Christ Church, which is well-known to most as the Church on

Convent Road / Satorn Road, where the Swedish Pastor Lars

Ryderstad every year holds the Christmas Service. Leading

the new Danish pastor into the Church was also Danish

Ambassador Uffe Wolffhechel, the Chairman of the Church

Council Bjarne Tvilde. Among the honorable guests was also

the Danish Pastor Anders Skaaning Andersen, Swedish Pastor

Lars Ryderstad, and Norwegian Pastor Ragnvald Seierstad.

In recognition of the many non-Danish participants in the

service, Pastor Christa Lund Herum held her first sermon in

English, just like much of the ceremony took place in English

and most of the Hymns in the service were published in dual

language.

The congregation seemed to have forgotten most of

the hymns that were selected for the service, but did know

how to sing the last hymn, Amazing Grace, so when the new

Church Songbooks get dusted off there is hope for the future,

where Christ Service will be held every second Sunday in

the Chapel at the CCT near the BTS Rachathewi. The first

service in Pattaya will be this Sunday 25 March held at the

Norwegian Church there.

After the service, the Danish Church hosted a reception

with canapes and drinks in the meeting room next to Christ

Church.



International Schools


Copyright : anatols/123RF

How to choose

the right school

To decide on something as important as your child's education

and well-being might be the toughest part about moving

to another country.

By Gregers Moller

Choosing a new school when moving has

become increasingly difficult for parents.

There are more and more schools

established all the time, and each institution

has its own unique philosophy and

attributes. Comparing what they offer with the needs of

your child is no simple task.

A good start is to ask other parents of your own

nationality which school they have chosen and why. You will

find many associations and institutions for your nationality

in your country on the website www.scandasia.com under

“Contacts Directory”.

You will find that they have chosen different schools and

for different reasons but if you ask why, you will find that

they all can be analyzed in the triangle “child needs - family

needs - school offerings.”

Local vs International

First choice is if you are looking for a local school or an

international school? In most countries in Asia, a local school

is an option - although certainly a more challenging option

for your child. If you child is mixed Scandinavian - Asian this

may, however, not be so frightening a prospect. And mostly

it will have an economic silver lining as local private schools

are less costly compared to international schools.

However, physical punishment has not been abolished

in many Asian school systems, so talk to the school how

they administer physical punishment and ask if they can

make an exception for your child if you are not comfortable

with this.

If you go for the International school, consider that

international students grow up and evolve in a cultural

environment that is vastly different to that of your own.

Known as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), they often develop

a very different attitude to many issues compared to their

former friends back home and even you yourself. If you are

uncomfortable with this prospect you may prefer to look

into the option of choosing a local school or a boarding

school back home.

Once this is said, most expat families decide to go for

the international school, at least through primary school

up to grade 9, where other options may come into play. At

Copyright : Kirill Ryzhov/123RF

this point, not only boarding schools in Scandinavia but also

boarding school in Asia may be considered.

Family needs

In the triangle “Family needs - child needs - school offerings”

the situation of the family must necessarily come first - even

when you always say “the child comes first”. These include

your family’s financial constraints, your need for child care

during non-school hours, transportation, coordination if you

have several children under education, etc.

Every family brings different capabilities and constraints

to the table. Be honest with yourself about your family’s

aspirations and requirements. You must start with a true

and clear picture of your family needs, and trust yourself to

balance these with your child’s needs and with your search

for a good quality school.


Copyright : Dmitriy Shironosov/123RF

Child needs

Now, your child’s needs must be considered.

Ask yourself what strengths, challenges and other

characteristics really stand out about your child. Consider

(a) what your child likes or is able to do well, (b) what your

child does not like or has difficulty doing, and (c) how your

child works and interacts best with adults and other children.

All children need a school that will appropriately

challenge and nurture them to succeed in core academic

subjects, but research shows you can significantly improve

your child’s life and school performance by choosing and

working with the right school, so you have plenty of reasons

to give it your best effort.

There is also the curriculum to consider - what your

child should learn and achieve at school - and how it fits

with the school system back home if you should ever go

back to Scandinavia.

School offerings

School offerings is the third element in the triangle. Repeated,

unbiased research shows that all truly outstanding schools

adhere to certain principles. While all are important, the

two most important factors are:

1. The school has high expectations for all students. It

means all students are expected & helped to meet high

minimum goals; goals are raised for individual students as

soon as they are ready to learn beyond grade level

Avoid schools that make excuses for kids who are

behind academically. If your child struggles, they may make

excuses rather than help your child, too. Also avoid schools

that pretend none of their students struggle. All schools

have more than a few students who face learning challenges

at some point. You need to know in advance how the school

will respond


2. The school monitors progress and adjusts teaching. It

means the school assesses individual student progress often

and changes teaching approaches to ensure that every child

locks onto learning.

Avoid schools that say, “Our grade level work is tough

enough for all students” and schools where everyone makes

grade level, but few kids score far above grade level. Both

academically gifted children and motivated “typical” kids

miss out in a school that is focusing on grade level only.

Here are a few more suggestions to help you make up

your mind:

Talk to people as much as possible to learn about

a certain schools reputation. If many say the same it is

probably true. But don’t listen to opinions expressed by

people who have no children at the school themselves -

those parents are often quick to seek confirmation of their

own choice by adopting opinions about the competing

schools.

The age of the school is no sure indication either.

Nothing guarantees that the reputation of a hundred year

old school is better than a one year old school.

Is the native language and culture of your child taught as

optional learning. It is important for your child to keep his

or her ties to your cultural background. It is also important

for you.

Ask questions about the tests and exams which are

offered and used as evaluation method. If your child is

already a secondary school student, ask how well the

graduating students do in getting accepted into major

universities both in your current country, back home and

elsewhere overseas.

Talk to some of the existing students if possible. Are they

happy there? Do they look motivated to learn? How will

Top Ten Signs of a Great Fit

Between Your Child and School

Copyright : dolgachov/123RF

the school help your child get started? Do they assign socalled

“buddies” (another student from the same country)

for new students?

How is the relationship between the school and the

parents? You will obviously not be able to monitor your

child in school. The teacher will have to be your eyes and

ears. You must be notified of your child's functionality

regardless of grade, and regardless of whether it includes

bad behavior or progress your child has made. Make sure

that you can get informed as often as possible. You may join

a parents' volunteer program if available. Some schools may

offer activities for the whole family as well.

Watch your child!

Never mind how diligent you do your homework - and

maybe the above list is a bit excessive - you will never be

able to foresee if your child will thrive at the school.

