ScandAsia Singapore September 2015

SEP 2015
SEB’s “Asia Growth Case”
ScandAsia.dk ScandAsia.fi ScandAsia.no ScandAsia.se

Open House
Friday, September 18 th 2015
Register at www.sais.edu.sg
Future
Virtuosos
Required
Ages 2-6
Stamford American is
delighted to offer the
World-Renowned
Suzuki Violin Program.
At Stamford American, music plays an important part
in every child’s life and holistic development. Specialist
music lessons start from Nursery, developing your
child’s early love and appreciation for music. Progressing
to the world-renowned Suzuki Violin Program in
Pre-Kindergarten, children begin to understand and
showcase ensemble playing.
We are ready and waiting to meet your future Virtuoso.
Please introduce us.
Stamford offers an outstanding international
education for students from 2 to 18 years.
We offer the rigorous IB Program –
enhanced by American standards and
a focus on languages – to equip your
child for global citizenship.
Stamford American International School CPE Registration Number: 200823594D Period of Registration:
August 10, 2014 to August 9, 2018
Inquiry Hotline
+65 6653 7907

Coming Events
DABS and MetaMind:
Soft skills
development
Where: Royal Danish Embassy Singapore,
101 Thomson Road, # 13-01/02
United Square, S-307591
When: 22 September 2015, 9:00am - 12:30pm
‘Communicating with Impact’ is a half-day crash
course that improves overall communication skills.
Participants will learn to....
• Talk positively and create a virtuous cycle of
spotting opportunities
• Convey a message with clarity
• Speak with confidence so more people will listen
• Capture an audience when presenting
The price of the half-day course is 130 SGD
per person, discounted from the original 400 SGD
per person. It is a unique opportunity for small and
medium sized Danish companies in Singapore to
make world-class training accessible to their staff.
Exclusively for DABS members. Seats are limited
and will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
To register kindly send an email to dabs@dabssingapore.com
About MetaMind Training
MetaMind training takes workshop learning
to new levels. With elements of pre-programme
preparation, continuous reflection, numerous
hands-on exercises, in-classroom exploration
and close post-training follow up, learning is fully
optimised.
Your FREE
ScandAsia
Magazine
in Singapore
Nordic Golf Tournament 2015
Where: Jurong Country Club, 9 Science Road, Singapore
When: 30 September 2015, 11:00 – 22:00
The annual Nordic Golf Tournament with a
shotgun start at the beautiful Jurong Country Club
may be the last time you will be able to play at the
beautiful JCC before it is turned into the terminal
station of the high speed rail linking Singapore and
Kuala Lumpur! Kick off starts with lunch followed
by golf and dinner. The tournament encourages
greater understanding and closer relationship
between the Nordic business organizations and
leading Singaporeans, both from the public and
private sector. Maxium 120 players are accepted.
Beginners are invited to a 2-hour clinic followed
by dinner, starting at 16.30. Pre-registration and
payment, cheques or bank transfer should be
received by Wednesday 23 September. Organiser:
The Golf Committed of SBAS and DABS.
ScandAsia is the only magazine
that covers all the Danish, Finnish,
Norwegian and Swedish residents
in Singapore.
We also publish a ScandAsia magazine
in China, Thailand, and the rest
of South East Asia.
Get your own
FREE copy:
scandasia.com
Publisher :
ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd.
211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29
Prasert Manukitch Road
Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao
Bangkok 10230, Thailand
Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8,
Fax: +66 2 943 7169
Editor-in-Chief :
Gregers A.W. Møller
gregers@scandmedia.com
Peer Gynt Golf Tournament
Open 2015 - 20 th Anniversary Edition
Where: Sentosa Golf Club, 27 Bukit Manis Road,
Singapore
When: 21 October, 2015, 12:30
It is the tournament’s 20th anniversary and NBAS
has secured the prestigious Serapong course.
So mark your calendars, forward this email to
your golf playing colleagues and help us celebrate
with a great round of golf followed by dinner and
drinks. Only for Norwegian Business Association
(Singapore) members.
Assistant Editor:
Joakim Persson
Joakim@scandmedia.com
Advertising :
Frank Leong
frank@scandmedia.com
Finn Balslev
finn@scandmedia.com
Graphic Designer :
Peerapol Meesuwan
Peerapol@scandmedia.com
Distribution :
Wanvisa Rattanaburi
wanvisa@scandmedia.com
Printing :
Inthanon Interprint Co., Ltd.

