fccs focus september 2013 urban smarts

FocusThe Magazine of the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore | www.fccsingapore.com

September 2013

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

Urban Smarts

www.ca-suisse.sg

1FOCUS MAGAZINESeptember 2013 CONTENTS

EDITORIAL

SHORT NEWSRoche Bobois Opens its First Singapore Showroom

PAUL Opens New Bakery-Restaurant in Tanglin MallLa Marelle Editions Launches in Singapore

SIA Finalises Order for Up to 50 More A350 XWBsHera Capital Invests in Sophie Paris

New French Concept Shoe Store SMALL Opens in SingaporeEssilor Expands in Sun Lens Production with the Acquisition of Polycore

AXA Completes Acquisition of HSBC Insurance’s Employee Benefits Business in SingaporeINTERPOL and Morpho Sign Strategic Biometric Partnership

Arkadin Awarded Frost & Sullivan APAC Conferencing Service Provider of the Year AwardFCCS Receives UCCIFE Innovation Award 2013 for the ‘Restaurateurs de France’ Label

First Restaurants Obtain the Official ‘Restaurateurs de France’ Certification in SingaporeFrom Singapore to Paris, an interview with Arnaud Vaissié, recently elected President of UCCIFE

PATRON MEMBERS’ SPOTLIGHTAXA’s Strategy in Asia

COVER STORY - URBAN SMARTSSingapore, Liveable City

Asia’s Smart City RevolutionMeeting the Challenges of the Future: A Model for Smart CitiesForCity, Foresight: The Next Corner towards Singapore’s Future

Green Buildings, a Key Component of Smart CityBeyond Smart Grids

Innovative Data Solutions for a Sustainable FutureM2M Solutions for Smart Cities

Smart = Security + MobilityEnabling Smart Cities: A New Breed of Cloud Data Centres

Smart Cities and Innovation Financing in SingaporeGreen & Smart Singapore

Identity and Digital Security for a Secured, Smarter CitySmart Energy for Smart Cities

FCCS BUSINESS SERVICESNewly Set-Up Companies

They Rely on Us... and Testify on Our ServicesSpotlight on French Technology at BroadcastAsia & CommunicAsia 2013

A Great Evening with the 4th Edition of the ICT Awards!

FCCS HR & TRAINING SERVICESUpcoming FCCS Trainings Modules, Sep-Dec 2013

FCCS CLUB EVENTSGeneral Assembly

CEO SeriesEntrepreneurs Committee

Human Resources CommitteeEnergy / Infrastructure Committee

ICT CommitteeLegal & Tax Committee

Banking & Finance CommitteeBusiness Women Network CommitteeLuxury & Premium Retail Committee

Asia CommitteeSourcing & Supply Chain Committee

FCCS Events Asia Committee

French Gourmet CommitteeFCCS New MembersFCCS Privilege Card

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2 FCCS PATRON MEMBERS FOCUS MAGAZINESeptember 2013

FCCS Focus Magazine is published

by the French Chamber of Commerce

in Singapore (FCCS). The views and

opinions expressed in its columns

do not necessarily reflect those of

the FCCS members and management.

director of publication

Carine Lespayandel

chief editor

Nicolas Avril

editorial contributor

Marie-Charlotte Macaud

design & layout

Jonathan Meur

advertising

Nicolas AvrilMarie-Charlotte Macaud

Jonathan Meur

colour separation & printing

NPE Print Communications Pte Ltd

cover photo

© shutterstock.com

September 2013

4,000 copies

MCI (P) 198/06/2013

The French Chamber of

Commerce in Singapore

541 Orchard Road#09-01 Liat TowersSingapore 238881Tel: +65 6933 1350Fax: +65 6933 1398

www.fccsingapore.com

[email protected]

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

3FOCUS MAGAZINESeptember 2013 EDITORIAL

Arecord of 6.3 billion people*representing 70% of the world’spopulation will live in urban areas

in 2050, up from 3.6 in 2011! And by2025, large cities with one million ormore habitants will be home to abouthalf of all city dwellers.

In this context of fast urbanisation, theconcept of smart cities was recentlyintroduced. Literarily, a smart city is adeveloped urban area that createssustainable economic development andhigh quality of life by excelling inmultiple key areas: economy, mobility,environment, government, people, andliving.

Smart cities initiatives are typicallyachieved via investments in humanand social capital and communicationinfrastructure, with a growing usage ofICT (Information and CommunicationTechnologies).

Singapore, as a highly developedsovereign city-state with a population of5.2 million and the second highestdensity in the world, has naturallyengaged very early on in initiativescontributing to making it a smarter city.Singapore was the first to introduce in1998 an Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)system to encourage drivers to traveloutside of peak times, thus reducingtraffic congestion. Singapore is regularlyranked number one worldwide for itscomprehensive e-government solutions,which facilitate the interactions betweenits citizens and government agencies.Singapore also launched in 2005 a 10-

year ICT master plan to build a well-connected society and established in2011 a Smart Cities Programme Office,which focuses on the development ofsolutions for urban environments. Wecan therefore expect the city-state tocontinue to be a pioneer in the smartcity arena.

There is no formal ranking of smartcities worldwide. We should be thankfulfor this. Trying to measure smartness canlead to endless debates and hazardousmeasures, which would precisely ruinthe concept. What exists though is agrowing number of concrete smart cityapplications worldwide.

As a citizen of the world, you willcertainly enjoy reading, in this edition ofFocus Magazine, how companies todaydirectly contribute to Singapore’s plan tobecome one of the most advanced smartcities. You will learn how visionary urbanplanning, energy management, smartgrids, Information and CommunicationTechnologies, green and autonomousbuilding construction techniques, andother smart city initiatives are nowapplied to enhance urban citizens’everyday life.

Enjoy and dream! But remember thatwhat you will read in the following pagesis today’s reality…

Serge Genetet

Executive Vice President – ManagingDirector Asia Pacific, Arkadin GlobalCollaboration Services

Singapore, a Smart City

* World Urbanization Prospects, The 2011 Revision,

United Nations New York

4 SHORT NEWSFrench Companies in Singapore

FOCUS MAGAZINESeptember 2013

July marked the arrival of French LuxuryFurniture brand, Roche Bobois, in Singa-pore. Two collections, Contemporary and

Classic, are beingdisplayed on asurface area ofapproximately700m2.

Customers cannow discoverthe French artde vivre – or“way of life” –through these

collections, which include collaborationswith Jean-Paul Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel,Missoni and Ungaro.

Roche Bobois is a global leader in high-end furniture design and distribution.Roche Bobois is a dynamic company indevelopment. With a turnover of €380millions in 2012, Roche Bobois is nowpresent in 45 countries with a network of250 exclusive stores.

As a testimony to the brand’s dynamism,Roche Bobois opens one store per monthin the world. Each new showroom reflectsthe spirit of the brand through its interiorarchitecture, the selected models and thecollections displayed, and the quality ofthe proposed services. F

Roche Bobois Opens its First Singapore Showroom

PAUL opened its second bakery-restaurant in Tanglin Mall in July.This is PAUL’s second outlet inSingapore after its flagship bakery-restaurant in Takashimaya.

In conjunction with the new opening,PAUL introduced 15 new items to itscurrent menu. They represent PAUL’sphilosophy of offering traditionalrecipes while showcasing its expertversatility in baking and cuisine. Bothstores carry the full menu offerings.

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

made traditional and specialty Frenchbreads to Singapore.

The new store comes complete with abakery counter where customers can pickup freshly-baked breads, sandwiches,

viennoiseries and pastries. Forcustomers who wish to sit down fora meal, PAUL’s dine-in restaurantcan comfortably seat up to 80persons. PAUL’s newest expansionmarks its promise to continueoffering the most authentic ofFrench cuisine in Singapore. “Wehave seen such strong support inthe last year and a half since we firstset foot in Singapore. Heartened, we

decided to take our food offerings furtherwith a second bakery-restaurant. As longas we are here, we will continue to bringan authentic taste of France through thecuisine served at PAUL,” said CEO of PAULInternational, Maxime Holder. F

La Marelle Editions, a leading artisticFrench company in fashion accessories andlifestyle products, launched its brand in twomajor retailers in Singapore: TakashimayaDepartment Store and the Museum of Artand Design at Mandarin Gallery. It alsoopened its first retail concept café onBaghdad Street last June.

La Marelle is one of only five French brandsselected to participate in the Maison & ObjetAsia 2014 show in Singapore, one of thelargest and most important internationalgatherings of decor and design pro-fessionals. Offering an extensive range ofhandmade bags, accessories, as well as

stationery and home decoration items, LaMarelle promises a taste of France toaccessorise the daily lives of consumers.Pascale Nivet-Bernetière, founder of thebrand together with her husband, workswith over 40 international artists to createvarious regular collections for La Marelle.

According to Nivet-Bernetière, “the ins-piration behind the brand is all about thearts, creativity and imagination infused ingood quality products that the consumercould use and enjoy every day. We want toplease our consumers and make themhappy whether they are receiving or givingour products!” F

PAUL Opens New Bakery-Restaurant in Tanglin Mall

La Marelle Editions Launches in Singapore

Hera Capital, the entrepreneurialprivate equity investment firm, hasinvested in Sophie Paris, a leadingIndonesia-based designer and directselling distributor of handbags,apparel, jewellery and cosmetics.

Founded in 1994 and headquarteredin Jakarta, Sophie Paris has becomethe leading brand in Indonesia foraffordable fashion delivered througha catalogue distributed every 40 daysto more than 300,000 customers.

Sophie Paris has also replicated its modeland localised its offerings outside Indo-nesia – it is now present and growing fastin Malaysia, Morocco, the Philippines, andVietnam.

Hera Capital founders Sébastien Guillaudand Thierry de Panafieu commented: "Wechose to invest in Sophie Paris after havingworked closely with its management for ayear on various strategic topics. This

journey has convinced us that SophieParis has managed to crack the secretformula to delivering fast fashion ataffordable prices.

Bruno Hasson, Sophie Paris’s founderand CEO, is a true visionary andpassionate entrepreneur who has builta top-performing management teamaround him. We are thrilled that HeraCapital is now part of Sophie Paris'amazing adventure and very muchlook forward to working alongsideBruno and his team to further

strengthen and develop the brand." F

CENTREThe Hera Capital team (from left to right): Florent,Thierry, Sébastien, and Jean-Pierre.

5FOCUS MAGAZINESeptember 2013

SHORT NEWSFrench Companies in Singapore

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has increased itsorders for the A350 XWB with an additional30 A350-900s, plus options for a further 20aircraft.

The agreement firmed up a commitmentannounced one month before. This is thethird order from SIA for the A350 XWB.

The deal saw the carrier’s total firmorders for the all-new aircraft increase to70, plus 20 options. Singapore Airlines will

operate the A350 XWB on long haul andregional services.

"We are pleased to announce this latestorder from Singapore Airlines as the A350XWB flight test campaign begins,” saidJohn Leahy, Chief Operating Officer,Customers, Airbus. "It’s another clearendorsement of our all-new design A350XWB, bringing a step change in efficiencyand comfort to the mid-size widebodymarket with a single product family.” F

SIA Finalises Order for Up to 50 More A350 XWBs

Faced with a somewhat limited choice ofshoes in Singapore for their children andfor themselves, three French friendsdecided to launch their own business. Andthis is how SMALL was born. SMALL is anew concept store specialising in shoes

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

After three successful open houses inJune, the concept proved to be verypromising.

SMALL opened its first store in ClunyCourt in early September. F

New French Concept Shoe Store SMALL Opens inSingapore

Hera Capital Invests in Sophie Paris



AXA Singapore announced in August thecompletion of the acquisition of HSBC’s

Employee Benefits business in Singapore.Permanent contracts were offered to all

HSBC Employee Benefits staff,and everyone joined the AXASingapore team. The integrationenables AXA to jump two posi-tions to #4 Employee Benefitsprovider in Singapore.

As part of this acquisition, AXALife Singapore included anexisting 10-year bancassuranceagreement between AXA Ge-neral Insurance and HSBC thatwas signed in 2012.

Under the new agreement,HSBC will continue to offerEmployee Benefits solutions totheir customers underwritten byAXA.

AXA Singapore will be admi-nistering insurance cover andclaims for former HSBC Em-ployee Benefits customers.

CEO of AXA Life Singapore, Mr. GlennWilliams said, “We are happy to welcomeour new colleagues onboard AXA. SinceApril, we have been working on the bestframework to deliver our EmployeeBenefit solutions to the market. We willcontinue to uphold our high standards ofservicing, so as to maintain strongrelationships with all our existing and newcustomers as well as distributors andbusiness partners.”

CEO of AXA Insurance Singapore, DoinaPalici-Chehab added, “This acquisition hasenhanced AXA’s position and market stan-ding in the Employee Benefits market-place. Now that the acquisition is fullycompleted, we are excited to offer anenhanced range of products which,combined with our high standards ofservicing will grow AXA to a top threeplayer in Employee Benefits in the nearfuture.” F

AXA Completes Acquisition of HSBC Insurance’sEmployee Benefits (EB) Business in Singapore

Essilor Expands in Sun Lens Production with theAcquisition of PolycoreEssilor International has announced theacquisition of a 50% stake in PolycoreOptical, one of the world’s leading sunlens producers.

Founded in 1976, Singapore-basedPolycore develops and manufactures a

wide range of plano (non-prescription)sun lenses, and prescription sun andclear lenses, which are sold in Asia,Europe and the United States. Thecompany, which has 2,200 employees andrevenues of around €30 million, is anEssilor supplier. It has two production

plants, in Indonesia and Malay-sia, and three prescription labo-ratories, including an exportlaboratory, in Indonesia and theNetherlands.

Commenting on the acquisition,Hubert Sagnières, Essilor’sChairman and Chief ExecutiveOfficer, said, "This agreement isin line with our eye protectionand visual health strategy.Polycore’s production capacityand facilities will add to Essilor’s

existing sun lens capabilities, mainlylocated in our BNL plants in France and atGentex in the United States. This newpartnership will allow us to offer a wider,more comprehensive range of sun pro-ducts and materials, and to increase thepenetration of high-performance sunlenses."

With their ability to enhance visualcomfort and clarity by protecting the eye,sun lenses form an integral part ofEssilor’s mission of improving the visionof 4.2 billion people in the world, of whom2.5 billion do not have corrective eyewear.The sun lens segment is growing aroundtwice as fast as the corrective lensmarket. F

LEFTEssilor’s Crizal UV lens.

LEFTGlenn Williams, CEO of AXA Life Singapore.


SHORT NEWSFrench Companies in Singapore

Arkadin, one of the world’s largest andfastest-growing Conferencing Service Pro-viders, received the 2013 Frost & SullivanAsia Pacific ICT Conferencing Service Pro-vider of the Year award.

Recognising outstanding performance bycompanies in the Enterprise, Telecom, andService Provider segments of the Infor-mation, Communication and Technology(ICT) industry, Arkadin was chosen for theexemplary growth of its products,spanning audio, web and video conferen-cing and unified communications (UC)technologies.

“Arkadin has shown a remarkable 25%year-on-year growth in 2012, when itscompetitors and the general marketsuffered a slow down,” says Jessie Yu,Industry Manager, Asia Pacific ICT Practicefor Frost & Sullivan. “Moreover, thisgrowth originated in Japan, China andIndia, key countries where competition isstrong and service differentiation iscrucial.”

According to Ms. Yu, telecommunicationspartnerships are a major growth con-tributor: “Arkadin has managed to growwith the strength of its telco partnershipsin the region, which are increasinglyemerging as a pivotal sales channel. Withimproved market penetration amonglarge enterprises, Arkadin is now in thebig league as a major provider of col-laboration services in the Asia Pacificregion.”

“We are honoured to be selected for thisaward, which is a testament to the strengthof our customer value proposition,” saysSerge Genetet, Arkadin’s EVP andManaging Director APAC. “Asia Pacific isone of Arkadin’s fastest growing regions.We are confident the strategies we have inplace − coupled with the dedication andpassion of our APAC workforce − willcontinue to propel our influence andgrowth throughout the decade.” F

Arkadin Awarded Frost & Sullivan APACConferencing Service Provider of the Year Award

A partnership agreement will see Morpho

(Safran) provide INTERPOL with a rangeof innovative biometric solutions and othertechnical support to enhance globalsecurity.

The partnership covers the supply ofautomated biometric identification sys-tems to INTERPOL, provision of state-of-the-art security solutions for the futureINTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation(IGCI), set to open in Singapore in 2014, aswell as collaboration on the subject ofborder security.

Under the five-year partnership, Morpho’sfacial recognition technology will also beprovided to INTERPOL as an additionalcriminal identification tool.

The two organisations, along with otherkey partners, will also collaborate on

developing global stan-dards and best prac-tices to improve borderefficiency and securitythrough the use of bio-metrics in order totackle the challenge ofincreasing numbers oftravellers and relatedthreats.

Philippe Petitcolin, Chairman and ChiefExecutive Officer of Morpho, commented,“This new partnership is a continuation ofour decade-long effort to support INTER-POL in its fight against transborder crimethrough delivery of advanced biometricsolutions.”

