What to Expect from the “Year of the Tiger” ?
DANISH-THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 34 Phayathai Building B, 5th Fl, Phayathai Rd, Ratchathewi, Bangkok10400 Tel.: +66 2354 5220 Fax: +66 2354 5221 E-mail: contact@dancham.or.th Executive Director: Katrine Præst PRESIDENT Mr. Peter Emil Romhild Sr. Executive Vice President Berli Jucker Public Co., Ltd. Tel : +66 2 367 1111 Fax : +66 2 367 1000 E-mail : p.romhild@berlijucker.co.th
Peter E. Romhild President Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce
VICE PRESIDENT / TREASURER Mr. Søren Presmann Managing Director Presmann (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Tel : +66 2 962 1151 Mob : +66 89 668 7840 Fax : +66 2 962 1152 E-mail : soren@presmann.co.th VICE PRESIDENT / CHAIRMAN MEDIA Mr. Poul Skov-Petersen Sales Director Firexpress Tel: +66 2 258 0193 Email: poul@firexpress.com CHAIRMAN MEMBERSHIP Mr. Thomas Nyborg Pandora Production Co. Ltd. Tel : +66 2 728 7200 Fax : +66 2 727 0253 E-mail : thn@pandora.co.th CHAIRMAN EVENTS Mr. Håkan Olsson SAS - Scandinavian Airlines Tel : +66 2 645 8200 (Reservations/Ticketing) +66 2 645 8224 (Scandinavian Community Affairs) Fax : +66 2 665 2900 E-mail : sas.th@sas.se
Dear Readers At time of writing we are going into some uncertainty on the political front, and I hope by the time of distribution of this Trade News issue, that the political situation has stabilized. The economy is slowly but surely on its way up, and all businesses in Thailand will need a peaceful and stable political situation to further consolidate there growth. Again this year we have a special section on our children in international schools in Thailand and Boarding Schools in Denmark. We will look into the opportunities at a number of schools, especially NIST, a long standing member of our Chamber which is the first and largest full IB School in Bangkok.
CSR / MEMBERSHIP Mr. Charnchai Charuvastr Aviva Décor Ltd. Tel : +66 2 685 3661-3 Fax : +66 2 685 3660 E-mail : decor@aviva.co.th
How has the economy affected the business of our members, and what are their expectations for 2010? Read more about these insights this month in Trade News, as well Danish design, ready made Thai food taking over Denmark and a fascinating look at how SKOV came to Thailand.
ALUMNI / EVENTS Ms. Mai Ellegaard Euro-Center (Thailand) Co. Ltd. Tel : +66 2 696 3626-27 Fax : +66 2 696 3628 E-mail : bangkok@euro-center.com
The Annual General Meeting was held on 10th March at the Royal Danish Embassy, followed by a sumptuous dinner. We had a very good turnout both for the AGM and dinner, - and the rain stayed away. Once again the Danish Ambassador H. E. Michael Sternberg and Mrs. Waltrud Sternberg had been very kind to open the Embassy and their home for this special event. Please refer also to our website on details.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS Mr. Thomas Lindy Sørensen Maersk Line (Thailand) Ltd. Tel : +66 2 752 9000 (Automatic) Fax : +66 2 752 9386 E-mail :thatop@maersk.com EVENTS / LEGAL ADVISOR Mr. John Fotiadis Consultant Tilleke & Gibbins International Ltd Tel : +66 2 263 7700 Fax : +66 2 263 7710 E-mail : john.f@tillekeandgibbins.com MEDIA / WEBSITE Mr. Robert Kronberg Managing Director PIRO Consulting Group Tel : +66 81 406 2854 Fax : +66 2254 5766 E-mail : robert@piroconsulting.com MEDIA Mr. Palle Borgselius Administration Manager Scanmach Asia Co., Ltd. Tel : +66 2 750 9616 ext. 202 Fax : +66 2 750 9614 Email : pb@scanmach.com EMBASSY REPRESENTATIVE Mr. Bo Bjerregaard Rasmussen Commercial Counsellor Embassy of Denmark Ph.: +66 2 343 3125 Fax: +66 2 213 1752 E-mail: borasm@um.dk EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Ms. Katrine Præst Executive Director Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce Tel : +66 2 354 5220 Fax : +66 2 354 5221 Email : director@dancham.or.th EDITING, MARKETING & PRODUCTION Scand-Media Corp. Ltd. 4/41 - 2 Moo, Ramintra Soi 14, Bangkok 10230 Tel.: (66) 02943 7166-8 Fax: (66) 02943 7169 Editor: Mr. Gregers Moller - gregers@scandmedia.com Marketing: Mr. Finn Balslev - finn@scandmedia.com Design: Disraporn Yatprom - disraporn@scandmedia.com
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing Board Members, Mr. Poul Skov-Pedersen, Mr. Haakan Olsson, Mr. John Fotiadis and Mr. Palle Borgselius for their participation in the Board of Danish-Thai Chamber and their strong support in the various functions they have represented. Haakon will return to a senior position in SAS Sweden, and we wish him all the best of luck. At the same time I would like to welcome our new Board Members, Mr. Santhapat Periera, Tilleke & Gibbins, who was previously Board Member from 2003 to 2007, Mr. Jakob Ingemann, ECCO, Mr. Jacob Bojsen, Visit Beyond and Mr. Stig Vagt Andersen, Ben Adisti. We look forward to working together in 2010, and to continue to improve our support to our members and associates. The new Member Directory will soon be in the printing and issued as usual early April. Finally, the Chamber has moved offices, and we are now in brand new offices adjacent to the existing offices, and shared with the Swedish and Finnish chambers. Good hunting with the Trade News and remember networking are on third Wednesday of each month!
Peter E. Romhild President
Finnair 1/1
What to Expect from the Danish Companies: What are your expectations for 2010? It is no secret that 2009 was the year of a financial crisis. But how did it affect the members of the DanishThai Chamber of Commerce? And what do they expect from this year 2010?
