ScandAsia January 2018

JAN 2018

BUSINESS

NordCham Philippines

INTERNATIONAL

Danish Prime Minister

visited Singapore

COMMUNITY

Suomi Finland 100 Years

Independence

celebrations

PEOPLE

Nils Nordh, World

Amateur Golfers

Nikolai

Coster-Waldau

impressed

by Thailand

2 ScandAsia • January 2018

January 2018 • ScandAsia 3

January 2018

34

14

PM Lars Løkke

Rasmussen

Danish Prime Minister visited Singapore

ScandAsia

Community

28 Nikolal Coster-Waldau

46 Danish Christmas in

Singapore

47 Nordics in Shanghai:

More Surprises Per

Square Metre

48 ScandAsia World Cup

Football 2018

50 Style & Chic by Agneta

de Bekassy


Independence celebrations

ScandAsia

Business

11 Bankify of Finland

Lands seed investment, aiming at Asia

18 NordCham Philippines

Nordics seriously back

22 Chamber President Bo

Lundqvist

President NordCham Philippines and

retail consultant

24

Prince Carl Philip

in Hong Kong

Swedish design and education delegation

28

46

Human

resources:

42 IMD World Talent Ranking

43 My current assignment

42

44

Dato’ Nils Nordh

World Amateur Golfers’ Chairman

and CEO

50

47


Editorial

Dear Reader,

ScandAsia is a new publication. It has been around since

1993, but this issue that you are reading right now, is a

new publication.

We are the only media in Asia focused on Denmark, Sweden,

Norway and Finland. Our readers are Finns, Norwegians,

Swedes and Danes and huge mix of Asian people living in

China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore,

Indonesia, Phillppines, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

Every Monday we serve these people with a free eNewsletter

with the news of the week from www.ScandAsia.com

selected by the editor.

Every month we send you this eMagazine, that you are

reading now, to you email inbox. An exclusive group of discerning

readers have taken out a subscription and receive

the magazine in its original paper edition. Why not you? But

most - around 8.000 readers - receive and read the magazine

electronically.

In certain months - February, April, September and November

- we print a larger circulation including the special

theme of the month and place a stack at your embassy or at

your Church or business association or at a Nordic restaurant

if we know of it. The printed issues help us get connected to

new readers who may have just moved out to Asia and never

heard of ScandAsia before. Yes, there are some who never

have! Our hope is that they will like us and subscribe to the

magazine - in print or as an eMagazine.

Sometimes we boast that we cover more Nordic people

in Asia than any other media, and it is actually true. However,

we still humbly appeal to you as a reader to please share this

publication with friends and colleagues in your network. We

need all the help we can get to stay on top and penetrate

deeply this target group.

We also ask you humbly to keep us in mind when you are

off-line. Give us a tip when you have news from your company,

your community or simply want to point our attention

to something, you believe we should be covering. Don’t be

shy. If you are into deep sea fishing, feel free to suggest we

write an article about the ten best places in Asia to do deep

sea fishing. Chances are, we may just take you up on that and

produce that story!

When ScandAsia was founded in 1993, we produced only

one edition for all nationalities of Scandinavians and other

readers living anywhere in Asia. Since then, we produced for

a while four editions for each one of the Nordic nationalities

living anywhere in Asia. Lately, we have for a number of years

produced four different editions serving all four Nordic nationalities

but living only in Thailand, in Singapore, in China or

elsewhere in South East Asia.

This January 2018 edition of ScandAsia is the first where

we are back full circle. ScandAsia now again serves with one

magazine all Scandinavians and all other readers interested

in our Nordic brands and life style living in all of Asia - from

Bali to Beijing, from Myanmar to Manila and everywhere in

between. In that sense, this ScandAsia is the first copy of a

new publication. Enjoy!

Kind regards

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.

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E-mail: news@scandasia.com

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gregers@scandmedia.com

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Joakim@scandmedia.com

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Opinion

Blockchain - Crypto:

faster adoption than

mobiles, or 1931 all over again!

by Dusan Stojanovic, Angel investor, True Global Ventures

There are many trends within

financial technology of

interest during 2018. But

what we saw during the

last quarter 2017, and regardless

of where in the world it was,

that the absolutely largest trend was

Blockchain. This will continue during the

whole year – with the three following

components.

Crypto currencies

The man on the street is now reading

about Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple,

the large crypto currencies. Maybe they

do not understand, but certainly have

heard about. And that will be a large

trend in 2018 as well, especially since

out of the world’s whole population

there are perhaps only 20 – 50 million

owning any of these currencies. And I

think that will be promoted mainly by

the countries where most trading in

crypto currencies take place. And the

one country to mention in particular is

Japan - the centre for foreign exchange

historically in the world’s dominating

currencies (Pound, Yen, US Dollar, Euro

etc.) And what is driving this the most

is that about 60 per cent of the world

trade in currencies taking place there is

on retail basis, e.g. by individuals. With

crypto currencies we can see the same

tendency; today about 60 per cent of

the global trade in crypto currencies is

in Japan, and about 80 per cent of that

trade is between private individuals.

This also means that individuals in Japan

have a strong understanding for how

crypto currencies work.

One example is that GMO Internet

Group will launch a new payment option

in February, to pay out salaries in

Bitcoin. That trend maintained by Japan

in the whole of 2016-2017 I think you

will see on a global level, where you see

more and more people understanding

the risks and own crypto currencies.

The people who will do this are

probably early adopters; mostly men

interested in tech, between 20 – 35

years old starting with this and then it

spreads quite fast to other age groups.

So, crypto currencies will spread to the

public.

It should also be regulated; otherwise

it will be a risk against the financial

system as a whole if too many place too

big share of their savings in this, and it

goes down just a little and you could

get mass sales and we’d be facing 1931

again...

The 53 largest crypto coins, and

especially the top ten are driving this

trade. But one trend is that it’s absolutely

not only Bitcoin , in fact their

share of the total market decreases

every week. That is also a trend that I

also think will be sustained during 2018.

Why would there only be US dollar in

the whole planet just as there would

only be Bitcoins! There are differences

and weaknesses between the difference

ones. One example where Bitcoin has

a big disadvantage is that it consumes

an enormous amount of energy for the

mining, which is not sustainable for the

planet!

ICOs

More directed at our risk capital sectors

is the so called initial coin offering

(ICO), e.g. that you also can get start-up

funding via an own crypto currency that

you issue and offer for investment. We

have seen 1360 ICOs so far that, one

could say, partly compete with IPOs

but happen at a much earlier stage than

on the stock market. This will be very

strong trend going forward that will

continue, even while becoming more

regulated.

Then you have diverse types of currencies,

one where the currency can be

used for the actual eco-system of a particular

company or as pure investment.

That is regulated, in different ways, by

different financial inspections, as ‘Utility

Tokens’ (or app coins, representing future

access to a company’s product or

service) and ‘Security Tokens’.

Blockchain Adoption by

Corporates

As for the actual blockchain, the underlying

technology, there has been a lot of

buzz during 2017. But very few financial

institutes, insurance companies and

others have implemented it. But that

will happen in 2018 as one is now ready

to takes the risk to implement in 2018.

If you would like to share your

thoughts and insights on this page

contact Managing Editor at joakim@scandmedia.com


News Brief

The Norway-Asia Business Summit is usually a well visited event. The photo is from the 2016-summit.

Norway-Asia Business Summit 2018

in Singapore

The Norwegian Business Association

Singapore has announced the

seventh edition of the Norway-

Asia Business Summit to take place in

Singapore 16-18 April 2018. The Norway-Asia

Business Summit has, since its

start in 1998, evolved into a meeting

place for Norwegian industry in the

region, with strong support by the Norwegian

government and the diplomatic

missions across Asia.

The Summit in 2016 in Singapore

was a great success, where 330 people

attended including high-level speakers

and guests. High-level speakers included,

amongst others, the Norwegian Prime

Minister Ms Erna Solberg, Minister for

Trade and Industry (Trade) in Singapore

Mr Lim Hng Kiang, the Director General

of NHO Ms Kristin Skogen Lund, the

Chief Executive of SPRING Singapore

Poon Hong Yuen and the CEO of the

Norwegian Shipowners‚Äô Association

Mr Sturla Henriksen.

In 2018, the main topics for the Summit

will be within shipping, offshore,

energy and new technologies. It will

focus on how the rapid digitalisation and

transformation process will impact the

industries and business environment the

Norwegian companies in Singapore are

operating in.

Further, the summit will focus on

new opportunities for start-ups involving

successful entrepreneurs and upand-coming

companies in Asia.

Attention will also be given to the

ASEAN region, especially on how the

political and economic trends will impact

the business climate for Norwegian

businesses operating locally in Asian

countries.

With the Summit, the organiser aim to

present opportunities and to strengthen

the competitiveness of Norwegian businesses

in Asia, as well as for businesses in

Norway. Further, to strengthen the position

of Norwegian business in Asia, they

will seek comprehensive media coverage

of the Summit.

Participants will get better prepared

to handle the challenges and benefits of

the great opportunities within the Asian

markets. The summit will be held at the

iconic landmark hotel The Fullerton.

Source: NBAS


Sweden-Southeast Asia Business

Summit 2018 announced

News Brief

Marcus Wallenberg was among the

many key speakers at the first Sweden-

Southeast Asia Business Summit in 2016.

Team Sweden in Malaysia has announced

the second Sweden-

Southeast Asia Business Summit

to take place in Kuala Lumpur on 6-7

February 2018. The inaugural, successful

summit was held in Singapore in September

2016.

This year’s Sweden-SEA Business

Summit aims to attract business leaders

and decision makers from Sweden and

the ASEAN-region by providing a platform

for sharing information on business

opportunities in this dynamic part of

the world and to network with Swedish,

Malaysian and other Asean-based

companies.

More than 600 Swedish companies

across business sectors ranging from

service to manufacturing and retail are

present in Southeast Asia, including the

full range of Swedish companies from

the large multinational companies to

small and medium sized enterprises.

The Summit will feature key political

and business representatives from Sweden,

Malaysia and Southeast Asia. On

the Swedish side, Mr Mikael Damberg,

Minister for Enterprise and Innovation,

and Mr Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman

of the Board, SEB, SAAB Group & Foundation

Asset Management will honour

the event as senior representatives. On

the Malaysian side Y.B. Dato’ Sri Mustapa

Mohamed, Minister of International

Trade and Industry, Tan Sri Dato’ Azman

Mokhtar, Managing Director Khazanah

Nasional, and Tan Sri Dr Munir Majid, Co-

Chairman ASEAN Business Advisory

Council and Chairman Bank Muamalat

will attend as highly esteemed interlocutors.

During the Summit in Kuala Lumpur

6-7 February 2018, Ambassadors and

Trade Commissioners from the Swedish

Missions to Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar,

Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

and Malaysia will be at the disposal

of participants for special briefings or,

in case of interest, seminars on their

respective countries of service.

