ScandAsia Singapore - June 2015

JUN 2015
Sigve Brekke
new Telenor Group CEO
ScandAsia.dk ScandAsia.fi ScandAsia.no ScandAsia.se

Open House
Register at www.sais.edu.sg
Friday, June 12 th 2015
Future
Celebrity
Chef
Required
Ages 2-6
Stamford American is proud to
announce their partnership with
Celebrity Chef Emmanuel Stroobant.
Stamford American serves fresh, healthy and nutritious meals
with a daily choice of Western, Asian and Vegetarian options.
With a standard of no fried food and no MSG, we encourage
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on organic ingredients builds a foundation for improved
concentration skills which leads to increased learning potential.
We are ready and waiting to meet your future Celebrity Chef.
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
28 th SEA Games
Singapore will host the 28th Southeast Asian
Games (SEA Games) from 5 to 16 June 2015,
with the Singapore Sports Hub as main sporting
location. With the theme of ‘Celebrating the
Extraordinary’, it is a celebration of ordinary
people chasing their own extraordinary dreams.
At its core, it is about the triumph of the human
spirit.
The Games are marked through a series of
community and school programmes, including
rallying behind Team Singapore athletes by
“painting the town red”, Make-A-Nila-Mascot
initiative, 50 community projects and 50 creative
number formations to be unveiled as we count
down 50 days towards the Games.
To find out more, please check out the SEA
Games website www.seagames2015.com
NBAS Singapore: PM Lee Hsien Loong talk:
The Past, The Present, and The Future
SWA: Joo Chiat Food and Heritage Walk
Where: Taxi Stand in front of Geylang Serai Market along Changi Road
When: June 16, 2015, 09:00 – 12:00
Come on this tour and immerse yourself in the
distinct feel and vibes of Joo Chiat, with Scandinavian
Women’s Association! Learn about the history of
this area and the various communities, especially
the Peranakans that have been living here since the
1920s. Visit a popular local Market where people
from all over Singapore come for its excellent
hawker stalls, unique products and fresh produce
and spices. There are loads of glorious foods and
the beautiful baroque architecture to tickle your
senses. See some very interesting old traditional
trades that are still operating in the area.
A sampling of Nonya delicacies brings us to
the end of the trail (at $7 per person) Please
remember to bring your umbrellas and put on
comfortable walking shoes.
Meeting point : Taxi Stand in front of Geylang
Serai Market along Changi Road. The tour will
end at a different point so its best to take public
transport to the meeting point. Nearest MRT :
Paya Lebar
Fees: SWA-member: $45, non-SWA member:
$55
Please also bring a total of $13 for donation to
1 temple and food tasting. See below:
Where: Suntec Convention Centre
When: June 30, 2015, 18:00 – 21:00
NBAS received an invitation to send some of its
members to the now fully-booked SMU’s Ho Rih
Hwa Leadership in Asia Public Lecture Series with
PM Lee Hsien Loong. NBAS was given 50 seats,
which was then distributed these on a first come,
first serve basis.
1) Sampling of food at $1 per pax.
2) Donation of $5 to 1 temple
3) Nonya cakes sampling at $7 per pax
Please register with Jeanette at jeanette.
hennix@gmail.com by 14 June 2015
Your FREE
ScandAsia
Magazine
in Singapore
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
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scandasia.com
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News Brief
Successful jungle morning run with Nordea’s CEO
By Joakim Persson
It was very informal and cosy, reports Lars
Kyvsgaard. As a result the attendants felt there
were less boundaries and an easy-going setting
to have conversations directly with such a highranking
executive as Mr Clausen.
“To meet with the CEO of Nordea Bank in
this informal setting was much appreciated. Mr
Clausen did not hold any seminar, instead the
meet & greet enabled people to ask questions,
which lead to conversations about interesting
topics. People could learn from each other.”
The CEO was in Singapore coinciding with
the 10th Singapore Maritime Week. Delegates
representing port authorities, CEOs, industry
leaders, and maritime experts and professionals
worldwide converged in Singapore to discuss key
trends, opportunities and challenges facing the
maritime industry today.
Mr Clausen was a speaker and panel participant
at the Sea Asia Global Forum, discussing trends
and issues impacting the maritime industry.
It is not every day that Nordic individuals over
here in Asia get to meet with the CEO of any
of the big Nordic banks! And certainly not in
connection to a morning run!
This kind of rare occasion however became
reality in Singapore on the Monday morning of
20 April, when a group of enthusiastic runners
met for a 11 kilometre ‘Jungle Run’- together
with Nordea Bank’s President and CEO Christian
Clausen!
Co-arranged by the respective Nordic
business associations, DABS, FBCSG, NBAS and
SBAS together with Nordea Bank, this “Rumble in
the Jungle” was a “great success” attracting forty
participants out to MacRitchie Reservoir park.
So how did this unique event come about?
Indeed Mr Clausen is a seasoned runner, explained
Lars Kyvsgaard, Nordea Singapore to ScandAsia.
Nordea Bank’s top-ranking leader had been
out on a Sentosa morning run on a previous
occasion in Singapore along with the Nordic
Ambassadors and through that the idea for this
event had been born.
The participants met at 7 am and set off on
the run, followed by breakfast and a meet & greet
with Mr Clausen.
ScandBizBar: Casual networking and cold beers
By Soren Engelbrecht
Scandinavian entrepreneurs, bankers and
other with skyscraper offices meet at
Scandbiz for a beer and some networking
By Søren Engelbrecht
Bartenders are circling the outside tables to
make sure that no glasses are out of liquid. Little
cards pop up here and there to show that the
guest is a Swedish, Danish, Norwegian or Finnish
member.
It’s Thursday, it’s 7th of May and it’s time for the
third ScandBizBar of the year, where Scandinavians
who are working in Singapore, gather to get an
after-work beer and some canapés. But it is also
a networking night for the members of SBAS,
DABS, NBAS and FBC. Business cards work their
way from hand to hand, introductions are made
and ideas get pitched. These people are never
fully off duty.
A steady and repetitive beat in the background
creates the mood along with the humming sounds
from the constant conversations. It’s almost like
it’s in sync. We are at the bar &SONS in China
Town and as the event turns an hour old, all the
outside tables are surrounded by suits, shirts and
high heels, and some of the guests are forced to
sit at the bar. Even though this ScandBizBar is not
as well attended as the first one in 2015 it’s still a
busy night for the bartenders.
Some are more used than others at these
events. There are the new ones who slowly
wander around with a beer in their hand,
cautiously looking for a conversation to join.
And then there are the regulars who know the
bartender’s name and aren’t afraid to mention
that they are almost out of canapés. At least the
good ones. And just like some tables in the high
school cafeteria were named after the group of
people who used it, at this bar there is a Nordea
table where macroeconomics, shares and safe
investments are the main talking points.
The third ScandBizBar this year went just
like it was meant to. For some, a needed beer or
cocktail was enjoyed after a long day at the office
and for others the opportunity to network and
headhunt was seized. Some did both.
4 ScandAsia.Singapore • June 2015