By Rikke Bjerge Johansen
Jacob Bojsen, VisitBeyond (former Jysk Travel): “2009 turned out to be the best year for VisitBeyond, former Jysk Travel, ever. We, like all other companies cut costs where it was possible, but what made the major difference, was our dedicated effort to expand our distribution network, which we already started in the autumn of 2008 when it was clear that 2009 would be a challenging year. The expectation for Visit Beyond in 2010 is clearly to increase our turnover by developing even more products, as well as build more bungalows at our resort, ‘Koh Kood Beach Resort’. At our resort we have more requirements than what we can accommodate, for example our peak season late December 2009 was sold out already in May 2009. All in all we are very optimistic about 2010 and we are pleased to see how the first months have turned out.”
Thomas Hansen, SKOV Asia Ltd.: “In 2010 we expect full speed ahead. We are already moving fast and are expecting a big increase. We are settling the account in October every year and have already seen the good signs and an improvement. So actually, we are hiring seven new employees to keep up with the demand. Last year we had a decline of 10 percent. However, it was not due to the crisis but simply because we didn’t have enough staff to keep up with the demand. We were also pretty occupied turning the rep office into a company limited with BOI approval and moving to a bigger office.”
Peter Waagensen, Dadriba, Siac Consulting, Mermaids Dive Center: “In 2010 we are expecting a great progress in all our business and we are very positive about this year. 2009 was not a catastrophe for us but this year will bring more growth and more productivity based on the sales from last year. We have good opportunities and have never borrowed money or are in debt.”
Jan Wolgast, CP Foods Denmark: This year 2010 will be a fantastic year. We have new packings, we are ready to launch a marketing campaign in Netto and we are making bigger investments. We know that something good will come out of it this year.”
Connie Charuvastr, AVIVA Decor Limited: “2009 was one of the worst but we did not have to lay off people. We expect 2010 to be a better year, so far so good.”
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Poul Skov-Petersen, Firexpress: “Last year’s turnover was satisfactory and higher than that of 2008. Our main customers are government entities which usually does not reduce their budget considerably unless the country is facing severe financial problems. This means that we were not really affected by the global financial crises. Instead we actually employed more people on both the sales and production departments.” “For 2010 we expect to continue our expansion with employment of additional persons in the sales and production department.”
Stig Vagt-Andersen, Tour Company Ben Adisti: “The most valuable assets for our tour operation business is our staff so we retained all staff members. Actually we made an incentive and staff training tour in September 09 to Hanoi & Halong Bay in Vietnam for all Adisti staff and paid each of them 1 million in cash pocket money on arrival in Hanoi … yes, VND but still nice for all to be a millionaire amid recession! The summer season was very disappointing for Thailand but the winter sales have overall been good. This year with our main partners Bravo Tours & Sol Resor we expect to be well on the way to become the major Scandinavian tour operator on scheduled flights for round trip tours in the Mekong region in 2010.”
Henrik Friis, Dantherm Filtration Thailand: “For 2010 we expect to continue our expansion with employment of additional persons in the sales and production department. Our business plan is to expand our market coverage and for that we need the additional people.”
“Year of the Tiger”? Mai Ellegaard Euro-Center (Thailand) Co., Ltd. “2009 gave a lot of challenges for the Euro-Center Group. We had to locally lay off staff due to cost restraints in the whole Group and the global recession. Locally we had a drop in the number of tourists arriving in Asia - and the Bangkok airport closure, as well as the red shirt rallies at Songkran, was certainly not beneficial for business either. It must be added though that it certainly could have been worse. Even with the huge internal issues in Thailand, businees was still continuing for the expat market and most of the tourists flew directly to Phuket thus easening the overall challenges.” “2010 will have a lot of challenges for us. We seek ways of expanding our business by seeking out regional business opportunities and strengtening our core business with new services, but we have to be careful not to grow too fast. We expect at the end of the year to produce a reasonable result for our Group.” “The winds of global recession seem to turn for the better, we see the number of expats growing in our portfolio and hopefully the number of tourists to Asia will increase as well.”
Jens Bergsøe, Scanproducts Co., Ltd: “Last year was tough and the only year that we did not increase compared to the previous years. We sell a lot to hotels and resorts and when they feel the crisis, so do we. Luckily, we can already see that this year 2010 will be a lot better than last year and we are expecting a good result. “
In 2010 we expect full speed ahead. Thomas Hansen, SKOV Asia Ltd. March 2010
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Happy Danish Days Danish Days in Cambodia were so successful that the event will likely be repeated by the end of the year.