News Brief
Confederation of Norwegian
Enterprise awards Norway’s
Singapore ambassador
Singapore appoints Indian
Businessman as Ambassador
to Denmark
Singapore has appointed an
Indian-origin businessman as
the country’s Non-Resident
Ambassador to Denmark.
Karan Singh Thakral has served
as Singapore’s High Commissioner
to Sri Lanka. He is an Executive
Director in the Thakral Group of
Companies.
Mr Thakral is chairman of the
South Asia Business Group and
Business India in Singapore as well
as chairman of Givo Limited in India.
He also serves as a board
member of the ASEAN India
Business Council, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Mr Thakral facts:
• Born in Singapore on 7 April 1955.
• Chairman of Givo Limited in India,
a company listed on Bombay
Stock Exchange and National
Stock Exchange of India and is
Director in many Thakral Group
of companies.
• Board Member of the ASEAN
India Business Council, Member
Advisory Board of Singapore
Global Schools Foundation
(Worldwide). He is Chairman
Emeritus of The Indus
Entrepreneus (TiE) Singapore and
Member Emeritus of The Indus
Entrepreneus (TiE) Global Board
of Trustees.
• Takes keen interest in promoting
budding entrepreneurs in
Singapore mentoring them and
helping in Angel investment
activities in Singapore and many
other countries. He has joined as
an active member of may Angle
Networks around the world.
• Married to Mrs Devinder Kaur
Thakral. They have a son and four
daughters.
Norway’s ambassador to
Singapore, Ambassador
Tormod C. Endresen, has
been selected as the winner of
the Confederation of Norwegian
Enterprise’s (Næringslivets
Hovedorganisasjon) NHO
Ambassador Award. NHO is the
main representative organisation for
Norwegian employers.
The award was presented by
the NHO’s vice president, Therese
Log Bergjord on 17 August in Oslo
at a dinner gathering for Norway’s
ambassadors together with
NHO’s internationalized member
enterprises.
It is awarded to an ambassador
showing initiative and determination
that goes beyond what is expected.
“NHO knows the tact shift
in economic diplomacy at home
and at embassies. As we see it all
ambassadors have taken a concerted
effort to promote Norwegian
business interests at their stations,”
said Bergjord to Norway’s mission
commanders.
“To find a suitable candidate
to NHO’s ambassador price, we
conducted a survey among a sample
of our internationally-oriented
members. Firms have nominated
ambassadors who have a good
knowledge of local and Norwegian
industry, and opens doors to
both the embassy, residence and
to government agencies and who
shares views on politics and security
challenges with the corporate
world,” said Bergjord.
NHO members describes this
year’s winner, Tormod C. Endresen,
as an ambassador who is passionate
about Norwegian business, shows
vigour and implement measures to
promote Norwegian industry in the
region. He is also a bridge builder
between Norwegian industry
and the authorities by being very
knowledgeable and articulate.
At the helm of the Royal
Norwegian Embassy in Singapore,
Tormod C. Endresen, along with
Team Norway partners, help
Norwegian businesses to succeed
in South East Asia.
“I am very happy that the
work we do along with the strong
Norwegian business cluster in
Singapore is recognized in this way!
To contribute to the success and
resilience of Norwegian businesses
abroad is important and rewarding
work - and a key priority for the
Norwegian Foreign Service and our
Team Norway partners”, comments
Ambassador Endresen on the
Norwegian Embassy’s website.
First SWEA coffee morning
after the summer break
4 ScandAsia.Singapore • September 2015
The global non-profit
organization/network
for Swedish and Swedish
speaking women abroad, SWEA, in
Singapore had their monthly coffee
morning at the TCC Vivo City on
28 August. It was the first morning
coffee after the summer break.
SWEA has approximately 7500
women members in 70 local areas
in 33 countries on five continents
and is thereby the largest nonprofit
Swedish organization outside
Sweden, with the purpose of
promoting the Swedish language,
culture and tradition.
The monthly event has an open
invitation and anyone can attend
with no pre-registration required.
Old and new Swedes in Singapore
get together over a cup of coffee,
socializing, chatting and exchanging
ideas and information, at the same
time as new connections and
friendships are made.
“We were approximately
27 ladies at this morning’s event.
There were many great reunions
between old friends and many
new connections were made,”
said Maggan Kullberg Stampe from
SWEA.
Swedish speaking women who
recently moved to Singapore, but
are not yet members of SWEA, are
also welcome to join in the coffee
morning to get more information
about the association and hopefully
become members.

Open House
Discover the
9 Sept
Register at www.ais.com.sg
IAN
THORPE
in your child
Introducing the AIS
Athlete Development
Program
Elite training for budding athletes
Athlete development at AIS equips budding athletes with the physical and
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excellence are the values we instil in our athletes and our teams are relentless
in pursuit of achievement, as exemplified by our unbeaten Under 11 & 12s in
Rugby, Netball and Basketball.
Enquire now to fi nd out more
call +65 6653 7906 or visit www.ais.com.sg
Globally focused,
distinctly Australian
Australian International School Pte Ltd is registered by the Council for Private Education.
CPE Registration Number 199204405H. Period of Registration 6 July 2015 to 5 July 2019
The Australian International School is a world-leading school for
2 to 18 year olds. The best of the International Baccalaureate
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ensures your child reaches their full potential.
September 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 5