WHAT IF ...
AUGUST
2015
APPLICATIONS
OPEN
Middle School student Noa connects with her teacher Paula.
…THE FOCUS OF TECHNOLOGY WAS LEARNING?
Would technology no longer be an end in itself? At UWCSEA,
our students are surrounded by technology, with 1.2 devices
available for every student. But access to devices is only the
beginning. UWCSEA invests even more in training teachers in
the use of technology to transform learning.
Take Paula Guinto and her student Noa. With the support
of dedicated digital literacy coaches, Paula uses technology
extensively in her English classes. But she knows that the
most important connection is the one that Noa makes with
her learning.
With a goal of cultivating trust and collaborative
conversations, Paula’s students use apps to extend
discussions, access authentic audiences, edit one
another’s work online and more. Technology keeps
them connected—to each other.
Maybe that’s why UWCSEA was recognised as an Apple
Distinguished School in May 2015 and was named 21st
Century School of the Year in 2013. There definately isn’t
an app for that.
What if your child joins UWCSEA?
Visit www.uwcsea.edu.sg to find out more.
UWCSEA Dover is registered by the CPE CPE Registration No. 197000825H Registration Period 18 July 2011–17 July 2017
UWCSEA East is registered by the CPE CPE Registration No. 200801795N Registration Period 10 March 2011–9 March 2017
June 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 138ADV-1415 5