Announced summit programme as

follows:

• Session One: Opportunities and

challenges in a changing world from

European and Southeast Asian perspectives

• Session Two: Southeast Asia - Sustainable

Growth Strategies in a

Changing International Economic

Environment

• Session Three: Create a Sustainability

Mindset

The summit will also showcase how

Swedish companies have adopted a

sustainable mind-set and how this has

enabled them to innovate and develop

new business models and solutions for

future growth. The specific thematic sessions

aim at highlighting key initiatives

and discussing business opportunities

deriving from these:

• Sustainable city development – future

city solutions

• Digital manufacturing – Industry 4.0

• Smart technologies in transport

development

• Connectivity & mobility

The 2018 Business Summit will be

hosted by Team Sweden in Malaysia, i.e.

the Embassy of Sweden, Business Sweden

and the Malaysian Swedish Business

Association (MASBA). Core members

of Team Sweden in this context are the

21 companies sponsoring the Business

Summit, out of which six are Main Sponsors,

namely ABB, Atlas Copco, Ericsson,

SAAB, SCANIA and Volvo Cars, while

the following companies are Sponsors,

i.e. Anticimex, Arla Food, Bromma, Beckers,

Billerud Korsnäs, Handelsbanken,

Husqvarna, Höganäs Bjuf, Ikea, Monitor

ERP Systems, Quant, Sandvik, SKF, Tetra

Pak, AB Volvo.


News Brief

Belt & Road initiative

Nordic Beijing event held

On 30 November, Finnish Business

Council Beijing (FBCB)

together with other Nordic

chambers held an interesting event at

the Westin hotel in Beijing on infrastructure

project financing in Belt & Road

initiative. The speaker Dr. Jiang Hongbin

(Director of Capital Project & Infrastructure

(CP&I), PwC Beijing) introduced a

closer look at the Belt & Road initiative,

reports FBCB.

The discussion evolved around the

investment activities under the initiative

as well as the project development

schemes. A clear conclusion of the discussion

was that there definitely are

opportunities for Finnish companies as

well, starting from design and engineering.

With the B&R initiative a new strategic

dimension for Finnish companies

is also to help Chinese corporate giants

develop and realize the projects under

B&R, together with a Chinese company

conquer foreign markets.

Source: Finnish Business Council Beijing

Finnish Parliament

delegation Beijing event

In early November, members of Finnish

Business Council Beijing (FBCB)

had an opportunity for a morning

breakfast table meeting at the Ambassador’s

Residence with the Ambassador

Jarno Syrjälä, Speaker of Parliament of

Finland Maria Lohela and members of

the Parliament delegation that was visiting

China.

The discussion topic was the companies’

opportunities and challenges operating

in China. Maria Lohela was pleased

to hear many success stories of Finnish

companies in so many different sectors.

Also, the Delegation was interested in

hearing how to overcome specific problems

foreign companies might face, for

which members shared their views and

ideas.

Source: Finnish Business Council Beijing


Bankify of Finland aims at

Philippines and Vietnam

Bankify, a Finnish social finance

sharing app, has reached an

agreement with Reech Corporations

Group to fund an initial commercial

rollout in selected markets.

The app, which has been successfully

soft-launched in Finland, Ireland and

the Netherlands aims to expand to

Asian markets such as Philippines and

Vietnam, which are seen as highly receptive

to new app based financial

propositions.

Bankify was founded in July 2016 by

Antti Tarakkamäki and Tero Lappalainen,

a pair of serial tech entrepreneurs who

believed that a generation which grew

up on game consoles and smartphones

needed something radically different

News Brief

from what is in offer from traditional

financial services providers – something

which will resonate with Millennials’ social

lifestyle, ideals, tastes and interests.

Bankify will make finance FUN, so

that everyone wants to be a banker in

their social group. The ‘Banker’ application

links sociality and finance together

conveniently. With the ‘Banker’ application,

users earn money and have fun

while sharing expenses with others. The

application is free to use and the “Banker

user” benefits from the service and can

recommend it further to their social

groups.

Rather than becoming a fully-fledged

financial operator in its own right, Bankify

aims to work with existing financial services

providers such as banks, credit

card companies and payment networks,

taking advantage of new technology and

legislative developments such as API

(Applications Programming Interface)

and Open Banking (for instance PSD2;

the EU’s 2nd Payments Services Directive)

to provide a highly intuitive and user

friendly interface to access a range of

financial applications.

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).


News Brief

Norwegian Kongsberg Indonesian

defence supplier

Kongsberg, Norway’s premier supplier

of defence and aerospacerelated

systems, has signed a contract

worth 77 MUSD with the Ministry

of Defence of Indonesia to supply a

NASAMS air defence system.

The contract comprises delivery of

a complete Nasams system with command

posts, radars, launchers, radios and

integration, and training and logistics support.

Amraam missiles will be provided

in a separate government-to-government

agreement between Indonesia and

the United States.

Nasams defends high value civilian

and military assets on the ground against

air threats. The inherent flexibility and

modularity of this system makes it a

world leading solution with unique capabilities

to combat modern airborne

threats, as well as having the ability to integrate

with a variety of different sensors

and weapons. Several nations have chosen

Nasams, including Norway, Finland,

The Netherlands, USA, Spain, Oman and

now Indonesia.

“We are very pleased that Indonesia,

as the first nation in its region, chooses

NASAMS for its homeland defence. The

continuous technical evolution and addition

of users confirms that NASAMS

is the most modern and advanced air

defense system in the world,” says Eirik

Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence &

Aerospace.

Kongsberg Gruppen is an international

technology group that delivers

advanced and reliable solutions improving

safety, security and performance in

complex operations and under extreme

conditions. Kongsberg works with demanding

customers in the global defence,

maritime, oil and gas, fisheries and

aerospace sectors.

Scandinavian speakers on CSR at

Singapore EU Delegation seminar

Every year the EU Delegation organizes

a seminar to highlight the

international Human Rights Day

that takes place on December 10, under

the auspices of the United Nations.

Building on past practice, the European

Union Delegation to Singapore is

organising an annual seminar to mark

and raise awareness of Human Rights

Day. In 2017 the seminar ‘Business and

Human Rights’ held in Singapore focused

on Corporate Social Responsibility and

government measures to support Human

Rights in Asia and Europe.

On Friday the 8th of December

Swedish Ambassador H.E. Håkan Jevrell

spoke about Sweden’s ambitious policy

on CSR and responsible business in a

panel discussion on ’CSR Practices in

Asia and Europe: Government Measures

to Support Business’.


And from Denmark, Mr Mikkel Larsen,

Managing Director, Co-Chair of DBS

Sustainability Council, DBS Bank attended

a panel on ’ Private Sector Perspective:

Beyond Philanthropy to Responsible

Business Conduct’. Furthermore, Ms

Veronica Nilsson, Programme Manager,

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung attended the

’Labour Issues in Business Practices: Asia

and Beyond’ panel.

Sources: Embassy of Sweden Singapore,

EU Delegation to Singapore

News Brief

Danfoss provider to world’s biggest

crane ship constructed in Singapore

Danfoss will be part of the crane

vessel Sleipnir which is now

being built in Singapore. Once

constructed in 2019 the 220 meters

long and 102 meters wide crane ship

will be the biggest of its kind in the world.

Sleipner is being built with Danfoss

drives, set to ensure that the ballast water

is pumped to the back of the crane

ship as counter ballast when the cranes

are in operation. In addition, Danfoss will

supply drives to be used for 12 sets of

position mooring winches and provide

a turnkey solution that includes project

management, engineering, documentation,

and delivery of custom-built enclosed

drives and transformers.

“This is the first step towards gaining

more market share in this attractive marine

market. The pipeline keeps growing

and with this win, we are in a good position

to achieve our targets even though

the market situation remains challenging,”

says Søren Kvorning, Head of Asia,

Pacific and India Region, Danfoss Drives.

Sleipnir will be equipped with two

10,000 MT cranes and will be able to

perform multiple ultra-heavy lifts, some

of which will be in the excess of 15,000

MT. The vessel will have the ability to

install larger modules than currently possible,

with existing equipment.

When Sleipner is operational in

2019, it will be heading for its first contracted

awards. The first contract is from

Noble Energy Mediterranean, Ltd. for

transportation and installation services

associated with the Leviathan Production

Platform in the Mediterranean Sea.

The second transport and installation

contract has been awarded by Maersk

Oil for the new production and living

quarters platforms as part of their Tyra

Future project.

The partners behind the Tyra-field,

Maersk Oil and Danish Underground

Consortium (DUC) has just agreed on

a deal worth DKK 21bn rebuilding and

expanding Tyra, the largest investment in

the Danish sector of the North Sea.

Danfoss Drives, Now one of the

largest companies in the industry and a

world leader in variable speed control

of electric motors, has since 1968 been

pioneers in the AC drives business.

Philippines-Sweden

Airport Collaboration

On 21-22 November the Embassy

of Sweden and Business

Sweden arranged the “Philippines-Sweden

Airport Collaboration”

delegation to Manila, headed by State

Secretary Oscar Stenström.

This activity is the start of a long-term

partnership on airport development between

our two countries, in line with the

commitments that Swedish Minister for

Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg

and Department of Transportation

- Philippines Secretary Arthur Tugade

made when they met last year.

Key stakeholders in this event are

Mr. Vivencio Dizon, President and CEO

of Bases Conversion Development Authority,

Mr. Alexander Cauguiran, Acting

CEO and President of Clark International

Airport Corporation, Mr. Noel Manankil,

President/CEO of Clark Development

Corporation, Captain Manuel Tamayo,

Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports

of DOTr, and Mr. Ed Monreal, General

Manager of the Manila International

Airport Authority.

Swedish companies in the delegation

included Axis Communications, Cavotec

Sverige, Roxtec, Inc., Volvo Buses, Saab

AB and Xylem.

Source: Embassy of Sweden in Manila


Business

Photo: Embassy of Denmark in Singapore

Danish PM looks to

Singapore for inspiration

Danish businessmen and Danish representatives of companies in

Singapore gathered at the Danish Seamen’s Church to participate

in dialogue with the Danish Prime Minister and Danish Minister for

Employment, Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Troels Lund Poulsen. The

two ministers visited Singapore from 29-30 November to acquire

inspiration, concerning the employment challenges Denmark faces

due to the fourth industrial revolution and disruption.

By Eva Eriksen


I have a great deal of respect for the work Danes do

in Singapore and all over the globe. You represent

Denmark and represent our values.

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark.

On 30 November 2017, the Danish Prime

Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen engaged in

dialogue with about 70 members of the the

Danish business community in Singapore to

get inputs on how Denmark can learn from

Singapore when preparing the economy for the future.

The dialogue was hosted by the Danish Business Association

and the Danish Embassy together with the Danish Seamen’s

Church. After a brief welcome from President of DABS

Stine Martinussen, the Prime Minister opened the dialogue

by underlining that the Danish model of society must adapt

to the fourth industrial revolution to stay competitive in the

future.

Løkke Rasmussen views Singapore as a leading nation

when it comes to preparing for the future job market, and

so he wants to hear from the Danish business society how

Denmark can get inspiration from Singapore experiences to

move in right direction.

Additionally, he expressed how it is important for nations

to stay open to the outside world in a time where countries

tend to close in on themselves:

“We have achieved our wealth by being open to the

world,” Løkke said. However, this is not all that simple: “We

need to find the right balance between being open and at

the same time not taking everyone in. Denmark is and shall

continue to stay open for new talents. At the same time, we

need to support people in need. Taking in a lot is naturally

problematic but we cannot be selective and chose who we

want and who we do not want – our basic laws and human

rights do not allow us to be selective. Instead we have to look

at joint solutions and future improvements”

It is important to be out in the world, the PM expressed,

addressing that it is always a pleasure to meet Danes wherever

he visits.