News Brief
Danish ships targeted by pirates near Singapore
On 21 – 22 August a Danish container
ship, Maersk Lebu, as well as the
tanker Elbtank Denmark were among
the targets by armed pirates in waters near
Singapore. Attacks on six vessels, while underway
in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation
Scheme (TSS) in the Straits of Malacca and
Singapore, happened within 30 hours of one
another, reportedly five unauthorized boarding
and one attempted boarding.
The Singapore Port Operation Control
Center (POCC) immediately notified the
authorities of the littoral States and initiated
navigational broadcast to warn mariners to
maintain anti-piracy watch.
Considering the close interval of time and
proximity of these incidents, the perpetrators
could possibly be from the same group. From
the description of the incidents, the perpetrators
operated in about 4-5 persons, armed with
knives and were opportunistic in nature without
targeting specific vessels. They aborted boarding
when crew was alerted, and escaped emptyhanded
when the alarm was raised without
harming the crew. Of concern was their
persistence in ‘hovering’ in the vicinity seeking
out their next target, reported the Regional Cooperation
Agreement on Combating Piracy and
Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP
ISC)
On 21 August, at about 0430 hrs, Maersk
Lebu was underway when four perpetrators
were sighted in the engine room. The master
raised the alarm and the perpetrators escaped
in a waiting small boat. There was no loss of
property and the crew was safe.
The ship was en route from Port Elizabeth
in South Africa to Singapore in Malaysian waters.
According to Michael Storgaard of Maersk, it
is the first time that one of Maersk’s ships have
been robbed in this area.
On 22 August Elbtank Denmark was
underway when the crew sighted four
perpetrators armed with knives on board
the vessel. The perpetrators stole the crew’s
personal effects and escaped in a small boat.
None of the ships experienced loss of cargo
and all crewmembers were safe afterwards.
According to the report, only one ship had some
of the crew’s personal effects stolen.
From the incidents, enhanced vigilance,
early detection of suspicious perpetrators and
activation of the alarm immediately are key
actions towards preventing boarding.
The ReCAAP ISC strongly recommends
all vessels operating in this area to exercise
enhanced vigilance and take extra precautionary
measures while underway, and the relevant
enforcement agencies to step up surveillance
and patrols.
A new report from the International
Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the
International Maritime Bureau (IMB) highlights
a continuing trend in South East Asia in the
hijacking of small coastal tankers by maritime
pirates, averaging one attack every two weeks.
According to the report, five small tankers
were hijacked in South East Asian waters in the
second quarter of 2015 alone, bringing the total
number of vessels hijacked globally in 2015 to 13.
Sources: ReCAAP ISC, shipandbunker.com
Low turnout for Martha evening
On 28 August, the Danish Seaman’s
Church held its annual event ‘Martha
Evening’, where the church shows the
old seaman’s movie ”Martha” on a big screen
and serves what they call a classic Martha menu.
The movie is a Danish comedy from 1967 and
is basically about the good ship “Martha”, an old
rust heap that is much loved by the crew.
12 people had signed up for the event,
most of who were men and some of them old
sailors. This was also the first Martha Evening for
the new assistants couple Laila, 49, and Søren
Sørensen, 54, and the turn-up was not what
6 ScandAsia.Singapore • September 2015
they expected.
“We had heard that around 50 people
signed up for it,” Søren said.
The Danish couple has been assistants
in the Danish Seaman’s Church in Singapore
since April and handles a broader spectrum of
administrative work at the church. According to
Laila the job came at a time when there was a
need for change.
“Søren got tired of his job as a gravedigger
and church warden at home and quit, and then
this job opening appeared,” says Laila.
Laila then quit her job as a flower decorator,
and the couple took a big move from Sønder
Rind near Viborg to Singapore. Here the couple
works closely with the minister of the church,
and where Laila’s main job is in the church
kitchen, organising the menu and catering for
the church events. Søren’s job consists mainly
in visiting the workers at the shipyards or at the
ships that dock at Singapore.
“We have this big schedule of when and
which ships that come here, and then it’s my job
to reach out, and ask if anyone has a need to talk
to me. And most of the time there is,” Søren says.
He spends a lot of time in the weekends
visiting the ships, while weekdays is spent at
the shipyards. Other than that the couple is
also responsible for the different events that
the church arrange. When asked if the job was
different from their past ones the couple first
laughs and then nods their heads.
“Yes. Very different. But that’s what we came
here for. It’s an adventure,” says Laila.
They both agree that now was the right time
to do a thing such as moving to Asia. It had to be
when their children were grown up, but before
they became too old themselves, they explain.
The couple has a contract with the church for
two years, with the possibility of extending, and
when asked if they had settled in so far, they both
nodded in approval. None of them seem to think
it’s been a problem so far.
“I actually thought the heat would take much
longer to get used to,” comments Laila.

