ScandAsia South East Asia - October 2012

OCT 2012

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Swedish PT Lundin launches advanced stealth warship in Indonesia ScandAsia.dk

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Opinion

My coach and I

I Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in South East Asia.

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have a guru, a mentor. The Americans call it “coach”, a coach in fiction writing. It took me years, not to find her, but to actually contact her. Sometimes, we’re good at putting obstacles in our way.

Imagine an experienced novelist and artist taking you by the hand, guiding you through the mysteries of writing a novel. That’s what Caroline Allen is doing with budding fiction writers all around the world.

I’m interviewing her in this issue. She is a magical person with wide-reaching powers, a sage, an artistic and spiritual leader whose work is yet to be known on a global scale. And when it finally will break through, it will be with the force of a creative tsunami.

I’ve had other teachers in the past. “You should write a novel,” one of them said at the writing course I attended at Folkuniversitetet in Stockholm. I was playing with a number of short stories, sketches and portraits inspired by my experiences in Eastern Europe. “I really don’t have this kind of fascinating material that you have,” he said. “You should turn these stories into a novel.”

I always wanted to write a novel but had no idea how to actually do it, how to structure all this material, which kept haunting me, into a narrative that could work.

I wasn’t even sure which language to write in. I’m multilingual and with my inherent respect for language, I knew I “should” be writing in Swedish, the language I was educated in. The problem was that my novel is not a Swedish story, and that’s why writing it in English seemed the only thing that would make sense. The story needed to be told in English. Yet, I worried.

I looked for advice. There are classes, courses, none of which worked for me. Writers have always learnt by reading and writing, by trial and error and by never-ending rewriting. But we also need help and we do need people. For feedback we can trust, we need mentors who are writers and artists themselves.

I was recommended to contact Caroline Allen by my American artist friend Leah Kohlenberg years ago. Finally, after much hesitation, I did contact her and the journey under her guidance has been mind-blowing.

I began with Caroline by simply talking to her about my story idea. She made suggestions for how to begin the novel, how to write a rough draft of chapter 1. I wrote it, emailed the document to her, and we Skyped about how to evolve it further. This has been our process week after week as the novel has progressed.

I realised that this is exactly what I’ve been looking for and there had been nothing like it on offer in Sweden. She has literally put me on track with my writing and showed me how to shape my seemingly disconnected fragments of text into a story.

Also, the synchronicity in our lives has been amazing.

Plenty of spinoff ideas for further cooperation has resulted out of this creative process. I could also see that I too know how to support other writers, that in fact, I have been doing this with friends in the past: collaboratively talking through, sometimes even co-writing their stories or plays without ever having put a “coaching” label on it.

Americans are so much more entrepreneurial (creative) about the arts and writing than we are in Europe. In Europe, we are surrounded by our rich artistic heritage, a source of never-ending inspiration, but we’re not at all entrepreneurial about creative endeavours for the average person.

Yet, anything seems possible via Skype these days, even art classes – my friend Leah teaches people all over the world how to paint via her computer. Busy executives can squeeze in one hour of painting in their packed schedule but not three, the time it takes to get to and from the class.

Doing it via Skype might be the only chance for some people to pursue something they always dreamed of doing, at the convenience of doing it from their homes.

The lesson is that it really doesn’t matter where in the world you are anymore - your coach and mentor in whatever passion you wish to pursue could be just a Skype-call away.

There is a whole world of opportunity to tap into for anyone who wants to join this creative global revolution.

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Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com Front cover image courtesy of Agus Suparto

Andrea Hessmo is a Swedish freelance journalist and writer, currently based in Singapore. She has been a regular journalist for ScandAsia Singapore since September 2011. She holds a Master’s degree in English.

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Past Events

MASBA’s annual Ambassadors Dinner

I

n cooperation with Svenska Handelsbanken, the Malaysian-Swedish Business Association (MASBA) hosted its annual Ambassadors Dinner at Hilton Sentral in Kuala Lumpur on 19 September 2012.

MASBA had the great pleasure of welcoming Sweden’s new Ambassador H.E. Bengt G Carlsson to the dinner. Business leaders and representatives of Swedish and Malaysian companies gathered to network and meet with the new Ambassador.

After some introductory speeches and mingle, the 70 guests had the honor of listening to Handelsbankens’ Chief Economist Mr. Jan Haggstrom on the topic of world economy.

Hilton’s Chef Michael Elwfing prepared a well-composed menu with Swedish influences such as smoked salmon and Chantresse soup.

During the dinner MASBA introduced its four new members which are BHIC Bofors, SMT Technologies, Lundin Malaysia and SAAB International. The evening finished with a Q&A session on world economy.

SSM celebrated Crayfish Party

T

he Scandinavian Society Malaysia (SSM) hosted its annual Crayfish Party on 15 September 2012 at Tropicana Golf & Country Club in Malaysia.

Approximately 104 Scandinavians and their friends turned up and mingled around. Freshly cooked crayfish and snaps, hand carried from Scandinavia, as well as some other goodies on the buffet were available for guests to enjoy.

After the lucky draw and dessert, guests headed out on the dance floor to work it all off. Judging by the photos, everybody had a good time.

Sponsors of this year’s crayfish party are Asian Tigers, Rosendahl and Gardner & Wife Theater.

6 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2012

Past Events

PETRAD held seminar on Carbon Capture and Storage

T

he Norwegian International Programme for Petroleum Management and Administration (PETRAD) organized a seminar on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), held in Bali on 12-14 September 2012. The event gathered experts from government agencies, national oil companies and academia from East and Southeast Asia.

