2017-05 ADB October-November

october/november 2017 www.adb.org.sg

business

ADB & DutchCham Merge - Say what! ... page 4

event

singapore

ADB IPP Golf tournament III

The battle of bike-sharing in Singapore

... page 3

‌ page 16

SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY

EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT

FOCUSED ON ASIA–TRANSFORMING PERFORMANCE Integrating the best of Asian and Western practices and theories, our Public Programmes and company-specific Custom Programmes deliver outstanding returns on investment for individuals and organisations, leveraging meticulouslydesigned curricula which address business challenges in the context of Asia.

FOLLOW US

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Singapore Management University, Executive Development 81 Victoria Street, Level 10, Singapore 188065 Tel: +65 6828 9095 Email: exd@smu.edu.sg

For more information please visit us @

exd.smu.edu.sg

President’s Message

Comfort Food “Comfort food” - I’ve heard the term often enough but never really understood the true meaning until recently.

Let me explain.

After missing out on the F1 for three consecutive years, my sons (ages 12 and 14) urged me to buy tickets. They pushed me to such an extent that I simply had to give in. And although I don’t care that much about racing, this year I decided to go ‘all in’ and got them a three-day

Board Members Paul Bloemendal Board Member Sponsoring Co-Head Agricultural Commodity Trading Arcadia Agri

entry pass. When F1 on Friday finally came, the boys were psyched. While the cars were making their rounds, they were glued to the grandstand.

They loved it and couldn’t wait to come back the next day.

What they did not know is that for Saturday, I had planned something very special. A friend of mine, who is married to the CEO of Randstad, sponsors

Tom Smeenk Honorary Treasurer Business Development Manager LNG Asia Royal Vopak

of the Williams team, had arranged three VIP tickets to the Paddock Club and a tour of the Pit Lane. It proved to be all (and more) I had hoped for.

Peter Paul Bloemsma

When we arrived, a charming lady escorted us to the VIP area to watch the race. I was handed a glass of Champagne with unlimited soft drinks for the boys. We were introduced to other sponsor representatives and some

Secretary / Board Member Events Partner 2Sherpa

people from the technical staff. I spoke to a guy named Bernd Maylander, a racing veteran. We hit it off and had a fun time but I lost sight of him.

Later that evening, after the race, Bernd reappeared and invited us to join him at a private event organized by the Ferrari team. Although it was getting late, I decided that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity so I said

Aleid de Savornin Lohman Board Member Communications Senior Legal Consultant, Lawyers on the Demand Asia Pacific

“sure” and waved at the boys to come along. It was an excellent decision because all the race-drivers were there! Vettel, Alonso, Ricciardo and even Max Verstappen! My oldest didn’t hesitate for a second and was quick to congratulate him on his 2nd place in the qualifier. It was a genuine jet-set party with delicate canapes, tons of hot chicks and even a Champagne tower!

Daniël Heerkens Chief Editor Digital Marketing Strategy Director 2Stallions

Fast forward to Sunday night, and again we were at the circuit, happy for the rain as that could only help Max. There we stood all dressed in orange, ready to cheer our hero to victory. The race started – but what was that – Max was instantly sandwiched by Raikkonen and Vettel! What a shock,

Wenneke Vrugt-Repko General Manager Graphic Designer Triple You Design

what a disaster!

We looked at each other and all thought the same thing: this is totally depressing, let’s get out of here. On the way back to the car we passed a Kebab shop on Circular road where I ordered three shawarma rolls. We sat down, took a bite and started to smile – what a crazy weekend it has been.

°°°

The ADB connects Dutch Professionals in Singapore.

°°° ... Joep Ottervanger ...

1

Editor’s Note

Contents 1

100 days left

President’s Message

2 Editor’s Note 3 ADB IPP Golf Tournament III 4 ADB and DutchCham Merge – Say what!

6

From the Dutch Embassy: Get in the Ring Singapore

8

Why your company needs to invest in Content Marketing

12 An Interview with Jeroen van de Waal 14

Network for Dutch-speaking people in Singapore

16

The Battle of bike-sharing in Singapore

18 Seletar Aerospace Park: a hidden dining oasis 20 Reflect to Re-energize 21

Interview with Eric van den Berg

22 NCA: Sneak peek raffle prizes 24 ADB News – Announcements, member info and more

Hi ADB Member, The month is almost at an end and we hope September and October have been as good for you as they have been for me! In Q3 we started working with a very well-known Fortune 500 company (that I’m super excited about) and we have many new things to learn and prepare for 2018.

We began September by kick starting our collaboration with CNN. They are the number one online news destination in digital routinely recording more than 1.5 billion multi-platform page views each month!

The lesson that I have learned from this collaboration is that if you are small, and not everybody knows about you in your network, then it’s much better to team up with companies or individuals that can get you further ahead than you could do alone.

This is the same type of thinking behind the merger of ADB & DutchCham. By collaborating, we instantly expand our connections and broaden our reach. Together we can build a stronger presence in the market and attract more interesting parties to join us. That will create synergies and get our name out there much faster, both in Singapore and across the ASEAN region. There are further, juicier details of our ADB-DutchCham collaboration later in this Magazine.

Time sure does fly - there are now less than 100 days before we say goodbye to 2017.

ADB & DutchCham Merge Say what!

Let ‘s make them count and don’t forget to join us at one of the most fun nights of the year, THE ANNUAL ADB DINNER & DANCE on 11 November 2017! This year the theme will be ‘Caribbean Cruise’.

... Daniël Heerkens ...

Cover photo: Shutterstock.com 2

ADB Events

ADB IPP Golf Tournament III ... Photos by IPP ...

Who says traditions do not exist at ADB! It has been a true honor to have had IPP sponsor the ADB IPP Golf Event for 3 consecutive years. And this year was no exception!

