FCCS Focus September 2013 Urban Smarts

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Focus

The Magazine of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

September 2013

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www.fccsingapore.com

Urban Smarts

Smart Cities and Innovation Financing in Singapore | Innovative Data Solutions for a Sustainable Future | Identity and Digital Security for a Secured, Smarter City | Beyond Smart Grids | Singapore, Liveable City



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CONTENTS

September 2013

EDITORIAL

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SHORT NEWS

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Roche Bobois Opens its First Singapore Showroom PAUL Opens New Bakery-Restaurant in Tanglin Mall La Marelle Editions Launches in Singapore SIA Finalises Order for Up to 50 More A350 XWBs Hera Capital Invests in Sophie Paris New French Concept Shoe Store SMALL Opens in Singapore Essilor Expands in Sun Lens Production with the Acquisition of Polycore AXA Completes Acquisition of HSBC Insurance’s Employee Benefits Business in Singapore INTERPOL and Morpho Sign Strategic Biometric Partnership Arkadin Awarded Frost & Sullivan APAC Conferencing Service Provider of the Year Award FCCS Receives UCCIFE Innovation Award 2013 for the ‘Restaurateurs de France’ Label First Restaurants Obtain the Official ‘Restaurateurs de France’ Certification in Singapore From Singapore to Paris, an interview with Arnaud Vaissié, recently elected President of UCCIFE

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PATRON MEMBERS’ SPOTLIGHT

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AXA’s Strategy in Asia

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COVER STORY - URBAN SMARTS

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Singapore, Liveable City Asia’s Smart City Revolution Meeting the Challenges of the Future: A Model for Smart Cities ForCity, Foresight: The Next Corner towards Singapore’s Future Green Buildings, a Key Component of Smart City Beyond Smart Grids Innovative Data Solutions for a Sustainable Future M2M Solutions for Smart Cities Smart = Security + Mobility Enabling Smart Cities: A New Breed of Cloud Data Centres Smart Cities and Innovation Financing in Singapore Green & Smart Singapore Identity and Digital Security for a Secured, Smarter City Smart Energy for Smart Cities

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FCCS BUSINESS SERVICES

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Newly Set-Up Companies They Rely on Us... and Testify on Our Services Spotlight on French Technology at BroadcastAsia & CommunicAsia 2013 A Great Evening with the 4th Edition of the ICT Awards!

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FCCS HR & TRAINING SERVICES

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Upcoming FCCS Trainings Modules, Sep-Dec 2013

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FCCS CLUB EVENTS

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General Assembly CEO Series Entrepreneurs Committee Human Resources Committee Energy / Infrastructure Committee ICT Committee Legal & Tax Committee Banking & Finance Committee Business Women Network Committee Luxury & Premium Retail Committee Asia Committee Sourcing & Supply Chain Committee FCCS Events Asia Committee French Gourmet Committee FCCS New Members FCCS Privilege Card

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FCCS PATRON MEMBERS

FOCUS MAGAZINE September 2013

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

FCCS Focus Magazine 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 FCCS members and management.

director of publication Carine Lespayandel chief editor Nicolas Avril editorial contributor Marie-Charlotte Macaud design & layout Jonathan Meur advertising Nicolas Avril Marie-Charlotte Macaud Jonathan Meur colour separation & printing NPE Print Communications Pte Ltd cover photo Š shutterstock.com

September 2013 4,000 copies MCI (P) 198/06/2013

The 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


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EDITORIAL

September 2013

Singapore, a Smart City record of 6.3 billion people* representing 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas in 2050, up from 3.6 in 2011! And by 2025, large cities with one million or more habitants will be home to about half of all city dwellers.

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In this context of fast urbanisation, the concept of smart cities was recently introduced. Literarily, a smart city is a developed urban area that creates sustainable economic development and high quality of life by excelling in multiple key areas: economy, mobility, environment, government, people, and living. Smart cities initiatives are typically achieved via investments in human and social capital and communication infrastructure, with a growing usage of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies). Singapore, as a highly developed sovereign city-state with a population of 5.2 million and the second highest density in the world, has naturally engaged very early on in initiatives contributing to making it a smarter city. Singapore was the first to introduce in 1998 an Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system to encourage drivers to travel outside of peak times, thus reducing traffic congestion. Singapore is regularly ranked number one worldwide for its comprehensive e-government solutions, which facilitate the interactions between its citizens and government agencies. Singapore also launched in 2005 a 10* World Urbanization Prospects, The 2011 Revision, United Nations New York

year ICT master plan to build a wellconnected society and established in 2011 a Smart Cities Programme Office, which focuses on the development of solutions for urban environments. We can therefore expect the city-state to continue to be a pioneer in the smart city arena. There is no formal ranking of smart cities worldwide. We should be thankful for this. Trying to measure smartness can lead to endless debates and hazardous measures, which would precisely ruin the concept. What exists though is a growing number of concrete smart city applications worldwide. As a citizen of the world, you will certainly enjoy reading, in this edition of Focus Magazine, how companies today directly contribute to Singapore’s plan to become one of the most advanced smart cities. You will learn how visionary urban planning, energy management, smart grids, Information and Communication Technologies, green and autonomous building construction techniques, and other smart city initiatives are now applied to enhance urban citizens’ everyday life. Enjoy and dream! But remember that what you will read in the following pages is today’s reality…

Serge Genetet Executive Vice President – Managing Director Asia Pacific, Arkadin Global Collaboration Services

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SHORT NEWS

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French Companies in Singapore

September 2013

Roche Bobois Opens its First Singapore Showroom Classic, are being displayed on a surface area of approximately 700m2.

July marked the arrival of French Luxury Furniture brand, Roche Bobois, in Singapore. Two collections, Contemporary and

Customers can now discover the French art de vivre – or “way of life” – through these collections, which include collaborations with Jean-Paul Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel, Missoni and Ungaro.

Roche Bobois is a global leader in highend furniture design and distribution. Roche Bobois is a dynamic company in development. With a turnover of €380 millions in 2012, Roche Bobois is now present in 45 countries with a network of 250 exclusive stores. As a testimony to the brand’s dynamism, Roche Bobois opens one store per month in the world. Each new showroom reflects the spirit of the brand through its interior architecture, the selected models and the collections displayed, and the quality of the proposed services. F

PAUL Opens New Bakery-Restaurant in Tanglin Mall PAUL opened its second bakeryrestaurant in Tanglin Mall in July. This is PAUL’s second outlet in Singapore after its flagship bakeryrestaurant in Takashimaya. In conjunction with the new opening, PAUL introduced 15 new items to its current menu. They represent PAUL’s philosophy of offering traditional recipes while showcasing its expert versatility in baking and cuisine. Both stores carry the full menu offerings.

made traditional and specialty French breads to Singapore.

A 120-year-old brand loved around the world for its artisanal breads, PAUL takes pride in bringing the true taste of hand-

The new store comes complete with a bakery counter where customers can pick up freshly-baked breads, sandwiches,

viennoiseries and pastries. For customers who wish to sit down for a meal, PAUL’s dine-in restaurant can comfortably seat up to 80 persons. PAUL’s newest expansion marks its promise to continue offering the most authentic of French cuisine in Singapore. “We have seen such strong support in the last year and a half since we first set foot in Singapore. Heartened, we decided to take our food offerings further with a second bakery-restaurant. As long as we are here, we will continue to bring an authentic taste of France through the cuisine served at PAUL,” said CEO of PAUL International, Maxime Holder. F

La Marelle Editions Launches in Singapore La Marelle Editions, a leading artistic French company in fashion accessories and lifestyle products, launched its brand in two major retailers in Singapore: Takashimaya Department Store and the Museum of Art and Design at Mandarin Gallery. It also opened its first retail concept café on Baghdad Street last June. La Marelle is one of only five French brands selected to participate in the Maison & Objet Asia 2014 show in Singapore, one of the largest and most important international gatherings of decor and design professionals. Offering an extensive range of handmade bags, accessories, as well as

stationery and home decoration items, La Marelle promises a taste of France to accessorise the daily lives of consumers. Pascale Nivet-Bernetière, founder of the brand together with her husband, works with over 40 international artists to create various regular collections for La Marelle. According to Nivet-Bernetière, “the inspiration behind the brand is all about the arts, creativity and imagination infused in good quality products that the consumer could use and enjoy every day. We want to please our consumers and make them happy whether they are receiving or giving our products!” F


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SHORT NEWS

September 2013

French Companies in Singapore

SIA Finalises Order for Up to 50 More A350 XWBs Singapore Airlines (SIA) has increased its orders for the A350 XWB with an additional 30 A350-900s, plus options for a further 20 aircraft. The agreement firmed up a commitment announced one month before. This is the third order from SIA for the A350 XWB. The deal saw the carrier’s total firm orders for the all-new aircraft increase to 70, plus 20 options. Singapore Airlines will

operate the A350 XWB on long haul and regional services. "We are pleased to announce this latest order from Singapore Airlines as the A350 XWB flight test campaign begins,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers, Airbus. "It’s another clear endorsement of our all-new design A350 XWB, bringing a step change in efficiency and comfort to the mid-size widebody market with a single product family.” F

Hera Capital Invests in Sophie Paris Hera Capital, the entrepreneurial private equity investment firm, has invested in Sophie Paris, a leading Indonesia-based designer and direct selling distributor of handbags, apparel, jewellery and cosmetics.

journey has convinced us that Sophie Paris has managed to crack the secret formula to delivering fast fashion at affordable prices.

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Jakarta, Sophie Paris has become the leading brand in Indonesia for affordable fashion delivered through a catalogue distributed every 40 days to more than 300,000 customers. Sophie Paris has also replicated its model and localised its offerings outside Indonesia – it is now present and growing fast in Malaysia, Morocco, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Hera Capital founders Sébastien Guillaud and Thierry de Panafieu commented: "We chose to invest in Sophie Paris after having worked closely with its management for a year on various strategic topics. This

Bruno Hasson, Sophie Paris’s founder and CEO, is a true visionary and passionate entrepreneur who has built a top-performing management team around him. We are thrilled that Hera Capital is now part of Sophie Paris' amazing adventure and very much look forward to working alongside Bruno and his team to further strengthen and develop the brand." F CENTRE The Hera Capital team (from left to right): Florent, Thierry, Sébastien, and Jean-Pierre.

New French Concept Shoe Store SMALL Opens in Singapore Faced with a somewhat limited choice of shoes in Singapore for their children and for themselves, three French friends decided to launch their own business. And this is how SMALL was born. SMALL is a new concept store specialising in shoes

for kids, teens as well as adults. It offers a large choice of European brands such as Veja, Feiyue, Théluto, La Botte Anniel, Guardianne, Castañer, Superga, Swedish Hasbeens, Minnetonka, Louise Deloris, C'entre Maman et moi etc.

After three successful open houses in June, the concept proved to be very promising. SMALL opened its first store in Cluny Court in early September. F

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SHORT NEWS

FOCUS MAGAZINE

French Companies in Singapore

September 2013

Essilor Expands in Sun Lens Production with the Acquisition of Polycore Essilor International has announced the acquisition of a 50% stake in Polycore Optical, one of the world’s leading sun lens producers. Founded in 1976, Singapore-based Polycore develops and manufactures a

wide range of plano (non-prescription) sun lenses, and prescription sun and clear lenses, which are sold in Asia, Europe and the United States. The company, which has 2,200 employees and revenues of around €30 million, is an Essilor supplier. It has two production plants, in Indonesia and Malaysia, and three prescription laboratories, including an export laboratory, in Indonesia and the Netherlands. Commenting on the acquisition, Hubert Sagnières, Essilor’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "This agreement is in line with our eye protection and visual health strategy. Polycore’s production capacity and facilities will add to Essilor’s

existing sun lens capabilities, mainly located in our BNL plants in France and at Gentex in the United States. This new partnership will allow us to offer a wider, more comprehensive range of sun products and materials, and to increase the penetration of high-performance sun lenses." With their ability to enhance visual comfort and clarity by protecting the eye, sun lenses form an integral part of Essilor’s mission of improving the vision of 4.2 billion people in the world, of whom 2.5 billion do not have corrective eyewear. The sun lens segment is growing around twice as fast as the corrective lens market. F LEFT Essilor’s Crizal UV lens.

AXA Completes Acquisition of HSBC Insurance’s Employee Benefits (EB) Business in Singapore AXA Singapore announced in August the completion of the acquisition of HSBC’s

Employee Benefits business in Singapore. Permanent contracts were offered to all HSBC Employee Benefits staff, and everyone joined the AXA Singapore team. The integration enables AXA to jump two positions to #4 Employee Benefits provider in Singapore. As part of this acquisition, AXA Life Singapore included an existing 10-year bancassurance agreement between AXA General Insurance and HSBC that was signed in 2012. Under the new agreement, HSBC will continue to offer Employee Benefits solutions to their customers underwritten by AXA. AXA Singapore will be administering insurance cover and claims for former HSBC Employee Benefits customers.

CEO of AXA Life Singapore, Mr. Glenn Williams said, “We are happy to welcome our new colleagues onboard AXA. Since April, we have been working on the best framework to deliver our Employee Benefit solutions to the market. We will continue to uphold our high standards of servicing, so as to maintain strong relationships with all our existing and new customers as well as distributors and business partners.” CEO of AXA Insurance Singapore, Doina Palici-Chehab added, “This acquisition has enhanced AXA’s position and market standing in the Employee Benefits marketplace. Now that the acquisition is fully completed, we are excited to offer an enhanced range of products which, combined with our high standards of servicing will grow AXA to a top three player in Employee Benefits in the near future.” F LEFT Glenn Williams, CEO of AXA Life Singapore.


FOCUS MAGAZINE

SHORT NEWS

September 2013

French Companies in Singapore

INTERPOL and Morpho Sign Strategic Biometric Partnership

The partnership covers the supply of automated biometric identification systems to INTERPOL, provision of state-ofthe-art security solutions for the future INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI), set to open in Singapore in 2014, as well as collaboration on the subject of border security. Under the five-year partnership, Morpho’s facial recognition technology will also be provided to INTERPOL as an additional criminal identification tool. The two organisations, along with other key partners, will also collaborate on

developing global standards and best practices to improve border efficiency and security through the use of biometrics in order to tackle the challenge of increasing numbers of travellers and related threats.

© INTERPOL

A partnership agreement will see Morpho (Safran) provide INTERPOL with a range of innovative biometric solutions and other technical support to enhance global security.

Philippe Petitcolin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Morpho, commented, “This new partnership is a continuation of our decade-long effort to support INTERPOL in its fight against transborder crime through delivery of advanced biometric solutions.”

all member countries to conduct checks and identify internationally wanted persons via INTERPOL’s global network. Under the partnership, this system will be replaced with Morpho’s latest-generation AFIS, which includes enhanced capabilities and offers greater speed. F

Since 1999, Morpho has provided INTERPOL with its Automated Fingerprint Biometric System (AFIS) enabling officers in

TOP INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) set to open in Singapore in 2014.

Arkadin Awarded Frost & Sullivan APAC Conferencing Service Provider of the Year Award Arkadin, one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing Conferencing Service Providers, received the 2013 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT Conferencing Service Provider of the Year award. Recognising outstanding performance by companies in the Enterprise, Telecom, and Service Provider segments of the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) industry, Arkadin was chosen for the exemplary growth of its products, spanning audio, web and video conferencing and unified communications (UC) technologies. “Arkadin has shown a remarkable 25% year-on-year growth in 2012, when its competitors and the general market suffered a slow down,” says Jessie Yu, Industry Manager, Asia Pacific ICT Practice for Frost & Sullivan. “Moreover, this growth originated in Japan, China and India, key countries where competition is strong and service differentiation is crucial.”

According to Ms. Yu, telecommunications partnerships are a major growth contributor: “Arkadin has managed to grow with the strength of its telco partnerships in the region, which are increasingly emerging as a pivotal sales channel. With improved market penetration among large enterprises, Arkadin is now in the big league as a major provider of collaboration services in the Asia Pacific region.”