Since 1999, Morpho has provided INTER-POL with its Automated Fingerprint Bio-metric System (AFIS) enabling officers in

all member countries to conduct checksand identify internationally wanted per-sons via INTERPOL’s global network.Under the partnership, this system will bereplaced with Morpho’s latest-generationAFIS, which includes enhanced capabi-lities and offers greater speed. F

INTERPOL and Morpho Sign Strategic BiometricPartnership

TOPINTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) setto open in Singapore in 2014.

© IN

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POL



FCCS Receives UCCIFE Innovation Award 2013 forthe ‘Restaurateurs de France’ Label

Earlier this year, the French Chamber of

Commerce in Singapore signed an agree-ment with the ‘Restaurateurs de France’

label to introduce it in Singapore. The‘Restaurateurs de France’ label is anofficial recognition of quality and savoir-faire. It guarantees homemade Frenchcooking with high-quality products by ateam of French F&B professionals.

The ‘Restaurateurs de France’certificationis an official label recognised by theFrench Government for the independentrestaurant industry. Created in France byrestaurateurs themselves, it aims torecognise the quality of the most deman-ding restaurateurs. For the first time, the‘Restaurateurs de France’ label is being

awarded outside France. French Res-taurateurs in Singapore are awardedunder the supervision of the FrenchChamber of Commerce in Singapore. Todate, two restaurants have successfullypassed the audit: L’Angelus and LesBouchons.

During its General Assembly in June,UCCIFE (Union des Chambres de Com-merce et d’Industrie Francaises à l’Etran-ger) recognised the label as an innovativesolution and benchmark for the networkto promote French gastronomy and savoir-faire abroad. F

First Restaurants Obtain the Official ‘Restaurateursde France’ Certification in Singapore

L’Angelus and Les Bouchons are the firsttwo restaurants to get the ‘Restaurateursde France’certification in Singapore. Byapplying to get the certification in Singa-pore, these restaurants committed toengaging in a dynamic process where, asprofessionals, they agreed to a criticalreview of their establishment as well asto being audited by an independent bodyto offer the best of quality to theircustomers.

To obtain the certification, the restaurantshave successfully been audited andtherefore comply with a list of qualitycriteria such as food origin and freshness,guest relations, etc. More restaurants willbe audited in the coming months.

Set up in 1998 in a typical shophouse in

the heart of historical Chinatown,l’Angelus has become one of the mostauthentic and highly valued Frenchrestaurant in the region, thanks to itsreputation for genuine consistency.L’Angelus values French gastronomy byoffering traditional French cooking of highquality in a décor evoking those charminglittle restaurants nestled in a corner ofParis.

Since 2002, Les Bouchons has beenserving authentic French steaks and friesin town in a typical Parisian bistro décor.Best selected meats – French«Normande» race for instance – andspecially imported French potatoes toproduce their trademark home-madeFrench fries have helped build itsreputation over the years. F

TOP, LEFT TO RIGHTLes Bouchons; L’Angelus.

The “Restaurateurs de France in

Singapore” Label

Prime Sponsor


SHORT NEWSUCCIFE News

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RECENTELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF UCCIFE!COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN YOUR NEWROLE AND HOW YOU FORESEE THE KEYMILESTONES OF YOUR PRESIDENCY?

The Union of the French Chambers ofCommerce and Industry Abroad (UCCIFE)is a very powerful network that bringstogether 111 French Chambers abroad in81 countries. This is one of the largestprivate networks in the world gathering32,000 companies ranging from start-upsand SMEs to large groups. Fifty percent ofour 32,000 companies are French. It is alsoimportant to point out that our network is97% self-funded.

When I took over the UCCIFE chairmanshiplast June, following Pierre-Antoine Gailly'stwo successful terms, I found a network ingood condition since the French Chambersof Commerce and Industry have sig-nificantly increased their influence abroad.This certainly does not mean that mymission will be a bed of roses, but therecord shows that UCCIFE is well-established as a resource for companies

seeking to expand internationally and inpromoting the development of the Frenchbusiness community overseas.

With a French foreign trade deficitreaching a record-high of 70 billion euroslast year, the key milestone of my presi-dency will be to help international deve-lopment of French SMEs either throughdirect export or through the setting up oftheir establishment overseas. To achieveresults, we will need to work even moreclosely with the network of French Cham-bers of Commerce gathered in CCI Franceand Ubifrance, the national agency forFrance’s foreign trade and the FrenchTreasury.

UCCIFE offers a wide range of efficienttools meant to help French companiesexpand internationally: for instance, weprovide office space within 720 work sta-tions in nearly 60 countries. Since we aredirectly connected to more than 80 coun-tries, we have strong expertise in localmarkets with a high level of awarenessregarding the demands for French pro-ducts and technologies.

The second key milestone will be to makefull use of the UCCIFE platform in termsof benchmarking and sharing bestpractices among our Chambers. Ulti-mately, that will benefit us all.

YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THEUCCIFE NETWORK FOR A LONG TIMEAND IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES. WHY IS ITIMPORTANT FOR COMPANIES TO BEPART OF THIS NETWORK?

First, French Chambers of Commerce andIndustry Abroad have the necessary ex-pertise and resources to help any company

wishing to expand internationally. The 111French Chambers abroad are managed byclose to 900 full-time staff members, whoare for the most part bicultural. It is a keyasset to facilitate foreign development.Second, they are a very powerful com-munity of businessmen and women who, intheir activities, are not only supporting theChambers but also new companies willingto increase or to start their business in thecountry. Third, as the voice of the FrenchChambers of Commerce and IndustryAbroad, UCCIFE has the capacity to in-fluence public authorities both locally andinternationally.

YOU SET UP INTERNATIONAL SOS INSINGAPORE IN 1985 AND WON THEERNST & YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OFTHE YEAR FROM SINGAPORE IN 2009.IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THEMAIN COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES OFSINGAPORE?

Entrepreneurship is something very closeto my heart and I think that Singapore hasbeen very intelligently targeting arenas forbusiness creation and massively helpingentrepreneurs. Because the odds arealways against the risk-taking entre-preneurs versus established businesses,you do need governments steeringresources - intellectual and financial - inorder to skew the odds in favour of theentrepreneurs. Singapore is one of themost attractive cities in Asia with agenuinely competitive and pro-businessenvironment. Singapore can boast aboutits lean bureaucracy, world-class infra-structures, and safe and clean environ-ment. In this context, it is no wonder thatSingapore has topped Global Ease ofDoing Business Ranking for seven yearsrunning. F

From Singapore to ParisAn interview with Arnaud Vaissié, recently elected President of UCCIFE

The key milestone of my presidency will

be to help international development of

French SMEs.“

”

Following the UCCIFE Annual General Meeting on June 24th, Arnaud Vaissié, Founder of International SOSand President of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Great Britain, was elected President ofUCCIFE for the 2013-2016 period by the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.

10 PATRON MEMBERS SPOTLIGHTInterview with a FCCS Patron Member


COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUTYOUR PATH TO THE TOP OF AXA?

I joined AXA 15 years ago after a firstexperience in the banking industry. Istarted in asset management and then hadthe opportunity to work at the head-quarters at the time of the transitionbetween Claude Bébéar and Henri deCastries. It has been a great opportunity tobe exposed to successful leaders and learnfrom them. I have been impressed by theirvisionary skills, their capacity to balancebusiness efficiency with strong humanvalues and their ability to be in the momentwhatever happens. At a time where theworld is changing fast, where informationis flowing and technology allowing instantaccess to almost everything, these areprecious learning experiences.

Throughout my work at AXA, I haveacquired numerous experiences on itsdifferent businesses, and functional versusoperational roles, in France and abroad.Taking new challenges, getting out of mycomfort zone, getting to know differentpeople and developing a team are part ofmy motivation at work. It is probably notthe standard way to develop a career but ithas pushed me every time to go beyond myknown limits, to live enthralling ex-periences.

Working at the headquarters also allowedme to develop my knowledge of the AXAGroup. Understanding its vision, its stra-tegic priorities, its many businesses, itsvarious markets, and getting to knowpeople from different backgrounds pro-vided me with the capability to graspopportunities more rapidly and to morerapidly connect with the relevant people toleverage best practices.

I have come to consider this very importantespecially in Asia, where we have highambitions in terms of development and

where we can leverage existing successfrom elsewhere in the Group as well asbring to the rest of the Group new mindset,new solutions.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES ANDCHALLENGES OF THE APAC REGION?

Of my 15 years at AXA, I have been workingeight years in Asia: five years in Japan,mostly on the life insurance side, and threeyears in Singapore as regional CEO forProperty and Casualty Operations. I seeAsia as a land of opportunities. With thefast development of Asian countries, thereis an increasing need for protection forAsian citizens and you really feel that, asan insurance company, we have a role toplay.

To protect customers from consequencesof risks (car accidents, travel incidents,home insurance), to accompany the deve-lopment of companies (supporting marinebusiness development, insuring cons-truction workers and buildings, providingsolutions for SME businesses), to adviseour customers on suitable investment andasset management solutions, and todeliver health services are just a fewexamples of that, and it is extremelyenergising to develop your activity whilebringing solutions to society.

It does not come without challenges andthe main business one is probably theawareness towards risk. Developmentmeans an inherent part of risk but

sustainable development requires ameasured risk appetite and this is wherewe come in. I have seen in Thailand in 2011where the dramatic floods have signi-ficantly impacted the economy of thecountry and its factories, sometimes withcollateral impact on other industries, butalso on individuals where, in some cases,houses flooded for three months need tobe fully rebuilt.

To increase awareness towards thedevelopment of risk and to invest infundamental research for a better under-standing of risk is part of our mission.Indeed, the AXA Group is investing 200million euros to develop awareness andunderstanding of risk worldwide. InSingapore specifically, a significant invest-ment has been made to contribute to thelaunch of the Earth Observatory of Singa-pore with the objective to develop theknowledge of natural disasters.

From a personal point of view, I believeworking in Asia requires mind and culturalopenness, entrepreneurship and a senseof adventure. The main challenge of Asia isthat Asia is not “one”. It is a variety ofcultures, market situations, businessenvironments, which requires adaptabilityand which makes the challenge exhila-rating.

COULD YOU PLEASE BRIEFLY DESCRIBEAXA’S STRATEGY IN ASIA?

We have the ambition to become the

AXA’s Strategy in AsiaInterview with Gaëlle Olivier, Chief Executive Officer of AXA's Property and Casualty Operations in Asia

The main challenge of Asia is that Asia is

not “one”. It is a variety of cultures,

market situations, business environments,

which requires adaptability and which

makes the challenge exhilarating.

“

”

The AXA Group is a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 163,000 employees serving101 million clients in 57 countries. Asia is regarded as having the greatest growth potential in the AXA Groupand its contribution to overall revenue is expected to grow significantly, supported by the Hong Kong andSingapore regional offices. The AXA Asia Regional Office based in Singapore is responsible for supportingAsia's property and casualty insurance operations in its growth, development and governance.


PATRON MEMBERS SPOTLIGHTInterview with a FCCS Patron Member

number three life insurance company inAsia and to become the leader in GeneralInsurance business. This translates for usin doubling our size organically within fiveyears (i.e. 15% growth per year onaverage) and tripling our earnings. Achie-ving our ambition will require agility on thepart of the organisation, and strong teams,combined with the readiness to challengeourselves, and to improve our processesin order to better serve our customers.

On the General Insurance side, we seecustomer service as a key element ofdifferentiation and we are ready tostrengthen our distribution skills andinvest in our platforms to get closer to ourcustomers’ and distributors’ needs. Forexample, we recently acquired HSBC’sgeneral insurance operations in Hong-Kong and Singapore, combined with anexclusive distribution agreement withHSBC going forward as we believebancassurance distribution is a growingaccess point for our customers.

Asia is also undergoing a transformationalprocess of digitalisation and this is chan-ging how and what our customers pur-chase. Responding to these changes willbe a significant opportunity for companiesin Asia during this next decade.

We have built solid positions in Hong-Kong(#1), in Singapore (#2) and in Malaysia(#7), and we continue to gain marketshares in those markets by widening ourdistribution reach, and striving to improveour offer and service towards our agents,brokers and our customers.

In India, China, Indonesia, and Thailand,we are establishing solid bases for ourfuture development and the results arevery encouraging with strong growth andsolid teams. When we think about thosemarkets opportunities, we think about the2.8 billion people with increasing protec-tion needs. In China or India today, lessthan 50 people out of 1,000 own a car,compared to 800 in the USA...

AS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE FCCS,HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ROLETHAT THE FCCS SERVES TODAY FORFRENCH COMPANIES IN SINGAPORE?

Beyond its role of representing the Frencheconomic development in Singapore and

very often in Asia as well, the FrenchChamber of Commerce in Singapore has akey role to play in facilitating the deve-lopment of French companies, notablySMEs in Asia. This includes building con-nections with well-established compa-nies, sharing job opportunities for people,and educating or providing training on themany characteristics of doing business inAsia.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT KIND OFCHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITIESMAKE A GOOD LEADER?

I believe good leaders have a vision theybelieve in and guide their teams towardsan accelerated path towards that vision.This requires leaders to be able to inspireand to develop wide understanding of that

vision, to build a solid team and to em-power it to deliver, and to accompany theteam along the way to overcome inevitableobstacles.

SOME CAREER ADVICE TO CLIMB TO THETOP?

I am not a believer in career path andalways thinking about the next step. Ibelieve more in living your passion,surrounding yourself with people youenjoy working with, being aware of whereyour energy comes from, securing andgrowing that level of energy, and buildingresilience.

YOUR MOTTO IN LIFE?“Nothing great in the world wasaccomplished without passion.” F

The French Chamber of Commerce in

Singapore has a key role to play in

facilitating the development of French

companies, notably SMEs in Asia.

“

”

www.ascot-expats.sg


ADVERTORIALAscot Expats

EN QUOI CONSISTE VOTRE PROFESSION ?

Nous sommes conseils en organisation patrimoniale des

expatriés. Notre métier consiste à leur apporter une aide

concrète et complète sur l’organisation de leur patrimoine ainsi

que de leur statut civil et matrimonial.

DE QUEL TYPE DE PATRIMOINE ?

De tout type de patrimoine, qu'il soit immobilier, financier, etc...

Cette organisation est, vous vous en doutez, déjà relativement

complexe pour un résident français ; mais lorsqu'il s'agit d'un

expatrié cela peut devenir très compliqué. Pas seulement en

raison de la distance avec la France, mais aussi parce que

les expatriés ont des problématiques spécifiques, qu'ils

ignorent parfois eux-mêmes, et qui ont un impact direct sur

leur situation. Par exemple, peu d'expatriés savent que leur

régime matrimonial peut être conditionné par le pays où ils

sont installés.

CES SUJETS NE SONT-ILS PAS RÉGIS PAR LES

CONVENTIONS PASSÉES ENTRE LES PAYS?

Certains le sont mais c'est une minorité. La France a

effectivement signé des conventions fiscales avec de

nombreux pays. Mais ces conventions ne traitent bien souvent

que de l'imposition des revenus, et pas des droits de

succession, encore moins des aspects juridiques. Bref, elles

ne règlent pas tout.

Par définition, un expatrié conserve des liens avec la France,

du fait de sa nationalité, de son régime matrimonial, de ses

avoirs, de l'existence de parents en France. Le rôle d'Ascot

Expats est donc de l'aider à organiser son patrimoine afin qu'il

soit parfaitement adapté à sa vie et à ses besoins actuels et

futurs, en tenant compte de ses autres caractéristiques

essentielles : son éloignement et sa mobilité.

COMMENT CELA SE PASSE-T-IL CONCRÈTEMENT ?

Le service Ingénierie Patrimoniale de notre cabinet

collaborateur Ascot Consulting basé en France collecte

l'ensemble des éléments nécessaires à la connaissance du

client : revenus, statut social, régime matrimonial, patrimoine

en constitution, héritage perçus ou a percevoir, donations etc..

Ces éléments permettent de réaliser un bilan patrimonial et

d'établir un diagnostic de sa situation. Les préconisations qui

en sont issues permettent de boucler la boucle, c'est-à-dire

d'apporter à la situation actuelle les modifications nécessaires

pour répondre aux besoins exprimés.

Ces préconisations couvrent l'ensemble de la situation

patrimoniale du client, puisqu'elles portent aussi bien sur ses

aspects financiers (organisation ou réorganisation du

patrimoine, constitution de revenus...) que fiscaux et civils, qui

en sont indissociables (adaptation du régime matrimonial,

rédaction des clauses bénéficiaires d'assurance-vie, choix du

dispositif fiscal le mieux adapté...). Sans oublier la protection

sociale, la prévoyance et la retraite, trop souvent négligées.

Le client peut ensuite mette en œuvre les préconisations et

réaliser ses investissements avec Ascot Consulting Fr ou

auprès de l'interlocuteur de son choix. Le cabinet sélectionne

à cet effet les opportunités d’investissement et de placement

les mieux adaptés aux besoins des expatriés.

