Magazine Issue 10 Oct / Nov / Dec 2014 - Ascendas

THE
ASCENDAS
MAGAZINE
N.04.14
ASCENT
30
BERLIN IS
EUROPE’S CAPITAL
OF COOL
16
ONE-NORTH:
THE BUSINESS PARK
REDEFINED
BEST SINGLE ISSUE
(TOP 25 ISSUES)
NO. 5
2014 TABBIE AWARDS
MOST IMPROVED
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FO RE WO RD
As we were putting the nishing touches to this
issue, we had just signed a new business space joint venture with
Saigon Bund Capital Partners in Vietnam. OneHub Saigon will bring
the unique integrated business park concept of work-live-play-learn
to Ho Chi Minh City. Over the next few years, we’ll be developing this
exciting project in phases, and you can read about its beginnings in
this issue.
This and other projects, such as the newly
acquired Aperia, and the topping out
ceremony of Galaxis in Singapore, have
kept us quite occupied. You can read
more about Galaxis in this issue’s feature
on ‘one-north’, an integrated development
in Singapore’s Buona Vista district that
promises to be the next generation business park.
With Ascendas’ continued expansion, it’s timely to reect on what it
means to be global. In Perspective, Ascendas Chairman, Dr Teh Kok
Peng, shares his insights on global cities and a ‘second Singapore’.
We have also been actively engaged in corporate social responsibility
(CSR) initiatives. From the end of May to early September, the
Ascendas Gives Foundation (AGF) sponsored, raised awareness and
funds, and engaged Ascendians to contribute to our community.
Do read about AGF’s most recent activities in @Ascendas and the
feature on AGF Week 2014 in Singapore. Make corporate giving truly
count this festive season by checking out our inspiring story on a
soup kitchen and a bread distribution organisation in Food.
The coming festive season heralds a host of opportunities for
social and business networking. This issue, we also take a look
at networking – both online and offline. Pick up a tip or two from
industry leaders on how to maximise social media and traditional
networking for your business.
We hope you enjoy these stories, and more, in this issue of Ascent.
Let us know what stories you liked, and what else you want to read
about by e-mailing ascent@ascendas.com.
Manohar Khiatani
President and Group CEO
the
ascendas
magazine
n.04.14
the a scenda s maga zine
ascent
Best single issue
(top 25 issues)
no. 5
2014 taBBIe aWaRDs
n.04.14
most improved
editorial
sILVeR
content maRketIng
aWaRDs 2013
aWaRD of
exceLLence
apex aWaRDs 2013
32
one-north:
the Business park
redefined
26
Berlin is
europe’s capital
of cool
photo
ALAMY
location
doMe of the
reichstAg
buiLding, berLin
O c t/ n OV/ d ec cO nte nt s 04 thE hotliSt Lifestyle news you
should know about. 06 aScEnDaS nEWS Global and local highlights.
10 @aScEnDaS Events and happenings at our local and overseas offices.
14 FEatURE Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong was guest of honour
at the launch of OneHub Saigon. 16 FEatURE Ascendas developments are
adding to the vibrancy of one-north. 20 FEatURE AGF Week 2014 – caring and
sharing with fun fundraising events. 23 FEatURE Make social media networks
work for you and your business. 28 MonEY Chambers of commerce are great
for business networking. 30 DESiGn Berlin is Europe’s first City of Design.
36 pERSpEctivE Creating ‘another Singapore’ elsewhere would help with land
and labour shortage. 40 FooD Two organisations let you share joy this season.
44 SpacE Ascendas spaces showcase creative design or art installations.
30
the
ascendas
40
14
magazine
n.04.14
ascent
pUbliShER
pUbliShinG aGEnt
Ascendas Pte Ltd
SPH Magazines Pte Ltd
crystal seah
caroline ngui
dennis Pua
Joanna Lee-Miller
christopher chan
senior Vice-President & head
group communications
Joyce Wee
Manager
group communications
group editor-in-chief
group editor
Managing director
general Manager
Editorial & creative
Sales & client Management
dora tay
Kaz Lim
senior editor
Associate Account director
chiquit torrente
stanley gan
Associate editor
Annabelle bok
sub-editor
Jayson ong
Associate creative director
stephanie teo
Art director
stangan@sph.com.sg
senior Account Manager
Janice Low
senior executive,
client Management
publishing Services
Alice chee
team head
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04
THE
HOTLIST
Centennial revamp
Steps away from Paris’ Arc
de Triomphe is the iconic
Hotel Vernet, recently
transformed by French
interior designer Francois
Champsaur into a sleek
modern outt. To celebrate
its 100th anniversary,
Champsaur gave the hotel’s
interiors the look and feel
of an art collector’s home,
contrasting its classical
architectural features (such
as its Gustave Eiffel stained
glass dome) with a profusion
of contemporary art on the
walls, carpets, ceilings and
ottomans. The 50-room
boutique hotel’s strategic
location and old-meets-new
charm make it an appealing
Parisian address for
discerning travellers.
25 rue Vernet, 75008 Paris, France
Tel: +33 (0)1 4431 9800
www.hotelvernet-paris.com
Future of design
The second edition of Istanbul Design
Biennial, organised by the Istanbul
Foundation for Culture and Arts and
curated by Zoe Ryan, will be held from
November 1 to December 14. Themed
“The Future is Not What It Used to
Be,” the exhibition will showcase over
50 projects from different elds and
designers from around the world.
The selected manifestos highlight
critical thinking in design, and include
investigations into disaster relief,
global food shortage, social media
network analysis, and issues related
to personal identity and beauty.
http://tasarimbienali.iksv.org/en
All-around case
Made of polycarbonate
and felt, the IN1 MultiTool Utility Case not only
protects your phone, but
also has built-in tools for
everyday tasks. It includes
two precision screwdrivers,
two ballpoint pens, a nail
le, tweezers, scissors, a
toothpick and a kickstand.
This TSA-compliant case
is available in 18 colour
combinations for iPhone
5/5s, and eight for the
Samsung Galaxy S5.
Available at www.in1case.com
for US$44.95 (S$56.80).
Visual inspiration
Break the monotony of
office interiors with versatile
oor designs by Interface
Skinny Planks. Sized at
25m x 1m, these planks go
beyond what’s possible
with square carpet tiles
alone, forming unique tile
patterns from straight lay
to herringbone, and offer
both similar tones and
contrasting colours. Use
these colourful planks to
denote specic work areas,
to provide way-nding
cues, or to make bold visual
statements. They replicate
the rustic, weathered look
of wood planks, or the
geometric forms of vinyl
tiles, with the modularity,
performance and easy
installation of carpet tiles.
For more information, check out
www.interface.com.
Text Verlaine Ramos-Marquez
For the love of travel
Four travel-crazy Italian friends
turned their passion into a design
idea that will delight fellow jetsetters:
pinboard world maps. They’re a great
way to fondly remember the places
you’ve visited and add character to
living spaces. Choose from Grunge,
which has an industrial look with
worn materials, scratched paint and
natural elements; Vintage Stamp,
which represents places with old
postmarks or visas; and Political,
which delineates each country’s
political borders with clear lines.
At www.fourtrippers.com from €65 (S$106.16).
Nostalgic
technology
Missing the clickety-clack
of manual typewriters? The
USB Typewriter conversion
kit brings back the retro cool
of old-school typewriters
by making them compatible
with computers. Invented
by American designer
Jack Zylkin, the kit lets you
connect a vintage typewriter
to a laptop, computer
monitor or iPad using a USB
port. With the easy-install
conversion kit (complete
with step-by-step guide),
installation can be done in
a few hours; if you’re into
soldering and electronics,
a solder-it-yourself version
is available, too. Zylkin also
sells ready-to-use USB
typewriters.
Available at www.usbtypewriter.
com from US$94 (conversion
kits) and from US$699 (USB
typewriters).
Fire & Ice
Candles that mimic the
melting of icebergs when lit
remind us of global warming.
Gentle Giants designed this
collection for Bozu Italian
Workshop Design, naming it
Bergy Bit after the scientic
term for a small iceberg
that has broken away from
a larger iceberg. As it burns,
each candle melts in a
distinct way, just as icebergs
do. The collection has three
scents: Bergamot, Mandarin
and Green Bamboo.
www.bozu.it
Heston at
Heathrow
British chef Heston
Blumenthal, known for his
molecular gastronomy
and three Michelinstarred restaurant The
Fat Duck, recently opened
his rst airport diner, The
Perfectionists’ Cafe, at
Terminal 2 of London’s
Heathrow airport. The
restaurant reinvents the
UK’s favourite dishes
at fast-food speed, so
busy travellers can
enjoy exceptional food
quickly. Restaurant and
hospitality design specialist
AfroditiKrassa crafted the
interiors as a nod to the
glamorous heyday of 1960s
air travel.
Check out the entire menu at
www.theperfectionistscafe.com.
06
ASCENDAS
NEWS
Singapore Premier
visits Ascendas
OneHub GKC
A-REIT acquires Aperia
China On September
12, Singapore Prime
Minister Lee Hsien
Loong visited
Ascendas OneHub
in Guangzhou
Knowledge City
(GKC).
OneHub GKC is
a 30ha integrated
business park developed
by Ascendas with
Singbridge International
and Guangzhou Development
District.
Mr Lee and his entourage
were accompanied by Mr Chen
Jianhua, Vice Party Secretary
and Mayor of Guangzhou;
Mr Duan Jielong, China’s
Ambassador to Singapore;
and Mr Chen Zhiying, Party
Secretary of Guangzhou
Development District.
At OneHub GKC’s project sales
Singapore Ascendas Real Estate
Investment Trust (A-REIT) has
added a new integrated mixeduse development to its portfolio.
On August 8, the company
announced the acquisition of
the newly completed Aperia,
located in Kallang iPark, for a
total transaction value of S$458
million.
Centrally located at the fringe
of the CBD and about  ve
minutes’ walk from Lavender
MRT Station and the upcoming
Bendemeer MRT Station, Aperia
is zoned “Business 1 – White”
and has a total gross oor area
of 86,696 sq m. The property
consists of two Business-1
towers and three levels of retail
and amenity space. This year, it
was conferred the Green Mark
Platinum Award by the Building
and Construction Authority for its
sustainable features.
Mr Tan Ser Ping, Executive
Director and Chief Executive
Officer of A-REIT, said: “Aperia
sets the trend for a new
generation of business spaces.
As a new landmark in the
Lavender precinct, the building
has already secured commitment
for 46 per cent of its space, with
another 15 per cent in advanced
negotiations.
Aperia will be home to
renowned companies such as
Intel, Roche Diagnostics, Audi,
Cardinal Health, McDonald’s, and
popular retailers such as Cold
Storage, Tim Ho Wan and Old
Town Cafe.”
office Mr Wong Wing Kien, CEO
of Ascendas China, briefed the
delegation about the Ascendas
Group’s projects in China,
particularly OneHub GKC, which
was designated as the Sino-EU
Industrial Development Center.