“We are honoured to be selected for this award, which is a testament to the strength of our customer value proposition,” says Serge Genetet, Arkadin’s EVP and Managing Director APAC. “Asia Pacific is one of Arkadin’s fastest growing regions. We are confident the strategies we have in place − coupled with the dedication and passion of our APAC workforce − will continue to propel our influence and growth throughout the decade.” F

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SHORT NEWS

FOCUS MAGAZINE

French Companies in Singapore

September 2013

FCCS Receives UCCIFE Innovation Award 2013 for the ‘Restaurateurs de France’ Label label to introduce it in Singapore. The ‘Restaurateurs de France’ label is an official recognition of quality and savoirfaire. It guarantees homemade French cooking with high-quality products by a team of French F&B professionals.

Earlier this year, the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore signed an agreement with the ‘Restaurateurs de France’

The ‘Restaurateurs de France’certification is an official label recognised by the French Government for the independent restaurant industry. Created in France by restaurateurs themselves, it aims to recognise the quality of the most demanding restaurateurs. For the first time, the ‘Restaurateurs de France’ label is being

awarded outside France. French Restaurateurs in Singapore are awarded under the supervision of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. To date, two restaurants have successfully passed the audit: L’Angelus and Les Bouchons. During its General Assembly in June, UCCIFE (Union des Chambres de Commerce et d’Industrie Francaises à l’Etranger) recognised the label as an innovative solution and benchmark for the network to promote French gastronomy and savoirfaire abroad. F

First Restaurants Obtain the Official ‘Restaurateurs de France’ Certification in Singapore

L’Angelus and Les Bouchons are the first two restaurants to get the ‘Restaurateurs de France’certification in Singapore. By applying to get the certification in Singapore, these restaurants committed to engaging in a dynamic process where, as professionals, they agreed to a critical review of their establishment as well as to being audited by an independent body to offer the best of quality to their customers. To obtain the certification, the restaurants have successfully been audited and therefore comply with a list of quality criteria such as food origin and freshness, guest relations, etc. More restaurants will be audited in the coming months. Set up in 1998 in a typical shophouse in

the heart of historical Chinatown, l’Angelus has become one of the most authentic and highly valued French restaurant in the region, thanks to its reputation for genuine consistency. L’Angelus values French gastronomy by offering traditional French cooking of high quality in a décor evoking those charming little restaurants nestled in a corner of Paris. Since 2002, Les Bouchons has been serving authentic French steaks and fries in town in a typical Parisian bistro décor. Best selected meats – French «Normande» race for instance – and specially imported French potatoes to produce their trademark home-made French fries have helped build its reputation over the years. F

The “Restaurateurs de France in Singapore” Label

Prime Sponsor

TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT Les Bouchons; L’Angelus.


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SHORT NEWS

September 2013

UCCIFE News

From Singapore to Paris An interview with Arnaud Vaissié, recently elected President of UCCIFE Following the UCCIFE Annual General Meeting on June 24th, Arnaud Vaissié, Founder of International SOS and President of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Great Britain, was elected President of UCCIFE for the 2013-2016 period by the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.

The key milestone of my presidency will be to help international development of French SMEs.

seeking to expand internationally and in promoting the development of the French business community overseas.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RECENT ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF UCCIFE! COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN YOUR NEW ROLE AND HOW YOU FORESEE THE KEY MILESTONES OF YOUR PRESIDENCY? The Union of the French Chambers of Commerce and Industry Abroad (UCCIFE) is a very powerful network that brings together 111 French Chambers abroad in 81 countries. This is one of the largest private networks in the world gathering 32,000 companies ranging from start-ups and SMEs to large groups. Fifty percent of our 32,000 companies are French. It is also important to point out that our network is 97% self-funded. When I took over the UCCIFE chairmanship last June, following Pierre-Antoine Gailly's two successful terms, I found a network in good condition since the French Chambers of Commerce and Industry have significantly increased their influence abroad. This certainly does not mean that my mission will be a bed of roses, but the record shows that UCCIFE is wellestablished as a resource for companies

With a French foreign trade deficit reaching a record-high of 70 billion euros last year, the key milestone of my presidency will be to help international development of French SMEs either through direct export or through the setting up of their establishment overseas. To achieve results, we will need to work even more closely with the network of French Chambers of Commerce gathered in CCI France and Ubifrance, the national agency for France’s foreign trade and the French Treasury. UCCIFE offers a wide range of efficient tools meant to help French companies expand internationally: for instance, we provide office space within 720 work stations in nearly 60 countries. Since we are directly connected to more than 80 countries, we have strong expertise in local markets with a high level of awareness regarding the demands for French products and technologies. The second key milestone will be to make full use of the UCCIFE platform in terms of benchmarking and sharing best practices among our Chambers. Ultimately, that will benefit us all. YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE UCCIFE NETWORK FOR A LONG TIME AND IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR COMPANIES TO BE PART OF THIS NETWORK? First, French Chambers of Commerce and Industry Abroad have the necessary expertise and resources to help any company

wishing to expand internationally. The 111 French Chambers abroad are managed by close to 900 full-time staff members, who are for the most part bicultural. It is a key asset to facilitate foreign development. Second, they are a very powerful community of businessmen and women who, in their activities, are not only supporting the Chambers but also new companies willing to increase or to start their business in the country. Third, as the voice of the French Chambers of Commerce and Industry Abroad, UCCIFE has the capacity to influence public authorities both locally and internationally. YOU SET UP INTERNATIONAL SOS IN SINGAPORE IN 1985 AND WON THE ERNST & YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR FROM SINGAPORE IN 2009. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THE MAIN COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES OF SINGAPORE? Entrepreneurship is something very close to my heart and I think that Singapore has been very intelligently targeting arenas for business creation and massively helping entrepreneurs. Because the odds are always against the risk-taking entrepreneurs versus established businesses, you do need governments steering resources - intellectual and financial - in order to skew the odds in favour of the entrepreneurs. Singapore is one of the most attractive cities in Asia with a genuinely competitive and pro-business environment. Singapore can boast about its lean bureaucracy, world-class infrastructures, and safe and clean environment. In this context, it is no wonder that Singapore has topped Global Ease of Doing Business Ranking for seven years running. F

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PATRON MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT

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Interview with a FCCS Patron Member

September 2013

AXA’s Strategy in Asia Interview with Gaëlle Olivier, Chief Executive Officer of AXA's Property and Casualty Operations in Asia The AXA Group is a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 163,000 employees serving 101 million clients in 57 countries. Asia is regarded as having the greatest growth potential in the AXA Group and its contribution to overall revenue is expected to grow significantly, supported by the Hong Kong and Singapore regional offices. The AXA Asia Regional Office based in Singapore is responsible for supporting Asia's property and casualty insurance operations in its growth, development and governance. COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR PATH TO THE TOP OF AXA? I joined AXA 15 years ago after a first experience in the banking industry. I started in asset management and then had the opportunity to work at the headquarters at the time of the transition between Claude Bébéar and Henri de Castries. It has been a great opportunity to be exposed to successful leaders and learn from them. I have been impressed by their visionary skills, their capacity to balance business efficiency with strong human values and their ability to be in the moment whatever happens. At a time where the world is changing fast, where information is flowing and technology allowing instant access to almost everything, these are precious learning experiences. Throughout my work at AXA, I have acquired numerous experiences on its different businesses, and functional versus operational roles, in France and abroad. Taking new challenges, getting out of my comfort zone, getting to know different people and developing a team are part of my motivation at work. It is probably not the standard way to develop a career but it has pushed me every time to go beyond my known limits, to live enthralling experiences. Working at the headquarters also allowed me to develop my knowledge of the AXA Group. Understanding its vision, its strategic priorities, its many businesses, its various markets, and getting to know people from different backgrounds provided me with the capability to grasp opportunities more rapidly and to more rapidly connect with the relevant people to leverage best practices. I have come to consider this very important especially in Asia, where we have high ambitions in terms of development and

The main challenge of Asia is that Asia is not “one”. It is a variety of cultures, market situations, business environments, which requires adaptability and which makes the challenge exhilarating.

where we can leverage existing success from elsewhere in the Group as well as bring to the rest of the Group new mindset, new solutions. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES OF THE APAC REGION? Of my 15 years at AXA, I have been working eight years in Asia: five years in Japan, mostly on the life insurance side, and three years in Singapore as regional CEO for Property and Casualty Operations. I see Asia as a land of opportunities. With the fast development of Asian countries, there is an increasing need for protection for Asian citizens and you really feel that, as an insurance company, we have a role to play. To protect customers from consequences of risks (car accidents, travel incidents, home insurance), to accompany the development of companies (supporting marine business development, insuring construction workers and buildings, providing solutions for SME businesses), to advise our customers on suitable investment and asset management solutions, and to deliver health services are just a few examples of that, and it is extremely energising to develop your activity while bringing solutions to society. It does not come without challenges and the main business one is probably the awareness towards risk. Development means an inherent part of risk but

sustainable development requires a measured risk appetite and this is where we come in. I have seen in Thailand in 2011 where the dramatic floods have significantly impacted the economy of the country and its factories, sometimes with collateral impact on other industries, but also on individuals where, in some cases, houses flooded for three months need to be fully rebuilt. To increase awareness towards the development of risk and to invest in fundamental research for a better understanding of risk is part of our mission. Indeed, the AXA Group is investing 200 million euros to develop awareness and understanding of risk worldwide. In Singapore specifically, a significant investment has been made to contribute to the launch of the Earth Observatory of Singapore with the objective to develop the knowledge of natural disasters. From a personal point of view, I believe working in Asia requires mind and cultural openness, entrepreneurship and a sense of adventure. The main challenge of Asia is that Asia is not “one”. It is a variety of cultures, market situations, business environments, which requires adaptability and which makes the challenge exhilarating. COULD YOU PLEASE BRIEFLY DESCRIBE AXA’S STRATEGY IN ASIA? We have the ambition to become the


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PATRON MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT

September 2013

Interview with a FCCS Patron Member

number three life insurance company in Asia and to become the leader in General Insurance business. This translates for us in doubling our size organically within five years (i.e. 15% growth per year on average) and tripling our earnings. Achieving our ambition will require agility on the part of the organisation, and strong teams, combined with the readiness to challenge ourselves, and to improve our processes in order to better serve our customers. On the General Insurance side, we see customer service as a key element of differentiation and we are ready to strengthen our distribution skills and invest in our platforms to get closer to our customers’ and distributors’ needs. For example, we recently acquired HSBC’s general insurance operations in HongKong and Singapore, combined with an exclusive distribution agreement with HSBC going forward as we believe bancassurance distribution is a growing access point for our customers. Asia is also undergoing a transformational process of digitalisation and this is changing how and what our customers purchase. Responding to these changes will be a significant opportunity for companies in Asia during this next decade. We have built solid positions in Hong-Kong (#1), in Singapore (#2) and in Malaysia (#7), and we continue to gain market shares in those markets by widening our distribution reach, and striving to improve our offer and service towards our agents, brokers and our customers. In India, China, Indonesia, and Thailand, we are establishing solid bases for our future development and the results are very encouraging with strong growth and solid teams. When we think about those markets opportunities, we think about the 2.8 billion people with increasing protection needs. In China or India today, less than 50 people out of 1,000 own a car, compared to 800 in the USA... AS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE FCCS, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ROLE THAT THE FCCS SERVES TODAY FOR FRENCH COMPANIES IN SINGAPORE? Beyond its role of representing the French economic development in Singapore and

The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore has a key role to play in facilitating the development of French companies, notably SMEs in Asia.

very often in Asia as well, the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore has a key role to play in facilitating the development of French companies, notably SMEs in Asia. This includes building connections with well-established companies, sharing job opportunities for people, and educating or providing training on the many characteristics of doing business in Asia. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT KIND OF CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITIES MAKE A GOOD LEADER? I believe good leaders have a vision they believe in and guide their teams towards an accelerated path towards that vision. This requires leaders to be able to inspire and to develop wide understanding of that

vision, to build a solid team and to empower it to deliver, and to accompany the team along the way to overcome inevitable obstacles. SOME CAREER ADVICE TO CLIMB TO THE TOP? I am not a believer in career path and always thinking about the next step. I believe more in living your passion, surrounding yourself with people you enjoy working with, being aware of where your energy comes from, securing and growing that level of energy, and building resilience. YOUR MOTTO IN LIFE? “Nothing great in the world accomplished without passion.” F

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ADVERTORIAL

September 2013

Ascot Expats

Aujourd’hui n’est jamais trop tôt pour préparer demain ! Interview avec Ascot Expats, conseils en organisation et stratégie patrimoniale des expatriés

EN QUOI CONSISTE VOTRE PROFESSION ? Nous sommes conseils en organisation patrimoniale des expatriés. Notre métier consiste à leur apporter une aide concrète et complète sur l’organisation de leur patrimoine ainsi que de leur statut civil et matrimonial. DE QUEL TYPE DE PATRIMOINE ? De tout type de patrimoine, qu'il soit immobilier, financier, etc... Cette organisation est, vous vous en doutez, déjà relativement complexe pour un résident français ; mais lorsqu'il s'agit d'un expatrié cela peut devenir très compliqué. Pas seulement en raison de la distance avec la France, mais aussi parce que les expatriés ont des problématiques spécifiques, qu'ils ignorent parfois eux-mêmes, et qui ont un impact direct sur leur situation. Par exemple, peu d'expatriés savent que leur régime matrimonial peut être conditionné par le pays où ils sont installés. CES SUJETS NE SONT-ILS PAS RÉGIS PAR LES CONVENTIONS PASSÉES ENTRE LES PAYS? Certains le sont mais c'est une minorité. La France a effectivement signé des conventions fiscales avec de nombreux pays. Mais ces conventions ne traitent bien souvent que de l'imposition des revenus, et pas des droits de succession, encore moins des aspects juridiques. Bref, elles ne règlent pas tout. Par définition, un expatrié conserve des liens avec la France, du fait de sa nationalité, de son régime matrimonial, de ses avoirs, de l'existence de parents en France. Le rôle d'Ascot Expats est donc de l'aider à organiser son patrimoine afin qu'il soit parfaitement adapté à sa vie et à ses besoins actuels et futurs, en tenant compte de ses autres caractéristiques essentielles : son éloignement et sa mobilité. COMMENT CELA SE PASSE-T-IL CONCRÈTEMENT ? Le service Ingénierie Patrimoniale de notre cabinet collaborateur Ascot Consulting basé en France collecte

l'ensemble des éléments nécessaires à la connaissance du client : revenus, statut social, régime matrimonial, patrimoine en constitution, héritage perçus ou a percevoir, donations etc.. Ces éléments permettent de réaliser un bilan patrimonial et d'établir un diagnostic de sa situation. Les préconisations qui en sont issues permettent de boucler la boucle, c'est-à-dire d'apporter à la situation actuelle les modifications nécessaires pour répondre aux besoins exprimés. Ces préconisations couvrent l'ensemble de la situation patrimoniale du client, puisqu'elles portent aussi bien sur ses aspects financiers (organisation ou réorganisation du patrimoine, constitution de revenus...) que fiscaux et civils, qui en sont indissociables (adaptation du régime matrimonial, rédaction des clauses bénéficiaires d'assurance-vie, choix du dispositif fiscal le mieux adapté...). Sans oublier la protection sociale, la prévoyance et la retraite, trop souvent négligées. Le client peut ensuite mette en œuvre les préconisations et réaliser ses investissements avec Ascot Consulting Fr ou auprès de l'interlocuteur de son choix. Le cabinet sélectionne à cet effet les opportunités d’investissement et de placement les mieux adaptés aux besoins des expatriés. Ascot Consulting n'a aucun lien capitalistique avec quelque société que ce soit et cette indépendance est essentielle, car elle garantit l'objectivité du conseil et des préconisations.