By Krista van der Veen Executive Director at Trustmoore

It didn’t matter if you were a pro or had never held a golf club in your life before, because at this annual golf event there was something for every player.

The new bees had lessons from the very esteemed Mr. Lingam.

Even in dress shoes or skirts, the beginners did an amazing job!

In groups of 3-4 people the golfers were sent on the course to play 9 holes according to the Texas scramble rules. Along the course several prizes could be won such as closest to the line, longest drive etc.

After all this hard work, there was time for networking, pizza and beers and, of course, the prizes.

I am also happy to announce that the organizers didn’t win any prizes this time. Of course, Peter blames this on ethical considerations….

•

P.S. It was great get together and a big thank you to IPP!

After this, the two groups were brought together for the putting competition, in which the beginners in some cases outperformed the advanced golfers. It was such a close call that the competition needed to be decided on bonus points for originality.

3

BusiNess

ADB and DutchCham Merge – Say what!

Dear member, Yes, the merger between ADB and DutchCham is now official as it was approved at the general meetings of both organisations. Although we, as a board, have tried to keep you well informed about the status and plans, for some of our members the reasons behind it are still somewhat unclear.

So, for a very last time, here is a short summary of the What, When, Who, How, Why & Where of the ADB-DutchCham merger.

What?

What is going to change?

When we get this question people usually mean “will we still have the same pleasant and informal events as currently provided by ADB”. To that question the answer is YES. ADB-DutchCham really represents the SUM and not the average of the strengths and activities of the former two organisations.

If, however, the question is “will everything remain as it is” then the answer is obviously NO. The new organization will have a much wider reach, both in terms of network and activities. As a member of ADB-DutchCham you will, therefore, also have access to new activities and inroads into the Dutch and Singapore business community.

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of the ADB and of DutchCham will for the time being co-chair the new board and preside over board meetings on a rotating basis. We feel that the board represents a good mix of people with an appropriate skill set and background to reflect and represent the identity and objectives of both ADB and DutchCham in the new organisation.

When?

When will the new organisation come into existence?

The ADB-DutchCham will officially commence as of January 1st 2018. For practical purposes, however, the boards and support teams of both organisations are already working together as if the merger had taken place in order to assure a smooth launch.

As to the support team, things are a bit in flux.

As you may have heard, Nele Cornelis, who was the ‘executive director’ of DutchCham for the past 6 years, recently resigned to join EuroCham. This was an unexpected event and Nele will be dearly missed. ADB and DutchCham are currently working together to recruit an adequate replacement. There is, however, positive news. We are very happy that our general manager, Wenneke Vrugt, who initially announced that she would resign, has agreed to stay on and will focus mainly on design/communication and the social events.

Who? Who will be on the board and who will be on the support teams? The new board will comprise of 11 members, 6 of which are the current ADB board members with the remaining members being former members of the DutchCham board. The presidents

How? How much will I be paying next year? That question comes up all the time. For Individual Members of ADB-DutchCham, the membership fee will be $145.

So, that means an increase of $20 compared to the current ADB membership fee.

If, however, you are an employee of a company that is already a member of DutchCham, you will (most likely) not pay anything as your personal membership will be covered by your employer’s membership.

It should be noted that Corporate Members of DutchCham (and also of ADB-DutchCham) may appoint 3 employees as a member and Orange Members may appoint 10 employees as a member.

Why? Why merge if things are going well? Although both ADB and DutchCham are doing well, we as a board feel that the merger is an opportunity for two reasons. Firstly, it provides access to the members of both organisations to more events, more committees and a larger network.

Secondly, it makes the organisation more relevant for all parties involved including sponsors, which makes it financially more robust and future proof.

Where?

Where does our money go? What happens to the financial reserve of ADB that was built up over the past 25 years? As most will know, ADB currently has a financial reserve of about $90,000 – $100,000. This reserve will form part of the financial reserve of the new organsiation. In order to assure the financial stability of the new organization we have agreed on a conservative budgeting policy whereby fixed cost must be matched by fixed income.

Furthermore, the aim is to further grow the financial reserve to an amount of at least two times the annual fixed cost.

We hope that this answers (most of) your questions. If not, please don’t keep quiet and let me or any one on the board know.

On behalf of the ADB Board Joep Ottervanger

from the dutch embassy

Get in the Ring Singapore ... Photos by Dutch Embassy Singapore ...

Singapore has a fast-changing environment which stimulates innovation and entrepreneurship. This is one of the reasons that Singapore has a big startup community, where people start their own companies to make their ideas become a reality. The Netherlands Embassy is a proud advocate of startups, which is why we focus on organizing events to stimulate Dutch and Singaporean startup companies in gaining success. This month, an event took place where excellent startups battled to win a ticket to the Get in the Ring Global Conference 2018. This article will tell you more about the organization

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Get in the Ring and the participating and organizing role that the Netherlands Embassy had at the event.

About Get in the Ring

Get in the Ring is a worldwide podium for startups to connect with investors and fans, who can contribute knowledge, a network, funding and time. Get in the Ring Foundation connects startups to innovators to scale up their business. They work closely with leaders of entrepreneurship ecosystems in more than 100 countries. Get in the Ring is known for its format where startups face off in a boxing ring.

By Tessa Grootzwaaftink

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Singapore Public Relations and Communication

High-profile jury

Amongst the jury members were, besides Professor Jan Peter Balkenende, Ambassador Mrs Margriet Vonno, Carpal founder Maarten Hemmes, Minos van Joolingen from BANNING lawyers and Melissa Lim, founder of BiTS & LadyBoss. Together, they provided the competing startups with constructive criticism and insightful tips on their pitches and business proposals.