Mr Lee was pleased with the
progress of the project and the
set-up of the sales office.
Text Verlaine Ramos-Marquez
Galaxis Topping
Out Ceremony
Singapore September 2 marked a
signicant milestone for Galaxis,
as the building celebrated
its topping out ceremony in
Fusionopolis. Located next
to one-north MRT station,
Galaxis is a 17-storey business
park building with retail and
lifestyle spaces. Its unique
feature are the work lofts,
which are designed to appeal
to individuals and businesses
in the infocomm technology
and media industries. With over
70 per cent commitment for
its business space, Galaxis is
scheduled to be completed by
end-2014.
The topping out ceremony
was graced by Ascendas Fusion
5 Chairman Mr Chia Nam Toon,
Board of Directors Mr Reiji
Fujita, Mr Tan Yew Chin, Mrs
Han Tui Heng, Mr Michiakira
Okano, and Mr Yee Hsien Wee,
as well as Mr Jeffrey Chua, CEO
of Ascendas Services, and
partners Mr Andrew Tan, CEO
of Singapore Piling and Civil
Engineering, and Mr Tony Ang,
Managing Director of AedasSingapore.
Fiscal growth for
1Q FY2014/2015
Singapore All of Ascendas’ listed
trusts, namely Ascendas India
Trust (a-iTrust), Ascendas Real
Estate Investment Trust (A-REIT),
and Ascendas Hospitality Trust
(A-HTRUST), posted strong
nancial performances for
the rst quarter of scal year
2014/2015 (1Q FY 14/15) due to
enhanced portfolios and new
acquisitions.
A-iTrust had a good quarter on
the back of strong contributions
from its new building, Aviator,
and healthy rental reversions at
International Tech Park Chennai
(ITPC). Aviator, which commenced
operations in January, has
handed over close to 80 per
cent of its space to tenants as
at June 30. In Chennai, the tight
supply in the micro-market led
to healthy rental reversions at
ITPC. This resulted in a-iTrust
posting robust growth in both
Total Property Income and Net
Property Income, which grew
by 9 per cent and 10 per cent
respectively to 1.5 billion rupees
(S$31.9 million) and 0.9 billion
rupees (S$18.8 million). a-iTrust’s
Distributable Income per Unit
(DPU) for 1Q FY14/15 grew 6 per
cent year-on-year to 0.54 rupees
(1.15 S¢).
A-REIT’s Amount Available
for Distribution for 1Q FY14/15
grew 2.8 per cent year-on-year to
S$87.6 million. Its portfolio was
strengthened by the acquisition
of Hyux Innovation Centre,
a prime high-specications
property, in June 2014. The Trust
also achieved positive rental
reversions averaging 11.8 per
cent for leases renewed in the
said quarter. Also during this
quarter, 1 Kallang Place, a light
industrial warehouse facility, was
sold to Flextronics Manufacturing
for S$12.6 million.
A-HTRUST posted a net
property income (NPI) of S$21.5
million for 1Q FY14/15, a yearon-year increase of 32.6 per cent
from S$16.2 million. The growth
was mainly due to the full quarter
contribution from Park Hotel
Clarke Quay and Osaka Nambia
Washington Hotel Plaza. These
two properties contributed
22.3 per cent of A-HTRUST’s
NPI for the said quarter, and
increased the portfolio size
to S$1.4 billion. They also
strengthened the Trust’s
geographical diversication and
enhanced cash ow stability.
The distributable income also
increased 25.5 per cent yearon-year to S$13.7 million, amid a
S$1.8 million cost incurred for the
partial unwinding of the crosscurrency swaps for the Australia
portfolio.
08
ASCENDAS
NEWS
CoreNet awards
Ascendas
China The 2nd annual CoreNet
Global China Conference was
held in Shanghai on September
5. It brought together senior
decision makers from corporate
end user/occupier companies,
nancial and investment
institutions, and local
governments. At the gala dinner,
Ascendas China was awarded
the Distinguished Corporate
Partner Service Provider award.
Ascendas China has been
fostering a strong partnership
with CoreNet since 2012.
CoreNet Global is the world’s
leading association for
corporate real estate (CRE)
and workplace professionals,
service providers and economic
developers. Ascendas works
closely with the organisation to
expand its customer pipeline
and feature guest speakers
from CoreNet for its seminars
and luncheons.
Together with CoreNet,
Ascendas held the CRE
Professionals’ Round Table on
August 28.
Ascent wins Tabbies
Singapore There’s another feather
in Ascent magazine’s cap; it
recently won in the 2014 Tabbie
Awards. Organised by Clevelandbased Trade, Association
and Business Publications
International (TABPI), the 11th
Tabbie Editorial and Design
Competition was open to Englishlanguage business-to-business
(b2b) publications worldwide
which are published at least
quarterly. This year, more than
450 entries were received from
the US, Canada, the UK, Australia,
New Zealand, Singapore and
South Africa.
Ascent’s Issue No. 03.13 placed
5th in the Best Single Issue
category, the competition’s
most comprehensive list. Only
25 winners were chosen for this
category. The theme of the issue
was innovation, starting off with
its cover showing the pod-like
seating booths at the Prahran
Hotel in Australia. Two stories
highlighted design innovations:
one on the world’s sustainable
skyscrapers, and another on
experience design, an emerging
eld of architecture. Other
features included crowdfunding
as innovation in business, a
highlight on Changi City and the
completion of ONE@Changi City,
a prole on Ernst Meyer of global
risk management company Det
Norske Veritas, and arts outreach
efforts by the Ascendas Gives
Foundation.
Ascent is Ascendas’ official
quarterly publication. Its
feature topics include design,
architecture, green innovation,
and creative solutions for
business or office space use. It
also carries news on lifestyle
trends and Ascendas’ new
initiatives and developments.
Green Design
Honours
India Two new buildings by
the Ascendas Group bagged
two key awards at the recent
Indian Green Building Council
(IGBC) awards ceremony at the
12th Green Building Congress
2014. International Tech Park
Bangalore IT SEZ earned a
LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) Platinum
rating, the highest LEED rating
in the IGBC rating system, for its
600,000 sq ft Aviator building.
Meanwhile, Ascendas OneHub
Gurgaon achieved a LEED Gold
rating for its Phase 1 building,
spread over 591,000 sq ft and
located within the 63-acre
integrated Special Economic
Zone amidst the Aravalli Hills.
The LEED programme certies
the design and construction of
green buildings through a point
system grading that evaluates
the building’s environmental
performance in categories
such as sustainable sites,
water efficiency, materials and
resources, and innovation in
design.
Ascendas welcomes India’s
Telangana State Chief
Minister to The Galen
Singapore On August 20, Chief
Minister K Chadrasekhar Rao of
Telangana State, India’s 29th state,
visited Ascendas Corporate Office
at The Galen in Singapore.
Mr Rao shared his
government’s major plan to
develop the newly created
state, which was declared
such on June 2, by accelerating
project approvals in a graftfree environment. He assured
that Telangana would be “a zero
graft state” with continuously
improving “safety and security”.
He enumerated a wide range
of investment opportunities for
the development of industries
by private sectors, especially
given the advanced stage
of Telangana’s IT sector. He
also mentioned the priority
development of pharmaceutical,
food processing and automobile
industries, among others.
After emphasising his
government’s commitment to
strengthen business response
and relations, Mr Rao’s visit
concluded with Ascendas staff
enjoying a photo-taking session
with him.
10
@ASCENDAS
Singapore
Healthy Lifestyle Month
This year, Ascendas launched a new
month-long campaign to enhance
the Science Park community's annual
Healthy Lifestyle Week. Held from
October 13 to November 8, Healthy
Lifestyle Month now extends to all customers
of Ascendas properties across Singapore. The
month-long event features inter-company sports
competitions, sports activities and lunchtime
talks in four different clusters: Singapore Science
Park, International Business Park, Changi
Business Park, and Techplace. Celebrities Jacelyn
Tay and Irene Ang were guest speakers at the
lunchtime talks, sharing on the topic, "Eating For
Healthy Weight". The festivities will culminate in a
Family Carnival at *SCAPE.
Healthy Lifestyle Month is held in conjunction
with the Health Promotion Board’s (HPB)
National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign, allowing
both campaigns to gain greater exposure. This is
the rst year that Ascendas is working with the
public sector agency to promote its healthy living
advocacy. To celebrate this partnership, Mr Zee
Yoong Kang, HPB CEO, and Mr Manohar Khiatani,
Ascendas President and Group CEO, are guests
of honour at the Family Carnival, where they are
both addressing the participants and joining the
mass aerobic activity.
A season of giving
May to September this
year was a busy period
for the Ascendas Gives
Foundation (AGF), the
non-prot charity
foundation set up
by Ascendas. Things
reached a peak during
AGF Week (story on
page 20).
An avid supporter of
the arts in Singapore,
AGF sponsored stage
performances such as
I Theatre’s 5th annual
ACE! Festival (May
21-June 8), and Toy
Factory’s staging of
the Mandarin musical
Innamorati ( July 24August 3). Some 250
tickets were given to
underprivileged families
to enjoy. AGF was the
exclusive sponsor for
Singapore International
Festival of Arts (SIFA)
closing performance,
Festival Heart: Into the
Wild (September 19-20).
In September AGF
volunteers painted
murals at the Institute of
Mental Health, took part
in the Metta Charity Run,
and organised a Liquid
Nitrogen Ice Cream
Making Workshop for
residents of AG Home.
Book launch
Mr Jonathan Yap,
Assistant Group Chief
Executive of Ascendas
Overseas Funds and
India, was invited to
be one of the panelists
at the book launch
for The Silk Road
Rediscovered ( July 14).
Held at the Singapore
Management University,
the discussion focused
on growing India-China
economic ties.
Authored by Anil K.
Gupta, Girija Pande, and
Haiyan Wang, this is the
rst book that analyses
the growing corporate
linkages between
India and China. It
examines how Indian
companies such as Tata
Consultancy Services,
Mahindra Tractors, Tata
Motors, Jaguar India
and Sudaram Fasteners
have deciphered how
to win in China. It also
looks at how Chinese
pioneers such as
Lenovo, Huawei, TBEA,
Haier and Xinxing
established a strong
commitment to India
and are beginning to
reap the fruits of this
commitment.
India
Celebrating Green Month
From May to June 2014, IT parks in Bangalore,
Chennai and Hyderabad participated in
Ascendas Go Green 2014. Various green
activities were organised; they included tree
planting, a recycled art contest, setting up
of organic food counters, sale of saplings, a
vehicle health check camp, an eco bazaar,
and art workshops. Now in its seventh year,
the campaign aims to raise awareness of
environment-friendly initiatives and encourage
participation among tenants and parkites.