“I have a great deal of respect for the work Danes do in

Singapore and all over the globe. You represent Denmark and

represent our values.”


Danish Prime MInister Lars Løkke Rasmussen listening to

(on opposite page) Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.


We need to find the right

balance between being

open and at the same

time not taking everyone

in. Denmark is and shall

continue to stay open for

new talents. At the same

time, we need to support

people in need.


Open Mic Dialogue

The dialogue was about how Denmark can learn from Singapore

when futureproofing the economy, and the attended

business community was eager to share their views with the

Prime Minister and the Minister for Employment.

Danish professor at NTU, Jørgen Schlundt, who teaches

food safety, explained how the production of many foods in

Asia should be better, mentioning fewer resistant bacteria and

sustainability. He views Denmark as the absolute top in this

matter and thinks it is a shame Denmark does not do more to

promote this. He would like to see a cooperation happening

between Denmark and Singapore:

“Shouldn’t Denmark try to take the lead for once?” he

asked the PM.

Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that we should always look to

improve but a lot is being done from Denmark’s side – also in

collaboration with the UN. He stated that collaboration is key

and that both academia, businesses and governments around

the world need to work together to secure sustainability.

Inspiration to what further can be done is always welcome,

he said.

Afterwards, Søren Kvorning, the director of Danfoss in

Singapore expressed that there is a lack of incitement for

companies to work together in Denmark when developing

complete green solutions. He explained that in Singapore, a

competition had taken place where new solutions were to

be developed to increase the energy efficiency in buildings by

20 percent. Danfoss participated, focusing on ventilation. The

director explained that projects like this could initiate energy

renovation in Copenhagen.

Løkke asked what the companies’ motivation were to

participate in this kind of competition and the director explained

that it gives the companies the possibility to scale if

they succeed.

A more direct approach was again addressed when the

country manager at Novo Nordisk in Singapore, Trine Winther

Lavrsen, stated how the Singaporean government now

officially has declared war on diabetes, which is an increasing

problem here. She asked if that is something Denmark should

consider doing as well.

The Prime Minister explained how it is different here in

Asia where most diabetics are female compared Denmark

where more males have diabetes. Furthermore, he expressed

that he was not too sure a designated “war on diabetes” is the

right move, explaining how in Jakarta it is impossible to walk

from one building to the other because the infrastructure

does not benefit pedestrians. He therefore thinks lifestyle is a

matter that needs to be addressed more directly.

Other topics like multiculturalism and school systems

were addressed during the dialogue. It was mentioned how

ownership of an apartment or property might reduce the sizes

and amounts of ghettoes because the sense of ownership

would give people a stronger feeling of belonging. Moreover,

it would minimize vandalism. A topic that concerns the Prime

Minister a great deal, stating the importance to solve ghetto

issues and improve integration, so “Denmark does not would

break into two”.


Photo Credit: Tatyana Kildisheva


Business

The Nordics seriously

back in business

in the Philippines

Denmark and Sweden have re-opened their respective embassies,

while the former business council has upgraded into the Nordic

Chamber of Commerce Philippines (NordCham) which offers all

essential consultancy and assistance in the country - all based on

significant growth in the presence of Nordic businesses.

Now the platform is there for increased trade relations and

investment between the Philippines and the Nordic countries.

ScandAsia paints the picture with NordCham.

By Joakim Persson


Bo Lundqvist, President, NordCham.

I am happy to see that some

businesses take a deeper

perspective in doing business in the

Philippines. And once they get here,

and quite a lot of them come, they

are usually positively surprised

of what they see and realise that

things are different than how

they are portrayed in the evening

newspaper back home.

For the Nordic countries it is all good news from this

island nation: two new embassies, a Nordic chamber

that keeps on growing, and more Nordic companies

entering the country. While, according to Nord-

Cham’s President Bo Lundqvist, Philippines has an

image problem, he thinks that there are plenty of good news

beyond the headlines.

“In NordCham we get a lot of questions around these

headlines etc., but it doesn’t seem that Philippines is off the

charts. We still get a lot queries and interest and still do a lot

of consulting work - all focusing on companies eventually investing

here. So I think there is still serious and strong Nordic

interest in doing business with Philippines in one way or the

other; be it export to, manufacturing, or outsourcing service

from the Philippines.”

“I am happy to see that some businesses take a deeper

perspective in doing business in the Philippines. And once

they get here, and quite a lot of them come, they are usually

positively surprised of what they see and realise that things

are different than in the evening newspaper back home.”

But Bo Lundqvist also says the continued negative news

is a concern: “While we have an extensive line of consulting

assignments that NordCham is doing specifically in identifying

business opportunities, I still think there is a bit of wait-andsee

when it comes to actually taking the steps to come here.

And that is a little dangerous, as it may turn into a decision

to go elsewhere.”

“There is a lot of positive development in the Philippines;

far more positive than negative in my opinion. But we have a

bit of an issue with creating positive news that hits the headlines

abroad and creates a positive image.”

For the chamber itself, the very positive development can

be told in numbers: from 18 founding members to 120 after

five years. The organisation changed its name in September

2016 to NordCham Philippines, as a reflection of this growth.

“We are no longer a new young kid on the block but an

establish player in the chamber of commerce scene here,”

states the Executive Director Joona Selin. “After reaching

100 members we said that we had built a foundation that

warranted us to call ourselves a chamber. We had been very

modest in the beginning to get things organised and therefore

took the name of a Business Council at first.”

The strong increase in members and more full time staff

(currently five and hiring) were key indicators to raise the

profile and re-brand.

In launching NordCham they also introduced an advisory

board, which includes the four Nordic ambassadors and the

honorary consul generals, in addition to Nordic-related private

sector representatives.

“This is a reflection of how we position ourselves in-between

the private and the public sector, between the Nordics

and the Philippines. And all our levels of key stakeholders;

employees, operational team, board of directors and advisory

board reflect the fact that we operate in the Philippines as


NordCham Philippines Awards Night

a mediator between the key stakeholders in the Nordic-

Philippine business community,” adds Joona.

“The members mostly consist in subsidiaries of Nordic

multinational companies, but we also have other multinationals

and also Philippine corporations. What is noteworthy

is that for a number of subsidiaries there are local country

heads.”

NordCham also stands out in the way it is operated, regarding

both its commercial structure and with wide outreach.

“Yes, we are very serious about this,” confirms Bo Lundqvist.

“The chamber is run as a business; we’re not a club. We

divide our business into two segments, one being member

services and the other consulting services so. Membership

services could be business member services, seminars with

the government and private sector, partnerships we enter

into etc. We also have a cultural angle, where we pull together

the Nordic community more from a family and cultural perspective.”

Some “staple events” are the annual Ambassador’s Luncheon

and the NordCham Awards night.

“With the awards we recognise member companies excelling

in areas that we feel strongly about: Corporate Social

Responsibility, growth, being an outstanding employer, and the

importance of Small and Medium-sized enterprises. At the

same time we promote the fact that these companies are

present here but also what the Nordic values are,” explains

Joona.

“The mix of corporate events and more social events also

act as the avenue of bringing the Nordic-Philippines business

community together. In addition to that we have monthly


events where we give updates for instance on latest legislation;

most recently on topics such as the new data privacy law,

and tax reform.”

Reflecting its positioning NordCham cooperates with

and supports the Nordic diplomatic missions. Joona says that

it is the business sector that has been driving the presence,

which then led to also the governments strengthening their

presence.

“Major companies and also new investment both from

Denmark and Sweden have poured in. The immediate impact

for both these countries having re-opened embassies is that

the Philippines shows on the radar screen back home. So, we

see an increased number of company delegations coming in,

led by the missions. There’s increased traffic and as a result of

more companies doing business.”

“Locally, there is of course tremendous interest in the

business community and the media that the embassies have

returned.”

Sweden has recently also strengthened with a Country

Manager for Business Sweden: “Now they have presence on

the ground to bring in more, in this case, traffic from Sweden

in terms of companies looking into and coming to the market.”

“And we have a set of very engaged and good ambassadors,

all of them doing a great job in terms of selling and

marketing our countries. NordCham is also very engaged in

that process to sort of position the Nordic countries for the

qualities we stand for,” says its President.

Overall, the chamber has noticed an increased level of

interest from the Nordics. “Mainly companies are looking at

the Philippines from the local market perspective - to sell

Locally, there is of course

tremendous interest in the

business community but

also in the media that the

embassies have returned.

They have been in the

limelight here locally.

their products. Second, is to set up service centres, be it in

IT, software development, or other services such as finance/

accounting or HR. Third, I would add manufacturing; Nordic

companies have set up factories to cater to the domestic

market as well as to export to markets in Asia and globally,”

says Joona.

“Jotun (the Norwegian paint company) inaugurated their

factory to cater to the Philippine market. That represents FDI

and also tapping into the local market here; so it’s a great

example. And looking broadly concerning trends in the past

few years, for instance H&M have been more aggressive with

their growth in the Philippine market than initially planned.”

When it comes to the specifics of the business services

NordCham offers a range of those: from market entry, business

development, local representation to government relations

services.

Partner and distributor search is done in-house: “We have

a wide network locally, across a number of industries and different

companies. We have proven, that we can pretty much

identify the key clientele, e.g. who is the target customers and

decision makers, and set up meetings with them. We typically

provide this for companies who are either in their very early

stage of market presence or have no market presence in

the Philippines yet but are convinced that a market exists,”

explains Joona.

Nordic companies looking for a distributor have a profile

of what that one should be like. NordCham then try to

match that and come up with a short-list. If being part of the

assignment, NordCham will then interview these companies

to verify if they are suitable local partners - after which these

will be assessed with the clients.

“Local Representation is for companies who have closed a

deal, where we act on their behalf to ensure that paperwork

gets done and act as facilitator between client and supplier.”

NordCham has also built–and keeps on building–a network

of so called multipliers, which are fellow chambers of

commerce, business organisations, private consultancies and

government organisations.

“This works both ways; sometimes we have an inquiry

about a market we cannot cover, so we can give that to our

partner organisations or collaborators - that is the sort of

win-win we are looking at. And in the Nordic countries we

have similar private consultants who would then provide us

the inquiries and leads about Philippines market.”

“When there is interest from a business we will work in

tandem to make sure that this client also gets to understand

the Philippine opportunity or gets to do what they have

planned.”

Nordcham also makes an annual road show to the Nordics

together with the country’s Department of Industry, and

in partnership with the business world organisations of the

Nordic countries.

The next step, discloses Bo Lundqvist, is to establish a local

foothold there, “at least one person that will represent us on

the ground in the countries so we can be a bit more efficient

in working with local businesses that have interest in dealing

with the Philippines. So part of our core interests and missions

are to really enable businesses from the Philippines to deal

with the Nordics and vice versa; that’s very important to us.”


Business

Bo Lundqvist:

NordCham President

and Retail IT solutions

specialist

By Joakim Persson


The NordCham Philippines President himself possesses

in-depth knowledge of setting up, running

and growing a business out of the Philippines. Bo

Lundqvist started Retail Associates 12 years ago,

after a long background in doing implementations

of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems.