News Brief
Inaugural Norway Night takes centre stage in Singapore
By Ellen Skarsgard / Royal Norwegian Embassy
Photos: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Singapore
During the 2015 edition of Singapore
Maritime Week the Royal Norwegian
Embassy in Singapore, along with
sponsors hosted the inaugural Norway Night.
Held at The Lantern, Fullerton Bay Hotel
overlooking the waterfront, Norway’s social
gathering for the maritime industry took centre
stage. More than 200 senior executives from
the global maritime community gathered to
celebrate the maritime links between Singapore
and Norway and strengthen this partnership for
the future. Guests enjoyed Norwegian seafood
and music as they mingled on the rooftop.
The guests included Minister of Transport Lui
Tuck Yew and Norway’s Deputy Minister Dilek
Ayhan.
Norway’s Ambassador to Singapore,
Mr Tormod C. Endresen, commented: “The
Norwegian maritime industry is in a dynamic
partnership with Singapore. Together we aim to
strengthen our position as leading and technology
driven global maritime nations.
“Maritime co-operation between Norway
and Singapore has been at the core of our
relationship throughout Singapore’s 50 years as
an independent nation. But more importantly,
Singapore and Norway are partnering for the
future - as leading players in the ocean industries
of tomorrow.
“This is our message at the inaugural Norway
Night and we are pleased to see so many business
leaders from both nations supporting this event.”
The idea for the event had been sparked
by the success of the Singapore Night at Nor-
Shipping.
The evening was sponsored by some of the
leading Norwegian maritime sector businesses
including DNB Bank, Thome Group, Wilhelmsen
Maritime Services, DNV GL, BW Offshore the
Norwegian Shipowners’ Association and the
Norwegian Business Association, Singapore.
The links between the two countries are
deep and abiding and today Singapore is home
to more than 250 Norwegian companies, many
focused on maritime and offshore business.
The Singapore Maritime Week 2015, five
days of events focused on shipping and maritime,
attracted more than 30,000 people.
Sweden and Singapore tops Global Connectivity Index
Global ICT solutions provider Huawei has launched the 2015 Global
Connectivity Index (GCI) where the US leads followed by Sweden
and Singapore. Denmark ranks seven and Norway ten.
The United States ranks the highest among surveyed countries, on the
strength of robust supply and demand of ICT services, and an advanced
state of adoption.
GCI benchmarks 50 economies in terms of connectivity, ICT usage,
and digital transformation, providing an indicator of which countries are
best poised for development and growth, and an ICT planning reference
for policymakers looking to embrace the digital economy.
In general, all economies are digitizing, and the GCI provides a guide
of who’s ahead, who’s behind, why, and who is poised to move up or back.
Overall, the 2015 GCI shows that 20 percent growth in ICT investment
will increase a country’s GDP by 1 percent. It also identifies five enablers
of digital transformation – datacenters, cloud services, big data, broadband,
and the Internet of Things. These technologies represent the targets that
stakeholders should focus their investments on in order to most efficiently
transform their economies for the digital age.
The 2015 edition of the GCI sees a more comprehensive and advanced
framework and methodology. With double the number of ICT variables
and countries analyzed last year, this year’s GCI enables the drawing of
correlations needed to establish investment targets for governments and
other stakeholders. What distinguishes the GCI from similar indices is a
broader definition of connectivity that encompasses networks, computing,
and storage, while also emphasizing the non-infrastructure elements of
a functional digital economy, such as service demand, and e-commerce
activity, etc.
6 ScandAsia.Singapore • June 2015

Priscilla and the Prince
News Brief
Singaporean Youth Goodwill Ambassador
meets Danish Prince Joachim in Denmark.
Singaporean student Priscilla Seah was
given an opportunity of a lifetime to meet a prince.
As a member of the Danish Youth Goodwill
Ambassador Corps, Priscilla Seah shared with
Prince Joachim her study abroad experiences,
study and work-life balance, public diplomacy and
international affairs.
The Youth Goodwill Ambassador Corps is a
group of 500 young international people using
their student network to create bilateral student
mobility opportunities and global careers while
studying in Denmark.
Prince Joachim participated, as patron for
Copenhagen Goodwill Ambassador Corps, in the
Youth Goodwill Ambassador Summit on 25 April
2015 at Frederiksberg Castle. During the summit
he met with some members of the corps and
Priscilla Seah was among the lucky ones.
While attending the summit, Prince Joachim
commented:
“By working closely with our youth
ambassadors, we are connecting Denmark with
the home countries of our youth ambassadors on
a people to people level, which already is showing
great results.”
Is a global network of students working
to highlight Denmark as an attractive country
for studies and to create job opportunities for
international talents in Denmark.
These ambassadors aim to attract highly
skilled talents to Denmark and Danish companies.
The Youth Goodwill Ambassador Corps
was founded in 2010 by Copenhagen Capacity
and Wonderful Copenhagen in cooperation
with the Danish Agency for Universities and
Internationalization. The network currently
consists of more than 400 international students
from more than 65 countries worldwide.
Call +352 43 88 77 77 to find out more about our service
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Visit us at www.nordea.lu/WP, call +65 6597 1082, or e-mail
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Making it possible
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).
June 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 7
AD_ScandAsiaThailand_Jonas_WP_eng NEW.indd 1 14/08/2014 11:56