Livewire 2014
Let them grow
Ascendas
Chennai
organised a
tree planting
drive on July 2 at
OneHub Chennai to
commemorate Green
Month. It proposed to
have a total of 3,000
trees planted at the site;
planting will be done
in phases. The Phase 1
target is to have 1,000
trees planted.
To kick off the drive,
Ascendas Chennai
staff each planted a
tree sapling on site.
Ascendas Chennai's
Operations VicePresident and City Head
V. V. Balaji, OneHub
Chennai Project General
Manager Dominic Leong,
and India Legal VicePresident Ammaiappan J.
supported the initiative.
Hundreds of employees
from various IT
companies came
together for Livewire
2014, the biggest
talent showcase and
competition among
Ascendas’ IT Parks in
India.
First to mount the
cultural fest were the
Hyderabad IT Parks –
they celebrated their
10th anniversary on
June 20 at The V. Over
45 IT/ITES companies
participated in singing,
dancing, play-acting
(skit), short lm and
modelling activities.
This year’s highlights
were the group dances
and skits.
International Tech
Park Bangalore
(ITPB) celebrated
its 11th Livewire on
July 18. Finalists were
shortlisted from more
than 600 parkites from
33 companies. They
performed at a grand
nale that was held at
Park Square mall; the
evening’s entertainment
included live band
performances and
fashion shows. General
Motors won in the most
categories and was
crowned Livewire 2014
champion, the “Stars of
ITPB”.
International Tech
Park Chennai (ITPC)
hosted its sixth Livewire
event over three days,
and it culminated
in a grand nale on
September 5. The
parkites competed in
four categories – fashion
show, group/solo singing,
western/folk dance, and
Adzap, in which each
team had to create an
advertisement within
a given time frame and
present it to the judges.
12
@ASCENDAS
China
WeChat Saloon
A WeChat saloon
entitled Win Wealth
With WeChat, held
at the newly opened
Pollen Cafe on June 25,
was attended by over
60 representatives from
50 tenant enterprises
of Singapore-Hangzhou
Science & Technology
Park. It gave the
tenants an in-depth
understanding of the
latest social networking
service (SNS) marketing
skills. WeChat, one
of the most popular
SNS platforms, is at
the forefront of these
skills. Representatives
from Hangzhou
Qunying, a marketing
agency specialising in
WeChat operations,
discussed the knowhow and data-oriented
thinking required to
operate WeChat public
accounts. Participating
entrepreneurs and
operation directors
learnt how WeChat can
be used for precision
marketing, networking
expansion and business
development.
Baking and
bonding
To build
stronger
communication ties
with its tenants,
Ascendas Xinsu
organised a tenant
activity titled DIY
Fun afternoon with
autistic kids
Thanks to active
participation by and
support from Ascendas
volunteers, the Dalian
Ascendas Xiaohaitun
Kindergarten had
a successful 2014
Summer Camp which
culminated on August 1.
The teachers took the
volunteers on a tour
of the new campus,
briefed them about
the lives of autistic
kids, and showed them
handicrafts made by
Sweetness – Romantic
Cakes Baking on July
30, August 2 and 9.
Participants tried their
hand at baking, and
each went home with a
lovely cake to be shared
with their friends and
families.
the kids. The rest of the
afternoon was spent
playing games and
sharing gifts with the
children. A group photo
at the end captured the
joyful atmosphere of
the get-together.
Parent-child vacation
bonding
E-commerce
workshop
Continuing Ascendas'
philanthropic heritage,
Ascendas Hangzhou
arranged a summer
vacation activity for
migrant workers and
their children in Xiasha,
where SingaporeHangzhou Science &
Technology Park (SHSTP)
is located, on August
21. Dubbed “migratory
kids”, these children
live and study in their
hometowns, away
from their parents who
are working in other
cities. They have to
travel long distances
for short gatherings
with their parents
during school breaks.
The SHSTP employees
and their kids bonded
while watching
animated lms together.
This experience
created wonderful
shared memories
for the families, and
encouraged parents to
lead more fruitful lives
in their dynamic town
of Xiasha. Statistics
show that Xiasha has
about 150,000 industrial
labourers, many of whom
are young parents.
The marketing
department of
Ascendas Hangzhou
recently participated
in an Online to Offline
(O2O) Workshop
jointly organised by
Leading Bar and Alipay.
Co-founded by 56
entrepreneurs and
management from
companies based in
Xiasha E-Commerce
Park, Leading Bar is
the rst e-commercethemed coffee bar
and restaurant in
Hangzhou Economic
and Technological
Development
Area, and regularly
hosts seminars and
symposia targeting
mid- and senior-level
entrepreneurs and
executives engaged
in e-commerce. The
attendees had indepth discussions
with representatives
from participating
enterprises. SingaporeHangzhou Science
and Technology
Park sponsored the
customised door
gifts given out at the
workshop.
Rehabilitation summer camp
Ascendas partnered with Shanghai Silent Angel
Kindergarten (SAK) in holding a rehabilitative
summer camp for autistic kids and teenagers in
Shanghai.
The month-long camp, the rst of its kind to
be held in the city, was themed “Augmentative
Type-To-Talk Communication”. It featured several
special education experts from Taiwan, led by Ms
Chen Shumin who offered interactive tutoring to
aid families in creating a communication-friendly
environment for autistic kids.
On July 26, the camp’s opening ceremony
and family rehabilitation forum were held in
Gongyi Xintiandi. Ascendas was lauded as “The
Philanthropic Enterprise” for its outstanding
contribution and voluntary service for the city.
The camp ended with a trip to scenic Dianshan
Lake, where the kids and the Ascendas
volunteers played outdoor games and painted
Star Wish Cards.
14
F E AT UR E
A New
Benchmark in
Vietnam
Ascendas teams up with
Saigon Bund Capital
Partners in a new joint
venture development,
OneHub Saigon, to
create a premium
business park with
integrated work-liveplay-learn environment.
1
Ascendas announced a joint venture
on September 25 with Saigon Bund
Capital Partners to develop OneHub
Saigon, an integrated business park in
Saigon Hi-Tech Park.
The joint venture was nalised at the
Investment Certicate Presentation
Ceremony for OneHub Saigon, at the Ho
Chi Minh City provincial government office.
The 12ha business park is located at the
entrance to Saigon Hi-Tech Park, Ho Chi
Minh City.
Ho Chi Minh City’s People’s Committee
Chairman, Mr Le Hoang Quan, presented
the investment certicate to Mr William
Tay, CEO, Ascendas South-east Asia, and
Mr Vo Sy Nhan, Managing Director, Saigon
Bund Capital Partners. Mr Goh Chok Tong,
Singapore’s Emeritus Senior Minister,
witnessed the ceremony as guest of
honour. Mr Goh was in Vietnam on a fourday official visit to reaffirm bilateral ties.
The 60:40 joint venture by Ascendas
and Saigon Bund Capital Partners will be
developed in phases, and the expected
total development cost is about US$130
million ($163 million).
2
“This joint venture
will result in a successful
integrated development that
will set a new benchmark for a
dynamic and creative working
environment in Saigon Hi-Tech Park.”
3
Mr Vo Sy Nhan, Managing Director,
Saigon Bund Capital Partners
4
Text Chiquit Torrente
1
Mr Tay briefed
Mr Goh and Mr
Quan on the site
development model
of OneHub Saigon.
2
Mr Han Ann
Foong, Country
Head of Ascendas
Vietnam, gave the
welcome address
at the celebratory
luncheon.
3
Guests and
business partners
were invited to
a celebratory
luncheon.
4
Mr Goh and
Mr Quan viewed
the artist’s
perspective of the
development.
5
5
ABOUT ONEHUB
SAIGON
A agship
project in the
OneHub series
of developments
by Ascendas,
OneHub Saigon is
a 12ha integrated
business park
located in
Saigon Hi-Tech
Park, 15km from
the city. It will
comprise:
● High quality
business spaces
designed for
high-tech
manufacturing
●
●
●
industries, and
IT, media and
outsourcing
companies
Lifestyle
amenities
within the
mixed-use
development
with retail
components
Training
facilities
Home offices.
OneHub Saigon
will be directly
connected to a
future metro
station.
Mr Quan presented
the investment
certicate to
Mr Tay and Mr
Nhan, witnessed
by government
officials led by
Mr Goh.
“OneHub Saigon marks Ascendas’ latest
endeavour in Vietnam. This integrated
business park is well-positioned to catalyse
the growth of the Saigon Hi-Tech Park as a
knowledge and technology-driven hub.”
Mr Manohar Khiatani, President and Group CEO of Ascendas
“This partnership will tap into the
experience and network of Saigon Bund
Capital Partners in Vietnam, and leverage
Ascendas’ experience in integrated
business park developments in Asia.”
Mr William Tay, CEO, Ascendas South-east Asia
F E AT UR E
ONE-NORTH
B U S I N E S S PA R K R E D E F I N E D
RESPEC TED NAMES IN THE BIOMEDICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES, INFOCOMM
TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MEDIA INDUSTRIES IN SINGAPORE’S
ONE-NORTH ARE REDEFINING WHAT BUSINESS PARKS CAN BE. AMONG
THOSE SHAPING THIS JTC DEVELOPMENT IS ASCENDAS.
Co m m
lth Aven
onwea
ue W
es t
Buona Vista
Station
BIOPOLIS
3
2
NEPAL
HILL
One-North
Station
4
FUSIONOPOLIS 1
Ay e
Nor t
rR
aja
hA
h Bu
ve n
ue
ona V
is t a R
oad
MEDIAPOLIS
Kent
Ridge
Station
Ay
er
5
Ra
ja
h
Ex
pr
Located in Singapore’s Buona Vista
district, one-north was masterplanned
and built by JTC Corporation (JTC) as a
work-live-learn-play development. It
comprises research and development
(R&D) facilities and business park
space alongside residences, amenities,
restaurants and eateries.
Ascendas President and Group CEO
Manohar Khiatani dubbed it “the nextgeneration business park“ and “an
integrated R&D ‘city within a city’“ when
he was CEO of JTC during the 200ha
development’s conception. It is raising the
bar for what an integrated environment
should be.
Clusters of eco-friendly futuristic
towers with purpose-specic facilities for
targeted industries are complemented
by supporting developments offering
retail, dining, entertainment and other
lifestyle options. There are even pockets
of housing options set amid lush greenery.
Integral to one-north are three key
clusters of facilities and amenities:
Biopolis, Fusionopolis and Mediapolis.
As one of the major players here,
Ascendas has a strong presence in
all three clusters, with a total of  ve
completed developments in one-north.
The latest project, Galaxis, is currently
1
under construction.
BIOPOLIS
es
sw
ay
Designed with sustainable features
such as a building-integrated solarpowered system and intelligent building
Map SPH - The Straits Times (Graphics)
16
Text Saw Puay Lim
automation systems to optimise energy
usage, this development is one of JTC’s
key projects to boost the biomedical
industry as Singapore’s next engine of
economic growth.