By Gregers Moller
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total of ten Danish companies participated in the Danish Days events arranged in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 26 -27 January 2010. Representing different business sectors, they covered construction, medical equipment, agricultural and agro-industrial equipment, water management and public services. Also the Danish Industrialization Fund for Developing Countries - IFU participated in the event. “We are already now talking about repeating the event with a Danish Days II sometime by the end of the year,” says Commercial Counsellor Bo Bjerregaard Rasmussen. The Commercial Counsellor has been very actively exploring the opportunities for Danish companies in Cambodia since his arrival a year ago. “I believe I have been there an average of once a month, frequently on assignment for one or more Danish companies,” he says. Networking day and night The Danish Days took place at the Himawari Hotel which has a very attractive location and offered a good price for hosting the event. “We started with a seminar on Cambodia with speakers from the Ministry of Commerce, the Asian Development Bank and the Cambodian Board of Investment.” “We then had a busy afternoon arranging meetings between the participants and potential local customers or partners. This is a process of intense networking activity.” The evening offered a delightful official networking dinner on the brink of the river. “The Minister of Health was there as our special guest that eve8
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ning,” Bo Bjerregaard Rasmussen recalls. “The dinner was set up mainly to give the participants the opportunity to invite their own contacts made during the day for more informal talks - which are in Asia often more important than the negotiations during the day,” the Commercial Counsellor adds. Special opportunityiies In terms of business opportunities, Cambodia is an attractive country in many ways, says the Commercial Counsellor. “Cambodia is an LDC - a Least Developed Country,” he explains. “This gives some advantages for doing business with them. There are no tariffs on goods imported to the EU from Cambodia and there are no quotas - limits to how much you can import - on Cambodian goods either.” “There is a very basic fact regarding Cambodia, which is often overlooked,” the Counsellor adds “This country covers quite a big area but it has a relatively limited population. This availability of land for agricultural purposes translates for instance into special opportunities for organic farming where output per acre is known to be less than in intensive, industrial farming.” “Because of Cambodia’s status as an LDC, Danida Mixed Credits are also available for financing projects in Cambodia,” says Bo Bjerregaard Rasmussen. “In Thailand this is no longer and option, but we have the EKF - Export Credit Facility, which is basically just as attractive,” he adds. “Within the Danish specialty of CO2 trading, there are also several opportunities in Cambodia and we already have one deal closed in this sector,” the Counsellor reveals. Danish Companies interested in Cambodia can contact the Embassy to hear about possibilities for joining one of the monthly trips to Cambodia or discussing other possibilities: www.ambbangkok.um.dk
Udsøgt service Udsøgt rådgivning Alex Slot Hansen Tel. +41 (0) 71 227 81 61 alex.hansen@sydbank.ch
I Sydbank (Schweiz) AG venter vi ikke på, at vores kunder skal komme til os. Vi opsøger dem lige så gerne på deres hjemmebane for at yde den optimale rådgivning, så alle beslutninger om formuepleje, investeringer, skat og arveplanlægning bliver dele af en større helhed med plads til individuelle hensyn. Den ekstra indsats Bliver du kunde hos os, tilknyttes du en personlig investeringsrådgiver. Service og imødekommenhed er nogle af vores kerneværdier, og det skal alle kunder opleve.
Poststrasse 17 · CH-9000 St. Gallen Tel +41 (0) 71 227 81 00 Fax +41 (0) 71 227 81 01 pbi@sydbank.ch · www.sydbank.ch
7085.0909
Allan Hvii Tel. +41 (0) 71 227 81 60 allan.hvii@sydbank.ch
Interesseret? Så kontakt Alex Slot Hansen eller Allan Hvii eller læs mere på vores hjemmeside www.sydbank.ch.
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New DTCC Board Elected AGM held in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Danish Embassy
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ost attendants had the chance to chat and discuss with old acquaintances as well as business partners in the beautiful Embassy garden before the AGM began in the late afternoon of March 10th. Once the attendants had arrived the AGM, with Poul Weber as the Chairman, could begin. President Peter Romhild, Director Katrine Prest and Vice President Søren Presmann took the members through the meeting where membership updates, DanCham timeline in 2009, approval of the Balance sheet and presentation of the 2010 budget were among the topics before the election of the new board took place. While the votes was being added up Peter informed that the Chamber is striving to become more business oriented and is striving to become more relevant for the members of the Chamber. Peter furthermore informed that any feedback from members regarding events and other feedback that may occur- positive and negative is highly appreciated. Peter gave the word to The Ambassador who gave a few updates on the current status on the Embassy work, the financial situation and the current political situation. There were a few questions on what the ambassador’s point of view on the political situation was in Thailand, and also a few questions on the Situation in Burma. After the votes was counted Chairman, Poul Weber, announced that Peter Romhild, Søren Pressmann had been re-elected while Santhapat Periera, Jakob Ingemann, Jacob Bojsen and Stig Vagt Andersen had been elected as new board members. This means that the new board will look as follows:
President Peter Romhil commenting on the budget with Chairman of the meeting Poul Weber on the podium and Treasurer Soren Presmann listening to his remarks The President thanked outgoing Board Members, Mr. Poul Skov-Pedersen, Mr. Haakan Olsson, Mr. John Fotiadis and Mr. Palle Borgselius for their participation in the Board of Danish-Thai Chamber and their strong support in the various functions they have represented. Dinner under the stars Once the AGM was successfully completed an excellent 3-course dinner from Dusit Thani with wine from dz wine was served in the
Embassy garden. The attendants enjoyed the food and themselves in the superb atmosphere that was created by the excellent setting the staff from Dusit Thani had created. DanCham would like to welcome the new board members and thank the old ones for the work they have put into the Chamber. Thanks to DZ wine for the wonderful wine accompanying the dinner and a big thank you to the Ambassador and his wife for the kind corporation and for making the event successful.
Peter Emil Romhild Søren Presmann Charnchai Charuvastr Thomas Nyborg Thomas Lindy Sorensen Mai Ellegaard Robert Kronberg Santhapat Periera Jakob Ingemann Jacob Bojsen Stig Vagt Andersen Bo Bjerregaard Rasmussen (Embassy Rep.) March 2010
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Thai Food to Danish Supermarkets
Scandinavia, but the two Danes were skeptical. “We knew that the trading business would die out eventually. We were just the intermediary between them and the supermarkets and could be cut off when superfluous.” Instead they had another suggestion to offer CP Foods; a joint venture. “We convinced them that they would need us in order to make it on the Scandinavian market with their frozen Thai dishes. We could offer them the customers, the contacts and being in touch with the market. And from their perspective, it was so much easier for the Thais to let Scandinavians deal with it,” Jan Wolgast says.