Loïc SEGUIN +65 9199 8516 loic.seguin@ascot-expats.sg

ASCOT EXPATS 26 Paterson Road #05-08 Singapore 238518 www.ascot-expats.sg

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Singapore, Liveable City Interview with Ng Lang, CEO, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore WHAT IS THE ROLE OF URA? The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is Singapore’s national land use planning and conservation authority. URA’s mission is “to make Singapore a great city to live, work and play in”. We strive to create a vibrant and sustainable city of distinction by planning and facilitating Singapore’s physical development in partnership with the community. The URA has successfully transformed Singapore into one of the most liveable cities in Asia through judicious land use planning and good urban design. We adopt a long term and comprehensive planning approach in formulating strategic plans such as the Concept Plan and the Master Plan, to guide the physical development of Singapore in a sustainable manner. Our

Singapore’s challenge has always been to find more land to cater to future growth, and to keep our economy thriving and vibrant.

nationally recognised conservation programme, having successfully conserved not only single buildings, but entire districts. To turn its plans and visions into reality, URA takes on a multi-faceted role. In addition to its planning function, URA is also the main government land sales agent. Through the sale of state land, we attract and channel private capital investment to develop sites to support economic and social development. URA is also the development agency for Marina Bay, the new city extension. To create an exciting cityscape, URA also actively promotes architecture and urban design excellence. Drawing on our experience in integrated planning and urban management, we provide consultancy for overseas bilateral projects and share our urban planning experience through professional training programmes. GIVEN THE LIMITED LAND AREA AND GROWING POPULATION, WHAT STRATEGY IS URA PLANNING TO ENSURE THAT SINGAPORE WILL REMAIN A LIVEABLE SPACE?

plans and policies focus on achieving a balance between economic growth and a quality living environment. As the conservation authority, URA has an inter-

Planning with limited land resources has always been a reality in Singapore. Above that, we not only have to plan for the needs of a city, we also have to cater to the needs of a nation by providing land for defence, water catchment and utilities that other cities that are part of bigger country do not have to worry about.

But we have managed to work within these constraints and have done so rather successfully. A good indicator of our success is that we are regularly ranked amongst the most liveable cities in Asia. An important approach we take here that has contributed to this outcome is to think long-term in our land use planning and to strike a balance between economic, social and environmental considerations. HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO BALANCE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES? From the onset after Singapore gained independence, our first Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, decided that that we could only sustain a vibrant economy by paying close attention to both social and environmental considerations at the same time. For instance, the Air Pollution Unit was set up as early as 1971 to work closely with the then Urban Planning Department to minimise pollution from new industries, and to ensure that environmental considerations were incorporated into land use planning. This is the philosophy that has underpinned the way we do land use planning. Every few years, we bring together our agencies from the economic, social and environmental sectors to look at our future plans. Besides setting aside land to cater to future growth, we also coordinate our needs in the social and environmental areas to ensure they are well taken care of. Even in places like Marina Bay, which are planned predominantly for businesses, we take the same approach in planning to make the precinct more inclusive to the community and more environmentally


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friendly. We have been, for instance, actively programming the district to make it accessible to community events and community-based water sports. Marina Bay is also very environmentally friendly, and is designed and developed to be a lot more energy-efficient than older districts in Singapore. WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES FOR THE UPCOMING YEARS TO DEVELOP SINGAPORE AS A SUSTAINABLE CITY? For land-scarce Singapore, our challenge has always been to find more land to cater to future growth, and to keep our economy thriving and vibrant. Since the 1960s, we have grown our land area by more than 20 per cent through land reclamation. As part of this on-going process to sustain our future capacity for growth, we are now also exploring new options such as underground space to free up land on the surface for other uses. The $135-million research funding announced earlier this year in the National Challenge for Land and Liveability will provide a boost to the research in this area. Other challenges include the need to plan for an ageing population, to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change, and to sustain a sense of identity and belonging as we continue to develop Singapore. However, we need to be mindful that not

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all our solutions can be provided by physical urban planning alone. The community also has to play a big part in contributing to a sustainable city through the way people live their lives and conduct daily activities. For instance, we can have a greener and more liveable city if people are prepared to drive less and turn to greener modes of transport. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A SMART CITY? A smart city is first and foremost a city that is smartly planned to provide a live-able, environmentally-friendly, and in-clusive environment. It must also embrace technology to enhance services and enable intelligent decision-making. Our urban environment is getting a lot more complex, and there is a need to constantly seek out new ideas, innovative technologies and smarter solutions to help us overcome challenges. WHAT ARE THE SMART SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED BY SINGAPORE TO ADDRESS COMPLEX URBANISATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES? You would be familiar with these as they are deeply integrated into our urban environment and daily lives. A good example is our Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system that has been in place for many years to help manage traffic congestion on

our roads. A more recent example is the use of smart phone apps to inform commuters when their next bus is arriving. Going forward, with technology advancing rapidly, we think we can do more. The Land Transport Authority, for instance, has been researching and testing smart solutions to better deliver real-time traffic information to road users. Other agencies are exploring high-tech solutions to better manage power supply, waste disposal, flood alleviation etc. The government has recently issued a Call for Collaboration to invite researchers, institutes of higher learning, and private sector companies to use the Jurong Lake District to test-bed innovative solutions using infocomm tech-nology and realtime data. Through such efforts, we hope to position Singapore as a living laboratory for trying out new smart urban solutions. F Please visit www.ura.gov.sg for more information. LEFT PAGE A smart city is planned to provide an inclusive, liveable, and environmentally-friendly environment. This includes drawing nature closer to people, having greenery to soften a densely built-up city to make it more liveable. TOP, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Singapore is exploring new options such as underground space to free up land on the surface for other uses. (such as the Common Services Tunnel that houses utilities); Mr Ng Lang, CEO, URA.

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Asia’s Smart City Revolution Interview with François Bordes, CEO of MyCO2 and Partner of Project Value Delivery Project Value Delivery is the Singapore representative of MyCO2, a global company that helps companies become leaders in sustainability through innovative solutions to improve environmental performances. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A SMART CITY? ARE SMART CITIES KEY TO COMPETITIVE ECONOMIES? By 2050, two thirds of the worldwide population will live in cities. This development creates huge challenges in terms of energy use, environmental protection, city congestion and quality of life. These challenges call for “smart cities”. That is, cities organised to tackle all of these aspects using new technologies. These new technologies rely on the collection of big data from many different sources such as movements (traffic, crowds), phenomena (weather, air quality), exchanges (whether energetic, financial or commercial) etc. These big data are then used to propose smart solutions to improve quality of life and guide the city stakeholders in their decisions. At the same time, smart cities are a fantastic opportunity to create added value for customers and businesses, especially for environmental and 2.0 companies. The challenge is to create a city’s new operating system. MyCO2 is a good example of an environmental 2.0 company. Our solutions help users at home or in the office follow their energy and water consumption. Users who attain the best performance are then rewarded. Thus, new technologies encourage sustainable behaviours in companies and in consumers. DO YOU THINK ASIA PLAYS A LEADING ROLE IN SMART CITIES COMPARED TO OTHER REGIONS? Europe and the US have taken a leading role in the development of eco-districts. However these districts are small, and may not be adapted to Asia. The top 50 fastest-growing cities are

Singapore is, without doubt, one of the smartest cities in Asia.

practically all in Asia. As a result, cities need smart solutions. Many pilot projects are being developed in Japan, Korea or China; these cities are adapted to the scale and need of other Asian cities, and are becoming an example for other cities around the world. In this regard Asia plays a key role in the development of smart cities due to its strong emerging markets, strong government will and expertise in technology businesses. SINGAPORE, A SMART CITY? Singapore is, without doubt, one of the smartest cities in Asia. Its 18 “supertrees" at Gardens by the Bay are a perfect example of this. These trees generate solar power, operate as temperature moderators, collect rainwater and act as ventilation ducts for greenhouse. Another example is the development of new urban technologies that predict future congestion and adjust pricing. It is also worth mentioning Singapore investments

with international partners, like the SinoSingapore Tianjin Eco-city in China. IN YOUR OPINION, WHICH ARE THE VERTICALS THAT WILL PLAY FUNDAMENTAL ROLES IN SMART CITY DEVELOPMENTS IN ASIA? Vertical markets that will play fundamental roles in the development of smart cities include real estate, transportation, energy, healthcare and, more importantly, big data and visualisation. Big data is growing fast within smart cities, since there are an increasing number of systems collecting information. Data visualisation is also crucial to return the information to users. MyCO2 provides these vertical markets with solutions to visualise energy consumption data. We are convinced these kinds of services will play a fundamental role in smart city development in Asia. F TOP New technologies encourage sustainable behaviours in companies and in consumers



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Meeting the Challenges of the Future: A Model for Smart Cities By Ang Koon San, Country President, Schneider Electric Singapore and Brunei As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments and delivers expert solutions for Smart Cities in a collaborative model.

TOMORROW’S CHALLENGES Urbanisation is a problem faced by cities all around the world. Today, cities contain 50% of the world’s population, consume 75% of global energy and give off 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. With rising urbanisation, cities will house 70% of the world’s population by 2050 – this will certainly put a significant strain on resources and, hence, long term sustainability. Similarly, Singapore is facing a 38% projected population increase by 2030, which will make Singapore’s population density one of the highest in Asia and the world. To cope with these challenges, Singapore needs to evolve to become a smart city. This evolution will enable Singapore to manage this targeted growth in a controlled way and we will start to see the city-state realise threefold benefits. Firstly, we will see a more efficient city and improved resiliency of its systems – such

The energy challenge will be won or lost in cities.

as public transport, electricity and public services – to any disruption. Second, we will have a more sustainable city, leading to lower operational costs as a result of optimised energy consumption, and a lesser need for massive infrastructure investments. Additionally, the first two benefits will also translate into a higher quality of life for residents, increasing competitiveness and the ability to attract and retain a new generation of talent.

A MODEL FOR SMART CITIES Based on Schneider’s model of smart cities, the following are some areas that we believe are crucial to creating a smart city.

Smart Buildings As the population keeps growing, so will the demand for housing and buildings. Making residential buildings smart will improve quality of life, while for commercial office buildings it can increase employee productivity, generate energy savings of up to 30%, reduce carbon emissions and meet assessment criteria from certification schemes such as the BCA (Building & Construction Authority) Green Mark. Our solutions such as building management systems as well as energy and carbon dashboards can help building owners monitor consumption by the minute, for better management of energy usage, costs, and carbon footprint.


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Smart Water Demand for clean, affordable water is growing together with urban populations as water is needed not only for drinking, but also for commercial and industrial purposes. Even Singapore, which has a very high quality water supply, has to continue maintaining this while catering to a growing population. Hence, cities must optimise water operations, management and planning to meet growing demand. They can do so with smart water solutions, to help manage and optimise the water network, identify and reduce water wastage in real time, as well as respond to urban floods that could take out the city’s transportation network. Smart Energy Grid The smart grid is all about creating the capability for electricity demand and supply to interact intelligently, and integrate intermittent renewable generation. With the smart grid, cities like Singapore will be able to generate energy savings, reduce related emissions and enhance the quality of service to residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Smart Mobility As urban population increases, the entire transportation network – be it public or private – will be affected by increasing congestion, safety and breakdown issues, which can delay commuters, burn up valuable fuel, and harm the environment. Even in Singapore, with one of the region’s most effective public transport networks, population growth is affecting the capacity of the transport system and we are seeing more breakdowns in public rail services as

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Engaging all stakeholders and helping them understand the benefits will be crucial in enabling Singapore to become a smarter city.

well as road congestion. Implementing traffic and mobility management solutions that reduce congestion and improve traffic flow as well as ensure the efficient operation of the transportation network should be one of the key solutions for city planners to look at. At the same time, we enthusiastically support the push for electric vehicles with complementary charging infrastructure solutions that will help spur adoption and collaborate with local organisations to roll out pilot programmes for electric vehicles. Smart Public Services Services such as video monitoring and emergency coordination ensure citizen well-being and safety, while digital services improve the management of educa-tion, healthcare, government adminis tration, and tourism. The quality of public services in Singapore will play an important role in making the city-state a desirable place to live and work in, determine how attractive it is as a destination for talent to migrate to, and subsequently affect its competitiveness in the global economy. However, what will make Singapore a true smart city is how it can go beyond just optimising the performance of individual systems as described above, but also

integrate all these systems in order to share information amongst the various city departments as well as with residents. This then requires a new model based on collaboration between the government, private investors, industry suppliers, utilities, planners and developers, with people and communities at the center of discussion. Engaging all stakeholders and helping them understand the benefits will be crucial in enabling Singapore to become a smarter city. As the world wonders how to meet the growing demand for energy and resour-ces, while looking into reducing global carbon emissions, one thing is clear: the energy challenge will be won or lost in cities. By delivering urban efficiency through solutions to cities' immediate challenges, integration for increased efficiency and innovation for a holistic sustainable future and collaboration, we here at Schneider Electric believe that the concept of Singapore as a smart city can become a reality in the near future. F LEFT PAGE, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Lau Pa Sat; Marina Bay Financial Centre TOP, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Changi Airport; Ang Koon San, Country President, Schneider Electric Singapore and Brunei

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ForCity, Foresight: The Next Corner towards Singapore’s Future By Hervé Suty, Director of Research & Innovation, Veolia Environnement Through tangible responses to urban challenges, environmental solutions world leader Veolia Environnement helps cities design and manage infrastructure and services to achieve sustainability objectives, optimise resources, promote long-term growth and improve quality of life for citizens. PRESSING NEEDS FOR SMART SOLUTIONS Keeping everyone happy is never easy, even when the numbers involved are relatively modest and stable. Imagine, then, the daunting task facing today’s urban planners who, with shrinking resources, must try to respond to the urgent needs of mega-cities experiencing exploding population growth. In addition, the fact that these needs are interrelated and often competing means that an action in one area can carry consequences in others – sometimes unintended. Many of these needs are being driven by cities seeking ways to become increasingly sustainable. While cities occupy just 2% of the Earth’s surface, they consume 75% of its resources and generate 75% of carbon emissions. Seven out of 10 people will live in urban environments by 2050, exerting further pressure on city housing, water resources, waste management, transportation systems and public health.

Singapore is an ideal city for demonstrating how advanced modeling can contribute to more livable cities.

Singapore, which generally gets high marks as one of the planet’s most “livable” high-density cities, nonetheless faces a myriad of challenges to meet the needs of a population projected to grow by as much as 30% by 2030. The city’s planners are increasingly turning to innovative “smart” systems and new technologies to foster a sustainable approach to managing water and energy resources, waste and transportation infrastructure.

SMART PLANNING WITH FORCITY Now, a new modeling programme is helping Singapore’s housing and economic development boards better understand the consequences their decisions in one area will have on other parts of the urban

environment. ForCity is a decision-making tool created by Veolia Environnement and EDF that integrates new city projects into the existing urban fabric and simulates the impact on the environment, resources, people and costs. The ForCity platform connects models from distinct areas of urban expertise such as housing, land use, energy, waste, water and transport. Inputting large amounts of data gathered from operating utilities throughout the world, the tool generates maps, 3D scenes, graphics and tables for use in predicting and comparing various planning scenarios. An important benefit of the insights derived is the identification of unintended consequences or “rebound effects,” says


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Veolia Environnement SVP for digital services and data management, François Grosse. “ By considering the direct and indirect effects of interactions in complex systems, we are able to limit surprises that are sometimes counter-intuitive to what one would otherwise predict. For example, a study conducted in the 1970s in North America on the amount of rubber consumed in manufacturing footwear showed that although the amount of rubber used in each shoe was reduced, this also lowered shoe prices and decreased their durability, increasing the number of shoes sold and causing overall rubber consumption to rise.” Through the use of ForCity, similar unexpected patterns can be predicted in city planning. In a suburban town of Lyon, France’s second-largest city, a planned metro station was expected to ease traffic congestion by providing a mass transit link for commuters to the downtown. However, to the surprise of local authorities, ForCity’s projections showed that while the new station would reduce overall traffic, it would actually increase traffic locally in the town. The reasons: the metro stop would increase the town’s attractiveness as a place to live in as well as draw more commuters living further out who would choose to drive to the town and complete their commute using the metro. In addition to avoiding counterproductive impacts, ForCity’s outputs can be used to

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inform decision-making and optimise expenditures through anticipation of future service needs that will best serve the public. ForCity’s focus on city livability and citizens’ quality of life makes it particularly valuable in contributing to dialogue between public authorities and stakeholders on proposed policies.

