Singapore-Switzerland Connection Article Series #1: Interview with Daniel Müller

Introduction

My colleague, Ricky Foo and I, have been working together since 2015. We first met in Zurich when we were conducting a seminar on “Doing Business in Southeast Asia”. Subsequently, we communicated regularly as members within the Mercuri Urval Automotive & Mobility Team. 

Last year, I started my Executive MBA HSG in Business Engineering with the University of St. Gallen and came to Singapore for one week, as part of this programme. Ricky and I had time to meet each other, explore the city and enjoy dinner on a cloudy and humid Saturday.  

While Singapore is fighting to stop the spread of Covid-19, Switzerland displayed the Singapore flag on Matterhorn as an act of solidarity on April 24th. 

Inspired by the action of Switzerland towards Singapore, Ricky and I decided to start a new article series to discuss the close connection and similarities of Singapore and Switzerland. 

Excerpts from the first interview Ricky conducted with me. 

Here are the excerpts from our first interview on May 2nd, over a glass of beer, via Microsoft Teams: 

Ricky “R”: Hi Daniel, it is great to work with you on this article series. Singapore and Switzerland have many similar characteristics, and we have talked about this many times. Tell me, what’s your first impression of Singapore?  

Daniel “D”: My first impression of Singapore is that it is well-organised, clean, busy and dynamic. Let me elaborate. 

When I first landed in Changi Airport and went to take a taxi, it was quite amazing to see the well-organised taxi lanes. Honestly, it is quite exceptional as I have travelled to many cities in the world. 

As my taxi travelled into the city centre, it is very clean, there is no chaos – high structured and straight. The atmosphere is very nice – everything is running properly. 

Also, the people that I met (taxi drivers, waiters in restaurants, people in the hotel) are very service-oriented. People are always friendly no matter where you go. 

R: Can you elaborate on Singapore being dynamic?  

D: You can really feel the pulse of the global economy in Singapore! 

From the plane, you can see the ships around the harbour. You really can see, that global trade and global supply chains are in or go through Singapore. 

You can feel it in the streets! People are business-oriented. They are dressed up and you know that it is a business city. 

There are business people everywhere and they are walking very fast. In fact, Singapore have the fastest walkers in the world (R: Really! That’s a new fun fact for me!)* 

*Fact check: The study was conducted in 2007. It seems to the only one in the world! The author (Ricky Foo) enjoys walking fast and his personal opinion is that people in Hong Kong walk faster. However, the busy city of Hong Kong is not included in this study.  

R: If you compare Singapore with other global cities, what do you see as distinct and unique about Singapore?  

D: The city is really international! You can see a rich diversity of people everywhere: Chinese, Westerners, Indians, Asians in general and even Arabs. 

In Shanghai, the city is not so well-balanced. It’s >90% of Chinese, with the exception of small part of downtown which is more international. 

In Singapore, there is a good mixture and the proportion is different. You can see that business people from all continents coming to Singapore to do business. 

R: What are some major learning points you had from your time in Singapore?  

D: In my view, Europe is the old continent and Asia is the new continent. The last century is the century of the Atlantic Ocean and this century is supposed to be the century of the Pacific Ocean. 

In Asia, there is a lot of hunger, ambition and willingness to succeed. You can feel that Asia is the future. There is huge potential in many of the developing countries in Asia. 

Photo from Flickr, by Shih-Pei Chang 

I remembered that our MBA class went to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Building for a visit. We saw the Master Plan of Singapore (photo above) and I have a better understanding of the long-term planning of the Singapore government. The horizon is 50 years! Compare to some of the politicians in Europe, which are only planning in the next 4-5 years. In my view, they are more interested in being re-elected than having a long-term vision. 

I'm impressed by how Singapore achieved so much in 50 years and I believe that the country will maintain to be successful in the future. 

Furthermore, I have learned that the salaries in the public sector are very high compared to other countries, especially in Europe. The salaries can easily compete with the private sector; e.g. multinational firms. Therefore, the key people in the Singaporean Government have comparable capabilities as the senior executives in the private sector. 

R: How do you see Swiss firms able to expand their business in Singapore and Asia Pacific?  

D: It is very easy to start a business** in Singapore – it literally takes just a few days. In Europe, there is normally much more bureaucracy – it takes much longer and also takes more effort. 

If you are a Swiss company and you want to do business in Asia Pacific, you need to do it in Singapore. The country is international, speaks English and it is very easy to setup. Compare to other Southeast Asia countries, it is less challenging and more straightforward. 

**Singapore ranks No. 2 globally (after New Zealand) in ease of doing business.  

R: What are some advice that you have for Swiss business leaders, especially for the small medium companies?  

D: As I said earlier, go to Singapore! It is the easiest way to conquer the Asia market. Everything is there and everything you need is available straight away. 

The country has a strong international business mindset. As a Swiss, it is the easiest to talk to people in Singapore, compare to other Southeast Asian countries. If you setup the operations in Singapore, the talent pool is already available. If you want to send someone from Switzerland to Singapore, the country is also very attractive and easy to live. 

Geographically, it is well located and within 3-4 hours, you can reach many major cities. I also learnt that Singapore Airlines (SQ) is a long-term plan established by the government since the early 1970s. It plays a big part in Singapore for people to be mobile and for Singapore to act as a major logistics hub. 

By the way, the quality of living in Singapore*** is very attractive to expatriates. You can visit many nice places within 2-3 hours! 

***Based on the latest Quality of Living survey by Mercer, Singapore is ranked No. 1 in Asia, ahead of Tokyo. 

R: Daniel, thanks for having this interview with me. I can see that you have become a “fan and friend” of Singapore. Hope that you can visit Singapore again very soon!  

D: The pleasure is mine! I’m certainly making plans to be in Singapore again – once we can travel freely! 

Up Next: 

In the next interview, Daniel will reverse role with Ricky and he will be interviewing Ricky about his perspective of Switzerland. Stay tuned! 

 About the Authors 

Photo taken at Singapore's Gardens by the Bay.  

Ricky Foo is an international executive search and talent advisory consultant, based in Singapore. He comes from Malaysia and he relocated to Singapore since 1999. Today, he drives the Asia Pacific business for Mercuri Urval and his core focus is to help European companies to expand their business and grow their teams in the region. You can reach him at [email protected]. 

Daniel Müller, based in Zurich, is a member of Mercuri Urval’s Industrial Sector (including Automotive, Manufacturing and Logistics) and Professional Service Sector. Daniel focuses on Executive Search, Succession Planning and Leadership Advisory. In addition, Daniel serves as member of Mercuri Urval’s Management Team in Switzerland as well as Deputy Global Head Automotive & Mobility. You can reach him at [email protected].