It is therefore important that you make a habit of

spending more time than you used to be back home talking

to your child about how school was today. What they did in

class, and what they did outside. Let her or him tell about

their new friends. Listen.

All may initially sound fine and uncomplicated, but that

may just be a honeymoon period. This is the most important

step of them all. If your child develops in any way you find

disturbing or even develops signs of discomfort with going

to school, you should think twice before you tell your child

that “this is life - it is not always pleasant!”.

A change of school at the right time might be the single

most important decision to make to put the future of your

child on the right track!

1. Your child is eager to go to school and energized and

happy at the end of most school days

2. Your child regularly has to work hard to learn and

perform in school work

3. Your child regularly experiences success learning and

performing in school work

4. You see big progress in your child’s overall

development – academic, social, emotional and

physical

5. Your child is learning and performing academically at

the level of which you think (s)he is capable

6. Your child’s teachers really understand and appreciate

your child’s strengths

7. Your child talks about school positively, using words

like “fun,” “interesting,” or “cool”

8. You and your child feel positive about your child’s

health, behavior and personal well-being at school

9. Your child has friends and acquaintances who like,

accept and treat your child kindly at school

10. School work and friends are important, but not

allconsuming, parts of your child’s life

Top Ten Signs of a Bad Fit Between

Your Child and School

1. Your child is hesitant to go to school or worn down

and unhappy at the end of most school days

2. Your child has made little progress in the past year —

academically, socially, emotionally or physically

3. Your child is not performing as well academically as

you reasonably think (s)he can

4. Your child says “school is boring” or expresses little

interest in what (s)he’s learning

5. Your child learns more in a core subject outside of

school than in school

6. Your child’s teachers do not seem to understand

your child or appreciate your child’s strengths

7. Your child doesn’t seem to have any close friends or

friendly acquaintances at school

8. Your child regularly makes poor choices at school,

such as befriending bullies, choosing work of little

interest, focusing on weaknesses rather than strengths

— and school staff does nothing to intervene

9. You or your child are worried about your child’s

health, behavior or personal well-being at school

10. Your child shows symptoms of stress only when

school’s in session (e.g., sleeplessness, fatigue,

excessive clinginess and whining, new nervous habits,

regressing to younger behaviors)

Source: Picky Parent Guide: Choose Your Child’s School with

Confidence, available as at PickyParent.com at $13.57





Constructing the Future

Task predicts performance.

You’ll often hear this phrase when speaking to

Prakash Nair, the Founding President and CEO of

Fielding Nair International, an educational architecture

firm that has earned accolades around the world for its

innovative school facilities projects. His approach is unique

among architects, reflecting a strong belief that space within

schools tells a story to that community about learning

and the impact that learning has. Does space convey

student agency? Does it encourage autonomy? In Prakash’s

experience, the answers are all too often no.

In 2012 the National Clearinghouse for Educational

Facilities (NCEF) in the United States published a history of

school design, tracing the changes in design and form over the

past 150 years. Spurred by calls for standardization of schools,

those built through the first half of the 20th century were

frequently “utilitarian spaces that were designed to house

as many students as possible, maximizing classroom space”.

Interestingly, though later research began to demonstrate

the importance of environment on student learning, few

innovations occurred in the decades that followed, with

most changes occurring in minor improvements in lighting,

ventilation and acoustics.

What did not change was the design. Prakash describes

the blueprint of most existing schools as a structure made

for control, with a single teacher set as the focal point of a

row of desks, reminiscent of a factory, and long corridors

of empty space that served only to funnel students from

one point to another. This model served a singular purpose:

encouraging compliancy and respect for authority, while also

drowning creativity and disconformity. Those of us who spent

our formative years in schools such as this can easily recall the

weariness and frustration felt when sitting in uncomfortable

chairs in a stuffy classroom, listening to a teacher lecture before

robotically shifting to the next class at the sound of a bell.

The reality is that learning has long since escaped the walls

of those classrooms, and often of schools themselves, which

are woefully unequipped to prepare students for the future.

Two years ago, the World Economic Forum suggested that

“65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately

end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet

exist”, a staggering figure that highlights just how much work

traditional schools have to do. Students graduating from high

school and university frequently do not have the transferable

skills being sought by employers, who cite communication,

critical thinking, innovation and similar areas as being crucial

for new hires.

Clearly, a disconnect exists between these expectations

and the way in which schools continue to shape their

facilities and learning. In The Atlantic article Reimagining the


Modern Classroom, Michael Horn, co-founder of the Clayton

Christensen Institute, described the way in which this model

will begin to shift:

Students will learn in student-centered environments—

perhaps we’ll call them learning studios—where each

student’s learning is personalized to meet his or her precise

needs. It will be critical to rearrange the physical space

and furniture to align with the principles of student agency,

flexibility, and choice that are the core of new learning

models. Because these models will leverage multiple modes

of learning, they will need spaces built for different activities,

which can occur individually through digital media or in small

interactive groups.

Task predicts performance. If schools and educators have

any hope of preparing students for the challenges of a highly

unpredictable future with challenges ranging from climate

change to ideological extremism, they must begin change

not only how learning happens, but also where it happens.

Inculcating soft skills and cognitive flexibility first and foremost

requires the creation of spaces within schools in which

students can practice those skills. Most importantly, this must

be a process that involves the entire community, drawing on

the insights from the learners themselves.

The NCEF report, despite its critical view, offers hope for

the future and arguest that a “reflective, open, and honest

design community with robust feedback loops is critical to

learning what works well for educational environments.” The

appeal has already been met by many institutions scattered

across the globe, and Prakash is currently working with NIST

International School in Bangkok to bring this collaborative

approach to life. From his perspective, NIST represents the

“best of the old” and from this point of strength can capitalize

on its strong community to become a model for a new

educational paradigm.

In early March, Prakash and his team visited the school and

led interactive sessions with teachers, staff, board members,

students and parents to gain a sense of the community’s

culture, as well as the common understandings of teaching

and learning. The shared ownership helps develop the key

drivers of the later designs in the process, leading a final

blueprint that will be wholly unique to NIST. The reimagining

of the physical space in the campus will in turn drive the

creation of authentic learning opportunities that mirror what

students experience outside of the school.

To Prakash, change is imperative: “schools will either fade

out of existence or reinvent themselves to give meaningful

experiences to students”. Education must begin producing

learners who are not simply good at tests, but rather are agile

thinkers who can navigate a complex world and enrich the

lives of others throughout their journey.