“I felt at a point that it was time to start my own business

- which I did. We deal specifically with offering solutions for

retailers, typically larger businesses with 20-100 stores or more;

supermarkets and specialty retailers; e.g. fine dining restaurants,

coffee bars, mini marts etc. We are specialized in any business

that has stores and POS [Point of Sale], and nowadays that also

require web store/omni-channel,” Bo explains the focus of his

business.

Based on the Microsoft Dynamics business application

framework, Retail Associates offer a solution called LS Retail

NAV. “LS Retail NAV allows us to deliver an ERP solution that

also incorporates processes at stores and on POS. LS Retail

runs some of the largest companies in the world, like IKEA.”

“We help retailers identify their business processes and

to improve and streamline those. We help them implement a

system that automates all processes, be it accounting, supply

chain, warehousing, sometimes manufacturing, store processes

etc.; all in a single solution.”

The typical customer is semi-automated, with comprehensive

logistics that needs to be managed with multiple stores

“Retailers grow organically so they typically have multiple tools,

one of them being Excel that they try to integrate. When they

have grown to a certain size, and it all becomes too complicated,

they look for people or solutions like us that can help

them putting it all together.”

“Our specialization is quite unique; so we get invited to

provide consulting services to larger projects also in the region.”

While the Philippines is the main market for Bo’s company it

also gets involved regionally. Recently, it deploys retail solutions

in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Through its partnership

with Danish firm PIPOL, Retail Associates also help global

business deploy the solution in the Philippines.

Unsurprisingly for a Swedish-managed business it does not

One of the changes the Philippine government is

planning will lower the monetary threshold for

retail and that will make it more attractive for

foreigners to come in here and compete on equal

terms with local retailing.”

compete on price but are successful based on other values.

“We try to operate by European standards, in terms of how

we deliver, focusing solely on quality and detail, and from that

perspective there is not much local competition.”

Retail Associates doubled their business in 2017, which

points to strong growth within the retail sector.

“Philippines has had a booming economy for quite some

time now and it still continues to grow. Retail is especially successful

and expanding. We have strong population growth and

in particular a growing middle class which fuels the retail sector.

Our customers are setting up new stores as fast as they can,

launching new formats and entering new territories. And we

also see new retailers, foreign brands, entering.”

Most of the larger retailers operate as chains, usually with

multiple brands and based in the many shopping malls that are

typical for the Philippines. The trend now is for these chains

to push presence from the larger cities to the provincial cities,

says Bo.

Looking at changes and improvement in the country, there

has been a significant breakthrough for foreign investors. “A

great Scandinavian example is Swedish H&M, which was the

first 100% foreign owned retailer entering the country. That has

not been possible previously, but is now due to liberalization in

the legislation”.

“We are hoping there will be further easing in terms of

foreign ownership,” he adds.

“One of the changes the Philippine government is planning

will lower the monetary threshold for retail and that will make

it more attractive for foreigners to come in here and compete

on equal terms with local retailing.”

The foreign paid up capital limit will be lowered from the

current $2.5 million to $200,000.

Many more changes in the legislation would enable further

growth, according to Bo. “Some of the laws here are counterproductive,

regarding foreign ownership and around taxation

and imports etc. There are lots of improvements that need to

be done to create a truly level playing field.”

“The just launched tax reform is another measure that

businesses believe will spur growth, and maybe make it more

attractive to do business.”

Tourism has a huge growth potential in the Philippines, but

would require lots of infrastructure investment in transportation

and lodging to cope with higher visitor numbers, believes

the NordCham President.

And in those investments also lies business opportunities

for foreign companies, with lots of funding expected to come

from either foreign investment or foreign direct investment.

“The Build! Build! Build! Program of the current Administration

is supposed to become the catalyst for growth in this

sector, both for foreign and local business. This is something of

big interest from players in Europe which see that European

technology, knowhow and products could form a big part of

these projects.”

When this will really take off is however yet to be seen.

Though, the urgency must be there loud and clear for the Philippine

government: “We are a lot behind our Asian neighbours

so there’s a lot of work to be done in a very short timeframe,”

comments Bo.

One sector where the country really thrives is within the

business process outsourcing (BPO) employing 1.3 million

locals.

Filipinos easily understand and learn new technologies in

addition to their competitive English skills.

“In my experience, they tend to be very positive towards

learning and improving. Filipinos top the service sectors in most

places in the world, because of exactly that. And this is of course

why the IT-BPO is our poster boy,” says the Swede.

“Provided the government continue to support that type

of business I don’t see why it could not double within a few

years’ time, because there seems to be an endless number of

possibilities in terms of outsourcing processes and tasks.”

The population is young and the education is good, thinks

Bo. “There are lots of well- educated, well-spoken Filipinos that

are churned out from the universities every year. Hence you

have quite a lot of Nordic businesses that even deal with the

universities directly to grab the top talent when they graduate.

If you look at finding talent, then this is a good place!”


Business

Swedish design and education:

Prince Carl Philip

in Hong Kong

Photo: Mattias Edwall, Kungahuset.se


On the 5-7 December, HRH Prince Carl Philip

of Sweden visited Hong Kong together with

two business delegations. The purpose of

the visit was to promote Swedish business

and raise Swedish interests in design and

education. Sweden has a well-developed cooperation with

Hong Kong when it comes to design and creativity, and the

aim of HRH Prince Carl Philip’s visit was to further deepen

these relationships.

Business Sweden hosted two business delegations during

the visit; one of these consisted of representatives of Swedish

companies participating in the Hong Kong Business of Design

Week (BODW). The second delegation consisted of representatives

from Swedish companies who are members of the

Swedish Edtech Industry (EdTech).

Carl Philips’s visit began with a tour of Hong Kong together

with Consul General Helena Storm, who presented the city

and its history as well as Sweden’s interests and relations with

Hong Kong.

After that, the Prince participated in a reception at the

Swedish residence. Among the guests at the reception were

representatives from the delegations.

The first day in Hong Kong ended with a dinner under the

auspices of Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung. The focus for

the dinner was education and among the participants were

other Hong Kong government officials, the EdTech delegation

and representatives from a number of Hong Kong university

universities.

The Prince’s second day in Hong Kong began with a

meeting with Swedish companies and Financial Secretary

Paul Chan of the Hong Kong government. The meeting also

included many Swedish and international companies operating

in Hong Kong.

Then a visit to West Island School followed, a school run

by the English Schools Foundation (ESF) offering international

education in Hong Kong. The ESF consists of 22 schools with

a total of 17,500 students from more than 60 different countries.

During the visit, the Prince and the delegation were given

access to their work on technology and digitization.

Edward Yau, Secretary of Commerce and Economic Development,

hosted a lunch where the Prince participated

together with Victor Lo, founder of the Hong Kong Business

of Design Week (BoDW), representatives of the Hong Kong

Design Center and representatives of Team Sweden in Hong

Kong and Swedish Form (Svensk Form).

BODW seminar

HRH Prince Carl Philip attended the seminar ‘Cultivating a

Future Mindset – Creative Leadership’, focusing on the characteristics,

attributes and values of Future Mindset & Creative

Leadership.

The Prince initiated the seminar and said: “Stockholm is

second to Silicon Valley in terms of number of start-ups per

capita in the world. This sector creates jobs and export revenues

and there is a growing awareness that it is a factor to

count on by its own power. It is people who create innovation

- regardless of industry. It begins with people, their knowledge,

curiosity and courage to test the new and unknown.

I have understood that Carrie Lam, Chief Executive, has

identified the development of the creative industries as

strategically important to Hong Kong. This point of contact

between Hong Kong and Sweden is something I hope we

will build on. Cooperation in creativity could create amazing

future opportunities. “

After that a panel debate followed, including, among others,

Maria Lantz, Rector at Konstfack, creativity expert Tobias

Degsell and Rasmus Rahm, CEO of the Stockholm School of

Entrepreneurship.

Closing the day the Prince attended as a guest of honour

to a Gala Dinner organized by the Consulate General of

Sweden and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong

Kong. . Among the guests were also Princess Birgitta, as protector

of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Sweden,

representatives of the business community in Hong Kong,

Swedish companies and Swedcham members. The creative

menu with strong Swedish influences had been designed by

Swedish Michelin star chef Björn Frantzén.

The last day in Hong Kong began with a meeting with Hong

Kong’s governor, Carrie Lam, who has a clear focus on making

the city an international hub for cultural and creative industries.

The Prince and the delegation then went to Hong Kong

Science and Technology Park, where around 600 companies

operates. The delegation visited the Karolinska Institute’s Ming

Wai Lau Center for Reparative Medicine and the Gold Peak

Design Center.

Carl Philip also visited Vocational Training Council (VTC),

the largest government institute in Hong Kong offering vocational

training and internship inter alia in the hotel and hospitality

industry. During the visit to VTC, lunch was prepared on

the theme ‘from farm to table’.

Inauguration of the Swedish Pavilion at

DesignInspire BODW

A highlight was no doubt when Prince Carl Philip attended

the inauguration of the Swedish pavilion at BODW. In the

pavilion various Swedish companies were presented as well as

the exhibition Ung Swedish Form; Evelina Kollberg, designer

of Human Resources, and Karin Bodin who made The New

Man and the Sea were in place and told about their works.

The Business of Design Week, organized by the Hong

Kong Design Center, is an international conference with over

100,000 visitors and around 180 exhibitors from around the

world. Sweden has on two occasions had the role as partner

country under BoDW.


The Prince also attended the opening of the touring photo

exhibition ‘Swedish Dads’. Consul General Helena Storm and

Chairman of MTR Corporation Prof Frederick Ma inaugurated

the exhibition at a well-known department store in

Hong Kong - Elements. The photo exhibition is based on photographer

Johan Bävman’s photographs of dads who are at

home with their children. The starting point for the exhibition

in Hong Kong is the fatherhood and our pursuit and identity

in this regardless of class and nationality.

The photographer Johan Bävman portrayed 45 parental

leave for two years, with quotes concerning their experience

of becoming a parent. The project has been shown worldwide

and laid the foundation for an important discussion and debate

on gender equality.

The Hong Kong visit ended with a ‘Creative Talks’ (a

new Swedish Hong Kong initiative) seminar held at METTA,

a meeting point and platform where entrepreneurs from

around the world can network. The seminar was about design

and creativity, conducted in collaboration between the

Consulate General, Business Sweden and the Chamber of

Commerce’s Creative Swedes committee.

The main speaker was Jaan Orvet, design strategist at Boris

Design Studio, who spoke on the topic ‘You and me? - Let’s

design unexpected collaborations’.Then followed a panel

discussion about ‘Fostering creativity in the future’. Moderator

was Marie Claire Maxwell, Head of Technology and Startup

Lead Asia Pacific, Business Sweden.

Photo: Terence Shum


Source: Kungahuset.se

Photos: Kungahuset.se

Mattias Landgren, Swe Ministry of

Enterprise, visited Singapore

Business

Mattias Landgren, State Secretary

for Infrastructure Affairs at the

Ministry of Enterprise, visited

Singapore on 4-6 December.

The purpose of the visit was to promote

Swedish interests in connection

with the extensive infrastructure initiatives

currently being implemented by

Singapore or under planning, such as

Tuas Mega Port, a fifth terminal at Changi

Airport and the development of the

subway system.