Experts shared current state-of-the-art knowledge about CCS, and discussed opportunities for utilizing CCS in the region. Participants came from Indonesia, Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, PNG, Timor-Leste, as well as presenters from Australia, UK and Norway.

The new Ambassador to the Norwegian Embassy in Indonesia, Stig Traavik opened the seminar by addressing that CO2 capture and storage will play an essential role in the development of a more sustainable energy system for the future, and as a possible way of mitigating climate change.

Furthermore, he stressed that the technological challenges involved with CCS can only be achieved through broad international cooperation. Governments, research institutions, the energy industry, international and national organisations must all be actively engaged. He indicated that the Norwegian embassy is willing to explore ways to actively support such R&D activities. Concerning the issue of a global CO2 tax, he argued that such a mechanism might offer the needed incentives to implement CO2 reductions of the scale that is required.

Ambassador Stig Traavik also shared some of the lessons learned by the Norwegian oil & gas sector, and argued that knowledge gained from the Norwegian Technology Centre Mongstad will prepare the ground for more CO2 capture initiatives to combat climate change.

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October 2012 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

7

News Brief

Four new Scandinavian ambassadors to Malaysia

Bengt G. Carlsson new Swedish ambassador to Malaysia

Hans Ola Urstad new Norwegian ambassador to Malaysia

In January 2011 Sweden decided to close its embassy in Malaysia, making Per-Arne Hjelmborn the last Swedish ambassador in the country. In August 2011 the Swedish government and its opposition agreed to re-establish the embassy.

Bengt G. Carlsson was appointed as the new ambassador to Malaysia on 1 September 2012. One of his first duties was the closure of the Consulate General on 14 September and the opening of a temporary embassy located in the Trade Councils premises’ in GTower suite 16-08 on 17 September.

The embassy plans to find a permanent location in Kuala Lumpur next year. Mr. Carlsson has previously been posted as Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of Sweden in Riga. Before that he worked at the embassies in Riyadh, London, Pretoria and Bangkok.

New Norwegian ambassador Hans Ola Urstad is an experienced diplomat. He has been working in the ministry for foreign affairs since 1980. Mr. Urstad has experiences from working as Consul General in San Francisco, Ambassador in Beograd and Senior Counsellor in the ministry. He was also appointed Head of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Mission to Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.

Mr. Urstad replaced Arild Braastad who passed away in June 2011.

Matti Pullinen new Finnish ambassador to Malaysia

Nicolai Ruge new Danish ambassador to Malaysia

Matti Pullinen was appointed as new Finnish ambassador in Malaysia on 1 September 2012. He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1973. Before this post, Matti Pullinen served as the Ambassador of Finland in Jakarta and Abu Dhabi. In the Diplomatic Service, he has also worked in the Finnish Embassies in Tokyo, Beijing, Stockholm and Geneva. In the Ministry, he has served as Deputy Director General of the Department for Asia and the United States of America and as Deputy Director General and Head of Unit in the Department for External Economic Relations.

Matti Pullinen replaced Tapio Saarela who was retired.

It is the first time for new Danish ambassador Nicolai Ruge to be appointed as an ambassador. Previously, he worked as Head of Department for Quality Assurance of Development Assistance, Deputy Head of Mission at the embassy in Tanzania and Head of Section at Department for Trade Policy. Nicolai Ruge joined the ministry of foreign affairs in 1995.

Nicolai Ruge replaced Svend Waever who was appointed as Head of Secretariat for Refugee Questions at Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

8 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2012

News Brief

Swedish H&M opens its first Malaysian flagship store

K

arl-Johan Persson, CEO of Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), officiated the red ribbon cutting ceremony with Lex Keijser, Country Manager for H&M Greater China, Singapore and Malaysia and Sin Gin, Store Manager of H&M Lot 10 and welcomed an excited crowd of H&M lovers into its first Malaysian store on 25 September 2012.

The lucky first customer in line was rewarded with a RM500 voucher, while the second to fifth people in line won RM200 and the next 300 customers received RM50 vouchers.

“We have had an amazing response from our customers here in Kuala Lumpur today and we look forward to bringing Malaysians fashion and quality at the best price. We are also excited to finally be expanding our business concept here within Southeast Asia and hope to grow our following in this region,” says Mr. Lex Keijser, Country Manager for H&M Greater China, Singapore and Malaysia.

H&M’s new store at Lot 10 carries a complete range of fashion and accessories for women, men, teenagers and children with new items in store daily.

This Autumn Winter 2012 season showcases sleek and sculptural silhouettes matched with bold shapes and confident decoration for women, while men can re-invent sharp-suited 60s silhouettes where layering, texture and colours bring tailoring traditions right into the 21st century. Prices start at RM19.90 for a t-shirt.

The H&M flagship store is located at Lot 10 Shopping Centre, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur and has more than 120 employees. Open daily from 10.00am to 10.00pm.

Following the first store opening in Lot 10, H&M will continue its expansion in Malaysia with a second H&M store opening in new retail destination, Setia City Mall in Shah Alam on 3 October 2012.

October 2012 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

9

News Brief

Philippines Closing Embassies in Sweden and Finland

Swedish Export to Indonesia increased by 30 percent

I

n 2011 Swedish export to Indonesia has increased by 30 percent which accounted for over SEK 5 billion. The main businesses driving the country’s export figures were telecommunication equipment, paper and pulp, machinery for pulp, machinery for metal industry, agricultural machinery and trucks.