Bird flu crisis
CP Foods’ ready-made Thai meals are all over Thailand, from 7-11 to Tesco Lotus to CP Food’s own shops. Thanks to two Danes, you can now also get the Thai dishes in Danish supermarkets. Jan Wolgast from CP Foods tells about his business how the bird flu some years ago nearly killed it. By Rikke Bjerge Johansen
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hen Minister for Food and Agriculture in Denmark, Eva Kjer Hansen, in November last year handed over Danish Newspaper Børsen’s Food Award, the winner of the category ‘Best Ready-Meal (færdigret)’ fell on a chicken panaeng curry. The dish is made in Thailand but developed in cooperation with CP Foods Denmark. Behind CP Foods Denmark are the two Danes, Jan Wolgast and Christian Juhl. Nine years ago they decided to start up their own company named Euromi (European Meat
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Inspection), trading food and selling meat to Korea. A few years after, they got connected to one of CP Food’s factories in Thailand that did frozen readymeals. The very powerful CP Foods was interested in hiring
The giant CP Foods agreed and 1st October 2005 they signed the contract and created the new company CPF Denmark in Varde. Jan and Christian have 48 percent share and Thailand 52 percent. But, the two Danes had an extremely hard beginning with the bird flu and all the hysteria that followed. “During the bird flu I considered taking a job as a taxi driver. Our raw products in Thailand were not allowed to be exported out of the country. Thank god we just started making fried and further processed poultry, so we had some kind of business. It has been our biggest crisis so far,” Jan tells.
Millions of dishes
After the crisis, the Danes made a big comeback on especially the Danish and Finnish market. And so far, they have not let CP Foods in Thailand down. “It is going well. We are selling around 4000 tonnes of poultry to Scandinavia, including food service, ready-made dishes, chicken breast fillets, pizza topping and meat to the food industry. We are selling
around 3 million ready-meals to Denmark and Finland and hope to grow on the Swedish market too,” Jan says. When TradeNews interview Jan, he is on a short business trip to Bangkok to make strategies for 2010 with CP Foods. A very important trip, since the secret to their success is the fact that the Thai food is accustomed to Scandinavians by Scandinavians. “I’m developing new packing and products for the Scandinavian market in collaboration with the developers from the CP Company here in Thailand. We want the food to be as authentic as possible but still accustomed to Scandinavian taste buds. For instance, the food is not as spicy as in Thailand. Also, since we are selling our products to schools, catering, hospitals, hotels and municipalities we have to use lemongrass flavor instead of real lemongrass since many people don’t know that they are not supposed to eat the real lemongrass,” Jan Wolgast says. His favourite dish is the chicken panaeng curry that costs around 25 Danish kroner in supermarkets like Føtex, Netto, Fakta and Bilka. New products to be launched are Tom Yam Goong soup, shrimp dishes and a wonton soup. “We get a very good feedback, among here from the Thai staff at Thai Airways who love our products. So, we must have done something right,” says Jan Wolgast with a Jutland modesty.
Facts about CP Foods The Charoen Pokphand Group (Thai: เครือเจริญโภคภัณฑ์) is the largest business conglomerate (umbrella organization) in Thailand. Its largest subsidiary is CP Foods (Charoen Pokphand Foods), which achieved 116.5 billion baht in revenue in 2005, earning a profit of 6.747 billion baht. Apart from agribusiness, the family-owned conglomerate’s interests range from retailing, as the franchisee of all Thailand’s 7-Eleven stores, to telecommunications, as the owner of True Corporation. CP Subsidiaries also include PRC registered Super Brand Mall, Lotus Super center chain.
March 2010
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Danish Design in Brand Scanproducts has imported Stelton, Eva solo and Rosendahl to Thailand for ten years. Now, they have just put their brands on the shelves in a new design center a bit away from downtown Bangkok. By Rikke Bjerge Johansen
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brand new enormous complex located in the Lad Prao/ Ramintra-area just opened its doors. It is called Crystal Design Center (CDC) and is the most comprehensive and integrated design center in Asia showcasing architectural, interior, decorating and construction products. It is the only one-stop shopping district for customers, designers, architects, project owners, importers and exporters in sourcing new and innovative materials. “Crystal Design Center is the first, big retail project away from central Bangkok. It is the first time we see first class brands further away from downtown,” says Jens Bergsøe. He is Managing Director of Scanproducts Co. that imports Danish design brands like Stelton, EVA Denmark, Holmegaard and Rosendahl. In total he has 11 different brands and a lot of them are for sale in the new design center. “For the first time ever we have a place in Thailand with a real professional display of our products. They are not cramped in but have space on the shelves. It looks like a
display in a high-end European department store,” Jens Bergsøe says.
Away from downtown
He has his products at 12 different locations around Bangkok and in Chiang Mai, Pattaya and on Phuket, and in Bangkok they are for sale at Siam Center, Emporium and Central Chidlom. Very central and compared to the new design center that is situated on Ramintra express way on the opposite side of Tesco Lotus, far away from bts skytrain and the metro. “Normally, you can draw a line from Siam to Thong Lo to see where we sell our products in Bangkok. Just 100 meters outside that line does not sell anything. But the world is not only surrounded here and we believe that a lot of people out in other areas are also interested in shopping,” Jens Bergsøe explains, adding: “When Siam Paragon opened, everyone thought that it would be the end of Emporium. But it didn’t happen, so I’m sure we will also have a market for a design center in the outskirts of downtown”.
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1. Jens Bergsøe imports a wide range of famous Danish design brands that is for sale at the Crystal Design Center. 2. The most popular item is the classic Stelton coffee pot. 3. The Rosendahl water carafe is another one of the popular designs.
New Design Center Thai customers and Western culture
The design brands are Danish but Jens’ customers are not. He sells to big resorts and hotels like Hilton and Sheraton and also private buyers. “95 percent of our customers are Thais. In those ten years I have had Scanproducts, the customers have changed a lot. When I started only middle aged, rich Thais bought Stelton and EVA, but now our customers are younger, they appreciate good design and maybe even have a small apartment of their own instead of living with their parents. They want nice design for their kitchen. Bangkok has changed,” says Jens Bergsøe. Of all the 11 brands he has, the bestseller remains the same: The Stelton coffee pot which was designed in 1976. Number two is the Eva products, and his 10 employees are busy getting this year’s new products on the shelves. Jens Bergsøe is positive about 2010 and anticipates a huge change in the whole retailing in Bangkok. “In Denmark most of the products are sold as gifts from Kop & Kande and other shops. In Bangkok, people buy it for themselves and don’t have the whole “gift culture” as back home. However, slowly but surely we have noticed a more “Western” behavior regarding buying gifts for birthdays and weddings. And that is the market that we want to reach,” Jens Bergsøe tells.