Global Risk Management expands trading team
News Brief
Global Risk Management, the customised hedging solutions
management provider with headquarters in Middelfart, Denmark
has announced a new employee as well as a staff transfer.
Michael Korsager Nielsen has been appointed as Senior Trader to the
office in Middelfart, while Oil Risk Manager Nicholas Foo has transferred
to the Unitrading team in Denmark from Global Risk Management
in Singapore. Unitrading is a separate business unit within Global Risk
Management focusing on optimising paper hedge prices.
Michael and Nicholas will be part of the trading team in Middelfart
which is headed by Mads Hemmingsen. The two will assist the Oil Risk
Managers in Copenhagen, Singapore and Middelfart in their daily work
with advising and selling customised fuel trading and risk management
solutions. In addition, the team assists our parent company, Bunker Holding,
in obtaining optimal paper hedge prices through increased trading flow
with clients worldwide.
Michael, age 43, comes from a position as Head of Oil & Derivatives
Trading in a large world-wide bunker trading company. He has more
than 15 years’ extensive experience in trading currencies and financial
derivatives.
Nicholas, age 28, joined Global Risk Management in April 2014 and
has worked with the sales team in Singapore until this summer, where he
relocated to join the trading team in Middelfart. Nicholas’ new title is Trader.
Managing Director Hans Erik Christensen said: “I am glad to welcome
both Michael and Nicholas to the trading team; they bring experience
and exceptionally good technical and analytical skills and I am confident
that they will contribute to continued solid growth and expansion in our
company”.
Global Risk Management is a leading provider of customised hedging
solutions for the management of price risk on fuel expenses. Combining indepth
knowledge of the oil market, finance and transport, we help clients
protect their margins from the risk posed by notoriously volatile fuel prices.
Find one Private Banking
advisor, then make sure he
knows many specialists
Wealth management today involves much more than selecting the
best stocks and bonds. At Nordea Private Banking, we offer you an
experienced personal advisor and a comprehensive overview of your
wealth based on thorough research and rigorous analysis. One private
banker, many specialists – making it possible.
Contact Nordea in Singapore on +65 6597 1084, or
e-mail kim.nielsen@nordea.sg
Kim Osborg Nielsen, Private Banker
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 licence. Published by Nordea Bank S.A., R.C.S. Luxembourg No. B 14.157 on behalf of
Nordea Bank S.A., Singapore Branch, 3 Anson Rd #20-01, Springleaf Tower, Singapore 079909. www.nordeaprivatebanking.com subject to the supervision of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (www.mas.gov.sg).
September 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 7
AD_ScandAsiaThailand_Kim_192x135_eng NEW.indd 1 27/02/2014 14:24

8 ScandAsia.Singapore • September 2015

SEB’s
“Asia Growth Case”
SEB Private Banking in Asia is on a
fast track of growth. Last year was
the best year ever but even so, the
first six months of 2015 have already
outperformed the same period
last year.
By Joakim Persson
Fredrik Lager, General Manager of SEB Private Banking, Singapore,
says that while Corporate banking makes up the largest part of the
SEB group’s business revenue in Asia, the Private Banking side keeps
getting bigger and bigger.
“Our part of the business is doing well. The result of the first
six months of 2015 shows that we are already 25 per cent ahead of where
we were 2014, which was our best year since the start of our Asian private
banking operations in 2005,” says the GM enthusiastically.
This has not gone unnoticed within the SEB Group.
“Whilst keeping costs under control in the bank is a priority, Private
Banking in Asia is recognised as a ‘Growth Case’. This is important for us as we
are keen on developing our business further,” Fredrik Lager reveals.
But SEB Private Banking’s impressive growth in Asia leaves Fredrik Lager
little time to rest on his laurels. Other banks are after the same clients
and, perhaps more importantly, IT innovation is moving on fast in terms of
developing new and alternative investment services.
Investment advice from computer-based software, based on the individual’s
risk profile is an area coming along strongly and this will have a major impact
on the future of Private Banking, he believes.
“It is going to be a revolution, at least in the more affluent client categories.
Private banks will need to update their own web-based or mobile-based
offerings, or they risk being surpassed by others.”
In the higher segments of private banking things will stay more traditional
though, Fredrik Lager believes.
“High Net Worth clients often have complex structures and as such
have a need for someone to properly and actively look after their assets and
hopefully grow them at a respectable pace,” he says.
So what kind of advice is he offering them right now?
“Markets have been volatile lately given the recent developments in
Greece and China. The most important thing for our private bankers in
times like these is to stay close to our clients. Generally speaking most
clients are still riding the equity markets wave. It has been a strong
run for the last five years but corrections could be in the cards,”
Fredrik Lager says.
In order to meet the growing demand for SEB’s private banking business
in Asia and to ensure that existing clients continue to receive the best possible
service, Fredrik Lager has secured two additional private bankers who are set
to join his team in September and November respectively.
“One of the new private bankers joins us in September from our
Wealth Division in Oslo. We are keen on expanding our Norwegian
offering in Asia and by bringing Alexandra Haudemann-Andersen on
board we will be better placed to serve the Norwegian community locally,”
Fredrik Lager concludes.
SEB reveals
a bombshell
concerning
inheritance
Fredrik Lager, General
Manager of SEB Private
Banking in Asia, wants
Scandinavian residents in
Asia to be aware of a new EU
regulation, which took effect
already on 17 August 2015.
The regulation is intended to
make it easier for EU citizens
to handle the legal side of an
international will or succession.
By Joakim Persson
Once this new regulation is in place, the rules regarding
inheritance and succession will be governed by the
laws of the country of residence.
“From a Swedish point of view this is very significant,
because under Swedish law, for example, you are not allowed to
disinherit your children,” explains Fredrik Lager, himself a lawyer
by profession.
“In the Nordic countries, children have a statutory right
to inherit, but under Thai and Singapore law for instance, and
generally in countries which build on an Anglo-Saxon system
of law, you can do pretty much what you want with your assets
when you die.”
However, you can explicitly state in your will if the law
applicable to your succession should be that of your nationality
instead of the default option, which will be the country of
residence.
“You can write: ‘My estate should be governed by Swedish
law’. If you don’t write anything it will be Singapore law that
applies, if you are deemed to live there at the time of death.”
“I advise all clients to write a will and in most cases I
suggest that they explicitly state that the law of their country
of citizenship should apply to the estate, because then we’re
back to where we were before! If, however, you want to apply
local law to your inheritance, then this will be a possibility going
forward.”
“Some lawyers, primarily in Sweden, have said: “this is a
bombshell, this is huge!” Yet not many people know or talk
about it.”
SEB Private Banking calls for the Swedish Embassies to
spread the news on this highly relevant new regulation which
will apply not only to Swedish EU residents but also to Swedes
wherever in the world they may live. It should be noted that
Denmark, the UK and Ireland have all decided not adopt this
new regulation.
September 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 9