Sweden is one of a few European countries that exports more than imports from Indonesia. The Swedish import has declined by three percent in 2011, down to one billion SEK. The imports mostly derived from businesses like furniture, tea, shoes, commodities and food. Indonesia’s population is around 240 million people, which is the fourth highest number in the world.

In recent years Indonesia’s economic growth rate is about six percent. Experts assume the growth could be eight to nine percent if Indonesia invested more in infrastructure.

With an investment rate in infrastructure as low as three percent of its BNP, Indonesia is far behind other Asian countries like China and India, which both invest around eight percent in infrastructure.

T

he Philippines is closing their embassies in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland on 31 October 2012, leaving the embassy in Oslo, Norway their sole Nordic embassy. The embassy in Oslo currently serves Denmark and Iceland as well as Norway.

The Philippines plans to shut down seven embassies and three consulates this year. Five of them have already been closed and the two Nordic embassies have been scaling down their operations in preparation for closure on October 31.

The closing of the 10 diplomatic missions is part of the foreign affair department’s restructuring plan and austerity measures.

“We are re-aligning our budget where they are most needed in the Middle East,” Rafael Seguis, undersecretary for foreign affairs, told the press.

The decision of which embassies to close has been made based on the posts’ performances and the countries’ economic and political significance.

The Philippines has already informed host governments of the terminated posts as well as its respective diplomatic missions in Manila. The Filipino communities, under the jurisdiction of the said embassies and consulates, have also been informed.

Asia’s first Legoland officially opens in Malaysia

T

he first Legoland theme park in Asia officially opened its doors to welcome a crowd of visitors in Malaysia on 15 September 2012. While waiting several hours in line before the park opened at 10am, keen visitors in Nusajaya, Juhor were entertained by a brass band brought from Lego’s home country, Denmark, and a special dance dubbed “The Power Dance” by Legoland Malaysia employees.

Over 35,000 annual passes to the theme park have already been sold, with more than 60 percent taken up by locals.

Legoland Malaysia general manager Siegfried Boerst said the park was expecting a 10 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2012

big crowd over the weekend because of advance ticket sales.

Legoland Malaysia features replicas of iconic Asian landmark such as the Petronas Twin Towers, Great Wall of China, India’s Taj Mahal and also Singapore’s Marina Bay, recreated using more than 25 million Lego bricks.

When fully completed in 2014, Legoland Malaysia will feature Legoland Hotel to be managed by LL Themed Hotel Sdn Bhd and a water-themed park. The landmark development is estimated to be worth RM1.6 billion.

Bernama reported that Legoland Parks-Merlin Entertainment managing director John Jakobsen said the company was happy with the presence of thousands of visitors from various places, including Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia.

“This has proved that Legoland Malaysia does not only attract local visitors but also those from foreign countries, and we are planning to introduce more new games in the future.”

News Brief

Launch of Swedish-Indonesian Alumni Network Swedish businesses met Indonesia Investment Authority

O

n 13 August 2012, Swedish Ambassador H.E. Ewa Polano met with the new chairman of BKPM, Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, Dr. Chatib Basri, and representatives from various Swedish businesses in Indonesia.

The meeting focused on how Indonesia and Sweden can cooperate more, as well as on how to overcome specific trade and investment hurdles in Indonesia.

Dr. Basri was very optimistic about the future of Swedish-Indonesian cooperation, and noted the substantive plans of several companies. Ambassador Polano concluded the meeting by summarizing the Swedish business community’s message: “We believe in Indonesia”.

O

n 8 August 2012, Swedish Ambassador H.E. Ewa Polano launched the Swedish-Indonesian Alumni Network together with 60 Indonesian alumni, who had all been studying in Swedish Universities.

During the event, the alumni and the Swedish Embassy staff also wished the best of luck to the 26 Indonesians travelling to Sweden to study in universities this autumn.

The Indonesian Alumni emphasizes the importance of keeping in touch with both Sweden and other alumni as many of them today hold important positions in companies, ministries and other organizations. The Swedish higher education system was recently ranked no. 2 in the world.

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October 2012 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

11

Swedish PT Lundin stealth warship in In

It’s like a dream has come true for us. This is new, cutting edge technology, and I’m very happy that we can do something like this for Indonesia and I’m proud that it has been done here in Banyuwangi.

12 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2012

launches advanced ndonesia After years of intensive research, development and secretive production that combined some of the world’s best technologies, PT Lundin Industry Invest has launched a high speed gigantic trimaran claimed to be the most advanced stealth warship ever built in Southeast Asia.

By Wachiraporn Janrut

I

n the straits between East Java and Bali, at Banyuwangi, in Indonesia, Swedish PT Lundin Industry Invest (North Sea Boats Ltd.) has launched its 63m Stealth Fast Missile Patrol Vessel for the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL).

“It’s like a dream has come true for us. This is new, cutting edge technology, and I’m very happy that we can do something like this for Indonesia and I’m proud that it has been done here in Banyuwangi,” says Swedish entrepreneur John Lundin, owner of PT Lundin Industry Invest.

The formal launching ceremony took place on 31 August 2012 at PT Lundin’s shipyard facility in Banyuwangi, East Java. Mr. John Lundin welcomed guests to the event and expressed his delight with the outcome of the project which started its intensive Research and Development in 2007.

After the contract with the navy was signed in 2009, construction started discretely in early 2010. Now the company is happy to showcase to the public its new 63m Carbon Fibre Trimaran, named “KRI KLEWANG” (a traditional Indonesian single edged sword).

Among those attending the launching ceremony were the Chief of the Indonesian Navy, high ranked navy officers, the Regent of Banyuwangi, local government authorities, prominent Indonesian business people and local and international reporters including ScandAsia.