Today, Biopolis is a thriving science
cluster that brings together the full
spectrum of biomedical R&D activities,
housing private and public sector research
institutes. It has expanded through  ve
phases to 13 buildings with a total gross
oor area of close to 341,000 sq m.
Cutting-edge shared facilities here
include laboratories for DNA sequencing,
ow cytometry, mass spectrometry and
nuclear magnetic resonance, staffed by
trained technicians. The goal is to help
biomedical companies save on
R&D capital spending so they
can focus on investments that
accelerate drug discovery and
development.
Within Biopolis, Ascendas
has two buildings: Neuros &
Immunos and Nucleos. An
architecturally modernistic
two-block building with
about 26,035 sq m of leasable
oor area, Neuros & Immunos
forms Phase 2 of Biopolis.
Rentable retail business units from
30 to 60 sq m take up the rst oor.
Offices and research lab spaces from 110
to 530 sq m comprise the second oor;
these also occupy the third to seventh
oors, where their sizes are between 170
and 700 sq m. Some of the key initiatives
of the Agency for Science, Technology and
Research (A*STAR), such as the Singapore
Immunology Network (SIgN), have set up
laboratories here.
In Nucleos, a seven-storey twin-tower
development in Biopolis, tenants can
choose modular units that give them
exibility to plan their spaces efficiently.
Another option, which is in its planning
phase, are ready-tted laboratories
known as Shell-plus labs, where tenants
can enjoy office stations with shared
support services and facilities such as
reception, photocopy areas, sitting areas,
conference rooms and pantries.
1
WHO’S WHO
IN ONE-NORTH
●
●
●
●
●
2
●
●
●
1
Nexus @
one-north is
a landscaped
business park
with two office
and business
space towers, at
Fusionopolis.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Autodesk
A*STAR
Discovery Asia
Fox International Channels
Fujitsu
Globecast Asia
Innite Frameworks
Lucaslm Singapore
Media Development Authority
Mediacorp
Namco Bandai
Procter & Gamble
Singapore Immunology Network
Spring Singapore
Unilever Four Acres Singapore
2
Nucleos, a sevenstorey twin-tower,
aims to be the
centre for worldclass biomedical
companies.
3
Neuros, a sevenstorey tower, is
connected to its
twin, Immunos;
they make up
Biopolis Phase 2.
3
18
F E AT UR E
“The Shell-plus feature is another
innovative concept designed to provide
biomedical companies with basic
laboratory facilities and help them save
time and resources during the initial
set-up phase,” explained Khiatani, after a
Group subsidiary was awarded the tender
for the project in May 2011.
FUSIONOPOLIS
The Fusionopolis cluster reinvents
how research is done by placing crossdisciplinary capabilities under one roof to
work together to solve global challenges
and forge new frontiers of science and
technology for businesses in infocomm
technology (ICT), media, physical sciences
and engineering.
Major players housed here include
private organisations Autodesk and
Double Negative, and public organisations
such
as the Science & Engineering
2
Research Council (SERC) of A*STAR, the
Media Development Authority and
SPRING Singapore. Besides creating
signicant synergies for Singapore’s ICT
industry and immense opportunities
for technology collaboration, they
also enhance Singapore’s position
as a select investment site that can
support companies seeking end-to-end
business activities, such as headquarters
establishment, R&D, product
development, and deploying solutions in
global markets.b
In this cluster, Ascendas has two
developments: Galaxis, a 17-storey
business space currently under
construction, and Nexus @one-north, two
six-storey towers of business space linked
by a central landscaped plaza and sky
bridge; the latter has a 184-lot basement
car park.
Nexus @one-north has a net leasable
area of about 20,669 sq m and is located
near the one-north MRT station. It has
also attained the Platinum Green Mark
certication from Singapore’s Building and
Construction Authority.
MEDIAPOLIS
The 19ha Mediapolis is home to a media
A NEW BUSINESS
SPACE CONCEPT
Tenants at Work Lofts, Galaxis will be
pioneers of Ascendas’ new business
space concept, which allows them
to  exibly utilise spaces leased for
both work and lifestyle needs. Each
loft is furnished with quality kitchen
 ttings, induction cooking hob and
hood, refrigerator, instant water heater,
sanitary ware and toilet  ttings.
Jointly developed by Ascendas
and Mitsui, Galaxis costs about $370
million to develop. Sited in the heart of
Fusionopolis, it is designed to appeal
to those in the ICT, media, phsysical
science and engineering industries. It
provides about 51,000 sq m of business
space, 34 work loft units and over
4,000 sq m of retail space for food and
beverage outlets, lifestyle options
and amenities. It attained Singapore’s
Building and Construction Authority’s
Green Mark Platinum Certi cation in
May 2014.
ecosystem anchored by shared
facilities such as soundstages,
advanced digital screen
studios, motion capture
studios, and broadcast
facilities.
The Mediapolis
ecosystem will comprise
incubators, R&D activities,
content development,
digital production,
broadcasting, industryresponsive education,
intellectual property and digital
rights management.
National broadcaster MediaCorp,
one of the anchor tenants in Mediapolis,
is scheduled to relocate here by 2015.
Developed jointly by Ascendas and
Citramas Nusaterra, the 24,078 sq metre
Innite Studios features Singapore’s
largest purpose-built sound stages,
designed in consultation with leading
4
5
Hollywood-based sound stage operator
Raleigh Studios. With the opening of
this rst multi-tenanted development
in Mediapolis, a full suite of digital
media services from production and
post-production to transmission, is now
housed under one roof. Key tenants
include Globecast Asia, Discovery
Networks and Namco Bandai.
At its official opening ceremony in
January this year, Khiatani said: “Now
home to 21 companies, Innite Studios is
testament to Ascendas’ commitment to
creating a differentiating advantage for
our customers and providing a vibrant
business hub for companies in the media
industry.”
SYNERGISTIC COMPLEMENTS
Integrating synergistically into one-north
to turn it into a work-live-play-learn
community are the complementary
clusters through which one-north Park
runs. These are: JTC LaunchPad @
one-north; Pixel and Vista, which have
residences schools and retail centres; and
lifestyle zones Wessex Estate, Rochester
Park and Nepal Hill.
Also at Nepal Hill is Four Acres
Singapore, a built-to-suit arrangement
between the Ascendas Real Estate
Investment Trust and Unilever. It
comprises a three-storey training
block and a one-storey recreation and
business block for Unilever’s leadership
development purposes.
CONTINUING EXCELLENCE
Ascendas is “happy to continue to
contribute to the development of onenorth, a new-generation science and
business park, as a world-class business
hub for leading edge activities. We have
been actively involved in its development
since 2006”, Khiatani said at Innite
Studios’ opening.
4
A rendering of
Galaxis’ Work Lofts
concept shows
its versatility and
exibility. There
will be 34 units
within  ve storeys.
5
Innite Studios in
Mediapolis houses
Singapore’s largest
soundstages and
several production
facilities.
20
F E AT UR E
GIVIN G BACK
THE ASCENDAS GIVES FOUNDATION (AGF ) WEEK 2014 CELEBR ATED THE
SPIRIT OF CARING AND SHARING WITH FUN, FUNDR AISING EVENTS.
3
2
1
From July 24-August 1, the Ascendas
Gives Foundation (AGF), led by
chairman Willy Shee and Ascendas
President and Group CEO Manohar
Khiatani, encouraged Ascendians,
tenants at Singapore Science Park I and
II, and partners to share their time and
resources for a good cause.
The beneciary of this year’s AGF
Week, Arts@Metta, prepared artworks,
handicrafts and baked goods for the Shop
& Give charity bazaar. Ascendians also
whipped up personal recipes for the To
Serve With Love lunch bazaar for staff.
The bazaars raised a total of $10,708, said
Shee. He added that AGF topped up this
amount with a cash donation of $10,000.
1
Ascendas President
and Group CEO
Manohar Khiatani
tried batik painting.
2-3, 7
Crest Secondary
School students
learned mosaic art
at AGF Week 2014.
5-6, 8
Cupcakes, plush
bears and batikprint tumblers were
sold at the Shop &
Give bazaar.
4
AGF also held a
Facebook campaign.
Text Celine Lim
4
Adding festive fun to the Shop & Give
bazaar were activity tables where
tenants learned batik painting, made
owers from recycled plastic bags
for Chingay 2015 and Singapore’s
50th National Day, and decorated
cupcakes.
At the end of the week, visiting
students from Crest Secondary
5 joined in the creative fun by
School
learning how to craft mosaic art from
Arts@Metta instructors. Shee said
the three art pieces they created will
be framed and displayed at Ascendas
properties.
To kick off AGF Week, recycling
bins for pre-loved clothes were set
up in Science Park I and II. By the end
of August, the bins contained 185kg of
clothes, which will be be converted by
Richlight Trading into a cash donation for
Arts@Metta. The AGF webinar, another
successful kick-off event, was
broadcast to other Ascendas
properties in the region.
A SUSTAINABLE
APPROACH TO
CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
Aligning CSR and corporate strategies
makes it easier for companies to do
good and ensures longevity, shared
IBM Singapore’s managing director
Janet Ang at the AGF webinar.
5
The key to developing a
sustainable corporate social
responsibility (CSR) strategy is
to align it with the company’s
business strategy and expertise.
IBM Singapore’s managing
director, Ms Janet Ang, shared this
insight during the webinar, Making
Your Corporate Giving Truly Count,
which was held on July 24 to kick off AGF
Week 2014.
To illustrate her point, she mentioned
a CSR project that tapped on Ascendas’
property development know-how: A
new residential wing for Melrose Home,
the oldest children’s home in Singapore.
AGF and its partners funded the new
7
6
8
22
F E AT UR E
9
10
wing, which cost half a million dollars,
and managed its construction. Officially
opened on July 26, 2013, the new wing
doubled the home’s residential capacity
from 15 to 30 teenagers, and included
study and recreation space as well as
multimedia facilities.
Addressing Ascendas staff in the
audience, Ang said: “I applaud your
contribution to Melrose. It’s aligned
with your expertise and your employees
could get involved – it’s part of the work
that they do normally, but they are
volunteering.”
A study by the National Volunteer
& Philanthropy Centre, “Bridging the
Expectations Gaps in Corporate Giving”,
found that many companies starting out
on their CSR journeys want to organise
big events or outings in conjunction with
voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs).
Ang cautioned that such CSR
initiatives are a “ash in the pan, and
not sustainable”, as they are driven by
these companies’ need “to feel good”
while expending a great deal of the
VWOs’ time and eff ort for one-off events.
She stressed the need for companies
“serious” about CSR to think long-term
and to nd out how best to help VWOs
with their needs.