The Many Benefits

of Learning Outdoors

Alexander (Coke) Smith, Environmental Systems and

Societies Coordinator, Bangkok Patana School

The benefits of a student getting outdoors and putting

their learning into practice are vast, not only can it

cement their knowledge but also inspire and ignite

their interest in certain subjects as well as making the

curriculum more engaging.

The unique, on-campus Outdoor Classroom at Bangkok

Patana School allows students from all Year groups the

opportunity to participate in true experiential learning in a

natural setting, exploring and investigating the wonders of

biodiversity that only a fully functioning ecosystem can truly

provide. This insight and understanding about the world

around them not only has academic implications but more

importantly arms students with the knowledge to make

considered, educated choices with regards to safeguarding

their local and wider environments. Rather than use text

books or a search engine for research, Secondary Biology

students have been exploring the flora and fauna to find

the creatures they wish to study. By taking their learning to

the Outdoor Classroom to research living creatures and in

turn produce technical, biological illustrations as part of the

curriculum, the fresh air and hands on learning deepened

their understanding of the topic to a level unlikely to be

facilitated in the classroom.

Understanding an ecosystem and the nutrient cycle is a

key element of science, for the Year 5 students being able to

get amongst the trees and see their ‘Rainforest’ learning in

action was critical to cementing this fundamental component

of science and inspiring them to delve deeper into how plants

adapt to their environment.


In Bangkok Patana School’s continuing quest to offer the

best learning facilities in Asia, the current Outdoor Classroom

will be expanded to include a new building to be completed

in the next 12 months. What makes this classroom building

more unusual is that it is being designed by a group of Year

13 Environmental Systems and Societies students who are

applying their classroom acquired knowledge to this very

practical, very real project. Drawing on everything they have

learned both inside and outside the classroom and adhering

to their commitment as global citizens, the building will be

made from 100% sustainable materials.

Outdoor learning is a unique experience that has many

benefits from encouraging curiosity and nurturing a love

of science to developing empathy for the environment

and deepening classroom learning. We sincerely hope the

Outdoor Classroom will further student’s development

as passionate global citizens, concerned with the world

and environment around them and committed to its

protection.

Alexander (Coke) Smith has been an environmental

educator for thirty years with experience teaching in many

schools in such areas as Washington, California, China

and currently in Thailand, where he is an Environmental

Systems and Societies instructor at Bangkok Patana School.

Coke is also an avid wildlife photographer and writer with

publications in dozens of magazines and books worldwide,

including such publications as BBC’s Planet Earth Two and

Science Magazine as well as many others.

Celebrating 60 Years

A proud tradition of learning excellence

Residential visits form an integral part of our British style curriculum for all

students from Year 3 upwards. They are one of the many tools our teachers use

to develop global citizens who shape their world through independence,

empathy, creativity and critical thinking.

643 Lasalle Road, Bangna, Bangkok

(BTS Bangna or Bearing)

www.patana.ac.th

admissions@patana.ac.th

+66 (0) 2785 2200

Bangkok Patana School is a not-for-profit IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC



What would you like

to know about KIS?

Most expat families looking for a (new) international

school for their children will do online research,

make a short-list, then, if they are able, visit the 3 to

5 schools that look most promising to ask questions and see

if the school would be a good fit for their children.

If you are considering KIS International School in Bangkok,

here are some things you may want to know.

KIS International School is a full IB World School offering

the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programmes for

children from 3-18 years old. These are the IB Primary Years

Programme from the Early Years to Grade 5, the IB Middle

Years Programme from Grade 6 to Grade 10 and the IB

Diploma in the last two years of high school, or Grades 11

and 12.

The IB is an international curriculum framework that is

offered in schools all around the world. It’s international and

focuses on developing well-rounded students who know how

to think critically and be involved global citizens. Each of the

programmes teaches students to think for themselves, to take

control of their own learning, to have a global perspective

and to make positive differences to the world. The children

aim to achieve this through the IB Learner Profile. IB students

aim to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators,

principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and

reflective. These attributes make the IB Learner Profile and

help our students be successful.

That this works well is seen through KIS’s strong academic

track record with graduates scoring well above average on

the IB Diploma, going on to attend top universities around the

world, and receiving on average more than US $1,000,000 in

scholarships per year.

KIS has always been a full IB school and has strong links

with the IB Organisation. The Head of School, Sally Holloway,

has served on the Board of IB and many of KIS’s staff members

have roles within the IB, such as examiners, workshop leaders,

accreditation visitors, etc. This brings the most up to date and

proven educational practices directly to your children.


The school was established 20 years ago and currently has

around 700 students from 55 different countries. The school’s

medium size and strong community help your child to be

recognized as an individual and ensures that there is ample

personal attention for each student.

The campus is spacious and green and includes amongst

its many facilities: libraries, sports courts, swimming pools,

auditorium, canteen labs, art- and dance studios, playgrounds

and a sports field. A new building with additional indoor

sporting facilities and learning spaces will open this August.

These inspiring spaces help your children learn and grow in a

safe and purpose-built environment. Despite the fact that the

school is located in a quiet area, it takes less than 30 minutes

(by MRT and the school’s free shuttle van) from Asoke

intersection to get to school making the KIS easily accessible

from most areas in Bangkok.

KIS offers students the opportunity to learn many

languages. In addition to the languages offered as a standard

part of the curriculum (English, Spanish, Mandarin, Thai), the

school supports mother tongue languages such as Swedish,

German, French, Hindi, Japanese, Norwegian and many more,

encouraging our students to maintain their mother tongue

and ties to their home country.

There is an elaborate after school programme with

exciting offerings in the fields of competitive sports, arts,

crafts, dance, music, MUN, drama, and academic challenges,

giving all children the opportunity to engage in their passions

and live a well balanced life.

Last but certainly not least, for international families who

are not able to afford the full school fees, KIS offers the option

of financial assistance, allowing students to enroll at reduced

tuition fee rates.

Hopefully this article has answered some questions about

KIS. We would like to invite you to come and visit the school

and experience our special blend of Knowledge, Inspiration

and Spirit first hand.

nspiring ndividuals

At KIS International School all students can shine. The

midsize, caring community allows KIS students to be

confident and to be appreciated as an individual, with unique

dreams and strengths. The school is a full IB school, offering

the International Baccalaureate Programmes for all age

groups (IB Primary Years Programme, IB Middle Years

Programme and IB Diploma), ensuring an academically

rigorous curriculum that not only prepares students to be

successful at university, but also teaches important life skills.

KIS, it’s all about Knowledge, Inspiration and Spirit.