Scandinavians succeed with
international
makeup school
in Thailand
By Joakim Persson
Photos: Scandinavian Makeup Studio
A
‘Scandinavian Makeup Studio’, based
in Bangkok, Thailand, initially prompts
some questions. Is it catering to
the need for Scandinavian makeup
products in Asia? Is it a studio by
and for Scandinavians? Even when someone
knows that it’s in fact a school that trains makeup
artists, she/he may wonder if it’s only training
Scandinavian style or for Scandinavian people.
It turns out that the “only” Scandinavian thing
about it is that the founders are from two of the
Nordic countries, and that this is reflected in the
school’s quality and management.
A more direct Scandinavian connection has
just started for the school (set up in 2013) though;
namely to take in students from Denmark.
With one of the partners based mainly
in Denmark Scandinavian Makeup Studio is
spreading its wings, aiming at tapping into that
market.
“We are getting our first Danish students
before Christmas,” says Norwegian Hilde
Johansen who started the school together with
the owners and investors Eva Bartels Thomsen
and her Danish husband.
Students flying in
So far most students at the school fly in to do
their course and then fly back home, and the
school management believes they can attract
some fellow countrymen to do likewise.
“We’ll be starting the course in Denmark and
then they’ll be transferred to Bangkok to continue
their training. People these days love to travel, to
be in a new place, and study more abroad, so I
believe in the concept.”
“Our students are flying in from all over Asia,
and also Africa and Europe! At first we thought we
needed to focus on the market here in Thailand
to get students. But we are getting queries from
Burma, Nepal, Buthan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, France,
England and Vietnam; from more than 25 different
countries in total,” explains Hilde who came to
Thailand eight years ago to study fashion.
“I believe in Bangkok, it’s a metropolis - it’s so
international here, you have people from all over
the world. And you have so much production going
on here when it comes to movies or magazines
or commercials. People fly in from Pakistan and
India and do the productions here. That’s why we
believed in the school,” she continues.
Being professional makeup artists Eva and
Hilde’s plan is to raise the level of makeup
artistry in Asia. They founded this school based
on this ambition and went ahead achieving it
by combining internationally recognized training
methods with the creativity, inspiration and
international perspective of professional makeup
artists and guest teachers.
Sharing a dream
The reason for setting up in Thailand is a
coincidence; Hilde and Eva met in Bangkok, when
Eva had arrived with her husband who had
accepted a job offer here. It turned out they
shared the same dream about a makeup school.
“Eva is a very well-educated makeup artist
back home and very knowledgeable about
cosmetics. She’s been working with makeup in
different companies since she was fifteen.”
Eva had kept on saying: “We should open up
a school.” But Hilde had been reasonably sceptic,
given how much people say but do not follow
through on.
But one day Eva and her husband had
suddenly signed a rental contract for the location,
and that was the starting point for the adventure.
Since then Eva has had to return to Denmark
so Hilde is running the daily operations in
Bangkok, while Eva remotely takes care of all
the administration, and travels here every third
month. The bonus effect from this solution is that
they can now target also Danes in a strategic way.
What students get from attending courses
will however remain having its very international
dimension - with a variety of skin types as a very
valuable add-on.
“It’s a huge benefit for the students because
it’s an international school where each class
include dark skin types or very fair, and you
get to practice on all these different skin tones.
When I went to makeup school back in Norway
everyone had fair skin like myself. The first time I
did make up for an Asian or African person I was
terrified because I had never done it, and never
trained.”
Scandinavian Makeup Studio also opens up its
students to focus on creativity and experimenting.
“We try to be different at this makeup school.
10 ScandAsia.Singapore • September 2015