SINGAPORE ADOPTS SMART MODELING In Singapore, the ForCity project will encompass buildings, mobility, energy, cooling and waste collection systems, strategies for existing or new housing and ecological issues such as water recycling within the scope of the city’s “greenprint” economic development plan. The ForCity tool is being run first on a pilot basis in Singapore’s Jurong East district, before being expanded in stages to cover broader areas of the city. In addition, EDF and Veolia are creating a global center of excellence dedicated to urban planning research and innovation, to help not only Singapore but also other southeast Asian countries respond to complex urban planning decisions. Grosse says that the experience gained in Singapore will help accelerate a major deployment of ForCity to other cities around the globe in the coming years: “As a leader in adopting sustainable urban policies, Singapore is an ideal city for demonstrating how advanced modeling can contribute to more livable cities for tomorrow.” F

THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT... *“Rebound effects” are unintended side effects of policy, market and technology interventions to achieve an identified public benefit, such as environmental efficiency improvements. They are caused by unanticipated behavioural or other systemic responses to the intervention, such as: • a decision to encourage the development of a new commercial center to invigorate an aging neighbourhood may place unforeseen stress on outdated infrastructure. • introduction of new energy efficiency standards that reduce energy costs may result in less energy savings as consumers increase their use of appliances, drivers use their cars more or factories use the financial savings to expand production. • increasing urban roadway capacity or building a new bridge across a downtown river may generate additional rush hour trips that would not otherwise occur, increasing instead of alleviating congestion.

TOP ForCity is being run on a pilot basis in Singapore’s Jurong East district before it is expanded in stages to cover broader areas of the city. LEFT PAGE ForCity uses large amounts of data gathered from operating utilities throughout the world to generate maps, 3D scenes, graphics and tables for use in predicting and comparing various planning scenarios.

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Green Buildings, a Key Component of Smart City By Pierre Megret, Managing Director, Green & Global Consulting G&G Consulting is a team of Environmental Sustainable Design (ESD) Consultants, helping building stakeholders with sustainability issues, computational building simulations and green certifications.

Singapore seeks to become the main regional green buildings hub in Asia with 80% certified green buildings by 2030.

Therefore, green building concept is the finest solution to conciliate a better quality of life and environmental protection.

BENEFITS OF GREEN BUILDING REGULATION Since 2005 and the creation of the Singapore Green Mark certification scheme, more than 1,000 green buildings have been certified, which represents 12% of the total gross floor area of the country.

SINGAPORE, DEALING WITH LOCAL CONSTRAINTS As a small city-state, Singapore has to use its resources prudently and becoming a smart city means focusing on how energy is used rather than increasing energy supply. In a city like Singapore, people spend on average 85% of their time in a building environment, which raises energy consumption in that particular sector by up to 32% of the overall energy consumption of the country. Beyond green technologies and energy efficiency, people matter more than buildings. Nowadays, a growing demand and higher end-user expectations drive the construction industry toward designing buildings with attributes that are more sophisticated than ever before. Unfortunately, in some situations, construction projects lack consistency and users experiment discomfort. Because of the high air humidity level in Singapore, an estimated 9% of the average office building energy is wasted on excessive cooling compared to what occupants need.

Moreover, Singapore seeks to become the main regional green buildings hub in Asia by targeting 80% certified green buildings by 2030. The Green Mark has become an unparalleled quality assurance process that both investors and occupants consider a trustworthy label. G&G Consul-ting works with building stakeholders to turn it into opportunities and include sustainability into the building DNA through highly integrated design and comprehensive approach to reach not just relative improvements but absolute performance. Designing high-performance buildings does not necessarily mean they will perform the way they are intended to. Only data can confirm that a building is sustainable. That is why G&G Consulting also provides intensive follow-up after the building opening. Following the adage: "we can't manage what we don't measure", building stakeholders must measure and systematically evaluate their buildings rather than relying exclusively on design standards.

Sometimes, facility managers or building owners are not aware that the Green Mark certification only lasts three years, after which a new submission is required.

In a constant search for accuracy, the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) launched this summer a brand new data acquisition plan that requires facility managers to submit their energy consumptions on a yearly basis. This mainly aims to benchmark actual building performances in Singapore and highlight the "best design" according to the local tropical weather conditions.

BUILDINGS AT THE SERVICE OF PEOPLE More than monitoring technical data from different operating systems (lighting, AC, lifts etc), many cases around the world have already proven that understanding feedback from occupants can help save 10% to 30% of energy. Thanks to BMS (Building Management System) providers, the technology is already available to implement interactive control architecture. But the remaining challenge is to define the best control scenario to fine-tune data acquisition and maximise collective satisfaction and energy efficiency. That is why G&G Consulting and our customers collaborate to optimise building intelligence and connect green buildings with the rest of the smart city. F LEFT Shading devices for high-performance façades.



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Beyond Smart Grids By Julien Esch, Business Development Manager, Dragages Singapore, and Romain Maire, Business Development Manager, BYME Singapore In Singapore, Bouygues Construction operates through two subsidiaries: Dragages Singapore and BYME. Dragages Singapore delivers world class Design and Build construction projects. The company’s iconic references include the Sports Hub, the Sail @ Marina Bay and The Fullerton Hotel. BYME is a Mechanical and Electrical contractor specialised in large-scale, fast-track and complex facilities such as the Sports Hub, Tampines Grande and data centres. SMART GRIDS: WHEN A DREAM COMES TRUE Smart grid – a modernised electricity network that aims to improve efficiency, reliability and sustainability of the production, distribution and storage of electricity – is one of the solutions at the heart of our group’s strategy. By developing large urban areas with environmentally friendly concepts (Issy Grid near Paris, WankdorfCity in Berne etc) and by optimising one of the main components of the grids, the buildings, Bouygues Construction has been playing a key role in designing and building green cities, and ultimately shaping a better life. Created in 2012, EMBIX – a joint venture between Bouygues and Alstom whose main shareholder is Bouygues – offers a wide range of high-added-value services. Those range from audits for eco-districts to optimisation of energy performance through the use of information systems featuring the latest Smart Grid technolo-

The recent emergence of renewable energy solutions has made the need to manage energy smartly more vital than ever.

gies. The recent emergence of renewable energy solutions in the urban environment such as solar, small-wind and geothermal power, along with new storage capabilities and a growing sense of eco-citizenship, has made the need to manage energy smartly more vital than ever.

GOING BEYOND SMART GRID: ABC, OR AUTONOMOUS BUILDING FOR CITIZENS Smart grids cannot be the sole answer to the energy and environmental issues that our neighbourhoods face. The next step will be buildings that are independent of public networks. The R&D department of Bouygues Construction, the mother company of Dra-

gages Singapore and BYME, developed the concept of Autonomous Building for Citizens – or ABC. It is characterised by self-sufficiency in energy and water supply. Similarly, ABC has a built-in waste management system that maximises the value of waste. ABC has been developed in partnership with the Valode & Pistre architecture firm. Construction of a demonstrator will be launched in the coming months, in collaboration with a large municipal authority in France.

CITYBOX® IN SINGAPORE: THE FIRST MILESTONE FOR BYME As a key player in the street lighting industry, Bouygues Construction developed Citybox®, an innovative management system that helps local authorities improve operational efficiency and reduce energy consumption with regards to street lighting. It also provides the city with a communication backbone based on the existing power network. Benefits offered by Citybox® include remote control of lighting schedules, SMS alert in case of system failure, adaptive lighting, energy monitoring and Plug & Play connection of smart “city services” such as CCTV. The system was successfully implemented in July, as part of a pilot project with a government agency. F

LEFT The Citybox® management system helps authorities improve street lighting operational efficiency and reduce their energy consumption


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Innovative Data Solutions for a Sustainable Future By Samson Khaou, Managing Director Asia Pacific South, Dassault Systèmes Dassault Systèmes, the 3D Experience Company, provides businesses and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. SUSTAINABLE CITY: A PLANNING CONUNDRUM? Cities are engines for innovation and growth. But with population increases in countries such as Singapore, how do we plan, design and manage cities that can cope with the optimum distribution of resources such as power, transportation, traffic management and healthcare, while still meeting carbon and climate challenges? This is where the involvement of the Housing Development Board (HDB), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Economic Development Board (EDB) becomes essential to Singapore's long-term growth. Indeed, ambitious initiatives are currently in the works within the city-state to ensure sustainability and innovation through efficient land use and clean technology for conservation programmes. Environment issues aside, the true measure of what will attract to and retain people and businesses in a city will be the city’s response to the increasing demands of its inhabitants, making a Livable City, one that listens, communicates and attends to its citizens’ needs. However, for an existing city to evolve into a Livable City, it has to connect seemingly disparate elements into healthy organism through data and digital DNA collaboration and federation between different city stakeholders. Data such as incident reporting, energy usage and analysis, transportation information, and population density and infrastructure availability are all areas that citizens see immediate value. More importantly, it is critical that a city be able to repurpose this data associated with Built Environment, which is the authenticated digital DNA of all cities. Built

All smart initiatives will need technology as an enabler, backed by a secure, systematic, and robust framework.

Environment data is captured by cities in various formats and processes – building, engineering, tax departments, planning, land, and postal services. They collect and manage vast amounts of data that, when viewed as a whole, create the virtual representation of a physical city. The accuracy, authentication and integration of this city’s data is key for the transition from Livable City to Smart City.

ARCHITECTING SUSTAINABLE CITIES 3DEXPERIENCITY, a virtual platform for digital city representation, aims to federate all initiatives of the sustainable and efficient availability of key resources such as power, water, transport and healthcare for the benefit of the people within the city and the respective state actors. Relying on this platform and industry best practices, the idea is to bring together government, utilities, people, regulators, equipment manufacturers and advisory bodies to collaborate and innovatively improve the

urban ecosystem in terms of urban analytics, governance, mobility networks, energy networks, places of living and work. Using simulation and systems engineering, different stakeholders of a Smart City can anticipate the impact of their choices, so that efficient town planning can be done to make the city a modern Smart City – sustainable and futuristic.The exchange of ideas, initiatives, resources and technology in this virtual collaborative platform should help create a momentum strong enough to propel innovation in this area.

SMART PERSPECTIVE All “smart” initiatives will need technology as an enabler and that too backed by a secure, systematic, simulated and robust framework, where the data is sensible and useful for key decision makers. F TOP The 3DEXPERIENCITY platform for digital city representation.

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M2M Solutions for Smart Cities By Lakhi Baug, Solution Sales Manager, M2M, Gemalto Gemalto is the world leader in digital security with more than 10,000 employees operating out of 74 offices and 14 Research & Development centers, located in 43 countries. Gemalto develops secure embedded software and secure products that they design and personalise.

A MODEL FOR SMART CITIES With Singapore facing a 38% projected population increase by 2030, its population density will be one of the highest in Asia, if not the world. With that, many forwardlooking thinkers are clamouring for Singapore to evolve into a smart city. But what exactly is a smart city? In broad strokes, the definition alludes to a city with interconnected systems that are able to work with each other, sharing information that makes a city more efficient and, at the same time, more environmentally friendly and sustainable. All these come together to create new business and economic opportunities for smart cities. And not only does this occur on a systemic level – e.g. systems like transportation networks sharing information with communication networks for better traffic management – but it goes all the way down to the individual level, where

From a technology standpoint, one of the key enablers for smart cities will be machine-to-machine (or M2M) communications.

people are sharing data from facets of their daily life. An example of this would be energy consumption, where consumers share their usage patterns with their utility provider. The provider can then facilitate more efficient electricity supply, in keeping with demand. This bottom-up, citizen-led idea of a smart city is a model that is increasingly championed by many – one which focuses on collaboration and working with the citizenry to make a city smart. The model’s premise is that smart cities will be defined by individual citizens, who are anxious to collaborate with each other in order to create devices and applications that solve specific local problems.

However, this does not necessarily diminish the role of corporations and governments, they too will have a very important role to play in the development of a smart city – by making data openly available so it can be utilised by the citizens. This approach, however, relies on one crucial factor, which is trust. For this model to be viable, citizens must be happy to share the data that results from every facet of their daily life as, without this, it will be impossible to build a city that is fully aware to the needs of its citizens. So, how can trust be built? Well, for members of the public to share their data with complete confidence, it needs to be certified. And this is where security comes into play. Having a secure communications network will offer consumers and businesses guarantee that the data they create will only be shared with the people that they have granted access to. Looking at things from this perspective makes it clear that it is almost impossible to envisage any smart city without a digital security playing a key role.

M2M: THE TECHNOLOGY ENABLER FOR SMART CITIES From a technology standpoint, one of the key enablers of smart cities will be machine-to-machine communications, more commonly known as M2M. M2M refers to technologies that allow machines or devices to communicate with each other,


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via a wireless network. M2M is about enabling the flow of data between machines and machines and, ultimately, machines and people, which forms the crux of how smart cities operate. There are many aspects of a smart city that will come to rely on M2M communications. For example, on a systemic level, the smart grid will require individual power meters installed in homes to communicate with the electricity grid and provide constant updates. Smart transportation systems will need drivers and traffic systems to constantly in contact in order to ease the flow of traffic and prevent congestion. On the other hand, M2M has uses that benefit citizens who live in a smart city on an individual basis. For example, the technology, embedded in a cardiac pacemaker, will allow patients with heart disease to immediately notify their healthcare provider or hospital in the event that there are any signs of the device beginning to experience wear and tear.

Urban Smarts

But at the same time, there are challenges that will need to be resolved in order for the implementation of M2M technology to take place in smart cities. The first is that of compatibility – at this point, a lot of the work done with M2M is in silos, which can potentially restrict interoperability. That said, there are cloud based solutions that have been developed by companies like Gemalto which can bridge these silos and allow organisations to rapidly build and deploy M2M applications in a secure, scalable and easy to manage manner across a plethora of platforms. Secondly, the pervasive nature of data monitoring and collection provided by M2M may bring up privacy and data security issues – especially as highlysensitive data is being transmitted over a cellular connection. In this aspect, Gemalto has a unique value proposition which we bring to the market – with our heritage in digital security, and our end to end offering in M2M ecosystem, we are able to provide a complete security

solution and help develop systems and devices.

secured

Despite the challenges to M2M, there can be no doubt that the market will only continue to grow as the industry comes together to overcome these obstacles. Ericsson predicts that there will be over 50 billion connected devices worldwide in the next decade, and this number is not unrealistic when looking at the many countries around the world and in the Asia-Pacific region – like China, India and Indonesia – which are seeing active government involvement in driving the uptake of smart devices and meters. The growth of M2M will inevitably catalyse the rise of smart cities. F LEFT PAGE M2M, or machine-to-machine communications, seeks to enable the flow of data between machines and machines and, ultimately, machines and people. TOP Smart transportation system powered by M2M communications.

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Smart = Security + Mobility By Abelene Rozario, Communications Manager, Thales Solutions Asia Thales is a global technology leader in the Aerospace, Transportation and Defence & Security markets. In 2012, the company generated revenues of €14.2 billion with 65,000 employees in 56 countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements.

INTERCONNECTED CITIES Globalisation and growing urbanisation are driving an increase in the speed and extent of the mobility of people, capital, goods, services and data. Yet this more open world is also more vulnerable. Increasingly, interlinked companies are becoming more exposed to the risk of failure of major critical infrastructure such as transport networks and information systems. They are also exposed to new threats such as trafficking, terrorism, asymmetric warfare and cybercrime. Running a major city is an increasingly complex challenge. One of the biggest issues is the growth in population. Singapore’s latest statistics report shows a significant increase in the population from four million people in 2000 to 5.3 million people in 2012. Such high concentrations of people and limited land pose many challenges to the local government, which include atmospheric pollution,

Cities all over the world aspire to improve their citizens’ quality of life while balancing the growth of their transport and security infrastructure. Singapore is no exception.

traffic congestion and security. In addition, the information and communication technologies that interconnect the systems required to manage an urban area are opening up both challenges and opportunities for public policymakers. Today, this trend of interconnectivity is driven by two key groups of stakeholders. Firstly, city planners and local authorities want to improve the quality of their citizens’ lives by providing innovative services and optimising operations on a day-to-day basis and during major events or crises. Secondly, transport, security and public service operators are looking to organise their information systems as a

network to make their operations greener, less costly and more efficient.