Mr. Lundin gave special thanks to the local government for its support, as well as his team and suppliers for making it all happen. Other speakers included Mr. Abdullah Azwar Anas, Regent of Banyuwangi, and Logistic Deputy to Indonesian Navy’s Chief of Staff Admiral Sayid Anwar.

Guests and media inspected the gigantic stealth vessel before it was officially launched in the waters off Banyuwangi. The ship will be tested by the navy in two months. If the test is successful, it’s likely that the navy will purchase three more vessels from PT

Lundin. The full operation of KRI KLEWANG is expected to start in 2013.

Advanced technologies According to Mr. Lundin, the value of the contract is 140 million Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) or almost USD 15 million. This value is just for the platform and does not include weapons which cost more.

“Five years ago the chief of Indonesian navy asked me to come up with something innovative for the navy and I thought that he probably said that to a few people so I aimed to find the best technologies from around the world,” says Mr. Lundin, who went to Sweden and New Zealand to look at new technologies.

He found that the construction material used by the Swedish military was the best as it builds warships from carbon fibre, the material used also in the aircraft production industry.

Though the cost of carbon fibre is quite high, Mr. Lundin said that the material is lighter and stronger, leading to energy-efficiency and less maintenance costs in the long run.

Unfortunately, the material is not available in Indonesia yet. Carbon Fibre can be imported from Europe, Japan and America.

However, only the best material is not good enough for Mr. Lundin.

“We needed a cutting edge design for it, too,” he says.

PT Lundin collaborated with New Zealand naval architects, LOMOcean Design Ltd., a company which designed the 24m Earthrace (later called Ady Gil) - the wave-piercing trimaran that broke the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat.

Mr. Lundin says that the trimaran design offers stability and seakeeping.

Instead of going over the wave, it goes through the waves. Its ability to keep a ‘low signature’ gives it its stealth status. The hull shape is intended to permit high speeds to be maintained and thus maximize crew operational capability in the

short steep seas characteristic of the coastline around the Indonesian Archipelago. While the vessel’s cruise speed is 22 knots, the sprint speed is +30 knots.

“We mixed the trimaran design and the best material technology together. And the navy was brave enough to go ahead with the new technology,” says Mr. Lundin.

PT Lundin’s business philosophy and plans Mr. Lundin’s philosophy is to always build a boat at the highest possible quality.

“Instead of having lots of low quality boats, it’s actually better to have a few good ones that can do something. I also believe that the cost of energy will be higher in the future,” says Mr. Lundin.

The company aims to be a niche in the industry, offering specialized ships with high technology.

Designed for patrolling the littorals, the KRI KLEWANG will be useful by the navy to prevent smuggling, illegal fishing and illegal trades.

Over the past 6 years in the business, the company has supplied its technology to military forces in Brunei, Timor-Leste, Malaysia and Indonesia. It has also supplied private boats to customers in over 10 countries. The main markets for the company’s private boat are Singapore, Australia and Thailand.

The company has been approached by a few countries in The Middle East and Asia after signing the contract to build KRI KLEWANG. Now that PT Lundin has the experience of building the first carbon fibre trimaran, Mr. Lundin believes that the production time for the next ships will be much faster.

The company also plans to export more as well as providing the maintenance contract for its clients in the future.

“We want to be competitive in the international market,” says Mr. Lundin.

October 2012 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

13

Yin and Yang in

14 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2012

Kuala Lumpur Norwegians coaching Asian CEOs and grooming the next-generation leaders in Asia

By Joakim Persson

P

ersonal coaching and mentoring for company managers are often not prioritised in a usually busy working environment. But if such as provider gets a chance it can play a really useful role and have significance in improving the performance of a particular individual and bring strong improvements to the company as a result.

The Norwegian coaching and mentoring specialists Stoje Dual, and referrals from their clients, constitute proof for this. Among the feedback from those who have opted to use the services of Sverre and Gerd Stoje are: “This process has made me rethink my own situation and future.

It’s also good to have external facilitators in a safe environment and to be forced to rethink different aspects.”

“What motivates me has become clearer and my vision is incorporated into my daily work. I am bringing myself out of my comfort zone, enabling me to grow exponentially.” “It helped me see myself more clearly in the workplace and the impact I have on others. I have expressed my leadership values to my team and others and I have found this enormously powerful.”

Some of the benefits are added value within: strengthening your brand, highlighting the critical issues necessary to achieving success, creating an environment where you

can test your thinking, or your support to the rest of the organization concerning your vital commercial and relational objectives.

Based out of Kuala Lumpur, as well as Oslo in Norway, what Stoje Dual essentially offers is one-to-one coaching and improving: personal development, performance of a person’s leadership and capabilities and through this an improvement of the company’s profit.

Should not such an offer be very appealing for most business leaders?

“80 per cent are already leaders and consider that they need no support.

The help they get is the pressure – and sometimes ‘hell - from their board,” says Sverre Stoje when meeting under the business and Malaysia landmark Petronas Towers.

“What we’re seeing is that those expats coming over here [Asia] for 2-3 years, and who know the ins and outs of leadership, are not interested in what we offer. Grooming the next generation of leaders is what’s most interesting of all on the market.”

This is where the duo is enjoying much success in catering to and nurturing those on level two and three within the management of companies.

For instance, they are training five leaders in a Malaysian company, whose CEO has requested: ‘Our top level is good. Could you go further down in the management so that those in the next generation also get on the right track?’

“That’s where we come into the picture - on local managers - and what we’re doing within Malaysian or Indonesian companies.”