Ascot Consulting n'a aucun lien capitalistique avec quelque

société que ce soit et cette indépendance est essentielle, car

elle garantit l'objectivité du conseil et des préconisations.

Loïc SEGUIN +65 9199 [email protected]

ASCOT EXPATS26 Paterson Road#05-08Singapore 238518www.ascot-expats.sg

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

www.ascot-expats.sg

F

www.airfrance.sg


COVER STORYUrban Smarts

Urban Smarts

16 COVER STORYUrban Smarts


WHAT IS THE ROLE OF URA?

The Urban Redevelopment Authority(URA) is Singapore’s national land useplanning and conservation authority.URA’s mission is “to make Singapore agreat city to live, work and play in”. Westrive to create a vibrant and sustainablecity of distinction by planning andfacilitating Singapore’s physical develop-ment in partnership with the community.

The URA has successfully transformedSingapore into one of the most liveablecities in Asia through judicious land useplanning and good urban design. We adopta long term and comprehensive planningapproach in formulating strategic planssuch as the Concept Plan and the MasterPlan, to guide the physical development ofSingapore in a sustainable manner. Our

plans and policies focus on achieving abalance between economic growth and aquality living environment. As the con-servation authority, URA has an inter-

nationally recognised conservation pro-gramme, having successfully conservednot only single buildings, but entire dis-tricts. To turn its plans and visions into re-ality, URA takes on a multi-faceted role. Inaddition to its planning function, URA is al-so the main government land sales agent.

Through the sale of state land, we attractand channel private capital investment todevelop sites to support economic andsocial development. URA is also the deve-lopment agency for Marina Bay, the new

city extension. To create an ex-citing cityscape, URA also ac-tively promotes architectureand urban design excellence.

Drawing on our experience inintegrated planning and urbanmanagement, we provide con-sultancy for overseas bilateralprojects and share our urbanplanning experience throughprofessional training program-mes.

GIVEN THE LIMITED LANDAREA AND GROWINGPOPULATION, WHATSTRATEGY IS URAPLANNING TO ENSURE THATSINGAPORE WILL REMAIN ALIVEABLE SPACE?

Planning with limited landresources has always been areality in Singapore. Abovethat, we not only have to planfor the needs of a city, we alsohave to cater to the needs of a

nation by providing land for defence, watercatchment and utilities that other citiesthat are part of bigger country do not haveto worry about.

But we have managed to work within theseconstraints and have done so rathersuccessfully. A good indicator of oursuccess is that we are regularly rankedamongst the most liveable cities in Asia.An important approach we take here thathas contributed to this outcome is to thinklong-term in our land use planning and tostrike a balance between economic, socialand environmental considerations.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO BALANCEECONOMIC, SOCIAL ANDENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES?

From the onset after Singapore gainedindependence, our first Prime Minister, MrLee Kuan Yew, decided that that we couldonly sustain a vibrant economy by payingclose attention to both social and environ-mental considerations at the same time.For instance, the Air Pollution Unit wasset up as early as 1971 to work closelywith the then Urban Planning Departmentto minimise pollution from new industries,and to ensure that environmental consi-derations were incorporated into land useplanning.

This is the philosophy that has under-pinned the way we do land use planning.Every few years, we bring together ouragencies from the economic, social andenvironmental sectors to look at ourfuture plans. Besides setting aside land tocater to future growth, we also coordinateour needs in the social and environmentalareas to ensure they are well taken careof.

Even in places like Marina Bay, which areplanned predominantly for businesses, wetake the same approach in planning tomake the precinct more inclusive to thecommunity and more environmentally

Singapore, Liveable CityInterview with Ng Lang, CEO, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore

Singapore’s challenge has always been

to find more land to cater to future

growth, and to keep our economy

thriving and vibrant.

“

”

friendly. We have been, for instance,actively programming the district to makeit accessible to community events andcommunity-based water sports. MarinaBay is also very environmentally friendly,and is designed and developed to be a lotmore energy-efficient than older districtsin Singapore.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES FORTHE UPCOMING YEARS TO DEVELOPSINGAPORE AS A SUSTAINABLE CITY?

For land-scarce Singapore, our challengehas always been to find more land to caterto future growth, and to keep our econo-my thriving and vibrant. Since the 1960s,we have grown our land area by more than20 per cent through land reclamation.

As part of this on-going process to sustainour future capacity for growth, we are nowalso exploring new options such as under-ground space to free up land on thesurface for other uses. The $135-millionresearch funding announced earlier thisyear in the National Challenge for Landand Liveability will provide a boost to theresearch in this area.

Other challenges include the need to planfor an ageing population, to mitigate andadapt to the impact of climate change, andto sustain a sense of identity and belon-ging as we continue to develop Singapore. However, we need to be mindful that not

all our solutions can be provided by phy-sical urban planning alone. The commu-nity also has to play a big part in con-tributing to a sustainable city through theway people live their lives and conductdaily activities. For instance, we can havea greener and more liveable city if peopleare prepared to drive less and turn togreener modes of transport.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A SMARTCITY?

A smart city is first and foremost a city thatis smartly planned to provide a live-able,environmentally-friendly, and in-clusiveenvironment. It must also embracetechnology to enhance services andenable intelligent decision-making. Oururban environment is getting a lot morecomplex, and there is a need to constantlyseek out new ideas, innovative tech-nologies and smarter solutions to help usovercome challenges.

WHAT ARE THE SMART SOLUTIONSDEVELOPED BY SINGAPORE TOADDRESS COMPLEX URBANISATIONAND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES?

You would be familiar with these as theyare deeply integrated into our urbanenvironment and daily lives. A good exam-ple is our Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)system that has been in place for manyyears to help manage traffic congestion on

our roads. A more recent example is theuse of smart phone apps to inform com-muters when their next bus is arriving.

Going forward, with technology advancingrapidly, we think we can do more. TheLand Transport Authority, for instance, hasbeen researching and testing smartsolutions to better deliver real-time trafficinformation to road users. Other agenciesare exploring high-tech solutions to bettermanage power supply, waste disposal,flood alleviation etc.

The government has recently issued a Callfor Collaboration to invite researchers,institutes of higher learning, and privatesector companies to use the Jurong LakeDistrict to test-bed innovative solutionsusing infocomm tech-nology and real-time data. Through such efforts, we hopeto position Singapore as a living labo-ratory for trying out new smart urbansolutions. F



LEFT PAGEA smart city is planned to provide an inclusive,liveable, and environmentally-friendly environment.This includes drawing nature closer to people,having greenery to soften a densely built-up city tomake it more liveable.

TOP, FROM LEFT TO RIGHTSingapore is exploring new options such asunderground space to free up land on the surface forother uses. (such as the Common Services Tunnel thathouses utilities); Mr Ng Lang, CEO, URA.

Please visit www.ura.gov.sg for more information.



HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE A SMARTCITY? ARE SMART CITIES KEY TOCOMPETITIVE ECONOMIES?

By 2050, two thirds of the worldwidepopulation will live in cities. This develop-ment creates huge challenges in terms ofenergy use, environmental protection, citycongestion and quality of life.

These challenges call for “smart cities”.That is, cities organised to tackle all ofthese aspects using new technologies.

These new technologies rely on thecollection of big data from many differentsources such as movements (traffic,crowds), phenomena (weather, air quality),exchanges (whether energetic, financial orcommercial) etc. These big data are thenused to propose smart solutions toimprove quality of life and guide the citystakeholders in their decisions.

At the same time, smart cities are afantastic opportunity to create added valuefor customers and businesses, especiallyfor environmental and 2.0 companies. Thechallenge is to create a city’s newoperating system.

MyCO2 is a good example of an environ-mental 2.0 company. Our solutions helpusers at home or in the office follow theirenergy and water consumption. Users whoattain the best performance are thenrewarded. Thus, new technologies en-courage sustainable behaviours in com-panies and in consumers.

DO YOU THINK ASIA PLAYS A LEADINGROLE IN SMART CITIES COMPARED TOOTHER REGIONS?

Europe and the US have taken a leadingrole in the development of eco-districts.However these districts are small, andmay not be adapted to Asia.

The top 50 fastest-growing cities are

practically all in Asia. As a result, citiesneed smart solutions. Many pilot projectsare being developed in Japan, Korea orChina; these cities are adapted to the scaleand need of other Asian cities, and arebecoming an example for other citiesaround the world. In this regard Asia playsa key role in the development of smartcities due to its strong emerging markets,strong government will and expertise intechnology businesses.

SINGAPORE, A SMART CITY?

Singapore is, without doubt, one of thesmartest cities in Asia.

Its 18 “supertrees" at Gardens by the Bayare a perfect example of this. These treesgenerate solar power, operate as tem-perature moderators, collect rainwaterand act as ventilation ducts for green-house.

Another example is the development ofnew urban technologies that predict futurecongestion and adjust pricing. It is alsoworth mentioning Singapore investments

with international partners, like the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city in China.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHICH ARE THEVERTICALS THAT WILL PLAYFUNDAMENTAL ROLES IN SMART CITYDEVELOPMENTS IN ASIA?

Vertical markets that will play fundamentalroles in the development of smart citiesinclude real estate, transportation, energy,healthcare and, more importantly, big dataand visualisation. Big data is growing fastwithin smart cities, since there are anincreasing number of systems collectinginformation.

Data visualisation is also crucial to returnthe information to users. MyCO2 providesthese vertical markets with solutions tovisualise energy consumption data. We areconvinced these kinds of services will playa fundamental role in smart city develop-ment in Asia. F

Singapore is, without doubt, one of the

smartest cities in Asia. “ ”

Asia’s Smart City RevolutionInterview with François Bordes, CEO of MyCO2 and Partner of Project Value Delivery

Project Value Delivery is the Singapore representative of MyCO2, a global company that helps companiesbecome leaders in sustainability through innovative solutions to improve environmental performances.

TOPNew technologies encourage sustainablebehaviours in companies and in consumers

www.geodiswilson.com



TOMORROW’S CHALLENGES

Urbanisation is a problem faced by citiesall around the world. Today, cities contain50% of the world’s population, consume75% of global energy and give off 80% ofgreenhouse gas emissions. With risingurbanisation, cities will house 70% of theworld’s population by 2050 – this willcertainly put a significant strain on resour-ces and, hence, long term sustainability.Similarly, Singapore is facing a 38% pro-jected population increase by 2030, whichwill make Singapore’s population densityone of the highest in Asia and the world.

To cope with these challenges, Singaporeneeds to evolve to become a smart city.This evolution will enable Singapore tomanage this targeted growth in a con-trolled way and we will start to see thecity-state realise threefold benefits.

Firstly, we will see a more efficient city andimproved resiliency of its systems – such

as public transport, electricity and publicservices – to any disruption.

Second, we will have a more sustainablecity, leading to lower operational costs asa result of optimised energy consumption,and a lesser need for massive infra-structure investments.

Additionally, the first two benefits will alsotranslate into a higher quality of life forresidents, increasing competitiveness andthe ability to attract and retain a newgeneration of talent.

A MODEL FOR SMART CITIES

Based on Schneider’s model of smartcities, the following are some areas that webelieve are crucial to creating a smart city.

Smart Buildings

As the population keeps growing, so willthe demand for housing and buildings.

Making residential buildings smart willimprove quality of life, while for commer-cial office buildings it can increaseemployee productivity, generate energysavings of up to 30%, reduce carbon emis-sions and meet assessment criteria fromcertification schemes such as the BCA(Building & Construction Authority) GreenMark.

Our solutions such as building manage-ment systems as well as energy andcarbon dashboards can help buildingowners monitor consumption by theminute, for better management of energyusage, costs, and carbon footprint.

Meeting the Challenges of theFuture: A Model for Smart CitiesBy Ang Koon San, Country President, Schneider Electric Singapore and Brunei

As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electricoffers integrated solutions across multiple market segments and delivers expert solutions for Smart Citiesin a collaborative model.

The energy challenge will be won or lost

in cities.“ ”



Smart Water

Demand for clean, affordable water isgrowing together with urban populationsas water is needed not only for drinking,but also for commercial and industrialpurposes. Even Singapore, which has avery high quality water supply, has tocontinue maintaining this while catering toa growing population. Hence, cities mustoptimise water operations, managementand planning to meet growing demand.They can do so with smart water solutions,to help manage and optimise the waternetwork, identify and reduce water was-tage in real time, as well as respond tourban floods that could take out the city’stransportation network.

Smart Energy Grid

The smart grid is all about creating thecapability for electricity demand andsupply to interact intelligently, and inte-grate intermittent renewable generation.With the smart grid, cities like Singaporewill be able to generate energy savings,reduce related emissions and enhance thequality of service to residential, com-mercial and industrial buildings.

Smart Mobility

As urban population increases, the entiretransportation network – be it public orprivate – will be affected by increasingcongestion, safety and breakdown issues,which can delay commuters, burn upvaluable fuel, and harm the environment.Even in Singapore, with one of the region’smost effective public transport networks,population growth is affecting the capacityof the transport system and we are seeingmore breakdowns in public rail services as

well as road congestion. Implementingtraffic and mobility management solutionsthat reduce congestion and improve trafficflow as well as ensure the efficientoperation of the transportation networkshould be one of the key solutions for cityplanners to look at.

At the same time, we enthusiasticallysupport the push for electric vehicles withcomplementary charging infrastructuresolutions that will help spur adoption andcollaborate with local organisations to rollout pilot programmes for electric vehicles.

Smart Public Services

Services such as video monitoring andemergency coordination ensure citizenwell-being and safety, while digital servicesimprove the management of educa-tion,healthcare, government adminis tration,and tourism. The quality of public servicesin Singapore will play an important role inmaking the city-state a desirable place tolive and work in, determine how attractiveit is as a destination for talent to migrateto, and subsequently affect its competi-tiveness in the global economy.

However, what will make Singapore a truesmart city is how it can go beyond justoptimising the performance of individualsystems as described above, but also

integrate all these systems in order toshare information amongst the variouscity departments as well as with residents.This then requires a new model based oncollaboration between the government,private investors, industry suppliers, uti-lities, planners and developers, with peo-ple and communities at the center ofdiscussion. Engaging all stakeholders andhelping them understand the benefits willbe crucial in enabling Singapore tobecome a smarter city.

As the world wonders how to meet thegrowing demand for energy and resour-ces,while looking into reducing global carbonemissions, one thing is clear: the energychallenge will be won or lost in cities.

By delivering urban efficiency throughsolutions to cities' immediate challenges,integration for increased efficiency andinnovation for a holistic sustainable futureand collaboration, we here at SchneiderElectric believe that the concept of Singa-pore as a smart city can become a realityin the near future. F

TOP, FROM LEFT TO RIGHTChangi Airport; Ang Koon San, Country President,Schneider Electric Singapore and Brunei

LEFT PAGE, FROM LEFT TO RIGHTLau Pa Sat; Marina Bay Financial Centre

Engaging all stakeholders and helping

them understand the benefits will be

crucial in enabling Singapore to become a

smarter city.

“

”



PRESSING NEEDS FOR SMARTSOLUTIONS

Keeping everyone happy is never easy,even when the numbers involved arerelatively modest and stable. Imagine,then, the daunting task facing today’surban planners who, with shrinkingresources, must try to respond to theurgent needs of mega-cities experiencingexploding population growth. In addition,the fact that these needs are interrelatedand often competing means that an actionin one area can carry consequences inothers – sometimes unintended.

Many of these needs are being driven bycities seeking ways to become increasinglysustainable. While cities occupy just 2% ofthe Earth’s surface, they consume 75% ofits resources and generate 75% of carbonemissions. Seven out of 10 people will livein urban environments by 2050, exertingfurther pressure on city housing, waterresources, waste management, trans-portation systems and public health.

Singapore, which generally gets highmarks as one of the planet’s most“livable” high-density cities, nonethelessfaces a myriad of challenges to meet theneeds of a population projected to grow byas much as 30% by 2030. The city’splanners are increasingly turning toinnovative “smart” systems and newtechnologies to foster a sustainableapproach to managing water and energyresources, waste and transportation infra-structure.

SMART PLANNING WITH FORCITY

Now, a new modeling programme is hel-ping Singapore’s housing and economicdevelopment boards better understandthe consequences their decisions in onearea will have on other parts of the urban

environment. ForCity is a decision-makingtool created by Veolia Environnement andEDF that integrates new city projects intothe existing urban fabric and simulates theimpact on the environment, resources,people and costs.

The ForCity platform connects modelsfrom distinct areas of urban expertisesuch as housing, land use, energy, waste,water and transport. Inputting largeamounts of data gathered from operatingutilities throughout the world, the toolgenerates maps, 3D scenes, graphics andtables for use in predicting and comparingvarious planning scenarios.

An important benefit of the insightsderived is the identification of unintendedconsequences or “rebound effects,” says

ForCity, Foresight: The Next Cornertowards Singapore’s FutureBy Hervé Suty, Director of Research & Innovation, Veolia Environnement

Through tangible responses to urban challenges, environmental solutions world leader VeoliaEnvironnement helps cities design and manage infrastructure and services to achieve sustainabilityobjectives, optimise resources, promote long-term growth and improve quality of life for citizens.