About the finalists

First round: PABensen versus Mathemate PABensen (www.pabensen.com) is a design company that strives to create thoughtprovoking works and innovative functional products that bridge the fields of Art and Science. Their direct competitor was Mathemate (www.mathemate.com), which is the world’s easiest place for Students to Ask, Search & get Guidance in all things Math. “We aim to be the easiest place to ask and check existing content from the web. We organize students and their math syllabus so they can find, collect and share the information most valuable to them.” This round was won by Mathemate with a convincing vote by the jury.

Get in the Ring Singapore

The Netherlands Embassy organized the Get in the Ring Singapore event together with Startup & SME Academy, ADB and DutchCham. The event took place at the Hollandse Club on Thursday 14 September 2017 with special guest of honor former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jan Peter Balkenende amongst the high-profile jury. The competing startups battled in the ring and demonstrated their unique value propositions to the high profile jury, until one startup was victorious! The prize was a ticket to the Get in the Ring’s annual Global Conference taking place in 2018.

Second round: BIORITHM versus Touchless Industries BIORITHM is a startup that aims to have an impact on the healthcare environment that we know today. They competed with Touchless Industries (www.touchlessindustries.com), which is a startup where healthcare and IoT come together. “Our goal is to connect all ‘physical’ things in the hospital through the Internet of Things.”

Third round: Cogo.ai versus Orca Scuba In the third round, Cogo (www.cogo.ai), a modern sharing platform, battled against Orca Scuba (www.orcascuba.com). The latter won this round, and ended up winning the final round as well, making them the victor of the Get in the Ring Singapore competition! They are passionate about the ocean and everything in it. “We love to introduce others to the world of scuba diving, so they can experience it with us.”

Congratulations to Jeroen of Orca Scuba!

•

7

BusiNess

Why your company needs to

invest in Content Marketing

By Daniël Heerkens

Digital Marketing Strategy Director 2Stallions

People visit your website because of two things: either they are looking for information to add to their research of a product or service, or they are looking for information before making a purchase. Targeted content helps steer customers into sales funnels, which is why more than 85 percent of brands implement content marketing strategies and enjoy great ROI after a one-month evaluation.

Content marketing helps develop your business brand with engaging content like blogs, videos, and social media posts. Well-researched and helpful content boosts your authority on the subject and helps introduce the products and services as a solution.

For instance, one might think that Rolex can go decades without making marketing efforts due to its established brand. However, the people who run Rolex know that if a brand doesn’t stay relevant, a competitor can easily steal the show.

Rolex knows that consumers can suddenly favor a more modern brand. This is possibly one of the reasons Rolex has increased their social media activity and campaigns.

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Rolex uses Instagram to keep their products within everyone’s line of sight with beautifully crafted photos of brand watches. Their goal could be to remind their target audience of why Rolex is the embodiment of a sophisticated lifestyle.

Credit: Rolex Instagram & website

Content Marketing is not just for the big brands Small businesses and start-ups aren’t the only ones who can benefit from content marketing. Numerous multinational companies use content to engage their audience in different social media platforms. This allows their audience to provide feedback to improve their products and services.

Why Should You Invest in Content Marketing?

Great Potential for Significant ROI Returns can come in the form of customer acquisition, brand visibility, brand reputation, or inbound traffic. Marketing experts agree that content marketing, when done correctly, has great potential for higher ROI, just look at the graph on the right.

You may not necessarily get a dollar for every person who sees your content, however, your company will see benefits in many different forms.

Ownership benefits

Once you’ve built your audience, your ROI goes up since you no longer have to pay rent to the media

31 leads

36

/$1,000

30

Content Marketing

24 18

9 leads /$1,000

12

Paid Search

6

Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

It’s Inbound Marketing (Pull Marketing Instead of Push) Precise investments are important in marketing. That being said, when marketing your product or service, content marketing allows you to filter out potential buyers from dead end leads.

Think of it this way, a person with no interest in your industry will not bother to click through your link or even go past your landing page. With that in mind, it should be clear that asserting any promotion efforts to such individuals will be a waste.

Other Strategies Can Benefit From It The great thing about content marketing is that it will not only generate returns for your company, but it will also push your other marketing strategies to perform better.

In order to be effective, you must make content marketing the core of all your strategies.

For instance, your email marketing campaigns can benefit from a consistent content marketing strategy. Since you are already creating content for your social media marketing campaign, why not use the content for email marketing too? This will attract more followers, viewership, and help establish brand identity. Just check out the data below.

Growing SEO/organic presence

61%

Blog content creation

53%

Content distribution/amplification

47%

Marketing automation

40% 38%

Interactive content creation Visual content creation

31%

Long-form/visual content creation

29%

Online tools

28%

Product how-to videos

24%

Webinars Freemium trials Don’t know

19% 6% 4%

Source: State of Inbound 2017 report

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Converts Better Through Lead Nurturing We all want to guide our target audience down the sales funnel, something that content marketing can help achieve.

Through lead nurturing, you can hit all three stages of the buyer’s journey; awareness, consideration, and decision.

Let’s say that you run a fitness hotspot with an active content marketing campaign. You consistently publish weight loss tips, healthy recipes, and the like for months and have made yourself known to your market. However,

C

Viral Lo

ira l

Loo p

Right now, your audience is simply aware that you exist, hence, the first stage of the buyer’s funnel. Now, summer time is near and everyone wants to get in shape. They remember all the articles and videos you published not too long ago and start to re-watch them and visit your website for more content or information on your services.

Content Marketing Is a Must for Your Marketing Campaign We can talk for days discussing all the benefits you can reap for your business through content marketing. However, the ultimate truth still stands; content marketing is today’s most effective way of getting things done.

Effort-filled content marketing will drive inbound leads, establish brand awareness, and guide people down the sales funnel. Whether you are targeting short-term solutions, such as improving your pay-per-click advertising or a need to increase your leads or long-term strategies that involve brand development and rebound marketing, well-developed content and copy will leave a positive and compelling impression that significantly improves the possibility of high ROI.

