FOCUS Magazine - Issue #1 2016 by The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

FOCUS

Issue #1 2016

The Magazine of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

Lessons in Entrepreneurship Expanding your Business through Fundraising Accelerator Programmes: the New Innovation Engine

www.fccsingapore.com

French Chamber Singapore

FOCUS MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

Issue #1 2016

GUEST EDITOR’S NOTE

SHORT NEWS

SPOTLIGHTS

COVER STORY - THE ENTERPRISING SPIRIT

BUSINESS SERVICES

HR & TRAINING SERVICES

CMA CGM Acquires NOL Activeo Expands in Singapore Schneider Electric Strengthens Presence in Singapore through Strategic Investments ZenithOptimedia Launches APAC Analytics and Technology Hub in Singapore Alstom Installs Track Works for MRT Downtown Line First Tunnelling Machines for NFM Technologies Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance and Ramco Systems Open MRO Lab AccorHotels Acquires Iconic Hotel Brands Fairmont, Rafﬂes and Swissôtel Decathlon Opens Singapore Flagship Store Julien Royer And The Lo & Behold Group Open Odette Second Store for Quartier at PasarBella@The Grandstand Former SDV Group Now Bolloré Logistics New Partnership between EDF and the City of Singapore Second Campus for Les Petits Gaulois

Patron Member Spotlight - Capgemini

More Chamber Initiatives in Support of Entrepreneurs French Entrepreneur Awards 2015 Embarking on an Entrepreneurial Adventure Entrepreneur Programmes: Verdict Entrepreneurship in Singapore Lessons in Entrepreneurship The Rise of Mobile Mone Accelerator Programmes: the New Innovation Engine Expanding your Business through Fundraising Riding the App Wave Digital City Guides for Travellers Pioneering New Ways of Consuming Wine From Research to Development Getting Ready for Asia

Newly Set-Up Companies

COMMITTEES & EVENTS

Asia Committe Smart Cities Committee Welcome to Singapore Forum Travailler Ensemble Legal & Tax Committee ICT Committee R&D Committee / Healthcare Committee / Sourcing & Supply Chain Committee Luxury & Premium Retail Committee Digital Innovations and Marketing Committee Human Resources Committee Sustainability Committee Business Women Committee Aeronautics, Space, Defence & Security Committee French Maritime Cluster Committee Energy/Infrastructure Committee Platform for SMEs & Entrepreneurs French Gourmet Committee La Paulée New FCCS Members FCCS Privilege Card

04 04 05 05 06 06 06 07 07 08 08 09 09 09

15 16 17 18 19 22 24 26 28 30 31 33 34 36

41, 48 42 44 46 48, 54 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 55, 56 56 57 58 59 60 61 64

FCCS PATRON MEMBERS

FOCUS MAGAZINE

Issue #1 2016

The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore would like to thank its Patron Members for their continuous support.

French Chamber Singapore Focus is published by the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (FCCS). The views and opinions expressed in its columns do not necessarily reflect those of the Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s members and management.

director of publication Carine Lespayandel chief editor Nicolas Avril editorial contributor Syasya Naqiyah binte Amir design & layout Jonathan Meur Fanny Piovarcsy advertising Nicolas Avril Jonathan Meur

colour separation & printing Toppan Security Printing Pte. Ltd.

cover image Jonathan Meur

Issue #1 2016 4,000 copies MCI (P) 200/07/2015

French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore 541 Orchard Road #09-01 Liat Towers Singapore 238881 Tel: +65 6933 1350 Fax: +65 6933 1398 www.fccsingapore.com info@fccsingapore.com

FOCUS MAGAZINE

GUEST EDITOR’S NOTE

Issue #1 2016

How Singapore Became a Hub for Start-Ups When I started my venture as an entrepreneur in 2005, I knew it wouldn’t be an easy journey. Entrepreneurship brings about a fair bit of challenges, obstacles and self-doubts. Surely becoming one in Singapore has given me the opportunity to express my ambition and manifest my project from business plan on paper to a real-life experience and accomplishment. Ranked 10th best start-up ecosystem in the world in the 2015 edition of the Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking, Singapore is clearly one of best places to start off if you have an entrepreneurial mindset. Renowned for its efficiency and innovation support, Singapore is regarded as the most viable place in the region for starting your own business. The Little Red Dot has, over the years, developed the right conditions to offer an attractive start-up scene for investors and entrepreneurs. Venture-capital investments have considerably increased in the last few years. Government grants and schemes support innovation, productivity and intellectual property, offering the chance for many to go beyond the initial, most difficult year of business activity and stay afloat in a market that remains fiercely competitive. Singapore is without a doubt a hospitable country if you want to start your business. Nevertheless, you have to play by the rules and still have some backbone. Employment resources can be a challenge with a volatile market and a high staff turnover. For protection of the local task force, strict immigration rules are in place, making it challenging to employ foreigners at competitive rates. High rent-

als make operating expenses challenging. This issue is now being tackled with the development of start-up hubs, communities that consolidate entrepreneurs in shared working spaces. Over the last 10 years, I’ve observed a myriad of talented and courageous people wanting to leave their jobs and be their own boss. At the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, the number of entrepreneurs has skyrocketed in the last few years and now represents more than 20% of the total membership base. The French Chamber has launched many new actions to support the French entrepreneurship scene in Singapore. It offers a shared open space in the heart of the city, but also implemented some programmes such as the “Forum Travailler Ensemble”, a Mentoring Programme, a Business Advisors Group, and the French Entrepreneur Awards, to name a few. If you have an entrepreneur mindset, a strong project or an innovative idea, and if you want to live the dream and set up your own business, I can only encourage you to go for it. Singapore has set the foundations to support people with creative minds and big ambitions.

Mrs Valérie MARIN Managing Director of Distribution Asiatique Pte Ltd / Health Coach & Founder of www.live-your-vitality.com / Co-President of the French Chamber’s Platform for Startups and Entrepreneurs

SHORT NEWS

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French Companies in Singapore

Issue #1 2016

CMA CGM Acquires NOL CMA CGM, a global leader in container shipping, announced a pre-conditional voluntary general cash offer for Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), South East Asia’s largest container shipping company. NOL’s majority shareholders (Temasek and its afﬁliates) have irrevocably undertaken to tender all of their shares in acceptance of the offer. Upon the satisfaction of several preconditions, CMA CGM will launch an offer at a price of SGD 1.30 per share, a 49% premium to NOL’s unaffected share price and a 33% premium to NOL’s three-month volume-weighted average share price to July 2016.

The buyout is an attempt to combat signiﬁcant challenges faced by the shipping industry, most notably the increasing pressure on capacity and pricing. Commenting on this transaction, Rodolphe Saadé, Vice-Chairman of CMA CGM, said, “This transaction will represent a signiﬁcant milestone in the development of CMA CGM. Leveraging the complementary strengths of both companies, CMA CGM will further reinforce its position as a leader in global shipping with combined revenue of USD22 billion and 563 vessels. By bringing together the know-how of both teams, the enlarged group will be even better positioned to

provide premium services to its customers across all markets. At a time when the shipping industry is facing strong headwinds, scale is more critical than ever to capitalise on synergies and capture growth opportunities wherever they arise. I ﬁrmly believe CMA CGM will enable NOL to address the industry’s new challenges. We recognise the strategic importance of Singapore as a key hub for the maritime industry and we are committed to reinforcing its regional leadership.” The transaction will also fortify the combined group’s position in strategic markets such as United States, Intra-Asia and Japan. F

Activeo Expands in Singapore Activeo, a leading French customer experience consulting and technology company recently acquired: • majority stakeholding in Kasturi, a Singaporean company specialised in Unified Communications and video. With this acquisition, Activeo consolidates its position and expertise in the customer collaboration market and provides businesses with the best innovative solutions to ensure a strong customer and employee experience and workflow management; • equity participation within Jusfeedback, a Singapore-based company specialised in customer feedback management based on an efficient hosted environment. Activeo reinforces its skills and knowhow in customer and employee engagement within the customer analytics market.

Joseph Kort, CEO of Activeo, calls these acquisitions “A great step forward for Activeo. The combined skills of Kasturi, Jusfeedback and Activeo will provide a lot of added value and successful synergies for customers in Singapore. We can now enhance the Activeo group portfolio and value-creating expansion on both customer collaboration and customer experience markets. Equiteq has played a key role in helping us establish and effectively transform our growth strategy”.

Jean-Louis Michelet, who led the deal team at Equiteq, said, “Activeo is a successful example of a company that manages to stay ahead of technology developments and growing customers’ expectations in a fast moving industry. Thanks to this strategic initiative in Singapore, Activeo is now in a position to provide local support to its international customers while bringing its know-how and expertise to a dynamic Asia-Paciﬁc market. It has been a pleasure to work with Joseph and his team and we are looking forward to continue helping them in their growth expansion plan”. F

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Ken Tan, MD, Jusfeedback; Veronique Godart, Managing Partner, Activeo; Jonathan Mondon, Regional Sales Development Manager, Activeo; Moses Wong, MD, Kasturi Technology

FOCUS MAGAZINE

SHORT NEWS

Issue #1 2016

French Companies in Singapore

Schneider Electric Strengthens Presence in Singapore through Strategic Investments Schneider Electric’s new East Asia Headquarters in Singapore will oversee the company’s operations in ASEAN, Korea, Taiwan and Mongolia, helping the company to attract and develop the best talent to drive innovation and make energy safe, reliable, efficient, sustainable and connected across the region, to ensure that ‘Life Is On’ everywhere for everyone and at every moment. The East Asia Leadership Team will be headed by Tommy Leong, an industry veteran who has held multiple senior leadership positions in Asia-Pacific and Greater China. Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, announced that it will make significant new investments to strengthen its presence in Singapore. The company will cumulatively invest around 65 million euros over the next few years to establish a Software Industry Solutions Centre and a Software Regional Hub, a new East Asia headquarter and a Regional Control Tower for Network Logistics, Analytics and Transportation in Singapore. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board, the Software Industry Solutions Center will help chemicals, food and beverage, mining and metals, oil

and gas, transportation, water and waste water, and utilities companies leverage Schneider Electric’s market-leading industrial software portfolio to enhance their productivity, improve safety and boost sustainable performance. At peak capacity, expected to be reached by 2018, the centre will employ more than 60 research scientists and engineers with deep experience in industry and technology, to develop and deliver software solutions to solve industrial companies’ most critical issues. The centre will also feature a Customer Experience Center to showcase Schneider Electric’s solutions and capabilities.

In addition, Schneider Electric Global Supply Chain’s already established logistics and network design team in Singapore will be expanded to handle regional control tower activities for logistics and network design, data analytics and global transportation. This control tower will deepen its capabilities in Singapore to address supply chain optimisation needs for its products within the region and beyond. F TOP Mr Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric presents Dr Beh Swan Gin, Chairman, EDB, with a token of appreciation at the announcement of Schneider Elecrtic’s planned investments for the next few years

ZenithOptimedia Launches APAC Analytics and Technology Hub in Singapore ZenithOptimedia has announced plans to create its ﬁrst regional Analytics and Technology Hub for Asia in Singapore.

growth of the company. The decision has also received immense support from the Singapore Economic Development Board.

This Centre of Excellence (CoE) is a major investment by ZenithOptimedia to tap into the lucrative Asian market for data and technology solutions. It will be headed by a 45-strong team of domain specialists to deliver custom solutions for APAC clients in the region, as well as focus on emerging areas such as mobile and contemporary analytics.

Talking about the development plans for the hub, Harpreet Kaintel (right), Chief Information Ofﬁcer of ZenithOptimedia, mentioned that adopting a robust strategy and harnessing the technological resources of Singapore will be paramount to the success of this hub.

Gerry Boyle, Chairman of ZenithOptimedia Asia Paciﬁc, said the hub is a vital step in ensuring the future readiness and

Keeping in line with this approach, ZenithOptimedia plans to hire and develop Singaporeans and PRs in the ﬁelds of new media, technology and analytics. The company looks forward to leveraging

Singapore’s unique eco-system and educated workforce to create a worldclass CoE. F

SHORT NEWS

FOCUS MAGAZINE

French Companies in Singapore

Issue #1 2016

Alstom Installs Track Works for MRT Downtown Line This line is the ﬁfth in Singapore’s metro network. Built in different phases, the ﬁrst phase was inaugurated in December 2013. It is now roughly 21 km long and includes 18 stations. A third phase is currently under construction. It will add 21 more kilometres and 16 additional stations. The longest driverless underground line in Singapore, it is expected to carry as up to half a million passengers per day.

Stage 2 of the Singapore Downtown MRT Line, for which Alstom successfully delivered track works, was inaugurated on

Saturday 26 December 2015 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. It was ofﬁcially opened on Sunday 27 December.

Alstom supplied track works, including the third rail system, to feed the metro trainsets for the Downtown Line stages 1 and 2. In April 2014, LTA awarded Alstom the title of “Best Managed Electrical & Mechanical Systems – Project Partner” for this project. F

First Tunnelling Machines for NFM Technologies NFM is pleased to announce the launch of its ﬁrst two TBMs (Tunnel Boring Machines) and the arrival of four subsequent TBMs for the boring of the future MRT Thomson Line. These machines are 6.7 metres large, 80 meters long and weight up to 1,500 tons.

completion of the future MRT line, making NFM the biggest supplier of TBMs for this line. The tunnel boring activity should last until end of 2017. NFM Technologies, a French company with headquarters in Lyon and manufacturing shops in Le Creusot and Shenyang in China, is one of the world leaders in TBM manufacturing and is a supplier of Oil & Gas equipment for the construction of ﬂoating production storage and ofﬂoading. F

In the fall of 2014, NFM Technologies signed three contracts worth a total of EUR70 million for the manufacturing and delivery of a total of nine tunnelling machines for the

Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance and Ramco Systems Open MRO Lab in Singapore Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) has partnered with Ramco Systems to set up a joint innovation centre called The MRO Lab in Singapore. The creation of this new R&D centre is part of AFI KLM E&M’s ongoing efforts to develop innovative and rapid-deployment solutions for strategic areas in the aircraft maintenance industry. Ramco Systems, a business software systems company with

expertise in the Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) sector, will complement AFI KLM E&M’s current focus on the rapidly growing MRO market. Over the years, AFI KLM E&M has been rigorous in its endeavours to improve aircraft maintenance processes for its clients. The MRO Lab Adaptive Innovations programme represents its commitment

to the development of groundbreaking and value-added MRO solutions that will beneﬁt its customers globally. The lab aims to stimulate innovation across the organisations and forge strategic partnerships with up-and-coming startups and established universities in France, Netherlands and beyond. For now, a team of about ten people will design the business solutions envisioned by both companies. F

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SHORT NEWS

Issue #1 2016

French Companies in Singapore

AccorHotels Acquires Iconic Hotel Brands Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel of Accor, with stakes of 10.5% and 5.8% respectively. With the integration of Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel into its portfolio of upscale properties, Accor’s geographic footprint in the luxury segment is set to widen. Through its expertise, FRHI is expected to help bolster the growth potential and profitability of the Group and enable it to adapt its product offerings to the expectations of an increasingly demanding clientele.

AccorHotels recently agreed to buy FRHI Holdings Ltd (FRHI), the parent company of Fairmont, Rafﬂes, and Swissôtel, for a cash payment of US$840 million and an issuance of 46.7 million new Accor shares. The world renowned hotel management company being acquired by Accor currently boasts a collection of 155 hotels and resorts across the globe,

including several iconic luxury properties in major cities. It is jointly owned by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) of Saudi Arabia, and Oxford Properties, a global real estate company under the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS). The transaction will make QIA and KHC minor shareholders

Accor aims to generate around €65 million in revenue from the maximisation of hotel earnings, optimisation of support costs and improvement of marketing, sales and distribution channel initiatives. The acquisition will also give the Group access to a customer base of 3 million loyalty members, 75% of whom are North Americans. By weaning new information about customers in strategic markets, the leading hotel operator hopes to make big strides in the analysis of customer data and enhance its understanding of customer behaviour and preferences. F

Decathlon Opens Singapore Flagship Store Decathlon SA, the global sports equipment and apparel retailer, has announced the opening of its ﬂagship Singapore store in Viva Business Park (formerly Technopark@Chai Chee (TPCC)), near Bedok Town Centre. With interactive testing zones and thousands of cutting-edge products at affordable prices, Decathlon’s ﬁrst store is a showcase of the company’s commitment to making sport accessible to all Singaporeans. The 35,000ft2 store houses 95,000 types of footwear, sports apparel and equipment for men, women and kids under the company’s 20 in-house brands. It provides the largest collection of sports equipment and apparel for 50 different sports under one roof in Southeast Asia. The store marks the start of Decathlon’s expansion into Singapore, with plans for 21 more outlets in the immediate future.