For contact: Crystal Design Center: www.crystaldesigncenter.com Scanproducts: www.scanproducts.co.th SCANPRODUCTS Co.,Ltd 1/2 Soi Ekamai 2 Sukumvit 63 Road Prakanong Nua, Wattana Bangkok 10110,Thailand Tel : +66 (0)2714 1882 E-mail : sales@scanproducts.co.th
March 2010
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A Brighter Future When Danish company SKOV decided to send Thomas Hansen to Bangkok to create a Rep office, it turned out to be a pretty wise decision. Now, they are making a doubledigit million in Danish kroner. This year they have also turned the Rep office into a company limited with BOI approval and has started the expansion.
Thomas Hansen went for BOI approval for the SKOV Asia expansion.
By Rikke Bjerge Johansen
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anish SKOV A/S is one of the world’s leading companies in climate and management solutions for animal farms. They develop, produce and supply the Ventilation and production equipment for poultry and pig farms worldwide, set it up and make sure it is up and running for optimal modern production. Three weeks ago, the SKOV office in Bangkok moved from the 17th to the 20th floor in Forum Tower, Huaykwang. The move was necessary in order to accommodate all the new employees. During this year 2010 they already went from five to eight staff and will continue hiring until they reach a total staff of 12 by mid 2010. One out of two Danes in the office is Thomas Hansen, 35. He used to be SKOV’s Rep Office General Manager, but from January 2010 he is now appointed Managing Director of the brand new SKOV Asia Ltd. Something that Thomas Hansen is very happy and proud about. “This year we went from being a Representative office to a com-
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pany limited with BOI approval. It means we don’t have a limit on how many work permits we can issue. We can hire as many people as we want to and go for the best candidate, no matter if it’s a Thai or expatriate. We have 100 percent ownership and it gives a lot of freedom. We can invoice our clients from our office in Bangkok and improve the service,” Thomas Hansen explains.
Crisis not to blame
Last year was not one of SKOV’s best turnover years in Asia. However, Thomas refuses to blame the crisis, like a lot of companies tend to do. “For us the bad year was not about the crisis. We are too small for that. However, the reason was that we couldn’t keep up with the demand being only five people. Also, as a Rep office I couldn’t just hire a lot of new staff to assist. The five of us travelled constantly since we had to keep up with the more than 2000 production animal houses in Southeast Asia sold during the last 5 1/2 years. It was too much,” Thomas
explains, continuing: “When we reach a total staff of 12 people we will have the perfect team size for the next three years. Now we unfortunately have no excuse not to triple our turnover,” he says smiling.
From brothers to the world
SKOV started up 35 years ago by two brothers in Glyngøre in Jutland, Denmark. They had the biggest commercial layer farm in Scandinavia and needed a climate solution – and decided to make and produce it themselves. It was the beginning of SKOV A/S. During the 1980’s and ´90s they became one of the leading companies worldwide in climate solutions to animal farms since Denmark is the second largest pork exporter in the world. Today, SKOV has 220 employees, including Asia. The first Danish employee ever to work outside Denmark was an employee who went to Australia ten years ago. It was obvious that the result improved remarkable, and in 2004 SKOV stationed a
second man, Thomas Hansen, who went to Bangkok with his partner Majbrit and their child. “We lived on Sukhumvit soi 39 in an apartment that also functioned as my office. SKOV didn’t have any significant turnover, so I had to find out the need and create a market. We knew that Thailand was a big agriculture nation in selling poultry to Japan and Europe, so we decided to give it a try,” Thomas remembers. By 1993, SKOV was taken over by the German ‘Big Dutchman’ whose head quarter in Asia are in Malaysia, so Bangkok was the perfect place for Thomas to start. Today SKOV A/S in Asia have increased their turnover 20 times since Thomas arrived and after the first 2 years it was time for him to get some staff and an office which was not in his own apartment. With his two new Thai staff he moved to Forum Tower in a 60m2 office and the Rep office continued its growth. Two years ago, the Dane Tommy Krogh who had been with SKOV in Denmark for 25 years joined the Bangkok team. “Before, I was alone with everything. I worked constantly and felt like I was being choked. With Tommy and the others it gave me so much air. You can’t do everything yourself,” says Thomas. They have also started working with some corporate partners in order to offer the clients a wide spread of solutions.
Wanted to see the world When Thomas as a young man still in his teenage years from Nykøbing Mors finished his technical education, he got an apprenticeship at SKOV in 1991. “It was just a coincidence since SKOV was close to my
home. When I finished my training, I really felt like travelling and seeing the world and asked if they could station me,” he says. He was sent to Malaysia in 95 and 96 and loved it. He had just met Majbrit in Denmark a few years earlier but she came to visit him on a regular basis. So when he got the Bangkok position offered in 04, both him and Majbrit was prepared for a new big adventure. She quit her job and now, six years after and one more child, they are still happy living in Bangkok. Majbrit is very active as chairman for Danish Womens Network and the two children are enrolled at St. Andrew’s international school. Twice a year they go back to their summerhouse in Denmark a month at a time. “We love Thailand and enjoy our good life and friends. I’m only traveling 60 days a year compared to the 120 that I used to, so we have much more stability in our life at the moment. We live in a closed community Narasiri, which is like a typical Danish neighborhood with houses and gardens. Here, the kids can bike or roller skate on the street when they come home after school. It is perfect,” he says. Also regarding SKOV it has been six good years so far. “Because we got the change to company limited with BOI, I really feel like SKOV and I have grown together in Asia. We went from being just me to a big business with a two-digit million turnover in Danish kroner and of course I feel very close to SKOV Asia. With our new three-year strategy plan it is very likely that I’m not going anywhere before 2012,” he says.