Learning
by playing
Finnish edu-games company
SkillPixels expands in Asia in a joint
cooperation with Fingerprint
By Joakim Persson
For the Asia-Pacific market SkillPixels of Finland has joined forces
with Fingerprint - a global mobile technology company to distribute
SkillPixels educational games such as math learning game SmartKid
on major Fingerprint-managed app distribution networks.
Fingerprint’s technology powers games and curates play-andlearn
content to targeted customers around the world through dedicated
mobile networks.
SkillPixels, founded in 2011, is a leading Finnish edtech company that
develops games to enhance the way children learn. Its first title, math-learning
game SmartKid came in 2013.
“We are truly excited to join forces with Fingerprint, and to leverage
their fast-developing app distribution networks to expand our presence in
Asia-Pacific and U.S. markets. Fingerprint’s highly targeted app distribution
channels offer a great launch platform for our new Android products”, says
Kristoffer Rosberg, CEO of SkillPixels.
SkillPixels’ edu-games will be offered via Samsung KidsTime app
subscription service in Southeast Asia and Oceania as of Q2 2015.
SmartKid is based on over 15 years of research in Learning Analytics. It’s
a smart learning game that recognizes and adjusts to your child’s strengths
and weaknesses so that your child is prepared for future challenges. The
game has complete preschool, 1st and 2nd grade math - three years’ worth
of curriculum-based math exercises for the price of a single app. SmartKid
increases the child’s learning motivation and makes learning more effective.
Samsung KidsTime is a dedicated app network and subscription service
offered on select Samsung tablet devices in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The
service offers a safe and fun environment for kids 3 to 7 years old to play and
learn. Parents can create a family account for multiple children and receive
personalized reporting, content recommendations and access controls for
each child.
“Fingerprint and Samsung KidsTime provide a distribution channel to
SmartKit app. We find them extremely interesting partners. Fingerprint’s
highly targeted app distribution channels offered Smartkid a great platform
to introduce the Android version of the product,” says CMO Hanna Virtanen.
“However, Samsung KidsTime is not the only route to access the game.
SmartKid is available in 15 languages on iOS, Chrome Web Store, Google
Play store and Windows Phone. It’s possible the purchase the app in a similar
fashion that you would download any new app you would like to use. It is
possible to try it for free. The complete game can be purchased at 4.99$.”
The game is optimized for tablet and mobile phone. Thus, it is possible
to play the game also on a smartphone.
SkillPixels’ game developers and experts in artificial intelligence work
with psychologists, educators and scientists specialized in children’s pedagogy.
The aim is to become the world’s leading educational solution provider.
Fingerprint powers games and curates play-and-learn content to
targeted customers around the world through dedicated mobile networks.
Industry leaders in mobile technology, edutainment, broadcast and more
licence Fingerprint’s technology platform and content solution. Fingerprintpowered
networks are also creating new distribution and monetization
opportunities for kidmobile content developers.
8 ScandAsia.Singapore • June 2015

Calling all actors,
linguists, scientists
and sports stars!
22 JUNE - 31 JULY 2015
For students aged 4 to 17. Give your child a summer to remember.
Register at www.cis.edu.sg/summercamp today.
Canadian International School Pte. Ltd. CPE Registration Number: 199002243H | Period of Registration: 8 June 2011 to 7 June 2015
June 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 9

Sigve Brekke
new Telenor Gro
Telenor Group announced recently
that Mr Sigve Brekke, the former CEO
of DTAC, currently the Executive
Vice President and Head of Telenor
Group’s Asia operations, has been
appointed as its new Group President and Chief
Executive Officer.
Sigve Brekke joined Telenor in 1999 and has
held several executive positions in the company
since then.
He has been instrumental in establishing
Telenor Group as a leading international mobile
operator. Under Brekke’s leadership, Telenor has
added more than 100 million subscribers in Asia.
The value creation from Asia has been significant
and the region now represents more than 40
percent of the total enterprise value of Telenor
Group. Telenor is well positioned to monetise on
the next growth wave - providing internet for all,
writes the Norwegian telecommunications giant
in a statement.
Sigve Brekke is currently responsible for
Telenor’s operations in Asia (Executive Vice
President and Head of Telenor Group’s Asia
operations), a position he has held since 2008.
Earlier in his Telenor career he was the
Managing Director of its Singapore office. Then
a longer stint in Thailand followed as Telenor
developed and expanded its operation there. He
was co-Chief Executive Officer of Thai mobile
operator dtac from 2002 to 2005, and then its
CEO from 2005-2008.
In September 2014 Sigve was once again
back to DTAC; appointed interim CEO Mr. Sigve
Brekke as Mr Jon Eddy Abdullah resigned from his
position as CEO of dtac.
Mr Brekke will succeed Mr. Jon Fredrik
Baksaas as Telenor Group’s CEO by 17 August
2015.
“Sigve Brekke has a solid track-record as
the Head of Telenor’s Asia operations and part
of Group Management since August 2008. His
leading role in our Asian success story combined
with his vast international experience and
leadership capabilities will be of great value as
the company continues its profitable growth
journey,” said Svein Aaser, Chairman of the Board
of Directors in Telenor Group.
“It is a great honour to be asked to lead
Telenor. Our company’s Norwegian and
international success is a result of Telenor Group’s
ability to provide digital communication services
that are valuable to our customers. Telenor’s
strategy, including our financial priorities, form
10 ScandAsia.Singapore • June 2015