The Secretary of State met with

counterparts at a number of relevant

ministries and authorities, including Ng

Chee Meng, Transport Minister and MPA

Port Authority, Port Operator PSA, Land

Transport Authority (LTA), Urban Redevelopment

Agency (URA), GovTech,

Center for Living Cities, and Center for

Maritime Studies at the National University

of Singapore (NUS).

Mattias Landgren also spent an afternoon

at NTU (Nanyang Techncial University),

where he, among other things,

tried a driverless bus on the CETRAN

test track and visited a test bed for

marine energy solutions at the Maritime

Institute. The Secretary of State also met

Swedish companies in Singapore with

business activities in the field of infrastructure

and transport.

Source: Embassy of Sweden in Singapore

New Grundfos Ho Chi Minh City office

Danish company Grundfos has

opened a new head office in Ho

Chi Minh City demonstrating

their growing cooperation with Vietnam

on sustainable development.

Visiting Vietnam in late September

2017, Mr. Thomas Egebo, Danish Vice

Minister of Energy, Utilities and Climate

applauded Grundfos for supporting Vietnam

with solutions to a more sustainable

economic development.

Source: Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam


Community

Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-

Waldau visited NIST International

School in Bangkok by the end of

last year in his role as recently

appointed UNDP Goodwill

Ambassador. He is currently

most famous for his role as Ser

Jaime Lannister in ‘Game of

Thrones’. But soon you will be

able to see him in the leading

role in his latest film – Shot Caller

– where the Rudkøbing native

trades fantasy lands for a ganginfested

US prison.

By Frank Grice


Nikolaj Coster-Waldau with a team of mothers before he took to the

field as a referee for the Global Goals World Cup regional leg played

at NIST International School.

Nikolai Coster-Waldau

impressed by Thailand

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Shot Caller.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau already had amassed a fair amount

of fame – especially in his native Scandinavia – when he

was gifted the chance to portray Ser Jaime Lannister

in fantasy phenomenon Game of Thrones. Even so, the

handsome Dane was as in the dark as the rest of us as

to how much of an impact starring in the record-breaking epic series

would have on his career.

Now gearing up for its much-anticipated – and final – eighth season,

Game of Thrones has elevated Coster-Waldau to a position of worldwide

recognition. The fact that he is also the fifth highest-paid star in

American TV, with a reported $1.1million dollar pay cheque per episode,

is a rather appealing incentive to get out of bed every morning.

“I’m very grateful for Game of Thrones coming to me after two decades

had passed in my career,” the 47-year-old acknowledges. “I know

that a lot of the other work I’ve been doing is because of the stature that

has come with working on Thrones, so I’m never going to complain about

having such a great role on a massive series like that. My overwhelming

feeling is gratitude, not ‘I’m incredibly important.’ None of this has to do

with me; none of the success of Thrones is down to my hand – my one

hand! It’s the show; it’s the creators – I’m a small part.

“That’s the danger as an actor, believing your own self-importance,”

he warns. “There’s an old Danish proverb, ‘Don’t fly higher than your ears

will carry you,’ which basically says: ‘don’t believe you’re ever better than

the next guy’ – because you’re not.”


Nikolaj Coster-Waldau participating in a student panel on

stage at NIST International School Bangkok.

What we see though is

that there’s a price to pay

for allowing yourself to

become violent,

for allowing those violent

instincts inside us

to take over.

Next film: Shot Caller

Even with such a welcoming sense of perspective that keeps

his ego in check, Coster-Waldau has become the latest

Thrones alumni to make the jump from cinematic co-star

to bona fide leading man. His first big-budget foray Gods

of Egypt disappointed at the box office and in critical circles

alike, but his latest project – Shot Caller – sees the Rudkøbing

native trade fantasy lands for the far grittier confines of a

gang-infested US prison.

And even though Coster-Waldau has set the bar high

in terms of playing tough characters with the one-handed

Kingslayer Ser Jaime, Shot Caller gives the star a chance to go

even further as a mild-mannered family man who winds up

joining a white supremacist gang on the inside.

“The choice my character faces is to either join the gang,

and become part of that violent culture, or become a victim,”

Coster-Waldau says. “He’s not a bad guy, but he’s been put

into a prison with violent offenders and he decides that he

would rather not be a victim. So that means shaking hands

with the devil and becoming a violent criminal himself while

he’s incarcerated. You ask yourself what would you do in that

situation and I can tell you that I’m not completely sure I

wouldn’t follow the same path that he took.

“What we see though is that there’s a price to pay for allowing

yourself to become violent, for allowing those violent

instincts inside us to take over.”


The Pandora Team at NIST.

The American prison system

For Coster-Waldau, Shot Caller not only offered an opportunity

to demonstrate his range, but also a chance to inhabit a

life so far removed from his own.

“It’s a very tough world he gets thrown into, but I found

myself being able to identify with his predicament,” he nods.

“You try to think of how you would manage in that climate of

constant fear and the threat of violence. I would like to believe

that I would be able to survive and maybe take a different

direction and make different choices, but who knows how

you’d behave under conditions of extreme danger and fear?

“I’ve never been in prison and I can’t know what it’s really

like to spend years inside such a place, but I spoke to several

ex-cons and tried to understand as much as I could about that

kind of experience. Then you have to simply use your imagination

and try to think of situations in your own life where you

may have felt that level of fear and then try to bring that to

the character.”

As early images of the project unquestionably demonstrate,

getting into the role of a prison inmate wasn’t just a

mental transformation. Though Thrones has helped Coster-

Waldau maintain a toned physique, Shot Caller demanded

more from the 6’ 2” star – and he subsequently rose to the

occasion in impressive style.

“I gained 20lb for the film and now I can tell everyone

that I’m The Rock’s body double!” he laughs. “You eat a lot. It’s

The videos above are clickable in the ScandAsia emagazine and

on http://issuu.com/scandasia


Acting is my passion and I do it because it’s something

I’ve always been drawn to doing. My wife

and my children understand that and we still

have a very strong and close life.

mainly a diet of meat and more meat, lifting weights, and doing

a lot of very tough exercises.”

He goes on to describe a particularly tough exercise he

learned after meeting some ex-cons: “It’s called a prison burpee

where you do a burpee, then a push-up while bringing

your knee to your chest, then your other knee on the next

push-up, and then you jump up before going back down and

repeating the same thing. I’ve never done a tougher exercise

than that. It’s brutal!”

As demanding as Shot Caller was on Coster-Waldau’s

body, it would be understandable if the dark reality behind the

project caught up with him psychologically too. Easy though

it might be for the Thrones star to go about his day without

the fear of running into one particular bloodthirsty dragon,

the confined conditions and grounded, gritty violence of Shot

Caller may well have left a lasting impression.

But the ice-cool actor is not the type to take his work

home with him to his young family – “This is my profession

and I come and do my job and I don’t need to go on living

or thinking like my character – I would be ill if I did”, he says.

Indeed, the separation of work from real life is absolute: “I’ve

never used my work as a form of therapy. I’m the complete

opposite of method actors who believe they need to stay

inside their characters to give the best performance. I switch

off pretty easily, although while I’m shooting a film I’ll still be

thinking about the story and preparing for the next day on

the set. But I’m thinking as an actor, not as the character, which

is much easier!”

Working on the film also led Coster-Waldau to appreciate

the sheer scale of the prison ‘industry’ in the States. “As an actor,

I’m interested in what it means to be human,” he says. “In

this film you see how in the American prison system, criminals

are treated like animals; when they come out, 70% of them


will re-offend and commit even worse crimes.

“America is the richest and most powerful country in the

Western world, and yet it imprisons more people per capita

than any other Western country. The system needs to be

totally reformed. You can’t just lock people up like that, throw

away the key, and not care what happens to them under such

extremely violent conditions.”

Famous with a family

Several Game of Thrones stars have at one time or another

expressed their apprehension at the legions of avid fans who

follow their every move since their record-breaking feats

became known the world over. For Coster-Waldau, however,

the price of fame is slight.

“Of course, it’s difficult sometimes to be away from my

family, but they understand the nature of my job and accept it,”

he explains. “I don’t consider it a sacrifice. Acting is my passion

and I do it because it’s something I’ve always been drawn to

doing. My wife and my children understand that and we still

have a very strong and close life.”

Then there’s the ace up his sleeve – a chance to escape

the supposed glitz and glamour of Los Angeles for the far

more restrained and effortlessly chilled-out surroundings of

Copenhagen.

“It’s not a problem in Denmark,” he smiles. “Danes aren’t

interested in movie stars the way people are in New York or

London. In Spain, people are crazy about the series and always

wanting to take selfies!”

He pauses to ponder for a moment, then declares: “Celebrity

is a weird thing. I don’t really allow myself to feel like I’m

part of that world, even though it’s very flattering. It’s always

good to know that people appreciate your work, but you

shouldn’t let it inflate your sense of who you are.”

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was visiting

Thailand for the first time when

he took to the field as a referee for

the Global Goals World Cup regional leg

held on Saturday, 30 September at NIST International

School. The Global Goals World

Cup is an open women’s activist soccer

tournament aimed to using sport to draw

greater attention to the 17 Sustainable Development

Goals. In the following days, he

worked as a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador

pushing for the development goals of the

organisation.

Later on, he participated in a live stage

talk show - moderated by Nandini Popli

Pavaphiphat - where he talked with NIST

students about their work in achieving

the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Clearly impressed, Coster-Waldau said he

had to go home and tell his daughters about

this cool school.

During his visit, he planted mangrove

trees in Samut Sakhon and went bird watching

in the bird sanctuary But there was also

time for some sightseeing in Bangkok where

he enjoyed a local Pad Thai.


Community


Independence Day

Celebrations

The centennial anniversary of Finland 100 Years culminated in

December with the celebration of Finland’s Independence Day.

ScandAsia reports from various cities in Asia.

Bangkok


In Bangkok the Embassy of Finland hosted a grand evening

reception at The Athenee Hotel – A Luxury Collection Hotel

on 6 December 2017. Celebrated in Finnish style, meant

a mingling event, with free flow of drinks and Finnish-oriented

canapés mixed with some Thai finger food.

Among the hundreds of guests were many prominent Thai

as well as Western guests, including representatives of various

embassies in Bangkok and a variety of Friends of Finland.

In her address Finland’s Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Satu

Suikkari-Kleven thanked all guests for honouring Finland with

their presence and share an intriguing story concerning the

Finland-Thailand official relationship.

“I would like to start with a little story about a Finnish

man who embarked on a long journey from Helsinki towards

East Asia in October 1919. The journey took him through

London, Marseilles and the Suez Canal. This man was one of

the first Finnish diplomats, on his way to become Finland’s

representative in Tokyo. To his ship, Mr. Ramstedt received a

telegram from the first Finnish Foreign Minister, saying: ‘Please

be informed that Siam has recognized the independence of

Finland, please pay a visit to Bangkok. Full stop.’ Mr. Ramstedt

followed the order and arrived in Bangkok on a hot and

humid day. His Royal Highness Prince Devavongse and the

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Siam granted him an audience

the very same day at 2 am. As Siam was the first country in

this region that had recognized Finland’s independence, the

new nation wanted to express its high esteem in person to

the leaders of Siam. Still today, we remember with gratitude

this recognition of our independence. Thank you Thailand.”

The Ambassador then went on to explain what lead to

Finland’s Declaration of Independence on 6 December 1917.