MOBILITY Studies have shown that public transport is the most efficient mode of transportation to transport large groups of people from one point to another. Therefore, promoting the use of public transport is one of the goals of ensuring a sustainable environment in the long run for the Singapore government. Mobility solutions are designed to make transport systems more agile, optimise network capacity and efficiency and


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Urban Smarts

facilitate travel while improving traffic flows, saving energy and curbing greenhouse gas emissions. For over 25 years, Thales SelTrac® Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) solution has been the signalling technology of choice for many metro operators and has been used in over 55 projects worldwide to date operating on over 1,300 km of track in major urban centres around the world, (London, NewYork, Hong-Kong, Dubai, Shanghai, Beijing, etc.) and carrying an estimated three billion passengers annually. Thales is currently working with Singapore’s SMRT Corporation and Land Transport Authority (LTA) to supply its world-leading SelTrac© CBTC solution to re-signal the North-South and East-West Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines, as well as the new Tuas West Extension Line. SelTrac CBTC, incorporating moving-block tech-nology, ensures safe train operation with minimal train separation, thereby maxi-mising passenger service frequency and system capacity. These metro lines span more than 100km and serve 58 stations, including those of the future Tuas West Extension Line.

SAFE CITY Security solutions cover areas such as citizen protection, anti-terrorism, protection of critical infrastructure and information systems security. In Mexico City, a megacity of 22 million people, Thales and telecommunications operator Telmex have implemented a solution involving more than 8,000 video cameras, gunshot sensors, automatic number plate recognition cameras, aerial surveillance drones and emergency call points in the city’s streets. All three subsystems are operated by five local command-and-control (C2) centres, overseen by a city-wide C4I centre (computers, command, control, communications and intelligence). This “megasystem” transmits alarms to police, fire crews and emergency services whenever unusual events or behaviour are detected. In major emergencies, the police can also deploy two mobile tactical C2 centres that

stay in contact with the C4I centre at all times. In Singapore, Thales has provided CCTV cameras at all MRT stations on the NorthSouth and East-West lines and an Integrated Supervisory Control System for SBS Transit’s North East Line, which is also the first driverless urban metro in Singapore, to monitor the routine operations as well as to highlight unusual incidents, enabling commuters to make informed decisions and provide rapid response with real-time update of critical and/or complex situations. As safety is one of the key elements of the overall travelling experience, the installation of our security systems have provided commuters with ease of mind.

SMART SUPERVISION SYSTEM The Thales Hypervisor supervision system is a key technology supporting the smart city concept through its ability to coordinate separate urban information systems, now or in the future. Its open, service-oriented architecture enables interconnected systems and subsystems to share the data needed to optimise individual applications as needs evolve. From an operational standpoint, the

intuitive, web-based interface gives users a city-wide picture in real time, providing unmatched decision support for coordination of operations and emergency responses. Data from the city’s transport, security and other systems is archived in the smart city platform and can be analysed to yield greater insight into the changing urban context in order to manage resources and plan future developments. Equipped with a comprehensive understanding of its customers’ activities and a broad portfolio of solutions and credentials, Thales has the experience and expertise to placate the concerns of city authorities and tailor the solution to each organisation’s culture, with a particular focus on mobility and security. For Thales, the ultimate objective is to pull togother all the systems used to manage city operations through its smart city platform. F LEFT PAGE Mobility – a key feature of a smart city with an optimised and efficient transport system. TOP A city-wide C4I centre (Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence).

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Enabling Smart Cities: A New Breed of Cloud Data Centres By Philippe Gerard, Chief Technical Officer, Alcatel-Lucent Singapore & Brunei Alcatel-Lucent is at the forefront of global communications, providing products and innovations in IP and cloud networking, as well as ultra-broadband fixed and wireless access to service providers and their customers, enterprises and institutions throughout the world.

Imagine this nightmare. You go to the automatic teller machine to withdraw some money. You insert your card. Select the amount you want to withdraw. You are then told to go home to wait... for the bank to post the money to your home. How inconvenient! Unfortunately, this is the kind of reality that application owners face with most of today’s datacentres. They can request compute and storage, and be instantly assigned virtual servers for their applications. Then they have to WAIT several hours or even days for the network paths that connect the servers to be configured. Why? Well, many of the applications that support our modern cities and connected lifestyle

“

By next year, 80% of all new software will be available as a cloud service.

run on networks and datacentres built largely on old-fashioned architectures. Ironically, these static, monolithic architectures are very cumbersome, restrictive and inefficient. The total opposite of the nimble cloud-based services they support. The result? The speed and efficiency of delivering cloud-based services is constrained by the datacentre network. Traditional datacentres are not sustainable in the cloud services era. The old approach, which has been to stitch together various elements with integration efforts, is simply too slow,

�

too complex and too costly to operate and maintain. A new model for networking cloud datacentres is needed. What is it? For the true business value of cloud services to be delivered, computer and network resources must be both dynamic and instantly available. To achieve this, datacentre operators must modernise. Applications now run on virtualised servers where dozens of virtual machines are easily established on a server that was once dedicated to a single environment and application. Like large apartment


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Status Quo

Nuage Networks Deliver What Is Needed

Virtualisation of Network Services

Layer 2 Visualisation

Full-length Visualisation, L2 through L4

Breadth of Application Models

Simple Scenarios

Hybrid Cloud Services, Seamless VPN Connectivity

Availability & Scale

Fragile, Not Multi-tenant

Robust, Thousands of Tenants

Reach & Mobility of Network Resources Islands, with Racks or Clusters

Seamless Virtualised Fabric, throughout & across Datacentres

Network Service Turn-up Time

Slow, Manual, Configuration-driven

Instantaneous, Automated, Policy-driven

Openness

Specific to Vendor Implementations

Independence from Hardware Choices

blocks, virtualised servers can “house” hundreds of “tenants”. As a result, there is a huge – 40 times to 100 times – increase in the number of virtual network endpoints that can exist within the datacentre and need to communicate with each other, and the outside world.

subscribers can be applied to cloud datacentre networks. Nuage Networks virtualises the datacentre’s networks, making them as readily available as the compute infrastructure. This gives datacentres the flexibility and elasticity needed to deliver cloud services rapidly and at scale.

Furthermore, these endpoints are dynamic in nature. As virtual machines are activated, the network services that interconnect them must be created instantaneously and evolve just as dynamically.

By next year, 80% of all new software will be available as a cloud service. The number of virtual machines per server will multiply accordingly.

Traditional datacentres cannot do this. Operationally, they require multiple levels of configuration within and across operational support and change-control systems. These unwieldy processes slow everything down. To use our banking analogy again, instead of getting your money instantly from an ATM, you have to wait for the bank to send you the money.

THE NUAGE NETWORKS APPROACH Nuage Networks, an Alcatel-Lucent venture, is expert in removing these constraints from the datacentre infrastructure and unshackling the delivery of cloud services. How? By applying principles that have proven effective in scaling operations for the world’s largest wireless and IP networks. The new technologies that enable dynamic mobility in wireless devices and secure service delivery to millions of broadband

Nuage Networks sets the foundation for the datacentre network to adapt to this growth. The fast, efficient, cost-effective

delivery of cloud services will be a catalyst for smart cities, business and people to thrive in the cloud era. F LEFT PAGE Nuage Networks is democratising the datacentre network and, in so doing, has unshackled the delivery of cloud services. Technology will continue on its increasingly powerful path and the number of virtual machines per server will multiply. Enterprises will continue to look for new and innovative hybrid cloud services. Nuage Networks sets the foundation for datacentre networks to adapt to this growth and give cloud service providers the flexibility to maintain their lead in the market. TOP A new cloud paradigm addressing what is needed with Nuage Networks.

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Smart Cities and Innovation Financing in Singapore By Christelle Gervasoni, Business Development Manager, Global Approach Consulting Global Approach Consulting is an international consulting firm specialised in R&D tax credits, innovation financing and international development for more than 10 years. Through its expertise, GAC helps companies optimise their access to public funding. Here, they provide some insights about innovation within smart cities and funding opportunities.

SINGAPORE, A GREAT ENVIRONMENT FOR INNOVATION Singapore is strengthening its effort to increase its economic growth on research, innovation and enterprise. Among the identified strategic sectors, the citystate has shown a growing interest for the new challenges faced by the urban environment areas, investing significantly in “smarter city” solutions and attracting leading multinational groups to set up laboratories and regional centres to work on innovative solutions and on nextgeneration technologies. As a result, private companies and public institutions have, in recent years, developed new advanced urban solutions from energy, waste and water management to transportation and green building. Thus, Singapore has set S$1 billion for the next five years for the “National Innovation Challenge” to harness Singa-

Singapore is attracting leading groups to set up laboratories and regional centres to work on innovative solutions and on next-generation technologies.

pore’s multi-disciplinary research capabilities to develop practical, impactful solutions to national challenges in such areas as energy resilience, environmental sustainability and urban systems. The government has indeed developed a Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise, the CREATE campus, that hosts the National Research Foundation, interdisciplinary research centres from worldwide top universities and corporate laboratories. At the same time, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has established a Smart Cities Programme Office focusing on the development of infocomm-based integrated networks, capabilities and solutions for urban environment with a systems-ofsystems approach. In addition, Singapore provides further initiatives to incentivise the private sector to develop new solutions. A range of public funding opportunities including tax deductions, co-financing, grants and loans, has been created by the government for innovative companies. These funding are managed by local governmental agencies and are adapted to the cycle of product development. One of the flagship programmes a-

vailable for all companies registered in Singapore is the Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) Scheme.

THE PRODUCTIVITY AND INNOVATION CREDIT SCHEME, A GREAT TOOL FOR SMARTER CITIES INNOVATIONS The PIC aims at helping companies increase their productivity and develop innovative projects. Companies can finance up to 68% of their investments for eligible expenses for six qualifying activities: acquisition and leasing of IT and automation equipment, R&D, training, acquisition, and registration of Intellectual Property, and Design projects. In addition, eligible companies can also get back up to S$195,000 in cash to grow their business between 2013 and 2015, based on their investments in innovation and productivity. This scheme is a great opportunity to significantly foster innovation toward sustainable economic growth of urban areas. And so Singapore supports the development of software, smart grids, infocomm technologies, digital security tools, innovative solutions for water, waste and energy management, etc. With the PIC, companies can get refunds for the salaries of their employees involved in technical projects leading to new products, services or processes for smarter cities. F


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Green & Smart Singapore By Frederick Lim, Business Development Manager, Cofely South East Asia Cofely is a unique brand name dedicated to providing business to business energy services to industrial client, service entities and public collectivities. Cofely is part of the GDF SUEZ group, which is the world’s leading utility and independent power producer. SMART URBAN SOLUTIONS No two cities are alike, but all are confronted with development issues and problems. Singapore, like most cities, is concerned with preserving the environment and maintaining the city’s attractiveness, while reducing energy consumption and improving the quality of life of the citizens. This can be seen in Singapore active participation and pledge in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 16% below Business-as-Usual (BAU) levels in 2020. Cofely, as a multi-technical solution provider, is able to provide customised solutions for businesses and public authorities. Today, Cofely teams design, build and operate energy efficiency facilities, plants and systems, and thus contribute to building a more sustainable Singapore.

DELIVERING SUSTAINABLE ENERGY EFFICIENT SYSTEMS IN SINGAPORE To date, Cofely has secured more than 40,000 tonnes worth of CO2 emissions re-

Increasing energy efficiency is by far the cleanest and the most cost effective way to improve industrial profitability.

duction through the implementation of its energy efficiency projects across its business lines, namely public lightings, facilities management, energy and utilities management. One of Cofely’s increasingly popular energy efficiency solutions is the introduction of energy performance contracting. This means that Cofely has to guarantee the energy savings generated through the project at hand. The energy performance contracting can be customised to the customer’s requirements; for example, the capital investment for the energy efficiency retrofit can be fully subsidised if the customer would like to direct its financial resources for other purposes. In this case, Cofely’s return on investment will be through the energy savings generated from the new retrofitted plant over a contractual period.

More importantly, Cofely is ready to customise the energy performance contracting to suit the customer’s preference. The contracting model can be designed with a few phases (i.e. the energy audit phase and the implementation phase) so that customers can be more comfortable with the need to commit when there are realistic savings. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB), for example, is one of Cofely’s customer using a performance-based contracting model. The Tourism Court building is a thirteenstorey commercial building constructed in 1995. In this energy efficiency upgrade project, Cofely successfully helped STB achieve estimated annual savings of more than 300,000 kWh through the optimisation of the chiller plant. While a small scale energy efficiency project like the Tourism Court Building through energy performance contracting may be insignificant, a collective number of similar size projects will help to change the energy service environment and make Singapore a more sustainable city. Moreover, increasing energy efficiency is by far the cleanest and most cost-effective way to improve industrial profita-bility and to increase the security of energy supply. In general, it is well known that it is more economical to implement energy efficiency on the consumption side than to design a larger installed capacity at the production side. F LEFT Energy efficiency in action

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Identity and Digital Security for a Secured, Smarter City By Pierre Jauffret, Sales & Marketing Director, Oberthur Technologies Singapore Oberthur Technologies, expert in secure digital identity, delivers a broad variety of digital security systems to assist administrative authorities and companies in implementing electronic solutions and to provide consumers-citizens with ever more efficient services. Faced with worldwide population growth, governments have to deal with an increasingly critical issue: securing its citizens’ identities. The concept of identity has been widely developed already for different use cases: identity documents, access control, services, payment and more. These identity documents contain personal and private data that enable identification of the individual, and also allow them to exercise their rights as full citizens through access to public or private services, and secure places and buildings. Perhaps most importantly they are used to authenticate their identity with, for example, an identity card, a passport or a driving licence. Whether in Singapore, Stockholm or Paris, each one of us owns one or more identity documents that may be used freely. However, the rise in both fraudulent uses and international terrorism drives governments and corporate organisations to

Identity and digital security are an integral part of the development and growth of smart cities and must be managed while respecting societal values and citizens’ rights.

increase the security level of their citizens’ identities.

ELECTRONIC IDENTITY CARD AT THE SERVICE OF CITIZENS

In fact, in addition to applying global standards for documents such as passports, most governments have their own security level for services offered to its citizens, and each company may have its own usage criteria to secure physical or systems access to its buildings.

The main priorities for governments in terms of identity are to identify individuals and protect their identity, to offer them new public services and to fight fraud.

In the process of creating “smarter cities”, numerous countries are moving towards the development of electronic identity documents with the highest security standards to ensure the best security to its citizens.

Facing the challenges of the electronic age, the secure, electronic identity card enables reinforced security features, prevents identity theft, and provides security functions for multiple applications in both the real and digital world in one single device. It also supports delivery of reliable and


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convenient access to online and eGovernment services. Indeed, the electronic identity card provides citizens with a secure digital identity, thereby enabling private uses such as secure email and digital authentication, as well as eGovernment operations. The multi-purpose electronic identity card makes the citizens’ life easier and is at the heart of any smart city’s development.

ZOOM-IN ON HEALTH CARDS A large number of countries are also evaluating and implementing means to modernise their healthcare systems and, at the same time, increase economic efficiency. The introduction of strong authentication, electronic signature and tracking procedures via health cards are means of supporting this process. Digitally secure health cards create a secure environment of trust between patients, doctors and administrative authorities, by ensuring the security of citizen’s identities and protecting hypersensitive personal information. This technology also supports the distribution and payment of health benefits in the same device. By making citizens health environment secure, modernising systems, limiting fraud, and shortening benefit reimbursement and claim processing time, smart cities are starting to achieve real progress and improvement.

Urban Smarts

A NEW DIMENSION IN ELECTRONIC PASSPORT SECURITY

terrorist threats, and improvement in efficiency of border crossing and passenger processing.

With the growing need for secure identity documents, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have defined standards that enable migration from conventional identity documents to electronic versions while guaranteeing the interoperability and durability of the deployed secure documents.

This new generation of identity documents significantly helps countries to establish a more secure world and offer to citizens an easier life through a wide range of public and private services. Identity and digital security are an integral part of the development and growth of smart cities that, while respecting the societal values and citizens’ rights.