Then he adds:
“But then again…who knows if we are here for another ten or two years. I have no idea and quite frankly I don’t want to know. What would be the point, if we just remember to enjoy it while we are here,” Thomas Hansen says.
I hope that my fieldwork data will be valuable for the organizations in Bangkok using microcredit to secure sustainable development. On an academic level I wish to contribute to the anthropological science, as well as the other social and economic disciplines, with new knowledge on the subject.
Taking her Master Degree in the Slums of Bangkok Nanna Hilm, 27, is currently in Bangkok to finish her master’s degree in anthropology with field work in the slums of Khlong Toei. By Rikke Bjerge Johansen
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anna Hilm, a 27-yearsold blond woman from Copenhagen, came to Bangkok to finish her master’s degree in Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen. She already has a bachelor degree and is specializing within political anthropology. “I arrived in Bangkok by the end of January and will be living here until the beginning of June to do my fieldwork, which is an obligatory part of the master’s program,” Nanna Hilm explains. In order to do her work, she is studying Thai intensively three times a week and she will for sure see places that most Danes will never experience; The slums of Bangkok.
“My research area is within urban development with a focus on microfinance. The aim of my fieldwork is to study social relations within communities in Bangkok where microcredit programs are implemented,” she says. “Micro loans are small loans given to groups of primarily poor women who are not able to obtain regular bank loans because of their economic situations.” “Microfinance organizations use social collateral, such as peer pressure, instead of economic collateral in order to secure loan repayment. Most studies on microfinance have concentrated on the quantitative aspects of microcredit, such as loan repayment.” “By using anthropological methods such as participant observation, I hope to gain knowledge about, and shed light on, the qualitative aspects of these programs,” Nanna says. “I chose Bangkok first of all because of my love for Thailand. I have visited the country many times, and have always wanted to live here.” “Secondly, some of Thailand’s largest slum communities are located in Bangkok.
The largest of these, Khlong Toei, located just 5 min. from Sukhumvit, houses approximately 100.000 people. Different NGOs work hard in these slum areas, trying to help the poor.” Entering the field, so to speak, has been more difficult than I anticipated, Nanna admits. “The NGOs I am in contact with are extremely busy. They are trying to help so many people. But once I got the chance to visit the NGOs, I have been welcomed by both staff, volunteers and program participants with open arms. I am overwhelmed by their warmth and compassion,” she says. “In the end, I hope that my fieldwork data will be valuable to the organizations in Bangkok using microcredit, in order for them to secure sustainable development. On an academic level I wish to contribute to the anthropological science, as well as the other social and economic disciplines, with new knowledge on the subject. I might return to Bangkok when I have finished my master’s, and continue to work with development strategies.” March 2010
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Study Danish at NIST The foundation of a NIST education is the belief that students should have a solid understanding of their own culture. That is one of the reasons why the School encourages students to study their mother tongue. By Katrine Bach Sigvart
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roviding quality education for more than 1,450 students of 50 nationalities that speak 30 different mother tongues is an enormous challenge. Meeting this challenge has become the trade mark and a specialty of the the only 18 year old New International School of Thailand - NIST. The main curriculum at NIST is taught in English but unlike most other international schools, NIST provides a large selection of mother tongue languages. At NIST, students begin taking a second language at Year 2. Currently, NIST provides German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Thai as Language A or mother tongue selections. There are additional languages offered under special arrangement. These include Danish, Dutch, French, Finnish, Spanish, and Swedish. NIST has had a long experience with teaching Danish. Throughout the last nine years, the School has had a close cooperation with Holger Jensen, a qualified Danish teacher. Holger has taught more than 500 expatriate children in Bangkok and in his classes, he focuses primarily on improving the student’s language skills, as well as teaching about Danish literature and society. Holger Jensen is also qualified to teach Danish at IB Diploma level. This course prepares NIST’s Danish students for their further education at university. With a Bilingual IB Diploma, which more than half of all NIST students graduate with, Danish international students are more than capable to enter universities in Denmark. The Diploma is recognized at all higher education institutions as long as the student has passed an IB Danish exam or a similar Danish language test. “The opportunity to provide our students with an education that supports their cultural identity and understanding is one of the core values at NIST,” says Deputy Head Adrian Watts. According to him, research
has shown that studying more than one language at a time will benefit a student in more than one way. “Not only does the studying of a mother tongue enhance the student’s sense of cultural identity as well as understanding, the student will also be more capable to develop their English skills,” adds Adrian Watts. The benefits of the NIST language program are numerous. Another positive side effect of studying a mother tongue while abroad is that the Third Culture Syndrome will not be as evident upon the return to the home country as it would be, had the child studied nothing but English. Most expatiate families are familiar with this syndrome that especially affects children. While an expatriate experience can bring a family closer together, returning to the home country can be a challenge and many will experience difficulty readapting to their own culture. Depending on how long the child was abroad, he or she might experience a sense of rootlessness and disconnection with a country and a culture to which they used to belong. Studying Danish at NIST is one way to deal with this problem as the students will gain a thorough understanding of Danish culture and society, and that will prepare the Danish students at NIST for future challenges in life.
New International School of Thailand 36 Sukhumvit Soi 15 Bangkok 10110, Thailand T: +66(0)2651-2065 F: +66(0)2253-3800 www.nist.ac.th
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Smooth Transition from Denmark to Harrow When Line Jessen had her first day at Harrow International School, she hardly knew any English. Coming straight from a traditional school in Denmark, seeing the other students in their blue uniforms and the different way of teaching was a shock. That was two years ago, and since then a lot has changed.
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was really nervous,” Line recalls of her first day at her new school. “Mostly, because my English wasn’t that good. Everything was so different for me.” Line had just moved from Denmark to Bangkok with her parents and everything was new. She had been with her parents on a successful familiarization trip prior to the move, but still there was a lot to learn. However, after meeting her Housemaster, she soon felt part of the group. She was given a buddy to show her around and help her settle into her new environment.
