Singapore-Switzerland Connection Article Series #3: Interview with Dario Urbinati

Introduction 

For the third interview in our article series, we’ve invited Dario Urbinati, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at ACTEGA Metal Print, to share his thoughts on doing business in Singapore and Switzerland.

In his previous roles with Gallus Ferd. Rüesch and OMET, both are European printing presses companies, Dario was based in Singapore and China during which he gathered unique insights about Asia. Today, he is based in St Gallen, Switzerland and frequently travels to Germany and internationally for work.

Excerpts from the third interview

Here are the excerpts from our interview with Dario on June 24th.

Ricky: Hi Dario, thanks for joining us for the interview! Daniel and I started this interview series to share thoughts and experiences about doing business in Singapore and Switzerland as both countries have many similarities. I thought of you as you have lived and worked many years in Singapore, and of course, you are Swiss!

To start off, what do you think makes the Swiss and Singaporean economies the most competitive in the world?

Dario: I believe this competitiveness stems from necessity. If you are a small and internationally connected economy, you have to be competitive. There is simply no other way to survive. You have to invest and excel in all aspects, be it governance, taxation, innovation management or transparency and compliance. The goal is to enable your economy to play the game among the big players in the world.

Daniel: Do you think it is important for the economy to diversify?

Dario: Yes, diversifying is good, but not to the point where there is risk of fragmentation. By channelling them into too many fields, such a situation might stretch economic resources too thinly and the risks become too big to manage. The country then loses critical mass in specific industries.

Ricky: Understanding that you have lived in both Singapore and Switzerland, how do you compare both cities in terms of quality of living?

Dario: I would say both countries are top notch in terms of quality of living, especially in the environmental protection, public transport, public security and a stable legal system. They are very much global Tier-1 countries to live and work in. As far as possible, both countries have developed their cities very well to provide a hassle-free life.

Daniel: Now onto the business side of things: What are the similarities of doing business in Singapore and Switzerland? How about the differences?

Dario: Firstly, both countries have absorbed the DNA of creating win-win situations. As small countries on the global playing field, they both lack an important toolbox, which is political power play. Economically, your domestic market is too small to rely on and your global market share is also not that significant.

So, what they have done is to learn from society and academic institutions like universities and acquire both analytical skills and empathy.

Both cultures have learnt to generate strong mutual cooperation when doing business, which results in effective negotiations that benefit both parties in the long term. Everyone can get their share of the pie.

Ricky: Can you give a tangible example of your experience with such a business style?

Dario: This is actually a pattern I observed in Singapore but also other parts of Asia. I learnt that the first transaction is seen as a starting point of your business relationship. And, within the first deal, you are already preparing for future business opportunities with that person – now that might be next week or next year – but the idea is to make an investment for the future, by establishing a meaningful customer relationship from the get-go.

This building of mutual trust starts from “sticking to your handshake”, and that can involve all stakeholders, be it government, clients, employees or others.

Adding to my previous point re diversified economies, this also means that the industries in both countries are small. For example, Switzerland only has a population of 8.5 million. The most prominent industry clusters represented are the industrial as well as the financial and professional services sectors, trade and tourism.

Hence, you will often meet the same people and do business with them many times, at least as long as you act in your home market. This is fundamentally different from large markets, where you can more easily avoid dealing with certain people or groups.

Daniel: How do you see Singapore as the hub of APAC?

Photo caption: Singapore Tuas Terminal (Source: Today)

Dario: Singapore is a beautiful business hub for APAC. It is well-connected not just through its ports and harbours, but also culturally with the rest of the world. There are many languages spoken in Asia Pacific, and everyone in Singapore speaks at least one of them. For example, Singapore leverages two global languages, Mandarin and English.

Many of the talented people in Singapore are also well educated and have international experience. This is very important when you’re building a hub in Asia, as you need a high level of international exposure and sensitivity in your team.

The high-level technical universities in Singapore contribute much to the quality of the workforce there. I was fortunate to be engaged in some projects with teams from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and I met some brilliant people. They showed an extremely high level of technical expertise, innovative drive and market understanding.

In other parts of the world, what you often see is a clear distinction between the incredibly gifted academics, scientists and engineers, and the astute, experienced and highly driven business people. You very rarely see all of those attributes in one person. As such, some scientists do not have a strong grasp on what the market needs, and some business people are not innovation driven. And invariably, “backdoor scientists” seldom understand what the market needs.

In Singapore, a strong business acumen is been embedded into their innovation process, something which I very much appreciated since it drove the projects from a market perspective. Their high-profile scientists understand that their products and innovations need to be marketed and sold if they’re to play a crucial role in modern society.

Daniel: What about Switzerland’s position in Europe?