“It is extremely important for a company to be aware of who will be the next generation of local leaders and how to groom those and make them ready to take over.”

Sometimes Stoje Dual sees it might be a little difficult to find leaders who really want to take the step up and the responsibility required for

Time management and balanced proportions - key to success in working life.

a higher position in an organisation.

Some people are satisfied with the position they have and not that keen on shouldering a bigger role.

“In these cases our coaching and mentoring have worked really well.

Since we are in a one-to-one situation and nothing leaves the room during our sessions, the usual anxiety/ discomfort zone diminishes and the comfort zone expands quite fast.”

“And one learns better when at ease,” he adds.

“Usually it blows on the top, so our clients get one hundred per cent confidential space to talk about whatever is on her/his mind – which can sometimes be difficult doing in an internal company structure.”

“After successful mentoring some might then ask for some more change management; re-engineering. And we have that experience on offer too.”

First of all the client must want to improve her/his personal development as a person and also the performance in the company. Secondly, setting aside two days brought away on a retreat where the focus is on You. And many react: ‘Two days! Are you nuts?’

“They are usually very busy people and some of them will question the need for two full days and how these could be filled,” continues Sverre.

“Then our argument is: Your life is between 25 – 30 000 days long.

How many of those have you so far dedicated only for yourself and your performance? Then the reply is often: ‘I’m not sure.’ ‘Do not know for sure.’

‘Never did that.’

The two days focus on you as a person, and your management performance. Then the client makes an action plan and they usually have three follow-up sessions in the coming months.

“We use much time the first day going back to childhood. In addition to that we spend a lot on the balance between work, spare time, friends, health and family. And there we often see an imbalance that you spend way too much on work in relation to the other four.”

Especially focused on helping a leader to get a balanced life Gerd Stoje is the Chief Executive Listener of Stoje Dual. Focusing on the soft side of the client’s personality in the areas of personal development and growth, Gerd has a patient and thorough competence in listening to the clients - a crucial part of mentoring.

“I have worked mainly in Norway with various people, for example with drug attics, prisoners and abused children as well as conflict solving within companies in Norway.”

After looking in detail at the vision, values, beliefs, passions and energy-use of the client, Stoje Dual continues with time management.

“We believe that it is also very important how you use your energy to be fully charged.”

Then they look at your leadership performance in your organisation, where Sverre’s focus more on the technical, hard business side of things comes into play. He has a vast background as lawyer, diplomat, and HR Group Executive and Global Commercial Director for Wilhelmsen Group.

“Instead of only getting one person who is an expert on one thing and knows a bit about the rest, you here get two people complementing each other on the hard and the wet,” he explains their comparison with yin and yang.

Stoje Dual add value to their clients’ own clarity about present and future roles and “life strategy.”

As the combination of consultants, coaches, mentors and confidants they form towards the clients, they help leaders develop successful businesses and live a balanced, fulfilling life.

“We will highlight the critical issues necessary to achieving success.

She or he will get increased awareness of own leadership style, capacity and capability and how to better give support to the rest of the organisation concerning vital commercial and relational issues.”

“And since both my wife and I have worked several years in this region we also have good understanding of the cultural dimensions between for instance the Asian and Western behaviour, beliefs and attitudes.”

To those who haven’t tried something like this, such as the typical hesitant self-confident CEO, their message is: “Who in your company is actively working for you to become a success? We examine that and find out who is working against you, with you and how you can improve the network working with you and standing on your side. There is an awful lot of politics in all companies. And when did you last spend two days on yourself and your development and leadership?”

October 2012 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

15

Novelist Caroline Allen

Coaching writers in memoir and novel wri She has helped people from all backgrounds all over the world, including Singapore and Asia, to unlock their creative potential.

Thanks to Skype, it’s possible to coach business executives, farmers, and housewives, actors, a former prostitute wherever they may be - all with one thing in common: a burning desire to write their story.

Meet Caroline, who is also a visual artist, for a conversation on creativity, her unique coaching of writers, and even her thoughts on Stieg Larsson’s character Lisbet Salander of the Millennium series.

By Andrea Hessmo Photo by Adrien Bisson

I want to build an empire, a huge network of creative coaches and writers and help people unlock their true selves.

16 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2012

A

fter an international journalism career at The Financial Times and The Independent in London, as well as for newspapers in Asia, former American expat Caroline Allen decided to devote herself to fiction writing, painting, coaching and spiritual practice.

Why do expats want to write?

We leave our security for new customs and we’re embedded in another culture. When I lived in Japan, not a single custom resonated, not even the lettering. This pushes us deep into ourselves where even survival taps our deepest creativity.

It’s difficult to live in another culture, it’s life changing and sometimes you can’t go back. You don’t fit in anywhere any longer and you may have to accept that. But not fitting in is the mark of writers of all time, so it’s as if being an expat is training for being a writer.

Who are your clients and how do they find you?

It happens quite magically. They come in serendipitous ways by word of mouth, some google me cold or they read my blog. Right now I have clients such as a Microsoft employee, a farmer, a financial advisor, a metaphysical healer. I have to figure out how to help people who cannot afford it. I try to give a scholarship a year.

You are committed to help women finding their voice. In what ways do women need help with that compared to men?

Throughout history women have been told to shut up and play a secondary role. A lot of the time, women don’t even feel they have a right to express what they’re feeling and sometimes they don’t even know what to say. Men seem to be given that freedom from a young age.

When you start working with a client, do you start from scratch or do they already have an idea for a novel or memoir?