“With the power of imagination,

characters can actually fly off the page”

Jun, Grade 11.

Check out the students’ videos to learn more

about their passion www.kis.ac.th

Tel: +66 (0) 2274 3444

Email: admissions@kis.ac.th



British International School,

Phuket - where ‘exceptional’

is commonplace

After his victory in the Asian Faldo Golf Series in

Vietnam a student from the British International

School, Phuket was invited to play with Sir Nick

Faldo in a team competition in the USA. No one at his

school batted an eyelid at the news. It would seem that

the school is well used to such exceptional success. In the

same month a fellow pupil won the China Boys HSBC Open

Golf Tournament in Guangzhou by 11 clear strokes, and a

single swimmer won 10 Gold medals in the Penang State

Championships.

BISP students to represent Asia-Pacific at MIT LaunchX Global

finals

The British International School, Phuket has some of the

most impressive sporting performances of any school in

the world and you could be forgiven for thinking that this is

what the school is all about. This is far from the truth, and

Headmaster Neil Richards will argue that sporting success

is merely the most outwardly visible manifestation of the

school’s approach to education. He points out that a team

from the school won the MIT LaunchX challenge for the Asia/

Pacific region and will compete in the global finals in Boston

later this year, while another student represented Thailand in

the British Council sponsored Public Speaking competition in

London. But in reality, even he would have to agree that it is

hard to get away from those sporting statistics.

In all, 28 different student athletes from the school

have represented eleven countries in major international

competitions over the past three years, in such sports as

Football success for the boys teams at BISP’s annual International

Soccer 7s event - the largest of its kind in Asia for school teams


Football, Tennis, Golf, Triathlon, Swimming, and even including

Wakeboarding and Alpine skiing! Ten footballers have signed

professional contracts with clubs including Benfica, Sporting

Lisbon, Angelholms and Johor, while five other students won

US College soccer scholarships.

Surprisingly, it is not a big school; there are fewer than

440 secondary age students out of a total school population

of 830 and just for good measure it has an outstanding

academic record in IGCSE and International Baccalaureate

examinations, with direct university matriculation averaging

93% over the last four years. In 2017 its senior class of sixtyone

students matriculated to universities across thirteen

different countries, with the highest percentage going to

the UK and Australia, but with US universities also well

represented.

The curriculum is geared towards producing well-rounded

individuals and every Middle School student learns to play

a band or orchestral instrument and to read music, and

all undertake external Voice Examinations of the London

Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). In recent

years two of its students have won Top in the World awards

in Art and Design in the Cambridge Outstanding Learners

awards programme.

Musical ‘Guys & Dolls’. The school produces 4 musicals each

year across the school

As Headmaster Neil Richards explains: ‘It certainly helps

to have a beautiful 44 acre campus and some outstanding

boarding and sporting facilities, but there is a vibrant pulse to

this school that is very difficult to explain. With an extremely

low staff turnover, it is easy to develop and strengthen shared

values across our community. It is a very happy place.’

Universities seem to agree; since the start of this current

academic year 151 universities from 17 countries have sent

representatives to the school with both Russell Group and

Ivy League institutions well represented – the Headmaster

smiles wryly, ‘I don’t believe it is solely to do with its tropical

location, but I have no doubt that it helps.’ It is probably this

happy mix of realism and idealism that grounds the unique

philosophy of the school, yet somehow for the young people

in its care it also seems to make all things possible.



The benefits of nurturing

a child’s native language

Multilingualism and multiculturalism are

significant assets in our increasingly

interconnected world, and open doors

for careers, study and friendships. Extensive research

around the world into the importance of native

language maintenance and development has shown

clear benefits to an individual’s emotional well-being,

and that a strong native language supports the

acquisition of additional languages. Children who are

able to maintain and develop their native language

generally enjoy a significant advantage in school and

throughout life.

At International School Bangkok (ISB), our

community is extremely multilingual and multicultural.

Our students come from over 60 countries and

many of our learners speak more than two languages

fluently. Across the school, from Pre-K to Grade

12, there are more than 40 different languages

spoken. We recognize the incredible value this brings

to our learners, to their families, to their overall

development, and to our entire community. ISB offers

numerous languages for both native and non-native speakers,

many up to International Baccalaureate level.

It’s beyond vocabulary, grammar and

textbooks

At ISB, we believe that language is at the heart of human

communication, thinking, and feeling and that it is a marker of

identity and culture, helping us to make sense of ourselves,

our perspectives and our world. We believe that it is the

right of our students to maintain their own language and be

empowered to acquire other languages whenever possible.

Independently and through partners, ISB offers robust

programs that focus on language and culture, and we work

closely with parents to develop strategies to best nurture

their child’s native language.

“We have lived overseas now for more than 7 years, and

we’ve always found it very important for our children to stay

up to date with the Dutch language and culture,” ISB parents

Roel and Emilie Huisman shared. “We’ve found the classes

at ISB, through the Dutch Cultural Society, to be really great.

Many of our Dutch friends have returned to The Netherlands

from ISB, and their children have entered the Dutch system

with no problems. One day, if we return to The Netherlands,

we want to know that our children could do the same.”

Language learning happens best when

learners:

• Understand the nature of learning and how it connects


across and between languages

• Understand the concept of their own culture and how

it compares/contrasts to other cultures

• Display cultural sensitivity to diverse perspectives

• Actively dialogue with others through effective listening,

questioning, and responding

• Use metacognitive skills to monitor and direct the

process and product in pursuit of a goal

• Engage with high cognitive, authentic, language-rich

learning experiences

• Are exposed to engaging, challenging and culturally

inclusive practice

• Have opportunities to access their native language

during their learning in other classes, as appropriate to

the task at hand

• Experience a strong home-school partnership

It takes a community

As with any program of study, ensuring that all the needs of

the child are being met is the strategy for ensuring growth and

success. Emotional and social support, alongside acceptance

and a sense of belonging, form the foundation for this success.

“We are so impressed that the school is so inclusive, and

the families are really a part of the school. Also there are so

many people that care about our kids from assistant teachers,

teachers, specialist teachers, and coaches to counselors; and

classes and groups are small. ISB does a great job with the

counselors helping students to settle in, and the kids at the

school are so used to people coming and going that they are

all very welcoming.”

ISB’s diverse community is not lost on the learners either.

“I like ISB because everyone is from different countries,”

shared Emilie and Roel’s Elementary aged son.

A multilingual environment not only helps to nurture

students and their language learning, but it also provides the

setting for rich and powerful intercultural experiences. These

experiences foster acceptance and understanding and help

to develop one of ISB’s key aims for our students: global

mindedness.