up CEO
New Norwegian
to head Telenor
Group in Asia
: Morten Sørby
a solid platform for value creation for our
shareholders and continued growth in
Norway, Europe and Asia. We are poised to
capture value from the opportunities arising
from strong demand for internet services
and I look forward to executing our strategy
together with our 33,000 employees,” said
Sigve Brekke.
Jon Fredrik Baksaas steps down after
13 years as the company President and
CEO. In September 2014, he extended his
tenure for another year, until the end of
2015. In preparation of Baksaas’ retirement,
Telenor’s Board of Directors initiated a
thorough process with a broad set of
internal and external candidates to find his
successor. Baksaas will continue as advisor
to the Board of Directors until the end of
2016 and will serve as Chairman of GSMA,
the global industry organisation for mobile
operators.
“Jon Fredrik Baksaas has internationalised
Telenor and transformed us into a modern,
world-class telecom company and widely
known consumer brand originating from
Norway. I believe Fredrik is one of the most
important industry leaders in Norway in
modern times,” said Svein Aaser.
Telenor has grown substantially both in
terms of number of customers, revenue and
market value. Telenor is a leading mobile
telecom company with mobile operations
in 13 markets and 192 million mobile
subscriptions worldwide. Revenues have
increased from NOK 49 billion to NOK 107
billion and market capitalisation from NOK
45 billion to NOK 270 billion during Baksaas’
leadership. A significant contributor to this
development has been the company’s growth
in Asia.
“To lead Telenor during a period of rapid
growth and major technological changes
has been both exciting and rewarding. In
Sigve Brekke, the Board of Directors has
found the perfect candidate to continue
Telenor’s growth and value creation. We
have worked closely for many years, and
his knowledge of the business, customer
focus and hands-on management style will
ensure a great future for the company,” said
Jon Fredrik Baksaas.
The Telenor executive Mr Morten
Sørby has been appointed as the
new Head of Region Asia in Telenor
Group, effective 1 June 2015.
Mr Sørby replaces Mr Sigve
Brekke, who is the upcoming President and CEO
of Telenor Group. Preparations are under way
ahead of Brekke’s start date in August 2015. Sørby
will assume all the responsibilities in overseeing
and running Telenor Group’s operations in Asia -
and joins Telenor’s Group Executive Management
team.
Morten Sørby, a Norwegian national, brings
significant operational and strategic mobile
telecommunications experience to the role
as Head of Region Asia. He joined Telenor in
1993 and has previously been a member of the
Telenor’s Group Executive Management team for
a number of years. He has served as the Executive
Vice President in charge of corporate strategy
and regulatory affairs in Telenor Group. Sørby was
also the Executive Vice President and head of the
Norwegian and Nordic mobile and fixed network
operations of Telenor.
In 2014, Sørby was CEO of Uninor, Telenor’s
wholly owned operations in India. During this
period, the company continued to strengthen,
both in terms of revenue and customer market
share. Sørby holds a Master of Science in Business
Administration from the University of Karlstad.
He has also completed additional education from
IMD in Switzerland and is a state-authorized
public accountant in Norway.
“Morten brings his vast experience from
the global mobile industry to the role as head
of our operations in Asia. Morten will continue
our growth story in this dynamic region and I
am confident that he will put his deep industry
insight into action together with our operations
in Asia,” says Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and
CEO, Telenor Group.
June 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 11