11
As for ensuring CSR sustainability
during an economic downturn, Ang said,
“If the corporate giving involves writing
cheques then, certainly, businesses
going up and down will have an impact
on the CSR budget.”
But she was quick to add that there
are a couple of things that can be done.
First, set up a philanthropic foundation,
as Ascendas has done, such that a
certain sum of money is set aside during
good times to ensure a  ow of resources
during bad times.
Second, Ang advocated: “Move away
from cheque-giving towards providing
technology, expertise, capabilities as
well as volunteerism among employees,
which doesn’t depend on pro t-andloss, but on the heart – galvanising
employees to do the good work that they
want to do.”
9-11
IBM Singapore’s
Janet Ang
conducted the
webinar on CSR
at Innite Studios,
from which it was
broadcast to other
Ascendas locations.
F E AT UR E
Text Anita Yee
G
E
T
T
I
N
G
SOCIAL MEDIALEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE SOCIAL MEDIA NET WORKS SO THAT THEY WORK
FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS – AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
Did you hear about the
shoplifter in Illinois, US who
was found and apprehended
within six hours of her
theft because of a photo
she posted on Facebook?
The online community and
police were able to identify
her whereabouts from
background details in her
sele (self-portrait).
Social media plays a big role
around the world these days: It
can help to solve crimes, raise
awareness, cause a person
to be hired or red, promote
WHERE ARE YOU?
Depending on what you want
to achieve with social media,
Facebook is a good starting
point because almost everyone
has a Facebook account
these days, says Jimmy Tang,
founding editor of Hardware
Zone, the leading online portal
and IT forum in South-east
Asia, and group editor for
a brand, connect long-lost
friends, and more. Where
do you start? Which social
media platform is the most
effective? What should you
post? And how do you ensure
the safety and integrity of the
information you put out there?
New Media at SPH Magazines.
“Platforms like LinkedIn are
really about developing your
professional online identity
and network. Twitter is (more
of) a micro-blogging platform
for keeping up with trending
topics and news/events that
are happening,” he explains.
F E AT UR E
SOUNDS SIMPLE ENOUGH
He likens having a Facebook
account to having “an online
birth certicate” as it means
one has a presence and is
“alive”, albeit invisible. It’s used
by many as a news feed and
for socialising online, he notes.
A SYMBOL OF OUR TIMES
even the First Lady of the US,
Michelle Obama, has tweeted.
Shares Toh, “There were
times when I found myself
spending too much time on
social media to the point that
I lost my [physical] social
interaction with friends.
Sometimes I also nd it
“Facebook is a must-have,”
says Dennis Toh, owner of
The Inuencer Network
(www.inuencersg.com), an
integrated marketing and
media agency in Singapore.
Social media today has a
wide reach. That little hash
tag, for example, is only a
small part of social media,
but it can inuence a lot of
things. For example, it leads
global campaigns such as
#bringbackourgirls, which
Toh suggests Instagram, too,
because “the ability to curate
pictures and frame pictorial
stories liberates the creative
mind, and more importantly
serves the narcissistic nature
of modern man”.
addictive, especially in the
course of my work, where I
have to oversee more than
10 Facebook fan pages and
other social media sites. It is
important to learn how to
desensitise oneself and get
‘real’ for a while.”
Images BRINGBACKOURGIRLS http://instagram.com/bringbackourgirls; CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR https://twitter.com/camanpour/status/465058668019318784e in
24
Image Corbis
PAUSE BEFORE YOU POST
This brings us to the point of
safety, both online and offline.
“Most social media platforms,
like Facebook, have a rather
detailed set of privacy settings
that you can use to protect
your private information from
strangers,” says Tang. “But as
with all things posted on the
Internet, you should never
share personal details.”
He suggests that the best
form of protection is “really to
refrain from over-sharing, as
opposed to depending on the
platform’s security settings to
do the job for you”. If in doubt,
don’t share it.
Toh, who also teaches
about social media at Curtin
University in Singapore adds,
“Information or images relating
to your children, location
and birthday should not be
publicly shared. Also, adding
strangers on Facebook
increases the risk of losing
one’s privacy.”
Here’s another point to
note: It pays to take extra
care of what you post socially
and how you represent
yourself too, simply because
you are leaving a digital
footprint that is easily tracked.
From college admission to
employment, you’ll never
know who might be checking
up on you digitally. Your past
(and present) exploits may
not be as “hidden” as you’d
like to believe.
All it takes is just a few
mouse clicks and a potential
employer can easily get a
good look at the candidate’s
Facebook, LinkedIn and
Twitter feeds to see what they
usually post, says Tang. He
adds that a Google search of the
candidate’s name (or nickname,
if you know it) would reveal a lot
of new information.
“Extensive coverage would
suggest that the individual is
media savvy while minimal
coverage might suggest that
the individual is clueless about
social media or just cannot be
bothered,” elaborates Toh.
He adds, “Human resource
managers will get a feel of the
candidate’s online personality
through the kind of updates and
photos posted. Nowadays, the
‘social media persona’ will be
used as ‘non-verbal cues’ in the
job interview.”
The best form of
protection, says
Tang, is “really to
refrain from oversharing, as opposed
to depending on the
platform’s security
settings to do the job
for you”. If in doubt,
don’t share it.
SOCIAL
ETIQUETTE
ON THE
NET
Tang shares  ve
simple rules to
observe on social
media networks:
● Always remain
professional on
social media.
● Do not make
baseless criticisms
about others or
organisations
because these
can make you
look petty and
unreasonable.
● If you off er your
opinions on key
issues and topics
of interests,
always ensure
that you base your
arguments on
facts. In fact, it’s
good to be known
as an opinion
leader among your
peers.
● Don’t over-share
things and don’t
post anything that
will harm you. If
you’re going to
post something,
always read
through it rst and
ask yourself if it’s
the kind of update
that you’d like
to read on your
timeline.
● If you’re unsure,
don’t post.
F E AT UR E
WORKING IT
Where businesses are
concerned, learning to evolve
your business with social
media is critical.
“It is important that brands
extend themselves on social
networks,” says Toh. While the
traditional way of marketing
is focused on interrupted
marketing, “often [a] one-way
communication, the new age
method has to do with a total
360 degree engagement with
your customers”. Onlineempowered consumers do
not want to be told what to do.
Most of them are vocal and
opinionated, and engaging
them both offline and online is
key in building your brand.
Be strategic and thoughtful
when committing to a social
media strategy – brands must
have a social media strategy,
says Toh. “They should focus
on long-term engagement
and goodwill building. A lot of
brands use social media to
blast promotional messages
– this tactic should be heavily
discouraged. Consumers
like to be entertained and
humoured via social media.
The last thing they want
is another promotional
message.”
Brands that are making
social media platforms work
for them include Starbucks,
which created its own social
media site, “My Starbucks
Idea”, to empower its websavvy consumers to get a
better handle on consumer
feedback. IBM created an
entire network of blogs for its
employees to give consumers
a look into what they’re
working on – a sort of behindthe-scenes experience.
If you’re a social mediasavvy brand, you could
leverage celebrities like
model Cara Delevingne,
who at last count had over
1.7 million followers on
Twitter and close to 6 million
followers on Instagram. She
is “enabling” brands to reach
new consumers by sharing
with her followers. From what
is believed to be the rst ever
runway video sele (posted
on Instagram) to live tweets
backstage, Delevingne is an
example of how brands can
reach a huge audience by
tapping in to a public gure’s
social media presence.
Focus
on long-term
engagement and
goodwill building,
and entertain and
inform, rather than
blast promotional
messages.
Images IBM SYNDICATED FEEDS http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/, CARA DELEVIGNE http://instagram.com/caradelevingne
26
Images OREO https://twitter.com/Oreo/status/298246571718483968; KITKAT https://twitter.com/KITKAT;
THE INFLUENCER TV http://www.theinuencertv.com
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Follow these simple rules,
shares Tang: “Be yourself, and
personalise your posts – don’t
sound like a robot. Always
engage your readers with a
question. Don’t try too hard to
push your brand and products
to readers. Be genuine with
your posts, and make them
useful. There’s a reason why
your customers want to follow
you, so understand what
they want to read, and post
accordingly.”
Don’t forget humour, Tang
adds. “[Humour] is important
in social media, and people
love to read positive and
funny posts that brighten up
their day. George Takei does it
very well on Facebook, using
humour to entertain his fans
while championing causes he
really cares about.”
Tang’s picks of social media
“successes” include a personal
favourite – “The Oreo-
Superbowl ‘blackout’ tweet
was interesting, timely, simple
and powerful. Likewise, during
Facebook’s outage, Nestle
came up with a witty tweet to
promote Kit Kat.”
Toh shares that the social
media trend has also moved
to include online TV, with
companies like clicknetwork
TV and The Inuencer TV
having interesting online
programmes that target the
younger audience.
“It is not necessary to have
a blog on a corporate website,
for impression building. A
corporate blog is necessary
only if it can engage people
through regular updates and
interesting content,” adds Toh.
“A blog [on a corporate
website] is useful if you have
something to share, or if
your company has important
updates to make on a regular
but casual basis. Don’t create
a blog hoping that it will go
viral. It doesn’t work that way
most of the time,” says Tang.
Engaging with others on a
social media network takes a
lot of work. “Social media is
not something that you build
today and expect immediate
ROI [returns on investment]
tomorrow. It’s not going to
be a platform which you
can set up and ignore. It’s
not a channel for one-way
communication, and it’s not
free. And nally, social media
is not the only way to market
your product,” reminds Tang.
Toh adds that social media
networking “should not be
about gaining numbers” by
way of adding strangers
because he feels that “the
real networking is done when
one is truly engaged, and
spending time at events and
functions, or even in personal
social settings, having real
conversations and dialogues
with people.”
28
MONEY
In today’s digital age, it’s probably hard
to recall a time when we didn’t have
Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Back
in the old days, networking meant
actually meeting someone in person,
and talking to them – face-to-face. No
doubt, online social media platforms
have their own smart advantages that
can generate innite connections.
But there’s a lot to be said for the
old-school way of building business
contacts as well.
One of the best networking platforms
for corporations today is still membership
with a chamber of commerce. What do
chambers do? They essentially provide
a platform for professional exchange
and development, says Dr Tim Philippi,
executive director of the SingaporeanGerman Chamber of Industry and
Commerce (SGC).
The SGC has been based in Singapore
since 2004, and celebrates its 10th
anniversary this year. It is one of
the largest national business
chambers in Singapore, with
a membership count of
over 500 representatives
from across a variety of
industries. Representative
member companies
might include German or
Singaporean corporations
that have signicant
commercial interest or
ties with German business,
although as of last count, about 80
percent of SGC’s members are German
companies.
A crucial component of chambers
are their committees, which focus on
specic sectors and functions. At SGC,
there are currently 11 active committees
covering areas that include automotive,
environment, nancial management,
human resources and food and beverage.