Singapore is an ideal city for

demonstrating how advanced modeling

can contribute to more livable cities. “

”



Veolia Environnement SVP for digitalservices and data management, FrançoisGrosse. “

By considering the direct and indirecteffects of interactions in complex systems,we are able to limit surprises that aresometimes counter-intuitive to what onewould otherwise predict. For example, astudy conducted in the 1970s in NorthAmerica on the amount of rubberconsumed in manufacturing footwearshowed that although the amount ofrubber used in each shoe was reduced,this also lowered shoe prices anddecreased their durability, increasing thenumber of shoes sold and causing overallrubber consumption to rise.”

Through the use of ForCity, similarunexpected patterns can be predicted incity planning. In a suburban town of Lyon,France’s second-largest city, a plannedmetro station was expected to ease trafficcongestion by providing a mass transit linkfor commuters to the downtown. However,to the surprise of local authorities,ForCity’s projections showed that whilethe new station would reduce overalltraffic, it would actually increase trafficlocally in the town. The reasons: the metrostop would increase the town’s attractive-ness as a place to live in as well as drawmore commuters living further out whowould choose to drive to the town andcomplete their commute using the metro.

In addition to avoiding counterproductiveimpacts, ForCity’s outputs can be used to

inform decision-making and optimise ex-penditures through anticipation of futureservice needs that will best serve thepublic. ForCity’s focus on city livability andcitizens’ quality of life makes it particularlyvaluable in contributing to dialoguebetween public authorities and stake-holders on proposed policies.

SINGAPORE ADOPTS SMARTMODELING

In Singapore, the ForCity project willencompass buildings, mobility, energy,cooling and waste collection systems,strategies for existing or new housing andecological issues such as water recyclingwithin the scope of the city’s “greenprint”economic development plan. The ForCitytool is being run first on a pilot basis inSingapore’s Jurong East district, beforebeing expanded in stages to cover broaderareas of the city. In addition, EDF andVeolia are creating a global center ofexcellence dedicated to urban planningresearch and innovation, to help not onlySingapore but also other southeast Asiancountries respond to complex urban plan-ning decisions.

Grosse says that the experience gained inSingapore will help accelerate a majordeployment of ForCity to other citiesaround the globe in the coming years: “Asa leader in adopting sustainable urbanpolicies, Singapore is an ideal city fordemonstrating how advanced modelingcan contribute to more livable cities fortomorrow.” F

LEFT PAGE ForCity uses large amounts of data gathered fromoperating utilities throughout the world to generatemaps, 3D scenes, graphics and tables for use inpredicting and comparing various planningscenarios.

TOPForCity is being run on a pilot basis in Singapore’sJurong East district before it is expanded in stagesto cover broader areas of the city.

THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT...

*“Rebound effects” are unintendedside effects of policy, market andtechnology interventions to achieve anidentified public benefit, such as en-vironmental efficiency improvements.They are caused by unanticipated beha-vioural or other systemic responses tothe intervention, such as:• a decision to encourage the develop-ment of a new commercial center toinvigorate an aging neighbourhood mayplace unforeseen stress on outdated in-frastructure. • introduction of new energy efficiencystandards that reduce energy costs mayresult in less energy savings as consu-mers increase their use of appliances,drivers use their cars more or factoriesuse the financial savings to expandproduction. • increasing urban roadway capacity orbuilding a new bridge across a down-town river may generate additional rushhour trips that would not otherwiseoccur, increasing instead of alleviatingcongestion.



SINGAPORE, DEALING WITHLOCAL CONSTRAINTS

As a small city-state, Singapore has to useits resources prudently and becoming asmart city means focusing on how energyis used rather than increasing energysupply. In a city like Singapore, peoplespend on average 85% of their time in abuilding environment, which raises energyconsumption in that particular sector byup to 32% of the overall energy con-sumption of the country.

Beyond green technologies and energyefficiency, people matter more thanbuildings. Nowadays, a growing demandand higher end-user expectations drivethe construction industry toward de-signing buildings with attributes that aremore sophisticated than ever before.

Unfortunately, in some situations,construction projects lack consistency andusers experiment discomfort. Because ofthe high air humidity level in Singapore, anestimated 9% of the average officebuilding energy is wasted on excessivecooling compared to what occupants need.

Therefore, green building concept is thefinest solution to conciliate a better qualityof life and environmental protection.

BENEFITS OF GREEN BUILDINGREGULATION

Since 2005 and the creation of the Singa-pore Green Mark certification scheme,more than 1,000 green buildings havebeen certified, which represents 12% ofthe total gross floor area of the country.

Moreover, Singapore seeks to become themain regional green buildings hub in Asiaby targeting 80% certified green buildingsby 2030. The Green Mark has become anunparalleled quality assurance processthat both investors and occupants con-sider a trustworthy label. G&G Consul-tingworks with building stakeholders to turn itinto opportunities and include sus-tainability into the building DNA throughhighly integrated design and compre-hensive approach to reach not just relativeimprovements but absolute performance.

Designing high-performance buildingsdoes not necessarily mean they willperform the way they are intended to. Onlydata can confirm that a building is sus-tainable. That is why G&G Consulting alsoprovides intensive follow-up after thebuilding opening.

Following the adage: "we can't managewhat we don't measure", buildingstakeholders must measure and syste-matically evaluate their buildings ratherthan relying exclusively on design stan-dards.

Sometimes, facility managers or buildingowners are not aware that the Green Markcertification only lasts three years, afterwhich a new submission is required.

In a constant search for accuracy, theBuilding & Construction Authority (BCA)launched this summer a brand new dataacquisition plan that requires facilitymanagers to submit their energy con-sumptions on a yearly basis. This mainlyaims to benchmark actual building perfor-mances in Singapore and highlight the"best design" according to the localtropical weather conditions.

BUILDINGS AT THE SERVICE OFPEOPLE

More than monitoring technical data fromdifferent operating systems (lighting, AC,lifts etc), many cases around the worldhave already proven that understandingfeedback from occupants can help save10% to 30% of energy.

Thanks to BMS (Building ManagementSystem) providers, the technology isalready available to implement interactivecontrol architecture. But the remainingchallenge is to define the best controlscenario to fine-tune data acquisition andmaximise collective satisfaction andenergy efficiency. That is why G&G Con-sulting and our customers collaborate tooptimise building intelligence and connectgreen buildings with the rest of the smartcity. F

Green Buildings, a Key Componentof Smart CityBy Pierre Megret, Managing Director, Green & Global Consulting

G&G Consulting is a team of Environmental Sustainable Design (ESD) Consultants, helping buildingstakeholders with sustainability issues, computational building simulations and green certifications.

Singapore seeks to become the main

regional green buildings hub in Asia with

80% certified green buildings by 2030.“

”

LEFTShading devices for high-performance façade s.

www.bluebiz.com



SMART GRIDS: WHEN A DREAMCOMES TRUE

Smart grid – a modernised electricitynetwork that aims to improve efficiency,reliability and sustainability of theproduction, distribution and storage ofelectricity – is one of the solutions at theheart of our group’s strategy.

By developing large urban areas withenvironmentally friendly concepts (IssyGrid near Paris, WankdorfCity in Berneetc) and by optimising one of the maincomponents of the grids, the buildings,Bouygues Construction has been playinga key role in designing and building greencities, and ultimately shaping a better life.

Created in 2012, EMBIX – a joint venturebetween Bouygues and Alstom whosemain shareholder is Bouygues – offers awide range of high-added-value services.Those range from audits for eco-districtsto optimisation of energy performancethrough the use of information systemsfeaturing the latest Smart Grid technolo-

gies. The recent emergence of renewableenergy solutions in the urban environmentsuch as solar, small-wind and geothermalpower, along with new storage capabilitiesand a growing sense of eco-citizenship,has made the need to manage energysmartly more vital than ever.

GOING BEYOND SMART GRID:ABC, OR AUTONOMOUS BUILDINGFOR CITIZENS

Smart grids cannot be the sole answer tothe energy and environmental issues thatour neighbourhoods face. The next stepwill be buildings that are independent ofpublic networks.

The R&D department of Bouygues Con-struction, the mother company of Dra-

gages Singapore and BYME, developed theconcept of Autonomous Building forCitizens – or ABC. It is characterised byself-sufficiency in energy and watersupply. Similarly, ABC has a built-in wastemanagement system that maximises thevalue of waste. ABC has been developed inpartnership with the Valode & Pistrearchitecture firm. Construction of ademonstrator will be launched in thecoming months, in collaboration with alarge municipal authority in France.

CITYBOX® IN SINGAPORE: THEFIRST MILESTONE FOR BYME

As a key player in the street lightingindustry, Bouygues Construction deve-loped Citybox®, an innovative managementsystem that helps local authoritiesimprove operational efficiency and reduceenergy consumption with regards to streetlighting. It also provides the city with acommunication backbone based on theexisting power network.

Benefits offered by Citybox® includeremote control of lighting schedules, SMSalert in case of system failure, adaptivelighting, energy monitoring and Plug &Play connection of smart “city services”such as CCTV. The system was success-fully implemented in July, as part of a pilotproject with a government agency. F

Beyond Smart GridsBy Julien Esch, Business Development Manager, Dragages Singapore, and Romain Maire, BusinessDevelopment Manager, BYME Singapore

In Singapore, Bouygues Construction operates through two subsidiaries: Dragages Singapore and BYME.Dragages Singapore delivers world class Design and Build construction projects. The company’s iconicreferences include the Sports Hub, the Sail @ Marina Bay and The Fullerton Hotel. BYME is a Mechanicaland Electrical contractor specialised in large-scale, fast-track and complex facilities such as the SportsHub, Tampines Grande and data centres.

The recent emergence of renewable

energy solutions has made the need to

manage energy smartly more vital than

ever.

“

”

LEFTThe Citybox® management system helps authoritiesimprove street lighting operational efficiency andreduce their energy consumption

SUSTAINABLE CITY: A PLANNINGCONUNDRUM?

Cities are engines for innovation andgrowth. But with population increases incountries such as Singapore, how do weplan, design and manage cities that cancope with the optimum distribution ofresources such as power, transportation,traffic management and healthcare, whilestill meeting carbon and climate chal-lenges?

This is where the involvement of theHousing Development Board (HDB), UrbanRedevelopment Authority (URA) and Eco-nomic Development Board (EDB) becomesessential to Singapore's long-term growth.Indeed, ambitious initiatives are currentlyin the works within the city-state to ensuresustainability and innovation through effi-cient land use and clean technology forconservation programmes.

Environment issues aside, the truemeasure of what will attract to and retainpeople and businesses in a city will be thecity’s response to the increasing demandsof its inhabitants, making a Livable City, onethat listens, communicates and attends toits citizens’ needs. However, for an existingcity to evolve into a Livable City, it has toconnect seemingly disparate elements intohealthy organism through data and digitalDNA collaboration and federation betweendifferent city stakeholders. Data such asincident reporting, energy usage andanalysis, transportation information, andpopulation density and infrastructureavailability are all areas that citizens seeimmediate value.

More importantly, it is critical that a city beable to repurpose this data associated withBuilt Environment, which is the authen-ticated digital DNA of all cities. Built

Environment data is captured by cities invarious formats and processes – building,engineering, tax departments, planning,land, and postal services. They collect andmanage vast amounts of data that, whenviewed as a whole, create the virtualrepresentation of a physical city. Theaccuracy, authentication and integration ofthis city’s data is key for the transition fromLivable City to Smart City.

ARCHITECTING SUSTAINABLECITIES

3DEXPERIENCITY, a virtual platform fordigital city representation, aims to federateall initiatives of the sustainable andefficient availability of key resources suchas power, water, transport and healthcarefor the benefit of the people within the cityand the respective state actors. Relying onthis platform and industry best practices,the idea is to bring together government,utilities, people, regulators, equipmentmanufacturers and advisory bodies tocollaborate and innovatively improve the

urban ecosystem in terms of urbananalytics, governance, mobility networks,energy networks, places of living and work.

Using simulation and systems engineering,different stakeholders of a Smart City cananticipate the impact of their choices, sothat efficient town planning can be done tomake the city a modern Smart City –sustainable and futuristic.The exchange ofideas, initiatives, resources and technologyin this virtual collaborative platform shouldhelp create a momentum strong enough topropel innovation in this area.

SMART PERSPECTIVE

All “smart” initiatives will need technologyas an enabler and that too backed by asecure, systematic, simulated and robustframework, where the data is sensible anduseful for key decision makers. F



Innovative Data Solutions for aSustainable FutureBy Samson Khaou, Managing Director Asia Pacific South, Dassault Systèmes

Dassault Systèmes, the 3D Experience Company, provides businesses and people with virtual universes toimagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed,produced, and supported.

All smart initiatives will need technology

as an enabler, backed by a secure,

systematic, and robust framework.“

”

TOPThe 3DEXPERIENCITY platform for digital cityrepresentation.



A MODEL FOR SMART CITIES

With Singapore facing a 38% projectedpopulation increase by 2030, its populationdensity will be one of the highest in Asia,if not the world. With that, many forward-looking thinkers are clamouring forSingapore to evolve into a smart city. Butwhat exactly is a smart city?

In broad strokes, the definition alludes toa city with interconnected systems thatare able to work with each other, sharinginformation that makes a city moreefficient and, at the same time, moreenvironmentally friendly and sustainable.All these come together to create newbusiness and economic opportunities forsmart cities.

And not only does this occur on asystemic level – e.g. systems like trans-portation networks sharing informationwith communication networks for bettertraffic management – but it goes all theway down to the individual level, where

people are sharing data from facets oftheir daily life. An example of this wouldbe energy consumption, where con-sumers share their usage patterns withtheir utility provider. The provider canthen facilitate more efficient electricitysupply, in keeping with demand.

This bottom-up, citizen-led idea of asmart city is a model that is increasinglychampioned by many – one which focuseson collaboration and working with thecitizenry to make a city smart.

The model’s premise is that smart citieswill be defined by individual citizens, whoare anxious to collaborate with each otherin order to create devices and applicationsthat solve specific local problems.

However, this does not necessarilydiminish the role of corporations andgovernments, they too will have a veryimportant role to play in the developmentof a smart city – by making data openlyavailable so it can be utilised by thecitizens.

This approach, however, relies on onecrucial factor, which is trust. For thismodel to be viable, citizens must be happyto share the data that results from everyfacet of their daily life as, without this, itwill be impossible to build a city that isfully aware to the needs of its citizens. So,how can trust be built? Well, for membersof the public to share their data withcomplete confidence, it needs to becertified. And this is where security comesinto play.

Having a secure communications networkwill offer consumers and businessesguarantee that the data they create willonly be shared with the people that theyhave granted access to. Looking at thingsfrom this perspective makes it clear that itis almost impossible to envisage anysmart city without a digital security playinga key role.

M2M: THE TECHNOLOGYENABLER FOR SMART CITIES

From a technology standpoint, one of thekey enablers of smart cities will bemachine-to-machine communications,more commonly known as M2M. M2Mrefers to technologies that allow machinesor devices to communicate with each other,

From a technology standpoint, one of

the key enablers for smart cities will

be machine-to-machine (or M2M)

communications.

“

”

M2M Solutions for Smart CitiesBy Lakhi Baug, Solution Sales Manager, M2M, Gemalto

Gemalto is the world leader in digital security with more than 10,000 employees operating out of 74 officesand 14 Research & Development centers, located in 43 countries. Gemalto develops secure embeddedsoftware and secure products that they design and personalise.



via a wireless network. M2M is aboutenabling the flow of data between ma-chines and machines and, ultimately, ma-chines and people, which forms the crux ofhow smart cities operate.

There are many aspects of a smart city thatwill come to rely on M2M communications.For example, on a systemic level, the smartgrid will require individual power metersinstalled in homes to communicate with theelectricity grid and provide constant up-dates. Smart transportation systems willneed drivers and traffic systems to con-stantly in contact in order to ease the flowof traffic and prevent congestion.

On the other hand, M2M has uses thatbenefit citizens who live in a smart city onan individual basis. For example, thetechnology, embedded in a cardiacpacemaker, will allow patients with heartdisease to immediately notify their health-care provider or hospital in the event thatthere are any signs of the device beginningto experience wear and tear.

But at the same time, there are challengesthat will need to be resolved in order forthe implementation of M2M technology totake place in smart cities. The first is thatof compatibility – at this point, a lot of thework done with M2M is in silos, which canpotentially restrict interoperability. Thatsaid, there are cloud based solutions thathave been developed by companies likeGemalto which can bridge these silos andallow organisations to rapidly build anddeploy M2M applications in a secure,scalable and easy to manage manneracross a plethora of platforms.

Secondly, the pervasive nature of datamonitoring and collection provided byM2M may bring up privacy and datasecurity issues – especially as highly-sensitive data is being transmitted over acellular connection. In this aspect,Gemalto has a unique value propositionwhich we bring to the market – with ourheritage in digital security, and our end toend offering in M2M ecosystem, we areable to provide a complete security

solution and help develop securedsystems and devices.