The store contains various areas that will allow customers to try out Decathlon products before purchasing them, including testing zones, where customers can play sports and activities such as table tennis, mini golf, cycling and the trampoline. Outside, Decathlon has provided a playground and a basketball court open every day for free, seven days a week. For Bastien Grandgeorge, CEO of Decathlon SA for Singapore and Indonesia, “Sports should not be expensive and Singaporeans should be able to access highperformance sports equipment and apparel at an accessible price point”. Decathlon also plans to hire 400 staff over the next three years to support the projected openings of 21 outlets. Singaporeans can certainly expect Decathlon’s presence to rise signiﬁcantly in the near

future. “Decathlon is here to stay, and we want to be part of the fabric of Singapore, accessible to all whether you are from the heartlands or the CBD,” adds Grandgeorge. The store will complement its existing e-commerce site (www.decathlon.sg) to give customers a physical and virtual experience. F

SHORT NEWS

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French Companies in Singapore

Issue #1 2016

Julien Royer And The Lo & Behold Group Open Odette Chef-Owner Julien Royer, together with The Lo & Behold Group, have opened the restaurant Odette at the iconic National Gallery Singapore. Lauded as one of last year’s most anticipated restaurant openings, Odette is Royer’s maiden restaurant as Chef-Owner and the Group’s ﬁrst ﬁne dining establishment. It also pays tribute to Royer’s grandmother, who taught him the makings of a remarkable meal.

Odette serves modern French cuisine made from premier and artisanal produce. In line with Royer’s reverence for quality, ingredients have been sourced from the ﬁnest boutique producers across France, Australia and Japan. Diners can look forward to a selection of four- or sixcourse menus at lunch, and six- or eightcourse tasting menus at dinner.

The North Highlands Beef Tartare, served during lunch, features grass-fed beef from Scotland, enriched with smoked bone marrow and then layered with paper-thin petals of pickled kohlrabi and a quenelle of grain mustard ice cream. Equally outstanding is the Tomakomai Arctic Surf Clam served during dinner, which features a Hokkaido shellﬁsh delicately steamed and enveloped in meunière foam. F

Second Store for Quartier at PasarBella@The Grandstand Quartier recently opened a second store in PasarBella@The Grandstand. The French grocery store, which ﬁrst opened in Serangoon Gardens in April 2013, is the brain child of six French friends who were frustrated at the relative obscurity of French food products after trying to organise a traditional French apéro.

The store offers a wide and comprehensive selection of French food items such as frozen food, dairy products, biscuits, cakes, chocolates, sweets, canned food and more. Beloved French brands such as La Laitière, Danone, Mamie Nova, Danette, Paysan Breton, Bonne Maman, LU, Nestlé, Petit Navire, D’Aucy and sweet

favourite such as Carambar can also be conveniently found. Besides packaged items, Quartier’s large variety of fruits and vegetables are also directly imported from France. Its selection of high-quality cheese, and its delicatessen range are among the premier products one would expect to ﬁnd at PasarBella. F

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SHORT NEWS

Issue #1 2016

French Companies in Singapore

Former SDV Group Now Bolloré Logistics and logistics, port terminal management, operation of rail concessions, oil logistics and distribution.

The former SDV Group is now Bolloré Logistics. This new name reafﬁrms the commitment of the company’s long-standing shareholder, the Bolloré Group, to the transport and logistics sector. They are aiming to form a strong unifying brand with shared values: innovation, an entre-

preneurial approach, a long-term vision and corporate and social responsibility. One brand is being placed at the centre of an integrated global structure comprising 102 countries, 36,000 employees and the four businesses of multimodal transport

Bolloré Logistics is a global leader in international transport and logistics. Constantly adapting to its customers’ changing needs, the company has enriched its expertise to become a tier-one supply chain partner and one of the top 10 transport and logistics companies in the world with the largest integrated logistics network in Africa. F

In October 2015, EDF and the National University of Singapore (NUS) - School of Design and Environment have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on future urban planning tools and methods. The MOU was signed by Jacques Sacreste, Vice President International & Partnerships for research and development at EDF (right) and Professor Heng Chye Kiang, head of Design and Environment school in NUS (left), in the presence of the Ambassador of France in Singapore, His Excellency Mr Benjamin Dubertret, and the URA CEO Mr Ng Lang. The MOU will bring together NUS planners, researchers and students in the ﬁelds of architecture, planning and design. They will beneﬁt from the expertise, tools and simulation capabilities of EDF.

Photo © the Urban Redevelopment Authority

New Partnership between EDF and the City of Singapore Both sides expect to develop new tools that will lead to better energy planning and sustainable, low-carbon cities. The MOU has been signed for two years, and will be developed through a set of speciﬁc contracts, including PhDs, research collaborations, student internships and consultancy, as needed. “We found mutual interest to collaborate and start research projects on sustainable cities” said Jacques Sacreste. The MOU was signed during the launch of the “Rethinking Energy in Cities” exhibition led by the Urban Redevelopment Au-

thority (URA). This exhibition showcased the expertise of EDF in energy, especially in cities, with examples ranging from smart meter, smart lighting, smart grids, to city planning, innovation and possible futures. Those are works done by EDF’s different subsidiaries and R&D teams. F

Second Campus for Les Petits Gaulois In September 2015, Les Petits Gaulois opened new facilities in Siglap. It welcomes children between the ages of two and six under the Toute Petite section to the Grande section. This second campus offers large classrooms and an outdoor playground in a conducive, stimulating and professional environment. The ﬁrst campus located at Lucky Heights is currently for toddlers only and has suitable learning corners and an outdoor garden.

Les Petits Gaulois works in conjunction with Les Petits Ecoliers, the French preschool opened in Shanghai in September 2011.

Les Petits Gaulois opened in Singapore in September 2014 and offers French and English programmes in small groups of up to 12 children. Teachers follow the French and Singaporean national curricula. The programme is thematic in order to stimulate the children’s interest in a variety of areas, such as music, dance, natural sciences, cookery, ﬁne arts and more. It is designed for the optimal development of children. Les Petits Gaulois believes that a child’s preschool years will be the best years of their life. Thus, they aim to provide the best education and learning environment possible to make coming to school a joy. F

PATRON MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT

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Capgemini

Issue #1 2016

Enabling Digital Transformation in Asia Interview with Claire Sauvanaud, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Account Management, Capgemini APAC - Singapore Capgemini is one of the world foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services. Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Paris, it reported 2014 global revenues of €10.6 billion. Together with its clients, Capgemini creates and delivers business and technology solutions that fit their needs and drive the results they want. A deeply multicultural organisation, Capgemini has developed Rightshore®, its worldwide delivery model. Capgemini adresses clients in the banking and insurance industries as well as corporate clients from the general and services industry. Capgemini’s solutions range from management and IT consulting to systems design and implementation, to application maintenance and infrastructure management.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER AT CAPGEMINI? I joined Capgemini more than 20 years ago, after a prior experience with Thales as a Finance Controller and BNP in the IPO team. The company I joined was a small strategy consulting boutique, founded by a few professors at Harvard that eventually joined Capgemini Group through successive mergers. I have always worked for the banking and insurance sector ever since then.

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In 2016, the growth of mobile appns will continue to be massive across all sectors.

I started as a management consultant, after which my husband’s expatriation led us to Ireland where I became head of operations for IT services. After a parental leave taken to raise our four children, I have assumed various roles in business development and large account management. I relocated to Singapore four years ago to lead Capgemini’s business development in APAC for the ﬁnancial services sector. ON TOP OF BEING SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF CAPGEMINI, YOU ARE ALSO CO-PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH CHAMBER’S BUSINESS WOMEN COMMITTEE. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE WOMEN WHO AIM TO REACH THE TOP OF THE CORPORATE LADDER? This question is a bit tricky as I never intended to “climb the ladder”. I work in technology, an industry where women,

particularly in executive roles, are few. However, I notice that in Asia, it seems there are more women in executive roles than in Europe and France.

My ﬁrst advice, beyond delivering what you are expected to achieve, would be to make yourself known within and outside of your organisation. I realised late that the

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PATRON MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT

Issue #1 2016

Also proactively share your aspirations with your hierarchy and be ready to seize opportunities when they come: when I expressed my interest in an international position ﬁve years ago, I genuinely thought it would be in the US. I was offered Asia and Singapore and did not hesitate to go for it. Lastly, it is essential to discuss and take into consideration the opinions of your partner and family since professional decisions, particularly when changing country, impact family life that is for me the top priority. COULD YOU BRIEFLY DESCRIBE CAPGEMINI’S STRATEGY IN ASIA? Capgemini has strong ambitions in Asia. We provide consulting and IT services to large corporate organisations. Our Asia Business Unit covers the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent and Asia and stretches to Australia and New Zealand. We opened Capgemini in Japan three years ago and have a presence in China. Thanks to lots of coverage effort and branding initiatives, we were able to acquire a few ﬂagship accounts across different sectors in the region, in the airline, banking, insurance, public utilities and telco industries. On the delivery side, that is the execution of our services, Asia is now the heart of Capgemini Group, with a very industrialised delivery model, well-tuned with our teams in all countries where our clients are based. We have nearly 100,000

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Asia is at the forefront of innovation and is a fantastic and sometimes unknown lab for the rest of the world.

people across eight cities in India, as well as in Manila, Vietnam and across China. This one-team model has proven to be effective and optimal in terms of cost. WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAPGEMINI IN ASIA? Our objective is to leverage and adapt our global offerings to Asia, notably around SMAC solutions: Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud services. Even though GDPs in Asia are now growing at a slower pace in 2015, some key fundamentals KPIs make the market attractive for Capgemini: with the population growth, notably middle class, all of our clients strive to grow and implement lean operating models. We are helping them to transform their organisation through consulting and technology to achieve this objective. As far as challenges are concerned, the focus on a few offerings, accounts and even geographies is a key element. We are growing fast, but the scarcity of expertise in different domains and technologies requires us to “place our bets” and chose to be strong in a few areas. FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, WHAT WILL BE THE BIGGEST DIGITAL TRENDS IN 2016? The growth of mobile applications will continue to be massive across all sectors: from enquiry to account opening, including after-sales services, money transfers, etc. All processes aim to be paperless, quick and efﬁcient. In parallel to this come lots of projects around security and fraud prevention/detection. But to me, the real key trend is around big data and the collection and exploitation of the immense reservoir of data resources that all companies sit on. From marketing and sales with predictive behaviours

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power of networking is real. Depending on individual character, it may or may not be a natural undertaking and it requires motivation and sometimes boldness. I notice that most of the time, men are way better at doing this than women. Asking for advice from a few people who you trust, men and women, is always good to get honest and transparent feedback and get new angles on business situations and career decisions. When I came to Singapore, the various FCCS Business Committees, including the Business Women Committee, were good platforms to start with.

Capgemini

to risk management, all processes are concerned, and we are just at the emerging stage of this revolution. THE START-UP SCENE HAS BEEN BOOMING IN SINGAPORE. HOW CAN START-UPS USE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TO INNOVATE AND GROW WITHIN THEIR LIMITED AMOUNT OF RESOURCES? This came as a surprise to me four years ago: Asia is at the forefront of innovation and is a fantastic and sometimes unknown lab for the rest of the world. An enormous community of consumers use their smartphone exclusively, bypassing the computer and even tablet devices stages that are still common in Europe. This triggers lots of start-up initiatives, which is very good. Building a community of start-ups like the Singapore French Tech could be a good branding to help the growth. AS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE FRENCH CHAMBER, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ROLE IT SERVES TODAY FOR FRENCH COMPANIES IN SINGAPORE? I registered Capgemini to the FCCS the week after I joined Capgemini in Singapore. To me, it is very natural to build a French business community. It fosters solidarity across different companies, and shows our strength to the external world – the Singapore government and public entities, as well as business communities from Singapore and other countries. I particularly like the fact that the French Chamber encompasses both large companies and small businesses; the exchanges we have are always enriching. It also helps to get in contact with others and trigger key initiatives like the Urban Innovations portfolio on French smart city initiatives where all companies involved in this domain present their offerings. F

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Issue #1 2016

Comment protéger eﬃcacement sa famille et soi-même lorsqu’on est expatrié à Singapour ? Souvent sous-es mées, les couvertures santé-décès-invalidité sont au contraire des disposi fs essenels, auxquels il est important d’être a en f lorsque l’on veut se protéger soi-même et sa famille contre les accidents de la vie. Jérémy Grey, Directeur Adjoint et conseiller financier francophone chez Globaleye, livre quelques conseils simples pour s’assurer qu’on dispose d’une bonne couverture dans ces domaines lorsqu’on vit et travaille à Singapour. Tout d’abord, qu’entend-on par couverture santé-décèsinvalidité ? Jérémy Grey - On est au cœur du thème de la protec on et de la prévoyance : il s’agit de se prémunir des accidents de la vie. Il est essen el de définir quelques concepts pour bien comprendre de quoi il s’agit. Pour commencer, lorsqu’on vit à l’étranger, il est indispensable de s’assurer d’avoir une assurance santé qui protège correctement. La maladie n’est pas uniquement réservée aux personnes âgées et une assurance santé permet d’assumer les soins nécessaires sans avoir à régler des factures souvent astronomiques. Il est fréquent que votre employeur vous couvre à hauteur d’une certaine somme mais cela s’avère parfois insuﬃsant en cas d’hospitalisa on ou de visites auprès de médecins spécialistes, par exemple. Le deuxième point important à prendre en compte est la protec on de votre famille par le biais d’une assurance décès. Celle-ci permet d’éviter à vos proches les problèmes financiers si vous décédez. Concrètement, avez-vous déjà pensé à quelles seraient les conséquences financières pour votre partenaire et vos enfants en cas de décès ? Qui prendra soin d’eux lorsque vous aurez disparu ? Pourront-ils payer les factures ? Auront-ils toujours les mêmes opportunités en ce qui concerne leurs études? Il est intéressant de souligner que les prix des assurances décès souscrites à Singapour coûtent exactement la moi é de celles en Europe, et pourtant une assurance souscrite à Singapour peut être rapatriée en Europe sans aucun frais supplémentaire.

Le troisième aspect consiste à se protéger contre les maladies graves. Les cancers, les maladies cardiovasculaires, l’Alzheimer sont des exemples de maladies graves. Les sta s ques montrent qu’une personne sur cinq sera atteinte d’une maladie grave avant 65 ans (dans 90% des cas il s’agira d’un cancer ou d’une maladie cardiovasculaire). Dans ces circonstances, il faut pouvoir couvrir, au delà des frais de santé, les éventuelles pertes de rémunéra on parce que la personne ne peut plus travailler ou doit adapter son ac vité. Il est essen el de s’assurer qu’on peut tenir 2-3 ans au minimum. Enfin, le dernier aspect concerne la protec on contre l’incapacité totale de travailler, qui permet le versement de revenus pour pallier la perte de son emploi et le besoin de se réinventer. Pourquoi la protec on contre les risques santé-décès-invalidité est-elle si importante? C’est comme dans la métaphore du bateau qui chavire: avant de sauver les autres, il faut se sauver soi-même, pour être en mesure de porter secours efficacement. De la même manière il est essen el de se soucier de sa couverture santé, décès, invalidité pour se prémunir soi-même tout d’abord, plus sa famille contre les accidents de la vie. Comment la ques on se présente-t-elle dans la communauté des expatriés à Singapour ? C’est très variable. Parfois les personnes disposent d’une couverture (par exemple, celle offerte par leur employeur) mais celle-ci n’est pas forcément suffisante.

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Issue #1 2016

Parfois elles n’ont aucune couverture. Chez les jeunes expatriés, le déclic se fait souvent lors du mariage ou quand naît le premier enfant. Le fait de tenir un bébé dans les bras rend soudain très concrète la nécessité de protéger sa famille contre les aléas de la vie. Le déclic se fait aussi lorsqu’un accident arrive avec son lot de complica ons. Quelle est la situa on à Singapour pour les locaux ? A Singapour, le système est rela vement sommaire. Le Central Provident Fund (CPF) a permis, avec le Medisave, de prendre en charge une par e des frais médicaux. Des assurances complémentaires, dans le cadre de Medishield, sont venues compléter le disposi f. L’avantage est que ce e couverture permet aux Singapouriens et aux résidents permanents d’avoir une couverture peu coûteuse mais l’inconvénient est qu’elle est très basique et les familles singapouriennes se retrouvent souvent endétées pour payer les factures des grands-parents malades. Concrètement, à quoi faut-il être a en f en ce qui concerne la couverture santé ? Dans le domaine de la santé, il faut dis nguer la prise en charge des frais de consulta on de médecins et les frais d’hospitalisa on. Les premiers sont en général correctement pris en compte dans les contrats souscrits par les employeurs. Les seconds peuvent entraîner des coûts très importants (en par culier à Singapour) dont la prise en charge par les assurances est souvent plafonnée. Dans ce cas, cela représente un risque poten el majeur pour les intéressés. Si une assurance maladie personnelle (en plus du contrat prévu par l’employeur) n’a pas été envisagée, alors les personnes doivent parfois payer de leur poche le surplus. A quel moment est-il par culièrement judicieux de faire le point sur la qualité et les éventuelles faiblesses de sa propre couverture santé-décès-invalidité? La ques on se vaut d’être posée lorsqu’on n’est pas couvert par un régime français (type Caisse des Français à l’Etranger) ou un régime comparable. C’est le cas des personnes qui sont embauchées sur place en contrat local ou bien qui créent leur entreprise à Singapour. C’est aussi le cas d’un certain nombre de gens qui passent d’un contrat d’expatrié à un contrat local. En ce qui concerne la couverture protégeant contre le risque décès et invalidité,

Globaleye

cela concerne tout un chacun, et encore plus lorsqu’on a des enfants. Chez Globaleye, nous analysons en détail la couverture santé de nos clients en regardant scrupuleusement les diﬀérents critères (consulta ons prises en compte, hospitalisa on, plafonnement, etc.) pour être sur que le niveau de protec on apporté par l’employeur soit adéquat. En fait, nous aidons les intéressés à y voir clair en déchiﬀrant leur police d’assurance pour iden fier les éventuelles lacunes. Pour nous, il est important d’a rer l’a en on sur les défauts de la couverture proposée avant que les personnes soient confrontées à un événement drama que, et s’aperçoivent qu’elles ne sont pas aussi bien couvertes qu’elles ne l’imaginaient. Ainsi ce directeur au sein d’une mul na onale américaine, dont le fils a du subir une opéra on à cœur ouvert d’urgence et qui, confronté à des factures de plusieurs centaines de milliers de dollars, s’est aperçu que son assurance était plafonnée à 100 000 dollars.

Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus ou tout simplement bénéficier d’un bilan complet et gratuit, contacteznous. Nous serons ravis de vous aider.

Comment faire un choix avec la pléthore de proposi ons sur le marché ? D’une manière générale, les grandes sociétés d’assurance proposent des contrats de qualité. Il y a un certain nombre de paramètres qui ont une incidence importante sur le coût global de la couverture qu’il vaut mieux examiner un à un. La mutuelle complémentaire type CFE couvre aussi très bien. La couverture santé représente un coût significa f qui augmente avec l’âge. Il est important de connaître les limites qu’une personne considère acceptables pour ses co sa ons. On peut aussi jouer sur certains aspects, comme les franchises, par culièrement lorsqu’on a déjà, par son employeur, une pe te assurance. Cela permet de baisser le coût global de l’assurance. Dans ces domaines, chez Globaleye, nous faisons des comparaisons entre les proposions des différents assureurs et présentons les op ons qui correspondent par culièrement aux besoins de nos clients. Nous pouvons le faire d’autant plus librement qu’aucune compagnie d’assurance n’influence les solu ons que nous offrons. Cela est un véritable avantage pour nos clients qui reçoivent un conseil non biaisé et sur-mesure. Notre objec f est de montrer combien ça coute, de décor quer les offres de chacun et de laisser décider le principal intéressé. Publi-rédacƟonnel réalisé par lepeƟtjournal.com/singapour

Marion Elisé Chargée de Clientèle +65 6632 8370 melise@globaleye.sg

Jeremy Grey Directeur Adjoint +65 6632 8547 jgrey@globaleye.sg

COVER STORY

The Enterprising Spirit

FOCUS MAGAZINE

Issue #1 2016

FOCUS MAGAZINE

COVER STORY

Issue #1 2016

The Enterprising Spirit

More Chamber Initiatives in Support of Entrepreneurs Today, more than 20% of the French Chamber’s members are entrepreneurs. This trend clearly illustrates the booming start-up ecosystem in Singapore and the French Chamber has decided to take further actions to support French start-ups by launching three new main initiatives.

Mentoring Programme Together with the French Trade Advisors and Business France, the French Chamber has launched a Mentoring Programme, which aims to advise French SMEs/start-ups in their development in the region. They are mentored by high-profile business people volunteering to give some time and advice.

With 16 candidates in the first year, this programme is a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs or SMEs to exhange freely on internal issues. It is also a unique chance to further the mentee’s professional network and knowledge of the local market. This initiative is free-of-charge. F

Business Advisors Group The Business Advisors Group (BAG) is a new and free initiative to support and advise French start-ups via a single meeting between one entrepreneur and a panel of advisors. The group of advisors consists of successful entrepreneurs, professionals with valuable expertise in various sectors and

FRENCH ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS Last but not least, the French Chamber organised the first edition of the French Entrepreneur Awards in November 2015. In total, 16 companies applied for the title and only six were shortlisted by the Jury of eight business professionals: • Frogy’s (O Batignolles, O Comptoir) • Kacific Broadband Satellites • La Petite Ecole • Le Petit Dépôt • The Vintage Wine Club • Villa-Finder.com

functions, and individuals looking to personally invest in companies. Seven entrepreneurs have already pitched their business models and benefited from the feedback and advice of the panel of professionals. F

The French Entrepreneur of the year 2015 was awarded during the closing cocktail of the Forum Travailler Ensemble and it was sponsored by CIC Banque Transatlantique. After much deliberations, La Petite Ecole was named French Entrepreneur of the year 2015. La Petite Ecole is a French bilingual preschool in Singapore. It offers a bilingual curriculum in French and English, for children aged three to six years old. Classes are taught alternately

by an native English classroom teacher (from the UK, the US, Canada or Australia) and a French “Professeur des Ecoles”, and follow the French Ministry of Education curriculum. The teachers are all experienced and qualified in early childhood education in their native language. Viviane Salin and Vincent Rosa, the two French entrepreneurs behind La Petite Ecole, also recently opened a French nursery called La Petite Crèche. We congratulate all the entrepreneurs who took part in the first French Entrepreneurs Awards. F

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The Enterprising Spirit

FOCUS MAGAZINE

Issue #1 2016

French Entrepreneur Awards 2015 FRENCH ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS With the first edition of the French Entrepreneur Awards 2015, the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore sought to reward the best company created by French entrepreneurs in Singapore and encourage their entrepreneurial spirit and development. The jury looked for continuous tenacity and determination, rewarding the entrepreneur that showed proof of maintaining stronghold in the market and having a significant growing number of customers and employees. The prize was awarded during the Forum Travailler Ensemble on Friday 27 November 2015. The winner, La Petite Ecole, received SGD10,000 in kind from FCCS and sponsors, visibility, and business services from CVML, Akteos Asia, Sparkle Design Agency, and Timeo-Performance. F WINNER La Petite Ecole FINALISTS Frog’ys (O Batignolles, O Comptoir) Kacific Broadband Satellites Le Petit Dépôt The Vintage Wine Club Villa-Finder.com

TOP The winning team from La Petite Ecole presenting their business plan to the jury CENTRE The jury comprised, from left to right, Olivier Grometto, Managing Director Asia, Open D Asia; Laurent Besson, ERP Project Director Asia, Veolia Water Technologies; Isabelle Larche, Managing Director, Timeo Performance; Pierre Cheyron, CEO South East Asia, Cofely SEA; Aude de Rotalier, President Business Advisors Group FCCS; Pierre Coupard, CEO, Banque Transatlantique Singapore; Professor Kevyn Yong, Academic Dean, ESSEC Asia Pacific and Associate Professor, Management Department; and Yves Laforgue, Director, South East Asia, Bolloré Logistics BOTTOM Finalists at the announcement, which took place in conjunction with the 2015 Forum Travailler Ensemble

PARTICIPANTS Chab Events D’apres Nous D&B Epicurio Harmony & Mobility Consulting Innovation is Everywhere Instaroid La Petite Boutique Medical Partners Petit Pois Consulting Why Innovation! Sponsor

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Issue #1 2016

The Enterprising Spirit

Embarking on an Entrepreneurial Adventure Interview with Viviane Salin, Director, La Petite Ecole Awarded French Entrepreneur of the Year 2015, La Petite Ecole, founded by Viviane Salin and Vincent Rosa first opened its doors in September 2012. Viviane shares her entrepreneurial story.

CAN YOU SHARE A FEW WORDS ON LA PETITE ECOLE? La Petite Ecole is our little baby who grew so fast! It is a dream come true, to create a school for our children and the families alike, as well as to embark on this entrepreneurial adventure and succeed professionally. Amazingly, in three short years, the school has grown from 17 students in September 2012 to 136 today. Its uniqueness has drawn in children from various backgrounds: some come straight from France with no English, some are bilingual with mixed parents, and others speak no French at all! Altogether, there are more than 20 nationalities amongst La Petite Ecole families. HOW DID YOU IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL FOR A FRENCH BILINGUAL PRESCHOOL IN SINGAPORE? My husband Vincent Rosa and I arrived in Singapore in 2006 and worked in different industries. We had two children over the years and like many other parents, we were left with too few options for them if we wanted a French curriculum and a good immersion in English language. Places at the French School were scarce, especially in the bilingual classes. So I actually had this Eureka moment one day when it occurred to me that we may as well do it ourselves, and create our own ideal little school, a French/English bilingual one, based on the French curriculum. WHAT ARE THE SPECIFICITIES OF LA PETITE ECOLE? La Petite Ecole is a French accredited preschool in Singapore which offers a bilingual curriculum in French and English, for children aged three to six years old.

The French teachers are trained in France, whereas the English teachers come from native English speaking countries like Canada, USA, UK and Australia. The teachers collaborate on all subjects and the students spend half of the week with the French classroom teacher, and other half with their English speaking teacher. Children benefit from the best of both worlds: a well-structured French curriculum and anglo-saxon pedagogical approaches. The location of the school is in a serene, beautiful, green environment, tucked away in Turf Club area (just off from Bukit Timah), within the Blue House School community. This greenery is very inspiring and we have many gardening activities with children and parents together. The school also has a partnership with the French Lycée meaning that every child who goes to La Petite Ecole is guaranteed a place at the French Lycée in CP. In September 2015, La Petite Ecole had a little sister: La Petite Crèche was born! It is a French Language Nursery for children 18 months to three years old, with a focus on arts and language.

La Petite Crèche is well located near the French school in Serangoon Gardens, and is also set in a nice and green environment. WHAT WERE THE MOST DIFFICULT CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME ON YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY? First of all was finding a proper location, as not so many buildings are available and/or suitable for this activity. Then, not being from the education world but from the business world (both Vincent and I graduated from HEC), we had to learn the ins and outs of this field. But I’m like Obelix, I fell in the soup and loved it! WHAT IS NEXT? Small is beautiful… We would like to grow, expand, but at the same time stay cosy, warm, for the families and for our staff. We like the community spirit and we would like to reproduce this model of a French bilingual little preschool in other cities in Asia. F LEFT Children enjoying a break in the school’s backyard RIGHT The nursery’s playground in Serangoon Gardens

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The Enterprising Spirit

Issue #1 2016

Entrepreneur Programmes: Verdict After only one year, our Mentoring Programme and Business Advisors Group have already proven very useful to many of our entrepreneur members. Here is what they had to say about their experiences.

“My mentor guided me both on micro and macro aspects of my business”

“External view on my challenges, which helped me prioritise and set the right goals”

“Our exchanges enabled me to fine-tune my business model thanks to a better understanding of global versus local issues in big companies”

“He helped me ask myself the right questions”

“My mentor enabled me to save time by sharing his vision and experience of the Singapore market”

Mentoring Programme

“We met every month with my mentor. He gave me a lot of advice and contacts to approach. “ “She supported me and gave me encouragement to stay the course”

“A good way to get operational recommendations that can be implemented quickly and some strategic insights that are worth reflecting on”

“Great experience and wonderful opportunity”

“It does not happen often that senior executives take the time to advise other professionals”

“A great chance to speed up the professional development when arriving in a new country and impressive that it is a free initiative”

“A faster networking opportunity’

“He redirected me to several key contacts, which facilitated my business development”

“Overall it’s an amazing experience!”

“It was intimidating at first but everyone made me feel at ease, like a team work without any judgment.”

“Great exercise to question our business model” “Constructive criticism and highly appreciated”

Business Advisors Group

“Super challenging experience”

“I highly recommend to all entrepreneurs to participate”

“An experience that will help me a lot for future business pitches”

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Issue #1 2016

The Enterprising Spirit

Entrepreneurship in Singapore By SPRING Singapore SPRING Singapore is an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry responsible for helping Singapore enterprises grow and building trust in Singapore products and services. As the enterprise development agency, SPRING works with partners to help enterprises in financing, capability and management development, technology and innovation, and access to markets.

PROGRESS AT A GLANCE Entrepreneurship is important for Singapore as a key driver of innovation and source of economic renewal. The entrepreneurship landscape here has shown strong progress over the years, including encouraging the growth of high-technology start-ups. The number of start-ups in high-tech or knowledgeintensive sectors has almost doubled from about 2,800 in 2004 to 5,400 in 2014.

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The number of start-ups in high-tech sectors has almost doubled from about 2,800 in 2004 to 5,400 in 2014.

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Speaking to the start-up community at the launch of the JTC LaunchPad @ onenorth in January 2015, Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong said, “You not only keep the economy productive and vibrant by providing jobs and opportunities. You create new markets and improve the lives of Singaporeans through innovative products and services. And most importantly, through your optimism and derring-do, you give our society a sense that anything is possible, as you seek to change the world for the better”.

schemes by SPRING Singapore (SPRING) and the National Research Foundation have seen almost S$180 million committed to helping over 300 start-ups in sectors such as information and communications technology (ICT) hardware, clean technology, medical technology and more. Along with tax incentives to encourage private investors to consider start-ups in Singapore as an attractive investment class, other forms of financial support made available also aim to help high potential start-ups and SMEs grow.

BUILDING A VIBRANT START-UP ECOSYSTEM Today’s vibrant start-up ecosystem is a culmination of putting in place the right mix of resources – both the hardware and the software – and receiving strong

collaboration from multiple partners. These growing partnerships play a significant role in supporting the burgeoning of home-grown innovative ideas.

FINANCING In the area of financing, there is an increasing number of sources of capital from public and private players to support start-ups in different stages of their development. In addition to grants, co-investments, tax incentives and loan programmes, financing options like crowdfunding offer new opportunities to start-ups and investors, changing the way entrepreneurs seed ideas and seek funds. Through crowdfunding, entrepreneurs can reach out to investors and partners beyond

Investor interest in the start-up scene is also growing. According to a report by Preqin Venture and the Singapore Venture Capitalist Association (SVCA), the number of venture capital deals announced in Singapore has risen year after year since 2007, with the highest increase of about 80% seen between 2012 and 2013. The aggregate deal value reached $450 million in 2014. Singapore was seen to be leading in the ASEAN region in terms of venture capital financing. Through government initiatives aimed at catalysing smart monies, co-investment

Photo courtesy of JTC Corporation

Given its geographical position, businessfriendly policies and steady support from the government, Singapore was ranked 10th best place globally for budding entrepreneurs in the Global Start-up Ecosystem Report 2015 by Compass.

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The Enterprising Spirit

Issue #1 2016

Collaboration is instrumental to creating winwin outcomes and encourage co-innovation.

their own social networks; it has been increasingly used by start-ups globally to get their projects off the ground. The local crowdfunding scene has seen growing interest in the last few years and has reportedly raised tens of millions of dollars for local ventures.

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It is also critical to ensure that promising companies have access to the capital they need to grow. As part of Singapore Budget 2015, the government, through SPRING, will top up S$75million for coinvestment into technology-based startups, and partner financial institutions to pilot venture debt as an alternative source of financing for growing enterprises. SPRING co-shares 50% of the loan default risk with appointed financial institutions for such loans and aims to catalyse about 100 venture debt loans totaling about S$500 million in the two-year pilot.

As the local enterprise development agency, SPRING, together with other government agencies, has also looked at improving existing infrastructure to better support start-ups. Through the setup of technology transfer offices and centres of innovations in tertiary institutions and research institutes, more start-ups can gain access and tap public sector R&D capabilities such as laboratory facilities, technology providers and consultants to test and commercialise their technology projects. Over the last five years, about 200 intellectual property translation projects were supported.

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIPS In terms of physical infrastructure, startups in Singapore now have a place to call home. Spearheaded by SPRING and JTC Corporation, the JTC LaunchPad @ one-north, an integrated development along Ayer Rajah Crescent, can house up to 500 start-ups and 35 incubators. As the start-up community expands, the LaunchPad will have three more blocks

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added to accommodate 50% more startups, creating a community primed for interaction and collaboration.

Partnering incubators with start-ups is gaining increasing momentum as it offers critical resources, such as business and technical mentors, advice in growth strategies and access to local and overseas networks of clients and investors. With their support, start-ups can increase their chances of success remarkably. There are about 40 government-supported incubators in Singapore. Some are housed at LaunchPad such as Biofactory, Small

World Group and NUS Enterprise. Others are located elsewhere, like the OneMaker Group located at the Prototyping Lab @ National Design Centre, which focuses on building a community of makers in the manufacturing and hardware space. Some have even expanded overseas to give Singapore start-ups a leg-up when exploring opportunities in other markets. Infocomm Investments Pte Ltd (IIPL), NUS Enterprise and SingTel Innov8 jointly set up ‘Block 71 San Francisco’, a space to foster ties between start-up ecosystems in Singapore and the United States. These encouraging developments in financing, infrastructure and innovation, along with growing private-public partnerships, reflect the collective spirit of the different players. With such a vibrant start-up cluster, we hope to yield more successes from Singapore in the future.

NURTURING EMERGING SECTORS While the entrepreneurship landscape has developed significantly in the last 10 years, some sectors, especially in medical technology, clean technology, and advanced manufacturing and

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Issue #1 2016

The Enterprising Spirit

engineering, still require support. These sectors typically require a longer runway for development and commercialisation. By partnering experienced investors and incubators, and collaborating for test-bedding opportunities, Singapore hopes to nurture more groundbreaking innovations and seed a new generation of technology-based enterprises.