The new version of the secure electronic passport, the “3rd generation” based on the Supplemental Access Control (SAC) protocol, is now within range of all countries. This unlinkable, untraceable and non-transferable protocol brings superior security features and guarantees a high level of privacy as well as additional benefits to existing potential weaknesses in travel documents. Through this new technology, it is possible to enforce the use of this protocol for all travel documents to secure and control the holder’s identity.

TO HIGHLY SECURED SMART CITIES In order to improve the security of our world, professional associations come progressively into being. The Secure Identity Alliance (SIA), a non-profit association, is dedicated to developing the usage of government-issued eDocuments for increased security and to encourage deployment of secure, convenient online services that strengthen the privacy of the end-users.

From now on, smart cities have to anticipate and plan the migration towards this new generation of ePassports in order to challenge ever increasing fraud as well as to ensure long-term security for all their citizens.

As an active founder of the SIA, Oberthur Technologies promotes the increased adoption of secure access and authentication solutions that will allow eGovernment to go forward, both now and in the future. F

In a world where globalisation has increased dramatically, the electronic passport enables reduction in and control of illegal immigration, criminal activity and

LEFT PAGE AND TOP ISO- and ICAO- defined standards enable migration from conventional identity documents to electronic versions while guaranteeing the interoperability and durability of the deployed secure documents.

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Smart Energy for Smart Cities By Julie Khoo, Communications Director, Alstom Asia Pte Ltd Alstom designs, produces and offers innovative technologies and solutions that meet essential needs, are increasingly efficient and ever more respectful of the world we live in. Alstom has been present in Singapore for over 50 years.

It has become more and more imperative that we relook at our current urban model of noisy and overpopulated cities. The growth of large population centres, energy consumption, recycling, new urban landscapes and social diversity are all issues that have to be dealt with. Fortunately, a new vision of a city is taking root: a Smart City. This city sees the coming together of technology to revamp building design and urban transport to cope with the demands of a growing urban population while ensuring sustainability in the long run. New building designs that focus on energy efficiency and even produce their own energy are part of the smart city concept, along with a transport infrastructure that incorporates electric vehicles and public transport. The key enabler to achieve this is a new network for transmitting and distributing electricity called a Smart Grid.

Smart Grids are essential in transforming current electrical grids.

mers who also produce electricity) while integrating new distributed energy resources and storage solutions.

that are not yet possible on a working national grid.

SINGAPORE SMART GRIDS

NICE GRID

Smart Grids are implemented at the utility and national grid level to regulate the flow of energy according to the supply and demand at any given time in order to optimise the utilisation of both traditional and renewable energy sources.

Companies like Alstom are working on developing and refining the technologies that will allow the world to transition to eco-friendly Smart cities.

Smart Grids are essential in transforming current electrical grids in order to address a growing demand for power, intermittent availability of renewable energy, environmental issues and optimised energy distribution. Microgrids are a paradigm shift in Smart Grids management. They are an integral part of a decentralised and multi-layered infrastructure where they provide the local intelligence and optimisation within an overall Smart Grid. They take advantage of the flexibility of the “prosumer” (consu-

The Nice Grid Microgrid is one of six Smart Grid projects of the European Union’s Grid4EU programme located in Carros, in the southeast of France. The project is designed to study and test the economic, technical and social issues related to the microgrids of the future. More than 1,500 residential, commercial and industrial end users are participating in this initiative. Nice Grid will demonstrate the impact of lowering energy demand and reducing CO2 emissions, while maintaining the quality and security of the network, acting as a kind of laboratory for experiments

In Singapore, a city-state made up entirely of urban dwellers, the Energy Market Authority recently awarded grants totalling about SGD10 million to six research projects on Smart Grid technologies. Government support like this is essential to ensure that cities of the future are truly smart... and green. Alstom has been supplying transmission solutions, from automation, gas-insulated switchgears along with related turnkey solutions and services to utilities and industries in Singapore since 1960. With over 30 commercial and demonstration projects in the US and Europe, along with several active developments in Smart Grid solutions, Alstom is well positioned to be a part of Singapore’s Smart Grid future. F TOP 3D Smart Grid Rendition by Alstom



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FCCS BUSINESS SERVICES

September 2013

French Companies in Singapore

Newly Set-Up Companies Over the last few months, various French companies have benefited from our services for their business set-up process in Singapore. Let’s welcome, among others:

DenyAll builds an ecosystem of expert security partners, outsourcers and cloud providers, and works with other vendors to offer comprehensive solutions, dedicated to securing and accelerating applications. DenyAll is an innovative leader in the application security market. The company was one of the pioneers of the Web Application Firewall market in Europe. Building on 15 years of experience securing and accelerating web applications and services, DenyAll innovates to respond to the needs of organisations of all sizes. Its products detect IT vulnerabilities and protect infrastructures against application-layer attacks.

EQUANIM ET is an HR consulting firm with a mission to assist companies operating in Asia and/or liaising with Europe to excel in their business through human resources. We believe every company is different and every individual is unique. Thus, it is our commitment to offer comprehensive approach and tailored solutions suited to our client’s needs. Executive Coaching We support companies in their HR

A spinoff of leading French bank Société Générale founded in 2001, DenyAll initially sold to large financial institutions. Soon after, the company expanded to other verticals in Europe, helping organisations in Energy, Transportation, Telecom, Media, Retail, Government and Services secure their critical Web applications.

these are mid-size organisations from across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. They use DenyAll’s products to protect their corporate web and eCommerce properties, Webmail and collaboration portals, such as SharePoint and iNotes, mission-critical databases and ERP systems, such as SAP and Oracle, in addition to cloud-based applications. F

Today, DenyAll has more than 300 active customers, including a third of France’s CAC40 members. A sizable proportion of

Contact: Mr Mikael Le Gall, Chief Representative Officer Email: mlegall@denyall.com Website: www.denyall.com

program through coaching intervention for leadership development, performance management, career transition, conflict resolution, cross-cultural challenges and work-life balance.

needs with forte in designing and deploying HR system and structure, people development, employee relations, restructuring and shareholders relations (LBO).

Equipped with sound methodologies such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming, we coach individuals and teams in addressing their career challenges and in maximising their personal and professional potential.

Consulting On a special-project basis, we work on HR strategy and transformation, talent management, audit and M&A support.

We are proud to claim that senior management coaching is our distinctive expertise because, as experienced executives ourselves, we are able to understand and relate to what our C-level clients are experiencing. Interim Management We have a full spectrum of global HR experiences to help companies in their

We specialise in providing a bridge to companies in Europe with Asia and viceversa in their HR matters, from solving labour issues to setting up teams in Asia/Europe. F

Contact: Mr Eric Turpin, Managing Director Email: eric.turpin@equanimet.com Website: www.equanimet.com


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September 2013

French Companies in Singapore

AkzoNobel and many others have already placed their confidence in us.

With more than 20 years’ experience in filling technologies, PACK’R has become a key player in the domain of automatic filling and capping machinery for liquid and viscous products.

Widely present on the international market with more than 80 % export sales, PACK’R was eager to meet its customers’ needs by supplying proximity and local support in Asia but also to enhance its global positioning on the Asian market. The creation of PACK’R Asia in Singapore was then self-evident.

Large multinational companies such as Procter & Gamble, Bayer, Dow, Chevron,

With its comprehensive range of machines, PACK’R offers high-quality cus-

SIFA Asia opened its new location at Singapore Changi Airport on July 15. SIFA Asia is the latest new site for the SIFA Transit group, a freight carrier specialising in air and sea merchandise transport between Europe and various regions around the world. SIFA is the leading transport provider for the French Overseas Territories, where the company has six subsidiaries, in Guyana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin, Reunion, Mayotte, New Caledonia, and Tahiti. These strategic locations in ocean areas have enabled SIFA to expand its international operations significantly over the past three years: Miami in 2011, covering the Antilles region; Los Angeles in 2013, covering the Pacific region; and Singapore also in 2013, covering Asia.

These sites all offer significant value added for new and existing clients, while opening opportunities for the SIFA Group to enter new markets. The two main reasons for opening the new SIFA Asia subsidiary are to provide: - A single point in Asia to supply importintensive clients throughout the world. - An on-site logistics center for SIFA's exporting clients seeking to improve their services to satisfy clients in Asia.

tomised solutions to fill and cap containers from 100 ml to 1,000 L : - Bottling filler cappers: up to 600 containers/min; - Jerrycan and pail filler-cappers: up to 120 containers/min; - Tote and drum fillers: up to 130 drums/hour. F

Contact: Mr Francky Frémondière, Operating Manager Email: sales.asia@packr.com Website: www.packr.com

FCL; FCL / LCL) - Loose cargo handling (LCL / LCL) - RO/RO and breakbulk SIFA's main air freight services: - Air-freight shipment handling ( General / Hazardous / Reefer / Perishable / AOG, etc.) - Optimising packaging

SIFA Asia has set sights on achieving its goals by continuing to build the brand name with a strong local identity, close to its Asian markets and practices. As with the other SIFA locations around the world, SIFA Asia seamlessly leverages the resources of the SIFA Transit group and its support departments, including information systems, finance, insurance, customs, and more.

Main services to and from Asia: - Logistics flows - Storage (pallets / loose) - General, ambient, air-conditioned, frozen storage - Inventory control, KPI reports - Order preparation, picking, kitting - Cross-docking - Local distribution / delivery - Crating / uncrating - Fumigation - Carbon footprint. F

SIFA's main sea freight services: - Full container handling direct from the factory (FCL / FCL) - Consolidation / deconsolidation (LCL /

Contact: Mr Philippe Jouan, Managing Director Email: pjouan@sifa-asia.com Website: www.sifatransit.com

BENEFIT FROM OUR EXPERTISE IN SETTING UP COMPANIES IN SINGAPORE! Do you wish to start a business in Singapore and set up a local legal structure? The FCCS is here to assist you and provides you with a personalised support. In 2012 alone, 30 French companies were set up with the help of the FCCS. Please contact our business support department at bizsupport@fccsingapore.com or +65 6933 1350.

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September 2013

French Companies in Singapore

They Rely on Us... and Testify on Our Services An interview with Frédérique Mutel, President & CEO, JEC Group WHAT DOES JEC DO? JEC represents, promotes and expands composites markets by providing global or local networking and information services. Through knowledge and networking, JEC experts offer comprehensive service packages: JEC publications (including strategic studies, technical books and the JEC Composites Magazine), the weekly international e-letter “World Market News”, and the French e-letter JEC Info Composites. JEC also organises the JEC Europe Show in Paris – world and European leader, strongly supported by the industry and five times bigger than any other composites exhibition – JEC Asia in Singapore and JEC Americas in Boston, the Web Hub , the JEC Composites Conferences, Forums and Workshops (including I.C.S., the Innovative Composites Summit) in Paris, Singapore and Boston, and The JEC innovation Awards programmes that investigate markets to promote innovations and innovators. Five different programmes take place in Europe, Asia, America, India and China. WHY SET UP SHOP IN SINGAPORE AND HOW DID YOU COME ACROSS OUR SERVICES? JEC Group relies on three regional platforms to develop its services, whether in setting up networks or in transferring knowledge. Each platform – the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe – has its own experts and projects, and adapts to the local market in parallel, so each platform has its own innovation programme,

The teams at the FCCS have helped JEC set up an office in record time.

technological watch, forums, trade show, etc. Singapore stands out for its central location in SouthEast Asia, its political stability and its open economy. Always industry-friendly, the city-state is the host of high-quality services and infrastructure for many industries such as aeronautics, chemicals or financial operators. In addition, universities and private R&D centres provide an ideal environment for international potential investors willing to develop key industries of the future such as composites. HOW DID THE FCCS BUSINESS SUPPORT TEAM HELP YOU SET UP IN SINGAPORE? The Business Support team helped JEC from beginning to end of our set-up in Singapore. From administrative help in the practical aspect of getting the Employment Pass, to the establishment of the office itself, support from the FCCS team was greatly appreciated. The friendly people at the FCCS were a great help in making this opening smooth and simple for JEC, enabling us to work in an efficient manner from day one. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE OUR BUSINESS CENTRE FOR YOUR OFFICE LOCATION? WHAT ARE ITS ADVANTAGES? Firstly, the FCCS is a convenient central location in Singapore, with easy access to

most places within the city and great atmosphere. On the practical side of things it was also very efficient with everything being ready in a timely and proactive way. Being hosted at the FCCS is not only efficient but also a nice human experience, with friendly co-workers and useful information available for newcomers. HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARISE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE FCCS IN A FEW WORDS? So far it has been a great experience, as the teams at the FCCS have helped JEC set up an office in a record time. This allows us to forget the challenges of setting up a new office overseas and focus on our mission: serve the complete value chain of composites at both local and global levels, providing the knowledge and networking solutions for the development of composites worldwide! F

Contact: Louis Mary, Head of Singapore Representative Office Email: louis@jeccomposites.com Website: www.jeccomposites.com

THE FCCS BUSINESS SUPPORT DEPARTMENT CAN HELP YOU TO:

• Facilitate your access to the Singaporean market; • Prospect and approach the local market; • Set up a company in Singapore; • Optimise your presence on regional trade shows in Singapore.

Contact us now ! bizsupport@fccsingapore.com or +65 6933 1350



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Trade Shows

September 2013

Spotlight on French Technology at BroadcastAsia & CommunicAsia 2013 34 French companies gathered under the French pavilions at CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia 2013, located at Marina Bay Sands. This successful event provided the exhibitors with a great platform to showcase their latest innovations to industry makers in the Asia region and forge new business partnerships. Exhibiting at CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia is indeed the opportunity to be part of Asia’s most recognised events in the ICT industry and the proaudio, film and TV sectors. The event drew over 35,000 attendees over four days and has proven itself as the

choice integrated platform for industry professionals to congregate, share their expertise and showcase the latest technologies and applications emerging in the industry. The FCCS had the great pleasure of inviting French and Singaporean companies to a networking cocktail at the French pavilion. The FCCS also co-organised the 4th edition of the FranceSingapore ICT Awards with UBIfrance,

kindly sponsored by AGS Four Winds, at China One. The FCCS thanks all the exhibitors of CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia for being a part of the event and making it a successful one. We look forward to welcoming more brands and more visitors at the French Pavilions at BroadcastAsia and CommunicAsia in 2014! F

Anevia – Next-generation video CDNs.

Euro Media Group – Broadcast facilities and services.

ATDI – Advanced digital video equipment and solutions for the broadcast and security markets.

Netia – Audio and video content editing software.

Aviwest – Advanced digital video equipment and solutions for the broadcast and the security markets.

TeamCast – Terrestrial and Modulators and Demodulators.

Digigram – IP audio and video codecs, sound cards and audio processing software.

Satellite

Vitec – Digital video products supporting endto-end media solutions.

Digital Media Solutions – Hardware and software products for 2D and 3D audio solutions.

Winmedia Asia – Broadcast management and automation software solutions.

Enensys Technologies – Broadcast network equipment manufacturer and test & monitoring tools for DTTV.

WorldCast Systems – Content delivery, transmission and monitoring.


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September 2013

FCCS BUSINESS SERVICES

Trade Shows

Ates – Professional solutions to mobile operators, service and content providers.

Qowisio – Solution to improve management and monitoring of power sources.

Avencall – Publisher and integrator of free and open source telephony solutions.

Saft Batteries – Industrial batteries.

Broadpeak – Content delivery networks and video-on-demand servers for TV operators.

SIGFOX – Low-throughout operator dedicated to M@M and IoT.

DenyAll – Web application firewall.

Sofrecom – Telecommunications consulting and engineering.

Forsk – Radio planning & optimisation software.

Supranetcom – Telecom platforms for Value Added Services and Mobile Financial Services.

GEOIMAGE – 2D/3D digital maps provider.

TazTag – Secure contactless products and solutions based on NFC & Zigbee.

iQsim – SIM servers, mobile robots, gateways and SIM flexes.

THEMA – Distribution of PayTV Channels and video content.

OMEGA TV – Internal and external corporate communications.

TransferTo – International mobile top-up services.

Perceptiva Labs – SIM servers, mobile robots, gateways and SIM flexes.