Despite the challenges to M2M, there canbe no doubt that the market will onlycontinue to grow as the industry comestogether to overcome these obstacles.

Ericsson predicts that there will be over 50billion connected devices worldwide in thenext decade, and this number is notunrealistic when looking at the manycountries around the world and in theAsia-Pacific region – like China, India andIndonesia – which are seeing activegovernment involvement in driving theuptake of smart devices and meters. Thegrowth of M2M will inevitably catalyse therise of smart cities. F

TOPSmart transportation system powered by M2Mcommunications.

LEFT PAGEM2M, or machine-to-machine communications,seeks to enable the flow of data between machinesand machines and, ultimately, machines and people.



INTERCONNECTED CITIES

Globalisation and growing urbanisationare driving an increase in the speed andextent of the mobility of people, capital,goods, services and data. Yet this moreopen world is also more vulnerable.Increasingly, interlinked companies arebecoming more exposed to the risk offailure of major critical infrastructure suchas transport networks and informationsystems. They are also exposed to newthreats such as trafficking, terrorism,asymmetric warfare and cybercrime.

Running a major city is an increasinglycomplex challenge. One of the biggestissues is the growth in population.

Singapore’s latest statistics report showsa significant increase in the populationfrom four million people in 2000 to 5.3million people in 2012. Such high concen-trations of people and limited land posemany challenges to the local government,which include atmospheric pollution,

traffic congestion and security. In addition,the information and communicationtechnologies that interconnect the sys-tems required to manage an urban areaare opening up both challenges andopportunities for public policymakers.

Today, this trend of interconnectivity isdriven by two key groups of stakeholders.Firstly, city planners and local authoritieswant to improve the quality of theircitizens’ lives by providing innovativeservices and optimising operations on aday-to-day basis and during major eventsor crises. Secondly, transport, security andpublic service operators are looking toorganise their information systems as a

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

MOBILITY

Studies have shown that public transportis the most efficient mode of transpor-tation to transport large groups of peoplefrom one point to another. Therefore,promoting the use of public transport isone of the goals of ensuring a sustainableenvironment in the long run for theSingapore government.

Mobility solutions are designed to maketransport systems more agile, optimisenetwork capacity and efficiency and

Smart = Security + MobilityBy Abelene Rozario, Communications Manager, Thales Solutions Asia

Thales is a global technology leader in the Aerospace, Transportation and Defence & Security markets. In2012, the company generated revenues of €14.2 billion with 65,000 employees in 56 countries. With its25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment,systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements.

Cities all over the world aspire to

improve their citizens’ quality of life

while balancing the growth of their

transport and security infrastructure.

Singapore is no exception.

“

”



facilitate travel while improving trafficflows, saving energy and curbinggreenhouse gas emissions.

For over 25 years, Thales SelTrac®

Communications-Based Train Control(CBTC) solution has been the signallingtechnology of choice for many metrooperators and has been used in over 55projects worldwide to date operating onover 1,300 km of track in major urbancentres around the world, (London, New-York, Hong-Kong, Dubai, Shanghai,Beijing, etc.) and carrying an estimatedthree billion passengers annually.

Thales is currently working with Singa-pore’s SMRT Corporation and LandTransport Authority (LTA) to supply itsworld-leading SelTrac© CBTC solution tore-signal the North-South and East-WestMass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines, as well asthe new Tuas West Extension Line.

SelTrac CBTC, incorporating moving-blocktech-nology, ensures safe train operationwith minimal train separation, therebymaxi-mising passenger service frequencyand system capacity. These metro linesspan more than 100km and serve 58stations, including those of the future TuasWest Extension Line.

SAFE CITY

Security solutions cover areas such ascitizen protection, anti-terrorism, protec-tion of critical infrastructure and infor-mation systems security.

In Mexico City, a megacity of 22 millionpeople, Thales and telecommunicationsoperator Telmex have implemented asolution involving more than 8,000 videocameras, gunshot sensors, automaticnumber plate recognition cameras, aerialsurveillance drones and emergency callpoints in the city’s streets.

All three subsystems are operated by fivelocal command-and-control (C2) centres,overseen by a city-wide C4I centre (com-puters, command, control, communi-cations and intelligence). This “mega-system” transmits alarms to police, firecrews and emergency services wheneverunusual events or behaviour are detected.In major emergencies, the police can alsodeploy two mobile tactical C2 centres that

stay in contact with the C4I centre at alltimes.

In Singapore, Thales has provided CCTVcameras at all MRT stations on the North-South and East-West lines and anIntegrated Supervisory Control System forSBS Transit’s North East Line, which isalso the first driverless urban metro inSingapore, to monitor the routine ope-rations as well as to highlight unusualincidents, enabling commuters to makeinformed decisions and provide rapidresponse with real-time update of criticaland/or complex situations. As safety is oneof the key elements of the overall travel-ling experience, the installation of oursecurity systems have provided com-muters with ease of mind.

SMART SUPERVISION SYSTEM

The Thales Hypervisor supervision systemis a key technology supporting the smartcity concept through its ability tocoordinate separate urban informationsystems, now or in the future. Its open,service-oriented architecture enablesinterconnected systems and subsystemsto share the data needed to optimiseindividual applications as needs evolve.From an operational standpoint, the

intuitive, web-based interface gives usersa city-wide picture in real time, providingunmatched decision support for coor-dination of operations and emergencyresponses.

Data from the city’s transport, security andother systems is archived in the smart cityplatform and can be analysed to yieldgreater insight into the changing urbancontext in order to manage resources andplan future developments.

Equipped with a comprehensive under-standing of its customers’ activities and abroad portfolio of solutions and creden-tials, Thales has the experience and ex-pertise to placate the concerns of cityauthorities and tailor the solution to eachorganisation’s culture, with a particularfocus on mobility and security. For Thales,the ultimate objective is to pull togotherall the systems used to manage cityoperations through its smart city plat-form. F

LEFT PAGEMobility – a key feature of a smart city with anoptimised and efficient transport system.

TOPA city-wide C4I centre (Command, Control,Communications, Computers and Intelligence).



Imagine this nightmare. You go to theautomatic teller machine to withdrawsome money. You insert your card. Selectthe amount you want to withdraw. You arethen told to go home to wait... for the bankto post the money to your home. Howinconvenient!

Unfortunately, this is the kind of reality thatapplication owners face with most oftoday’s datacentres. They can requestcompute and storage, and be instantlyassigned virtual servers for their ap-plications. Then they have to WAIT severalhours or even days for the network pathsthat connect the servers to be configured.Why?

Well, many of the applications that supportour modern cities and connected lifestyle

run on networks and datacentres builtlargely on old-fashioned architectures.Ironically, these static, monolithic archi-tectures are very cumbersome, restrictiveand inefficient. The total opposite of thenimble cloud-based services they support.The result?

The speed and efficiency of deliveringcloud-based services is constrained by thedatacentre network. Traditional datacen-tres are not sustainable in the cloudservices era. The old approach, which hasbeen to stitch together various elementswith integration efforts, is simply too slow,

too complex and too costly to operate andmaintain. A new model for networkingcloud datacentres is needed. What is it?

For the true business value of cloudservices to be delivered, computer andnetwork resources must be both dynamicand instantly available. To achieve this,datacentre operators must modernise.

Applications now run on virtualisedservers where dozens of virtual machinesare easily established on a server that wasonce dedicated to a single environmentand application. Like large apartment

Enabling Smart Cities: A NewBreed of Cloud Data CentresBy Philippe Gerard, Chief Technical Officer, Alcatel-Lucent Singapore & Brunei

Alcatel-Lucent is at the forefront of global communications, providing products and innovations in IP andcloud networking, as well as ultra-broadband fixed and wireless access to service providers and theircustomers, enterprises and institutions throughout the world.

By next year, 80% of all new software

will be available as a cloud service. “ ”

blocks, virtualised servers can “house”hundreds of “tenants”. As a result, there isa huge – 40 times to 100 times – increasein the number of virtual network endpointsthat can exist within the datacentre andneed to communicate with each other, andthe outside world.

Furthermore, these endpoints are dynamicin nature. As virtual machines areactivated, the network services thatinterconnect them must be createdinstantaneously and evolve just asdynamically.

Traditional datacentres cannot do this.Operationally, they require multiple levelsof configuration within and across ope-rational support and change-controlsystems. These unwieldy processes sloweverything down. To use our bankinganalogy again, instead of getting yourmoney instantly from an ATM, you have towait for the bank to send you the money.

THE NUAGE NETWORKSAPPROACH

Nuage Networks, an Alcatel-Lucentventure, is expert in removing these con-straints from the datacentre infrastructureand unshackling the delivery of cloudservices. How? By applying principles thathave proven effective in scaling operationsfor the world’s largest wireless and IPnetworks.

The new technologies that enable dynamicmobility in wireless devices and secureservice delivery to millions of broadband

subscribers can be applied to clouddatacentre networks. Nuage Networksvirtualises the datacentre’s networks, ma-king them as readily available as the com-pute infrastructure. This gives datacentresthe flexibility and elasticity needed todeliver cloud services rapidly and at scale.

By next year, 80% of all new software willbe available as a cloud service. Thenumber of virtual machines per server willmultiply accordingly.

Nuage Networks sets the foundation forthe datacentre network to adapt to thisgrowth. The fast, efficient, cost-effective

delivery of cloud services will be a catalystfor smart cities, business and people tothrive in the cloud era. F



LEFT PAGENuage Networks is democratising the datacentrenetwork and, in so doing, has unshackled thedelivery of cloud services. Technology willcontinue on its increasingly powerful path and thenumber of virtual machines per server willmultiply. Enterprises will continue to look for newand innovative hybrid cloud services. NuageNetworks sets the foundation for datacentrenetworks to adapt to this growth and give cloudservice providers the flexibility to maintain theirlead in the market.

TOPA new cloud paradigm addressing what is neededwith Nuage Networks.

Virtualisation of Network Services

Breadth of Application Models

Availability & Scale

Reach & Mobility of Network Resources

Network Service Turn-up Time

Openness

Hybrid Cloud Services, Seamless VPNConnectivity

Robust, Thousands of Tenants

Seamless Virtualised Fabric, throughout &across Datacentres

Independence from Hardware Choices

Simple Scenarios

Fragile, Not Multi-tenant

Islands, with Racks or Clusters

Slow, Manual, Configuration-driven

Specific to Vendor Implementations

Status Quo Nuage Networks Deliver What Is Needed

Layer 2 Visualisation Full-length Visualisation, L2 through L4

Instantaneous, Automated, Policy-driven



SINGAPORE, A GREATENVIRONMENT FOR INNOVATION

Singapore is strengthening its effort toincrease its economic growth on re-search, innovation and enterprise. Amongthe identified strategic sectors, the city-state has shown a growing interest for thenew challenges faced by the urban envi-ronment areas, investing significantly in“smarter city” solutions and attractingleading multinational groups to set uplaboratories and regional centres to workon innovative solutions and on next-generation technologies.

As a result, private companies and publicinstitutions have, in recent years, deve-loped new advanced urban solutions fromenergy, waste and water management totransportation and green building.

Thus, Singapore has set S$1 billion forthe next five years for the “NationalInnovation Challenge” to harness Singa-

pore’s multi-disciplinary research capa-bilities to develop practical, impactfulsolutions to national challenges in suchareas as energy resilience, environmentalsustainability and urban systems.

The government has indeed developed aCampus for Research Excellence AndTechnological Enterprise, the CREATEcampus, that hosts the National ResearchFoundation, interdisciplinary researchcentres from worldwide top universitiesand corporate laboratories. At the sametime, the Infocomm Development Autho-rity of Singapore (IDA) has established aSmart Cities Programme Office focusingon the development of infocomm-basedintegrated networks, capabilities and

solutions for urban environ-ment with a systems-of-systems approach.

In addition, Singapore pro-vides further initiatives to in-centivise the private sector todevelop new solutions. Arange of public funding oppor-tunities including tax deduc-tions, co-financing, grantsand loans, has been createdby the government for inno-vative companies. These fun-ding are managed by localgovernmental agencies andare adapted to the cycle ofproduct development. One ofthe flagship programmes a-

vailable for all companies registered inSingapore is the Productivity and Inno-vation Credit (PIC) Scheme.

THE PRODUCTIVITY ANDINNOVATION CREDIT SCHEME, AGREAT TOOL FOR SMARTERCITIES INNOVATIONS

The PIC aims at helping companiesincrease their productivity and developinnovative projects. Companies canfinance up to 68% of their investments foreligible expenses for six qualifyingactivities: acquisition and leasing of IT andautomation equipment, R&D, training,acquisition, and registration of Intel-lectual Property, and Design projects. Inaddition, eligible companies can also getback up to S$195,000 in cash to grow theirbusiness between 2013 and 2015, basedon their investments in innovation andproductivity.

This scheme is a great opportunity tosignificantly foster innovation towardsustainable economic growth of urbanareas. And so Singapore supports thedevelopment of software, smart grids,infocomm technologies, digital securitytools, innovative solutions for water,waste and energy management, etc. Withthe PIC, companies can get refunds forthe salaries of their employees involved intechnical projects leading to new pro-ducts, services or processes for smartercities. F

Smart Cities and InnovationFinancing in SingaporeBy Christelle Gervasoni, Business Development Manager, Global Approach Consulting

Global Approach Consulting is an international consulting firm specialised in R&D tax credits, innovationfinancing and international development for more than 10 years. Through its expertise, GAC helpscompanies optimise their access to public funding. Here, they provide some insights about innovation withinsmart cities and funding opportunities.

Singapore is attracting leading groups to

set up laboratories and regional centres

to work on innovative solutions and on

next-generation technologies.

“

”



SMART URBAN SOLUTIONS

No two cities are alike, but all areconfronted with development issues andproblems. Singapore, like most cities, isconcerned with preserving the environ-ment and maintaining the city’s attractive-ness, while reducing energy consumptionand improving the quality of life of thecitizens. This can be seen in Singaporeactive participation and pledge in reducinggreenhouse gas emissions by 16% belowBusiness-as-Usual (BAU) levels in 2020.Cofely, as a multi-technical solution pro-vider, is able to provide customised so-lutions for businesses and public au-thorities.

Today, Cofely teams design, build andoperate energy efficiency facilities, plantsand systems, and thus contribute tobuilding a more sustainable Singapore.

DELIVERING SUSTAINABLEENERGY EFFICIENT SYSTEMS INSINGAPORE

To date, Cofely has secured more than40,000 tonnes worth of CO2 emissions re-

duction through the implementation of itsenergy efficiency projects across itsbusiness lines, namely public lightings,facilities management, energy and utilitiesmanagement.

One of Cofely’s increasingly popularenergy efficiency solutions is the intro-duction of energy performance contrac-ting. This means that Cofely has toguarantee the energy savings generatedthrough the project at hand. The energyperformance contracting can be cus-tomised to the customer’s requirements;for example, the capital investment for theenergy efficiency retrofit can be fullysubsidised if the customer would like todirect its financial resources for otherpurposes. In this case, Cofely’s return oninvestment will be through the energysavings generated from the new retrofittedplant over a contractual period.

More importantly, Cofely is ready tocustomise the energy performance con-tracting to suit the customer’s preference.The contracting model can be designedwith a few phases (i.e. the energy auditphase and the implementation phase) sothat customers can be more comfortablewith the need to commit when there arerealistic savings.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB), forexample, is one of Cofely’s customer usinga performance-based contracting model.The Tourism Court building is a thirteen-storey commercial building constructed in1995. In this energy efficiency upgradeproject, Cofely successfully helped STBachieve estimated annual savings of morethan 300,000 kWh through the optimi-sation of the chiller plant.

While a small scale energy efficiencyproject like the Tourism Court Buildingthrough energy performance contractingmay be insignificant, a collective numberof similar size projects will help to changethe energy service environment and makeSingapore a more sustainable city.

Moreover, increasing energy efficiency isby far the cleanest and most cost-effective way to improve industrial profita-bility andto increase the security of energy supply.

In general, it is well known that it is moreeconomical to implement energy effi-ciency on the consumption side than todesign a larger installed capacity at theproduction side. F

Green & Smart SingaporeBy Frederick Lim, Business Development Manager, Cofely South East Asia

Cofely is a unique brand name dedicated to providing business to business energy services to industrialclient, service entities and public collectivities. Cofely is part of the GDF SUEZ group, which is the world’sleading utility and independent power producer.

Increasing energy efficiency is by far the

cleanest and the most cost effective way

to improve industrial profitability.“

”

LEFTEnergy efficiency in action



Faced with worldwide population growth,governments have to deal with an increa-singly critical issue: securing its citizens’identities.

The concept of identity has been widelydeveloped already for different use cases:identity documents, access control,services, payment and more. These iden-tity documents contain personal andprivate data that enable identification ofthe individual, and also allow them toexercise their rights as full citizensthrough access to public or privateservices, and secure places and buildings.Perhaps most importantly they are used toauthenticate their identity with, forexample, an identity card, a passport or adriving licence.

Whether in Singapore, Stockholm or Paris,each one of us owns one or more identitydocuments that may be used freely.However, the rise in both fraudulent usesand international terrorism drives govern-ments and corporate organisations to

increase the security level of their citizens’identities.