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Contest, events Blogs, RSS, Loyalty emails programs

they aren’t purchasing your programs or getting a membership to your gym – yet.

Searching for a full time maid/ helper?

Activate

Acquire

Articles

Keep customers

Referrals

When people get used to seeing your content, they begin to think of your business as a trusted resource. When the time comes that they are in need of services or a product such as yours, they will remember you.

Media

Product updates Cross-sell

Builds More Trust With Consumers A reliable brand creates trust with great content. If readers find your content engaging, entertaining, and helpful, you can build trust with your audience quickly.

Outreach programs

Social media

Up-sell

Months before summer begins, people begin scurrying for ways to remain or become fit. If they find your business first, your fitness tips and programs become their immediate solutions to achieve their body goals. Ultimately, readers and followers can become actual customers who you would never have reached if it weren’t for content marketing.

Grow customers

V

Let’s say that you run a fitness centre and decided to utilize content marketing. You start posting two to three SEOoptimized blog posts every week and eventually catapult your website’s ranks in search engines.

Get customers

Next-sell

Brand Authority (Thought Leadership) Will Be Stronger The quality of your content develops your brand profile. If you implement an effective content marketing strategy and create authority and reliability, you can become your field’s primary source of information.

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Interview

An Interview with Jeroen van de Waal Winner of Startup & SME Academy Get in the Ring edition ... Photos by Jeroen van de Waal ...

By Daniël Heerkens

Digital Marketing Strategy Director 2Stallions

What inspired you to pursue a career in marine conservation?

I have always believed I could make things happen and change my world. I lived in a relatively conservative town in the east of Holland, far away from the oceans. But I could see on our black and white television the slaughter of whales taking place daily in Canada. They were slaughtered to make lantern oil, not for medicine or food. Then there was the clubbing of baby seals – killing them to use their beautiful fur to make coats. To me those things didn’t make any sense at all. We didn’t have computers in those days, but I started a petition to stop the slaughter.

In May of 1978, when I was nine years old, I took a few hundred sheets of paper, and used a ruler to make boxes where people could write down their names and addresses.

Then I collected signatures in the little town where I grew up. Ten percent of the people whose doorbell I rang didn’t understand why a Dutch farm boy was petitioning against the clubbing of baby seals, but I collected around 1,500 signatures. Optimistically, I sent my petition to Greenpeace in Amsterdam. I got a short letter in response saying, ‘Dear Jeroen, thank you very much.’ And that was it, nothing happened. This has stayed with me my whole life.

Even though, as a young boy, I was crazy about the oceans, when I reached adulthood I did nothing to follow my passion. I got caught up in the rat race, going to school for mechanical engineering, then thinking I had to pursue a career in the same field. Eventually I had children to raise and a family to support. It wasn’t until I hit my forties that I had an epiphany. Yes, I had a good life. I was making a nice income, had a great car and a chauffeur; I had a large villa and a swimming pool – I had everything that sounds like a successful life. But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t the life for me. Of course, status and money are nice, and they help a lot, but I realised I could still make a difference when 12

it comes to my passion for the oceans. So here I am, now trying my hardest to make up for lost time.

What steps did you take/are you taking to achieve your career goals?

I decided to dedicate my life to a new vision – saving the oceans, planet and ourselves. That’s my new motto. To achieve it, I started up Orca Scuba, a dive company based in Singapore, with the goal of having dive centres spread throughout Southeast Asia.

Orca Scuba is not only about teaching people to dive; it’s also about educating them about the oceans. It’s about igniting a passion in people, so they start to care about the marine environment as much as I do. Alongside Orca’s diving business, we’re developing a facility for marine conservation, marine research and marine education. I’ve also very recently written a book entitled: “Together We Can Turn Tides: A Manifesto to Save the Oceans, Planet & Ourselves”. This is about to go to press. The book is meant for all ages and all levels of education, but my hope is to get it into the hands of as many kids and students as possible.

Young people aren’t hampered by past experience in the same way as adults are – their imagination is without limits and they believe anything is possible. I believe the future well-being of our planet lies with them. My book and our dive centres are tools. We are using them to educate customers, students, interns and divers about the importance of the oceans, as well as the habitats and creatures within them.

We are in the process of determining how we can incorporate the book as reading material for International Schools here in Singapore as well as in Malaysia. We are also developing an Oceanic Awareness Program. This will include lecture presentations on a variety of marine issues and topics, from the impact of ocean acidification to the impact of shark populations declining worldwide.

to help our children be better than ‘us’ - the older generation - when it comes to how we treat the ocean. I want to encourage them to pursue their passions now, when they are young and full of positive energy, rather than wait like I did.

I look forward to the day that I see kids who I have inspired in some small way, grow up and make a positive difference in this world, which so drastically needs it.

I need help to do this, which is why I am hoping to get bright, passionate people to join our Ocean Ambassador Program. This Program is geared towards, but not limited to, gap year students, undergraduates and postgraduates.

They would have the opportunity to get professional dive training, combined with education and outreach work. They would also contribute to our conservation projects. Right now, we have a formal collaboration with the University of Malaya. We are supporting two of their professors on a seagrass restoration project and with reef surveillance.

We are also bringing in a masters student, who will start a behavioural study on different sea urchin species. All of these projects are happening at our dive centre on Pulau Rawa, Malaysia.

Are there aspects of your position, which make you feel that you are really ‘making a difference’?

Which part of your job do you enjoy the most?

WiseOceans often refers to the words of Baba Dioum: “In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught”. I wholeheartedly believe in this quote, especially for kids. In order for someone to fall in love with the ocean they first have to experience it! So I want Orca to be more than just a dive company. It should be a place where education, conservation and scuba diving come together.