Think&Go NFC – NFC applicatio software solutions.

Prium Solutions – Custom software solutions.

UBIFRANCE – French agency for international business.

Qosmos – Network intelligence and DPI technology.

UBIqube – Management services-centric networks.

solutions

for

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September 2013

Trade Shows

A Great Evening with the 4th Edition of the ICT Awards! For the fourth year in a row, the FCCS and UBIfrance, with the kind sponsor of AGS Four Winds, decided to support the exhibitors at this year’s edition of BroadcastAsia and CommunicAsia by granting five awards to companies selected by a Franco-Singaporean jury board.

The ICT Awards were presented by His Excellency Mr. Olivier Caron, Ambassador of France to Singapore, during a prestigious evening at China One. More than 150 professionals gathered for this must-attend annual event for thje ICT sector. F

OUR FIVE WINNERS • Most Innovative Telecom Solution SIGFOX • Most Innovative Broadcasting Solution DEEP VISION • Greatest Potential in Asia ELIXIR • Most Innovative Consumer Solutions TREK 2000 • Special Award in 2013: Best Singaporean and French Partnership NANO

Upcoming FCCS Trainings Modules September

October

November

December

Thu 19

Long-Term Thinking, Strategy & Budget Building Trainer: Mr Jean-François Cousin, 1-2-Win Executive Coaching

Thu 26

Marketing and Advertising Strategies in Asia - 4th Edition Trainer: Mr Christophe Le Yoanc, S2M

Thu 1

Perfect Your Resume & Master LinkedIn to Boost Your Job Search in Singapore Trainer: Mrs Halima Bel-Bachir & Mrs Christine Reuther, Step Up

Thu 1

Effective Networking Strategies for Job Seekers Trainer: Mrs Halima Bel-Bachir & Mrs Christine Reuther, Step Up

Thu 3

Effective Negotiations Trainer: Mrs Susanne Cupic, Globibo Singapore

Thu 7

How to Efficiently Take on New Responsibilities in Asia Trainer: Ms Catherine Claudepierre, Cross-Culture Link

Thu 21

Managing Cultural Diversity in APAC Trainers: Harmony & Mobility, and Open Your Eyes consulting

Thu 28

Dynamic Public Speaking At Conferences Trainer: Ms Nicole Stinton, Stint On Stage

Thu 5

Achieving Success in China and Singapore Trainer: ChineseGaga International Group Personal Development

Management

NEW!

NEW!

NEW! Professionnal Skills

Job Search/Recruitment



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September 2013

General Assembly

FCCS Annual General Meeting 2013 The FCCS Annual General meeting took place on Friday 7 June 2013 at the Alliance Française.

the assembly and presented the FCCS Annual report, which was approved unanimously.

President Pierre Verdière and Executive Director Carine Lespayandel addressed

Mr. Verdière started with an overview of the Chamber’s achievements in 2012,

highlighting that this year marked an important milestone in its development, with the extension and revamping of its office premises, enabling it to welcome more staff, more companies in its business centre and more members at Committee Meetings. The President presented the FCCS membership evolution, which saw a 12% growth compared to last year. He thanked the 32 Patron members for their great support and all the FCCS Board members, Committees Members, FCCS members and team for their active contribution. F

A Snapshot of the FCCS in 2012/2013 Membership Categories

Sector of Activity

The structure of our 2013 membership as of June 2013: - 32 Patron members. - 266 Corporate companies. - 109 Entrepreneur companies. - 61 Associate companies. - 51 Individual members.

The French Chamber’s members’ sectors of activity are representative of the Singapore economy leading sectors. 3% Services 5%

4%

BTP / Environment / Transportation Electronics / IT

8% 38%

F&B / Catering / Hospitality

6%

12%

10%

Consumer Goods

Corporate companies

Biomedical

Entrepreneur companies

12% 51%

Energy / Chemicals / Mechanical Industries Others Sectors

15%

Associate companies

15%

Individual members Patron members

21%

412

463

519

360

The FCCS, a Growing and Dynamic Business Platform

232

235

234

255

273

298

315

Our platform of members has been growing constantly since 2003. With 519 members in June 2013, that represents an increase of +224% in the last 10 years!

Jun03 Jun04 Jun05 Jun06 Jun07 Jun08 Jun09 Jun10 Jun11 Jun12 Jun13


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FCCS CLUB EVENTS

September 2013

General Assembly

FCCS Board Members Elected for 2013-2015

Philippe ARSONNEAU Schneider Electric Singapore

Laurent BESSON Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies (SEA)

Mathilde BROUSTAU CVML Law Firm GENERAL SECRETARY

Philippe DALLEE Crédit Industriel et Commercial (CIC)

Jean-Marc DEROMEDI APRIM Interior Design VICE PRESIDENT

Cyrille DESBAZEILLE Danone Asia

Christine ETCHEPARRE Technip Singapore

Pierre FINAS Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank VICE PRESIDENT

Jérôme de GRANDMAISON Alstom Asia

Olivier GROMETTO Open D Asia

Jean-Louis GRUNWALD Sanofi-Aventis Singapore

Yves LAFORGUE SDV Logistics (Singapore)

Pascal LAMBERT Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking

Gaëlle OLIVIER AXA Asia TREASURER

Manuel OLIVIER TOTAL Oil Asia-Pacific

Ludwig REICHHOLD Dragages Singapore

Martin ROBILLARD Astrium

Claire SAUVANAUD Capgemini APAC - Singapore

Jean-Noël STOCK Thales Solutions Asia

Bertrand STOLTZ STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific

Matthieu TETAUD Air France KLM

Pierre-Franck VALENTIN Solvay (Rhodia Asia Pacific)

Pierre VERDIÈRE Hermès SEA PRESIDENT

Pierre VEYRES BNP Parisbas VICE PRESIDENT

Philippe WIND McKinsey & Company Singapore

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September 2013

CEO Series / Entrepreneurs Committee / Human Resources Committee

CEO Series: Strategy of AXA in Asia Pacific Chief Executive Officer of AXA Asia Property & Casualty Businesses for a talk on the Strategy of AXA in Asia Pacific.

For this exclusive Series, we had the pleasure of welcoming Mrs Gaëlle Olivier,

AXA Asia recently announced major plans to expand its services across Asia by doubling the scope of its regional health business by 2015. The company will further develop services in regional mar-

kets by improving and expanding on the products they offer and focusing on health capabilities on a regional and local level. Health advertising campaigns have already started and are being aired in different countries in the region, including Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand. Mrs Olivier shared with the other CEOs AXA’s strategy in Asia Pacific and explained how the company plans to further expand its footprint in the Asia healthcare industry. F

Talk with the Co-Founder and CEO of Viadeo This exceptional talk was organised in collaboration with Sorbonne Assas International Law School, with Mr Dan Serfaty, co-founder and CEO of Viadeo. The Viadeo Group owns and operates professional social networks around the world with a total membership base of over 50 million professionals. Professionals use the networks to enhance their career prospects, discover business op-

portunities and build relationships with new contacts as well as to create effective online identities. Mr Saferty detailed his entrepreneurial experiences with our Entrepreneurs Committee members and shared insights on the Chinese social media market, an important space that Viadeo is currently focusing on. Their professional network is enjoying rapid growth and already in-

cludes over 16 million members. This enlightening talk ended with an interactive Q&A session where our members had the opportunity to meet and exchange with a truly entrepreneurial mind. It also allowed them to be inspired and get insights into the challenges that they could meet on their entrepreneurial journey. F

N7N9 Avian Influenza: Latest Update & Advice The outbreak of the new H7N9 virus has been widely reported in the press. While much is still unknown about the virus, companies operating in Asia should be aware of the latest development and stay up-to-date with official recommendations

on the issue as part of their business continuity planning. The Human Resources committee organised this session with Dr Philippe Guibert, Regional Medical Director of

Medical Consulting Services at South & South East Asia Region of International SOS who focused on what the new H7N9 means for companies operating in Asia and explained how businesses can prepare to respond to this issue. F


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FCCS CLUB EVENTS

September 2013

Energy / Infrastructure Committee

Opportunities of the Unconventional Gas in Asia: Industrial & Market Challenges This successful seminar organised by the Energy/Infrastructure Committee in partnership with GEP APAC was held at the Shangri-La Hotel. It brought together 50 participants to discuss opportunities of the unconventional gas in Asia. For this exceptional talk, moderated by Mr Philippe Wind, Senior Expert, McKinsey & Company, we had the pleasure of welcoming the following speakers: Mr Yves Le Bail, Vice President Total E&P Asia Pacific, introduced the specific technical challenges petroleum companies are facing with unconventional gas. Mr Loic Michel, Service Manager, Hampson-Russell Software & Services, explored the issue of risk mitigation for shale gas exploration using an integrated geoscience approach. Mr Benoit Barbier, Marketing Vice President Asia Pacific, Schlumberger, covered the unconventional resources in Asia, their characteristics, and the lessons drawn from the successful exploitation of unconventional gas in North America. Mr Olivier Tartar, Technical Sales Asia Pacific, Vallourec Group, shared Vallourec’s experience in shale gas applications.

Mr James Feng, Business Development Manager, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies Asia Industrial, presented the Water Treatment Challenge of Shale Gas in China.

The seminar allowed representatives of the Oil & Gas sector to better understand the opportunities and challenges associated with the implementation of unconventional gas in Asia. F

Energy / Infrastructure Committee Meeting The Energy/Infrastructure Committee was pleased to welcome Mr Lotfi Mounedji, Managing Director of Geostock Asia for this committee meeting. Geostock is a French engineering company specialised in the Design, Construction Management and Operation of Underground Storage facilities for hydrocarbons. Mr Mounedji explained the techniques involved in this activity and the qualifications required, and presented examples of projects carried out worldwide and more specifically in Asia Pacific.The presentation was followed by an interactive Q&A session. F

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September 2013

ICT Committee

ICT Inter-Chamber Networking Evening The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, along with the British Chamber of Commerce had the pleasure to invite its members to an ICT Inter-Chamber Networking evening. With more than 60 participants, this evening was a great success and offered an excellent platform for the exchange of ideas and experience sharing among the ICT Community within the Chambers. We look forward to the next ICT networking event! F

The Future of Cloud Computing

This ICT half-day seminar welcomed four speakers to share their insights on the future of cloud computing. Mr Minoo Thind, Service Line Manager Asia Pacific, Akamai Technologies, followed by Mr Kingsley Wood, Business Development Director APAC for Amazon Web Services first presented today's market and future trends. We then welcomed Mr Mohd Suhaimi Hozaini, Channel Sales Manager at Trend Micro Security, to give our participants a

better understanding on the contemporary advanced and persistent cyber threats. We ended the presentations with Mr Kendrick Lee from SiTF Cloud Computing Chapter who enlarged on the Federation and Government perspectives for the cloud computing. After these very interesting presentations, a panel discussion took place and gave to our 45 attendees the opportunity to interact with the speakers and to ask their burning questions. F


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FCCS CLUB EVENTS

September 2013

ICT Committee / Legal & Tax Committee

Boosting Productivity Tools through IT which aims to turn Atos into a ZeroEmail company by 2014. Many companies are currently discussing social collaborations and it appears to be a crucial "next step" toward improving communication and productivity.

This ICT Committee invited Mr Gregory Chocoloff, Head of Transformation & ZeroEmail Program Manager for Atos Asia-Pacific and Mr Jean-Christophe BouglĂŠ, Director and Co-founder of fewStones to share their insights on how to boost productivity tools through IT.

Jean-Christophe first zoomed in on SMEs and open source solutions to boost productivity, and he shared with our participants the services that can be eligible for the Singapore productivity incentives. Gregory then presented the new ZeroEmail policy launched by Atos,

But their implementation is unique in its innovative approach and ambition. Gregory detailed the way Atos is doing it, their achievements and where they want to go. This committee meeting was a great success with over 25 attendees and our members had the opportunity to exchange their views during the roundtable. F

Recent Changes in Singapore Employment Laws The Ministry of Manpower announced in April 2012 that it was embarking in a 2phase review of the Employment Act. Phase 1 of the review, which covered issues such as extending the coverage of the Employment Act, improving employment standards and benefits for employees, and reducing rigidity and aug menting flexibility for employers has now been completed and resulting changes, once introduced in the Employment Act, are expected to come into force in the first half of 2014. Phase 2 of the review is meant to start in the second half of 2013. In this context, the Legal & Tax Committee invited Mrs Kala Anandarajah, Head of

Competition & Antitrust at Rajah&Tann to share the proposed changes and their impact for employers and employees in Singapore. Our speaker also dealt with the

importance of drafting proper employment contracts, recommended best practices and explained how to deal with foreign employees. F

Latest Trends in Corruption Risks in Asia Although Singapore is recognised as one of the world's least corrupt by international rating agencies, most other Southeast Asian countries rank very low and corruption is widespread in the region. Ms Penelope Lepeudry, Managing Director, Kroll Southeast Asia presented an overview of Asia’s corruption landscape and discussed with our participants about

how to detect and prevent it through protecting their organisations. The presentation was followed by a discussion where our 25 Tax & Legal committee members had the opportunity to exchange their views and share their experiences. We ended this committee meeting with a brainstorming session on future projects. F

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September 2013

Banking & Finance Committee

New French Asset Taxation for Non-Residents Asset taxation can be beneficial for nonFrench residents if they know how to optimise it, according to the company’s nationality, the status and the nature of the employment contract. This Banking & Finance Breakfast Talk was pleased to welcome Mr Claude Lagadec, Tax Lawyer at Cortal Consors,

who shared with the audience tax issues and solutions for residents in Singapore with regards to treaty provisions and tax laws recently adopted in France.

participants to better understand their taxation requirements as non-residents as well as to how to achieve tax optimisation.

Mr Lagadec has been representing the BNP Paribas Group for several years in the areas of property law and taxation of individuals. His expertise allowed our

This successful presentation was followed by an active Q&A session where our 55 participants were able to raise technical questions in regards to their taxation. F

Crises & Punishments: World Economy and Commodity Market in 2013/2014 The world has learned how to live with the global instability that has, in the end, at least enabled experts to transmit messages concerning the rarity of resources and the need for new investments. But it is uncertain whether daily volatility and feverishness are the best environments for meeting the challenges of our planet in the 21st century.

This breakfast talk organised by the Banking & Finance committee at Raffles Hotel welcomed Mr Philippe Chalmin, Chair Professor of Economic History at University of Paris-Dauphine France. Mr Chalmin gave the audience the opportunity to learn about CYCLOPE’s analysis and shared their views with a prominent expert of commodity markets. Specifically, he presented the 2013 edition of World

Commodity CYCLOPE Book. Written by an international team of more than 50 experts, it gives a panorama of commodity trends within the global economy. Companies and attendees got a better understanding – and built up their assessment – of the world economy’s challenges with the view to help defining their business. F


FOCUS MAGAZINE

September 2013

FCCS CLUB EVENTS

Business Women Network Committee

Business Women Network Luncheon The Business Women Network was pleased to welcome women new comers who have just started working in Singapore and who needed some tips and advice from their peers. This informal networking luncheon took place at Il Cielo Restaurant and was an excellent opportunity to network and share about their careers through mentoring. Our Business Women Network members were very happy to help newcomers get familiar with various aspects of life and work in Singapore. F

Visit of the Living Galleries at the National Museum of Singapore The Business Women Network organised an exclusive visit of the Living Galleries at the National Museum of Singapore.

leries and shared with the participants her extended knowledge of Singapore, its history and its people.

During this visit, Mrs Annick Curtis, volunteer guide at the National Museum of Singapore, offered a tour of the Living Gal-

This event provided the ideal opportunity for our guests to discover the history of Singapore in this surprising museum. F

Speaking as a Leader We live in a world of communication where all leaders and managers are expected to be great communicators & to make brilliant presentations, but what does that mean exactly? In a specific business situation people have multiple choices, they can stay around the problems, the details, and even the drama or they can choose deliberately to reach higher levels. When leaders and managers fail to communicate, they fail to lead. During this Business Women Network Committee Meeting, Mrs Christine Reuther, executive coach, Step Up, shared with us her practical ‘high impact communication’ tools designed for any business situation. F

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September 2013

Luxury & Premium Retail Committee

Understanding the Evolution of the Luxury Industry and the Foundations of Luxury Brand Management FCCS Luxury and Retail Committee organised an exclusive master class to discuss the evolution of the luxury industry and the foundation of luxury brand management. As part of this exclusive master class, Mr Morisset, an ESSEC graduate with 20 years of professional experience in the luxury industry, (former COO of Ralph Lauren Europe, CEO of Pierre Balmain and Giorgio Armani France) gave an overview of the conditions required for Asian and Chinese luxury brands to emerge and succeed in this very competitive environment.