There have also been interesting developments in areas such as robotics and the IoT. For instance, with an increasing demand for innovative manpower-lean technologies and the push towards greater productivity, there is potential for growth in the local robotics landscape. SPRING supports local SMEs across various sectors to adopt automated solutions, and encourages system integrators to design new industrial robotics applications to meet industry demands. Recently, Universal Robots (UR), a global developer and manufacturer of flexible and userfriendly industrial robots, partnered local system integrator Skymech Automation & Engineering (SKYMECH), to create standard scalable solutions for their endcustomers.

CREATING MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLABORATION Collaboration is instrumental to creating win-win outcomes and encouraging coinnovation. The Partnerships for Capability Transformation (PACT) programme, co-administered by Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and SPRING, aims to spur greater collaboration between large and small companies and across sectors. Since PACT’s inception, SPRING has supported almost 100 projects, benefitting 640 SMEs and start-ups. For example, Intel jointly launched an initiative to support start-ups and SMEs interested in developing products and

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In June 2015, SPRING announced the call for proposal to appoint new accelerator partners to groom start-ups through a co-investment model in some of these emerging sectors, which include subsectors such as additive manufacturing, robotics, biomaterials, nanotechnology and more. With $75 million set aside for this, SPRING expects to co-invest in about 40 start-ups with appointed accelerators in the next few years.

The next phase of entrepreneurship promises to be an exciting but competitive one.

services in the internet of things (IoT) and wearables. The line-up of companies included technology company T-Ware, IoT company NexTan, green and health-tech specialists Newton Circus Connected Health, and energy software and hardware companies Intraix and Gridcomm. The Centre of Innovation for Electronics (COI-E) at Nanyang Polytechnic aims to provide test-bedding and collaborative opportunities for companies including smaller firms. With the launch of the COI-E’s IoT Open Innovation Community in December 2015, small companies can connect with industry players and catalysts, tap on their expertise and gain market opportunities. Its existing 100 members include companies such as Ascent Solutions, 1Rwave, NexTan, CitiCall, STMicroelectronics, MediaTek and NXP Semiconductors. With the transformation of Action Community for Entrepreneurship into a private-led entity, ACE Ltd continues to be the voice for entrepreneurs and connects them to key resources such as shared services, mentorship and the larger business community, locally and overseas. According to Mr Joshua Soh, Executive Director for ACE, “The response from the entrepreneurship community has been extremely encouraging. Moving

forward, we are working to help startups to establish their businesses on the right foot, and also to match them with potential clients or partners”.

THE NEXT PHASE The next phase of entrepreneurship promises to be an exciting but competitive one. Mr Edwin Chow, Group Director (Industry & Enterprise) of SPRING Singapore, expects more inventive and technology-centric start-ups to emerge. He says, “Today, we have an open ecosystem with multiple accessible avenues of support to entrepreneurs. This is crucial to facilitate the growth of the next wave of young innovative and high-tech companies. Singapore has always been well-positioned as the gateway city to Asia and riding on the good infrastructure we have built, we hope to see more technology start-ups grow and soar from Singapore to the region”. F PAGE 19 JTC LaunchPad @ one-north OPPOSITE PAGE Guests visiting the Prototyping Lab at the National Design Centre launched by SPRING Singapore and DesignSingapore Council THIS PAGE Launch of the IoT Open Innovation Community at the Enterprise X-Change Forum organised by the Nanyang Polytechnic’s Centre of Innovation for Electronics

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The Enterprising Spirit

Issue #1 2016

Lessons in Entrepreneurship Interview with Professor Kevyn Yong, Academic Dean of ESSEC Asia-Pacific and Associate Professor of Management ESSEC Business School, Asia-Pacific strengthened its decade-long presence in Singapore with the inauguration of its new campus at Nepal Hill in one-north Business Park in 2015. The school offers academic and executive programmes with Asian insights and global perspectives. Academic programmes delivered in Singapore include the ESSEC & Mannheim Executive MBA Asia-Pacific, the Master of Science in Management, the Global BBA (Bachelor in Business Administration), as well as specialised masters in Finance, Strategy and Management of International Business, and Management of Health Industries. ESSEC Asia-Pacific also houses several centres of excellence dedicated to research in key fields of expertise, including the Center of Excellence for Impact Entrepreneurship. HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE TERM ‘ENTREPRENEURSHIP’? In today’s term, an entrepreneur is someone who discovers an opportunity and creates value in the business world. He or she is not someone who merely starts a business or a company. The crux of entrepreneurship is in discovering or creating an opportunity and exploiting this opportunity to create value from it. This can also happen within an organisation, in which case it is usually termed ‘intrapreneurship’. Innovation and creativity are often associated with entrepreneurship and, in most instances, this is true. As renowned economist Joseph Schumpeter puts it, a model of innovation and growth is through ‘creative destruction’. In today’s internet context, it is referred to as disruptive technology. Entrepreneurs are borne out of such creative destruction through

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Singapore has been a good breeding ground for entrepreneurs from all over the world including French entrepreneurs.

technology disruption. For instance, entrepreneurs or technopreneurs who have exploited innovation and creativity to great success include the likes of Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Jack Ma of Alibaba. However, not all entrepreneurs need to be highly innovative or creative. For example, those who invest in a franchised business do not come out with the original business idea. They start a business by adopting a ‘lock stock and barrel’ formula comprising all the systems and processes of a product or service that has proven to be successful. Nonetheless, they have taken the plunge to be entrepreneurs, having identified a good business to invest in, and are ready to take on all other business risks, as with franchisees of local brands like Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Killiney Kopitiam, and international brands like Starbucks. IN ASIA, IS SINGAPORE A GOOD PLACE TO GROOM ENTREPRENEURS? WHAT IS THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP LANDSCAPE LIKE IN SINGAPORE AND HOW DOES THE GOVERNMENT SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURSHIP HERE? Even as a small country with a small market size, Singapore has what it takes to be a hub for entrepreneurs in Asia. First of all, there is good economic and communications infrastructure and a relatively stable socio-political system. Together with strong government support, Singapore is well positioned to be a gateway to Asia not just for MNCs but also for start-ups from

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around the world. It is very easy to start a business or incorporate a company here with the support of easily accessible services, including financial and corporate services. Singapore has produced its share of successful local entrepreneurs with the likes of BreadTalk, Creative, Charles & Keith, and Osim, which have all grown successfully beyond the shores of Singapore, especially in Asia. It is also my vision for Singapore to be the gateway for Asian companies to gain a foothold in Western markets including Europe and the US. That is what we have started to do at ESSEC Asia-Pacific by collaborating with ACE (Action Community for Entrepreneurship) on projects with start-ups based at LaunchPad@One-North to help them gain market access in France and Europe. ARE ASIAN ENTREPRENEURS DIFFERENT FROM EUROPEAN ENTREPRENEURS? I believe that successful entrepreneurs all have the same traits whether they are Asian or European. They are people who have created value either by discovering or by creating interesting new opportunities. Moreover, those who have expanded and achieved success overseas manage cultural differences well and have embraced diversities in every way. However, for those who are not so successful, there could be some dis-

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tinct differences. Generally, Asian entrepreneurs are relatively better at execution and implementation while European entrepreneurs are relatively better at generating new ideas. That being said, the successful entrepreneur, whether he or she is an Asian or European, is good at both generating novel ideas and implementation or they are able to hire good people to plug any skill gaps. WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE IN SINGAPORE FOR FRENCH ENTREPRENEURS? AND HOW CAN A FRENCH ENTREPRENEUR (START-UP) START A BUSINESS HERE IN ORDER TO REACH THE LARGER ASIAN MARKET? Opportunities abound not just in Singapore but also across Southeast Asia, China and India. I recommend that French entrepreneurs consider thinking of Singapore as a gateway to the larger Asia Pacific market. Indeed, Singapore has one of the best infrastructure systems for entrepreneurship in the world. With one-north as an innovation cluster within clusters consisting of an ICT cluster in Fusionopolis, a bio-medical R&D cluster in Biopolis, and a cluster of start-ups at the JTC LaunchPad, Singapore presents a rich entrepreneurial environment, and probably a very competitive one too. As mentioned, it is easy to start a business and incorporate a company in Singapore where one can tap into the many related

The Enterprising Spirit

services available here. If your company has at least 30% local ownership, there are even many government assistance schemes accessible to you through IE Singapore and SPRING Singapore, two leading government agencies supporting small and medium enterprises here. Typically, the company could set up a HQ in Singapore given the good infrastructural support here and expand to the rest of Asia. The HQ office would usually manage strategy, marketing, design, logistics and finance functions. Singapore has been a good breeding ground for entrepreneurs from all over the world including French entrepreneurs. For instance, among ESSECâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s network of alumni are some entrepreneurs who have decided to set up a business in Singapore. Companies that they have set up include Street Deal, Parakito, The French Cellar and The Vintage Club. WHAT SKILLS DO ENTREPRENEURS NEED? HOW IMPORTANT ARE THEY TO BUSINESS EDUCATION AND HOW ARE THEY BEING TAUGHT AT ESSEC? To start with, entrepreneurs need to be strategic visionaries of the business they want to embark on. They identify an opportunity and have the ability to create and add value to that opportunity to turn it into a potential business proposition. Entrepreneurs also need to have

general business skills that include strategic thinking, marketing, finance and communication. They could either train themselves in these areas or hire those who have them. They are usually highly driven and passionate individuals who have a great appetite for working hard towards success. Last, and perhaps most importantly, they must be ready to work very hard, be resilient in the face of failures and challenges, and be savvy in networking. Entrepreneurship is definitely an important component in current business education. Besides having the right mindset and motivation, entrepreneurs need to be equipped with the right set of creative thinking and problem-solving skills in order to be successful in their chosen business venture. A course on entrepreneurship within a formal business education programme will help to build a good foundation in these skills. In fact, entrepreneurship is a core component in ESSECâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Global BBA, MBA, MSc in Management (Grande Ecole) and EMBA programmes. It is also a required course in most of the other degree programmes offered. At the same time, through our partnership with ACE in Singapore, we will be creating internships at start-ups for our Global BBA students and consulting projects for EMBA participants. F

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The Rise of Mobile Money Interview with Eric Barbier, Chief Executive Officer, TransferTo

FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, HOW HAS SINGAPORE’S START-UP ECOSYSTEM EVOLVED IN THE PAST FEW YEARS? The start-up scene has dramatically changed over the last five years. We can see a lot of young (and not so young) people taking more risks and innovating. However, the focus is still very much on the Asian market. I believe both startups and investors should think global and not only Asia. There is definitely room for growth when it comes to thinking global. IS SINGAPORE THE NEW HOT SPOT FOR VENTURE CAPITALISTS? WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SINGAPORE AND SILICON VALLEY? We have seen a big leap in terms of professionalism. Several big Silicon Valley venture capitalists have now set up a base in Singapore. The culture of sharing has also greatly improved. The main difference is that Singapore has a small domestic market, so you need to seek and find external expansion quite early. Silicon Valley doesn’t face this challenge.

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There are 2 billion unbanked people in the world and, of those, the vast majority have access to a mobile phone.

for their customers without the need for a bank account. TransferTo’s clients are companies whose consumer bases consist largely of people connecting with family and friends back home.

support each other across borders, it is inconvenient for people in the rural communities of emerging economies to try and receive money through traditional bank-to-bank transfers.

WHO DO YOU WORK WITH IN SINGAPORE AND IN THE REGION?

However, traditional remittance methods using an agent are typically expensive and inconvenient. End users must find an agent in their nearest town – which, for the most remote locations, can take up to one or two days. It has proven much easier for them to receive funds through their mobile phones. Therefore, the mobile phone has already become the perfect vehicle to bring financial services to the unbanked.

Our first commercial transfer was between Malaysia and Indonesia. We’re now working with most countries in the region. In Singapore our partners include Singtel, StarHub and SingPost.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO FOSTER FINANCIAL INCLUSION IN EMERGING COUNTRIES? Mobile Money is already creating a cashless revolution in developing markets where mobile phones have seen widespread adoption and banks accounts are less common. Put very simply, Mobile Money essentially turns a mobile device into a bank account for the unbanked, allowing funds to be accessed in various forms by mobile users.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE TRANSFERTO’S VISION AND ACTIVITIES? With one billion people set to use mobile money by 2020, TransferTo’s Mobile Money Hub is connecting telco partners and financial institutions to create the largest network of newly banked customers across the globe. TransferTo helps businesses offer mobile money and airtime top-ups around the world in real time. Our global Mobile Money Hub provides an essential combination of services and technology to mobile telecommunication companies and financial institutions including MTN, Singtel, Orange, Western Union, PayPal, and Xoom. Thousands of companies in over 100 countries depend on TransferTo to provide mobile financial transactions

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WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES IN THE REMITTANCE MARKET? According to the World Bank, there are 2 billion unbanked people in the world, i.e. those that do not have a bank account and, of those, the vast majority have access to a mobile phone. With over $600 billion in remittances sent each year as friends and families

Mobile operators strive to understand how they can provide Mobile Money services to their customers, to ensure that they are part of this growing industry driving financial inclusion for the unbanked. This includes both inbound and outbound remittance services, as well as other Mobile Money account services including bill payment, mobile airtime purchase, peer-to-peer transfer and direct transactions with merchants at point of sale. In the future, that could extend to other products such as savings, credit and insurance. F

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Accelerator Programmes: the New Innovation Engine By Eric Saint-André, Managing Director, ASA Advisory Pte Ltd ASA Advisory assists companies in complex innovation, business transformation and organisational change challenges by designing, implementing and operating fit-for-purpose solutions / capabilities.

Singapore has recently been ranked the 10th best start-up ecosystem in the world. It has also become the preferred place for large corporations to launch their innovation or digital hubs in Asia.

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Accelerator Programmes encourage entrepreneurship, spur business development and stimulate the local ecosystem.

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Currently, corporations and start-ups are beginning to leverage a new type of innovation engine: Accelerator Programmes. This trend is not confined to Singapore: we are witnessing the global emergence of Accelerator Programmes as an effective mechanism for accelerating the growth of start-ups and corporate innovation. WHAT MAKES ACCELERATOR PROGRAMMES SO EFFECTIVE FOR START-UPS AND CORPORATIONS? Accelerator Programmes are a new form of co-innovation model. They connect key stakeholders – start-ups, corporations and the government – through symbiotic partnerships. Through Accelerator Programmes, startups are able to access the resources they need to accelerate their growth without giving away too much. Specifically, they enjoy some level of funding, a conducive environment for development, targeted training, coaching and access to mentors, and strategic partners to help them tackle most of the challenges that they will face. Last but not least, they are also able to capitalise on the established markets and distribution channels of their large corporate partner. In contrast, corporations use Accelerator Programmes to meet multiple business objectives: targeted investment (invest in promising start-ups through a venture capitalist model), strategic innovation (scout for start-ups and technology aligned with the corporation’s strategy and operating model, drive business model innovation, etc), cultural transfor-

mation (help initiate an internal shift towards a more agile, innovative and entrepreneurial culture), talent detection (scout for talent among up-andcoming start-ups, as well as in the broader ecosystem), positive branding / marketing (promote the corporation as an innovative, entrepreneurial and adaptable entity) and many others depending on the programme’s structure and purpose. From the government’s perspective, Accelerator Programmes encourage entrepreneurship, spur business development and stimulate the local ecosystem by involving relevant stakeholders and mediating private and public interests in a structured manner to drive economic growth while making a positive societal impact. WHAT MAKES ACCELERATOR PROGRAMMES SUCCESSFUL AND IS IT FOR EVERYONE? Accelerator Programmes are effective because they are time-pressured environments that force start-ups and large corporations to: • Be extremely customer-centric. By focusing on problems faced by their customers and creating products and services to solve them, these companies

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continuously meet needs and build desirability for their offerings; Clearly articulate the unique value proposition embedded in their sustainable business models to verify viability; Build products using the latest technology in an iterative manner and based on validated learning, i.e. demonstrate feasibility; Gain traction and stimulate growth in a well-defined and sizeable opportunity space, i.e. offer scalability; Augment the skills and experience of teams involved to ensure that they are equipped with what it takes to realise their vision i.e. team building; Facilitate connections between the broad range of critical stakeholders (customers, distributors, partners, investors, etc), i.e. connecting the dots.

Start-ups and large corporations alike should, therefore, seriously consider adopting this form of co-innovation model. When planned and designed properly, Accelerator Programmes create tremendous value in a short amount of time and demonstrate that the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. F THIS PAGE An Accelerator networking event at BASH, the heart of the start-up ecosystem in Singapore

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Expanding your Business through Fundraising Interview with Olivier Gerhardt, Co-Founder, CEO, Wavecell

WHAT IS YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL STORY? I started my entrepreneurial journey after relocating to Singapore in 2009 with my family.

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Take time to understand the network of venture capitalists in your region.