Start where you are

When families join ISB, their native languages are at varying

proficiencies. Some come to Thailand directly from their

home country, and their native language learning is balanced

with English language learning. Some have been abroad for

some time and are conversational with limited or no written

proficiency. Some have acquired a non-native language in an

immersion setting and exhibit proficiency in that language

at a native level. Whatever the level at which students begin,

we encourage families and provide support to nurture and

develop the native language—because the benefits for all of

us are overwhelming clear.

International School Bangkok

We love ISB because of its rich educational program,

its inclusive community, its facilities and its caring staff.

We love that our children can ride their bikes safely in the

community and that they can take part in Dutch language

and culture classes. Wij zijn heel erg blij op ISB!

Huisman Family,

from the Netherlands,

(Part of the ISB community for over 2 years)

Phone: +66 (0) 2963 5800 | www.isb.ac.th



Bangkok Prep

Secondary Campus

Officially Opened!

The new Secondary Campus situated just less than

3km from the Primary campus, which opened at the

start of the 2017/18 academic year, offers fantastic

opportunities for student learning through technologically

advanced classrooms, ‘break-out’ learning spaces and

Sixth Form study areas. A 400+ seat auditorium and the

smaller ‘black box’ drama facility with professional lighting

and sound equipment have been prepared for full scale

musical and theatrical productions. In line with our goal

of developing high achieving yet well-balanced students,

our new campus provides Bangkok Prep students with a

wide range of facilities to support their well-being. Such as

the FIFA regulation Football pitch that also has a four lane

running track on its rapid draining AstroTurf. Tennis courts,

an Olympic sized swimming pool and an indoor Sports Hall

that can accommodate two fixtures with its double courtspacing

can support basketball, badminton, volleyball and

netball. The Fitness Centre, Dance and Gymnastic studios

add to the breadth on offer.

Besides these excellent facilities, our teaching

is tailored as much as possible to accommodate

individual learning styles and needs and encourages

our students to flourish, grow in self-confidence and,

above all, fulfil their potential. Bangkok Prep employs

high quality teachers who are well qualified and


experienced in the delivery of the English National

Curriculum, GCSE and A level.

All our staff members are dedicated to the

promotion of high quality learning. Our favourable

teacher-student ratio and excellent resources help

ensure our students’ success, whatever their age or

ability.

Students and teachers have now settled into the new

campus and are enjoying the amenities on offer at T77,

Bangkok Prep Secondary campus. The future looks bright.

We welcome all prospective students for a visit anytime.


A New Campus

and New Beginnings

Starting August 2018, your child will

be able to learn and grow at our brand new

purpose-built campus on Dairy Farm Road!

We have age-specific learning pods to foster

a sense of community, language clusters for

an immersive learning experience and more.

GESS is an international school in

Singapore with a long tradition of

developing confident, forwardlooking

students through a

celebration of respect, openness

and inclusiveness. GESS offers a

choice between the International

Baccalaureate (IB) programme and

German curriculum

and has a robust language

programme. The school caters to

students aged 18 months to 18 years.

German European School Singapore

72 Bukit Tinggi Road, Singapore 289760

http://info.gess.sg/international-school-insingapore-new-campus

e are moving!

Our new campus

opens in August

2018

CONTACT US NOW!

Admissions Hotline

+65 6461 0881

WE ACCOMMODATE

DREAMS

BIG

There is space for

all big dreams on

our new campus!

The contemporary facilities will enable

our multi-talented student body to

breathe life into ideas, push the limits

of their athletic training and expand

the possibilities when performing.

Key Facilities:

• Indoor Sports Hall

• Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool

• 400-Seater Auditorium

• Design Technology Studios

• Visual Arts Studios

• Cooking Lab

• Black Box Theatre

German

European School

Singapore

2 Dairy Farm Lane

677621

Petir Rd

Skywoods

Condominium

Hillview Station (DT3)

Downtown Line MRT

Bukit Timah

Nature Reserve

CPE registration number: S72SS0010G | Registration period: 22 June, 2017 – 21 June, 2023


OUTDOOR LEARNING

RULES AT CANADIAN

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Outdoor learning plays an integral part of a student’s

education at Canadian International School (CIS) in

Singapore. No matter the age or subject, CIS aims

to extend lessons into the outdoors whenever there is the

opportunity for students to learn in a purposeful manner.

Amanda Saunders, Junior Kindergarten teacher at

CIS’ Tanjong Katong campus, explains why CIS is so

passionate about outdoor learning and what it looks

like at the school.

Why outdoor learning is important

Sharpening brain development, creativity, teamwork,

independence and social and gross motor skills, are just some

of the tremendous benefits children gain from learning in a

natural environment. The experience also creates memorable

and authentic learning experiences (if you think back to

your most memorable childhood experiences, I bet most

of them were outside!), and generates a greater awareness

of the environment. Unfortunately however, modern-day

distractions and limited natural environments in residential

areas, often mean children miss out on these huge learning

opportunities.

CIS’ outdoor learning programme

At CIS we are committed to giving each student from

grade 1 right through to grade 12, the chance to enjoy

the benefits of outdoor learning. The length and focus of

our programmes varies depending on the age group. In

Kindergarten, outdoor learning is inquiry and play-based

and takes place most of the time in our Outdoor Discovery

Centre (ODC). In the older grades, it involves lessons in

our ODC as well as field trips, excursion week and Open

Minds – hands-on learning experiences in settings, such as

Fort Canning, Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve and the Eco

Garden at the Science Centre.

Outdoor Discovery Centres

A key feature of our outdoor learning programme is our

enchanting Outdoor Discovery Centres located at both our

Tangjong Katong campus (east of Singapore) and Lakeside

campus (west of Singapore). These centres are used as an

extension of our indoor classrooms and support learning in

ways that extend far beyond a traditional playground. Our

children love everything about these spaces, but here are four

extra-special features:

#1 Mud kitchen: It’s here that our kindergarten students slip

off their shoes and get mud between their toes. In doing so, they

explore math concepts such as pouring, measuring and capacity

and develop sensory and language skills.

#2 Herb garden: By tending to the gardens, our students

learn about the importance of health, nutrition and the role the

environment plays in growing food.

#3 Eco pond: From the soothing waterfall to the colourful fish,

turtles, dragonflies and plants, children develop an understanding

of the importance of water ecosystems.

#4 Sound garden: Our students discover wonderful sounds

made by playing with chimes, plastic buckets and other items

attached to the purpose-built walls.