“We organise meetings where specialists
come together to exchange views,”
explains Dr Philippi. Such invaluable knowhow helps members to keep up with the
latest developments in their industry. The
human resource committee, for instance,
Networking
the Traditional
Way
Amid today’s
online social
networking platforms,
joining a chamber of
commerce continues to
be one of the best ways
for businesses
to connect.
1
2
Text Wyn-Lyn Tan
3
1
SGC organises
special networking
events, such as
this site tour to
Nusajaya for
delegates from
Germany.
2
Dr Tim Philippi,
executive director
of the SingaporeanGerman Chamber
of Industry and
Commerce (SGC).
3
Ascendas President
and Group
CEO Manohar
Khiatani speaks
at a SingaporeGerman Chamber
of Industry and
Commerce event.
could exchange views on
managing a medium-sized
company in Singapore,
or the environment
committee might
invite speakers from
Germany to showcase
products on how
to increase energy
efficiency in Singapore,
he elaborates.
Members of SGC
also have easy access to
the chamber’s organised
business luncheons, where
they can engage with prolic
industry speakers from both
Singapore and Germany. Past speakers
have included the chief economist from
Commerzbank AG, and the deputy CEO
of the Association of German Chambers
of Commerce and Industry, from
Germany. In the same vein, SGC holds
regular breakfast briengs where invited
speakers and participants come together
for in-depth discussions of timely topics,
such as the Singapore Budget or German
economics, for example. In addition, SGC
members are invited to trade delegation
functions in Singapore or in Germany.
Chambers advocate on behalf of
their members as well. Judith R. Fergin,
executive director of the American
Chamber of Commerce in Singapore
(AmCham) explains: “If your company
operates in an economy where contracts
cannot be enforced, or intellectual
property theft is rampant, or favouritism
distorts the competitive climate, then
your chamber will spend a great deal of
time promoting policies and practices
to level the playing eld and create a
more hospitable environment for private
investment. If your company operates
in a sophisticated market where the
rule of law and fairness prevail, your
chamber might support initiatives such
as tax reform or internet freedom. No
matter where you operate, your chamber
might also support corporate social
responsibility principles and activities.”
In short, your chamber can provide “an
umbrella of support,” says Dr Philippi.
Drawing from all these resources, SGC
members naturally benet from the active
networking platforms. Aside from keeping
up-to-date with the latest industry
know-how, they are also able to cultivate
strong relationships and new business
contacts along the way. Then there is the
social factor that comes from mingling
before and after the luncheons, briengs
and meetings. “There is (still) a need for
people to physically talk eye-to-eye with
one another. It is about building trust,”
says Dr Philippi.
Fergin agrees: “There is still something
unbeatable about personal contact. We
still rely on the human touch, personal
charm, rm handshakes, and facial
expressions to evaluate someone else’s
sincerity and depth. So networking in
person rather than through an electronic
medium is still an essential part of
building business relationships.”
AmCham opened its doors in Singapore
in 1973 and currently serves over 750
member companies.
Dr Philippi continues: “With Facebook
or LinkedIn, you can make general
international sector contacts, which
is good. But by joining a chamber in
Singapore, your contacts are more
focused. You meet other companies who
are here in Singapore, who have the same
challenges. For example, how do you nd
the right staff or handle the free trade
agreement? It might be better discussed
with a group based here in Singapore.”
“There is the commonality of interest
– business success – that provides the
jumping off point for every conversation,”
adds Fergin, on why networking through
a chamber of commerce remains to
be effective. “For AmCham Singapore
members, value lies also in the number
of member companies and the variety
of industries they represent. Better
yet, more and more US companies are
managing their ASEAN and even Asiawide operations out of Singapore. One
conversation here can solve problems
or open opportunities in multiple
destinations,” she says.
DESIGN
T H E C A P I TA L O F
EUROPE’S FIRST CIT Y OF DESIGN, AS DECL ARED BY
UNESCO, BERLIN INVITES THE REST OF THE WORLD
TO EXPLORE THE GERMAN CAPITAL’S DESIGN
AND ART DESTINATIONS. HERE ARE 10 MUST-SEE
PL ACES FOR THE INTREPID TR AVELLER.
1
2
1
The Berlin Wall.
Inside the
Bauhaus-Archiv in
Berlin are all the
documents and
literature from
one of the most
important design
movements in
history.
3
The spectacular
architecture of
the dome at the
Reichstag Building,
which houses
government
offices, attracts
plenty of visitors.
3
2
It’s not surprising that the culturati
feel that Berlin is the unofficial cultural
capital of Europe. In the past 10 years,
the city has established itself as an
important epicentre of design and art
not just in Europe but also on a global
scale. Since being awarded the title of
City of Design by UNESCO in 2006 – the
rst European city to be so named – it
has opened its doors to the creative
class from around the world. Today,
a mix of locals and transplants who
have set up businesses in Berlin are
Images www.visitBerlin.de; Corbis; Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Maximilian Meisse
30
Text Shweta Parida
the driving force behind Germany’s
creative economy. According to the
local authorities, there are more than
170 museums, 200 historic buildings
and palaces that have been converted
into cultural institutions, as well as
over 450 art and design galleries in the
city. It’s a number that’s been steadily
growing, buoyed by an availability of
large and inexpensive spaces.
Dynamic neighbourhoods with
decidedly unique personalities span the
city. There is something for everyone:
from the relatively raw to the more
rened, both east and west.
In the sophisticated and stylish enclave
of Charlottenburg in the western part
of town, architecturally stunning design
hotels, avant-garde galleries and designer
boutiques have set up shop.
Nearby in the Tiergarten district, the
relatively new Kulturforum, a collection
of national museums and galleries in
conserved heritage buildings, is proving
to be immensely popular with art and
design lovers.
And there is Mitte, the central as
well as the cultural core of the German
capital. It’s here that the world-renowned
museum island, a cluster of national
museum buildings, is located. Formerly
a part of down-at-heel East Germany, it’s
now awash with galleries, studios and
showrooms. Away from the highbrow
art and design landscape, the grittier
eastern neighbourhood of KreuzbergFriedrichshain offers some of the best
street art and graffiti by the city’s up-andcoming artists.
This progressive outlook and dynamism
resonates throughout the city’s design
scene. However, the storied past of Berlin
is an aspect that city planners, designers
and artists have embraced rather than
abandoned, juxtaposing the old and the
new and creating an environment that’s
become a role model for the creative
community the world over.
4
Kulturforum
is a cluster of
galleries, concert
halls, museums
and cultural
institutions
located in the
heart of Berlin
near Postdamer
Platz.b
4
DESIGN
5
BAUHAUS
The pole outside
Bauhaus-Archiv/
Museum fur
Gestaltung
provides insights
on the design
philosophy of the
modernist design
movement.
The Bauhaus (“building house” in German)
began life in the German city of Weimar in
the aftermath of the First World War. One
of the most signicant modernist design
movements, it later moved to Dessau.
Today, however, the largest repository of
all things Bauhaus is in Berlin.
Called the Bauhaus Archiv, it is housed
in a landmark building designed by
Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius himself
in the city’s Tiergarten district. The
museum’s distinctive roof still polarises
the architecture community but there’s no
denying its pivotal role in the architectural
splendour of Berlin.
Its surprisingly restrained interior
displays the breadth and depth of
Bauhaus’ expansive activities, which
ranged from architecture and furniture
to ceramics, metalwork, photography
and more. Set on one oor of the main
building, the exhibition space showcases
thought-provoking works from students
6
This tea infuser
from the BauhausArchiv, designed by
Marianne Brandt
in 1924, remains
as modern today
as it was all those
years ago.
7
Founded by
iconic architect
Walter Gropius,
the Bauhaus
school of design
is one of the
most inuential
institutions in
history.
5
as well as Bauhaus heavyweights. There’s
also the shop, which stocks a wide range
of lovely Bauhaus reproductions and
such souvenir items as the map of the
key Bauhaus buildings in Berlin, among
which is legendary German architect Mies
van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie on
Potsdamerstrasse. www.bauhaus.de/en
DIREK TORENHAUS
6
7
A relative newcomer on the city’s art and
design scene is the Direktorenhaus at the
Alte Munze between the Nikolaiviertel
and Alexanderplatz in the central Mitte
district, on the banks of the Spree river
with a ne view of the docks. The venue
is run by the founders of Illustrative,
one of the major international festivals
of graphics and illustration since 2006.
The Direktorenhaus seeks to create an
experimental forum for addressing the
increasingly blurred boundaries between
art and design. The 1930s-era building
served as the national mint, with a
bombproof vault that safeguarded not
only coins but also precious artworks
Images Bauhaus-Archiv/Museum für Gestaltung, Berlin; Hamburger Bahnhof/Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin
32
8
during the war. It’s now an embodiment
of old-meets-new design ideology.
www.direktorenhaus.com
HAMBURGER BAHNHOF
8
Hamburger
Bahnhof is an old
railway station
that has been
converted into a
contemporary art
museum, part of
Berlin National
Gallery.
Previously the terminus of the railway
line between Hamburg and Berlin, this
building was built in December 1846. Its
late neoclassical style was conceived by
the architect and railway pioneer Friedrich
Neuhaus, setting an architectural
precedent for the subsequent designs
of Berlin’s train stations through the
second half of the 19th century. Notably,
Hamburger Bahnhof is the city’s only train
station remaining from that time; it has
now converted into one of the largest
and most important public collections for
contemporary art in Germany.
www.hamburgerbahnhof.de
PL ATOON KUNSTHALLE
Platoon Kunsthalle (Platoon art hall),
an experimental space for artists and
creatives, hosts art projects, exhibitions,
workshops, and events to nurture
contemporary creativity. An avant-garde
platform for subculture such as urban
street art, graphic design, performance,
fashion, digital art, music, lm and
club culture, it is hailed as a successful
example of “cargotecture”. Made out of
34 standard freight containers, the art
complex that opened in Schonhauser
Allee in July 2012 has quickly become a
reference point for all things creative in
the city. www.kunsthalle.com/berlin
SAMMLUNG INDUSTRIELLE
GESTALTUNG
A massive collection of industrial design
offers an interesting and comprehensive
insight into the design history of the
former Soviet occupation zone and
the former East Germany state also
known as German Democratic Republic
(GDR). It is housed in the grade-listed
Kulturbrauerei facility in Prenzlauer
Berg, with a compilation of more than
160,000 everyday products and design
objects from the elds of interior
design, household, technical equipment,
DESIGN
consumer electronics, toys, textiles and
industrial design as well as socio-political
posters and pop-culture advertising
materials. www.hdg.de/berlin/sammlung
THE WERKBUNDARCHIV – MUSEUM
DER DINGE
DESIGNTR ANSFER
Designtransfer is a gallery and design
college at UdK Berlin (Berlin University
of the Arts) and functions as a place
for academia and the public to meet.