Singapore was the perfect place to start a business for many familiar reasons. For one, it is an excellent regional hub for accessing Asian markets. Additionally, thanks to the government’s support, Singapore’s flexibility, simplicity, low tax environment and advanced infrastructure have turned it into a favourable entrepreneurial ecosystem. Last but not least, it is one of the best places for cultivating a healthy family life. WHAT DOES WAVECELL DO? Wavecell’s mission is to help enterprises and application developers easily integrate modern communication channels into their products and services, and offer a seamless user experience on web and mobile to their customers. From SMS and mobile push notifications to voice and video calls, Wavecell provides cloudbased real-time communication services to global customers in more than 200 countries. We have more than 500 active customers across a wide range of industries such as e-commerce, telecommunication, digital marketing and CRM platforms, finance, insurance and transport. WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE TAUGHT YOU ABOUT FUNDRAISING? The company has been self-funded from the beginning, which has forced us to have a profitable business model from Day 1. We successfully grew the business organically over the first four years to S$6 million of revenue generated last year with a team of just 10 people and decided to work on a more ambitious expansion plan last year as we wanted a

first mover advantage in Asia’s booming cloud communication market that would be worth USD30 billion by 2020. Towards the end of 2015, we successfully raised S$2.5 million from the first round of fundraising, which involved two major Singapore-based venture capitalists, Qualgro Asean Fund and Wavemaker Pacific, with extensive networks in Asia. The fundraising process is intense and requires a lot of dedication over a sixmonth period at the very least. Potential investors will use that time to assess your business, team, products, market opportunity and growth. While all the meetings take a lot of your time, it is very important that you remain focused on growing your business while keeping your team fully motivated, which is a real challenge. Having said that, the Singapore investment scene has evolved positively over the last few years, with much more funds available from business angels, business incubators, family offices, venture capitalists, corporations and government affiliated funds.

One of the key learning points from our fund raising process is realising the importance of taking time to understand the network of venture capitalists in your region. Armed with this knowledge, you can connect with the ones that are currently investing in your industry and partner with those who offer the most lucrative agreements. You also need to select the venture capitalists that will be able to help with your business and bring value in the long term. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPANSION PLANS IN SINGAPORE AND BEYOND? Our ambition is to be the next leading player in our industry in Asia. Over the next 12 months, we plan to grow our market share in Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific region. We are currently opening offices in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines to scale up our sales force and local presence in the main markets where our cloud communication services have gained significant traction. F

ESSEC & MANNHEIM EXECUTIVE MBA ASIA-PACIFIC SHAPE YOUR CAREER, EMPOWER YOUR FUTURE

The ESSEC & Mannheim Executive MBA Asia-Paciﬁc program has been designed to address the ever-changing demands on senior management operating in Asia. The curriculum leverages on ESSEC’s 20 years of experience in running Executive MBA programs and the partnership with Mannheim Business School since 2004.

KEY BENEFITS • An international outlook with a pan-Asian core, with courses examining new business models in Asia, future powerhouses and international residencies • An innovative curriculum incorporating the latest business trends in topics such as Big Data, Value-creating Innovation, Branding with Digital and Social Networks and Family Business • A compact class size to provide a highly-interactive learning experience

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With Asia playing such a large role in the world economy, I found the program’s strong pan-Asian focus to be really complementary to my work experience and felt that it would really aid me in my career growth and progression.

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Hazel Seow Participant, ESSEC & Mannheim Executive MBA Asia-Paciﬁc 2014-2015

FINANCIAL TIMES WORLDWIDE RANKINGS 2015

#12

Executive Education

www.emba-asia.essec.edu For more information, please contact: ESSEC Asia-Paciﬁc at +65 6413 9706 or emba-asia@essec.edu

ESSEC | CPE Registration number 200511927D | Period of registration: 30 June 2011 - 29 June 2017

NEXT INTAKE IN OCTOBER 2016

Visit our Singapore campus at 2, One-North Gateway, Singapore 138502

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Riding the App Wave Interview with Erwan Mace, Founder & CEO, Bitsmedia

WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL APP? Things have changed over the past few years. When Apple first launched its App Store and the iOS SDK (the tools for developers to create apps) in 2008 (a year after the first iPhone was launched), almost every single app released was a success as there were only 10,000 apps on the App Store back in November 2008.

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Users are highly educated with regards to the smartphone and apps that they depend on.

the app icon, the app title, the screenshots, the keywords, the app description. It is critical to test and measure various options at this stage to slowly reach the set of screenshots or title that will help you get found and downloaded. Localising the app and the metadata can help ensure that your app is visible in different markets.

Fast forward eight years and not only can you now find more than 1.5 million apps on the App Store but users have higher expectations as they are highly educated with regards to the smartphone and apps that they depend on. There is no more space for quick and dirty apps. With the exception of games, a successful app must now address an existing need and/or surpass traditional services and existing apps. It must also feature a simple user experience (UX) packed in a sleek and beautiful user interface (UI). Finally, it must incorporate some viral mechanisms to encourage existing users to share and recruit new ones as well as some addictive hooks to retain existing users. The average retention rates after one and seven days are 40% and 20% respectively, meaning that 60% of the people who downloaded your app will stop using it after one day only! Finally, one should note that in order to reach a global audience, app developers will likely need to develop and publish their app on at least the two major leading platforms: Apple iOS and Google Android. HOW ARE APPS MONETISED? There are generally three common ways to monetise an app: • Paid applications that require you to pay $0.99 or more to download them. However, these are less and less common as users now expect apps to be free or to at least start using them for free; • Free applications can be monetised through advertising, generally by placing small ad banners at the top or bot-

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Naturally, the quality of the app itself, through ratings, reviews and rankings, is probably the best guaranty to stand out in this crowded app jungle. BITSMEDIA SUPPORTS OTHER ENTREPRENEURS? HOW SO?

tom of the page, or by showing full page interstitials in between two screens. A new format called “Native ads” is becoming popular as it allows app developers to integrate their ads within their design in a less intrusive way. Think of ads you see in your Facebook feed or in between articles on some news app; • Finally, the Freemium or “Free-to-Play” model allows users to download an app and start using it for free with the option to buy additional content or unlock premium features directly within the app (in-app purchases) at a later stage (once they have become addicted or dependent on it).

Over the past two or three years, Bitsmedia has re-invested some of the profits gained on our very own apps into other technology start-ups. We started with a local game development studio called Magma Studios, followed by Followatch, a French start-up that built an Electronic Program Guide platform to help TV broadcasters optimise programming and advertising revenues through sentiment analysis on social media. Finally, we recently invested in Krak, a company based between Los Angeles and Berlin that is trying to disrupt the world of skateboarders through connected devices and mobile applications. WHAT ARE BITSMEDIA’S PLANS?

Developers may mix the last two models by offering, for example, an optional paid upgrade within the app to remove ads. HOW DOES ONE GAIN VISIBILITY ON THE APP STORE? With the great number of apps now available, not only must an app be simple, sleek, viral and addictive, but developers must also invest time and resources ensuring the visibility of their apps on the main two stores by working on metadata:

I started Bitsmedia seven years ago, developing mobile applications for corporate clients, and quickly evolved towards the exclusive development and publishing of our own products as soon as our Muslim Pro application became popular in 2010-2011. After focusing on Muslim Pro for the past five years and reaching 25 million downloads, we are now excited to have recently started working on a brand new application that will be a sort of Uber for private tuition teachers. F

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Digital City Guides for Travellers Interview with Carrie Nooten, Founder, Ux and Narrative Designer, TopoTogo TopoTogo is a suite of city discovery Apps that help different segments of users fully experience a city. With TopoTogo in hand, visitors can navigate curated paths, understand their exploration, access to local retail offers or book services. TopoTogo Mobile Guides are also distributed through hotels and retail networks.

the app for their guests, something for which we have received support from the Singapore Tourism Board.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO LAUNCH A START-UP IN SINGAPORE? Singapore is an entrepreneur-friendly city and, considering its reputation, it is surprising that it is not more developed in internet start-ups. Blk 71, Singapore’s answer to the Silicon Valley, was launched only in 2011. In comparison, Beijing was already booming in 2000 when I was working there in a start-up. So last year, we saw a great opportunity: it would be easier to establish our company in Singapore, compared to a crowded West Coast or within the FrenchTech. Currently, there still exist a few challenges here: a lack of versatile developers, a cultural aversion to risk and an undeveloped start-up funding network for a techoriented market. But this is changing quickly and development is a good skill in many neighbouring countries – the great success of the like of PropertyGuru, Luxola, Carousell, or Reebonz show that the potential is here.

We believe that a clever app should provide top offline quality content, access to great services that are available, such as booking a car, a table in a restaurant or a ticket to an attraction, and bridge the language gap you might face when travelling. No need to enter the museum address in Japanese in Uber, TopoTogo will do it for you. Not too sure how to go about booking a table in Shanghai? Local service Chope through TopoTogo will do it for you. The city’s businesses can also reach tourists in their own language and offline; indeed, targeted mobile advertising is the way to go and it is still underdeveloped here.

All visuals © TopoTogo / Little Travel Guides

Lao Tseu said, “The Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”: the kids and parents segment is our first step. We have created a unique 2-in-1 app: half of it is a travel app for parents, who can guide their family through Singapore with tailor-made directory and trails; the other half is an edutainment app for children, so that they understand their visits through 150 little stories and interactive features, including 50 minutes’ worth of audio guides in each language. With this app, grown-ups can expect to save time: it usually takes me two days to prepare a seven-day trip with my two kids. It is also a great tool to practice the language and embrace the culture of your temporary country if you are an expat.

WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY, THEN, AS AN ASIA-BASED START-UP? Rather than replicate for the Asian market ideas that have already been developed elsewhere, we have decided to start from here and address a global problem: how to visit a city smoothly, with a great cultural experience. Weirdly, there is no app that has yet replaced Lonely Planet on the international traveller’s smart phone. TripAdvisor and other crowdsource-based platforms are showing their limits and the need for a great tool to explore a city is still there.

THIS WON’T BE YOUR FIRST PRODUCT. YOU’VE JUST RELEASED SINGAPORE TOPOTOGO FOR KIDS & PARENTS, A BIMEDIA MOBILE GUIDE...

Our offline city discovery platform will be out for summer 2016, with audio guides in four languages: English, Mandarin, Japanese and French. It will be distributed through seven partner hotels (with a total of 630,000 guests per year) and via unique physical/digital engagement as concierges will unlock

As always, we believe digital products should be accessible from the physical world, so TopoTogo K&P is available with an activity guide and a map for children at partnered retail shops. We are using a technology that enables you to buy the app from the shop itself – you don’t need to buy it from the app store afterwards. In three months, we have already distributed 1,200 TopoGuides through a network of 45 retail and museum shops. Also, we found that we could use the interactivity between screen and paper to tell additional stories... and children love it! F

So French So Creative GALA DINNER 2016 Friday 27 May

Shangri-La Hotel

Book a Table! On Friday 27 May 2016, the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore will celebrate French creativity during its annual Gala Dinner at the Shangri-La Hotel. Prepare to enter the electrifying atmosphere of So French So Creative! A breathtaking live entertainment show and the finest French cuisine accompanied by the most delicate French wines and champagne will be the enchanting ingredients of this evening. We look forward to welcoming you at the FCCS Gala Dinner 2016! For more information, please contact gala2016@fccsingapore.com

The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore 541 Orchard Road, #09-01 Liat Towers, Singapore 238881 Tel: 6933 1350 Fax: 6933 1398 www.fccsingapore.com

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Pioneering New Ways of Consuming Wine By Vincent Morello, CEO & Co-Founder, The French Cellar

For instance, the wine market in China shows great potential. It is a market in which French wine, more than anywhere else, essentially means wine from Bordeaux. The French Cellar aims to convince Chinese drinkers that there is a whole world of less expensive, very enjoyable French wine from unexplored terroirs waiting to be savoured.

French wine of pedigree has long been favoured by serious connoisseurs and collectors in Singapore but Vincent Morello and Eric Joubert were convinced that there was also growing space for good-value and good-quality wine from smaller vineyards. Like them, they felt that people were often daunted by the smorgasbord of choice from France, which has more than 20, 000 wineries and a labelling system that confuses many.

Founded in Singapore in 2013, The French Cellar has received funds from two strategic investors: Kyosei Ventures and ESW Manage.

THE CONCEPT The French Cellar is pioneering the wine subscription ecommerce model into Asia with the aim to bring to our members the best wines that France has to offer and at great value. The French Cellar members discover two exquisite wines every month at home, exclusively through our platform, thanks to a special and personal relationship between our sommelier, Nicolas Rebut, and French winemakers. Wine expert sommelier Nicolas Rebut selects the wines that The French Cellar will provide to its customers, which guarantees wines will be of a very good quality. Indeed, after years of delighting threestar Michelin restaurant customers, Nicolas Rebut now makes use of his knowledge to craft a unique selection of French wines, along with wine tasting notes and pairing advice. Based in France, he explores vineyards and tastes thousands of

wine samples each year and selects only the best wines from renowned estates and undiscovered appellations.

A GROWING MARKET IN ASIA The French wine market in Asia shows tremendous potential, with a total value of about â&#x201A;Ź3 billion per year. The share of French wine exports to Asia has strongly grown with no signs of slowing. As the first company in the market to introduce the concept of curated French wine subscriptions, The French Cellar is well positioned to tap into this growing market in Asia.

Kyosei Ventures, an investment holdings company and partner of SPH, was founded by Jackie Lee, a seasoned serial entrepreneur. Mr Lee is Chairman of The French Cellar. Private equity firm ESW Manage was founded by Wong Yat Foo who has more than 15 years of experience in regional and cross-border capital market transactions including M&As, initial public offering and private equity investment. Mr Wong was the CEO and chairman of Mentor Media Ltd, which went public in 1999 and sold for SGD168 million. The French Cellar is not only an online platform (TheFrenchCellar.asia) but also a myriad of public tasting events and wine appreciation workshops for companies. We are convinced that our subscription model of curated wines is the solution to the challenge millions of wines lovers face in choosing their wines in Asia. Launched in 2015 in China, our immediate markets of interest include Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia. F THIS PAGE Nicolas Rebut, The French Cellar sommelier

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The Enterprising Spirit

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From Research to Development Interview with Rachid Yazami, President & Founding Director, KVI Pte Ltd In 2011, Rachid Yazami founded KVI Pte Ltd, a new start-up company in Singapore dedicated to battery life and safety enhancement for mobile electronics, large energy storage, and electric vehicle applications.The KVI technology is based on thermodynamic principles and methods. Rachid Yazami was awarded the 2014 Charles Stark Draper Prize by the National Academy of Engineering for pioneering and leading the groundwork for today’s lithium-ion-battery. He shares about his work and views on the future of energy storage. WHICH ONE OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE AREA OF ENERGY STORAGE ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF AND WHY? Prior to the 1980s, the use of lithium batteries was fairly uncommon. Anode materials in use then were inherently unstable and susceptible to explosions. In 1979-1980, I pioneered the use of the graphite anode as a safer alternative. Today, this technology is used in most commercial lithium batteries. You can find it in a wide range of applications, from mobile phones to grid-level storage. For my research work, I was awarded the Draper prize – the Nobel equivalent for engineers – in 2014. WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO CONTINUE YOUR RESEARCH WORK IN SINGAPORE? There is great market potential for energy storage in Asia, with substantial R&D and business activities taking place in this region. I decided to anchor my research

“

There is great market potential for energy storage in Asia.

work in Singapore as I noted its ambitious targets for R&D and the amount of support provided to translate lab-based solutions to commercialised end-products. In fact, one of my companies, KVI Pte Ltd, was a beneficiary of this system. It was set up in 2011 to commercialise my team’s research work in new thermodynamic methods and equipment for more accurate condition monitoring of batteries, fuel cells and electrochemical capacitors.

gapore can make an economic impact in energy storage is in developing and mastering high-value-added technologies.

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES DO YOU FORESEE IN SINGAPORE IN RENEWABLE ENERGIES AND IN ENERGY STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES SPECIFICALLY?

About energy storage technologies, the use of batteries and battery capacities are increasing so fast that the challenge now lies in security and controlling fire hazard.

With a population of about 5.5 million, Singapore is a relatively small market compared to its neighbours. Where Sin-

A combination of a high level of education and attracting the right top-level international industries in the field should generate know-how. This can eventually be exported to countries in the region, in addition to responding to local demand in energy management and efficiency.

HOW CAN SINGAPORE CAPITALISE ON THESE OPPORTUNITIES? WHICH AREAS DESERVE MORE ATTENTION? Energy storage is among the faster-growing markets for lithium-ion battery applications. There are serious opportunities for Singapore to catch a significant part of the market by building know-how and a strong culture around energy storage to become a technological hub in South East Asia. The area where Singapore may make a difference is in energy efficiency. This would relate to advanced battery management systems that will enable energy storage systems to be more long-lasting, costeffective, safe and reliable. F

FOCUS MAGAZINE Issue #1 2016

COVER STORY

The Enterprising Spirit

COVER STORY

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The Enterprising Spirit

Issue #1 2016

Getting Ready for Asia By Sébastien Guillaud, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Hera Capital Hera Capital is a Singapore-based private equity firm and registered fund management company regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Hera Capital invests in fast-growing small and mid-cap consumer/ retail, digital and media-related companies across South East Asia. We provide our portfolio companies with capital and a combination of strategic advice, hands-on business development services, as well as access to our extended network of partners.

Although South East Asia is home to 600 million people that represent 8% of the world population, only 0.7% of French SMEs are involved in some form of business in the region.