‘SkillsFuture’
Singapore education
delegation visits Sweden
Photo: Robin from Singapore / commons.wikimedia.org.
Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister
Tharman Shanmugaratnam was
leading a ‘SkillsFuture’ delegation to the
European countries Switzerland and
Sweden from 6 to 12 May 2015.
SkillsFuture is a national movement to provide
Singaporeans with the opportunities to develop
their fullest potential throughout life, regardless
of their starting points. Through this movement,
the skills, passion and contributions of every
individual will drive Singapore’s next phase of
development towards an advanced economy and
inclusive society.
The SkillsFuture delegation engaged various
government bodies, education and training
providers, and companies from several industries.
The aim was to better understand approaches
in the two countries for assuring high-quality
education and training, and the commitment of
employers to investing in workers’ career-long
development.
Singapore’s idea behind SkillsFuture is that no
matter where you are in life - schooling years, early
career, mid-career or silver years - you will find a
variety of resources to help you attain mastery of
skills. Skills mastery is more than having the right
12 ScandAsia.Singapore • June 2015
paper qualifications and being good at what you
do currently; it is a mind-set of continually striving
towards greater excellence through knowledge,
application and experience. With the help of
the SkillsFuture Council, education and training
providers, employers, unions - citizens can own
a better future with skills mastery and lifelong
learning.
In developing its people Singapore
states:
• We have built a first-rate school system in
Singapore. Compared to other countries,
our students do better than their peers in
learning. Importantly, we have achieved high
average performance while avoiding the very
large disparities in outcomes that many other
education systems have.
• We have also built highly credible Institutes of
Higher Learning. We are investing more in our
ITE, Polytechnics and Universities to enhance
quality and affordability, and to offer more
diverse pathways for Singaporeans to choose
to advance themselves.
• We have also been developing a system of
continuing education and training.
In the next phase of development
lifelong learning is key.
“We will build on these foundations to create a
new environment for lifelong learning. It is critical
to our future. It will develop the skills and mastery
needed to take our economy to the next level.
More fundamentally, it aims to empower each
Singaporean to chart their own journey in life,
and gain fulfilment at work, and even in their
senior years.”
Singapore calls this development effort
SkillsFuture. It marks a major new phase
of investment in our people, throughout life,
including:
• Starting in the Schooling Years
• SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme
• Targeted Support for Career Progression
• A New Industry Collaboration
“A key challenge in SkillsFuture is to help uplift
a significant base of our SMEs, and involve them
in this process of skills development. This will not
happen naturally - many of our SMEs lack their
own training capacity and are unable to plan for
the future.”

Finnish Supplementary School to
Relocate to Stamford American
The Finnish Supplementary School will relocate to Stamford American International School’s
centrally-located campus in August 2015.
Exclusively offering supplementary educational classes to the Finnish
community in Singapore, the Finnish Supplementary School educates
children, from age 4, in language and culture. Operating in Singapore
for over 30 years, the school aims to maintain Finnish language skills in
preparation for children returning to a Finnish-language speaking school
and to strengthen affiliation to native culture.
central location, we believe, will enhance our ability to support students
in achieving their Finnish educational goals.”
State-of-the-art facilities at Stamford include a unique innovation center,
in partnership with Bloomberg and Microsoft, and iLEarn facilities to
support enhanced learning as well as a 500-seat theatre and world-class
sports facilities including three swimming pools, two sports arenas,
tennis courts and a Golf Academy.
Students and families of the supplementary school will also have the
opportunity to take advantage of the healthy and nutritious food
available at Stamford. Stamford’s partnership with acclaimed Chef
Emmanuel Stroobant delivers healthy meals and snacks, made daily by
his team of professional chefs and made available through two parent
cafes on campus.
Students of the Finnish Supplementary School will have the opportunity
to take advantage of Stamford’s recreational areas during school hours,
including 2 sports arenas and tennis courts. Stamford offers accessibility
for students island-wide, being located centrally, just 10 minutes from
Orchard, and on the doorstep of Woodleigh MRT station.
Susanna Paavola, Chairman of the Finnish Supplementary School
comments: “We love Stamford’s state-of-the-art campus, full of bright
and spacious classrooms, fully integrated with the latest technology, and
facilities including opetustarvikkeille and the library. Stamford is truly an
international environment, with students from over 60 nationalities and
valuing language as a key component to developing global citizens. The
Finnish supplementary teaching comprises two hours per week during
the school year. Classes for Preschool children are designed to increase
children’s interest in Finnish language through play, songs and craft form,
deepening Finnish language skills and literacy through the Elementary
school years. The school also offers library containing a wealth of
Finnish books, magazines and DVDs that is open to the entire Finnish
community during school hours.
For enquiries and further details please contact:
Stamford American International School | www.sais.edu.sg
Finnish Supplementary School | www.suomikoulusg.com
fss.singapore@gmail.com
+65 6653 7907 www.sais.edu.sg