It initiates, coordinates and presents
exchange between interdisciplinary elds
such as architecture, product, fashion
design, visual communication as well
as art and media. As a communicative
interface between the university and
the public, designtransfer organises
exhibitions and hosts events on design
issues. Essentially, it acts as the pivot
point for Berlin’s creative industry.
www.designtransfer.udk-berlin.de/en
9
Also known as the Museum of Things,
this unique establishment presents its
collection of design and everyday culture
in the 20th century in a 500 sq m former
trade workshop and warehouse located in
the Kreuzberg neighbourhood. It aims to
bridge the gap between modernist design
movement and the banalities of everyday
consumer products by bringing together
an array of well-known and anonymous
design objects, and branded and noname products. Documenting the history
of the Deutscher Werkbund (German
Association of Craftsmen), founded in
1907 and the century’s material culture
dominated by industrial mass production,
the display also emphasises on the
historic facts of material, form, function
and utilisation of everyday goods.
12
10
9
The Michelin man,
mascot of the
renowned tyre
brand, is one of the
items on display at
Museum der Dinge.
11
10-11
Designtransfer
is the gallery of
the College of
Architecture, Media
and Design at the
Berlin University
of the Arts, and
contains archives
like these stone
carvings.
Images www.visitBerlin.de; Museum der Dinge
34
13
A must-see is the museum shop that
offers unusual and quirky design objects.
www.museumderdinge.de
STAT TBAD
Stattbad, a former indoor public
swimming pool in Wedding, Mitte, is now
a cluster of off beat galleries, studios and
workspaces for artists and designers.
One such name, Open Walls Gallery, is a
well-known gallery presenting some of
the most acclaimed urban contemporary
art in the world. A few of the renowned
artists represented by the gallery include
Vermibus, Anton Unai, Doppeldenk, Paola
Deln, Giacomo Spazio and Thomas
von Wittich. The facility holds regular
exhibitions and concerts. There’s also a
street-level bar, urban garden, and weekly
vegetarian restaurant for a complete
cultural experience. www.stattbad.net
14
the building its name),�has taken up
residence on the upper two oors of the
revitalised building. The roughly 17,500
sq m cultural space accommodates,
among others, the Design Akademie, the
publisher Ueberreuter, the Buchhandlung
Moritzplatz, Coledampf’s & Companies,
the Kai Dikhas Gallery, the Theater Aufbau
Kreuzberg, the Prince Charles Club,
producers of mosaics, colours, textiles,
wallpapers, two- and three-dimensional
design and photographs, as well as
choreographers and theatre artists. It
also houses Imago 1:1, the only selfportrait camera in the world that one can
walk into. There’s also the Kindergarten
Wildfang, which provides all-day childcare.
The second and nal phase of the house
will be completed in 2015.
www.aufbauhaus-berlin.net
IMA DESIGN VILL AGE
AUFBAU HAUS
12-14
The collection
at Museum der
Dinge includes a
modernist chair by
designer Herbert
Hirche, an alumni
of the Bauhaus
school in Dessau,
and many other
iconic products of
his design.
One of the most remarkable reasons
why the creative sectors in Berlin have
been so successful is because of the
interdisciplinary collaboration. One more
name in this juggernaut of creatively
charged environment is Aufbau Haus at
Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood. An
innovative new presence in the city’s
cultural landscape, the city’s biggest
publisher, Aufbau-Verlag (which gave
Since opening in 2009, the IMA Design
Village in Kreuzberg has become an
important part of Berlin’s design
landscape. Located in a former industrial
building, it comprises offices, studios,
showrooms and sales areas focusing
on different elds of design, and cafes.
The IMA Loft Hotel provides exible and
completely equipped accommodation
options for individual visitors and design
companies. www.imavillage.com
PERSPECTIVE
The term “global city” has been
much bandied about in recent years.
Singapore aspires to be one. Some
think Singapore is already one. The
concept of Singapore as a global city
goes back much earlier than many
of us realise. In 1972, Singapore’s
rst Foreign Minister S Rajaratnam
addressed the Singapore Press Club.
He said: “…But times are changing and
there will be less and less demand for
the traditional type of entrepôt services
A SECOND
SINGAPORE
that Singapore has rendered for well over
a century. Its role as the entrepôt city of
South-east Asia, the market place of the
region, will decrease in importance. This
is because Singapore is transforming
itself into a new kind of city – a Global City.
It is a new form of human organisation
and settlement that has no precedent
in mankind’s past history. People have
become aware of this new type of city only
very recently. They have found a name
for this distinctive type of city. They call it
Ecumenopolis – the world-embracing city.”
When Mr Rajaratnam spoke, Singapore
had already put in place a whole slew of
policies that made it very attractive to
international companies and nancial
institutions. He described the favourable
developments that were already taking
place. In particular, he focused on the
CREATING ‘ANOTHER SINGAPORE’
ELSEWHERE WOULD HELP US
OVERCOME OUR L AND AND
L ABOUR SHORTAGE.
Image Imagine
36
Text Dr Teh Kok Peng
role that Singapore would play in the
international supply chain that was
already developing in Asia.
“By linking up with international and
multinational corporations, Singapore
not only becomes a component of the
world economy, but is offered a short
cut to catch up or at least keep pace
with the most advanced industrial and
technological societies. By plugging-in
in this way, we can achieve in 20 to 30
years what otherwise would have taken a
century or more to achieve,” he said.
Most of us will agree that this
development strategy, put in place so
many years ago, has been spectacularly
successful. This strategy, in essence, is to
bring in capital and capabilities, including
labour, from the rest of the world, to
use Singapore as a production platform
to access markets globally and in the
region. Mr Lee Kuan Yew, in his book,
From Third World to First, articulated a
vision of creating a “First World oasis in
a Third World region” by having in place
rst-rate infrastructure, institutions and
governance practices, making Singapore
attractive enough for global and regional
companies to have a base here.
This development strategy remains
the dominant paradigm. Despite some
recent policy shifts, particularly on
foreign workers, many of our public
agencies, mindsets and skill sets continue
to operate around this paradigm. In
Hard Choices, a collection of essays by
various authors, and published earlier
this year, Donald Low, Associate Dean at
the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy,
challenged the vision of the global city.
Mr Low said: “The limits of the global
city idea became particularly salient in the
years just before the General Election of
2011; as Singapore’s population surged
on the back of very liberal immigration
and foreign-worker policies, inequality
rose from levels that were already much
higher than other developed countries,
congestion and overcrowding began to
undermine citizens’ trust in government,
and citizens began expressing greater
unease about competition from
foreigners and the wage stagnation
caused by cheap foreign labour.”
He also quotes Janadas Devan, Director
of the Institute of Policy Studies, asking
(rhetorically): “Is it possible that we may
have reached the limit of Rajaratnam’s
vision? Is it possible that we have to readjust our relationship with globalisation
to remain Singapore?”
To Mr Rajaratnam’s great credit, he was
prescient enough to recognise the limits
of his own vision. At the end of that very
speech, he said: “I have dealt largely with
the economic aspects of Singapore as a
Global City. But the political, social and
cultural implications of being a Global City
are no less important… The political, social
and cultural problems, I believe, would be
far more difficult to tackle. These may be
the Achilles’ Heel of emerging Global Cities.”
In 1972, the very year when Mr
Rajaratnam spoke about global cities,
another founding father, Dr Goh Keng
Swee, then the Deputy Prime Minister,
presented in his personal capacity an
interesting and insightful paper called
“Singapore in the International Economy”
at a symposium in the then University
of Singapore. In his paper, Dr Goh was
in support of encouraging foreign
direct investments into Singapore. Yet,
in extrapolating from trends already
apparent in recent years – in the
high rates of growth of foreign direct
investments, foreign workers and
GDP – into a future year, he wondered
aloud what this could imply in terms of
comfortable living space, development
of indigenous entrepreneurship and
innovation, and more generally, the
distribution of benets between
Singapore, the host country, and foreign
investors. To quote an excerpt, “The
question we must answer sooner or
later is this, ‘When do we stop growing?’
Or to be more precise, at what point do
we stop importing foreign workers and
cease to encourage foreign entrepreneurs
and capital in Singapore? Because of our
limited land area, industrial expansion,
together with the concomitant population
expansion, will produce overcrowding to
Dr Teh Kok Peng
is the chairman
of Ascendas.
This article is a
revised version of
a talk he gave at
the APREA (Asia
Paci c Real Estate
Association)
chairman/CEO
Leadership Series
In Conversation in
early September,
and was rst
published by The
Business Times.
38
PERSPECTIVE
increasingly uncomfortable limits.”
I would like now to make the case
that while the particular globalisation
strategy that Singapore embarked on
soon after independence was the right
one, perhaps the only sensible one, given
the circumstances and constraints of that
time, we may have overstayed in applying
this strategy as the dominant one. As a
result, our shortage of land, labour and
other capabilities is becoming more
obvious and severe. I believe it is timely
to have a second strategic pillar, which
I would describe in short as “creating a
second Singapore outside Singapore” –
the economic space of Singapore and
Singapore companies should be much
bigger than the geographical space of
Singapore. A similar idea was mooted
nearly 20 years ago, when there was talk
of creating a second wing for Singapore.
Singapore’s land and labour constraints
are immutable. Since independence
in 1965, our planners have done a
remarkable job in land reclamation and
urban planning such that we have been
able to increase our population and the
intensity of our land use without the
residents feeling unduly overcrowded
or congested until recent years.
Nevertheless, in the long term, there is
clearly a limit as to how much more we
can do in land-use intensication, given
how much we have already done.
DOMESTIC L ABOUR CONSTR AINTS
With regard to labour, Singapore had
actually run up against domestic labour
constraints early on, and had begun
importing foreign workers, mainly
Malaysians, by the early 1970s. In
fact, both Mr Rajaratnam and Dr Goh
referred to this matter in their speeches.
Since then, our dependency rate of
foreign workers as a proportion to our
total workforce, has risen sharply, to
possibly the highest in the world, with
the exception of the Gulf States in the
Middle East. It is this surge in our resident
population, which has been taking place
from sometime since the middle of the
last past decade, that has given rise to the
discontent described by Donald Low.
It may well be that Singapore can
support a population of 6.9 million
without being congested or over-crowded,
with clever planning and after the current
massive construction of MRTs, highways,
hospitals, schools, HDB ats, etc, all reach
completion.
The question also arises as to the
marginal benet of such further large
capital investments in a limited space
and, given the recent policy shift, with
the limited supply of labour. In economic
theory, when one factor of production –
land – is largely xed, and another factor –
labour – can grow only slowly, adding
more and more capital leads to diminishing
returns. About 20 years ago, Paul Krugman
argued that Singapore’s growth (and that
of a few other East Asian economies), was
largely driven by inputs of labour and
capital rather than productivity. If this is
true, are we in the process of doing more
of the same, even if the declared intent
is to develop a more innovation-based,
productivity-driven economy?