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The hunt for talent and the complexity of the region require serious funding.

In comparison, the US attracts around 18% of French SMEs. That’s 26 times South East Asia’s share for a country that has a little over half of the region’s population. Sure, at USD17 trillion, the US GDP dwarfs that of South East Asia. Still, with an accumulated USD2.5 trillion in GDP and an expected 6% growth trajectory for 2016, South East Asia should start to look appealing enough for French SMEs looking for growth. Does this gap indicate of a lack of appetite? Or perhaps the difficulties in operating and expanding in South East Asia are just too big a hurdle for French medium-sized companies to consider entering this market? Here’s the simple truth: South East Asia is not for all French SMEs. After 12 years based in Singapore and having helped multiple SMEs expand in the region, I can say that venturing in this part of the world should actually remain limited to certain companies; not all French SMEs are Asia-ready! Basically, even after product/ market fit is validated or seems blaringly obvious, we see being Asia-ready coming down to two basic things: having the “right” CEO and being properly funded.

THE RIGHT CEO The right CEO is an entrepreneurial leader who is genuinely eager to confront the challenges posed by Asian expansion and who understands that South East Asia is not one, but 11 different countries. He or she is convinced that the key to success lies in recruiting and retaining talent, and that working for the subsidiary

of a small French company is not on the dream list of most local talents! The Asia-ready French CEO respects cultural diversity, understands that there is no free lunch and that turning potential into revenue and profits will require hard work, patience, resilience and significant capital.

FUNDING Adding a nice little red dot representing Singapore on the world map of a corporate website is “okay” marketing but it is not enough to really build a presence in the region. The hunt for talent and the complexity of the region require serious funding. French SMEs that are not financially strong enough or not ready or willing to raise more capital to expand here should think twice before venturing into South East Asia, as it will drain resources that would be better spent somewhere else.

French SMEs venturing into Asia need to have enough cash to afford to make wrong decisions, to not necessarily recruit the perfect staff the very first time... and enough cash to accelerate when teams, products offerings and partnerships are built and hungry for expansion. The good news for Asia-ready CEOs who are in search of funding is that companies like my own are ready to provide that cash. Not only does Hera Capital invest directly in South East Asia, but it also provides funding in Europe and France if the given capital is dedicated to accelerating the growth of a company in South East Asia. We invest US$1 to US$10 million per company. Hera Capital currently has two French companies in its portfolio: Reworld Media and Linkfluence. We are looking at deploying more capital to French companies this year as we are convinced that a number of superb French SMEs are now ripe for growth in South East Asia. F

BUSINESS SERVICES

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French Companies in Singapore

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Newly Set-Up Companies Over the last few months, various French companies have benefited from the FCCS’ Business Support services for their setup process in Singapore. Let’s welcome, among others:

Accuracy is the sole, truly independent global actor in the field of financial advisory services to business leaders and their shareholders. Our firm has grown from seven consultants in 2004 to 300 professionals in ten countries today. We assist our clients in dealing with a range of complex, high-stake situations includ-

ing disputes, transactions and companies in difficulty. Accuracy has established its Singapore office in view of its development in Asia, and a team made of multi–skilled professionals (accounting, finance, valuation, investigations, project analysis). We aim to serve corporations, PE funds and law firms, in: • Forensic, litigation and arbitration, where we act as independent party expert witnesses. Our experts have already testified in international jurisdic-

tions and tribunals (ICC, SIAC); • Cross–border M&As, where we offer due-diligence services and full–scope assistance; • Situations that require an independent view, analysis or valuation (including construction projects, discussions between stakeholders/stockholders, business planning). F

Contact: Mr David THORNES, Director Email: david.thornes@accuracy.com Website: www.accuracy.com

we are a still life studio that creates advertising images, with a focus on objects, cosmetics, liquors, perfumes, museums, and others. F Andreani Studio Pte Ltd seeks to suit photographic requirements, by offering a personalised service from the shoot to the photo editing. With great responsiveness, versatility and expertise of over 20 years,

SGItech’s goal is to develop business in Singapore and the region for smaller Western companies that offer innovative products in the fields of life science and medical care.

SGItech promotes a revolutionary 3D high-speed, high-resolution and noninvasive tomographic microscope that uses disruptive technology. For the first time, researchers, medical doctors and students can directly and instantly see what happens inside a living cell without using any additional toxic stains or contrast chemicals. Stunning digitally

Valentin-Project proposes a men’s shirts and polo collection. We create our designs and source our fabrics in Paris. Valentin-project focuses on affordable premium, thoughtful designs and combined details to create men’ s wear prod-

Contact: Mrs Irene ANDREANI, Photographer Email: irene@studioandreani.com Website: www.studioandreani.com

stained 3D images or videos of these cells are obtained in just seconds. SGItech also distributes surgical tools for arthroscopic operations and will be adding other product to its portfolio. F Contact: Mr Guillaume COMBES, Director Email: combes.guillaume@gmail.com

ucts with stories to tell. We integrate artisan work to our designs to tie with their cultural heritage of artisan work. This allows us to make an impact on the supply chain through employment instead of the buy-one, give-one charity system. F Contact: Mrs Emmanuelle DELRIEU, Co-Founder Email: emmanuelle@valentin-project.com Website: www.valentin-project.com

Join the French Pavilions in 2016 and enjoy great exposure! Singapore is a regional hub to reach Asia Pacific markets. Every year more than 50 French companies exhibit under French pavilions via the French Chamber.

Join a French Pavilion at IDEM, BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia or Medical Fair, and benefit from the French Chamber’s exhibition expertise: • Prime location in the exhibition hall • Stand package with premium design • Planning of professional meetings (additional option) • Networking events + event communication for better visibility • Comprehensive administrative and logistical assistance • One dedicated person from the French Chamber to support you before and during the event

International communications and information technnology

Medical and healthcare industries

The business of dentistry Suntec City Convention & Exhibition Centre

Digital media and entertainment technology

8 to 10 April

Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands 31 August to 2 September

31 May to 3 June

shows with e d a tr l a n o ti such interna r company to enhance to n o ti a ip c ti . Par nable you e l il w tial partners e n c n te o ta p is t s e s e a m r d ou ortunities an p p o s s e in s u b

For more information, contact bizsupport@fccsingapore.com

French Chamber Singapore

HR & TRAINING SERVICES

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Training Sessions

The French Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HR department has been assisting companies in their recruitment and their growth in Asia for more than 10 years, with a focus on the French business community. Our role is to work with employers and job seekers to facilitate a successful match. This can range from advising a global company on a candidate-sourcing

Issue #1 2016

strategy to helping a job seeker find their dream job. Our experience enables us to thoroughly understand our market, thereby selecting the very best candidates for our clients. We place candidates on both permanent and contract bases. We also recently launched a new series of workshops for jobseekers in order to give them the keys to a successful job search.

Conducted in French or English, these workshops are led by HR professionals, members of the French Chamber: Harmony & Mobility Consulting and Next Step HR Consulting. Focusing on four main topics (Resume, Job Interview, Networking and LinkedIn), the first series of workshops was very successful, with many participants. F

Check our website for the upcoming sessions: www.fccsingapore.com/hr/workshops-jobseekers

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FCCS Business Delegation to Myanmar In partnership with CCI France Myanmar, the Energy & Infrastructure Committee of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and the French Chambers in Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, jointly organised the second business delegation to Myanmar on the 8th and 9th of October 2015. More than 20 companies were part of this delegation. Being part of this delegation was a great opportunity for participants to assess the political and economic climate before the elections in November. It helped them understand the evolution of the energy and infrastructure sector in Myanmar and the opportunities that arise from it. They also managed to meet and learn from prominent actors in these sectors such as Bouygues, Total and Lafarge who are successfully furthering their footprint in Myanmar. The activity line-up included conferences with key local and international players, networking events and site visits. F

FCCS COMMITTEES

Asia|

FCCS COMMITTEES

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| Smart Cities

Issue #1 2016

Smart Cities: Official Launch of Urban Innovations Portfolio On 28 September 2015, the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and its Smart Cities committee launched the Urban Innovations portfolio at a reception hosted by the French Ambassador at the French Residence. From MRT train components and infrastructure to the design and construction of the Sports Hub, French expertise is an integral part of key projects that bring Singapore closer to its goal of becoming a truly smart nation. Moving forward, the French business community aims to forge stronger global collaborations in urban innovations with Singapore. To this end, the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore has estab-

lished a Smart City Committee with the support of Vivapolis, the French export brand of sustainable cities. Their first deliverable, Urban Innovations, is a portfolio that showcases more than 150 French smart city solutions presented by 50 French large and small companies, as well as two research partners. The committee aims to engage in a structured discussion with Singapore agencies to envision revolutionary solutions that will ensure the happiness, safety and wellbeing of tomorrow’s citizens in Singapore, as well as other countries undergoing urbanisation. Through a novel collective creative process, the French team came up with three stories including multiple real-life examples that illustrate how these solutions could address the smart nation priorities in Singapore from an enduser perspective.

“Our goal is to address Singapore governmental agencies’ priorities and challenges with an open and inclusive innovation approach, calling on all talents to imagine new applications and business models that put the well-being of people first. Beyond the technological challenge, developing smart cities is a matter of will and entrepreneurial culture. We believe that our public-private partnership will be mutually beneficial in generating knowledge, drive and creativity in Singapore and for Singapore” says Mr Jean-Noel Stock, VP of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. “Looking further ahead, we are ready to work with Singapore to widen its influence on urban innovations across the region and the world”, he added. This successful launch was a great opportunity for our members to meet and discuss with Singaporean agencies. F LEFT The portfolio of smart city solutions by French companies in Singapore RIGHT urban-innovations.fccsingapore.com, the website dedicated to the initiative

2015 EDITION

French Chamber Singapore

URBAN

INNOVATIONS

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TOP LEFT / CENTRE LEFT / BOTTOM The guests at the launch of Urban Innovations included key personnel of the companies featured in the portoflio, representatives of various Singapore government agencies as well as members of the French Chamber TOP RIGHT Jean-Noel Stock, CEO & Country Director, Thales Solutions Asia, and Co-President of the French Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Smart Cities committee CENTRE RIGHT The launch was hosted at the French Residence by His Excellency Benjamin Dubertret, Ambassador of France to Singapore

FCCS COMMITTEES

Smart Cities|

FCCS EVENTS

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Networkings

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Great Turnout at the FCCS Welcome to Singapore 2015 This annual rendez-vous brought together 230 participants, including friends and French newcomers, at Hort Park, the Gardening Hub. This gathering was a great chance for new expatriates in Singapore to meet well-established ones and get introduced to the French business community.

This informative gathering, led by the President of the French Chamber, Mrs Doina Palici-Chehab, and its Executive Director, Mrs Carine Lespayandel, was first and foremost a chance to underscore the essential role of the French Chamber. Right after the informative meeting, our guests were invited to join us for a de-

Official Sponsors

In-Kind Sponsors

lightful buffet dinner organised by Luxe Catering. The friendly environment enabled our 230 guests to get acquainted with useful connections. We would like to thank our main sponsors for their valuable support: AGS Four Winds, AXA Asia, CIC Banque Transatlantique, Luther LLP, and Luxe Catering. F

Official Caterer

Lucky Draw Sponsors

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Exclusive FCCS Appreciation Cocktail Reception The French Chamber was delighted to invite its Patron and Board members to an Exclusive Appreciation Cocktail Reception on Tuesday 20 October aboard the Royal Albatross, a luxury tall ship moored in Sentosa. This event was held to welcome our newly appointed board members, as well as to thank all our Patron members for their involvement and the time they dedicate to the Chamber. We had the honour to host Mr Keat Chuan Yeoh, Managing Director of the EDB as a special guest speaker for this event. F

FCCS EVENTS

Networkings

FCCS EVENTS

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Forum Travailler Ensemble 2015

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An Intense Afternoon of B2B Meetings between 64 Companies The Forum Travailler Ensemble (Working Together Forum) is an initiative that aims to reinforce business links between French SMEs and large corporations established in Singapore. This 4th edition organised by the French Chamber on Friday 27 November at Novotel Clarke Quay brought together 64 companies. After a networking lunch, the French Chamber’s President Mrs Doina Palici-

Chehab and H.E. Mr Benjamin Dubertret, Ambassador of France to Singapore, welcomed the participants and wished them a fruitful afternoon. With 300 afternoon session of B2B meetings organised by the French Chamber, MNCs and SMEs had the opportunity to:

Forum

• Present their services and discuss potential collaborations during 20-minute appointments; • Match their needs against each other’s solutions. We thank the sponsors below for this successful event. F

Travailler Ensemble

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Partners

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FCCS EVENTS

Issue #1 2016

Forum Travailler Ensemble 2015

FRENCH ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS In 2015, the French Chamber recognised the achievements of Singapore’s French entrepreneurs with the inaugural French Entrepreneurs Awards. The winner was announced during the closing cocktail of the Forum Travailler Ensemble.

• • • • • •

Frogy’s (O Batignolles, O Comptoir) Kacific Broadband Satellites La Petite Ecole Le Petit Dépôt The Vintage Wine Club Villa-Finder.com

In total, 16 companies applied for the title and only six were shortlisted by the Jury of eight business professionals:

After much deliberations, La Petite Ecole was named French Entrepreneur of the year 2015. It is a French bilingual

Sponsor

preschool in Singapore. It offers a bilingual curriculum in French and English, for children aged three to six years old, with classes taught alternately by an native English classroom teacher and a French “Professeur des Ecoles”. We congratulate all the entrepreneurs who took part in the first French Entrepreneurs Awards. F

FCCS COMMITTEES

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Asia | / Legal & Tax

Issue #1 2016

The Evolution of the Second- and Third-Tier Cities in China five to 10 years initially saw China as a whole – as one distinct market – and began their operations in the China’s comfortable and “easy” tierone cities.

What is the Chinese market? Companies that have entered China over the last

This, however, was a common mistake that foreign investors made when entering China for the first time. As China’s old hands would say, “China is a patchwork of regional markets at various stages of

economic development. These markets are bound together as one nation and yet separated by differences in government, communication challenges, regional rivalries and poor infrastructure.” Ms Anik Tremblay, Group Business Development Manager, Koehler Group, gave pointers on the reality of the Chinese market and ways that companies looking to enter or expand in China must be aware and prepared if they want to be successful. F

Discussion with Gérard Marie Henry, Professor in Economics The Republic of Singapore just celebrated its 50th birthday. In 1965, the problems faced by this new Asian country seemed almost unsurmountable: no natural resources, practically no manufacturing capabilities, a very low level of education, a high unemployment rate... Today, Singapore occupies the number one spots of most worldwide rankings in global competitiveness, market appeal, per-capita GDP, life expectancy, ease of doing business, quality of manpower,

employment rate, absence of corruption, and people’s trust in administrations. During this session, Mr Gérard Marie Henry, Professor in Economics and author of Singapour, un modèle de démocratie?, discussed the strategic political, economic and social choices that enabled Singapore to succeed as it has as well as current chal-

lenges the country has to face as it prepares for the future. F

French Retirement Plans: Understanding the Law to Optimise your Benefits French retirement plans are often neglected by French expatriates once they have decided to live abroad.

following the pension reform of 2013 (such as the duration of contribution) and the Agirc/Arrco reform.