Danish artist
paints our traces
Text: Soren Engelbrecht
Photo: Søren Solkær
The Danish painter Morten Lassen
is having his second solo exhibition
in Singapore. This time the theme is
the digital traces we constantly leave
behind
By Søren Engelbrecht
There’s a heavy scent of freshly painted walls
and they are all white. The only thing adorning the
walls is the paintings – the main attraction. We are
at the art gallery Artspace 222 where the Danish
artist Morten Lassen is exhibiting his new series
of paintings called Trace.
It’s the day before the big day that I visit
Morten Lassen at the gallery. The last preparations
are being handled and the mood seems calm and
casual. He has plenty of time to talk to me about
his new paintings, his old paintings, art in general
and Singapore.
His new exhibition, Trace, is about the digital
traces we constantly leave behind, and the digital
traffic, we can’t see, has been his interest for a
quite a while now.
“The last five or six years, I’ve been working
with the idea of the things that surround us in
the air, but we can’t see – Wi-Fi, the Internet,
GPS. Then I thought, ‘what would it look like, if we
could see it?’ Not in a technical matter, just how it
would make us feel, “ Morten Lassen says.
Facebook knows where we are
He therefore made two exhibitions called
Wireless and Surrounded. This time the focus
is on the invisible traces that we all leave behind
and which float around in the air – invisible to the
human naked eye.
“No matter where we are in the world there
will always be people who know it. We live in a
digital world where we leave traces everywhere.
Facebook probably knows that we are talking
right now,” Morten Lassen says followed by a
small laughter.
“I think it’s interesting that we have a world
around us which, if we could see it, would be
insane. If it was visual, we wouldn’t be able to
see each other. But my paintings are not an exact
description, it’s more a sense of how it would feel
like,” he explains while pointing at different details
on some of the paintings.
All part of a puzzle
The gallery is divided in to four rooms with an
open hallway connection them all. The natural
light fading in and the white walls create a bright
atmosphere where the paintings are in focus.
As we walk by the different abstract paintings, it
could seem as if they’re not too different at all.
“It’s true, they look much alike, but it’s because
they are all pieces in a puzzle. They separate
in construction, colours and mood,” Morten
Lassen explains and adds that he works on all the
paintings at the same time.
They all share a common thread. But they’re
also abstract which means that you probably
wouldn’t know that it’s about digital traces
unless you are told so. And that is fine with
Morten Lassen, because if people see something
completely else that’s no problem, as long as they
get something out of it. The most important thing
for him is to share his wonder and fascination
through shapes and colours.
14 ScandAsia.Singapore • June 2015

June 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 15

Danish SOS Agent
meets challenges every day
Text & Photo Louise Bihl Frandsen
Handcuffing a tourist who believed
he was Jesus, bringing back
injured trekkers from the wilds or
handling a tsunami. Michael Schulz
has been dealing with a variety of
emergencies in his time as SOS agent in Thailand.
But especially one type of cases is still the biggest
challenge.
“I am never nervous, but I am always aware,”
Michael Schulz says.
He is sitting in his office at Sukhumvit soi 39
in Bangkok. For exactly 20 years now he has been
16 ScandAsia.Singapore • June 2015
the regional manager of SOS International a/s in
Thailand. He never had a business plan or a plan
for his life for that matter, and yet, his company
has become the second biggest SOS office in the
world today.
“I see the job, talk to people and get ideas
from that. I may have had a talent for throwing
away bad ideas instead of keep boxing around
with them,” he says.
A good intuition together with a strong local
network is what Michael believes has been the
key to the company’s success.
SOS International provides services to
Scandinavian insurance companies, but the clients
are from all over Europe. They are presented
both in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and
Myanmar.
In 2010 SOS International had around 8,000
cases. Today that number is more than 10,000.
Most of the cases are easy to handle, but especially
one type of cases is a major challenge.
Jesus without pills
Every year, SOS International has more than 200

Very often you experience
that hospitals have been
carrying out a lot of
unnecessary tests and
scans to make more money
on the patient. Especially
if they can see that the
patient is insured by a
Scandinavian company
doctors and nurses from Scandinavia coming to
pick up patients. The most challenging cases, the
company deals with, concerns psychosis.
Some years ago Michael got a call from a
Danish doctor, who happened to be on vacation
on the same island where a young tourist had
lost his mind.
“He was walking around on the Island, burning
himself and saying he was Jesus and the emperor
of the island,” Michael tells.
Michael prepared a team of two nurses
with an injection needle and a borrowed pair
of handcuffs from the local police to pick him
up and have him admitted. Although, they
succeeded to bring the man safe home to Europe,
Michael admits that this is one of the more
tricky cases.
“How do you corporate with a person that
does not want to listen?”
Mentally ill people, who need assistance
from SOS International, are cases the company
experiences very often. Besides assisting Jesus,
Michael also has had a case with a naked tourist
dancing around at Sukhumvit.
Since the local hospitals are not really
geared for these illnesses, Michael’s best option
is to bring them back to Europe. But the service
SOS International provides depends on what is
included in the specific insurance.
“Pre-existing illnesses for example, are not
covered by the travel insurance, but can be
covered by a health insurance,” he explains.
Deadly waves
Michael did not start from scratch 20 years ago.
His former job as tour manager in Thailand since
1980 gave a great network across the country
and a good feeling with, how things work.
His network has always been helpful in all
types of emergency situations, especially the
extraordinary ones.
December 26, 2004 was one of them. Michael
got a call early in the morning from a friend living
in Phuket telling him that some waves had hit
Patong Beach, and that people had been thrown
up onto the land some hundred metres. Michael
called SOS in Denmark right after and told them
to prepare their crisis team.
“Are you sure?” They asked him. “No, but
do it anyway,” Michael replied. It was first later
that Michael, SOS in Denmark and the rest of
the world realized how serious the situation
was. In total, 230,000 people were killed in 14
countries when the tsunami hit South East Asia
in 2004.
SOS International was the first international
team to arrive in Phuket that day.
Cost containment
On one side, SOS International provides
emergency services, which is everything from
taking care of a hospital bill to transporting
people out of a jungle. But another service has
become even more important during the years:
Cost containment.
When Europe became more expensive, and
Asia remained cheap: an influx of retirees went
to the South to settle down. Along with the
influx of retirees and the general growth of
European tourists coming to Thailand the prices
on treatment and services increased significantly
at the private hospitals.
“This development has made the Scandinavian
insurance companies much more aware of what
they pay for today than earlier,” Michael says.
To avoid overpricing, Michael travels a lot to
negotiate prices with local hospitals, and to avoid
overtreatment SOS International looks through
the hospital bills before approving them.
“Very often you experience that hospitals
have been carrying out a lot of unnecessary tests
and scans to make more money on the patient.
Especially if they can see that the patient is insured
by a Scandinavian company”.
However, SOS International never
compromises the proper and safe treatment of
their patients with the cost of treatment.
The unexpected
The emergency business changes all the times, but
it does not bother Michael at all.
“I could easily take 20 year more. I like my job.
SOS is one of those companies that develops all
the time, which makes my job very exciting,” the
58-year-old Dane says and continues:
“I still get these phone calls, where I am
standing in the other end of the line and thinking
‘What?’ Every time I am sure I have seen or heard
it all, a new case or situation appears”.
This year Michael Schulz will not only celebrate
20 years anniversary for SOS International a/s, but
also 25 years anniversary for his other company
“The Arrivals Company”.
June 2015 • ScandAsia.Singapore 17