After more than 650 years as part of the Kingdom of Sweden

Finland, in 1809, became an autonomous Grand Duchy within

the Russian Empire – still with a high level of autonomy, which,

at times, as heavily restricted, Satu Suikkari-Kleven described it.

“The goal of the nation became increasingly clear: full independence,

full freedom as a sovereign state. In the aftermath

of the Russian revolution in 1917, that vision became reality.”

“Two decades later, Finland had to defend its sovereignty

and freedom during the Second World War. When we celebrate

our independence, we pay tribute to all those who

sacrificed their lives for our freedom.”

The Ambassador then went on to highlight some Finnish

achievements to feel proud of; the system of general education

being one of them, and a strong history of gender equality

another. Another is how Finland has, from the early days,

invested heavily in research and innovation.

Turning to look ahead the Ambassador wanted to convey

the message of the importance of having a positive attitude:

“There are several crucial phases in our history where optimism

against all odds has been the saving grace. This is a lesson

to take from our history. I hope that the attitude of optimism

and openness will prevail when we continue to address common

challenges both globally and locally.”

Satu Suikkari-Kleven also presented a call to action: “Shall

we, all of us together here tonight, also make a concrete commitment

for a better future? At the Embassy, we have listed

a number of concrete measures that each of us can take to

reduce plastic waste and the use of plastic in our everyday

lives. This commitment will be published in the website of the

Society’s Commitment to Sustainable development, a Finnish

innovation to speed up the implementation of the UN Sustainable

development goals. We invite you all to sign up for

this commitment on that website.”

The artists for the evening were Ms. Laura Pyrrö (opera

soprano) who sang the Thai national anthem with her most

impressive voice, followed by the Finnish National anthem

were she was joined by Mr. Eino Grön (singer), and where the

Finnish guests also joined in the singing – all accompanied by

pianist Yusuke Komura.

The MC for the evening was Ms. Sasapin Siriwanij.


Singapore

Blue and white were the colours of the evening, when

close to 350 guests from the Finnish community in

Singapore gathered at the Flower Dome at Gardens

by the Bay to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Finland’s

independence. The evening was organized by the members of

the Finnish Association in Singapore, who oversaw that every

detail of the evening was nothing but perfect.

The guests heard speeches from Ambassador of Finland

Paula Parviainen and Chairwoman of the Finnish Association

Mira Riska, both celebrating the achievements of the Finnish

community in Singapore during the centenary year. The Finnish

Embassy and Suomi Finland 100 Singapore organized a

staggering 100 events in Singapore this year with the intention

of building bridges between Singapore and Finland, and finding

ways to address the shared challenges the two countries

face in healthcare and well-being, education, innovation and

design. More Finnish companies have found their way to the

Singaporean and South-East Asian markets during the year,

and the work will continue in 2018 to establish long-lasting

relationships.

The Finland gala night was celebrated in style. Guests visited

the White Christmas exhibition at Flower Dome, heard


the Finnish-Singaporean “Arctic meets Tropic” choir performing

Finnish folk songs, and enjoyed a dinner including schnapps

and Finnish inspired specialties like beetroot salad, cured

salmon and Christmas star cookies with prune jam.

The special guest of the evening was Finnish pop singer

Olavi Uusivirta, who led the guest singing the national anthem

of Finland, and later performed to the celebrating partyers

both his own production as well as some well-known Finnish

evergreens.

SF100SG project director Katariina Benedetti and event

manager Timo Sysiö kept the audience entertained with their

humorous speeches and draw the winners of lucky draws,

including a visit to the Snow Castle in Kemi and to Santa Park

in Finland.

The guests made their way back to the taxi stand by

walking through white and blue lit Super Trees in Gardens

by the Bay, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Finnish

independence. What a memorable night it was!

Source: sf100.sg

Photos: Milla Magia photo

Beijing

Finland celebrated its 100 years of independence on 6

December all over the world and in Beijing the celebration

took place at InterContinental Sanlitun hotel with

hundreds of guests, both Finns and friends of Finland.

The Independence Day reception hosted by Ambassador

Jarno Syrjälä was the main event of Finland’s 100th anniversary

year in Beijing NS one of the largest Independence Day

parties organized outside Finland. Altogether, there were

nearly 600 guests comprising of Finns and Finnish businesses

in Beijing, Chinese stakeholders, foreign diplomats as well as

military attachés.

The theme of the event was winter – portrayed among

other things by a Finland 100 ice sculpture, wintery campfires

and a dancefloor reminiscent of frozen lake ice. The visual

design was by Ivana Helsinki.

The evening’s program featured world-class soprano Dilbèr’s

performance of Finlandia and Diamanten på Marssnön

by Finnish composer Sibelius, a choir of Chinese Finnish-language

students’ performance of Finnish folk song Kalliolle Kukkulalle,

an appearance from the authentic Santa straight from

Korvatunturi, Finland, and a speech delivered by Ambassador

Syrjälä. The guest of honor was Deputy Director General Zhu

Jing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

The President of Finland also delivered a video greeting, all

this while guests could sit by the fire in a wintery setting and

enjoy Finnish treats.

Earlier, in the morning of Independence Day, Santa Claus

visited Guang Ai orphanage in North Beijing giving Christmas

gifts to children and also donation to the director of the center.

During the day Santa visited also in Western Academy of

Beijing to meet Finnish pupils.

Later in the evening lucky draw winners received great

prizes from the sponsor companies, and the Hunters set the

mood for the dance floor. FBCB wants to thank all guests,

the sponsors, Embassy and whole Team Finland for creating a

memorable night.

“We are happy to have received so many guests to share

the joyous occasion together.”

Sources: Finnish Business Council Beijing, Embassy of Finland,

Beijing


The Independence Day receptiFinland’s centennial in China

culminated in the Independence Week, during which receptions

were held both in Beijing and Shanghai. Two galas were

organized in Shanghai. First was organized by Finnish Business

Council Shanghai and the Shanghai Finns on December 2, and

the other was held by the Consulate General in Shanghai on

December 6.on in Shanghai Fairmont Peace Hotel on December

6

Shanghai

To honour Finland’s 100th anniversary, the Independence

Day was celebrated at two different occasions.

Both of the events were held at the historic Fairmont

Peace Hotel, with one on Saturday, December 2, and the

second one the actual Independence Day, December 6.

Saturday’s event was organized by Finnish Business Council

Shanghai (FBCS) together with the Shanghai Finns. The

Independence Day reception on December 6, held for the

first time in Shanghai, was hosted by the Consulate General

together with FBCS.

The Independence Day Gala on December 2 continued

the tradition where the Finns in Shanghai and the surrounding

provinces gather together to celebrate the most important

day of the year. This time, with “Together” as the slogan for

the Centennial year, the invitation was extended to friends of

Finland and nearly 400 guests attended the gala. Shanghai’s

very own international choir, Shanghai International Voices,

performed at the event and the party kicked into full gear

with Annika Eklund and band – naturally, the culmination of

the gala was when the artist performed her very aptly titled

hit song, “Lights of Shanghai”.

The Independence Day reception on December 6, hosted

by Consul General Jan Wahlberg, was attended by three

hundred guests, including important Chinese partners, Finnish

companies and members of the diplomatic community.

Consul General Wahlberg held a speech in honor of the occasion,

followed by the performance of Ida Elina – a popular

Finnish artist combining the traditional instrument kantele

with modern musical styles.


Source: Embassy of Finland, Beijing

Hong Kong

The 2017 edition of the annual Gala Dinner organised

by the Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong

was truly special one. On 9 December over 200 guests

attended the Finland 100 Gala to celebrate Finland’s 100th

Anniversary of Independence. FinnCham Hong Kong had the

honour to have Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam as

one of its special guests.

The Gala commenced with special cocktails combining

Mahla Forest – Lagrima Arctica and The Helsinki Distilling

Company – Helsinki Dry Gin on the terrace overlooking the

Tai Tam Bay with a musical performance by Ida Elina – a singersongwriter,

one of the leading kantele performers in Finland

and first ever ‘pop-kanteleplayer’ in the world.

After the cocktail hour, all the guests got to enjoy the

Hong Kong Police Band play the The Jäger March and the

National anthems of Finland and Hong Kong at the American

Club Ballroom. The Consul General of Finland in Hong Kong

and Macao, Mr. Jari Sinkari gave a welcoming speech to all the

guests and passed the podium to Mrs. Carrie Lam. Mrs. Carrie

Lam, who has a remarkable way with words, and in her speech

compared Hong Kong to Finland and how they can both learn

from each other; new tax system for SME’s, decrease of crime

rate as well as low unemployment rate in Hong Kong and

implementing a design street similar to the one in Helsinki.

The CE praised the Finnish airline, Finnair several times in her

speech, since whenever she would travel to Finland with her

family she always chose to travel with the Finnish airline.

The Finland 100 Gala Menu featured the finest Finnish

flavours and ingredients in Hong Kong and it was designed by

Chef Jaakko Sorsa, the Executive Chef at FINDS restaurant.

During the dinner reception, all the guests got to witness a

surprise fashion show which showcased five Finnish designers;

Minna Parikka, Liisa Riski, Ivana Helsinki, Riikka Ikäheimo and

Katri Niskanen. The fashion show was a huge success and all

of the guests were pleasantly surprised with the programme.

To top everything off, the event held an amazing Lucky Draw,

including sponsors that featured numerous Finnish high-end

products such as; Iittala – Hong Kong Bird, Jalla – Jalla Board,

Polar – Fitness watch, Aava Resort – two-night stay at the resort

and spa and our grand prize was a diamond ring – KIDE

designed by Olli Johan Lindroos.

All guests also got to take home a goodie bag filled with

Finnish products; Ivana Helsinki tote bag, Rapala exclusive

Finland 100 fishing lure, Goodio chocolate, Benelic Moomin

Kuksa Charm and Finlayson tote bag. The event also featured

a unique display from Tammi Jewellery in front of the Ballroom,

presenting Finnish handmade jewellery.

Katri Somerjoki & Niittisydän also performed, while the

bar at the terrace featuring Kyrö Distillery – Napue Gin also

opened. Niittisydän is the niece of the legendary Rauli “Badding”

Somerjoki, Katri Somerjoki is an experienced recording

artist most known to the wider audience from projects such

as the Voice of Finland, Mascara and Cat Lee & Co. jazz &

swing band.

In honour of Finland’s 100th Anniversary of Independence,

the Finnish community in Hong Kong knows exactly how to

celebrate it Finnish style; by mingling, drinking and dancing the

night away. It was a great end to commemorate this special

occasion.

The Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong would

like to specially thank all of their gala sponsors that provided

their support and made it all to happen. A special thanks

goes to Henry Chan, Kone and Sagafurs for being Finland

100 sponsors.

Text: Rebecca Thin; Key Account Manager, Finnish Chamber

of Commerce

Photos: www.chinapro.video & www.helmiphotography.com


Kuala Lumpur

In Kuala Lumpur the Finland 100 Years reception was held

at JW Marriot hotel on 6 December, with nearly 400 guests

joining the Embassy of Finland in Malaysia to celebrate the

special occasion. Dato’ P. Kamalanathan, Deputy Minister of

Education were among those in attendance, bringing greetings

from the Malaysian government.

H.E. Ambassador Petri Puhakka


The international choir Cantus Musicus graced the guests

with its wonderful voice by singing the Finnish, Malaysian

and EU national anthems. After Harith Iskander received an

award of acknowledgement from Finland’s Ambassador Petri

Puhakka for winning the “Funniest Person in the World” competition

in Finnish Lapland last year.