From left: Eva Bartels Thomsen, Hilde Johansen.
Fundamental beauty is taught in the beginning of
the course but we think it’s really important for
the students to be outgoing, so we focus a lot on
fantasy and creativity makeup.”
This also Hilde`s specialty and that she is
known for here in Asia. The last six days of the
course is only about fantasy techniques finding
inspiration, creating your own concept.
“To be creative as a makeup artist, you need
to think a bit outside the box, outside your
comfort zone. And that’s where my job comes
in - to guide and push you,” Hilde says. “You won’t
believe all the creative outcomes we get from
students who have never believed in themselves
or thought that they never would be capable to
create these things. That’s what’s makes my job
the best job in the world”
Scandinavians, in comparison, is more
restricted.
“There’s no big market for that back in
Scandinavia; we’re traditional. Here, on the other
hand, they love the colours and are creative. Here
you can break rules and experiment.”
“They use more makeup here than back
home, that’s for sure! Like, Thai girls; they like to
apply makeup, such as eye-lashes, and are a bit
more daring than we are back home. We are
conservative, and will always be that.”
Colours fly…
Less restricted and more daring is also the very
reason why Hilde came over to Asia, and to the
Kalawin International Fashion Institute in Bangkok.
When Hilde studied at college in Norway a
guest teacher holding a short training had told
her: ‘You are in the wrong part of the world; you
have to go to Asia! This is where you will find the
source of your inspiration and grow!’
“When he saw my mood board full of just
colours, glitter and crystals–a sheer explosion of
everything–he told me that I was in the wrong
part of the world. He was definitely right: I’m so
glad I followed what he said and came here.”
She studied for three years at Kalawin
and graduated in high fashion. Before that she
graduated as a makeup artist in Oslo.
“When I came to Thailand I never thought
I would do any makeup–I was so focused on
fashion and sewing–until some of my classmates
asked to rent my dresses for photo shoots. One
day they had no makeup artists and then told that
I could do it and started helping with their photo
shoots for the collection for my classmates. That’s
how the ball started rolling.”
“I got more portfolio work and people here
were open-minded when it came to creativity.
The photographers are really creative and they
let you as makeup artist to do what you want
do. I could go for what is really me, which is really
extreme style of makeup based on a concept that
you create. So that’s what I love about it. Also
after teaming up four years ago with the famous
photographer Manuel Librodo, who shares the
same passions as me, it`s been a fun ride”
Aside this creative side the school teaches the
fundamentals; including product knowledge (Asia
being a mecca for fake products this is essential)
and what to avoid when working professionally.
“What we require is that you take a
fundamental course first; two weeks of training
for new beginners. After that you can sign up for
any kind of course. We have different courses
like makeup for fashion and photography, stage &
show, hair, bridal, special effects, airbrush, fantasy
and many more.”
Most students choose the full course, which
is twelve weeks where they get to learn all the
subjects. These are pretty intense twelve weeks!”
Students finish each subject with a practical
exam – where their work is evaluated and
professional photographs are taken for the
students’ portfolios.
“The school balances 30% theory with 70%
practical studies as we believe that extensive
practice produces the best artists.”
The teachers consist in an international group
of very experienced professional makeup artists
who are still working in the industry on photo
shoots, commercials and workshops to stay in
touch with the newest trends and inspiration.
“Business has grown over expectation and all
these emails from overseas are really lifting us!”
And the Thais are also increasingly joining the
school. In the latest course 5 out of 12 students
were Thai.
And soon students from Denmark will get to
have the same wow experience that Hilde has
had over here in Asia.
September 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 11

Norway kick-starts
entrepreneurs in Singapore
By Joakim Persson
Six Norwegian start-ups got a kick-start into Asia by participating
in a special Tech Incubator programme in Singapore, TINC Asia,
organised by the Norwegian government agency Innovation
Norway together with Joyful Frog Digital Incubator (jfdi.asia)
TINC Asia helps the start-ups align and connect their businesses
with Asian markets, for distribution and development of future products and
services. This three-week mentoring experience is a part of Innovation
Norway’s hands-on support to companies in developing their competitive
advantage and to enhance innovation.
Combining local industry knowledge and international networks with
the business ideas and the motivation of entrepreneurs will build the
foundation for new successful businesses.
“Norway is similar to Singapore in the sense that our home markets
are small – this means that high-potential start-ups need to focus on
international expansion early,” said Innovation Norway regional director
Torunn Aass Taralrud.
“TINC Asia offers access to some of the best local start-up resources
in Asia and provides a unique learning experience for these companies,” she
claimed.
Joyful Frog Digital Incubator, Innovation Norway’s partner in delivering
the training, is a community of people who practice, finance and teach
innovation. JFDI delivers innovation for corporations, governments and
investment funds. They run ‘JFDI Accelerate’ – the longest-running and most
successful seed accelerator program in South East Asia.
They also offers the online pre-accelerator programme ‘JFDI Discover’
that aims to give confidence to first-time entrepreneurs or nascent teams
who are exploring an idea, launching a prototype, or preparing to raise funds.
Their programmes for business start-ups and professionals lead people
to think and act entrepreneurially by helping them to engineer innovative
businesses around their ideas.
Kicking doors open
Biogrid, offering vertical farming in urban areas; and Kaizit, which has a
specialised IT solution promoting efficiency and quality of shipping drydocking,
were two of the selected start-up teams.
“Participating in a programme like this really helps us understand
the business culture in the region; it practically kicks doors open.
And the mentors at JFDI are really helpful, they help us crack the
social codes, help us navigate bureaucracy, and even locate the most
exotic foods in Singapore,” said August Flatby of Biogrid AS, while
attending in Singapore.
“If we had to learn all this the slow way, then I believe it would have
taken us months to build up sufficient confidence to build a business here.“
Participating companies in TINC Asia can gain greater insight and
familiarity with Asian business, culture, preferences and expectations, to
enable faster growth into the region, with lesser risk.
Founded in 2015 and including a grant from Innovation Norway, Biogrid’s
intelligent growth modules are primarily targeted at commercial urban
farmers who want to produce healthy, nutricious and tasty food in vertical
farms in urban areas.
12 ScandAsia.Singapore • September 2015