At this stage, it is useful to look at the
experience of more mature developed
economies. All of them have been major
exporters and importers of foreign
direct investments for many years. The
US Department of Commerce publishes
annual returns on US companies operating
in Singapore. These have shown attractive
equity returns, higher than returns usually
achieved by portfolio assets.
Singapore, because of its high savings
rate, especially by the government
in the form of budget surpluses, has
accumulated a very large stock of
investments overseas. But unlike the
mature developed economies, these
investments are mostly in the form of
portfolio investments, managed mainly by
MAS and GIC. Singapore will continue to
need to have a sizeable stock of overseas
portfolio investments. Nevertheless,
it seems we have reached the stage
where we should be able to follow in
the footsteps of the mature developed
economies by having much more direct
investments overseas than we currently
do, even as we continue to work to attract
high quality direct investments into
Singapore. We have a high savings rate, a
large stock of investible past savings, a
per capita income level that is among the
world’s highest, and access to capabilities
outside Singapore, in addition to what we
have attained ourselves.
BENEFITS OF A SECOND SINGAPORE
Further expansion overseas by Singapore
companies would ease the pressure on
our land and labour market. It would ease
the inow of foreign workers since our
companies would employ them in their
home countries.
It would enable our SMEs to achieve
scale more easily. A McKinsey study
released early this year found that
Singapore SMEs, with their limited market
size, need to go overseas at a much earlier
stage of their development compared
with those of other countries.
Because of the speed at which our land
and labour costs have risen, many of
our SMEs have useful technologies and
capabilities which could enable them to
continue operating protably in a country
where such costs are lower. Their chances
of success could be lower if they remained
totally in Singapore.
There is an interesting study done many
years ago by FT Knickerbocker of the
Harvard Business School, published in
a 1973 book. Its ndings are relevant to
Singapore companies as well. American
rms went global because there was a
risk of being excluded completely and
permanently from a foreign market by
trade barriers, visible and invisible, if they
did not invest.
There are already clear efforts by public
agencies to encourage and help Singapore
companies to expand overseas, notably,
by International Enterprise Singapore.
But in terms of priority and resources
allocated by the government, this ranks
lower than the present dominant strategy
of attracting foreign direct investments
into Singapore.
A strategic shift of this nature would
require a change in mindset, institutions
Further expansion overseas by Singapore
companies would ease the pressure on our
land and labour market. It would enable our
SMEs to achieve scale more easily.
and skills. Mistakes will be made, and
the risks will be greater in the short to
medium term. It seems to me that the
greater long-term risk is in staying with a
strategy that has been largely unchanged
for nearly half a century.
Finally, if we do embark on, and succeed
in creating a second Singapore, one
scenario would be proportionally more
Singaporeans spending time in foreign
countries on assignments, possibly for
years. Foreign staff will also be posted to
Singapore to help the parent companies
manage and coordinate operations in
subsidiaries in their home countries. A
Singaporean abroad will develop a better
understanding of what it means to be
a foreigner, adapting to the living and
working conditions of the country he is
in. He will develop working relationships
and friendships with his colleagues in
foreign lands. When he comes home, he
will have a fresh and more sympathetic or
benign perspective on foreigners living
and working in our midst, and a renewed
perspective on his own home country.
40
FOOD
’ TIS THE SEASON TO
INDULGE IN FEASTS,
EXCHANGE GIF TS, AND
SHARE EDIBLE BLESSINGS
WITH THE NEEDY. THESE
T WO ORGANISATONS LET
YOUR COMPANY LEND A
HELPING HAND.
1
E AT S F O R A
GOOD
C AU S E
2
Text Jessica Leow Photography Darren Chang
It is 6.30am on a Monday. In Sims
Avenue, babies are deep in slumber,
and the Geylang Serai wet market is
closed. The area is blanketed in predawn tranquility.
At the Willing Hearts soup kitchen on
Jalan Ubi, however, the action is at full
throttle.
Crates of chopped cabbage are being
poached in giant vats of hot water,
then quickly mixed with other cooked
ingredients; mountains of fried rice are
tossed in a customised cooker (think of
a cement mixer with a re underneath);
cartons of chicken llets are deep-fried
in industrial-sized woks. Volunteers in a
production line furiously ladle the dishes –
which arrive rapidly – into styrofoam and
plastic boxes, before quickly packing them
into bags. Other volunteers chop, wash
and prepare stacks of vegetables.
They aim to prepare and deliver
5,000 warm meals to the less fortunate.
Volunteer drivers, including taxi drivers,
send the lunchboxes to some 40 locations,
mostly housing estate void decks, for
distribution.
Since 2005, Willing Hearts has been
preparing comforting meals for those
3
in need – including the elderly, the
handicapped, the jobless, single parent
families and ex-offenders – 365 days
a year. And it has done so without
compelling volunteers to adhere to xed
schedules or undergo lengthy training.
Quite simply, as long as you have a willing
heart, you can help.
Volunteer Matthew Lee sums it up:
“Come when you can, do what you can,
leave whenever you need to.”
Lee, a photo and video database
coordinator with WWF International,
started helping out in June 2012. “I was
going through a very tough time in my life
– I was depressed and feeling hopeless
when I chanced upon Willing Hearts on a
friend’s Facebook feed. I didn’t have large
sums of money to donate but I had my
health, my strength and my time.”
The non-prot orgnisation’s exible
approach also appealed to regular
volunteer Grace Ng. “I moved from Hong
3
4
1
Crates of lunch
boxes ready to
be delivered to
those in need.
2
Willing Hearts
founder Tony Tay.
3-5
5
Kong back to Singapore�in late 2011�and
had time on hand. I’d always wanted to
be more active in charity work. Willing
Hearts’ ad-hoc and exible approach suits
my lifestyle,” says the businesswoman.
“Also, food is a basic need, so I felt that
was a good place to start serving the
community.”
Willing Hearts founder Tony Tay says
he was inspired by his late mother – she
selessly helped others despite her own
difficult circumstances – as well as his own
childhood to pay it forward.
“My father left the family when I was  ve.
For nearly  ve years, one sister and I were
looked after by the Canossian Sisters. Two
other sisters were looked after a Muslim
family. We were very poor, and life was
hard,” says the former businessman.
In 2003, at the request of Sister
Elizabeth Tham, Tay collected a carload
Volunteers at
Willing Hearts
engaged in
various stages
of cooking and
packing.
42
FOOD
6
7
6-8
8
11
Willing Hearts
volunteers,
including taxi
drivers, help to
deliver lunch
boxes to some 40
locations.
Thirteen of
Singapore’s top
chefs don their
toque blanche
in the name of
charity.
9-10
Chef Yen Koh’s
compressed
watermelon with
prawn salad was
one of over 35
unique dishes
served at Chefs
For A Cause 2014.
Food From The
Heart volunteers,
including
children, collect
and repack bread
from bakeries
and hotels and
send them to
those in need.
on donations to pay for additional
ingredients like cooking oil and eggs,
utilities and other overhead costs. Four
years ago, OCBC became the charity’s rst
corporate sponsor – the bank’s chairman
Dr Cheong Choong Kong donated a van
to facilitate distribution. The Kwan Im
Thong Hood Cho Temple has also donated
several vans, and is a regular rice donor.
Today, after several moves, Willing
Hearts has settled into the KembanganChai Chee Community Hub, assisted by
Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin.
With the generous help of sponsors and
donors, the charity prepares about 4,500
meals daily in its well-equipped kitchen –
it hopes to raise that number to 8,000 in
time. It has also started a free clinic (with
dental, medical, optical and TCM services)
and provides legal aid to those in need.
12
of bread from Sweet Secrets Pastry Shop
and delivered them to Bedok Convent.
Sister Elizabeth took about 30 loaves and
asked Tay to give the rest to those in need.
With his wife Mary’s help, Tay gave the
bread to migrant workers and garbage
collectors.
Another time, the Tays were asked to
collect and redistribute vegetables from a
source in Toa Payoh to the needy in Bukit
Ho Swee. Thus were the seeds of their
charity work sowed.b
The couple went on to cook some
300 meals in their home kitchen as they
received more donated ingredients. “I
sold my two-month-old Toyota Estima,
and bought a van!” Tay recalls. In 2005, he
registered Willing Hearts as a society.
These days, food donations come
largely from wholesalers, groups
and individuals. The charity relies
9
10
SOUL
FOOD
Chefs For A Cause
saw 13 notable
chefs from
across Singapore
cooking for
charity.
11
Besides walk-in volunteers, staff from
companies like Barclays, GlaxoSmithKline,
OCBC and Deutsche Bank regularly help
out in the soup kitchen.
DAILY BREAD
Another food-related charity group with
which you can help make a difference this
season is Food From The Heart (FFTH).
Started by Austrian expatriates Henry
and Christine Laimer, the charity has
blossomed into a community force.
5 It started in 2002, when Christine
read a newspaper report about bakeries
dumping unsold bread, and was
determined to nd a solution. Putting her
experience in logistics to good use, she
started a bread collection programme.
Today, over 100 volunteers tirelessly
collect unsold bread from bakeries and
hotels around Singapore every night, and
distribute them directly to 114 welfare,
senior citizens’ and childrens’ homes,
and individuals in need.
One such volunteer is Joy Ong, who
has been helping with the bread run
since 2003.
“Every bread run brings me joy and
fullment. I’m happy to be part of the
FFTH family, ensuring that food does not
The annual
one-day fundraiser, held in
August this year,
raised more than
$55,000 for the
Children’s Cancer
Foundation. All
the proceeds
went to helping
go to waste and that Singapore’s underprivileged get a helping hand with their
food bills,” says Ong, who is the CFO of a
public listed company. She collects bread
once a week from the Four Leaves bakery
in Bukit Panjang Plaza.
“I nd the charity’s cause very close to
my heart. I can relate to having very little
food on the table; when I was pursuing
a professional course in the UK, I had to
work part-time as a housekeeper and
kitchen help to nance my stay.”
On top of its nightly bread runs, FFTH
also runs a monthly Food Goodie bag
programme (essential items like rice and
canned food are distributed to 1,050
needy families), Birthdays From The Heart
(a monthly celebration for residents from
eight welfare homes and centres whose
birthdays fall within that month), and Toys
From The Heart (an annual toy giveaway).
Inspired to help?
Be it cooking, chopping, collecting
donated ingredients or distributing
food, when you help bring nourishment
to the less fortunate, you also nourish
your soul.
Visit www.willinghearts.org.sg or www.
foodheart.org to nd out how you can help.
up to 2,000
children and their
families. The
charity cookout,
organised by
Project Happy
Feet (www.
projecthappyfeet.
org), was
conceptualised in
2009 by private
chef Jimmy Chok.
12
44
SPACE
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