Mr Bruno Renardier, CEO, Novelvy, and Mr Maurice Nhan, Novelvy representative in Asia, addressed the main rules associated with French retirement plans, including the changes

This talk covered the key issues for expats, including employment in different countries and impact on retirement, quarters’ buyouts, partners’ situation, etc. F

Génération Tonique, L’Occident est Complètement à l’Ouest In the eyes of many Western countries, the world after the 2008 financial crisis is an economic dystopia brimming with uncertainty. The devastating financial crisis – one that was calamitous enough to overshadow the Great Depression – upended the world order on its head and caused even the most austere Western fi-

nancial institutions to crumble beneath its weight. From the rubble rose new Eastern powers like China, which has astounded the world with its rapid growth and rising influence. Asia is where opportunities abound. In this new era, the West seems to think that it has fallen into disrepute and that redemption of its once glorious

past is out of reach. Welcome to “Génération tonique”, a world that Mr David Baverez, Founder, KDA Capital, discusses in his new book, Génération tonique, L’Occident est completement à l’Ouest. In a casual talk organised by FCCS, he admonishes the defeatist attitude of the West and gives reason for hope. F

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Site Visit: INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation

FCCS COMMITTEES

ICT|

Industry 4.0: the Future of Productivity In the era of digital revolution and Big Data, Industry 4.0 could be a key success factor for manufacturers. Customers today demand three things: speed, flexibility and product variation. Industry 4.0 will revolutionise how this is executed profitably and change the way value is added to goods and services. It will also create room for new business models thanks to the knowledge that manufacturers will accumulate as they strive to meet customer demands. During this breakfast talk, the French Chamber welcomed Dr Martin Tonko, Partner, Tokyo, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, Mr Samson Khaou, Managing Director, Asia Pacific South, Dassault SystĂ¨mes, and Mr Alex Carrausse, General Manager, Neurones-IT Asia, who shared their expert opinions on the topic. F

Our ICT committee organised an exclusive site visit at the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation, a cutting-edge research and development facility for the identification of crimes and criminals, innovative training, operational support and partnerships. The participants had the opportunity to see the Digital Crime Centre and the Command and Coordination Centre during a tour hosted by Mr Christophe Durand, Head of Cyber Strategy CIO. In addition, INTERPOL also gave an overview on the Cyber Innovation and Outreach initiative. F

Cloud Computing: a State-of-the-Art Review The latest cloud technology developments at Microsoft (Azure, Office 365), Amazon AWS & Google Cloud were explored at length during this informative sharing session. Our speaker Mr Pierre-Olivier Blu-Mocaer, Senior Consultant and Managing Director, FixSing Consulting, also discussed the OpenStack initiative, as well as container technology, like Docker. F

CIO Lunch The FCCS ICT Committee has launched a news series of exclusive CIO lunches. Organised quarterly, the purpose of this intimate and casual lunch is for CIOs to exchange information with their counterparts in Singapore. F

ICT InterChamber Networking Night Members of our ICT committee were invited to an evening of networking organised by FCCS and four other Chambers of Commerce: the French Chamber in Singapore, along with the American, British, Canadian and Irish Chambers, welcomed over 100 participants. F

FCCS COMMITTEES

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R&D | / Healthcare / Sourcing & Supply Chain

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R&D Site Visit: IPAL - Focus on Inclusive Smart Cities & Digital Health IPAL is a French-Singaporean joint research laboratory based in Singapore and formed in 1998. In 2007, it became a UMI CNRS lab, the highest scientific ranking among CNRS labs overseas. Last year, its partners renewed their agreement for another four years, until December 2018, with a focus on inclusive smart cities and digital health. This focus is in line with the Smart Nation

initiative launched in Singapore. Our R&D members were invited to a tour of the facilities to discover the latest technologies and projects developed by the lab. Prof. Mounir Mokhtari, Director, Dr Nizar Ouarti, Associate Professor, and Dr Thibaut Tiberghien, Research Fellow, CNRS – IPAL, discussed their latest research through several demonstrations. F

Healthcare Networking Event The FCCS Healthcare Committee provides a platform for information sharing among various healthcare-related sectors such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medi-

cal devices and equipment, and health and wellness services. This networking event was a unique opportunity for more than 40 healthcare professionals to

broaden their network and exchange new information about developments within the industry. It was held at Ô Comptoir on Circular Road. F

Designing an Efficient Aftermarket Supply Chain Organisation Aftermarket services – regarded as a cost centre and an unwelcome necessity – have been ignored as most executives only considered the production supply chain and getting their goods to the market. However, optimising their production supply chain is only the first part of the equation. With aftermarket services and parts contributing 20-30% of revenues and up to 40% of profits, manufacturers

have started to recognise that two supply chains actually co-exist – one that “delivers” and one that “services”. For this talk, Mr Frederic Gomer, Partner, B2G Consulting Singapore, discussed ways to design an efficient servicebased supply chain, considering that aftermarket is fundamentally different from than the production supply chain. F

Why and How to Control your Distributors’ Supply Chain A network of distributors is still key to penetrating fast growing emerging markets. Many manufacturers are missing huge opportunities to grow revenue and secure their market share. Sustainable success in emerging markets means performing within the general trade sector. Too many manufacturers accept their distributors’ ordinary performance

and very high distribution costs. Mr John Talbot, Partner and CEO, Logistics Consulting Asia, reviewed the challenges of managing a network of distributors and discussed how to manage trade partners efficiently and effectively, from the sales process to logistics process, in order to achieve greater performance through a symbiotic relationship. F

Supply Chain at Risk: Are You Exposed The increasing complexity of global supply chains has led to focus on their inherent risk and how to manage them. The impact of supply chain-related risks has been widely observed, but the true cost to operations is rarely quantified. Risk factors such as geo-political factors, natural disasters, supplier behaviour and financial performances of suppliers, drive

the need for a structured supply chain risk management programme that focuses on transparency and resiliency. Mr Jon Wesoky, Global Managing Director - Supply Chain Management, RGP, focused on the basics of risk identification and best practices in risk remediation, mitigation, and recovery. F

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FCCS COMMITTEES

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Luxury & Premium Retail|

Scaling up e-Commerce in South East Asia annually. Despite these optimistic projections, the efficiency of logistics and supply chain operations in South East Asia is not rising proportionally to ecommerce standards.

Today, e-commerce remains relatively underdeveloped in South East Asia, accounting for less than 1% of total retail sales. In the coming years, as

purchasing power increases, Internet penetration spreads, and online offerings improve, online retail in ASEAN markets could grow as much as 25%

Overview of the Trends in Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Retail Market Mr James Wong, Director Retail Services, Colliers International Singapore, was invited to provide an overview the geographic distribution, demand, supply and occupancy of the retail market. During his presentation, he discussed the

different retail space options available and their implications. One notable issue was the difference in rental between retail spaces in shopping malls and outdoors ones. He also discussed the latest market trends and hot spots. F

Our Digital Innovations & Marketing and Luxury & Premium Retail committees welcomed Mr Alexis Lanternier, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Lazada Group, for a breakfast talk on how Lazada is addressing these challenges in order to capture the e-commerce opportunities in South East Asia. F

FCCS COMMITTEES

Digital | Innovations and Marketing

Why Emotions Matter Advertising works best when it leaves deep impressions on the memories of the audience. Since emotional memories are rapidly retained, ad campaigns are most effective when they evoke intense emotional responses that reinforce memory bridges. During a committee meeting about the critical role of emotions in advertising, Mr Greg Fournier, Director of Strategic Partnerships in APAC, Unruly, explained how companies can evoke intense emotional responses in a target audience to increase returns on media investments, strengthen brand recall and intensify purchase intent. Participants learnt that, although strong video content has been proven to drive engagement, the key behind a fantastic video is a smart open web distribution strategy. F

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Regulatory Framework for Marketing in Singapore Ms Carina Rogerio, Head of the French Department, and Mr Thomas Lieby, Luther gave a presentation on the regulatory frameworks related to marketing in Singapore, including the use of promotional games. The committee meeting started with a brief overview of the Consumer Protection Act and the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice, two regulatory frameworks that govern the marketing of products and/or services by companies. After this, two more Acts were introduced: the Personal Data Protection Act and the Remote Gambling Act. F

Loyalty and CRM Trends… What’s New on the Front? Members engaged in round-robin discussions and case sharing with Mr Johann Suchon, Edenred China’s HK Managing Director and Asia-Pacific Marketing Services Support Managing Director, who presented current trends impacting a company’s value proposition and its loyalty programme operations. Key topics discussed: • Millennials; • Social media and mobility integration or negation?; • Big Data or Smart Data?; • Impacts on CRM technologies and tools. F

Joint Networking Event with the Luxury & Premium Retail Committee In collaboration with the American Chamber, the Belgium Luxembourg Business Group, and the British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, our Digital Innovations & Marketing and Luxury & Premium Retail committees invited their members to a networking event at Brussels Sprouts. It was a unique opportunity for professionals to broaden their network and exchange information with like-minded individuals. F

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FCCS COMMITTEES

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Human Resources|

Changes To The Fair Consideration Framework You Need To Know As a result of the changes in the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) on 1 August 2014, the new Employment Pass application process and usage of the Jobs Bank Portal have affected how businesses recruit for professional, management and executive positions in Singapore. Quotas and tighter work pass regulations mean that hiring foreign nationals is not always a straight forward process. Jenny Lee and Anthony Pain from PwC International Assignment Services gave a comprehensive talk about FCF’s new requirements and its impact on employers. During the talk, they discussed the following issues: • A reminder of the FCF requirements; • Developments since its introduction, in particular advertising requirements; • Practical challenges employers face; • Steps that employers can take to overcome these challenges. F

Reading Micro Facial Expressions and Gestures in Business Interactions managers. It increases the effectiveness of their professional day-to-day interactions and contributes to building better relationships with others and to increase performance. This committee meeting was an introduction to the skill of reading and interpreting body language and covered the key elements of effective microfacial expressions interpretation and some insights on body language.

Mastering the art and science of reading microfacial expressions and gestures is

essential for HR and sales professionals, negotiators, coaches, leaders and

HR Club: Employment Laws The HR Club comprises HR Directors from multinational companies who meet every two months to exchange best practices and discuss HR trends and issues. Its role is also to provide leaders and human resources managers with information on the employment situation in Singapore as well as on the development and evolution

of employment schemes and remuneration strategies. For this meeting, Ms Carina Rogerio, and Mr Thomas Lieby, Attorneys-at-Law, Luther LLP, presented the latest news about the Singapore immigration environment and employment laws. F

The session was led by Ms Catherine Claudepierre, Managing Director, Lead and Succeed, and a certified trainer, facilitator and coach. F

FCCS COMMITTEES

Legal | & Tax / Sustainability

Drafting an Arbitration Agreement: Dos and Don’ts International arbitration has become the favoured means of dispute resolution in international commercial contracts. Ms Dulac, Partner, King & Spalding’s Singapore office, and member of the firm’s International Arbitration Group, addressed the key elements that an efficient international arbitration agreement should contain: • Why choose international arbitration over court litigation as a means of dispute resolution; • Scope of arbitration agreements; • Institutional vs. ad hoc arbitration; • Asia-based arbitration institutions; • Number of arbitrators: one or three; • Focus on arbitration agreements in China-related contracts; • Focus on arbitration agreements in India-related contracts; • A thorny issue: arbitration agreements in multi-party and multi-contract relationships. F

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Issue #1 2016

Vertical Farm - Sodexo Pilot Project Imagine the following scenario: you’ve accepted a long-term assignment in a remote part of the world. The site is so remote that all fresh food must be imported and delivery of supplies happens only once a month by boat. The food served at the site’s restaurant is tasty and nutritious. However, due to the remote conditions, it may be a while until the next time you can enjoy a leafy green salad, juicy tomatoes, or fresh herbs... This is a scenario faced by many of Sodexo’s clients at remote sites. Sodexo is exploring the feasibility of growing its own produce onsite at these areas to supplement monthly food deliveries with fresh vegetables. The goal of this innovative project? To improve the quality of life for all those who they serve. This session was led by Ms Mia Lindsey, Technical Director, Environmental, Sodexo Services Asia. F

Environment and Sustainability in Supply Chain at Schneider Electric

Implications of New Transfer Pricing Requirements in Singapore In 2015, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) released revised transfer pricing guidelines, providing more insights to taxpayers on how IRAS will handle transfer pricing matters going forward. Mr Luis Coronado and Mr Jonathan Belec, experienced transfer pricing practitioners at Ernst & Young Solutions LLP, provided an overview of these new guidelines and discussed the key implications for multinational enterprises with intercompany transactions involving Singapore. F

Schneider Electric has been positively rated by a number of sustainability or environment-centric agencies and indexes for some time now. However, these ratings are not what drives them to improve their green practices: Schneider Electric is committed to helping its customers reduce their energy and resource consumption while maintaining healthy growth trajectories, enabling them to do “more with less”. It is also committed to creating a greener supply chain and inventing environmentally-friendly products and solutions through ecodesign or greener purchasing practices. They strive to create a more ‘circular’ value chain through the implementation of close-loop systems for resources and the development of their repair, retrofit, refurbish and end-of-life capacities to benefit their customers. Their business strategies, corporate governance practices and core processes place an explicit importance on environmental and social considerations, so as to embed these non-financial dimensions in decision making Mr Xavier Houot, Senior Vice President, Group Environment, Safety, Real Estate, shared some of Schneider’s initiatives, ambitions, challenges and opportunities. F

FOCUS MAGAZINE Issue #1 2016

7 Key Negotiation Principles Finding a delicate balance between getting what you want and giving the other party what they need can be an arduous process in any type of negotiation. Mr Ta-Wei Chao, Executive Director, Institute for Research and Education on Negotiation (IRENE) in ESSEC Business School, gave a talk about the seven principles of negotiation and how they can help professionals overcome different challenges in the business world. He highlighted the challenges of negotiation and helped female professionals improve their negotiation skills and techniques. F

FCCS COMMITTEES

Aeronautics, Space, Defence & Security / Business Women|

Women in Leadership: How do They Succeed? In Singapore, 27% of management positions are held by women. Yet, many are still unable to break through the corporate glass ceiling to attain traditional leadership positions. On average, women still earn less than their male counterparts in the same occupation despite possessing equal educational qualifications. These obstacles have driven some women to carve a different path to the top, creating a paradigm shift in the business environment in their wake. Mrs Doina Palici-Chehab, Chief Executive Officer, AXA Singapore General Insurance, Mrs Karen Loon, Client Relationship Partner, PwC, and Mrs Pascale Dillon, CFO, Marriott Vacation Club International (Asia Pacific), can count themselves among this extraordinary league of women. During this sharing session, moderated by Isabelle Larche, Managing Director, HR Performance and Recruitment, Timeo-Performance, they gave advice and told stories about the challenges of being women in leadership positions in three of Singapore’s largest companies.

Fragrance Profiling Workshop & Networking Event with Fragrance Du Bois Fragrance Du Bois, a niche luxury perfume house, held an exclusive fragrance profiling workshop and networking event for business women. The event started with an introduction to Fragrance Du Bois, and continued with workshop sessions in groups. Participants embarked on a journey of discovery through fragrance games and a profiling session led by trained perfume consultants. They enjoyed mingling with one another over drinks and canapés while learning more about their “fragrance profile”. Each left with a personalised gift bag offered by Fragrance du Bois. F

Those in attendance learnt more about how women can become leaders, leadership styles women and how female leaders can achieve more. F

Meeting with Eric Genot, Deputy Defence Attaché for Industries and Defence Technologies, French Embassy The Aeronautics, Space, Defence & Security committee welcomed Mr Eric Genot, Deputy Defence Attaché for Industries and Defence Technologies at the French Embassy, who shared his insights on the latest developments of the Franco-Singaporean relationship within the defence industry. F

FCCS COMMITTEES

| French Maritime Cluster / Aeronautics, Space, Defence & Security

FOCUS MAGAZINE

Issue #1 2016

Site Visit - Port of Singapore Authority The Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) operates the world’s largest container transshipment hub in Singapore, linking shippers to an excellent network of major shipping lines with connections to 600 ports globally and access to daily voyages to every major port in the world at this mega hub. PSA’s excellence in port operations has consistently been recognised by the shipping community. In 2014, PSA was voted

the “Best Container Terminal (Asia)” for the 25th time at the Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards and “Container Terminal of the Year” for the 7th time at the Supply Chain Asia Awards. PSA Singapore Terminals handled 33,55 million TEUs of containers in 2014. After a presentation and discussion on PSA’s goals and challenges, our guests

were invited to a tour of the Pasir Panjang Terminal. F

World Ocean Council Presentation Mounting environmental concerns are generating more risks for ocean industry operations. The World Ocean Council (WOC) is an international multi-industry leadership alliance creating value for ocean industries by addressing these risks and helping ensure continued business access to marine areas and resources.

Mr Paul Holthus, Founding President & CEO, WOC, was invited to share about the international, multi-industry alliance and network. He talked about the issues affecting the future of responsible ocean industry operations and introduced the concept of “Corporate Ocean Responsibility”. F

Keppel Shipyard Site Visit The French Maritime Cluster organised a site visit at Keppel Shipyard, which is renowned for the repair, conversion and upgrading of a diverse range of vessels. The company is the market leader for the conversion and upgrading of Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO), Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) and Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRU), having successfully completed more than 110

such projects to date. It also has an extensive track record in the fabrication and installation of turrets and mooring systems, as well as topsides process modules. The shipyard is currently undertaking an unprecedented feat: it is converting an ex-

isting Moss LNG carrier into a Floating Liquefaction Vessel (FLNGV). F

Joint Networking Event Aeronautics, Space, Defence & Security and French Maritime Cluster Committees The FCCS organised a joint Networking Event between our Aeronautics, Space, Defence & Security Committee and our French Maritime Cluster Committee. Held at L’Aiglon on Neil Road, this networking brought together more than 50 professionals. F

FOCUS MAGAZINE

FCCS COMMITTEES

Issue #1 2016

Energy/Infrastructure|

Energy/Infrastructure Committee Meeting - Roadmap After the end of the summer holidays, the FCCS was pleased to invite the members of the Energy/Infrastructure Committee to a special session. In the session, the following topics were shared: • A quick review by the committe copresidents, first, of the regional state of energy and infrastructure industries by Mr Philippe Wind, Director of Network Operations, Actis, and then of the oil market by Mr Yves Le Bail, VP Asia Pacific (China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam), Total - Exploration & Production;

• An overview of the Committee’s activities for the year 2014/2015 by Mr Hugo Virag-Lappas, Director, Astris Finance, and also committee co-president; • A discussion of a proposed road map of the Committee’s activities in Year 2015/2016. During this meeting, a short presentation was also made by the IFP School (an International school dedicated to O&G) about a project regarding the opening of a campus in Singapore. F

From Small to Large, Complex Projects in O&G and Mining: Basics of Project Control As projects become larger and more complex, the rate of failure increases multifold and carries severe repercussions on owners and contractors alike.

welcome Mr Jérémie Averous, Founder, Project Value Delivery, to elaborate on the issues of size and complexity, and share best practices and worst case scenarios related to large, complex projects in Oil & Gas and mining. F

The Energy/Infrastructure committee was pleased to

Pursuit of Excellence in French General Contracting: the Foundation Louis Vuitton Creativity, innovation and competence are values woven into the French national heritage. They are also central to Louis Vuitton’s vision and its worldwide success. Louis Vuitton Island Maison, designed by Moshde Safdie in Marina Bay, Singapore, is an emblem of Louis Vuitton’s vision. Meanwhile, in Paris, the iconic Fondation Louis Vuitton designed by Frank Gehry is an

architectural feat that signifies Louis Vuitton’s passion. To commemorate the 1st anniversary of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Energy/ Infrastructure Committee invited Mr Philippe Vancapernolle, Technical Director, VINCI Construction in Singapore, who was part of this outstanding project, to share his insights. F

PPP Standards in the Energy and Infrastructure Sector for Developing Countries During the Singapore International Energy Week, the Energy & Infrastructure Committee was honoured to welcome Mr Tony Bonnici, deputy chief of the PPP programme at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Geneva during his visit to Singapore. Mr Bonnici presented the activities of the UNECE International PPP Center of Ex-

cellence (ICoe), which has been very active in setting PPP standards across the infrastructure and energy sectors, especially in developing economies. Mr Hugo Virag, Director, Astris Finance, and committee co-president, also briefly introduced a draft proposal to be submitted for approval to UNECE’s governing bodies. F

FCCS COMMITTEES

FOCUS MAGAZINE

Platform | for SMEs & Entrepreneurs

Issue #1 2016

Overview of Grants Entrepreneurs & SMEs Can Profit From In September, the FCCS invited Mr Shawn Phua, Senior Business Adviser of the SME centre @ASME, to talk about the government assistance schemes available for SMEs to initiate or further develop their businesses. With the support of SPRING Singapore, ASME is a holistic advisory centre for entrepreneurs and current SME owners to gain immediate access to a wide range of expert business consultancy products and services.