“Biogrid was chosen to participate because we develop enabling
technologies for indoor agriculture. This kind of technology is a good fit
for nations like Singapore that wants to achieve more food self-reliance by
building urban farms, vertical farms and plant factories,” explained August
who finds Singapore to be an incredibly interesting place.
“It is fine-tuned in every detail, run as a very efficient, large, company. As
a part of Singapore’s drive toward becoming an even smarter nation, there
is a real push toward using sensor technologies and data intelligence in novel
ways. We believe that Biogrid’s technology fits very well into this vision, as our
system harnesses these technologies in order to increase crop yields and to
ensure predictable harvests in urban farms.”
“Singapore is also interesting because of its close proximity to China,
which is where we are planning to do our hardware manufacturing,” he
continued.
The TINC Asia programme is quite well known within Norway and
especially the Silicon Valley programmes that have been running for
several years.
“I participated in a similar programme with Innovation Norway back
in 2013, where my company was chosen to participate in a GET (Global
Entrepreneurship Training) program at the highly rated Babson College in
Boston, US. Since then I’ve been in the loop and got the opportunity to apply
for this programme, Stig Linna, CEO at Kaizit as.
Solutions for Singapore
The TINC Asia 2015 participants began with a three-day briefing session
in Oslo in June after which participants researched target markets in Asia
remotely and prepared to meet with potential business partners while in
Singapore.
Kaizit met a very strong interest in their IT solution for efficient drydocking
for ships. The two first ship managers that they met were interested
in conducting a pilot phase of testing out their new product planning and
execution of the repair/dry-docking process for vessels.
Researching the Asian market and preparing to meet potential business
partners in Singapore, Kaizit found that they could offer two solutions aimed
to help improve shipping companies’ operations; one being an existing
solution that makes shipping companies improve their sales.
“We actually found that the willingness to invest in initiatives that can
increase sales is very interesting,” said Stig Linna.
Coming from Norway Kaizit naturally has a strong position within the
shipping industry related to its home market, he pointed out. But Singapore
and the surrounding region is of great interest for the expansion.
“We have seen that Singapore is the main hub for shipping companies,
so we are testing out if it might be an opportunity here. We have already
established a local representative here and will scale based on the market
demand that we experience.”
Biogrid also had fruitful meetings upon arriving to Singapore.
“As soon as we arrived in Singapore and starting networking here, we
got acquainted with several key people within our area of business, as well as
potential business partners and investors. People in Singapore are genuinely
interested in networking, and quite often we’re told: ‘Oh you should see
so-and-so who is an expert in that field’, and the like. In general I’d say that
people here are really good at making referrals, and seem interested in
helping in any way they can,” said August Flatby.
A lot of information made available on the Singaporean Government’s
website meant that Biogrid could research a lot there, prior to departing
from Oslo.
“We arranged a meeting with the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority
(AVA) of Singapore upon arrival, and they helped us learn more about
Singapore’s efforts towards building indoor and vertical farms, and they even
arranged with us to meet researchers at a local university within our field
of technology.”
“Biogrid is committed to solving real pain points for the urban farmer.
So to get a better understanding of which those pain points are, we seek
out real life urban farms in the local community and interview the operators
of those farms. “
The 3-week programme in Singapore offers a unique opportunity to test
one’s business concepts towards the Asian market, gain invaluable feedback
and get exposure to a broad business network.
Participants in the programme receive strategic guidance for global
expansion, delivered by mentors on an individualised basis for each company,
according to JFDI.
BASH tech cluster
The participants had the opportunity to connect with the local community
every day, working from BASH, which is part of Singapore’s tech cluster
for six months after the programme, the teams can also use the JFDI.Asia
facilities to follow through on all connections they have made.
August described the facilities: “BASH is a co-working space for startups,
located in a renovated old factory building in the one-north business
area. I like the atmosphere here, people from all sorts of start-ups are
doing their things, and of course there are the mandatory table tennis
and foosball tables. A local bank pays a barista to feed us with muffins
and wicked, strong coffee drinks all day; definitely a plus for cash-starved
start-ups.”
“The language, the business culture, the friendliness and courtesy of
Singaporeans; all those factors contribute to making Singapore the perfect
Asia office for Biogrid,” he thought about Singapore as a hub.
“I find BASH as a modern and practical setup for making new businesses
both test out their potential and also help them get funding. They also
provide most of practical arrangements in order to establish the business,
including the office facilities needed. The most important thing, though, is
access to knowledge and networks that seems to flow easily here,” thought
Stig Linna of Kaizit. “It’s an amazing place to be here at the BASH community.
We have the opportunity to talk to a lot of different people with many
interesting specialities and the JFDI team is very good!”
“So far we have met a lot of energetic entrepreneurs that are aiming
for success. It seems like they come from a lot of different countries and
nationalities,” he commented on the business network and entrepreneurship
in Singapore.
August Flatby gave a positive assessment as well: “There seems to be a
constant stream of events where entrepreneurs can hobnob with investors
and potential customers. We’ve attended a couple of events already and our
impression is that the attendees are a mix of Singaporean nationals, expats,
and foreigners.”
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September 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 13