Outdoor learning at CIS is a fundamental part of

our approach to providing our students with a balanced

education. It is not just something we do every now and then,

but instead what we try to do every day!

To find out more about CIS’ outdoor learning

programme feel free to sign up for our next Open

House on 26 April. Alternatively, you can contact our

Admissions team on +65 6734 8088.




A revolutionary Finnish

model to create the

school of the future

For sure, all the digital disruption and changes of all business

models and the way we will go about our lives in the future is

putting pressure and new expectations on the education and

schools. The solution comes from Finland.

By Joakim Persson

Finland is spot on when it comes to education that

fits today’s increasing digitalisation and the skillsbased

future. Many of its schools are on their way

with this, embracing what is called phenomenonbased

learning. And such a path in fact requires

systematic change to our schools.

In focus is the book ‘How to create the school of the

future – Revolutionary thinking and design from Finland’,

written by Pasi Mattila and Pasi Silander, experts in learning

environments and digitalization.

It provides a vision and the basis for development as well

as ways of leading a change when moving from a traditional

school towards the school of the future. It states that

while Finnish schools prepare students well for their future

technology and internationalisation have changed the nature

of the work. Education and the school must be continuously

developed so that they can keep up with the times. In this way,

they will continue to offer a basis for future work, in which

thinking skills, social interaction and information processing

and production skills are emphasised.

The task for all educators worldwide is to provide kids

with the adequate skills they will need in their life.

“Education is a global issue and the challenges are quite

similar in all the countries. In that sense we think it’s very

important to publish the book based on some basic ideas

we have done in Finland and give innovative ideas to other


It’s is not just about the teacher in front of

the classroom – we have to have a totally different

learning environment

nations and schools. The situation is quite similar for example

in neighbouring countries,” says author Pasi Silander who has

background in learning psychology and pedagogy as well as

in computer science.

“Education system change and curriculum reform are

topical issues everywhere.”

Among other things, Paso has led the digitalization strategy

process of the Helsinki City school district.

“We had so many visitors from the U.S. wanting to

come to Helsinki and learn about our digitalisation and this

phenomenon learning and build up the schools of the future,

and we could not take them all. Then I decided to build the

website, phenomenaleducation.infos.”

In Finland, he says, the timing is right because of the new

curriculum: “Teachers are very willing to change pedagogy

and the education. And the main reason is that they see

that students need a new set of skills to survive in their future

working life and in the future global society. Critical thinking,

problem-solving and design are the type of skills you cannot

learn by reading books or by just having teachers telling you.”

Teachers, he says, are also excited that they can utilize

different kind of skills.

“These 21st century skills are something we have to

learn in collaboration with other students. And I think

teachers and our societies see that students must learn

these skills, where the old-fashioned way isn’t the right

method,” Pasi continues.

So, a different kind of pedagogy is needed, as a kind of

deep learning giving real understanding. “The human being

is a good example of phenomena: you have to understand

biology, psychology, physiology, something about language

and social sciences. It should be in the real authentic

context.”

“The school of the future is based on the idea that

the students develop their skills. The education system is

Photo: Veikko Somerpuro


The school of the future is based on the idea

that the students develop their skills

competence-based so we need to really change the existing

school culture if we want to promote the learning of these

new competences skills,” he clarifies.

And the change needs to be systemic: “It’s is not just about

the teacher in front of the classroom – we have to have a

totally different learning environment.”

Getting going is “quite easy” using the following

method: “The best one is when teachers get to work

as teams, designing teaching and learning together in

multi-professional teams. And within the existing curriculum

it’s very easy to find different competences and skills. I would

encourage the teachers to collaborate and think together

about what are the competences the kids will need in the

future.”

“A practical way to experience phenomenon based

learning is to combine and integrate various kinds of school

subjects, for example mathematics with arts, history and

geography.”

Also students get empowered to set up the own questions

and goals. “They have to be involved in the process; to define

what we do not know yet and what we want to know and

learn, and need to learn to understand some phenomenon.

Then one can continue using for example the case-based

learning, project-based learning or students working in

teams.”

In the example of Helsinki’s 130 schools almost all has

implemented phenomenon-based learning to some extent.

“Of course some are totally into this kind of model. Then

we have some schools just taking their first couple of

steps. I always say: It’s not just about the model; it’s about

the pedagogical knowledge and the philosophy behind the

model. So, it’s not just something that you implement as it is

but it’s a philosophy of all learning and teaching.”

“The trickiest thing is that teachers sometimes have a

sense that they will lose the control, because they must change

their own profession and own mind-set; that it is more them

being coaches and experts of learning and pedagogy,” says

Photo: Riitta Supperi


Photo: Veikko Somerpuro

Pasi, in terms of the change implementation. “The information

could be in the newspapers and the information is not in the

teachers’ heads anymore or in the school books and this is

the big transition so teachers have to change their mind-set

that it’s no longer so much about them being experts in the

subject domain anymore.”

Even in Finland this is nothing short of challenging: “In

fact it has meant a huge shift also there, because Finnish

teachers are very traditional and our education system

is very traditional – way more than in for instance Sweden.

Still, we have managed to change it step by step. It’s not any

easy process and of course it takes time.”

“Eventually teachers will need to have different skills in

the future in order to provide the students with these. In

Finland we have a nice model how we help the teachers with

in-service training.”

As for information technology it can be used to enrich

teaching and increase its methodical diversity. “But it’s also

about how to use the technology. A big question is what kind

of pedagogical processes we can enable via digital technology.

And what is the pedagogical added value? And I always say:

We do with the technology something that is impossible to

do with a pen and paper. Then we get the new idea how the

technology can be a tool for our thinking and learning and is

more or less a cognitive tool.”

The book phenomenon-based learning book helps with

the decision to develop schools and learning environments. It

is even more important to know how to take the first steps

in development, how to start the development and what to

invest in – so that the change process can begin, states the

authors.

“You cannot copy the system as it is but it can give you

ideas and new tools how to develop your own school or

school district. That was our idea: to have tools for thinking, a

base for the development of new ideas and making the local

development. I believe that we have to empower the schools

to develop themselves. Anyone else cannot develop; it has

to be the teachers and principals in the schools,” states Pasi.

The on-going digital transformation is really the trigger.

“And it’s a really big issue because we also realise that with

the existing education methods and system we train our kids

to compete with computers in the future, but will lose that

competition. So we have to think up some skills that the kids

will need in order to do something that computers cannot

replace. I am a bit worried that not all realise how big he

change from digitalisation will be and how much it will be

change the professions in the future.”