Dario: Europe has a different landscape. There are significant differences between Singapore and its neighbours. These gaps are not that big in Europe. For example, if you look at quality of life, cost of living, education, stability of law and public infrastructure, it is quite comparable across major cities/regions in Central Europe.

Photo caption: Gotthard Base Tunnel, the longest railway tunnel in the world (57km) (Source: SBB)

Switzerland acts partly as a service provider for European countries. It allows goods to be transported from South to North, for example, with the help of the Gotthard base tunnel through the Alps. It is also a neutral consultant for the public sector and global organisations like the United Nations, which have one of their main offices in Geneva. But Switzerland is also an excellent spot to set up Global or European Headquarters for multinational corporations in various sectors. All relevant factors are in favour for that. 

Like in Singapore you see a strong focus on innovation in Switzerland, with top-ranking technical universities like the ETH Zürich and EPFL in Lausanne, contributing to the talent pool, a flexible education system which offers a path into academics also to those which went through an apprenticeship, and non the least business universities with strong connections into the economy ensuring know how transfer, like e.g. the University of St. Gallen (HSG). In this relation I feel something is often forgotten if it comes to a discussion about innovation. Innovation is not just happening in a technical oriented environment, where it is obvious if we think about emerging new technologies, but it should be a part of every business model discussion/definition where an open mindset can lead to e.g. new distribution channels, better services etc.

Ricky: What is your perspective of the role that Singapore and Switzerland play in global innovation?

Dario: Both countries invest a significant amount of their GDP into Research and Development at both the business and education levels. And because of their high income opportunities, security and political stability, personal and academic freedom, and quality of life, Singapore and Switzerland attract global talent to its workforce, helping both countries to be successful in innovation.

But if you need to scale-up your manufacturing capabilities, especially in an industrial, labour-reliant environment, then Switzerland and Singapore are unlikely to be your first choice.

Assuming you are a car manufacturer and you′d like to set up a production in Switzerland or Singapore, in need of 10,000 employees and 300 hectare property for your Gigafactory – I am not saying that′s impossible but it will be challenging, and most probably you end up choosing Malaysia or Germany. So, there are limitations to offer mass production, and if you want to do it in Singapore or Switzerland, a strong focus on products at the upper end of the value chain, productivity and innovation is needed.

Daniel: What advice do you have for Europeans who want to do business in Singapore?

Dario: Expect that business is done differently in Singapore. You need to build up trust over a period of time, but know that once you’ve done that, you can do business very easily and quickly. And be ready for the good negotiation skills of the locals.

You should start learning at least one Asian language. It really does open doors for you. For me, I found that speaking Chinese presents you with so many more opportunities. However, I learnt it too late in my career in Asia – but, I still have a few words.

Also, on a personal note, seriously give the amazing Asian hawker/street food a try – if you don′t you will miss a very tasty opportunity.

And to really enjoy your host country, try to limit your time at your home countries associations. It’s good to be at a Swiss/German/British/etc. club and it’s amazing and important to get connected, but it’s also beneficial and eye opening to acquaint with locals whenever possible.

I was lucky to be able to find several local friends through sport (boxing at Evolve MMA), some of whom I’m still in contact with today. It is easy to mingle with the locals in Singapore if you are open-minded, and this meant a lot to me. If you go abroad, you should connect with the locals, they can give you a much better understanding of the local business, culture and situation, and explain why things are done differently there, maximising your personal learning.

Ricky: And what advice do you have for Asians who want to stay and do business in Switzerland?

Dario: You have to be patient. The Swiss culture value privacy greatly, which is sometimes hindering in making friends quickly. It takes time to connect, get acquainted, gain trust and eventually become friends. But once you are there it′s usually for life.

For those who intend to stay longer, learn some Swiss dialect. It’s the same as my previous comment regarding learning an Asian language – it opens doors and helps you to participate within the Swiss culture.

As for cultural similarity, the Swiss also care about “saving face” and politeness, so in that sense both cultures can connect well.

(Editor’s note: “Face” is a combination of respectability and status, ultimately linked to self-worth and persona. Understanding the nuances of “face” is invaluable when communicating with people from such a culture.)

My final piece of advice is to talk to people at an early stage if there is an issue or a problem and not to sweep something under the carpet. You can solve nearly every problem by talking to people at the right time.

Ricky: Thank you, Dario, for taking the time to share your insights!

About the Authors 

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].

Dario Urbinati, based in St. Gallen, Switzerland, is acting as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer and ACTEGA Metal Print in Germany since 2019. Prior to that, he had a long stay in Asia, serving as Managing Director of OMET Srl in China for APAC and Managing Director of Gallus Ferd. Rüesch in Singapore for SEA, giving him eight years of experience in Asia.