Singapore and Norway
renew maritime cooperation
The Maritime and Port Authority of
Singapore (MPA) and the Research
Council of Norway (RCN) has signed
a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU), in the end of April 2015,
renewing their bilateral agreement on maritime
education, training and research and development
(R&D) for another three years until 2018. The
signing ceremony took place in conjunction with
the 10th Singapore Maritime Week 2015.
In this MOU that was extended for a sixth
term, MPA and RCN will expand the current
MOU framework to include collaboration in an
inaugural international ‘Joint Call for Proposals in
Maritime Research’, with the aim of promoting
maritime research collaborations and knowledge
exchange between Singapore and Norway
through joint R&D projects among the research
institutions in Singapore and Norway. Participating
researchers will gain from exposure to a wider
set of industry challenges and, at the same time,
benchmarking their capabilities.
A total of S$6 million has been set aside by
MPA and RCN for the Joint Call for Proposals,
which focuses on navigational safety, ship
operations and safety, ship-port operations, green
shipping and maritime arctic research.
The MOU was signed by MPA’s Chief
Executive, Mr Andrew Tan, and RCN’s Director-
General, Mr Arvid Hallen at the Singapore
Maritime Technology Conference.
Mr Andrew Tan said: “As leading maritime
nations, both Singapore and Norway recognise
the importance of promoting maritime R&D and
education and training. With this in mind, MPA and
RCN have developed long-standing and close cooperation
since 2000. The renewal of the MOU
today attests to the value of our collaboration in
these areas. We believe that the MOU can lead to
more collaboration opportunities and further our
two countries’ capabilities in the maritime field.”
Mr Arvid Hallen said: “It is important that this
MOU has been renewed. It has already had a
large impact. It is also particularly important that
Norway and Singapore will launch a joint call for the
first time. This joint call for proposals in maritime
research will lay the foundation for cooperation
between Norwegian and Singaporean research
groups working together on the same projects.
Both Singapore and Norway put great emphasis
on improving the environmental footprint of
shipping, and when scientists from two of the
world’s leading maritime nations work together,
the results will be of major significance for both
parties as well as for the environment.”
The launch of the Joint Call for Proposals
adds to the many joint activities carried out under
the MOU, including the inaugural Singapore
Maritime Technology Conference held during
the recently-concluded Singapore Maritime
Week 2015, the International Maritime and Port
Technology Conference and the Sustainable
Marine Transportation Conference both held
last year, and joint industry workshops. These
platforms help profile Singapore as a centre of
excellence for maritime R&D and technology, and
provide opportunities for maritime professionals
to share industry challenges and experiences, and
technology developers, research community to
share their expertise and solutions.
One of the recent research projects under
the MPA-RCN MOU is the development of a Ship
Traffic Simulator. Driven by Singapore’s homegrown
technology company SimPlus Pte Ltd and
a Norwegian company Kongsberg NorControl IT
AS, the Ship Traffic Simulator is a type of software
used to assess the safety and efficiency of various
navigation strategies.
18 ScandAsia.Singapore • June 2015

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