The Knowledge to Decide

Can Singapore cultivate a culture of confidence as it turns 53? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 6 August 2018 on Singapore’s future. As Singapore ushers in another year of independence, more confidence needs to be instilled. Intelligent risk-taking will be key to the next phase of Singapore’s development. Perera highlighted that familiarity with past successes should not inhibit fresh, innovative thinking and experimentation with new strategies. Therefore, it is crucial for leaders to inspire trust and also for Singaporeans to cultivate greater trust in one another to be good citizens, thus engendering the social capital necessary for national success. The text of Perera’s comments are provided below. A comprehensive Korean peace treaty and denuclearization agreement are worthwhile goals to pursue. But it is unlikely that the North Korean leader will completely give up t

O n 15 March, Spire and Yamada Consulting Group (YCG) jointly organized a breakfast seminar in Singapore for Japanese speakers, to share insights on Mergers & Acquisition (M&A) deals in Vietnam and investment trends for market entry. An English language seminar on the same theme was held the next day. The speakers were Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, Eiji Asano, incoming Director for YCG Vietnam and Hafidz Omar, Senior Manager at Spire Research and Consulting. The speakers discussed the impact of growing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as well as the keen interest in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) in Vietnam. Vietnam’s economy racked up a USD15 billion positive trade balance from 2015 with manufacturing, metals and textiles as the top export industries. Most of Vietnam’s FDI came from Asian countries like the Republic of Korea, China and Singapore. The speakers discussed pull factors for investors, like competitive

As 44 million Internet users are added each year in China, cash transactions might become obsolete. Consumers are increasingly using third party mobile payment apps for online transactions. Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on this trend in China Daily – Asia Weekly. A majority of e-commerce purchases in China are now made using mobile devices. Last year, 527 million transactions took place using online payment platforms accessed via smartphones. Perera observed that the m-commerce market is an indicator of China’s rising consumption as well as the surge in smartphone penetration. The growth potential is immense, especially in third and fourth tier cities where consumer credit is rising. Internet giants in China such as Tencent and Alibaba still dominate the m-commerce market. Consumers now prefer Point-of-Sale mobile payments as a safer and more convenient option than cash, with service providers like Alipay, Pay a

The announcement of President Trump’s recent tariff hikes sparked speculation across the globe. Is a global trade war on the cards? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 19 March 2018. President Trump is heading into dangerous waters with the recently announced trade tariff hikes, for which his administration has cited national security as the rationale under US Trade Law and Article XXI of World Trade Organization’s (WTO) treaty. Voicing concern, Perera highlighted that other nations may use the same pretext to justify retaliatory tariff hikes, placing the tit-for-tat hikes beyond the usual WTO dispute resolution protocols. Nonetheless, the US economy gains more from relatively open global trade, which is why President Trump’s tariff hikes are not broadly supported by the American establishment and not even by most leaders of the President’s Republican party. This means an all

Spire Research and Consulting sponsored the Global Brand Protection Innovation Programme’s (GBPIP) Intellectual Property Summit Asia 2017 held in Bangkok, Thailand from 14 to 15 December 2017. The Spire team shared our track record in brand protection performance management and consulting with event participants. The GBPIP summit aimed to study the global challenges manufacturers face from counterfeiters and look-alike products, discussing current and emerging best practices used to protect brands from unsafe imitations. Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting and Japnit Singh, Deputy CEO at Spire Research and Consulting attended the event to engage with event participants. They shared Spire’s extensive experience in the brand protection space, which includes counterfeit share measurement, brand protection program ROI measurement and anti-counterfeit consulting. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-sponsors-gbpips-intellectual-property-summit-as

As China aims to shift from quantity to quality economic growth in 2018, it aims to foster high-quality job creation in fields like robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), while forestalling global financial risks. Will 2018 still see China regain its old dominance of global growth? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. The world economy is poised for an upturn. This is not only due to China’s economic success. Perera remarked that the decrease in the headline US corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% – one of the lowest in the developed world; and Japan’s economic reforms under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are some of the contributing factors to the improved global economic outlook in 2018. Moreover, disruptive technologies such as drones and AI will give rise to employment opportunities globally in new sectors, compensating for eliminated traditional jobs. However, this movement depends on ho

On 5 September, Yamada Business Consulting (YBC) organized a seminar in Tokyo, attended by close to 300 Japan-based executives, to discuss the potential and pitfalls of cross-border Mergers & Acquistions (M&A). Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, joined the concluding panel together with Patrick Becker, MD of Shanghai-based M&A advisory firm Bexuco and Yukuo Takenaka, head of US-based consultancy Takenaka Partners. Leon and the other panelists discussed the experience of cross-border M&A transactions by Japanese firms. The panel shared their views on the effectiveness of Japanese corporations in identifying and executing M&A deals as well as running effective post-merger integration (PMI). The speakers gave insights on key factors to consider when going ahead with a deal. These included paying sufficient attention to human factors, not “over-researching” the target company and navigating the challenges of some M&A

One year since President Trump took office, what has been the impact for businesses in Asia? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 27 November 2017 on the impact on global economy. Thus far, Donald Trump’s Presidency has not been bad for the American stock market and the US dollar. However, the expected infrastructure spending and tax cuts, which drove stock market exuberance in 2016, are still far from being realized and could well be at risk. Perera opined that President Trump’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has caused a strain in global trade relations and has raised the risk of trade frictions. President Trump has also overseen a decline in US influence in the Middle East and Asia. However, the basic fundamentals of the US economy remain strong thanks to its world-class universities, innovative companies, confident consumers, a strong start-up sector as well