In his speech Ambassador Petri Puhakka said: “The story

of the 100-year-old Finland is quite extraordinary and rests

on the values cherished by the Finns: democracy, education,

equality and freedom of speech and expression. This epic year

has been built in a unique and open way, together with the

whole of society, Finns and friends of Finland, in more than 100

countries. It has been touching to see how many friends our

country has all over the world, and we have invited everyone

to join in the celebration with us.”

“Finland became an independent state on the 6th of De-

cember 1917. Finns willed the newly born state into being

after a long struggle. The path has not always been easy, but for

a hundred years we Finns have been engaged in the building

of our country and making decisions together. The unbroken

period of 100 years of democracy is quite exceptional.

“To succeed in a constantly changing world, you have to

change as well. Finland has reinvented itself in just one short

century – and we’re still at it. Changes can be seen in the

major policies of society as well as in small everyday matters.

In the century comparisons one can see the change with the

help of figures from the early years of independence and

the present day,” said the Ambassador, followed by some

examples.

”Even a small country can jump to the top of the world,

and this is what Finland has done: in international country

comparisons of positive things Finland is often among the top

countries next to other Nordics.”

Petri Puhakka mentioned a short list of comparisons that

speak for themselves. Among the comparisons mentioned

were:

Finland is the most stable country in the world. The Fund

for Peace, Fragile States Index 2017; Finland’s judicial system is

the most independent in the world, World Economic Forum,

The Global Competitiveness Report 2017–2018: Judicial independence;

and Finland has the third least corruption in the

world, Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions

Index 2016.

“As for our bilateral relations with Malaysia, I could say that

the relations have always been very good. We have had a resident

Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur since 1988. The interest of

the Finnish business has been on a steady rise and the number

of Finnish companies present here keeps on increasing. Malaysia

is seen as an important and highly potential partner for

Finland in the field of trade and economic cooperation,” said

the Ambassador.

As the final part a wonderful multimedia presentation

about Finland through pictures, videos and music showcased

the versatile and multilayered beauty our beloved country

was truly visible.

“None of this would have been possible without our

partners Malaysian-Finnish Business Council, MaSu and the

support from Finnish companies.”

Photos: Embassy of Finland Kuala Lumpur


Human resources

Nordic countries all in the IMD

World Talent Ranking top ten

The annual IMD World Talent

Ranking is a strong indicator

of how countries are performing

when it comes to

talent. And in the 2017 study

the four Nordic countries Denmark, Finland,

Norway and Sweden all ranks in the

top ten when it comes to the methods

countries use to attract and retain the

talent their businesses need to thrive,

where Denmark is the 2nd most competitive

country in the world. Finland is in

fifth place, Norway seventh and Sweden

9th. Iceland ranks 18th.

This ranking is based on countries’

performance in three main categories

— investment and development, appeal

and readiness. The three categories assess

how countries perform in a wide

range of areas. These include education,

apprenticeships, workplace training, language

skills, cost of living, quality of life,

remuneration and tax rates. The study

draws on an in-depth survey of thousands

of executives from 63 different

economies, and more than two decades’

data from the IMD World Competitiveness

Center.

The top talent economies in the

ranking share similar attractiveness indicators.

They invest significantly in their

outstanding educational systems, they

offer a superior quality of life, and they

offer substantial opportunities for career

advancement throughout the entire

professional life span.

European economies are superior

when it comes to attracting, developing

and retaining top talent; performing well


in all three talent components. says the

IMD study.

It is European countries’ outstanding

education systems that set them apart

from the rest of the pack. On average,

each has a high level of investment in

education accompanied by a superiorquality

educational system, from primary

to tertiary levels. This allows them to

develop local talent and at the same time

attract foreign, highly-skilled professionals,

which many European businesses rely

upon to perform.

Denmark is ranked 1st in the investment

and development category, with

strong performance in expenditure on

education (5th). The country ranks 10th

in appeal, mostly because of its effective

implementation of apprenticeships and

the prioritization of employee training.

Denmark is also ranked second for language

skills.

While the Nordic countries perform

well in some areas, they slightly lag behind

other economies in terms of their

appeal to foreign workers.

“Fundamentally, the Nordic economies

have a very high quality of life,

extremely good educational systems,

and massive investment by the public

sector in education. At the same time,

the Nordic countries remain difficult for

foreign talent, mainly due to the high cost

of living,” commented Arturo Bris.

Denmark is 1st in the Investment &

Development factor, in which it ranks

5th in total public expenditure in education

and public expenditure on education

per pupil.

Denmark ranks high in the level of

worker motivation (2nd), personal security

and private property rights (2nd),

remuneration (services professions, 3rd)

and in the prioritisation assigned to attracting

and retaining talent (3rd). But

Denmark ranks 25th in its level of attractiveness

to foreign highly-skilled personnel.

The country also ranks extremely

low in the effective personal income tax

rate indicator (63rd).

In the Readiness factor, Denmark

ranks 4th largely as a result of its capacity

to satisfy the demand for specific skills

and competencies.

Finland is 4th, 24th and 5th in Investment

& Development, Appeal and Readiness

factors (respectively). Its position in

Investment & Development is strengthened

by the country’s performance in

expenditure on education (6th in total

expenditure and 3rd in expenditure

per pupil), the effectiveness of its health

infrastructure (5th) and the participation

of female labor force (9th).

In regards to the Appeal factor, Finland’s

cost-of-living (38th) and income

tax (58th) makes it difficult to attract

overseas highly-skilled staff (43rd).

Its position in the indicator for talent

readiness are high: educational system

(2nd), science in schools (3rd), university

education (3rd), management education

(3rd), language skills (8th), availability of

finance skills (5th) and skilled labor (3rd).

Ranking of some countries in Asia as

follows: 12 Hong Kong, 13 Singapore, 28

Malaysia, 40 China.

My current assignment

Tero Ahonen

Previous position: Sales Manager for

Greencarrier Freight Services Sweden AB.

New position: Country Manager, Greater

China for Greencarrier Asia Limited

Greencarrier is the biggest private owned

freight forwarding companies from the

Nordic area. We focus on sea, air and rail shipments

to and from China. It is an honour and

challenge to lead and develop the organization

within one of the most important and biggest

countries within the Greencarrier group. We

are a team of about 100 dedicated employees

in our China organization and the aim for the

coming years is growth.

What is/will be most challenging with your

new position?

It is a challenge to work in Asia due to the

competativness in our industry. We have great

competitors offering good service. We however

not only survive but we also grow in

the market. Since we are a smaller player, and

relatively unknown since our focus is on the

Nordic, Baltic and UK markets we sometimes

struggle to attract employees. It’s easier for our

global competitors to attract young talents in

China.

Who should contact you in your new position?

Companies with freight in our out of China,

especially the Nordic, Baltic and UK market.

Potential suppliers with great products and

ambitious people who would like to work for

a great company should get in touch with me.

How is working in Asia different from back

home in your profession?

The pace is much faster here. I used to work

four years in Shanghai and after moving back

to Sweden I missed the pace. China is still the

factory of the world and this is the place to be

if you are in the supply chain profession.

Therese Bording

Hermann

Previous position: Head of the Global

Tech Team in the Trade Council, the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs in Denmark

New position: Counsellor and Head of

Trade at the Royal Danish Embassy in

Jakarta, Indonesia

What is/will be most challenging with

your new position?

To get more Danish companies to realise

that Indonesia - with a population

of more than 250 million - is one of the

fastest-growing economies in Southeast

Asia and thus a very interesting market

for Danish products and services.

Who should contact you in your new

position?

All Danish companies that are interested

in an informal talk about doing business

and business opportunities in Indonesia

or South East Asia.

How is working in Asia different from

back home in your profession?

What strikes you first is of course the

traffic in Jakarta which makes it very difficult

to get around and have external

meetings. You need a lot of patience –

not only in traffic – but in all situations

to work here. Things takes time. However,

you really feel that the Indonesian

economy is good and has more than

tripled in size in the last decade, but that

not all have benefitted from it and that

a lot of challenges still remain related to

education, infrastructure, health, waste

and other environmental issues.

Kim Jensen

Previous position: Group Senio Vice

President and Regional Managing Director

for the Europe, Middle East and Africa

(EMEA) markets since 2015

New position: Group Senior Vice President

and Regional Managing Director of

Grundfos Asia Pacific region

In his new role, Kim will lead the company’s

business across 22 countries

including 13 wholly-owned sales companies

and local assembly plants Grundfos

operates in the region. He will also

be spearheading opportunities for the

company’s development and expansion

in Asia Pacific.

Kim has been with Grundfos for

more than 25 years, working across

Europe and the Middle East. Having held

numerous senior management positions

within Grundfos, Kim assumed the role

of Group Senior Vice President in 2006,

where he was in charge of developing

Grundfos’ global Water Utility business,

after which he served the Central and

Eastern Europe (CEREG) markets in

2010.

Grundfos is a global leader in advanced

pump solutions and a trendsetter

in water technology. The company

contributes to global sustainability by

pioneering technologies that improve

quality of life for people and care for

the planet. Grundfos Singapore Pte Ltd

(Grundfos Singapore), incorporated in

1984, is the regional headquarters of

the company for the Asia Pacific Region.

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


Community

Nils Nordh: Shipping

executive, World Amateur

Golfers’ Chairman & CEO

By Joakim Persson

Photos: Randy Braaten

Few people cleverly match business with pleasure

as does expat Dato’ Nils Nordh. This well-known

Swede (not least in Malaysia where he is the only

Swedish person holding the Malay state title Dato’

awarded by the Sultan of Pahang) has previously

worked for Star Cruises in Malaysia, and been Chairman and

CEO of World Amateur Golfers Championship (WAGC)

for the last ten years in parallel with being Chairman of Dynamar

B.V - a world-leading company within Transport and

shipping information.

Last year was a special highlight for Nils, who has had

his home in Malaysia for over 20 years (though often being

on the move due to having offices also in Holland, U.K and

Miami). Because in this year Nils could bring the world final

for legendary Swedish sports icon Sven Tumba’s golf tournament

(described as the Olympics for the world’s amateur

golfers) “home” to Malaysia for a two-year period. It took

place on four golf courses in Kuala Lumpur during 18 – 25

November, and in October of 2018 it will be held in the

Sultanate of Johor in Southern Malaysia.

“Malaysia is my second home country, where I am a

permanent resident, so it’s exciting. And it’s a fantastic

country for people to visit. And there are so much excitement

to see and experience, not only the many fantastic

golf courses here, where you can play golf all year around!”

Nils Nordh told ScandAsia just prior to the 2017 final,

where WAGC Patron HRH Princess Birgitta of Sweden

was in attendance.


Princess Birgitta played for ‘Royal Sweden’ together

with her standard teammate Ingrid (Nils’ wife) in the ‘Invitational’.

“They have played together during the last couple

of years.”

The Invitational is a separate tournament that gives the

opportunity to share in the exciting “WAGC experience”

of a worldwide tour-like championship event without first

having to qualify. Business executives with VIP clients, national

agents with sponsors, loving couples, celebrities, royalty and

other enthusiastic golfers from all corners of the globe

are regular participants of the World Amateur Golfers

Invitational (WAGI), a tournament that’s played parallel to

WAGC, on the same courses, same format and rules except

that it is a 2-persons team event.