Christelle Gervasoni and Jean-Baptiste Morin from GAC GROUP also discussed the Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) Scheme in detail. The PIC Scheme is managed by IRAS and aims at supporting companies investing in raising innovation and productivity. Businesses can get up to S$10.8 million and S$60,000 in tax deductions and cash payouts respectively per financial year by claiming expenses related to qualifying activities. To find out more about the PIC scheme, you simply

need to log in at www.fccsingapore. com/committees/platform-startupsentrepreneurs with your FCCS password and browse through the postings. F

Experience Sharing with a Successful Entrepreneur Mrs Stephanie Besse, Founder and Managing Director of Forest Adventure, a company offering tree-top courses in Bedok Reservoir Park, shared her experiences and insights on her entrepreneurship story. Stephanie unveiled the developmental stages of her start-up, from setting up a new business in an unknown industry after leaving a secure high-flying job, to finally

achieving success. She also divulged the personal fulfilment she experienced from bringing a moment of happiness to each of her clients.

unique and how to express it. Each of us is a story waiting to be told; it is our story that helps people remember us long after they’ve met us. How do we keep the story relevant, brief and memorable?

What does it take to emotionally connect with our audience? There are only 3 simple steps behind the secret of telling a glorious story: reflect, reveal and radiate. F

Such sessions are great opportunities for Entrepreneurs to learn from the experience of other start-up owners and ask them about the do’s and dont’s of setting up a business. F

The Brand Called You Branding is not only for product or companies; it can apply to individuals too. Personal Branding has become a key asset. There was a time when one’s success was defined by his ‘Intelligence Quotient’ (IQ), and subsequently, his ‘Emotional Quotient’ (EQ). Today, IQ and EQ have been superseded by the ‘Reputation Quotient’ (RQ). It is our RQ that enhances our IQ and EQ and helps us differentiate ourselves from the crowd. Ms Harini Chari, Brand Strategist, helped attendees discover the essence of their personal brands. She focused on understanding what makes each of us

FCCS Entrepreneurs’ Drinks The FCCS organised two drink events at its Business Centre last fall. These networking evenings were dedicated to Entrepreneur members, and offered them

the opportunity to share information about their businesses, discuss best practises and exchange tips and contacts. F

FOCUS MAGAZINE

FCCS COMMITTEES

Issue #1 2016

French Gourmet|

Business + Gastronomy = FCCS Monthly Luncheons On every first Friday of each month, the FCCS organises a business luncheon at a different French restaurant. The constant change in venue and menu creates a refreshing ambience for conversations to flow between members of the FCCS. These informal networking sessions are always excellent opportunities to develop new contacts and exchange opinions on business issues while

enjoying some great French food. Our last luncheons took place at Entre Nous Crêperie, Balzac Brasserie, Laurent’s Café and Bar-Roque Grill. These FCCS events are open to everyone; feel free to invite your friends or colleagues to join us. Visit our website www. fccsingapore.com to see our next business luncheons and broaden your network! F

Review of the Voilah! French Food Festival 2015 The “Voilah! French Festival 2015” returned in Singapore in May to celebrate all things French and 50 years of diplomatic relations between France and Singapore. As part of the festivities, more than 50 companies specialising in French gastronomy and F&B products participated in the “Voilah! French Food Festival 2015”, the gastronomic component of the overall festival. The French Embassy, the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, Sopexa and Business France invite particpating brands to a collective assessment of the 2015 edition of “Voilah!” French Food Festival. Discussions were based on the results of a participant survey. In addition, ideas and proposals for 2016 were presented and debated. F

FCCS EVENTS

FOCUS MAGAZINE

La Paulée 2015

Issue #1 2016

180 Happy Guests for the Fourth Edition of La Paulée! On Sunday 22nd November, the French Chamber held the fourth edition of La Paulée de Singapour in a new location, Labrador Park. La Paulée, a celebration originating from Meursault in the heart of Burgundy, celebrates the end of the grape harvest. This celebration used to bring together wine makers, cellar workers and the

surrounding community. It has since evolved to become an international wine event. For this edition, 180 happy guests enjoyed a typical French buffet campagnard prepared by Brasserie Gavroche, The French Grocer, Gourmet Partner, Luxe Catering and Maison Eric Kayser, along with a unique selection of French burgundy

Main Sponsors

Buffet Campagnard by

wines from Epicurio, Ewineasia, and The Vintage Club. The event would have not been possible without the generosity of AGS Four Winds International Relocations and April Asia Pacific, who were the main sponsors of the event, and the contributions of our supporting sponsors Alsco, Evian and Badoit, Le Petit Depot, and Quartier. F

Supporting Sponsors

Wine Vendors

FOCUS MAGAZINE

FCCS MEMBERSHIP

Issue #1 2016

New FCCS Members|

New FCCS Members PATRON MEMBERS The French Chamber is pleased to welcome three new patron members for 2016 and thank them for their support!

NEURONES IT

ROSEMONT SINGAPORE

SUEZ

Contact: Mr Alex CARRAUSSE, General Manager Website: www.neurones-it.asia Sector: IT

Contact: Mr Peter BRIGHAM, General Manager Website: www.rosemont.sg Sector: Corporate Services

Contact: Mr Roch CHEROUX, Chief Executive Officer, South East Asia Website: www.suez-environnement.com Sector: Industrial Services

CORPORATE MEMBERS ABACARE SINGAPORE PTE LTD

EVOLIS ASIA PTE LTD

Contact: Mr Patrick Marie HERBET, Chairman Website: www.abacare.com Sector: Insurance

Contact: Mr Jimmy MALMOUCHE, Regional Sales Manager Website: www.evolis.com Sector: Card Printers and Identification Solutions

ALAN ALLMAN ASIA PTE. LTD. Contact: Mr Rui Jorge LOPES, Operational Director Website: alanallman-asia.com Sector: Consultants

FORACO SINGAPORE PTE LTD Contact: Mr Daniel SIMONCINI, MD Website: www.foraco.com Sector: Mineral Drilling

CONCRETE LCDA ASIA Contact: Mr Olivier MOREAU, CEO Website: concrete-beton.com Sector: Architecture/Interior Design

INGREDIA Contact: Mr Thierry FOUCHER, Director Website: www.ingredia.com Sector: Food / Nutrition / Health

CRITEO Contact: Mr Alban VILLANI, Director of Sales, Criteo, South East Asia Website: www.criteo.com Sector: Digital

LINCOLN HR GROUP SINGAPORE PTE LTD Contact: Mrs Véronique DENIS-PELLIET, GM Website: www.lincoln-hrgroup.sg Sector: HR Consulting

DECO RELIEF Contact: Mr Charlie LAMBERT, Chief Representative Website: www.deco-relief.fr Sector: Professional Moulds

DEDIENNE AEROSPACE PTE LTD Contact: Mr Philippe PILLOUD, Group Head of Finance Website: www.dedienne-aero.com Sector: Aerospace

LUXE CATERING Contact: Ms Niccole CHAN, Sales & Marketing Director Website: www.luxecatering.com.sg Sector: Catering

MAISON ERIC KAYSER Contact: Mr Aymerick DE CASLOU, GM Website: www.maison-kayser.com.sg Sector: Bakery and Café

ENSIVAL MORET SINGAPORE PTE LTD Contact: Mr Stephane BLASZCZYK, Sales Manager, Asia Pacific Website: www.ensival-moret.com Sector: Industrial Pumps

MY FRENCH ROOM Contact: Mr Benjamin HUMBLOT, Business Development Manager Website: www.myfrenchroom.com Sector: Interior Design

FCCS MEMBERSHIP

FOCUS MAGAZINE

New FCCS Members

Issue #1 2016

MORE CORPORATE MEMBERS NEXEYA

TEREOS ASIA PTE LTD

Contact: Mr Julien BOUZINAC DE LA BASTIDE Website: www.nexeya.com Sector: Defence / Energy / Transportation

Contact: Mr Laurent FABRY, Business Development Director Asia Website: www.tereos.com Sector: Sugar Production

NFM TECHNOLOGIES SINGAPORE BRANCH

VINCI ENERGIES ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD

Contact: Mr Eric ROMAGNA, Branch Manager Website: www.nfm-technologies.com Sector: Infrastructure

Contact: Mr Eric DEVIGNE, Managing Director Website: www.vinci-energies.com Sector: Energy

OGEU ASIA PTE LTD

WINMEDIA ASIA PTE LTD

Contact: Mr Francois Xavier BROWN, Director Website: www.ogeu.asia Sector: Bottled Water

Contact: Mr Matthieu FOURNIER, Managing Director & VP Sales Website: www.winmedia.org Sector: Automation and Content Management Software Solutions

PACK R ASIA PTE LTD Contact: Mr Francky FREMONDIERE, Operating Manager Website: www.packr.com Sector: Industrial Products / Manufacturing

ENTREPRENEUR MEMBERS AGI.LI

NEXTONE PARTNERS

Contact: Mr Frederic DUCROS, Director Website: www.agi.li Sector: Consultants

Contact: Mr Guoyi ZHANG, Director Website: www.nextonepartners.com Sector: Consultancy

AJ SOCIAL MEDIA

ORACONSULT

Contact: Mrs Ariane JANIS, MD Website: www.ariane-janis.com Sector: Communication

Contact: Mr Jean-Yves BRONNER, Managing Partner Website: www.oraconsult.asia Sector: Consultancy

ANDREANI STUDIO PTE. LTD. Contact: Mrs Irene ANDREANI, Photographer Website: www.studioandreani.com Sector: Photography

TEXERE ADVISORS

ERIS CONSULTING

Contact: Mrs Anne-Sophie DE GUERRY, Marketing & Communications Partner Website: www.texereadvisors.com Sector: Advisory Firm

Contact: Mr Thomas SPECQ, Founder Website: www.erissolver.com Sector: Innovation Management Software

THE GREEN AIRLINER SINGAPORE PTE LTD

FDH PTE LTD Contact: Mr Fabrice DENANCĂ&#x2030;, Owner Website: www.fdh.com.sg Sector: Wine / Wine Shop

LUZKAD ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD Contact: Mr Mathieu GOARANT, GM Sector: Aircraft Industry

Contact: Mr Francois DUBRULLE, Director Website: www.thegreenairliner.com Sector: Asset Management

VIVALING Contact: Mr Bernard GOLSTEIN, CEO Website: www.vivaling.com Sector: Education / Training

WINE & FRIENDS PTE. LTD. NEXT STEP HR CONSULTING Contact: Mrs Estelle DARRIGADE, Career Consultant Website: www.nextstephrconsulting.com Sector: Human Resources

Contact: Mr Jean-Francois MOLARO, Founder Website: www.wineandfriends.com.sg Sector: Wine / Wine Shop

FOCUS MAGAZINE

FCCS MEMBERSHIP

Issue #1 2016

New FCCS Members|

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS ASIAN CENTURY CONVERGENCE PTE LTD

KING & WOOD MALLESONS LLP

Contact: Mr Gurudutt PB, Director Website: www.acconverge.com Sector: ICT

Contact: Mr John SULLIVAN, Partner in Charge Website: www.kwm.com Sector: Legal Services

AVOCADO GLOBAL PTE LTD

OODRIVE

Contact: Mr Piyush SHAH, Managing Director Website: www.avocadoglobal.com Sector: Avocado Oil

Contact: Mr Steven COHEN, APAC Director Website: www.oodrive.com Sector: Cloud Solutions

BAKER & MCKENZIE.WONG & LEOW

PROPNEX REALTY PTE LTD

Contact: Ms Weiyi TAN, Local Principal Website: www.bakermckenzie.com Sector: Law Firm

Contact: Mr Andre SION, Marketing Associate Website: www.propnex.com Sector: Real Estate

BI WORLDWIDE ASIA PACIFIC

ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS

Contact: Mr David LITTEKEN, MD Website: www.biworldwide.com Sector: Engagement Agency

Contact: Mr Patrick FIAT, General Manager and Chief Experience Officer (CEO) Website: www.royalplaza.com.sg Sector: Hotels / Restaurants

DELIFRANCE SINGAPORE PTE LTD Contact: Mr William LEE, GM Website: www.delifrance.com.sg Sector: F&B

FTI CONSULTING PTE LTD Contact: Mr Romain CAILLAUD, Senior Director Website: www.fticonsulting.com Sector: Business Consulting

JEANUINE Contact: Mr Julien TRIPET, Co-Founder Website: www.sg.jeanuine.com Sector: Denim

SARMENT PTE LTD Contact: Mr Jean Michel COSNY, Marketing Manager (SEA) Website: www.sarmentwine.com Sector: Wine / Wine Shop

TALL SHIP ADVENTURES PTE LTD Contact: Ms Prita LEENHEER, Vice President Sales and Marketing Website: www.tallship.com.sg Sector: Events / Entertainment

UNITED LANDBANK REALTY PTE LTD Contact: Mr Jonn TAN, Key Executive Officer / Director Website: www.united-landbank.com Sector: Real Estate

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS Ms Sylvie Bayzelon, Estimating Manager, WORLEY PARSONS Sector: Consulting

Mrs Aurelie Coppin, Senior Associate, ROEDL & PARTNER

Mrs Amelie Rozier Provost, WW Print Operations Finance Director, HP ASIA PACIFIC CONCEPTS Sector: ICT

FOREIGN LAW FIRM Sector: Legal Services

Mr Pierre Thieulin, Business Development Manager Perishable and Drinks, KUEHNE + NAGEL PTE LTD Sector: ICT

Ms Laurie Guillaume, Events Coordinator, WWW CONCEPTS

Mr Lo誰c Zuberbuhler, Senior Consultant, INTERNATIONAL

Sector: F&B / Dining

PROTECTION GROUP Sector: Insurance

FCCS MEMBERSHIP

FCCS Privilege Card

SERVICES

FOCUS MAGAZINE

Issue #1 2016

FCCS Privilege Card

RETAIL & LEISURE

ABOUT THE CARD The Privilege Card is personal and is exclusively reserved to members of the network of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. It gives access to many benefits in Singapore and in France, with more than 50 participating member brands.

WINE & DINE

AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY

Download the FCCS app on your iPhone or Android phone and gain access to up-to-date information on all your member privileges, including new deals added along the year.

RETAIL & LEISURE Terms & Conditions apply. Visit www.fccsingapore.com for more details.

On January 1 , 2016, SDV becomes

A major player in international transport and logistics

Bolloré Logistics is a major player in international transport and logistics. Standing by its clients in times of changing needs, Bolloré Logistics has broadened its know-how to be recognized as a global player of the supply chain, ranked among one of the top 10 largest groups of the sector, as well as being the 1st integrated logistics network in Africa. The company creates customized solutions with high added value associated with sectorial expertise, continuous search for improvement and optimization, and strong Bolloré Logistics values.

BOLLORÉ LOGISTICS N°1 in France N°1 in Africa Top 5 in Europe Top 10 Global

+20,000 staff 613 sites in 103 countries 1,600,000 sqm Warehousing 555,000 Air freight Tons 835,000 Sea freight TEUs

www.bollore-logistics.com

)HUX\L KL .LZ[PVU 7YP]tL KLW\PZ

SINGAPORE PRIVATE LTD

12 Marina Boulevard # 37-02 | Marina Bay Financial Center Tower 3 Singapore 018982 T +65 6441 2000 | E btsingapour@banquetransatlantique.com www.banquetransatlantique.com