Lifestyle

The Nong Khai oasis


By Henrik Vinther Nielsen

The signs outside doesn’t necessarily give it away.

Pale green background – a bit faded - with white

letters that spell out Park & Pool Resort and

may as well belong to a small motel with a dirty

pool in the center and pay-per-view channels.

That is far from the truth though. On the outskirts of

Nong Khai, just by the train station, lies a big, isolated green

oasis away from the public eye. Numerous trees surrounds

the central features of Park & Pool – a pool, a restaurant

and outdoor dining hall, fountains, small lakes and a general

sense of seclusion even though it’s but a five minute drive

from the city.

As of now, the place is managed by the couple Peter Arne

Jensen and Siraprapa “New” Jensen and it isn’t necessarily

suited for every tourist making their way to Thailand: “This

place is not for the kind of people who want to relax on

a beach for two weeks. You can do that anywhere in the

world. This is for those who want to see what life in Thailand

is really like,” Peter says.

The resort lies about a kilometer from the border to

Laos – and thereby also to the enormous Mekong River.

From fisherman to entrepreneur – and

fisherman again

Peter Arne Jensen is originally from the city of Esbjerg,

This is for those who

want to see what life in

Thailand is really like

located in the southwest of Denmark. It’s a harbor city

relying mostly on maritime industries such as off-shore

energy, freight and fishing. And Peter used to be one of the

fishermen occupying the harbor – and in a sense he still is.

Back in 2005 he was offered to broaden the knowledge

of a certain type of fishing in Bangladesh, a type the country

desperately needed to expand the seafood industry. For

the first couple of years he traveled between Denmark

and Bangladesh, always spending a bit of time in Thailand.

But after a while he decided that the trip back to Denmark

really wasn’t worth it, and he moved to Thailand for good.

As he met his wife, more and more business opportunities

began to emerge: Her family had a certain milk-drink recipe,

which they began producing for other shops, and as the

production grew, the couple also began distributing and

selling clothes in shops around the area of Nong Khai.

And meanwhile the small business imperium grew in

the northeastern Thailand, Peter was still a fisherman – one

month in Bangladesh, one month in Thailand.

Creating profit

Only a few months ago, the couple decided to rent and

take over the Park & Pool Resort to see if it was possible

to turn it into a profit.

“We thought we could do better than the previous

owners and it’s looking like it. Yesterday a bus of 140 guests

arrived, and generally the resort has been very well visited

over the last couple of months” Peter says and gives credit

to his wife

“In truth New is the mind behind all this – branding the

resort, managing it and making sure that it’s a place people

want to visit. In reality I don’t do much around here,” he

laughs.

And since the couple moved in, there has certainly been

some improvement. Way more staff has been added to the

list, the Thai huts have been finished and overall the place is

very much more efficient, than it was before – even though

it takes a little while to get the food, something that’s going

to change as soon as the new kitchen is ready.

And they do have whatever a tourist desires, a blend

between traditional Thai food and Northern European

food. Everything from traditional phad thai to a large and

greasy wienerschnitzel with potatoes can be found in the

kitchen.

“We aren’t making a profit from this place yet,” Peter

says, “but things like social media has already increased the

amount of visitors, so I hope that we should be able to turn

this place into profit around October, when the season

begins again.”


HR: The return of the Vikings

Chris Shern, Managing Director, IME

(International Management Education)

Return of the Vikings

Nordic Leadership has

never been more relevant

“Hygge”, “fika” and the happiest

people. The Nordic countries

are trending internationally and

taking the lead in many different

categories. So, what is it that

make these Viking heirs succeed

in business and – apparently –

life itself? And is it more than

just a passing trend?

By Sara Brun Nielsen


Chris Shern, Managing Director, IME

(International Management Education),

together with Mr. Henrik Jeberg recently

released a new book: ‘Return of The Vikings

– Nordic Leadership in Times of Extreme

Change’. On that occasion, Chris Shern visited Singapore to

join the discussion on Nordic Leadership in the evening of

March 14. But to really understand Nordic Leadership you

have to understand its roots. According to Chris Shern it

can be traced back to the Viking era.

So, let us start with something very central to the Vikings.

The Nine Noble Virtues:

The virtues are derived from ancient Nordic Mythology.

It is believed that the Vikings lived their lives according to

this set of values. Values of which each can be found in many

religions and cultures, but somehow, when you combine

them they form a unique basis for leadership – and a way

of living. Chris Shern interviewed 50 very different leaders

with very different perspectives on Nordic Leadership as

part of his research for the book. And what he found for

them to have in common were qualities similar to the Nine

Noble Virtues. But we will get back to that later.

When I left SAS in 2014,

I started to reflect back

on my career path and if

there was some

way I could utilise

that uniqueness.

I started to realize

that I have a very

unique insight into

Nordic Leadership

“The interesting twist to Nordic Leadership is looking

at the Vikings and thinking is there something deeper?

The traditional association when you think of the Vikings

is that they were brutal ruthless warriors and rapists, and

they were that, but that was more characteristic of the

time. But it was also a relatively small area that dominated

a great part of Europe the north African coast, in to the

middle east, deep into Russia and all the way to North

America, which they discovered long before Christopher

Columbus. And this is what we see in the Nordic countries

today – relatively small countries that are punching above

their weight and leading the way in many categories,” Chris

Shern explains.

An outsider-on-the-inside

Chris Shern is no Nordic himself. He was born and raised

in the farming country of Wisconsin, USA. But as a student

he went to Denmark on a brief and returned 15 years

after. And today, more than 30 years after, he has become

a culturally integrated citizen of the North. Or as Chris

Shern would put it: An outsider-on-the-inside. For more


Chris Shern presenting his Nordic leadership thoughts, based on the new book.

than 20 years Chris Shern worked in a truly Nordic

company – Scandinavian Airlines, and he also worked

internationally and promoted the entire Nordic region.

His last position in SAS was the General Manager for Italy

and the Eastern Mediterrenean. He has worked under

Swedish, Danish and Norwegian bosses and has himself

supervised Swedish, Danish and Norwegian employees.

This outsider-on-the-inside perspective has given Chris

Shern a unique opportunity to reflect upon the qualities

of Nordic Leadership. And to strengthen the book’s shades

and perceptions on the topic, his co-author, Henrik Jeberg,

works in the opposite position in America as an insider-onthe-outside.

“When I left SAS in 2014, I started to reflect back on

my career path and if there was some way I could utilise

that uniqueness. I started to realize that I have a very unique

insight into Nordic Leadership,” Chris Shern explains.