In fact, in addition to applying globalstandards for documents such as pass-ports, most governments have their ownsecurity level for services offered to itscitizens, and each company may have itsown usage criteria to secure physical orsystems access to its buildings.

In the process of creating “smarter cities”,numerous countries are moving towardsthe development of electronic identitydocuments with the highest security stan-dards to ensure the best security to itscitizens.

ELECTRONIC IDENTITY CARD ATTHE SERVICE OF CITIZENS

The main priorities for governments interms of identity are to identify individualsand protect their identity, to offer themnew public services and to fight fraud.

Facing the challenges of the electronicage, the secure, electronic identity cardenables reinforced security features, pre-vents identity theft, and provides securityfunctions for multiple applications in boththe real and digital world in one singledevice.

It also supports delivery of reliable and

Identity and Digital Security for aSecured, Smarter City By Pierre Jauffret, Sales & Marketing Director, Oberthur Technologies Singapore

Oberthur Technologies, expert in secure digital identity, delivers a broad variety of digital security systemsto assist administrative authorities and companies in implementing electronic solutions and to provideconsumers-citizens with ever more efficient services.

Identity and digital security are an

integral part of the development and

growth of smart cities and must be

managed while respecting societal

values and citizens’ rights.

“

”



convenient access to online and eGovern-ment services. Indeed, the electronicidentity card provides citizens with asecure digital identity, thereby enablingprivate uses such as secure email anddigital authentication, as well as eGovern-ment operations.

The multi-purpose electronic identity cardmakes the citizens’ life easier and is at theheart of any smart city’s development.

ZOOM-IN ON HEALTH CARDS

A large number of countries are alsoevaluating and implementing means tomodernise their healthcare systems and,at the same time, increase economicefficiency. The introduction of strong au-thentication, electronic signature andtracking procedures via health cards aremeans of supporting this process.

Digitally secure health cards create asecure environment of trust betweenpatients, doctors and administrative au-thorities, by ensuring the security of citi-zen’s identities and protecting hyper-sensitive personal information. This tech-nology also supports the distribution andpayment of health benefits in the samedevice.

By making citizens health environmentsecure, modernising systems, limitingfraud, and shortening benefit reimbur-sement and claim processing time, smartcities are starting to achieve real progressand improvement.

A NEW DIMENSION INELECTRONIC PASSPORTSECURITY

With the growing need for secure identitydocuments, the International Organizationfor Standardization (ISO) and the Inter-national Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)have defined standards that enablemigration from conventional identity docu-ments to electronic versions while guaran-teeing the interoperability and durability ofthe deployed secure documents.

The new version of the secure electronicpassport, the “3rd generation” based onthe Supplemental Access Control (SAC)protocol, is now within range of all coun-tries. This unlinkable, untraceable andnon-transferable protocol brings superiorsecurity features and guarantees a highlevel of privacy as well as additionalbenefits to existing potential weaknessesin travel documents. Through this newtechnology, it is possible to enforce the useof this protocol for all travel documents tosecure and control the holder’s identity.

From now on, smart cities have toanticipate and plan the migration towardsthis new generation of ePassports in orderto challenge ever increasing fraud as wellas to ensure long-term security for alltheir citizens.

In a world where globalisation hasincreased dramatically, the electronicpassport enables reduction in and controlof illegal immigration, criminal activity and

terrorist threats, and improvement inefficiency of border crossing and pas-senger processing.

This new generation of identity documentssignificantly helps countries to establish amore secure world and offer to citizens aneasier life through a wide range of publicand private services. Identity and digitalsecurity are an integral part of thedevelopment and growth of smart citiesthat, while respecting the societal valuesand citizens’ rights.

TO HIGHLY SECURED SMARTCITIES

In order to improve the security of ourworld, professional associations comeprogressively into being. The Secure Iden-tity Alliance (SIA), a non-profit association,is dedicated to developing the usage ofgovernment-issued eDocuments for in-creased security and to encouragedeployment of secure, convenient onlineservices that strengthen the privacy of theend-users.

As an active founder of the SIA, OberthurTechnologies promotes the increasedadoption of secure access and authen-tication solutions that will allow eGovern-ment to go forward, both now and in thefuture. F

LEFT PAGE AND TOPISO- and ICAO- defined standards enable migrationfrom conventional identity documents to electronicversions while guaranteeing the interoperabilityand durability of the deployed secure documents.



It has become more and more imperativethat we relook at our current urban modelof noisy and overpopulated cities. Thegrowth of large population centres, energyconsumption, recycling, new urban land-scapes and social diversity are all issuesthat have to be dealt with.

Fortunately, a new vision of a city is takingroot: a Smart City. This city sees thecoming together of technology to revampbuilding design and urban transport tocope with the demands of a growing urbanpopulation while ensuring sustainability inthe long run.

New building designs that focus on energyefficiency and even produce their ownenergy are part of the smart city concept,along with a transport infrastructure thatincorporates electric vehicles and publictransport. The key enabler to achieve thisis a new network for transmitting anddistributing electricity called a Smart Grid.

SMART GRIDS

Smart Grids are implemented at the utilityand national grid level to regulate the flowof energy according to the supply anddemand at any given time in order tooptimise the utilisation of both traditionaland renewable energy sources.

Smart Grids are essential in transformingcurrent electrical grids in order to addressa growing demand for power, intermittentavailability of renewable energy, environ-mental issues and optimised energy dis-tribution.

Microgrids are a paradigm shift in SmartGrids management. They are an integralpart of a decentralised and multi-layeredinfrastructure where they provide the localintelligence and optimisation within anoverall Smart Grid. They take advantage ofthe flexibility of the “prosumer” (consu-

mers who also produce electricity) whileintegrating new distributed energy resour-ces and storage solutions.

NICE GRID

Companies like Alstom are working ondeveloping and refining the technologiesthat will allow the world to transition toeco-friendly Smart cities.

The Nice Grid Microgrid is one of sixSmart Grid projects of the EuropeanUnion’s Grid4EU programme located inCarros, in the southeast of France. Theproject is designed to study and test theeconomic, technical and social issuesrelated to the microgrids of the future.More than 1,500 residential, commercialand industrial end users are participatingin this initiative.

Nice Grid will demonstrate the impact oflowering energy demand and reducingCO2 emissions, while maintaining thequality and security of the network, actingas a kind of laboratory for experiments

that are not yet possible on a workingnational grid.

SINGAPORE

In Singapore, a city-state made up entirelyof urban dwellers, the Energy MarketAuthority recently awarded grants total-ling about SGD10 million to six researchprojects on Smart Grid technologies.Government support like this is essentialto ensure that cities of the future are trulysmart... and green.

Alstom has been supplying transmissionsolutions, from automation, gas-insulatedswitchgears along with related turnkeysolutions and services to utilities andindustries in Singapore since 1960. Withover 30 commercial and demonstrationprojects in the US and Europe, along withseveral active developments in Smart Gridsolutions, Alstom is well positioned to bea part of Singapore’s Smart Grid future. F

Smart Grids are essential in transforming

current electrical grids.“ ”

Smart Energy for Smart CitiesBy Julie Khoo, Communications Director, Alstom Asia Pte Ltd

Alstom designs, produces and offers innovative technologies and solutions that meet essential needs, areincreasingly efficient and ever more respectful of the world we live in. Alstom has been present in Singaporefor over 50 years.

TOP3D Smart Grid Rendition by Alstom

www.timeo-performance.com

40 FCCS BUSINESS SERVICESFrench Companies in Singapore


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

EQUANIM ET is an HR consulting firmwith a mission to assist companiesoperating in Asia and/or liaising withEurope to excel in their business throughhuman resources.

We believe every company is different andevery individual is unique. Thus, it is ourcommitment to offer comprehensiveapproach and tailored solutions suited toour client’s needs.

Executive Coaching

We support companies in their HR

program through coaching interventionfor leadership development, performancemanagement, career transition, conflictresolution, cross-cultural challenges andwork-life balance.

Equipped with sound methodologies suchas Neuro-Linguistic Programming, wecoach individuals and teams in addres-sing their career challenges and in maxi-mising their personal and professionalpotential.

We are proud to claim that seniormanagement coaching is our distinctiveexpertise because, as experienced exe-cutives ourselves, we are able to under-stand and relate to what our C-levelclients are experiencing.

Interim Management

We have a full spectrum of global HRexperiences to help companies in their

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

Consulting

On a special-project basis, we work on HRstrategy and transformation, talent ma-nagement, audit and M&A support.

We specialise in providing a bridge tocompanies in Europe with Asia and vice-versa in their HR matters, from solvinglabour issues to setting up teams inAsia/Europe. F

Contact: Mr Eric Turpin, ManagingDirectorEmail: [email protected]: www.equanimet.com

DenyAll is an innovative leader in theapplication security market.

The company was one of the pioneers ofthe Web Application Firewall market inEurope.

Building on 15 years of experiencesecuring and accelerating web appli-cations and services, DenyAll innovates torespond to the needs of organisations ofall sizes. Its products detect IT vulne-rabilities and protect infrastructuresagainst application-layer attacks.

DenyAll builds an ecosystem of expertsecurity partners, outsourcers and cloudproviders, and works with other vendorsto offer comprehensive solutions, dedica-ted to securing and accelerating appli-cations.

A spinoff of leading French bank SociétéGénérale founded in 2001, DenyAllinitially sold to large financial institutions.Soon after, the company expanded toother verticals in Europe, helping organi-sations in Energy, Transportation, Tele-com, Media, Retail, Government andServices secure their critical Webapplications.

Today, DenyAll has more than 300 activecustomers, including a third of France’sCAC40 members. A sizable proportion of

these are mid-size organisations fromacross Europe, North Africa, the MiddleEast and Asia.

They use DenyAll’s products to protecttheir corporate web and eCommerceproperties, Webmail and collaborationportals, such as SharePoint and iNotes,mission-critical databases and ERPsystems, such as SAP and Oracle, inaddition to cloud-based applications. F

Contact: Mr Mikael Le Gall, ChiefRepresentative OfficerEmail: [email protected]: www.denyall.com

BENEFIT FROM OUR EXPERTISE IN SETTING UP COMPANIES IN SINGAPORE!

Do you wish to start a business in Singapore and set up a local legal structure? The FCCS is here to assist youand provides you with a personalised support.

In 2012 alone, 30 French companies were set up with the help of the FCCS.

Please contact our business support department at [email protected] or +65 6933 1350.


FCCS BUSINESS SERVICESFrench Companies in Singapore

With more than 20 years’ experience infilling technologies, PACK’R has become akey player in the domain of automaticfilling and capping machinery for liquidand viscous products.

Large multinational companies such asProcter & Gamble, Bayer, Dow, Chevron,

AkzoNobel and many others have alreadyplaced their confidence in us.

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

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

tomised solutions to fill and cap con-tainers from 100 ml to 1,000 L :

- Bottling filler cappers: up to 600containers/min;

- Jerrycan and pail filler-cappers: up to120 containers/min;

- Tote and drum fillers: up to 130drums/hour. F

Contact: Mr Francky Frémondière,Operating ManagerEmail: [email protected]: www.packr.com

SIFA Asia opened its new location atSingapore Changi Airport on July 15. SIFAAsia is the latest new site for the SIFATransit group, a freight carrier spe-cialising in air and sea merchandisetransport between Europe and variousregions around the world. SIFA is theleading transport provider for the FrenchOverseas Territories, where the companyhas six subsidiaries, in Guyana,Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin,Reunion, Mayotte, New Caledonia, andTahiti. These strategic locations in oceanareas have enabled SIFA to expand itsinternational operations significantly overthe past three years: Miami in 2011,covering the Antilles region; Los Angelesin 2013, covering the Pacific region; andSingapore also in 2013, covering Asia.

These sites all offer significant valueadded for new and existing clients, whileopening opportunities for the SIFA Groupto enter new markets. The two mainreasons for opening the new SIFA Asiasubsidiary are to provide:

- A single point in Asia to supply import-intensive clients throughout the world.

- An on-site logistics center for SIFA'sexporting clients seeking to improvetheir services to satisfy clients in Asia.

SIFA Asia has set sights on achieving itsgoals by continuing to build the brandname with a strong local identity, close toits Asian markets and practices. As withthe other SIFA locations around the world,SIFA Asia seamlessly leverages theresources of the SIFA Transit group and itssupport departments, includinginformation systems, finance, insurance,customs, and more.

SIFA's main sea freight services:- Full container handling direct from the

factory (FCL / FCL)- Consolidation / deconsolidation (LCL /

FCL; FCL / LCL)- Loose cargo handling (LCL / LCL)- RO/RO and breakbulk

SIFA's main air freight services:- Air-freight shipment handling (

General / Hazardous / Reefer /Perishable / AOG, etc.)

- Optimising packaging

Main services to and from Asia: - Logistics flows - Storage (pallets / loose) - General, ambient, air-conditioned,

frozen storage- Inventory control, KPI reports - Order preparation, picking, kitting - Cross-docking - Local distribution / delivery - Crating / uncrating - Fumigation - Carbon footprint. F

Contact: Mr Philippe Jouan, ManagingDirectorEmail: [email protected]: www.sifatransit.com

42 FCCS BUSINESS SERVICESFrench Companies in Singapore


WHAT DOES JEC DO?

JEC represents, promotes and expandscomposites markets by providing global orlocal networking and information services.Through knowledge and networking, JECexperts offer comprehensive service pack-ages: JEC publications (including strategicstudies, technical books and the JECComposites Magazine), the weekly inter-national e-letter “World Market News”,and the French e-letter JEC Info Compo-sites. JEC also organises the JEC EuropeShow in Paris – world and Europeanleader, strongly supported by the industryand five times bigger than any othercomposites exhibition – JEC Asia inSingapore and JEC Americas in Boston,the Web Hub , the JEC Composites Confe-rences, Forums and Workshops (includingI.C.S., the Innovative Composites Summit)in Paris, Singapore and Boston, and TheJEC innovation Awards programmes thatinvestigate markets to promote innova-tions and innovators. Five different pro-grammes take place in Europe, Asia,America, India and China.

WHY SET UP SHOP IN SINGAPORE ANDHOW DID YOU COME ACROSS OURSERVICES?

JEC Group relies on three regionalplatforms to develop its services, whetherin setting up networks or in transferringknowledge. Each platform – the Americas,Asia-Pacific, and Europe – has its ownexperts and projects, and adapts to thelocal market in parallel, so each platformhas its own innovation programme,

technological watch, forums, trade show,etc. Singapore stands out for its centrallocation in SouthEast Asia, its politicalstability and its open economy. Alwaysindustry-friendly, the city-state is the hostof high-quality services and infrastructurefor many industries such as aeronautics,chemicals or financial operators. In addi-tion, universities and private R&D centresprovide an ideal environment for interna-tional potential investors willing to developkey industries of the future such as com-posites.

HOW DID THE FCCS BUSINESS SUPPORTTEAM HELP YOU SET UP IN SINGAPORE?

The Business Support team helped JECfrom beginning to end of our set-up inSingapore. From administrative help in thepractical aspect of getting the Employ-ment Pass, to the establishment of theoffice itself, support from the FCCS teamwas greatly appreciated. The friendly peo-ple at the FCCS were a great help in ma-king this opening smooth and simple forJEC, enabling us to work in an efficientmanner from day one.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE OUR BUSINESSCENTRE FOR YOUR OFFICE LOCATION?WHAT ARE ITS ADVANTAGES?

Firstly, the FCCS is a convenient centrallocation in Singapore, with easy access to

most places within the city and greatatmosphere. On the practical side ofthings it was also very efficient with every-thing being ready in a timely and proactiveway. Being hosted at the FCCS is not onlyefficient but also a nice human experience,with friendly co-workers and useful infor-mation available for newcomers.

HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARISE YOUREXPERIENCE WITH THE FCCS IN A FEWWORDS?

So far it has been a great experience, asthe teams at the FCCS have helped JECset up an office in a record time. Thisallows us to forget the challenges ofsetting up a new office overseas and focuson our mission: serve the complete valuechain of composites at both local andglobal levels, providing the knowledge andnetworking solutions for the developmentof composites worldwide! F

Contact: Louis Mary, Head of SingaporeRepresentative OfficeEmail: [email protected] Website: www.jeccomposites.com

They Rely on Us...and Testify on Our ServicesAn interview with Frédérique Mutel, President & CEO, JEC Group

The teams at the FCCS have helped JEC

set up an office in record time.“ ”

THE FCCS BUSINESS SUPPORT DEPARTMENT CAN HELP YOU TO:• Facilitate your access to the Singaporean market;• Prospect and approach the local market;• Set up a company in Singapore;• Optimise your presence on regional trade shows in Singapore.

Contact us now ! [email protected] or +65 6933 1350

www.sdv.com

44 BUSINESS SERVICESTrade Shows


Anevia – Next-generation video CDNs.

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

Aviwest – Advanced digital video equipmentand solutions for the broadcast and thesecurity markets.

Digigram – IP audio and video codecs, soundcards and audio processing software.