In the last three decades, the Luxury sector has transformed into a very important industry where strong brands and

conglomerates have progressively taken the lead over family houses. In collaboration with ESSEC Business School, the

He also explained that luxury brands are more resilient to crisis than other brands, and he presented the challenges and opportunities of e-commerce and digital marketing for the industry. F

The Inuence of Asia on European Fabrics and on Pierre Frey Luxury Designs The Luxury & Premium Retail Committee organised an exclusive Breakfast Talk with Mr Patrick Frey, creative director of Pierre Frey since 1975, President of the Pierre Frey group since 1976, and Mr Matthieu Frey, Chief Representative of Asia Pacific for Pierre Frey in their showroom.

Mr Patrick Frey shared his insights on the history and the influence of the Asian patterns (from Central Asia, India, Indonesia, China & Japan) in Europe. This very interesting talk concluded with an active discussion between our members. F

Luxury & Premium Retail Networking Night at Christoe Boutique The FCCS was pleased to welcome 55 participants to a Luxury & Premium Retail networking event held at Christofle Boutique. This specific networking event provided a great opportunity for participants to connect with counterparts from the retail and luxury industry in a relaxed and cozy environment. F


FOCUS MAGAZINE

FCCS CLUB EVENTS

September 2013

Luxury & Premium Retail Committee

Travel Retail: A new Dimension for Luxury Brands Today, travel retail is a USD50 billion industry covering unique distribution channels including airport and airlines. By 2015, sales are set to grow by 20% and reach USD60 billion. During this period, the luxury goods category will represent more than 30% of this industry’s sales. Travel retail is truly turning into an international shop window for luxury brands. We had the pleasure to welcome two experts to tackle this topic. Mr Alain Maingreaud, Managing Director of TFWA first explained how important travel retail has become for the luxury industry and Mr Emmanuel Bastide, Chief Executive Of-

ficer of Asia JCDecaux SA then presented the new modes of engagement with travel retail consumers.

This talk was moderated by Mr Michel Beaugier, Managing Director of M2 Management and welcomed 60 attendees. F

The Role of China in the Luxury Industry: 2013-2023 The Luxury and Premium Retail organised a breakfast talk where Mr Michel Chevalier, an international expert in luxury brand management and retailing, consultant with EIM and visiting Professor at HEC shared his insights on the role of China in the luxury industry. Thanks to his experience and expertise, our speaker presented the current situation in China, the impact for the region and

the Impact on luxury brands organisations. Mr Chevalier shared the latest forecasts for the next two decades in order to get a better understanding on the role of China in the luxury industry. This successful talk gathered 50 participants who had the opportunity to mingle and broaden their network with other professionals from the luxury industry after the talk. F

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September 2013

Asia Committee / Sourcing & Supply Chain Committee

Competitiveness and Complementarity in the ASEAN Region and Vietnam. With a growth rate of 6% in 2012 and a market of over 550 million consumers, ASEAN now offers great opportunities for French companies to focus on export.

The ASEAN zone, which is extremely dynamic in South East Asia, involves ten countries including Indonesia, Malaysia

Mr Hubert TESTARD, Head of the Regional Economic Service for ASEAN at the Embassy of France in Singapore, presented his view on competitiveness and complementarity in ASEAN

through these key points: - ASEAN: Second strength development in Asia; - Development driven by international trade and investment; - Competitiveness remains an ongoing battle; - What about France? The presentation was followed by a roundtable discussion, which gave invited guests a unique opportunity to share, compare and gather practical, actionable inputs from each other. F

Purchasing Strategy: Experience Sharing with Clarins During this Sourcing & Supply Chain Committee meeting, Mrs Anne-Gaelle Gonet, Pacific Procurement Manager at Clarins and Co-President of the Committee shared her experiences overseeing the purchasing activities at Clarins, one of the leaders in the premium skin care market. Since 2011, she has been in charge of

launching and developing the purchasing function across the Asia Pacific region. She therefore presented Clarins’ purchasing strategy, objectives and challenges in Asia. This well-attended committee meeting was an excellent opportunity for our members to share their experiences on purchasing across industries in Asia. The session ended with an interactive Q&A session. F

Strategic Supply Chain Management At the strategic level, company management makes supply chain decisions that are relevant to the whole organisation. Ms Catherine Hoyez, Senior Consultant at mSE Solutions presented best practices in supply chain management and explained how to organise and implement successful supply chain strategy. In particular, she explored the following topics: - Strategic supply sources management; - Customisation of the logistics network to the service requirements (SLA) and profitability of the customers' segments; - Business case of a Supply Chain transformation. After the presentation, an open discussion took place during which our committee members exchanged their views. F


FOCUS MAGAZINE

FCCS CLUB EVENTS

September 2013

FCCS Events

We Organise your Event! The FCCS organises more than 130 events a year. Benefit from our experience as Event Organiser to reach new customers and gain exposure. CUT COST AND CYCLE TIME. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT INVOICE AUTOMATION. This breakfast talk sponsored by Viseo

Asia aimed at informing our participants on the value of investing on automation. The FCCS organised this successful event at the prestigious Raffles Hotel.

Presented by ReadSoft and Viseo Asia, this informative talk brought together 30 participants from the Information and Communications Technology sector. F

THE FCCS BRINGS YOU NEW CUSTOMERS Do you wish to reach new customers and gain exposure? The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore organises your own Breakfast Talk and guarantees a qualified audience of at least 20 persons.

An all-inclusive offer We take care of everything: • We select and book the venue • We bring a laptop and a video-projector • We create the invitation • We communicate your event through our website and direct emailing to our 2,200+ Members’ database • We assist you during the all length of the event The format of the event is a 90-minute Breakfast Talk held in a high-end hotel with a breakfast buffet, ideal for a presentation followed by a short networking session.

For more information, do not hesitate to contact us at bizclub@fccsingapore.com

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FCCS CLUB EVENTS

September 2013

FCCS Events

Burma: New Eldorado or Theatre of Social Chaos? The purpose of this casual talk was to share the extensive knowledge of renowned photojournalist Mr Thierry Falise

on cultural and social issues in Burma, a country where he has conducted fieldwork since 1988. Thierry's valuable insights and

experience proved invaluable in deciphering Burma's past and present, to better envision what the future may bring in this time of change. In addition to Thierry's talk, we were pleased to welcome Mr Luc de Waegh, Advisor for Foreign Trade for Belgium, who shared his field experience on business development in Myanmar. The conference was followed by a tour of a Burmese artist's exhibition “NCS Memories for the Future”, and offered networking opportunities between FCCS and Belgian Luxembourg Business Group’s members. F

Business + Gastronomy = FCCS Monthly Luncheons Every first Friday of each month, the FCCS organises a business luncheon in a French restaurant, every time in a new venue with a different menu. These informal networking sessions create excellent opportunities to develop new contacts and exchange ideas on business issues while enjoying some great French food. Our latest luncheons took place at Omélimélo Restaurant, L’Angelus and Hédiard. Visit our website www.fccsingapore.com to see our next business luncheons and broaden your network. F


FOCUS MAGAZINE

FCCS CLUB EVENTS

September 2013

FCCS Events

Connect and Broaden your Network! The FCCS offers many opportunities to meet new persons, new business partners or potential customers in a relaxed atmosphere.

This networking event, held at Wine Connection, Cuppage Terrace, gathered more than 50 persons who had the chance to mingle over a few glasses of wine.

For the full list of our upcoming networking events and all event details, check out the “Events� page on our website at www.fccsingapore.com! F

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FCCS MEMBERSHIP

September 2013

New FCCS Members

FCCS New Members We are very pleased to welcome the following new members who recently joined the French Chamber of Commerce. Please visit www.fccsingapore.com for more details.

CORPORATE MEMBERS ACP TRADING

L'OCCITANE SINGAPORE

Contact: Mr Jimmy LOPEZ, Managing Director Website: www.acp-holding.com Sector: Consumer Goods

Contact: Mrs Phyllis CHOO, Managing Director Website: www.loccitane.com.sg Sector: Cosmetics & Perfumes

DFDL

MOTION - THE CREATIVE INFLUENCE

Contact: Mr Rashed IDREES, Partner and Managing Director Website: dfdl.com Sector: Legal / Audit / Consultants

Contact: Ms Juliana MATTAR, Managing Director Website: www.motion.com.sg Sector: Creative Agency

GAMELOFT

Contact: Mr Antoine ROULAND, Director Website: www.obatignolles.com Sector: Restaurant

O BATIGNOLLES Contact: Mr Gonzague DEVALLOIS, VP Sales and Marketing Website: www.gameloft.com Sector: Publisher of Digital and Social Games

SEPHORA HEART MEDIA Contact: Mr Olivier BURLOT, CEO/ Publisher Website: heart-media.com Sector: Media

Contact: Mr Afif HADDAR, General Manager Singapore/ Malaysia Website: www.sephora.fr Sector: Cosmetics & Perfumes

TIMBIS PTE LTD IMAKUMO Contact: Mr Thomas GOUY, APAC Sales Director Website: www.imakumo.com Sector: IT

Contact: Mr Denis REQUIS Website: www.timbis.sg Sector: Consumer Goods

ENTREPRENEUR MEMBERS CHAMAPEG

LINKS HUMAN RESOURCES

Contact: Mr Gilles VERSCHUEREN, General Manager Sector: ICT / Consultants

Contact: Mrs Stephanie INSERRA, HR Consultant & Coach Website: www.apm.fr Sector: Human Resources

ENTRE-NOUS CREPERIE Contact: Mr Stephane MEUNIER, Managing Director Website: www.entrenous.sg Sector: Restaurants

QUINTESSENCE Contact: Ms Agnes COOKE, Director Website: www.quintessence-ac.com Sector: Events & Communications

LEMONGRASS & AUBERGINE

ROSALIE POMPON

Contact: Ms Sonia GREIG, Founder Website: www.lemondeco.com Sector: Consumer Goods

Contact: Ms Rosalie LAMBIN, Founder & Director Website: www.rosaliepompon.com Sector: Consumer Goods


FOCUS MAGAZINE

FCCS MEMBERSHIP

September 2013

New FCCS Members

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS CAPELLA HOTEL

MONTICELLO

Contact: Mr Robert LAGERWEY, General Manager Website: www.capellasingapore.com Sector: Hotels

Contact: Ms Natasha LIOK, Marketing Manager Website: www.monticellodesigns.com Sector: Consumer Goods

CGLI PTE LTD

OCBC BANK

Contact: Ms Lamiaa BENNIS, Singapore Branch Manager Website: www.cargologin.com Sector: Forwarding / Shipping

Contact: Mr Gaven WONG, Vice President Website: www.ocbc.com.sg Sector: Bank / Finance / Investment

KYMBE PTE LTD

Contact: Mr Renny HENG, Director Website: wineculture.com.sg Sector: Wine & Wine Shops

WINE CULTURE PTE LTD Contact: Ms Cristal LEE, Director Sector: Luxury goods

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS DR DAMIEN VILLENEUVE, Business Development Director, ALLERGAN SINGAPORE PTE LTD Sector: Pharmaceuticals

MS ÉLODIE DULAC, Senior Associate, ING & SPALDING LLP Sector: Legal / Audit / Consultants

Sector: Bank / Finance / Investment

MR AURÉLIEN PICHON, Chief Operating Officer Asia, Investor Division, THOMSON REUTERS Sector: Financial Information Provider

MR ÉDOUARD RIQUET, Manager Trade Sales, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION Sector: Bank / Finance / Investment

LIFE (SINGAPORE) Pte. Ltd. Sector: Insurance

MR ALEXANDRE CEREZ, Director, HSBC PRIVATE BANK

MR GÉRALD PASQUIER, Business Legal Manager, SWISS

MS CÉCILE BLOY, CFO, ROCKTREE Sector: Logistics / Shipping

BECOME A MEMBER! Joining us brings you directly to the heart of the French Business Community in Singapore. Our lively membership of more than 540 reflects French expertise across a wide range of sectors, both industrial (Technology, Electronics, Telecommunications…) and services (Banking, Insurance, Marketing, Advertising...). Join us and benefit from a wide range of advantages, such as a greater business exposure, an easier access to people and information and many events and business services. For more information, please contact us at 6933 1356 or by email at membership@fccsingapore.com.

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FCCS MEMBERSHIP

September 2013

FCCS Privilege Card

FCCS Privilege Card Terms & conditions apply. Visit www.fccsingapore.com for more details. AGS FOUR WINDS - Up to 30 days free storage rent in Singapore. - Groupage offer to Paris starting from S$440 /m2.

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE - 5% off any French tuition. - 10% off French tuition tailored to a company’s needs and given in the company premises.

AU PETIT SALUT - Special rate for use of private dining room.

BISTRO DU VIN & AU JARDIN - 10% off all Food & Beverage at Bistro du Vin at Shaw Centre, Bistro du Vin at 56 Zion Road and Au Jardin at Botanic Gardens.

CITROËN TT SINGAPORE - 50€ discount for the FCCS members.

EDITIONS DIDIER MILLET (EDM) - 20% off on specific titles with free delivery, or - 40% off on specific titles with self-collection.

FOREST ADVENTURE - 10% off on individual tickets, birthday packages and merchandising.

FOXYSALES - A permanent 10% discount on your orders.

FRASERS HOSPITALITY - 10% off Best Available Rates.

FRENCH TERROIRS - 10% off all wines (+ gift for 6 bottles purchased). - 10% off all products for corporates above S$300.

FRENCH TOAST LEARNING CENTRE - 10% off group classes held at French Toast. - 10% off tailored Corporate Courses. - Free 1-Hour Private Tuition trial

HEDIARD - S$25 gift certificate at Hediard Café with a min spend of S$100 at the Hediard Boutique.

HERMITAGE - 10% off all wine list.

HILTON SINGAPORE HOTEL - 10% off Wine Classes.

IBIS HOTEL SINGAPORE BENCOOLEN - 30% off upon ordering set menu. - 10% off best available rate for guest rooms.

JOËL ROBUCHON RESTAURANT - Complimentary glass of Kir Royal to each guests.

LAURENT BERNARD - 10 % for corporate orders - $ 300-$999. - 15% for corporate orders - $ 1000–1999. - 20% for corporate orders - $ 2000 and above.

LOMIG & THE FRENCH GROCER - 10% off all HELICIUM Glasses (set of 2). - 2 complimentary units with purchase of 6 HELICIUM glasses of the same model. - 5% off food for 500$ and above orders trough www.thefrenchgrocer.com.

PETIT BATEAU - 10% off regular items.

RAFFLES HOTEL, SINGAPORE - 20% off all Food & Beverage outlets. - 10% off meeting, seminar & banquet packages.

SURVIVAL CHIC LIFESTYLE MEMBERSHIP - 10% off 1-year Survival Chic Membership.

THE RESILIENCE INSTITUTE - 1 complimentary Diagnostic.

TRADERS HOTEL, SINGAPORE GLOBIBO - 6% off Translation Services. - 11% off Interpretation & Language Courses. - 6% off Language Courses. - 11% off Corporate Training Course.

GRAND HYATT SINGAPORE - 15% off food at mezza9, 10 SCOTTS, Pete’s Place, Oasis.

- 15% off Food & Beverage at Cafebiz & Ah Hoi’s Kitchen.

WINES2U - 15% off on Champagne Moutard. - 10% off on all other wines for a minimum order of 12 bottles per purchase.

ZWIESEL - 15% off all items.

GRAND MERCURE ROXY HOTEL - 15% off on dinner at selected restaurants. - 10% off Best Available Rate for guest rooms.




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