The work we are doing, the incredible people we’ve met, and the wonderful organizations we are collaborating with, all fill me with hope that we can make a lasting difference.

Scuba diving and inspiring kids. Diving allows me to be underwater, which lets me unplug from the world and just relax. It also affords me the highest privilege of observing our marine life in their natural habitat, rather than in aquariums or on the dinner plate. I have such a deep appreciation for the life I see underwater. I wish for nothing more than for my kids still to be able to see these things when they are my age.

For that to happen, the way we are treating our oceans needs to change. Inspiring kids is what drives me forward. I work as hard as I possibly can to make a positive difference,

Dealing with universities and international schools in Malaysia and Singapore has been amazing. There are so many bright young people out there ready to contribute to helping the oceans. And what better place than in their own back yard of Southeast Asia?

Starting to develop collaborations with these schools is the first step to making a difference. My dream is not only to have our staff teach customers, interns, and children how to scuba dive. I want everybody to experience the true wonder of the underwater world, and I want them to understand the importance of the life they see there.

•

Part of this interview was published at Wise Oceans.

Photo: Dutch Embassy Singapore

13

SingaPore

Network for Dutch-speaking

people in Singapore ... Photos by Thomas Choong ... ... Photos

by HOI Singapore ...

HOI is an informal Dutch-speaking network in Singapore, especially for those who don’t (yet) have a fulltime job. HOI Singapore offers a relocation course in the Dutch language, highly appreciated not only by newcomers, but also by those having lived in Singapore for quite some time.

HOI cultural tours are inspiring and provide additional information on various cultural aspects of Singapore.

HOI meetings highlight specific topics or can be ‘just for fun’. Monthly HOI coffee mornings are great opportunities to meet others.

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By Atie van Olst

Enthusiastic owner of HOI Singapore

‘HOI’ is the Dutch word for ‘HELLO’. It is also short for ‘Holland Organisation Integration’, helping Dutchspeaking people to build up their lives in Singapore. Most people joining the network are expat spouses, having moved to Singapore because of their partners’ jobs. They might be looking for a job themselves, or have found a nice part-time job already. If they are lucky enough, they will start the HOI course soon after arrival. After participating in the course (2 mornings, total 8 hours), participants will know almost as much as those who have lived here for longer, such as how to find a part-time helper, where to book the most interesting holidays in the Asian region, where to have your Van Bommel shoes properly repaired and where to buy a high quality, European sized bed.

Participants will learn which presents to give or not to give to Malay, Indian or Chinese Singaporeans and will also enjoy engaging with others who speak their own language and share their roots. The beginnings of highly appreciated

friendships start right here. We didn’t move to Singapore to only meet Dutch-speaking people, but getting to know some fellow Netherlanders really helps you to settle in and feel at home faster.

Asia ‘light’ or ready to explore authentic Singaporean culture?

At first sight Singapore looks like a modern, relatively western city in Asia. But if you join the HOI tours, you will experience that Singapore has been influenced by many cultures in the region and shows all of its cultural aspects!

The ‘feng shui’ tour opens your eyes and Singapore will never be the same after you have joined this tour. The HOI food tour gives you lots of insights into local food culture and the food you taste is really ‘shiok’! The Hungry Ghost Festival tour brings you to places where you will certainly be the only ‘ang moh’ visiting the celebrations and you might even be invited to have a drink with the ‘medium’ or shake hands with ministers, all trying to comfort the souls of the dead that are believed to roam the earth during Hungry Ghost season. And how about a pilgrimage tour to Pulau Suku to visit the Chinese temple and the Malay ‘keramats’ on the island?

‘Wie Wat Waar in Singapore’: first copy for Margriet Vonno On 29 August, this year HOI Singapore and Helutrans Relocation launched the booklet ‘Wie Wat Waar in Singapore’. This booklet offers contact information to find your way in Singapore. Dutch Ambassador, Mrs. Margriet Vonno, a newcomer to Singapore, expressed her enthusiasm; the booklet is very useful for her and her family. In her introductory note in ‘Wie Wat Waar’, she recommends the HOI course for more in-depth and valuable information, in addition to the basic contact information in the booklet.

Did you miss the book launch event and would you like to have your free copy? Visit the Dutch Embassy and grab your free copy or join one of the HOI activities.

Visit www.hoi-singapore.com and subscribe to the monthly newsletter. Join the network to meet other people and discover more about life in Singapore.

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HOI meetings and coffee mornings Interested in something more down to earth? HOI organises different styles of meetings on a regular basis. Some focusing on cultural aspects such as Chinese tea culture, others just for fun, such as wine tastings. And not to forget: the monthly HOI coffee mornings are really ‘gezellig’. To be honest, most people joining are women, but more and more men live in Singapore because of their partners’ expat jobs.

They are also most welcome to join!

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SingaPore

The Battle of bike-sharing in Singapore

By Alexis van Dam

CMO at Insurance Market Pte Ltd

... Photos by Alexis van Dam ...

For most of the readers of this ADBmagazine, bikes are as normal as having a cheese sandwich. The Dutch grow up with their bikes and it is the most used mode of transport. Like me, quite a few brought their bikes along when they moved to Singapore. It should be a no-brainer that people bike around the city instead of using cars, taxis, buses and MRTs. What’s stopping us though? The biggest difference compared to the Netherlands is the climate and the humidity levels in Singapore.

Why does cycling make sense in Singapore

Owning a bike in Singapore doesn’t cost much and the number of bikes that are stolen is considerably much lower than in the Netherlands. Since most condos have parking space for bikes in the basement, you can safely park, and more and more MRT stations and public places are accommodating bike parking spaces. Compared to the Netherlands, cycling is a relatively new mode of transport and not very well known here. Don’t expect large bike parking lots or other facilities yet; although the government is doing a great job to improve this.

