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Produced by SilverKris for Singapore Administration College Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Enterprise
On the world map, it’s arduous to make out the little pink dot that’s Singapore, which measures simply 728km2 – or 459 occasions smaller than neighbouring Malaysia. However regardless of its measurement, it wields important international clout. In recent times, that clout is not only financial, but in addition cultural.
Lately, the city-state has been making headlines for all the best causes: month-to-month guests are exceeding one million, whereas a file variety of foreigners are investing in native property. Plus, in what’s maybe the strongest testomony to the town’s rising cultural cachet, the Monetary Occasions has topped Singapore “Asia’s official capital of cool”.
So why is Singapore thriving? Right here, we communicate to 4 specialists – in industries starting from hospitality and F&B to sensible buildings and structure – for his or her perspective on what makes the town the place to be.
Constructing on a robust basis
A part of the reply lies in Singapore’s constructed surroundings. As a tiny island, Singapore has at all times needed to grapple with the problem of land shortage. As we speak, nonetheless, nearly each sq. inch of the town has been rigorously optimised due to astute city planning – a number of a long time’ price, actually.
SMU EMBA alum Daniel Liu (proper) credit each an important city planning and forward-thinking non-public sector with Singapore’s success. Photograph courtesy of Daniel Liu
SMU EMBA alum Alexander Siemes applauds Singapore’s use of expertise to battle local weather change. Photograph courtesy of Alexander Siemes
Singapore’s success didn’t occur by chance. It took a really methodical 30-year plan for us to get right here
“Singapore’s success didn’t occur by chance. Again within the Nineteen Sixties, our leaders had a really clear thought of what long-term financial and concrete growth ought to appear to be,” says Daniel Liu, Government Director of city advisory agency MORROW Intelligence. “It took a really methodical 30-year plan for us to get right here.”
In fact, non-public enterprise has additionally performed a key position. “We’ve gone by way of that interval of structured growth, and now the situations are proper for specialists within the subject to strike it out on their very own,” Daniel says.
He attributes this partly to programmes resembling Singapore Administration College’s Government Grasp of Enterprise Administration (EMBA) – of which he’s an alum – the place enterprise leaders come collectively to unravel the challenges of tomorrow as a part of its distinctive hands-on curriculum. “As an illustration, we now have individuals growing sensible instruments for monitoring metropolis metrics, and consultants developing with new methods of eager about placemaking. There’s a variety of thrilling stuff taking place.”
A showcase for city transformation
As we speak, Singapore is a vibrant but coherent mixture of outdated and new. In Chinatown, for instance, guests will discover rigorously conserved heritage shophouses flanked by gleaming skyscrapers. Outdoors of the downtown core, you’ll uncover a sequence of vibrant heartland neighbourhoods – some that includes Thirties Artwork Deco structure.
Different areas are prime laboratories of cutting-edge expertise. A main instance of the latter is the Punggol Digital District, which could have a high-tech pneumatic waste assortment system and a wise power grid when it launches in 2024.
“Singapore is making full use of recent expertise to push the boundaries of what it means to be a wise metropolis,” says SMU EMBA alumnus Alexander Siemes, who heads the Digital Service Middle (Center East and Asia Pacific) at Siemens. “This shall be an important showcase of city transformation.”
Buildings such because the foliage-covered PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering make the Singapore city surroundings nice and habitable. Photograph: Shutterstock.com
Town’s meticulous city planning is underpinned by a deep dedication to sustainability. “What Singapore has embraced rather well is the concept of biophilic structure – the place the boundary between the skin surroundings and the within surroundings is blurred,” Daniel says. Take, as an illustration, the PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering lodge within the central enterprise district, an architectural feat festooned with lush vertical gardens and plant-filled balconies.
As Alexander provides, Singapore can also be addressing the local weather disaster by way of initiatives just like the Singapore Inexperienced Plan 2030which incorporates materials targets resembling quadrupling photo voltaic power deployment by 2025 and decreasing the quantity of waste despatched to landfill by 30% in 2030. “This long-term mindset, for me, is a decisive issue that makes Singapore so enticing,” he says.
Welcoming guests with top-notch experiences
This progressive outlook is equally embodied in Singapore’s flourishing hospitality business, which is predicted to cater to over 12 million guests in 2023.
“Singapore has among the greatest infrastructure by way of constructing design and effectivity, waste administration and expertise. This provides our hospitality business an edge towards that of many different international locations,” says Philip Cyril Raj, the CEO of impartial lodge group Bay Lodges & Resorts. “Plus, our motels and eating places proceed to evolve by way of refurbishments and higher choices.”
Singapore’s heritage luxurious motels are properly conserved, giving the town an edge over rivals. Photograph: Raffles Resort Singapore
A working example is the enduring Raffles Resort, which reopened its doorways in 2019 to a lot fanfare after a multi-million-dollar facelift. In the identical vein, the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore is at present present process a complete refurbishment – its first in a long time.
A meals scene not like every other
Elsewhere, it’s hardly shocking that the food-obsessed metropolis’s high institutions usually function on “better of” lists yearly. As an illustration, 9 native venues, together with fine-dining mecca Odette and barbecue joint Burnt Ends, had been lately named amongst Asia’s 50 Greatest Eating places 2023. In reality, simply this month, Odette gained the #14 spot on the World’s 50 Greatest Eating places record this 12 months and the accolade of Greatest Restaurant in Asia. Then there’s additionally the flourishing bar scene, which attracts cocktail connoisseurs from all around the world.
Odette was lately topped the perfect restaurant in Asia. Photograph: Odette
“Singapore’s F&B panorama has positively develop into extra vibrant and cosmopolitan over time,” observes Jeanne Liu, co-founder of Wealthy and Good Cake Store. Her enterprise, began at dwelling together with her mum virtually 30 years in the past, has grown by way of word-of-mouth to develop into a neighborhood establishment with a digital presence – inspiring Jeanne herself to return to high school for an EMBA at SMU and upskill herself.
Like many conventional manufacturers in Singapore, it has additionally benefited from authorities funding such because the Productiveness Options Grant (PSG), by way of which the corporate was capable of launch its game-changing e-commerce platform. “We opened again in 1997 within the heartlands, and lots has modified since then. For instance, the Michelin Information got here to Singapore in 2016, and there are such a lot of several types of good meals obtainable now.”
An EMBA from SMU gave Jeanne Liu (centre) new perspective on increasing her heritage enterprise. Photograph courtesy of Jeanne Liu
SMU alum and hotelier Philip Cyril believes Singapore’s hospitality panorama is second to none. Photograph courtesy of Philip Cyril Raj
A vibrant multicultural panorama
This splendidly numerous culinary scene is, partly, a pure byproduct of the town’s multicultural make-up. “One in every of Singapore’s extra distinctive traits is that we now have an exquisite coexistence of cultures, and also you see it in all places. When you concentrate on our meals, there are Chinese language variations of nasi lemak, Malay variations of rooster rice and Indian variations of rojak,” Daniel says. “I feel it’s essential for guests to Singapore to have a bit understanding of how particular the connection is between the completely different cultures.”
Certainly, it’s this concord in range that makes Alexander, a German native, grateful to name Singapore dwelling. “It comes all the way down to the straightforward issues. I like Singapore’s number of meals, pleasant individuals and normal openness to be a multicultural nation,” he says. “Having a kopi-o at my neighbourhood hawker, chatting with the aunty who has been operating it for 20 years, assembly pals over some roti prata to debate plans for the night… I’m loving it, and Singapore will at all times have a particular place in my coronary heart.”
For extra data on the EMBA programme at Singapore Administration College Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Enterprise, click on right here.
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