Harrow International School 45 Soi Kosumruamchai 14, Kosumruamchai Road, Kwaeng Sikun, Don Muang, Bangkok 10210 Thailand Tel: +66 02 503 7222 Fax: +66 02 503 7223 www.harrowschool.ac.th 20
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And settle she did. After some intensive English lessons, she is achieving great academic success and she has made a wide circle of friends from many nationalities. Her quick adaptation and progress was so evident that she was awarded a prize at Harrow’s annual Speech Day last year. Line’s achievements didn’t come out of thin air, though. They required hard work and, knowing only a little English, getting through the first couple of weeks was tough. She received a lot of help from her new class mates, but her teacher, especially, supported her and helped her through the transition. “He made sure that I got lots of extra English help and spoke to me clearly and slowly whilst I was learning the language,” Line says, and according to her that is what gave her the confidence to keep working at improving her skills. The hard work paid off, and Line has always been glad that her parents chose Harrow as her new school. Of all the schools they visited, they liked Harrow and the idea of the British Curriculum the best. “My parents wanted a curriculum that would help me in later life choose the universities I want and they understood that the British National Curriculum
Line Jessen’s hard work won her an award in 2009 at Harrow’s annual Speech Day.
has a very strong reputation,” Line explains about the choice her parents made. She is particularly happy about the way they teach at Harrow. “My previous school was OK, but I felt that the teaching
wasn’t that great. I remember sitting in the history class, and just wanting to sleep. At Harrow the teachers expect you to give your opinions much more and to work out what you have learnt for yourself. It is more challenging, but it means that we understand things in a more meaningful way,” she says. According to Line, her first impression of Harrow was a good one. Everyone was friendly and they helped her adapt to her new surroundings. Even though it was tough in the beginning, she highly recommends the school to other Danish students who are moving to Bangkok. “The way they teach at Harrow is very different from Denmark, but in a good way. Everything about this school is great. What I really like about it is that it is so easy to make friends and when you are new, there is always someone to ask you how you are feeling or to help you out.” As for the future, Line isn’t quite sure of which path to choose yet. “I am going to take IGCSE, and then we will see what happens next,” she says, and because of her education at Harrow, she feels prepared for whatever comes her way.
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Foundation for the Future For Danish international students in Bangkok, an International Baccalaureate education from KIS will provide benefits throughout life, particularly in our increasingly borderless world.
KIS International School, 999/124 Kesinee Ville, Pracha-Utit Road, Huay-Kwang, Bangkok 10320, Thailand T: +66 (0) 2274-3444 F: +66 (0) 2274-3452 www.kis.ac.th
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International School is one of only three international schools in Bangkok authorized to offer all three International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes – providing a cohesive education for children aged 3 to 18 years old. Many international families in Bangkok struggle when choosing a school for their children, mainly due to lack of knowledge about the curricula offered and the value and relevance of each for their children’s futures. At KIS, we have chosen the IB curriculum as the sole education programme for a wide number of reasons, not least the value of offering an accessible and relevant education for students, regardless of home country or mother tongue. KIS’ ethos and the structure of the IB means students from almost 40 countries benefit from the international perspective and transferability of the curriculum at KIS. For Danish and other European families, the long term advantages of having their children study UK or US curricula, dictated by the Governments and economics of these countries, can be questionable. The IB, with its holistic approach and globally aware characteristics, is increasingly becoming the curriculum of choice for many international families. Danish parents wanting to educate their children with an international perspective, without denying their home culture, can gain advantages from many of the characteristics of the IB
programmes. At each stage in the children’s learning, starting right from the Primary Years Programme, children are taught to understand and respect different cultures, including their own, and to embrace both similarities and differences. Mother tongue learning is also an important focus of all IB Programmes. This emphasis becomes particularly relevant in the later stages of a student’s education because of university choices and admission requirements. The IB Diploma is recognized and welcomed as an entrance qualification for all higher education institutions in Denmark – provided the applicant has passed Danish in their IB examination or is able to pass a required Danish language test. KIS secondary students whose mother tongue is neither Thai nor English may decide to study their mother tongue as their second language as an independent study unit. This option allows students to continue their mother tongue studies to an advanced secondary level all the way to the IB Diploma. KIS assists parents in setting up additional mother tongue
language programmes upon request which can be done at primary and secondary levels through after school classes, personal tutorials and small group tuition during school time. For international students in Bangkok, the benefits of having an IB education are numerous. Not only does it give admission to universities all over the world, its strong emphasis on international understanding, responsible citizenship and critical thinking provides skills for life that will assist students in both the workplace and their personal relationships. For families who are settled in Bangkok for the long term but want their children to attend university in Denmark, the IB is by far the most transferable curriculum. Additional assistance is provided by KIS’ full time university counsellor, who is responsible for contacting universities around the world and helps students prepare for admission requirements and applications. Families who wish to arrange a campus visit can contact the Admissions Dept on +66 (0) 2 274 3444 ext. 4118 or email aine@kis.ac.th.
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Boarding Schools Prepare St The expat lifestyle provides many practical reasons for sending children to boarding school, but the advantages of a boarding experience can go far beyond that.
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lthough the distance can take its toll on both the child and its parents, sending children to boarding school in their home country remains a popular choice for expats. In spite of the separation from family and loved ones, ultimately, the benefits of attending boarding school are many. Gaining a better understanding of roots and cultures, desires for academic achievements, a change of scenery, or being bored with life abroad are just some of them. Focused attention 24/7 According to advocates of the boarding school experience, students at boarding schools are usually taught in smaller classes, which is not always possible in regular schools. The fact that students as well as teachers live on campus also allows for more focused attention on the individual student, and he or she will be able to become absorbed in different subjects and receive the help they need along the way. Furthermore, advocates claim that students are encouraged to study more than normally because they are constantly in an academic environment, and they are inspired to do so by their peers. Because of this, people who have attended boarding school are, on average, better prepared for future challenges such as college and university.