One of the focus areas in Singapore is health care and prevention. We all know that cycling is healthy. Most likely, the majority of us live and work within a 2 km proximity of an MRT station. And the MRT track is continuously expanding which is good for everybody. You can take the bus or MRT….. or choose to cycle the first and last kilometres of your journey.

would become part of your exercise regime which would save time that can be better spent with family and friends.

Singapore is a garden city and cycling can be an excellent way to explore the parks and the tropical inlands of Singapore. The PCN (Park Connector Network) in Singapore is a great deal of fun to cycle in and between parks. Most parks include wide walking/cycling lanes to stimulate the enjoyment of nature.

Bike rentals moving into Singapore

It is hard to miss that bike sharing companies have moved into Singapore. On many corners, pavements and parking spaces, you will see the brightly coloured parked bikes.

Bike-sharing operators have entered the City State: oBike (homegrown in Singapore), Mobike, Ofo, GBike and a new entrant SG Bike (Singaporean) launched this year.

Singapore now has access to 5 bike sharing platforms!

How does bike-sharing work?

Isn’t it too hot and humid and therefore less comfortable to cycle? Of course, it is more convenient to ride a bus, take a cab or even use your own car to travel. If you choose to do that, however, then you need to spend time after (or before) work to exercise. If you cycle, your daily commute 16

It all starts with downloading the app for one of the bike sharers. Mobike, Obike and GBike make it really simple: scan the QR-code with the app, ride away and park after you have reached your destination. SG Bike lets you use your EZ-link card and pay as you ride, while Ofo needs

you to type in the code of the bike in the app to receive a passcode which you use to unlock the bike.

Is there a difference between the 5 companies?

They all provide basic bikes tailored to Asian people. For Western people the bikes tend to be on the small side – I need to re-adjust the handlebars and saddle to the highest position. Even then, the wheels are small and it looks like you are riding on a child’s bike. However, most bikes feature adjustable parts to make it a better ride, and some even feature a basket to put your belongings in.

Obike requires you to pay a deposit of $49 which is refundable when you discontinue using their service.

They use a pricing and credit system that is based on your behaviour. Good behaviour gets you extra credits while bad behaviour such as losing the bike or parking in a nondesignated area costs you points. Every ride is $0.50 per 15 minutes of use. This one is the easiest to find since there are bikes available near HDBs, condos and MRT stations, which are all indicated on the app. To win over customers, oBike hands out voucher codes and utilises promotions.

Ofo requires a $39 deposit to prevent bike abuse, but their bikes are still hard to find in our City State. The Ofo app doesn’t tell you where the nearest Ofo bike is, but you can ride the bike for $1 for an hour with a max of $2 per ride.

Mobike is easy to get your hands on. You can reserve a bike up to 15 minutes in advance. A $49 deposit is mandatory before you can enjoy your bike-ride with Mobike, after which your ride costs you $0.50 for half an hour. They also have a credit system which lets you earn or loose points depending on your behaviour.

I haven’t seen a Gbike in the wild yet. They are relatively new to the battle of bike-sharing. In addition to the usual features Gbike offers a security alarm, and a 30 minutes bike ride costs you $1.

SG Bike (home-grown in Singapore) just launched at Holland-Bukit Panjang. The availability island-wide is limited at the moment. To ride SG Bike, you don’t have to pay a deposit, and the first half hour costs $1 and after that every minute is $0.03.

Where to cycle?

This all sounds great, but unfortunately dedicated bike lanes are not so common yet. This causes a few problems since bikers need somewhere safe to cycle. Quite often, cyclists use the relatively small pavements to cycle which poses obstruction for pedestrians, but bikes parked on the pavement obstruct people walking with prams, the blind and the elderly from enjoying a comfortable walk.

Bikers are encouraged to use the most left side of the left lane on common roads. The difference in speed could pose potential safety issues for both bikes and cars so do proceed with caution. The website www.bbbike.org/ Singapore/ is a journey planner to provide you with a nice, safe and short bike route.

Maybe bikes shouldn’t be a mode of transport for commuting yet until bike lanes are more widely available. The more that bikes are used, the higher the chance that more new bikes lanes will be created. The Singapore government states that by 2030 it will be a bike friendly city.

There are some developments going on. In April, a dedicated bike lane was opened on the public road in Changi East. A 15 km, cycling path was opened to connect Jurong East, Chinese Garden and Lakeside in July. There are plans in the making to make the city centre more bike & pedestrian friendly; more info: https://www.mot.gov. sg/About-MOT/Land-Transport/Cycling/.

Would you want to ride a fancy coloured bike every now and then? It is easy to start. Happy biking!

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17

SingaPore

Seletar Aerospace Park:

a hidden dining oasis

... Photos by Rob Lamers ...

By Rob Lamers

Marketing Manager at Stamford American International School

Experience a slice of Singapore’s colonial past when you dine at Seletar Aerospace Park (SAP). In 1923, the British developed this area to house a Royal Air Force (RAF) station that served Singapore from 1928 to 1971. To house RAF personnel and their families, numerous black and white bungalows were built with the help of Samsui women (female Chinese immigrants who took on construction jobs), who were also known to the British as “Concrete Lizzies”.

Today, Seletar Airport operates as a general aviation airport for chartered flights and training purposes. This 320-hectare space comprises the Airport, as well as 32 colonial black and white bungalows that once housed families of the Royal Air Force. These bungalows are part of a redevelopment project called The Oval @ Seletar Aerospace Park, and some have been turned into F&B outlets. There are now four of them YOUNGS Bar & Restaurant by the Pentagon Group, Di Wei Teochew Restaurant, The Summerhouse by the 1-Group, and Wheeler’s Estate.