All of the above. Sometimes people come to me with an idea for a

character like Tess Hardwick whose novel Riversong got published and has done very well. Or someone will have written 40 000 words and know something is missing.

How does the coaching process work and what are the benefits of it?

I talk the story through with the client one-on-one via Skype. It shaves off about half the time it takes to write a novel, it’s more focused.

Writers also don’t feel so alone when they have someone who intimately knows their story. The main benefit is keeping the person accountable to produce words and that makes them go faster.

Why don’t more professionals in the industry do this kind of coaching?

It’s very challenging work and I resisted it in the beginning. Right now, I’ve got 15 people’s stories in my psyche, it’s like creatively dating 15 people. You need to have the artistic side to be able to do it but also the counselling and guidance part.

You have recently hired Jon Sternfeld, a former literary agent from New York. How will you be working together?

I bring the soulful metaphysical storytelling aspect and he brings the extensive experience of bringing a book all the way to publication. He knows exactly how to do that which is so exciting. He’ll also be coaching and his expertise is content editing.

When a book needs to be popped up to high professional standard, he goes through it and looks at language, structure and plot.

You are both an artistic, psychic and a spiritual guide Yes and that’s part of who I am. I’m fascinated with psychology and the way people are and think, especially around creativity. What are the creative blocks for an American? For a Scandinavian? It’s different with different cultures. It’s an intimate collaborative creative process. If you are a novelist and you align with it, every door will open for you to be able to do your novel.

iting What are the reasons for people not going ahead with writing that book?

When you write or do any art, you’re expressing what you really feel. A lot of people have issues that come up and if you haven’t dealt with it, it sits like a weight on top of that creativity. Usually it’s a hurt from childhood or a strenuous focus on perfectionism. I think when you’re new at any art you’re really bad at it. That’s just true. I look at my old paintings and they suck and that can really shut down a person creatively. Julia Cameron writes about this in “The Artist’s Way.” The book is a little New Age, but many people have this issue. It’s so much easier for all of us to be a critic.

In Scandinavia we’re currently being very entrepreneurial about exporting our crime novels. What do you think of Stieg Larsson’ trilogy?

I was really addicted to the Dragon Tattoo books. I haven’t seen female character as abused and raw and full of spit and intelligence as Lisbet Salander. That’s what did it for me.

And I didn’t even know about the success of the crime literature genre in Scandinavia.

Many Scandinavian expats do think of writing in English after spending time abroad but they worry about not being an English native speaker/ writer. What are your experiences?

I have clients who worry about it. A powerful story can carry you far. You can hire a content editor to clean up the language. The English of a non-native speaker can be more lyrical, more quirky and that’s a publishing advantage right there. I love it and find it so profoundly interesting to read.

Do you coach writers who write in another language than English?

That’s my goal for my coaching company Art of Storytelling, to have coaches across Europe and Asia who can coach in several languages.

AofS is expanding every day so the answer is yes.

What about talent?

Of course, there are people with

logical planetary crisis is speeding up individual spiritual evolution, and I believe writing is part of some people’s evolutionary process.

What authors are your greatest influences?

I come from a rural upbringing in Missouri. We hunted and butchered animals and grew our own food.

When I was a little girl, there were no books in the house but the King James bible. I took it inside the bathroom every night for weeks, locked the door and read it from start to finish. So the biggest influence was that bible as well as spiritual and philosophical thinkers.

more talent than others. My novel Earth was sent out to top publishers who gave great feedback but it has yet to be picked up. The message I’m getting is that all my four novels will be finished before they get published, similar to Stieg Larsson’s Dragon Tattoo books.

I’m saying this because sometimes people think that talent means you get published. Some people just need to write because it’s their soul’s path. And yes, some people have talent that the publishing industry cannot even see. I’m all for my clients getting published! That’s why I hired Jon. Tell us about your novels Earth, Air, Fire and Water I woke up in the middle of the night seven years ago and the four novels Earth, Air, Fire and Water went through me like a wordless epiphany. The novels are mystical and represent a person’s evolution towards what Carl Jung calls individuation, a person’s spiritual evolution from be-

ing just a drone of society to understanding who they are.

Earth is about a person who has never left home and they only know the customs and ways of their family. Air is about leaving that to be an expat, it’s about floating above the culture and in that separation from the culture you knew, you start to get stripped down to your essence.

You get to see who you are behind all the things you thought you were and you took for granted. Fire is when you crash and burn because you really don’t know who you are anymore. All the structures and foundations that held you up had to be completely torn down so you can start from scratch. Water is about the healing process.

Your novels are also about the ecological breakdown of the planet Yes, I’m fascinated with how tsunamis, earthquakes, global warming affect our psyche as humans. How do we remain stable when the very earth is unstable? I believe the eco-

You were raised Catholic Yes but I’m not Catholic now. I went to a Catholic school for 15 years and was taught by nuns and brothers, it was very intense. Most of the nuns didn’t advocate open creativity; they slapped you down with rulers. Still, I had insatiable curiosity, I was the top student with straight As and I had a scholarship for university with everything paid for, so some aspects worked for me. The contemplative side of a religious education influenced me.

The brothers chose a sacred inner lifestyle instead of say, a life of going to the mall. I admired that.

What are your ultimate goals with Art of Storytelling?

I want to build an empire, a network of creative coaches and writers and help people unlock their true selves.

I’m seeing screen-writers coming to me now, song writers, writers who are also visual artists. Still, I need to do my own art too so I can’t do it on my own. I’m looking for clients who are committed to their creativity, and coaches all over the world who want to be part of this immense global creative output.