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

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

Euro Media Group – Broadcast facilities andservices.

Netia – Audio and video content editingsoftware.

TeamCast – Terrestrial and SatelliteModulators and Demodulators.

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

Winmedia Asia – Broadcast management andautomation software solutions.

WorldCast Systems – Content delivery,transmission and monitoring.

Spotlight on French Technology atBroadcastAsia & CommunicAsia 201334 French companies gathered under the French pavilions at CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia 2013,located at Marina Bay Sands.

This successful event provided the exhi-bitors with a great platform to showcasetheir latest innovations to industry makersin the Asia region and forge new businesspartnerships. Exhibiting at CommunicAsiaand BroadcastAsia is indeed the oppor-tunity to be part of Asia’s most recognisedevents in the ICT industry and theproaudio, film and TV sectors.

The event drew over 35,000 attendeesover four days and has proven itself as the

choice integrated platform for industryprofessionals to congregate, share theirexpertise and showcase the latest tech-nologies and applications emerging in theindustry.

The FCCS had the great pleasure ofinviting French and Singaporean com-panies to a networking cocktail at theFrench pavilion. The FCCS also co-or-ganised the 4th edition of the France-Singapore ICT Awards with UBIfrance,

kindly sponsored by AGS Four Winds, atChina One.

The FCCS thanks all the exhibitors ofCommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia forbeing a part of the event and making it asuccessful one.

We look forward to welcoming morebrands and more visitors at the FrenchPavilions at BroadcastAsia and Com-municAsia in 2014! F


FCCS BUSINESS SERVICESTrade Shows

Ates – Professional solutions to mobileoperators, service and content providers.

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

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

DenyAll – Web application firewall.

Forsk – Radio planning & optimisationsoftware.

GEOIMAGE – 2D/3D digital maps provider.

iQsim – SIM servers, mobile robots, gatewaysand SIM flexes.

OMEGA TV – Internal and external corporatecommunications.

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

Prium Solutions – Custom software solutions.

Qosmos – Network intelligence and DPItechnology.

Qowisio – Solution to improve managementand monitoring of power sources.

Saft Batteries – Industrial batteries.

SIGFOX – Low-throughout operator dedicatedto M@M and IoT.

Sofrecom – Telecommunications consultingand engineering.

Supranetcom – Telecom platforms for ValueAdded Services and Mobile Financial Services.

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

THEMA – Distribution of PayTV Channels andvideo content.

TransferTo – International mobile top-upservices.

Think&Go NFC – NFC applicatio softwaresolutions.

UBIFRANCE – French agency for internationalbusiness.

UBIqube – Management solutions forservices-centric networks.

46 FCCS BUSINESS SERVICESTrade Shows


A Great Evening with the 4th Edition of the ICT Awards!For the fourth year in a row, the FCCS and

UBIfrance, with the kind sponsor of AGS

Four Winds, decided to support the exhi-bitors at this year’s edition of Broadcast-Asia and CommunicAsia by granting fiveawards to companies selected by aFranco-Singaporean jury board.

OUR FIVE WINNERS• Most Innovative Telecom Solution

SIGFOX

• Most Innovative Broadcasting SolutionDEEP VISION

• Greatest Potential in AsiaELIXIR

• Most Innovative Consumer SolutionsTREK 2000

• Special Award in 2013: Best Singaporeanand French PartnershipNANO

The ICT Awards were presented by His

Excellency Mr. Olivier Caron, Ambas-

sador of France to Singapore, during aprestigious evening at China One. Morethan 150 professionals gathered for thismust-attend annual event for thje ICTsector. F

Upcoming FCCS Trainings ModulesSeptember

Thu 19 Long-Term Thinking, Strategy & Budget BuildingTrainer: Mr Jean-François Cousin, 1-2-Win Executive Coaching

Thu 26 Marketing and Advertising Strategies in Asia - 4th Edition Trainer: Mr Christophe Le Yoanc, S2M

OctoberThu 1 Perfect Your Resume & Master LinkedIn to Boost Your Job Search in Singapore

Trainer: Mrs Halima Bel-Bachir & Mrs Christine Reuther, Step Up

Thu 1 Effective Networking Strategies for Job SeekersTrainer: Mrs Halima Bel-Bachir & Mrs Christine Reuther, Step Up

Thu 3 Effective NegotiationsTrainer: Mrs Susanne Cupic, Globibo Singapore

NovemberThu 7 How to Efficiently Take on New Responsibilities in Asia

Trainer: Ms Catherine Claudepierre, Cross-Culture Link

Thu 21 Managing Cultural Diversity in APACTrainers: Harmony & Mobility, and Open Your Eyes consulting

Thu 28 Dynamic Public Speaking At ConferencesTrainer: Ms Nicole Stinton, Stint On Stage

DecemberThu 5 Achieving Success in China and Singapore

Trainer: ChineseGaga International Group

Personal Development Management Professionnal Skills Job Search/Recruitment

NEW!

NEW!

NEW!

www.bnpparibas.com.sg

38%

15%

15%

12%

8%

5%4%

3%Services

BTP / Environment /

TransportationElectronics / IT

F&B / Catering / Hospitality

Consumer Goods

Biomedical

Energy / Chemicals /

Mechanical IndustriesOthers Sectors

48 FCCS CLUB EVENTSGeneral Assembly


The FCCS Annual General meeting tookplace on Friday 7 June 2013 at the AllianceFrançaise.

President Pierre Verdière and ExecutiveDirector Carine Lespayandel addressed

the assembly and presented the FCCSAnnual report, which was approvedunanimously.

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

highlighting that this year marked animportant milestone in its development,with the extension and revamping of itsoffice premises, enabling it to welcomemore staff, more companies in itsbusiness centre and more members atCommittee Meetings.

The President presented the FCCSmembership evolution, which saw a 12%growth compared to last year.

He thanked the 32 Patron members fortheir great support and all the FCCS Boardmembers, Committees Members, FCCSmembers and team for their activecontribution. F

FCCS Annual General Meeting 2013

The FCCS, a Growing and Dynamic

Business Platform

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

A Snapshot of the FCCS in 2012/2013

51%

21%

12%

10%

6%

Corporate companies

Entrepreneur companies

Associate companies

Individual members

Patron members

Jun03 Jun04 Jun05 Jun06 Jun07 Jun08 Jun09 Jun10 Jun11 Jun12 Jun13

232 235 234255

273 298315

360

412463

519

Sector of Activity

The French Chamber’s members’ sectorsof activity are representative of theSingapore economy leading sectors.

Membership Categories

The structure of our 2013 membership asof June 2013:

- 32 Patron members. - 266 Corporate companies.- 109 Entrepreneur companies.- 61 Associate companies.- 51 Individual members.


FCCS CLUB EVENTSGeneral Assembly

FCCS Board Members Elected for 2013-2015

Philippe ARSONNEAUSchneider Electric Singapore

Laurent BESSONVeolia Water Solutions &

Technologies (SEA)

Mathilde BROUSTAUCVML Law Firm

GENERAL SECRETARY

Philippe DALLEECrédit Industriel etCommercial (CIC)

Jean-Marc DEROMEDIAPRIM Interior Design

VICE PRESIDENT

Cyrille DESBAZEILLEDanone Asia

Christine ETCHEPARRETechnip Singapore

Pierre FINASCrédit Agricole Corporate and

Investment BankVICE PRESIDENT

Jérôme de GRANDMAISONAlstom Asia

Olivier GROMETTOOpen D Asia

Jean-Louis GRUNWALDSanofi-Aventis Singapore

Yves LAFORGUESDV Logistics (Singapore)

Pascal LAMBERTSociété Générale Corporate &

Investment Banking

Gaëlle OLIVIERAXA Asia

TREASURER

Manuel OLIVIERTOTAL Oil Asia-Pacific

Ludwig REICHHOLDDragages Singapore

Martin ROBILLARDAstrium

Claire SAUVANAUDCapgemini APAC - Singapore

Jean-Noël STOCKThales Solutions Asia

Bertrand STOLTZSTMicroelectronics Asia

Pacific

Matthieu TETAUDAir France KLM

Pierre-Franck VALENTINSolvay (Rhodia Asia Pacific)

Pierre VERDIÈREHermès SEAPRESIDENT

Pierre VEYRESBNP Parisbas

VICE PRESIDENT

Philippe WINDMcKinsey & Company

Singapore

50 FCCS CLUB EVENTSCEO Series / Entrepreneurs Committee / Human Resources Committee


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

Chief Executive Officer

of AXA Asia Property &

Casualty Businesses

for a talk on the Stra-tegy of AXA in Asia Pa-cific.

AXA Asia recently an-nounced major plans toexpand its servicesacross Asia by doublingthe scope of its regional

health business by 2015. The company willfurther develop services in regional mar-

kets by improving and expanding on theproducts they offer and focusing on healthcapabilities on a regional and local level.Health advertising campaigns have al-ready started and are being aired in dif-ferent countries in the region, includingIndonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, andThailand.

Mrs Olivier shared with the other CEOsAXA’s strategy in Asia Pacific and ex-plained how the company plans to furtherexpand its footprint in the Asia healthcareindustry. F

CEO Series: Strategy of AXA in Asia Pacific

This exceptional talk was organised incollaboration with Sorbonne Assas Inter-national Law School, with Mr Dan Serfaty,

co-founder and CEO of Viadeo.

The Viadeo Group owns and operatesprofessional social networks around theworld with a total membership base ofover 50 million professionals. Profes-sionals use the networks to enhance theircareer prospects, discover business op-

portunities and build relationships withnew contacts as well as to create effectiveonline identities.

Mr Saferty detailed his entrepreneurialexperiences with our Entrepreneurs Com-mittee members and shared insights onthe Chinese social media market, animportant space that Viadeo is currentlyfocusing on. Their professional network isenjoying rapid growth and already in-

cludes over 16 million members.

This enlightening talk ended with aninteractive Q&A session where our mem-bers had the opportunity to meet andexchange with a truly entrepreneurialmind.

It also allowed them to be inspired and getinsights into the challenges that they couldmeet on their entrepreneurial journey. F

Talk with the Co-Founder and CEO of Viadeo

The outbreak of the new H7N9 virus hasbeen widely reported in the press. Whilemuch is still unknown about the virus,companies operating in Asia should beaware of the latest development and stayup-to-date with official recommendations

on the issue as part of their businesscontinuity planning.

The Human Resources committee or-ganised this session with Dr Philippe

Guibert, Regional Medical Director of

Medical Consulting Services at South &

South East Asia Region of International

SOS who focused on what the new H7N9means for companies operating in Asiaand explained how businesses can pre-pare to respond to this issue. F

N7N9 Avian Influenza: Latest Update & Advice


FCCS CLUB EVENTSEnergy / Infrastructure Committee

This successful seminar organised by theEnergy/Infrastructure Committee in par-tnership with GEP APAC was held at theShangri-La Hotel. It brought together 50participants to discuss opportunities of theunconventional gas in Asia. For this excep-tional talk, moderated by Mr Philippe

Wind, Senior Expert, McKinsey &

Company, we had the pleasure of welco-ming the following speakers:

Mr Yves Le Bail, Vice President Total E&P

Asia Pacific, introduced the specific tech-nical challenges petroleum companies arefacing with unconventional gas.

Mr Loic Michel, Service Manager,

Hampson-Russell Software & Services,explored the issue of risk mitigation forshale gas exploration using an integratedgeoscience approach.

Mr Benoit Barbier, Marketing Vice

President Asia Pacific, Schlumberger,covered the unconventional resources inAsia, their characteristics, and the lessonsdrawn from the successful exploitation ofunconventional gas in North America.

Mr Olivier Tartar, Technical Sales Asia

Pacific, Vallourec Group, sharedVallourec’s experience in shale gasapplications.

Mr James Feng, Business Development

Manager, Veolia Water Solutions & Tech-

nologies Asia Industrial, presented theWater Treatment Challenge of Shale Gasin China.

The seminar allowed representatives ofthe Oil & Gas sector to better understandthe opportunities and challenges asso-ciated with the implementation of uncon-ventional gas in Asia. F

The Energy/Infrastructure Committee waspleased to welcome Mr Lotfi Mounedji,

Managing Director of Geostock Asia forthis committee meeting. Geostock is a French engineering company specialisedin the Design, Construction Managementand Operation of Underground Storagefacilities for hydrocarbons.

Mr Mounedji explained the techniquesinvolved in this activity and the qualifi-cations required, and presented examplesof projects carried out worldwide andmore specifically in Asia Pacific.The pre-sentation was followed by an interactiveQ&A session. F

Energy / Infrastructure Committee Meeting

Opportunities of the Unconventional Gas in Asia:Industrial & Market Challenges

52 FCCS CLUB EVENTSICT Committee


ICT Inter-Chamber Networking Evening

This ICT half-day seminar welcomed fourspeakers to share their insights on thefuture of cloud computing.

Mr Minoo Thind, Service Line Manager -

Asia Pacific, Akamai Technologies,followed by Mr Kingsley Wood, Business

Development Director APAC for Amazon

Web Services first presented today'smarket and future trends.

We then welcomed Mr Mohd Suhaimi

Hozaini, Channel Sales Manager at Trend

Micro Security, to give our participants a

better understanding on the contemporaryadvanced and persistent cyber threats.

We ended the presentations with Mr

Kendrick Lee from SiTF Cloud Com-

puting Chapter who enlarged on the Fe-deration and Government perspectives forthe cloud computing.

After these very interesting presentations,a panel discussion took place and gave toour 45 attendees the opportunity to in-teract with the speakers and to ask theirburning questions. F

The Future of Cloud Computing

The French Chamber of Commerce in

Singapore, along with the British Cham-

ber of Commerce had the pleasure toinvite its members to an ICT Inter-Cham-ber Networking evening.

With more than 60 participants, thisevening was a great success and offeredan excellent platform for the exchange ofideas and experience sharing among theICT Community within the Chambers.

We look forward to the next ICT net-working event! F


FCCS CLUB EVENTSICT Committee / Legal & Tax Committee

This ICT Committee invited Mr Gregory

Chocoloff, Head of Transformation &

ZeroEmail Program Manager for Atos

Asia-Pacific and Mr Jean-Christophe

Bouglé, Director and Co-founder of

fewStones to share their insights on howto boost productivity tools through IT.

Jean-Christophe first zoomed in on SMEsand open source solutions to boostproductivity, and he shared with ourparticipants the services that can beeligible for the Singapore productivityincentives. Gregory then presented thenew ZeroEmail policy launched by Atos,

which aims to turn Atos into a ZeroEmailcompany by 2014.

Many companies are currently discussingsocial collaborations and it appears to bea crucial "next step" toward improvingcommunication and productivity.

But their implementation is unique in itsinnovative approach and ambition.Gregory detailed the way Atos is doing it,their achievements and where they wantto go.

This committee meeting was a greatsuccess with over 25 attendees and ourmembers had the opportunity to exchangetheir views during the roundtable. F

Boosting Productivity Tools through IT

The Ministry of Manpower announced inApril 2012 that it was embarking in a 2-phase review of the Employment Act.

Phase 1 of the review, which coveredissues such as extending the coverage ofthe Employment Act, improving employ-ment standards and benefits for em-ployees, and reducing rigidity and augmenting flexibility for employers has nowbeen completed and resulting changes,once introduced in the Employment Act,are expected to come into force in the firsthalf of 2014. Phase 2 of the review ismeant to start in the second half of 2013.

In this context, the Legal & Tax Committeeinvited Mrs Kala Anandarajah, Head of

Competition & Antitrust at Rajah&Tann

to share the proposed changes and theirimpact for employers and employees inSingapore. Our speaker also dealt with the

importance of drafting proper employmentcontracts, recommended best practicesand explained how to deal with foreignemployees. F

Recent Changes in Singapore Employment Laws

Although Singapore is recognised as oneof the world's least corrupt by interna-tional rating agencies, most other South-east Asian countries rank very low andcorruption is widespread in the region.

Ms Penelope Lepeudry, Managing Direc-

tor, Kroll Southeast Asia presented anoverview of Asia’s corruption landscapeand discussed with our participants about

how to detect and prevent it throughprotecting their organisations.

The presentation was followed by adiscussion where our 25 Tax & Legalcommittee members had the opportunityto exchange their views and share theirexperiences. We ended this committeemeeting with a brainstorming session onfuture projects. F

Latest Trends in Corruption Risks in Asia

54 FCCS CLUB EVENTSBanking & Finance Committee


New French Asset Taxation for Non-Residents

The world has learned how to live with theglobal instability that has, in the end, atleast enabled experts to transmit mes-sages concerning the rarity of resourcesand the need for new investments.

But it is uncertain whether daily volatilityand feverishness are the best environ-ments for meeting the challenges of ourplanet in the 21st century.

This breakfast talk organised by theBanking & Finance committee at RafflesHotel welcomed Mr Philippe Chalmin,

Chair Professor of Economic History at

University of Paris-Dauphine France. MrChalmin gave the audience the opportunityto learn about CYCLOPE’s analysis andshared their views with a prominent expertof commodity markets. Specifically, hepresented the 2013 edition of World

Commodity CYCLOPE Book. Written by aninternational team of more than 50 ex-perts, it gives a panorama of commoditytrends within the global economy.