18

Photo: Kh Liu

As far as destination dining goes, Singaporeans are not short of options. We already have popular enclaves like Dempsey Village, and smaller suburban streets such as Jalan Riang. But Seletar Aerospace Park (SAP), has one thing that sets it apart - a view of airplanes.

The Summerhouse 3 Park Lane ‘Farms’-to-table dining - The Summerhouse is one of those places you’ll have no problem spending the entire

day at. The space is home to Poppy Flora Studio; Nomad the Gallant, an on-site coffee roasting facility; Wild seed, a casual café and bar; and The Summerhouse Dining Room, the main restaurant perched on the second floor of the conserved colonial bungalow.

Wheeler’s Estate 2 Park Lane Laid-back café experience - Its sister outlet in Balestier, Wheeler’s Yard. With firewood lining the exterior of the two-story colonial bungalow, Wheeler’s Estate feels like a luxury campsite in the middle of the great outdoors.

On the first floor is The Lawn, a café where diners can grab mats and a basket of snacks for a picnic out on the field, and the Grill House, a separate spot for charcoal-grilled meats and burgers.

YOUNGS Bar and Restaurant 3 Hyde Park Gate Modern European cuisine - Let the verdant surroundings of Seletar paint a scenic backdrop to your meal at YOUNGS Bar and Restaurant. The interiors reflect old-world European charm, with plush sofas and wood accents that create a cozy dining space—perfect for a romantic night away from the city.

More spots to eat and drink your fill Near The Oval, you’ll find even more cafés and watering holes. With bicycles, art and other cycling paraphernalia decorating its walls, Soek Seng 1954 Bicycle Cafè serves a mix of Western, Japanese and local food. The café is also a great vantage point for watching planes take off from Seletar Airport in the distance.

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Photo: Aerene Lim

Photo: Dean Liew

19

Personal Development

Reflect to Re-energize ... Photo by BLOOM Development Factory ...

Caught up in the busy-ness of our daily lives, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and worked up. A mistake or a highpressure project can seem like it means to go all in. But being told to “work less” or “stop worrying” is about as effective as trying to control the weather. Instead, try to make reflection a daily habit!

Powerful development tool

Gratitude is healthy

While reflection might look like a quiet session of

Start thinking about 3 things you’re really grateful for.

daydreaming, it’s actually an active process during which

When doing this you can’t be worried, fearful or angry.

you enrich your life and encourage personal growth.

Although anger and fear are not all bad (e.g. without anger,

Reflection helps you to learn from your mistakes.

Reflection also helps you to see the bigger picture more

we would be less motivated to protect ourselves), these are the emotions that screw people up the most in their

clearly and gives you time to soak in others’ perspectives.

relationships, business, and life.

It can calm you down and lower your stress levels.

Reflecting on the things you did right, on your successes, allows you to realize how much you’ve done right. Building upon the successful moments helps you to break free from the self-doubt that holds you back from embracing your true dreams.

Train your brain

Then reflect upon your day, your work,

“

Reflection might look like a quiet session of daydreaming, it’s actually an active process during which you enrich your life and encourage personal growth.

So commit yourself to quiet reflection every day. Just 10 minutes for yourself.

”

your life – what you did right and wrong and what could be improved.

Think about your goals/challenges and visualize. It’s a wonderful thing to keep a vision of a great end result and it will encourage you to work harder to achieve your goals.

Personal reflection is a powerful experience that smooths out life’s bumps and boosts your happiness.

It allows you to empower your potential,

You don’t have to sit still, close your eyes, and meditate.

realize great ideas and learn from past mistakes. So why not

But do get away from all distractions in life such as mobiles,

train your brain daily…It’s immensely re-energizing!

social media, family, friends, etc. They’re constantly clouding your thoughts and influencing your decisions.

Simply take a walk, ride a bike, lie in the grass, go to bed a little earlier. Whatever works for you. Find your inspiration and get lost in thought.

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•

This blog was written by Sheila Bouwman, founder of BLOOM Development Factory Pte Ltd. and published before on BLOOMblogt. She can be reached at: sheila@bloomdevelopmentfactory.com

Interview

Interview with

Eric van den Berg ... Photo by Eric van den Berg ...

By Daniël Heerkens

Digital Marketing Strategy Director 2Stallions

Who is Eric and what made him into the man he is today?

That is somewhat of a trivial question. First, you mean the person I am today, not so much related to my gender.

Second, in my view, all my good, bad and ugly decisions are a combination of luck and circumstances. It is always tempting to be highly philosophical about these things, but I am too down to earth. And if you would like to probe me for something more specific, let me say, credits go to my wife, Emily. Without her, I would not even be close to where I am today.

every gain will only be short term. The power of the collective will always outperform the most brilliant individual.

Third, dream big and guide small. Most teams like a dream, vision or ambition, and in their heart they want to go there. However, they might struggle to find their individual path, and as leaders we need to be there guiding, even with small steps. It is not enough just to show the big picture, at times you also need to just be present when doing the baby steps.

How do you motivate your international team?

What has your company’s biggest achievement been in the APAC market?

Our biggest achievement is always the one that is up next.

And the fact that this is how we operate, is to a certain extent our biggest achievement. We want to provide great education to children, and we see that as an on-going journey.

This year we will open three new schools, and we have acquired one, so that’s pretty decent in terms of physical achievements.

What essential leadership qualities do you consider important when leading your team to grow in the APAC market?

I believe leadership qualities are not regionally determined.

It doesn’t matter whether it is in APAC or other markets, I believe the basics are applicable everywhere. First, the quality of a good leader is one who knows himself (or herself) very well. In my experience people have a natural tendency to look at the other before looking at themselves, but good leaders always start with themselves. Know what gives you energy and what drains your energy bank, and show up at your best every day.

Second, you need to really, really, really, like to be with, work together with and appreciate people. If you think you can achieve to your goal without connecting on a human level,

By being fair and tough, and helping them to believe in achieving outcomes they never believed possible. And again, whilst on the journey, be with them all the way.