More information on Caroline Allen and her coaching of writers: http://www.carolineallen.com/ http://www.artofstorytellingonline.com/

October 2012 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

17

Eco-bungalow pr

18 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2012

roject in Laos This autumn, a new exciting project for social development will take place in rural Laos, initiated by two young Swedish entrepreneurs with the drive and motivation to create lasting socio-economic impact for the vulnerable people of the Lao PDR.The ecobungalow project will create an opportunity for a remote village to earn an income for the first time, giving the villagers a chance to have an impact on their own development.

J

esper Lejfjord and David Jonsson are two young entrepreneurs and the founders of the Swedish organisation World Volunteer.

Based on their experience with volunteering and managing education projects in the Lao PDR, they have formed a net of invaluable contacts, on which the foundation of World Volunteer is built. The organisation is based in Stockholm, but with staff in five different countries.

World Volunteer tailors suitable volunteering experiences for people of all ages within a wide range of projects, e.g. teaching, child care and sports coaching. If you want to volunteer at a project it can be adapted to suit your requests, no matter if you are a family looking for an adventure, or a business leader in need of a new challenge. This way, World Volunteer and its partners are able to provide a once in a life time experience for any type of volunteer as well as creating a lasting impact on the community.

Now the organisation is initiating its second social development project in Laos after last year’s success in building a school in the village of Ban Na Luang, giving 100 children the opportunity for education/to attend school.

“The school building project is like nothing I have done before. It is hard work, but worth every second when you see the smiles on the children’s faces.”, says Elizabeth Doern-

hoefer, SSHL Student and participant in the School Building Project 2011.

Eco-bungalow The eco-bungalow project is an initiative made possible through collaborations with Tiger Trail Adventures, pioneers within the eco-tourism sector, and the Ministry of Tourism in Laos.

World Volunteer will, together with groups of volunteers, start the building of the bungalow in November 2012 in the village of Ban Long Lao Mai, situated one hour outside of the picturesque World Heritage city of Luang Prabang. Ban Long Lao Mai is a Hmong village with just over 700 inhabitants, where approximately 70% have food to last them all year around. The village lies next to a trekking track leading to one of Laos’ most beautiful waterfalls, which is very popular among tourists.

Local materials The volunteers will participate in the building, using earthen materials found locally, together with the villagers and experienced guides. The project also gives the volunteers the chance to learn about the rich cultural heritage that Laos has to offer through various activities in the village such as harvesting, bamboo weaving or cooking.

The bungalow will work as an exclusive hotel, which will be owned and run as a business by the village

and marketed as part of Tiger Trail’s adventurous trekking tours. In this way, the project creates an opportunity for the villagers to generate an income and also labour opportunities for generations to come through services like cleaning, cooking and guided tours.

“When a CEO gets involved in activities and creates opportunities for people in need, it is hard not to get inspired by the commitment. It´s a lot of fun as well!”, says Charlie Hansson, CEO Chas Management Consulting and participant in the Laos program 2011.

Make a difference The organisation is always looking for new motivated individuals to take part in the projects, the most important prerequisite being the ambition to help others. There are a number of ways where volunteers can make a difference together with World Volunteer, from own participation, to spreading the word to friends or improving a company’s CSR by funding parts of the project.

“Of course, the most rewarding way, both for the participants and the communities we work in, is to come and work with us in the field during the project”, says David Jonsson, Co-founder World Volunteer.

If you are interested in more information, please contact malin@ world-volunteer.com or go to www. world-volunteer.com

By Malin Törnvall

The school building project is like nothing I have done before.

It is hard work, but worth every second when you see the smiles on the children’s faces.

October 2012 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

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Searching for the winners

To find the best fund managers to invest your money with is a core investment decision for all of us.You need a sophisticated and tested method to scrutinize the investment funds available.

Nordea’s International Private Banking unit, which is also represented in Singapore, has devised such a method.

T

o invest in today’s markets takes a considerable amount of time and effort. To leave the investment decisions to the professionals allows your wealth to grow without having to make every decision yourself. In 2008, Nordea developed the Multi-Manager portfolio management investment solution as a way to offer investors convenient access to the best investment funds in the world. To learn more about this investment solution, we talked to Jørgen Jakobsen, Head of the Investment Department at Nordea in Luxembourg.

What do you look for when selecting a fund manager?

Finding the best fund managers in the world is easier said than done.

How do you pick the winners?

Generally, around 20 funds. This allows an appropriate diversification in terms of managers.

It may happen that a manager underperforms the benchmark for a period of time, but this would normally be compensated by the outperformance of another manager in the same asset class.

We select the best fund managers from a universe of more than 60,000 investment funds. We do not focus on, or limit ourselves to one country or legal framework, but are internationally oriented. We look for managers who can beat the benchmarks in the respective asset classes consistently over time.

The fund manager selection is based on both quantitative analysis and qualitative evaluation.

Our quantitative analysis is based on a rating system graded by historical performance. But, as past performance does not guarantee future results, the final selection of managers is also subject to a qualitative evaluation of the investment philosophy, process and management team for each prospective fund.

How many funds are you normally invested in?

How can you be sure that yesterday’s winners will also be tomorrow’s best-performing investments?

Jørgen Jakobsen, Head of the Investment Department at Nordea in Luxembourg We look to see whether the investment team has a competitive advantage that will increase the probability of their fund being best-in-class in the future. Before we determine whether or not to invest in a particular fund, we talk in detail to the managers to make sure that we understand their strategy and investment process, and that they understand our mandate. The investment process must be maintainable and the skills that have created outperformance in the past must remain in the team. That is why we constantly monitor the funds in the portfolio to insure that the right elements are still in place.