How can Singapore defend its electronics manufacturing hub position in the face of stiff regional and global competition? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting shared his thoughts in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 2 October 2017 on Singapore’s evolving role in the global electronics sector. To thrive in the global electronics supply chain, Singapore should focus on raising its game in terms of engineering, data science, cultural studies and professional services. Perera opined that Singapore needs constant innovation in terms of production and design, so as to meet the needs of producing complex electronics devices with short product life cycles. Today’s electronics products contain a large element of embedded services and software, which are prone to frequent upgrades. Singapore should work on creating a conducive environment for enterprises to recruit inter-disciplinary teams that can launch breakthrough electronics products. Such tea

Singapore needs to harness its older workforce and instil confidence in the economy to survive the age of disruption. Can the nation continue to maintain its economic competitiveness? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in the Asian version of Japan’s Nikkei newspaper. With one of the worst total fertility rates amongst developed countries worldwide, Singapore needs to utilize the older workforce as a source of economic potential and also stimulate entrepreneurship among Singaporeans of all ages. This can be attained through policies that focus on managing the cost of living and enhancing retirement adequacy. The nation boasts of a good civil service and an efficient infrastructure which needs to be preserved. However, national competitiveness in the 21st century will hinge on innovation and entrepreneurship, arenas where Singapore has thus far been less successful than some other developed countries. There needs to b

With automotive lubricant demand rising from 2.6 million liters (in 2015) to 4.1 million liters (in 2021), global and regional manufacturers are taking notice of the Vietnam market. How can brands win in this market? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on key trends in the Lube Report Asia magazine. With many players competing in the Southeast Asia market for motorcycle lubricants, leaders will be determined by their success in the large and fast-rising markets of Indonesia and Vietnam. These two countries account for over 80% of the region’s total motorcycle population. A few brands that stand out are Petronas, Shell, BP Castrol and Pertamina. Leon commented that while Vietnam’s short-term growth is driven by motorcycle lubricants, long-term growth is expected to come from car lubricants as middle-class Vietnamese trade up to cars. Vietnam’s attractive lucrative market is dominated by mineral engine oil due to pr

Spire Research and Consulting was honored to be invited as a speaker at Anderson Junior College in Singapore. Spire’s CEO Leon Perera spoke on entrepreneurial opportunities in the global Halal product market, a subject where Spire has published research articles and has been quoted in global media outlets. Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting, was privileged to give a talk to students organized by the Anderson Junior College’s Malay Language, Literary and Debating Society on 24 March 2017. Perera shared his insights on the size, growth and outlook for the global Halal products market, with a focus on entrepreneurial opportunities for Singapore-based firms. Furthermore, he discussed certification methods used in different countries while also touching on opportunities in non-food Halal categories like skincare and logistics. Finally, he shared his experiences and expertise on entrepreneurship followed by an interactive question an

As Singapore turns 52 amidst global and domestic uncertainties, how should it evolve its global brand image? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 7 August 2017 on the future trajectory of the Singapore brand. Singapore’s brand is synonymous with efficiency, anti-corruption along with an effective civil service. These strengths should be maintained. Perera opined, however, that Singapore needs to develop its global brand to become associated with the opposite category of strengths too – those associated with entrepreneurship, freedom of expression and creativity. In an age of artificial intelligence and perpetual economic disruption, the Singapore of the future will need to groom innovators, knowledge-seekers and artists. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/singapore-turns-52-what-next-for-the-national-brand/

After 20 years of becoming an independent judiciary, does Hong Kong continue to remain a financial and business hub? Will this impact businesses in Singapore? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 10 July 2017 on Hong Kong’s economic climate and its impact on businesses in Singapore. Hong Kong continues to attract investors due to many factors such as a high- quality civil service, economic linkages to China’s Pearl River Delta economy as well as geographic proximity to the economic giants of Korea, Japan and China. Perera opined that despite economic and political uncertainties as well as what some perceive as political encroachment from Beijing, Hong Kong will remain an important business hub for the foreseeable future. Hong Kong both complements and competes with Singapore. Many multinational corporations (MNCs) use both cities as Asia-Pacific regional headquarters (RHQs). Shanghai

On 20 January, Spire and Yamada Business Consulting (YBC) jointly held a breakfast seminar in Singapore to explore the impact on India’s economy of the recent Rupee demonetization of high-value currency notes. Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, Japnit Singh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Spire and Yasuyuki (Luke) Kita, General Manager of YBC (Singapore), addressed the session. Spire Singapore and YBC discussed the demonetization’s impact on different industry sectors, on e-commerce and on the outlook for doing business in India in 2017. The speakers talked about how demonetisation will spur growth in cashless transactions. Although the retail and car resale sector will suffer short-term damage, there is a visible shift towards modern trade and online transactions. Moreover, ease of doing business and transparency will rise, making India more investment-friendly. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-and-ybc-host-br

On 16 December 2016, Spire and Yamada Business Consulting (YBC) jointly held a seminar on Go-To-Market strategies for effective channel management. Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting and Rajiv Seth, Senior Director (Go-To-Market Practice) at Spire, addressed the session. Rajiv shared his experience of executing disciplined channel and sales force management strategies to improve results. Seminar attendees asked questions and shared their own views on issues like designing incentive structures for channels, when to switch channel partners and how to demarcate sales territories among partners . YBC and Spire offer Go-to-Market Optimization consulting across the Asia-Pacific. . https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-and-ybc-host-breakfast-seminar-on-effective-channel-and-sales-force-management-in-asia/