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People who have attended boarding school are, on average, better prepared for future challenges such as college and university.
udents for Life Friends for life At most boarding schools, there is a strong feeling of unity and the community on campus is often very strong, proponents claim. Although the students receive a lot of help and support from their teachers, they very much rely on themselves and the other students. As everyone is in the same boat in a very intense environment where studying and being away from home are some of the key words, the students at boarding schools often form very strong bonds of loyalty and trust with their fellow boarders. After a boarding experience, many find that the friendships they have made last a lifetime.
Adapting to a changing world Proponents also claim that because they are constantly surrounded by people their own age, students will acquire the skills to become independent, critical thinkers at an early age. They learn how to deal with their problems in a mature and responsible way, and they will develop the ability to quickly adapt to new surroundings and environments. Being apart from parents and other loved ones also gives the students a strong sense of self, supporters say. They learn to trust and believe in themselves as they work through challenges and hardship on their own without the physical support of their parents nearby.
Not for everyone Boarding school provides you with skills that will be benefit you throughout life. However, it is important to keep in mind that boarding is not for everyone. For the robust child, the experience will prepare him or her for an ambitious life and it teaches the students to survive on their own when things get rough. If the students has a need to feel secure and comfortable in order to thrive, a boarding school may not always be able to provide that kind of environment. Some will like it while others will not. Having selected a boarding school for their child, parents should observe their child maybe even closely than before the move in order to detect early on any signs that may indicate if their decision to go for a boarding school was wrong - or if the chosen school was not the right choice for their child,
Nyborg Gymnasium
KOSTSKOLEN
På kostskolen ved Nyborg Gymnasium bor du i dejlige omgivelser midt i Danmark, samtidig med at du tager en dansk studenter- eller hf-eksamen eller den internationale studentereksamen International Baccalaureate (IB). Skolen lægger vægt på gode og tætte kontakter mellem elever, lærere og øvrigt personale: på kostafdelingen i form af elevdemokrati, på skolen i form af et tæt samarbejde om den enkelte klasse og elev. Vi sender gerne yderligere oplysninger og ansøgningsskema. Skolebakken 13 DK-5800 Nyborg Tlf +45 65 31 02 17 Fax +45 63 25 52 19 post@nyborg-gym.dk www.nyborg-gym.dk March 2010
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Calendar
New Members Corporate:
COMING EVENTS BREAKFAST SEMINAR - NEW VISA PROCEDURES AT THE ROYAL DANISH EMBASSY DANCHAM EASTER LUNCH
23 MAR 2010 02 APR 2010
PAST EVENTS TACKLING CHALLENGES AND MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES IN 2010
18 MAR 2010
THAI-DANISH CLUB’S 4TH ANNIVERSARY
17 MAR 2010
GO-KARTING RACE TFCC OPEN
17 MAR 2010
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & DINNER
10 MAR 2010
BREAKFAST MEETING WITH JFCCT
03 MAR 2010
NORDIC NETWORKING WITH SAS
04 MAR 2010
DANCHAM NETWORKING
20 JAN 2010
CHAMBER NETWORKING AT LOS CABOS
17 FEB 2010
DANCHAM NETWORKING
21 APR 2010
DANISH DAYS IN CAMBODIA WITH THE ROYAL DANISH EMBASSY
26 JAN 2010
AIR BERLIN PLC & CO. Luftverkehrs KG 17th Floor Vorawat Building, 849 Silom Road, Bangrak 10500 Tel: +66 2 236 9779 Fax: +66 2 267 1190 Mr. Stefan Magiera General Manager Thailand CLAUDI GROUP CO., LTD. 48/1 Sukumvit City Resort, Sukumvit Soi 11, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 2 168 4053 Mr. Ben Andersen General Manager FINNAIR PLC 163 Unit F, 18th Floor, Unit F Ocean Insurance Building Surawongse Rd., Kwang Suriyawongse Khet Bangrak Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66 2 266-3260 – 5 Fax: +66 2266-3266 Website: www.finnair.com Mr. Jani Peuhkurinen Director, Sales Korea & Thailand Ms. Nantiya Wongrojaree Senior Client Manager I-TRACKING (THAILAND) CO., LTD. 370/4 Fair Tower, 2nd. Fl. Sukhumvit Rd., Soi 50 Phakhanong, Khongtoey Bangkok 10126 Tel: +66 2 742 7105 www.I-Trackingthailand.com Mr. Thomas Fatzler Director PRESSALIT A/S Pressalitvej 1, DK-8680 Ry Denmark Tel: +45 8788 8788 www.pressalit.com Mr. Knud Meldgaard Andersen Team Manager, Production Mr. Niels Martin Norge Holm Senior Commercial Director Mr. Henrik Damborg Production Director Mr. Jesper Riis Antonsen Logistic Director Ms. Hanne Meldgaard Andersen SEB PRIVATE BANKING SINGAPORE 50 Raffles Place #36-01 Singapore Land Tower, Singapore 048623 Website: www.sebgroup.com/privatebanking Mr. Anders Ng Senior Private Banker, Private Banking STABLE LODGE CO., LTD. 39 Sukhumvit Road Soi 8, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 2 653 0017-9 Fax: +66 2 253 5125 www.stableodge.com Mr. Steffen Ingemann
Individual: JEAN JACOBI Sivalee 1, Soi 26, 202, Nakon Nayok 50 Rd. Rangsit, Pathum Tanee 12130 Tel: +66 2 974 0786 Mobile: +66 87 103 3851 STEVEN TYNAN Precise Biometrics Asia Ltd 2F Sunny Building 57 Wyndham Street, Central Hong Kong Tel: +852 2559 4740 Mobile: +852 6015 0520 www. precisebiometrics.com TOMAS LICHTENBERG IVD Industrial Vector Design Husumgade 6, 2th, 2200 Copenhagen N. Denmark Tel: +45 2812 1220 26
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