How often do you change funds in your portfolio?

Some changes are due to an asset allocation decision, whereby we might change the weight of the asset classes represented in the portfolio, or its geographical allocation and currency exposure. Other changes occur when we decide that a manager might no longer be able to deliver consistent outperformance, or if we identify a manager who we deem able to deliver superior results

What are the typical reasons for pulling out of a fund?

If a fund manager is not true to the strategy that has been communicated or starts to change the strategy, then we pull out. Also, if key members of the team leave, and it is not clear that continuity with the results obtained previously can be assured, we would sell the fund concerned.

Do you offer different risk classes?

There are three risk categories available: conservative, balanced and aggressive, each of which contains an appropriate mix of funds that invest in a variety of securities and markets.

How do you control the risk in the portfolio?

Risk is defined by the category in question. For each category, this corresponds to a variable, asset-class target allocation of the portfolio between relatively “safe” investments (typically bonds) and relatively “risky” investments (typically stocks). We can deviate from these targets, in order to add value with active management, but not in a way that significantly alters the specific risk profile.

20 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2012

Health Tips for Heat Exposure in Southeast Asia Heat is a part of living in Southeast Asia. There are plenty of ways to ensure we get to enjoy the sun while keeping ourselves away from troublesome heat related illnesses.

By Kristene Silva Marie

T

he Southeast Asian region is known for its culture as well as its hot and humid weather, which is in many ways appealing to those who live especially in the colder regions such as Europe.

Heat related problems Here are some tips on how to handle these common heat related illnesses you may face being in Southeast Asia.

1. Heat stroke

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• Heat stroke mainly occurs when the body is unable to regulate its temperature. Body temperature rapidly rises, sweating mechanism fails therefore the body is unable to cool down. May cause death or disability if not treated immediately.

What to do • Get someone to call for medical assistance. Get victim to a shady area while cooling them down using any means possible, even if that means immersing them in a tub of cool water. Make sure to monitor the victim’s body temperature. Do not give the victim fluids to drink.

2. Heat Cramps • Heat cramps usually affect people who sweat a lot during strenuous activity.

This sweating depletes the body’s salt and moisture. The low salt level in the muscles may be the cause of heat cramps.

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What to do • Rest is the only way to solve heat cramps. Stop all activity, sit quietly in a cool place and drink clear juice or sports beverage. Even after cramps subside, do not return to strenuous activity for a few hours as further exertion may lead to a heat stroke. Get medical help if the cramps do not subside in an hour.

3. Sunburn and Heat Rash • Although the discomfort of sunburn is usually minor and healing often occurs in about a week, more severe sunburn may require medical attention.

• Heat rash is a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating during hot, humid weather. It can occur at any age but is most common with young children.

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What to do • If the sunburn affects an infant younger than one year of age or if symptoms such as fever or fluid filled blister are present, consult a doctor. Immerse sunburned area in cold water and apply moisturising lotion on affected areas.

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SVT:s utlandskanal SVT World sänder idag till Europa, Asien, Australien, Afrika och Nordamerika – dygnet runt och året om!

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Du får nyheter och fakta. Musik, sport och natur. Barn- och nöjesprogram. Drama, debatter och kultur – dygnet runt och året om!

Programfrågor: svt.se/svtworld För abonnemang kontakta: ConNova TVX +46 (0)141 - 20 39 10 svtworld@connova.se www.connova.se October 2012 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

21

Medium

Danish Meatballs in Curry

T

his great tasting traditional Danish recipe is very popular amongst Danes of all ages. It has undoubtedly been introduced in Denmark by seamen returning from the Far East, but there is very little of its original hot spicy taste left. This is a very mildly spiced dish, and many Danish children happily call this their favorite food.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4) Meatballs: • 1 pound ground pork • 3 garlic gloves • 1 cup breadcrumbs or 2 tablespoon flour • 2 finely chopped onions • 1 egg • Salt • Pepper

Evil

Curry Sauce: • 2 tablespoons Danish butter • 2 heaping tablespoons yellow curry • 1 large chopped onion • 1 large chopped leek • 5 tablespoons flour • 3,5 ounces cream 35% • 4 cups Beef stock • chopped fresh parsley (just enough for a light sprinkling just prior to serving)

Are you done?

W

hen you have completed the above puzzles, please send your solution by fax to +66 2 943 7169 or scan and email to puzzles@ scandasia.com. We will make a lucky draw among the correct answers. Five lucky winners will receive a ScandAsia polo shirt.

Name:

___________________________________________________

Age: ________________________

Mobile:

___________________

Address:

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Email:

__________________________________________________

Deadline for submitting your solution is 15 November 2012 22 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2012

PREPERATION Meatballs: Mix Breadcrumbs or flour, egg, onions, garlic salt and pepper go into a big bowl. Add ground pork and mix it well again. Leave the mixture in the fridge for 1 hour.

Scoop up the meatballs with a tablespoon, and place in boiling water with the beef stock.

Boil for 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the meatballs. Take meatballs out of the water, but keep the water (you will need it for the Curry Sauce).

Curry Sauce: Melt butter in a pot.

Add curry and brown it for a couple of minutes.

Add onions and leek and brown it for a couple of minutes. Add flour and mix well. Add water from meatballs a little bit at the time, until the sauce thickens. Add cream and meatballs.

Let it simmer for 12 mins. Serve with boiled rice, and sprinkle with parsley on top. Enjoy!

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