Archive for April 2011

The Business of Cool

Datuk (Dr) Kelvin Tan, Chairman of TSH Resources Berhad and Ekowood International Berhad, wants a cleaner, greener future. And he’s made no secret of it.

TSH Resources has registered four Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) initiatives since 2006. The three methane recovery and utilisation projects and one bio energy project generate an average of 280,000 certified emission reduction credits per annum.

(A credit is given to an emission source that voluntarily reduces emissions beyond required levels of control.) And the force behind this was Tan himself, whose epiphany had put the group on the track of environmental heroism – the new millennium’s epitome of corporate cool.

His office in Kuala Lumpur is ensconced in the fairly green lung along the Duta-Semantan on-ramp. It’s just begun to rain outside. The thunder booms and lighting crackles. Inside, however, the mood is one of serenity. The spacious open-concept office is a light vista of steel, glass, wood and high ceilings. Staff go about their work, occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning.

The Smallest Mechanical

The rare Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre 101, 14mm long and 4.8mm wide, was recently seen on the wrist of Hollywood actress Diane Kruger, who attended the premiere of the movie Unknown in Los Angeles.

The sumptuous piece of haute joaillerie is one of several unique styles of gems and settings that encase a calibre famed for being the smallest mechanical movement in existence.

1929 was the year the Calibre 101 of Jae ger -LeCoultre was made. It was a technical achievement as IT BOASTED a move ment that was small enough to be inserted into tiny women’s je weller y watche s, which was the fashion then as it is now

Eastern Promise

Returning can be wonderful, whether it be for reminiscing or revisiting, whether reviewing or resolving. It is most exciting when returning also means discovery. For us, our recent return to Sri Lanka was just that – a discovery.

Our annual Christmas visits, to date, have always included visits out of Colombo, in addition to the ample revelry with friends, relatives and relatives who are friends. We decided on Trincomalee last December, a new visit for all (even for this Sri Lanka born).

Trincomalee (or ‘Trinco’ as it is popularly known) and the east lay claim to Sri Lanka’s finest beaches; its waters are teeming with sea life and it is a veritable diver’s paradise. But we discovered just on this first trip, as many delights on land. Trinco had been off limits for most of my childhood due to the war and, with the welcome advent of peace, came access.

Although December is offseason for ocean activities (which includes whale and dolphin-watching, scuba diving, snorkelling and sea swimming), we were still keen to visit the area before its inevitable development through tourism and speculation.

We headed off early Monday morning, breaking our journey in Kandy and Dambulla (where the beautiful and world-famous Rock Temple is), to get some relief from the gruelling eight-hour journey to Trinco.

Leaving Colombo, the roads are easier for travel and, when driving through Ambepussa, do stop at the Rest House – a former colonial government house, which is now a warm Bawa-style boutique hotel – before moving on to Dambulla.

The Rock Temple is elegantly situated on a hilltop, requiring a challenging climb that is rewarded by serenity and beauty – an analogy to life, perhaps.

Going by The Book

Sereni Linggi and Shentel Lee are sharing their love for the written word with the Iban women of Semembai, Sarawak, by contributing towards the Semembai Literacy Project.

Christopher Morley, American journalist and author of Parnassus on Wheels and Kitty Foyle, once said: “When you give a man a book, you don’t give him just 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue.

You give him a whole new life.” Indeed, over the years, books have transported young children to faraway places, such as the mystical island of Neverland, enabled Malaysians to experience the Pinochet dictatorship through the eyes of Chilean writer Isabel Allende and, more recently, allowed George W Bush to explain his innermost thoughts when he made that fateful decision to invade Iraq.

For Sereni Linggi and Shentel Lee, co-founders of Sereni & Shentel, a fashion label that specialises in hair accessories, reading is at the centre of their lives. In fact, one of the many things that this dynamic duo has in common is their shared love for non-fiction literature.

“We love reading and will always head straight to the bookstores whenever we are in a shopping mall,” says the 30-year-old Lee. “Quite coincidentally, we both share a love for nonfiction and love reading biographies and true stories of various personalities,” she adds.

Sereni’s reading list ranges from theories on martial arts, physics, politics, the spiritual, religion, fashion and method acting to biographies of people who have inspired her such as Bruce Lee, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Nikola Tesla. “I love the autobiographies of Barbara Walters and Janice Dickenson, biographies on Truman Capote and Isabelle Blow and, of course, the classic Roald Dahl reads like Matilda and The Twits.”

Time to Relax

This year’s stunning issue of IWC’s Portofino pieces is inspired by that dolce vita of the 1950s and 60s, when Hollywood movie stars would escape to the tranquillity of this simple yet charming seaside town.

Among them were Ingrid Bergman, Clark Gable, Liz Taylor, Richard Burton and even operatic goddess Maria Callas. In 2011, this beautiful landscape from the Ligurian coast and its idyllic lifestyle takes on a different life as a timepiece aesthetic.

The Portofino Chronograph this year is a finely balanced 42mm construction with slim push-buttons and low-key counters, powered by the 79320 calibre, tried-and-tested with 44-hours of power reserve, automatic winding and impeccably crafted Milanese mesh bracelet or alligator straps.

Garibaldi Comes to Town

There’s no denying that there’s more than a fair share of spicy banter between Malaysia and Singapore over various points of interest, ranging from crooked bridges to escaped high-profile prisoners and everything in between.

When Singaporeans argue that they have the best parties, concerts and cultural events, Malaysians often counter by saying that they’ve got the best char kuay teow, nasi lemak and roti canai.