“One player in each category compete against players

from all over the world in the same handicap group. You get

a lot of competition vibe and everybody wants to see that

their team succeeds,” explained Nils.

“More than 25 Swedes came to the finals in Malaysia,

including about 10 two-man Invitational teams. So, Sweden

was well represented. From Denmark, there were 12 people

and Finland was represented with nearly twenty people,”

concluded Nils.

The final also promotes the host country for the final

each year, via television broadcasts, the Internet and other

media and also all the participants showing to the world

where they have been and recommending it.

“When talking golf there are tons of golf courses and

many excellent ones in Malaysia, and here you can also play

all year around.”

As for his royal relations this goes back all the way to

1966 when Sweden’s current King Carl XVI Gustaf and Nils

Nordh were classmates in the navy in Sweden. Later on Nils

met the King’s sister H.R.H Princess Birgitta (who has her

own golf tournament - the Princess Birgitta Trophy on Mallorca).

When Their Majesties of Malaysia came to Sweden

on a State Visit in September 2005 Nils was invited and

attended the gala dinner.

After ten years working with WAGC he is looking to see

it could be re-organised to take up less of his time. However,

that is easier said than done: “I personally have an incredible

amount of international contacts worldwide and those with

such a network of people do not exactly grow on trees. It

was the same with Sven Tumba – he knew everyone - the

whole world!”

Golf became part of Nils’ life rather late when a friend

once challenged him to take up the game and he won the bet.

“It could be much more playing but I have managed to

balance my handicap at a fairly O.K level.”

His dedication to golfing and shipping continues.

Team Sweden

Team Finland

Team Sweden

Team Denmark


Community

A weekend of Danish Christmas

By Eva Eriksen

It is the most wonderful time of the year. It is also the busiest

– and the most crowded. Christmas is coming and this

weekend the Danish Seamen’s Church had their big annual

Christmas Bazar 25-26 November 2017.

Red, white and twinkling gold captivated your eyes as you

entered the hall of the Danish Seamen’s Church on top of

Mount Faber. Christmas ornaments, Christmas goblins and

Christmas lights were all around and if it wasn’t for the sweating

30 degrees dripping down your back, you were almost

certain to feel like you were in Denmark awaiting the holidays.

At 11 o’clock the doors opened and the many guests

indulged in the abundant of traditional Danish foods – both

to be bought for later purpose and immediate pleasure. The

big sellers in the grocery department were red cabbage,

jarred potatoes, cherry sauce, pudding rice, and of course a

lot of sweets. Outside tables were ready to host for lunch. For

Saturday alone, 800 pieces of open-faced sandwiches, smørrebrød,

had been made, and they went quickly. On the terrace,

æbleskiver, glögg, ris à l’amande and the not so Christmassy

– but very Danish – hotdogs were sold.

In the afternoon, a ukulele band performed Christmas

carols, and Santa paid a visit at the hill. The Singapore weather

is not really suited for Santa’s usual outfit, so even Santa had

to adjust which made flip flops the chosen footwear.

At 3 pm the kids could immerse into Christmas stories

which were read aloud. Up until then, a creative workshop

was set up on the playground where everyone could paint

their very own inedible magical cake man – something to trim

the Christmas tree with later.

And live Christmas trees were also available for purchase

at the church. In this heat, it is important to keep the tree

indoor, in water, and a good tip is to add a bit of sugar to the

water, Alexa, who sold the trees, said.

At 2 pm on Saturday, 700 people had already visited the

bazaar. At 4 pm, the Danish Christmas Bazaar closed, but on

Sunday next day, they did it all again.


Finnish sauna

in Hong Kong

Community

For a few days in December a Finnish sauna was installed in

front of the Cultural Centre of Hong Kong. It was part of the

main act of Hot is Cool-event, that is put together by a new

forward-looking organization called Culture for Tomorrow. The

idea is to boost cultural dialogue between Finland and Hong Kong.

Main actors of this dialogue are the ‘sauna man’ Ville Hara, and

the ‘Chinese pavilion man’ Stanley Siu, both architects.

The event is endorsed by the Prime Minister’s Office of Finland

to be one of the Finland100 acts.

Source: Consulate General of Finland in HK and Macau

Nordics in Shanghai:

More Surprises

per Square Meter

Come experience the Nordics! During the weekend

15-17 December citizens and visitors to Shanghai

could experience a spread from the Nordic countries.

Consulate General of Finland together with the Danish,

Norwegian and Swedish Consulates and in partnership

with their four countries’ tourism organizations, hosted the

open tourism and culture event ‘Nordics: More Surprises per

Square Meter’ at Daning Music Plaza.

Visitors to the event were able to experience Nordic lifestyle

in various areas such as tourism, design, food, children’s

life and winter sports, and take part in various interactive

activities and discover more Nordic surprises.

Source: Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai


Community

Fifa World Cup 2018:

Celebrate with ScandAsia!

Three Nordic national football teams have qualified for

the Fifa World Cup finals in Football in Russia, taking

place on 14 June – 15 July 2018.

Sweden have in the process progressed at the expense

of Italy, and the Danish Vikings have impressed in beating the

Irish in their play-off matches. And Iceland... what and achievement

- again!

ScandAsia wants to congratulate Denmark, Iceland and

Sweden, and look forward to many exciting football community

events also in Asia in connection to the at least nine

matches with a Nordic interest this coming summer!

At ScandAsia we recognise the significance of this and

are enthusiastic about the role we will be able to play for PR

and marketing leading up to and during the Fifa World Cup

in 2018.

ScandAsia therefore has the following call to action: If you

have a Nordic/Scandinavian brand or Nordic-related restaurant

or bar etc., and would want to tap into the big Nordic

community in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and China in connection

to the World Cup tournament, then you should get

in touch with us at ScandAsia!

ScandAsia’s Marketing Manager Mr Finn Baslev says:

“Since we cover all things relating to the Nordics here ScandAsia

is certainly the best platform–and in fact the only one

of its size and capacity within its target area–for this kind

of outreach and engagement! We will be happy to assist in

promotion and marketing activities as well as spreading the

news in relation to the Nordic teams’ upcoming participation

during the world cup. We can offer efficient opportunities

for outreach.”

“It is certainly not every day we have three Nordic teams

in the World Cup!” comments Managing Director Gregers

Moller. “We anticipate there will be lots of Scandinavianrelated

events connecting to the football matches – events

that ScandAsia will cover as much as we can. This is an excellent

way for us to reach out and connect to the Nordics in a

setting where one can really gather Asians and Scandinavians

together! This will generate a lot of good exposure for all.

We know of many food and beverage outlets that will most

certainly tap into this rare occasion! Many years have passed

since we had the World Cup in Asia (Japan and South Korea),

with Denmark and Sweden,” he adds.

The time schedule when the games will take place is also

relatively favourable, with many matches to take place at 8 pm

and 11 pm IndoChina Time (ICT).

This is something really relevant for ScandAsia to highlight,

also since it is a matter of branding and the promotion

of the Scandinavian countries Denmark and Sweden over

here in Asia.

Brands, sponsors, event organisers (such as hotels and

restaurants) etc. can contact ScandAsia to discuss the op-

portunities for partnerships and outreach and engagement

with ScandAsia.

“ScandAsia rarely covers football, or sports, with the exception

of the occasional Formula One races taking place in

the region, based on the strong Nordic participation in that

sport, or if there is a Scandinavian-related golf tournament

arranged in our waters, or similar. But the Fifa World Cup is

an event on an entirely different scale and hugely popular also

in Asia,” says Joakim Persson.

The ScandAsia team congratulates the Nordic teams and

are very much looking forward to this engagement. We celebrated

the good football news with an After Work beer and

football photo session on Friday 17 November at the Bangkok

headquarters.

About ScandAsia

ScandAsia presents ‘Nordic News and Business Promotion in

Asia’; being the one and only such established media portal

covering Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and China on location

and reaching out both in Asia and worldwide online. ScandAsia

caters to Nordic businesses and services as well as other

businesses here.

We have a strong emphasis on business, not least concerning

to fulfil a role for B2B, and of course B2C, via our portal

ScandAsia.com and ScandAsia magazine. We offer possibilities

to maximize outreach and constitute a unique platform within

our context. We localise the content for Asia and we have

very strong visibility on Google.

Contact ScandAsia for World Cup Football 2018 engagement:

Finn Baslev (for marketing and sponsorships), finn@

scandmedia.com; or Frank (for Singapore), frank@scandasia.

com; or Joakim Persson (regarding editorial news and suggestions),

joakim@scandmedia.com.


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Style

Chic

The new regional ScandAsia is

here and with that we welcome

our readers to ‘Style & Chic’! Here I

will guide you through the seasons

with a monthly selection of designdriven

and stylish products within

an unlimited range of consumer

products. Expect themes and

concepts as I canvass the latest

trends and new product launches

from established brands as well as

from local and international debuts.

We kick off with essential aromas

and flavours for the New Year 2018!

If you would like to have your brand/product featured,

contact ScandAsia: joakim@scandmedia.com

Nespresso Creatista Plus

For big espresso/Nespresso lovers! This ultra-modern coffee maker from Nespresso

enables you to easily create an authentic top quality Latte Art coffee at home.

Thanks to Nespresso’s system’s convenience and coffee expertise combined with

Breville automatic steam pipe, you can easily texture milk to the selected temperature

and style for unique Latte Art creations and a broad range of delightful milk-based recipes.

Try one of all new coffee flavors e.g. apple crunch, cocoa, chocolate mint, orange,

liquor just to mention a few!

The machine has an elegant design and is easy to use, even if you are no technique

specialist. Nespresso Creatista provides an intuitive user interface with its high-resolution

display which guides you on all preparation, setting and maintenance aspects. It also features

a premium design with a high-gloss finish. A stainless steel barista milk jug is included. Getting

hot within 3 seconds, automatic cleaning system and automatic milk steaming!

www.nespresso.com (Nespresso Creatista Plus is not available in Thailand)

Ambre by Romyda Keth

Looking for a perfect dress to begin the New Year 2018?

Take a look at the Limited Edition collections from Ambre!

Described as “premium crafted Fashion Designs

that are classy and fabulous, highly feminine, stylish and elegant”,

Ambre is a French-Khmer Designer Fashion collection

coming out with new

clothing collections a couple

of times per year.

You will find the dress

made for you. Comfortable

to wear, colourful and

easy to pack. Available in

Thailand, Singapore and

Cambodia among other

countries. The retail shop

in Bangkok is Amber Jolie.


www.romydaketh.net

La Vie Est Belle

by Lancome

This perfume has become a

best-seller shortly after it

was launched. It is a fresh

fragrance with a sweet touch. This

fragrance’s contents of ingredients

include pear, black currant, jasmine,

orange flowers, Iris, vanilla etc. This fragrance has been mixed

and tested 5521 times before the perfect mixture was found.

The bottle is classic, elegant and lady-like. Several sizes are

available, from 50 ML to 100 ML. You will also find Body Lotion

and Shower Gel La Vie Est Belle. This label’s face is the

beautiful, well known actress Julia Roberts. Try it, a perfume

that suit the tropical heat, smells wonderful.

www.lancome.com


ScandAsia January 2018

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