Joyful Frog Digital Incubator
on working with Innovation Norway
Hugh Mason, the Chief Frog at
Joyful Frog Digital Incubator,
explains how they worked out
their startup programmes with
Innovation Norway.
“Innovation Norway had been running a
Technology Incubator (TINC) programme in
Silicon Valley and wanted to do the same in
Asia. The team reached out to a number of
potential partners and selected JFDI to develop
and operate their TINC Asia programme.”
What inspired JFDI was the passion that
Norway’s Ambassador to Singapore, Tormod
C. Endresen showed for the program and the
support it got from State Secretary Dilek Ayhan.
“We got the strong sense that they understood
both how long it might take, and how important
it could be to change culture in Norway to think
about entrepreneurship for a future when the
oil runs out and Asia’s rising importance in the
world makes it a huge opportunity,” Hugh Mason
explains.
Hugh Mason ads that he is often asked
about the JFDI name. The story is that he and
JFDI co-founder Meng Wong were trying to
think of something short that was available as a
domain name and which embodied the spirit of
entrepreneurship. The Harvard Business School
professor Howard Stevenson inspired them to
conclude on the definition of entrepreneurship
to be: JFDI, meaning ‘Just F**ing Do It’ in the west.
“When selecting participants for the TINC
Asia programme, Innovation Norway and JFDI
look at the applications that come in and run a
series of interviews together with the companies.
We take a view primarily on which companies
will benefit and gain the most value from the
programme in Asia and we are learning from
experience how to judge that now.
“A big factor in success seems to be mindset.
People will go a long way once they realise
that Asia is a) not one place and in fact far
more diverse than Europe, and b) very much
somewhere that business must be done face
to face. Entrepreneurs who reach out not to
sell something but rather to build partnerships
often do best, especially if they are willing to think
openly about what their product or service might
become.”
“Innovation is what happens when inventions
get translated into useful products and services.
It can happen when a completely new idea
comes about (like the telephone or the bikini)
or when an idea gets introduced to a new
place from where it was invented. Through the
second half of the twentieth century, academics
put together theories about why we have
the technology we have and they came up
with some good retrospective explanations.
But it wasn’t easy to run their explanations
backwards - to use them to generate new
ideas from stuff lying around today. But over
the last decade a whole load of understanding
has come about - practical methods, coupled
with the practical understanding of what
entrepreneurs actually do, make it possible to
teach innovation and the skills needed to make it
happen, including entrepreneurship, for the first
time. Until ten years ago many people thought
that entrepreneurs were born and could not be
made and that innovation was really a mystery
and now we know that’s not true.”
“JFDI got started because we realized that
the new science of innovation and the ability to
teach entrepreneurship is transformational. Being
able to teach innovation and entrepreneurship
changes the game because there are innovative
people everywhere - they just might not know
how to do it yet or have role models around
them to be inspired, or there may be cultural
inhibitions around risk that hold them back.
We started with digital software products
and services because they were very fast to
develop and deploy and because the internet
was spreading so rapidly across Asia. But almost
all the companies we have worked with are not
pure technology businesses; rather, they are just
using digital technology to do something else,
like delivering healthcare or making it easier to
buy a car.
The companies that have come to us from
Norway have been fascinating because they
have stretched us in new directions, from the
construction industry to e-book publishing to
shipping. The good news is that the ‘science of
innovation’ we rely on seems to hold for all these
cases and so we have definitely learned as much
from our visitors from norway as they have
learned from us.”
14 ScandAsia.Singapore • September 2015

Choosing a school is no easy task.
You’re searching for the very best
and a large part of your child’s
future is resting on your decision.
You know your child better than
anyone, you see the sparks of
brilliance where others can’t, you
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We’d love the opportunity to
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We believe in
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Contacts:
Elementary & Middle Schools: +65 6235 5844
High School: +65 6475 4188
Email admissions@iss.edu.sg
We believe in your children as much
as you do, and we know what it
takes for them to realise their full
potential because that’s what we
Choosing a school is no easy task.
do You’re best. searching for the very best
and a large part of your child’s
future is resting on your decision.
You know your child better than
anyone, you see the sparks of
brilliance where others can’t, you
see the scholar, and the artist and
what might be.
We believe in your children as much
as you do, and we know what it
takes for them to realise their full
potential because that’s what we
do best.
We’d love the opportunity to
welcome you to our school and
discuss how to make your
children soar.
Contacts:
Elementary & Middle Schools: +65 6235 5844
High School: +65 6475 4188
Email admissions@iss.edu.sg
Realising Potential
Realising Potential
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15 June 2015 | www.iss.edu.sg
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September 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 15