While this may be a valid argument where street fare is concerned, we cannot deny that our dear neighbours to the south are as wellestablished, or even more so, when it comes to fine dining.

Just look at the impressive showing of celebrity chefs who have made Marina Bay Sands their new home: Guy Savoy, Wolfgang Puck and Tetsuya Wakuda. In 2003, long before this island state caught the attention of those culinary superstars, a young chef by the name of Roberto Galetti began making waves in the city’s food circles.

The Brescia-born chef had made a name for himself while working with the worldrenowned Bice Group and his immense talent led him to eventually become Executive Chef of Bice Singapore located in the prestigious Goodwood Park Hotel.

However, after being hit by the entrepreneurial bug, Galetti, with the help of his family and friends, opened Singapore’s acclaimed Garibaldi in 2003, which has since been rated as the seventh best restaurant in Asia by the Miele Guide.

Glow of Ages

The lustre of the 126-year-old pewter company, Royal Selangor, shines brighter than ever with the recent opening of its second Malaysian Visitor Centre in Penang’s retail marina enclave of Straits Quay.

This opening comes hot on the heels of store openings in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands, Shanghai’s Hong Kong Plaza, Guomao in Beijing and the Malaysian flagship in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

Visitors to the centre at Straits Quay will undoubtedly recognise many of the experiential delights which recall the key features of the very popular Kuala Lumpur visitor centre.

From the School of Hard Knocks to the 4,150kgs of swarf – those tiny pewter shavings – that decorate the gallery, each element tells the story of a brand that began under the humblest of conditions to become one of the most successful Malaysian business stories.

On your next northbound sojourn, drop in at the visitor centre and see the various motifs of tin-mining and local crafts that are worked into an aesthetically pleasing space tinged with rich tradition.

Coffee with Lamborghini

Tonino Lamborghini, son of Ferruccio Lamborghini (of luxury car fame), made his maiden visit to Kuala Lumpur to introduce Tonino Lamborghini Caffè to the city’s coffee connoisseurs.

Sonia Gomez caught up with the man himself over breakfast, where he was candid about his business, life lessons from his father and the Italian passion for espresso coffee.

Your father, Ferruccio Lamborghini, was one of the most successful and globally-recognised Italian entrepreneurs in history. What do you remember most about your father and your childhood?

When I was a young boy, our family home was located in the same compound as my father’s factories. As such, I was surrounded daily by employees at every level, be it workers or managing directors, and this gave me my first taste of working life.

By growing up in close proximity to my father’s work, I learnt a lot from him about running a business. He taught me that it really is possible to work all day.

When you are responsible for multiple companies and your employees’ livelihoods, your time is your company’s time. There is no such thing as keeping your work and leisure separate, because you’ll inevitably have to mix the two.

You started the Tonino Lamborghini brand by making wristwatches. Why did you choose the watch-making business as your entry into entrepreneurship? A watch, like cars and tractors, is very mechanical.

So, when you think about it, I didn’t really stray too far from the Lamborghini family legacy. But what I wanted to do was add some luxury to these highly mechanical items. Over time, I’ve come up with sunglasses, bicycles, coffee machines and many other items, all of which represent a unique and privileged lifestyle.

Sparkling Up The Yarra

The moment you set eyes on the scenic view of the Yarra Valley in Victoria, your heart is at ease. An hour’s drive from Melbourne, the valley greets you with acres upon acres of lush greenery and picture-postcard views while the freshness of the air and tranquility immediately puts you in a Zen-like mode.

One of the Yarra Valley’s viticultural stars is, without doubt, Domaine Chandon. Famous for its sparkling wines, particularly its unique and iconic sparkling Shiraz, it is also one of the most visited wineries in the region.

The History

In the mid-1980s, upon visiting with viticulturalists and winemakers, the head of Chandon in California stumbled upon the valley. Known as ‘Green Point’ to the early settlers, the area stayed green compared to the other surrounding properties that browned during summer.

Endowed with natural soils with deep moisture capacities, it was an ideal place for grapes to flourish and grow. The site was a perfect meeting point for viticultureas it also drew cooler temperatures flowing into the valley from the mountainous ranges.

Having searched for the perfect location, the site was eventually selected and purchased by Moët in 1986 – marking the beginning of Domaine Chandon and its expansion into Australia.

A Better Breed of Leaders

With the younger generation shunning the reins of power, it’s not enough to sit back and wait for the fittest to survive. CEO, John Connor and Managing Partner, Ron Strieker, Ph.D. from CMI International, an Atlanta-based consulting company specializing in leadership development, executive coaching and other talent management solutions, shed some light on the approaches necessary to build the next line of destiny-makers.

In the new corporate sphere where most young execs prefer to play in a team instead of blazing the trail as a maverick, leaders need to be aware and practise two essential skills. First, they must be adaptable and flexible with their staff and in meetings so people feel a part of the process.

Secondly, they need to be collaborative and inclusive, allowing the team members to lead at times, struggle and then solve problems with a common mindset that forges forward to a common goal. In many ways, they are conducting and orchestrating through a collaborative model.

Usually, ‘high-potentials’ are intellectually the smartest people in the room and have a long history of doing things on their own. They have been rewarded over and over again for this behaviour and it has become a major ingredient of their success profile.

With the dearth of such personalities, an early development is key. If a team player is to be groomed to be a future leader, the cycle of individual contributor can be broken with role modelling, project assignments outside of their areas of responsibility, project management where they ‘manage’ others who do not report to them, and finally, building trust at the peer and upper management levels through social networking techniques.