And Nordic Leadership is indeed a hot topic these

days. The Nordic countries rank first year after year when

it comes to being the happiest people on Earth. Dozens

of books are being written about Swedish “fika” or Danish

“hygge”. For Chris Shern the question was really: Is this just

a trend or is there something more going on? Maybe the

Nordic approach bears more relevance to the times we live

in – the Times of Extreme Change. And so, to understand

why Nordic Leadership is more relevant nowadays, you will


need to understand what is meant by Extreme Change.

“Some people maybe call it a VUCA world – volatile,

uncertain, complex and ambiguous. You also hear about

a Post-Industrial era. We are entering a different time, a

digitalized, globalized and connected world and all the

opportunities and challenges that that can create. There is

not a single industry or business model that is neither being

disrupted or has a threat of being disrupted. And one thing

is certain: Things will never be going as slow as they are

right now – we will be entering a time where the rate and

speed of change will only be increasing in the amount of

complexity,” Chris Shern explains.

To Chris Shern the thinking was, that the Nordic approach

to leadership is better equipped than others to meet the

challenges of a chaotic future. Gone are the days when a

boss could sit back and hold on to all the knowledge and

information and you repeatedly had to go and ask him

whether you can or cannot do something. What Chris Shern

saw among the Nordic leaders was courage to delegate great

responsibility to their employees, and for the employees to

have the discipline and self-reliance that is needed to handle

great tasks. This kind of corporation is depending on fidelity

and for everyone to take an honour in their work. Chris

Shern also found that all the people he interviewed were

driven by something more than just making money. It was

about having a purpose and giving back.

Fr. left: moderator Daryl Dunbar, Horst Wasel (Atlas Copco), Sigrid Margrethe Shrødter Teig, Søren Kvorning (Danfoss),

Minna Rouru (Kone) and Chris Shern at Nordic Leadership event in Singapore.

And now back to the Nine Noble

Virtues.

“The Nine Noble Virtues was not about right or wrong

or punishment from God, it was more about trying to

be the best person you can be. The Vikings were very

innovative and very good at incorporating other cultures,

even the countries that they conquered. They were good

at incorporating that to their own culture and also bringing

it back home. And women played a very important role in

Viking culture, also on the battle field. The virtues are not

uniquely Nordic in any way, but maybe the combination of

them is,” Chris Shern explains.

In Nordic Leadership today, you can find the same flair

for incorporating other cultures and adapting the Nordic

culture to the environment in which the business exists.

This allows the companies to get their business on the

international market successfully. You could call it hospitality.

Trust is essential

Being an American, Chris Shern is very familiar with the

opposite kind of leadership. Rigid management control

systems and strict hierarchical leadership. A highly efficient

way of working in industrial times. But that kind of approach

requires simpler societies and is no longer compatible with

the world of today. People in business today – from top to

bottom – need to have an entrepreneurial mind-set and

to have some level of industriousness and perseverance,

and a key word here is trust. Trust is essential for the low

power distances that characterizes Nordic Leadership. And

this is where we see the virtue truth. Trust is completely

depending on people to be honest about their abilities and

challenges.

“One of the most important aspects is a high level of

trust. A high level of trusting society, a high level of trust

within leadership. And that is why you have low corruption

and you pay your taxes relatively willingly,” Chris Shern

explains.

While being the strength of Nordic Leadership, this

may also be Nordic Leadership’s weak spot. When you

trust, you become vulnerable. Chris Shern tells, that many

of the people he interviewed had been taking advantage

of, exactly because of their high level of trust. Still the basic

approach of trusting people, delegating and allowing others

to be creative within structure has proven so extremely

effective, that it is worth taking the risk. And in times of

Extreme Change, it might be absolutely essential.

“What we want to do with this book is to inspire. It is

all about personal and business development. And we are

going to be faced with the necessity to continue to learn,

unlearn and relearn. This kind of continuous development is

going to be more necessary now than ever before. It is not

a trend,” Chris Shern states.


HR: My latest position

Jan Mandrup

Previous position: Senior Complex Program Manager,

IBM Asia

New position: AVP, Head of Agile Transformation Asia,

Manulife Asia

My role is as executive responsible for top to bottom

organizational-wide transformation to a new agile

way of working, to support the transformation

to drive Manulife to become a leading health and financial

services technology company.

What is/will be most challenging with your new position?

Getting people to adopt and embrace the new agile way of

working and reorganization of the whole organization onto

focusing on product rather than projects

Who should contact you in your new position?

Fellow Agile and Digital Transformation practitioners and

leaders

How is working in Asia different from back home in

your profession?

In the western world Agile is common sense to most teams

and organizations, where in Asia it is very much a buzz word

in the market at the moment.

Nicklas Moberg

Previous position: General Manager Hotel Royal Bangkok

@ Chinatown, latest 4 Star Hotel in Chinatown with 290

rooms.

New Position: General Manager Oakwood Residence

Sukhumvit 24 Bangkok, contemporary property consisting of

112 modern and stylishly apartments.

The property is under higher rate and competing

as well with higher standards, which I find better

fit into my previous experience; DM for better

exposure of the property to attract new guests is under

my responsibility as GM.

What is/will be most challenging with your new position?

Most challenging is that the previous General Manager left

nine months ago and the employees have been without a

manager for a long time. This is showing in guest feedbacks

and expected maintenance in the property areas, so now

its time of an urgent change and everyone need to be

onboard.

Who should contact you in your new position?

Everyone who needs a room, advise of the area or other;

agents, direct reservations, anyone in need of a talk.

How is working in Asia different from back home in

your profession?

Time, nothing will be done within an hour. Learning of the

culture and whom I’m working with, understanding the

team members’ knowledge and experience, their loyalty, as

well as team members’ expectations and impression of me

as manager is different between my work in Europe and

Thailand.

Let ScandAsia know if you would like to be featured/started a new position! Email: joakim@scandmedia.com



Planning your future for you and

your loved ones. Together.

At Private Banking within SEB, we acknowledge that everyone has a unique set of

challenges. We concentrate on developing meaningful, long-lasting financial

relationships and make the effort to really understand you and your requirements.

Your own private banker, client assistant and experts are dedicated to help you achieve

your goals. Together we take a holistic approach, aiming at a well-planned future for you

and your loved ones.

To find out what we can do for your personal wealth,

contact us in Singapore on +65 63 57 08 95

or via singapore@sebprivatebanking.com.sg

sebgroup.lu/privatebanking

ScandAsia April 2018

Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!

Delete template?

Save as template ?