Companies and attendees got a betterunderstanding – and built up theirassessment – of the world economy’schallenges with the view to help definingtheir business. F

Crises & Punishments: World Economy andCommodity Market in 2013/2014

Asset taxation can be beneficial for non-French residents if they know how tooptimise it, according to the company’snationality, the status and the nature ofthe employment contract.

This Banking & Finance Breakfast Talkwas pleased to welcome Mr Claude

Lagadec, Tax Lawyer at Cortal Consors,

who shared with the audience tax issuesand solutions for residents in Singaporewith regards to treaty provisions and taxlaws recently adopted in France.

Mr Lagadec has been representing theBNP Paribas Group for several years inthe areas of property law and taxation ofindividuals. His expertise allowed our

participants to better understand theirtaxation requirements as non-residentsas well as to how to achieve tax optimi-sation.

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


FCCS CLUB EVENTSBusiness Women Network Committee

The Business Women Network was plea-sed to welcome women new comers whohave just started working in Singapore andwho needed some tips and advice fromtheir peers.

This informal networking luncheon tookplace at Il Cielo Restaurant and was anexcellent opportunity to network andshare about their careers through men-toring.

Our Business Women Network memberswere very happy to help newcomers getfamiliar with various aspects of life andwork in Singapore. F

Business Women Network Luncheon

The Business Women Networkorganised an exclusive visit of theLiving Galleries at the NationalMuseum of Singapore.

During this visit, Mrs Annick

Curtis, volunteer guide at the

National Museum of Singapore,offered a tour of the Living Gal-

leries and shared with theparticipants her extended know-ledge of Singapore, its historyand its people.

This event provided the idealopportunity for our guests todiscover the history of Singaporein this surprising museum. F

Visit of the Living Galleries at the NationalMuseum of Singapore

We live in a world of communication whereall leaders and managers are expected tobe great communicators & to make brilliantpresentations, but what does that meanexactly?

In a specific business situation people havemultiple choices, they can stay around theproblems, the details, and even the dramaor they can choose deliberately to reachhigher levels. When leaders and managersfail to communicate, they fail to lead.

During this Business Women NetworkCommittee Meeting, Mrs Christine Reu-

ther, executive coach, Step Up, shared withus her practical ‘high impact communi-cation’ tools designed for any businesssituation. F

Speaking as a Leader

56 FCCS CLUB EVENTSLuxury & Premium Retail Committee


In the last three decades, the Luxurysector has transformed into a very im-portant industry where strong brands and

conglomerates have progressively takenthe lead over family houses. In colla-boration with ESSEC Business School, the

FCCS Luxury and Retail Committeeorganised an exclusive master classto discuss the evolution of the luxuryindustry and the foundation of luxurybrand management.

As part of this exclusive master class,Mr Morisset, an ESSEC graduate

with 20 years of professional expe-

rience in the luxury industry, (for-

mer COO of Ralph Lauren Europe,

CEO of Pierre Balmain and Giorgio

Armani France) gave an overview ofthe conditions required for Asian andChinese luxury brands to emerge andsucceed in this very competitive envi-ronment.

He also explained that luxury brandsare more resilient to crisis than other

brands, and he presented the challengesand opportunities of e-commerce and di-gital marketing for the industry. F

Understanding the Evolution of the Luxury Industryand the Foundations of Luxury Brand Management

The FCCS was pleased to welcome 55participants to a Luxury & Premium Retailnetworking event held at Christofle Bou-tique.

This specific networking event provided agreat opportunity for participants to con-nect with counterparts from the retail andluxury industry in a relaxed and cozy envi-ronment. F

Luxury & Premium Retail Networking Night atChristofle Boutique

The Luxury & Premium Retail Committeeorganised an exclusive Breakfast Talk withMr Patrick Frey, creative director of

Pierre Frey since 1975, President of the

Pierre Frey group since 1976, and Mr

Matthieu Frey, Chief Representative of

Asia Pacific for Pierre Frey in theirshowroom.

Mr Patrick Frey shared his insights on thehistory and the influence of the Asian pat-terns (from Central Asia, India, Indonesia,China & Japan) in Europe.

This very interesting talk concluded withan active discussion between our mem-bers. F

The Influence of Asia on European Fabrics and onPierre Frey Luxury Designs


FCCS CLUB EVENTSLuxury & Premium Retail Committee

Today, travel retail is a USD50 billionindustry covering unique distributionchannels including airport and airlines.

By 2015, sales are set to grow by 20% andreach USD60 billion. During this period,the luxury goods category will representmore than 30% of this industry’s sales.Travel retail is truly turning into aninternational shop window for luxurybrands.

We had the pleasure to welcome twoexperts to tackle this topic. Mr Alain

Maingreaud, Managing Director of TFWA

first explained how important travel retailhas become for the luxury industry and Mr

Emmanuel Bastide, Chief Executive Of-

ficer of Asia JCDecaux SA then presentedthe new modes of engagement with travelretail consumers.

This talk was moderated by Mr Michel

Beaugier, Managing Director of M2 Ma-

nagement and welcomed 60 attendees. F

The Luxury and Premium Retail organiseda breakfast talk where Mr Michel Che-

valier, an international expert in luxury

brand management and retailing, con-

sultant with EIM and visiting Professor at

HEC shared his insights on the role ofChina in the luxury industry.

Thanks to his experience and expertise,our speaker presented the current situa-tion in China, the impact for the region and

the Impact on luxury brands organisa-tions. Mr Chevalier shared the latest fore-casts for the next two decades in order toget a better understanding on the role ofChina in the luxury industry.

This successful talk gathered 50 parti-cipants who had the opportunity to mingleand broaden their network with other pro-fessionals from the luxury industry afterthe talk. F

The Role of China in the Luxury Industry: 2013-2023

Travel Retail: A new Dimension for Luxury Brands

58 FCCS CLUB EVENTSAsia Committee / Sourcing & Supply Chain Committee


The ASEAN zone, which is extremelydynamic in South East Asia, involves tencountries including Indonesia, Malaysia

and Vietnam. With agrowth rate of 6% in2012 and a market ofover 550 million con-sumers, ASEAN nowoffers great opportuni-ties for French compa-nies to focus on export.

Mr Hubert TESTARD,

Head of the Regional

Economic Service for

ASEAN at the Embassy of France in

Singapore, presented his view on compe-titiveness and complementarity in ASEAN

through these key points:

- ASEAN: Second strength development inAsia;

- Development driven by internationaltrade and investment;

- Competitiveness remains an ongoingbattle;

- What about France?

The presentation was followed by aroundtable discussion, which gave invitedguests a unique opportunity to share,compare and gather practical, actionableinputs from each other. F

During this Sourcing & Supply ChainCommittee meeting, Mrs Anne-Gaelle

Gonet, Pacific Procurement Manager at

Clarins and Co-President of the Com-

mittee shared her experiences overseeingthe purchasing activities at Clarins, one ofthe leaders in the premium skin caremarket.

Since 2011, she has been in charge of

launching and developing the purchasingfunction across the Asia Pacific region.She therefore presented Clarins’ purcha-sing strategy, objectives and challenges inAsia. This well-attended committee mee-ting was an excellent opportunity for ourmembers to share their experiences onpurchasing across industries in Asia. Thesession ended with an interactive Q&Asession. F

Purchasing Strategy: Experience Sharing with Clarins

At the strategic level, company manage-ment makes supply chain decisions thatare relevant to the whole organisation.

Ms Catherine Hoyez, Senior Consultant

at mSE Solutions presented best prac-tices in supply chain management andexplained how to organise and implementsuccessful supply chain strategy. In parti-cular, she explored the following topics:- Strategic supply sources management;- Customisation of the logistics network to

the service requirements (SLA) andprofitability of the customers' segments;

- Business case of a Supply Chain trans-formation.

After the presentation, an open discussiontook place during which our committeemembers exchanged their views. F

Strategic Supply Chain Management

Competitiveness and Complementarity in theASEAN Region


FCCS CLUB EVENTSFCCS Events

CUT COST AND CYCLE TIME. IT'S NOTJUST ABOUT INVOICE AUTOMATION.

This breakfast talk sponsored by Viseo

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

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

We Organise your Event!The FCCS organises more than 130 events a year. Benefit from our experience as Event Organiser to reachnew customers and gain exposure.

THE FCCS BRINGS YOU NEW CUSTOMERS

Do you wish to reach new customers and gain exposure?

The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore organises your own Breakfast Talk and guarantees aqualified audience of at least 20 persons.

An all-inclusive offer

We take care of everything:• We select and book the venue• We bring a laptop and a video-projector• We create the invitation• We communicate your event through our website and direct emailing to our 2,200+ Members’ database• We assist you during the all length of the event

The format of the event is a 90-minute Breakfast Talk held in a high-end hotel with a breakfast buffet, idealfor a presentation followed by a short networking session.

For more information, do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

60 FCCS CLUB EVENTSFCCS Events


Burma: New Eldorado or Theatre of Social Chaos?

Every first Friday of each month, the FCCSorganises a business luncheon in a Frenchrestaurant, every time in a new venue witha different menu.

These informal networking sessionscreate excellent opportunities to developnew contacts and exchange ideas onbusiness issues while enjoying some greatFrench food.

Our latest luncheons took place atOmélimélo Restaurant, L’Angelus andHédiard.

Visit our website www.fccsingapore.com tosee our next business luncheons andbroaden your network. F

Business + Gastronomy = FCCS Monthly Luncheons

The purpose of this casual talk was toshare the extensive knowledge of re-nowned photojournalist Mr Thierry Falise

on cultural and social issues in Burma, acountry where he has conducted fieldworksince 1988. Thierry's valuable insights and

experience proved invaluable in deci-phering Burma's past and present, tobetter envision what the future may bringin this time of change.

In addition to Thierry's talk, we werepleased to welcome Mr Luc de Waegh,

Advisor for Foreign Trade for Belgium,who shared his field experience onbusiness development in Myanmar.

The conference was followed by a tour ofa Burmese artist's exhibition “NCS -Memories for the Future”, and offerednetworking opportunities between FCCSand Belgian Luxembourg BusinessGroup’s members. F


FCCS CLUB EVENTSFCCS Events

The FCCS offers many opportunities tomeet new persons, new business partnersor potential customers in a relaxedatmosphere.

This networking event, held at Wine

Connection, Cuppage Terrace, gatheredmore than 50 persons who had the chanceto mingle over a few glasses of wine.

For the full list of our upcomingnetworking events and all event details,check out the “Events” page on ourwebsite at www.fccsingapore.com! F

Connect and Broaden your Network!

www.agsfourwinds.com

62 FCCS MEMBERSHIPNew FCCS Members


FCCS New Members

ACP TRADINGContact: Mr Jimmy LOPEZ, Managing DirectorWebsite: www.acp-holding.comSector: Consumer Goods

DFDLContact: Mr Rashed IDREES, Partner andManaging DirectorWebsite: dfdl.comSector: Legal / Audit / Consultants

GAMELOFTContact: Mr Gonzague DEVALLOIS, VP Salesand MarketingWebsite: www.gameloft.comSector: Publisher of Digital and Social Games

HEART MEDIAContact: Mr Olivier BURLOT, CEO/ PublisherWebsite: heart-media.comSector: Media

IMAKUMOContact: Mr Thomas GOUY, APAC Sales DirectorWebsite: www.imakumo.comSector: IT

L'OCCITANE SINGAPOREContact: Mrs Phyllis CHOO, Managing DirectorWebsite: www.loccitane.com.sgSector: Cosmetics & Perfumes

MOTION - THE CREATIVE INFLUENCEContact: Ms Juliana MATTAR, Managing DirectorWebsite: www.motion.com.sgSector: Creative Agency

O BATIGNOLLESContact: Mr Antoine ROULAND, DirectorWebsite: www.obatignolles.comSector: Restaurant

SEPHORA Contact: Mr Afif HADDAR, General ManagerSingapore/ MalaysiaWebsite: www.sephora.frSector: Cosmetics & Perfumes

TIMBIS PTE LTDContact: Mr Denis REQUISWebsite: www.timbis.sgSector: Consumer Goods

CORPORATE MEMBERS

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

CHAMAPEGContact: Mr Gilles VERSCHUEREN, GeneralManagerSector: ICT / Consultants

ENTRE-NOUS CREPERIEContact: Mr Stephane MEUNIER, ManagingDirectorWebsite: www.entrenous.sgSector: Restaurants

LEMONGRASS & AUBERGINEContact: Ms Sonia GREIG, FounderWebsite: www.lemondeco.comSector: Consumer Goods

LINKS HUMAN RESOURCES Contact: Mrs Stephanie INSERRA, HR Consultant& CoachWebsite: www.apm.frSector: Human Resources

QUINTESSENCE Contact: Ms Agnes COOKE, DirectorWebsite: www.quintessence-ac.comSector: Events & Communications

ROSALIE POMPON Contact: Ms Rosalie LAMBIN, Founder & DirectorWebsite: www.rosaliepompon.comSector: Consumer Goods

ENTREPRENEUR MEMBERS


FCCS MEMBERSHIPNew FCCS Members

DR DAMIEN VILLENEUVE, Business Development Director,ALLERGAN SINGAPORE PTE LTDSector: Pharmaceuticals

MR ALEXANDRE CEREZ, Director, HSBC PRIVATE BANKSector: Bank / Finance / Investment

MR ÉDOUARD RIQUET, Manager Trade Sales, WESTPACBANKING CORPORATIONSector: Bank / Finance / Investment

MS CÉCILE BLOY, CFO, ROCKTREESector: Logistics / Shipping

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

MR AURÉLIEN PICHON, Chief Operating Officer Asia, InvestorDivision, THOMSON REUTERSSector: Financial Information Provider

MR GÉRALD PASQUIER, Business Legal Manager, SWISSLIFE (SINGAPORE) Pte. Ltd.Sector: Insurance

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

CAPELLA HOTEL Contact: Mr Robert LAGERWEY, General ManagerWebsite: www.capellasingapore.comSector: Hotels

CGLI PTE LTDContact: Ms Lamiaa BENNIS, SingaporeBranch ManagerWebsite: www.cargologin.comSector: Forwarding / Shipping

KYMBE PTE LTDContact: Ms Cristal LEE, DirectorSector: Luxury goods

MONTICELLOContact: Ms Natasha LIOK, Marketing ManagerWebsite: www.monticellodesigns.comSector: Consumer Goods

OCBC BANKContact: Mr Gaven WONG, Vice PresidentWebsite: www.ocbc.com.sgSector: Bank / Finance / Investment

WINE CULTURE PTE LTDContact: Mr Renny HENG, DirectorWebsite: wineculture.com.sgSector: Wine & Wine Shops

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

BECOME A MEMBER!

Joining us brings you directly to the heart of the FrenchBusiness Community in Singapore. Our lively membershipof more than 540 reflects French expertise across a widerange of sectors, both industrial (Technology, Electronics,Telecommunications…) and services (Banking, Insurance,Marketing, Advertising...).

Join us and benefit from a wide range of advantages, suchas a greater business exposure, an easier access to peopleand information and many events and business services.

For more information, please contact us at 6933 1356 or by email at [email protected].

64 FCCS MEMBERSHIPFCCS Privilege Card


HEDIARD- S$25 gift certificate at Hediard Café with a

min spend of S$100 at the Hediard Boutique.

HERMITAGE- 10% off all wine list.

HILTON SINGAPORE HOTEL- 10% off Wine Classes.

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

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

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

LOMIG & THE FRENCH GROCER- 10% off all HELICIUM Glasses (set of 2).- 2 complimentary units with purchase of 6

HELICIUM glasses of the same model.- 5% off food for 500$ and above orders

trough www.thefrenchgrocer.com.

PETIT BATEAU- 10% off regular items.

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

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

THE RESILIENCE INSTITUTE- 1 complimentary Diagnostic.

TRADERS HOTEL, SINGAPORE- 15% off Food & Beverage at Cafebiz & Ah

Hoi’s Kitchen.

WINES2U- 15% off on Champagne Moutard.- 10% off on all other wines for a minimum

order of 12 bottles per purchase.

ZWIESEL - 15% off all items.

AGS FOUR WINDS- Up to 30 days free storage rent in Singapore.- Groupage offer to Paris starting from S$440 /m2.

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE- 5% off any French tuition.- 10% off French tuition tailored to a company’s

needs and given in the company premises.

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

BISTRO DU VIN & AU JARDIN- 10% off all Food & Beverage at Bistro du Vin

at Shaw Centre, Bistro du Vin at 56 ZionRoad and Au Jardin at Botanic Gardens.

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

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

FOREST ADVENTURE- 10% off on individual tickets, birthday

packages and merchandising.

FOXYSALES- A permanent 10% discount on your orders.

FRASERS HOSPITALITY- 10% off Best Available Rates.

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

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

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

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

Place, Oasis.

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

FCCS Privilege CardTerms & conditions apply.Visit www.fccsingapore.com for more details.

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