Do you have anyone you go to for advice? In person or online?

Yes, Google. Just type in the question, and out comes the answer.

So, the actual answer is No. I don’t have anyone, but I have many that I will speak to. Whenever I’m confronted with a situation, I prefer to get many perspectives from many different people, so that I get a true appreciation of what we are dealing with.

And when I think I have figured it out well enough, I always ask my wife. And she always comes up with an angle or notion that I had not yet thought of.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

Is there time to be spent outside of work? Perhaps that is to be discovered.

We are foodies, so the F&B scene is definitely where we spend time after work (and quite some money for that matter). And the other part is traveling, in particular, diving.

I like to be underwater, nobody can talk to you, and still you have to figure it out.

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21

Charity

NCA: Sneak peek raffle prizes Each year NCA (Netherlands Charity Association) organizes a Lucky Draw at the ADB’s Dinner & Dance to raise money for abused women, migrant workers and families in need in Singapore. All the proceeds will go towards the women and their children fleeing abuse or violence and domestic helpers in need by supporting a safe shelter and helping them to rebuild their lives.

Since we’ll embark on a Caribbean Cruise on November 11th, we will also raise funds to support the victims of the Hurricane Irma on the island of St Maarten. Hurricane Irma left a terrible devastation: 91 percent of the buildings on the island were damaged or destroyed and a third of the homes were completely destroyed.

By Sheila Bouwman

Founder of BLOOM Development Factory Pte Ltd.

Durable ergonomic seat Puncture-resistant long-wear tires

Heavy-duty spokes and rims

Give from the heart for St Maarten and Singapore. Help us support the people in need. Buy raffle tickets generously and win amazing prices at ADB’s Dinner & Dance Party. Your donation really makes a difference.

Designed for compatibility with locally available spare parts

Durable weatherproof coaster brake High-impact pedals with forged axles

Orange bike from the ING Orange Bike Project, which sponsored 5.000 bicycles to help kids in Asia who live in remote locations and walk long distances to get to school.

This Project won the Asia-Pacific Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Award of “Top Community Care Companies in Asia” in 2016.

For more info: Ing.worldbicyclerelief.org

Check out two of our Lucky Draw prizes for ADB’s Dinner & Dance on November 11. You could be the lucky winner!

In addition to these awesome prizes you could also be the winner of 2 KLM tickets to Bali and even more…

Heavy gauge steel tubing

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Art work “City View” (1m x 0,75m) made by Dutch photographic artist Marijke Bohm. She is a master in creating art works that breathe the spirit of different cultures, atmosphere and people. As well as her photographic artwork combined with painting, she is also well-known for her colorful Singapore Memory Boards. www. memoryboards.info

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22

Applications, e-mail and cloud services, Apple, Windows, Linux and advanced wireless solutions. robbert@ictstart.com

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Upcoming event ADB Annual Dinner & Dance 11 November 2017, Saturday

Caribbean Cruise!

New members Lisanne Mattens My name is Lisanne. In August, I joined by boyfriend in Singapore who’s working for ABN Amro. I’m looking for a job in Marketing & Events.

Rinske Bloemendal

Join us for one of the most enjoyable nights of the year – THE ANNUAL ADB DINNER & DANCE on 11 November 2017. This year the theme will be ‘Caribbean Cruise’.

What’s included in the ticket price?

- A night full of music and entertainment - Caribbean Dinner Buffet - Open Bar (sponsored by Heineken) - Best Dressed Award (be creative!!)

Each year we raise money, together with NCA, to help abused women, migrant workers and families in need in Singapore. Since we’ll be embarking on a Caribbean Cruise this year, we will also raise funds to support the victims of the devastating Hurricane Irma on the island of St Maarten.

11 November just happens to be Sint Maarten, so have a big heart for St Maarten and Singapore. Help us support the people in need. Please donate generously. Your donation really makes a difference. You can donate when you buy a ticket.

Date : Saturday 11 November 2017, 7pm - 1am Location : Republic of Singapore Yacht Club 52 W Coast Ferry Road, Singapore 126887 Registration: Buy your ticket online and bring your ticket (printed or on your mobile phone) to the event. Your ticket will be scanned at the entrance.

We are looking forward to welcoming more young members.

That’s why we have a SPECIAL OFFER! Are you younger than 30? Please apply the following promotional code ‘YOUNGADB’ in the ticket shop and unlock tickets with nice discounts!

Sponsored by:

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My name is Rinske Bloemendal and I rejoined the ADB after being in Mumbai for 3 years.

Being an old board member and the wife of a present board member, I guess I had no choice.

I work as the Reception Coordinator at the International Medical Clinic. IMC has provided healthcare in Singapore for over 18 years for the international community and has 4 locations in the city.

The ADB for me presents a great opportunity to keep in touch with the Dutch community and attend some interesting events.

All new ADB members Dick Langejan Saab Erwin Lennertz DDI Iskander Walen Orange Gallery Singapore Lisanne Mattens Martijn Douven Philips Rinske Bloemendal International Medical Clinic

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Daniël Heerkens, Chief Editor Rob Lamers & Alexis van dam, Editors Jacinta Noonan Email

magazine@adb.org.sg General Manager ADB

Wenneke Vrugt-Repko ADB Singapore, c/o 541 Orchard Road #13-01 Liat Towers, Singapore 238881 adb@adb.org.sg, www.adb.org.sg Basic Design

Edenspiekermann Pte Ltd DESIGN & PrePress

Jennifer Phua PRINT production

Words Worth Media Management Pte Ltd © ADB (UEN: S90SS0097D). The contents of this magazine are partly based on information received from third parties and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ADB. The Committee does not take responsibility for the correctness of the articles.

MCI (P) 148/05/2015

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