Jan 2012 Issue

NEWSLETTER OF THE JEBSEN GROUP
VOLUME 4 NO. 1
01 COVER STORY
08 INDUSTRIAL
02CONSUMER
10CORPORATE
04BEVERAGE
11 EYE ON THE WORLD
06LUXURY
12 PEOPLE SPEAK
JANUARY 2012
WHAT'S
INSIDE
P.2
Singer Stanley Huang
endorses Casio
digital cameras
Saying it
with music
Music has become a dear friend to Jebsen over the years,
playing a key role as it builds brand awareness, recognition
and loyalty for its wide array of premium products.
The intrinsic entertainment value of music makes it a
perfect accompaniment to events. Take the recent partner
appreciation night on Nov 11, 2011, Jebsen’s largest
corporate event of the year which was centred entirely
on music.
Held in Shanghai, the musical extravaganza was themed
‘1000 Nights under the Stars’ and organised for business
partners, government officials and media friends that had
been instrumental in the Group’s success over the years.
The 250 guests were entertained by ‘The Three Waiters’,
a popular Australian act that masqueraded as banquet staff
before launching into a surprise operatic performance.
The evening was headlined, however, by popular Taiwanese
singer-songwriter Joanna Wang (pictured above), who
performed a set of nine songs. Every guest also took home
a complimentary autographed copy of her latest album,
“The Adventures of Bernie the Schoolboy”.
To find out how Jebsen shared Ms Wang’s music with its
Sina Weibo followers, read ‘11 autographed CDs for 11
lucky winners’ on page 10.
Music has also been in the spotlight at other Jebsen events,
including Porsche’s 10th anniversary celebrations in China.
jebsengroup
捷成集团
P.5
The final party last November had Hong Kong singer Alex
To serenading some 800 distinguished guests at the Bund
Zeal in Shanghai. Details are in ‘An achievement to sing
about’ on page 6.
Perhaps Jebsen’s most significant connection with singers
was in the 1970s, when canto-pop veteran Alan Tam worked
as a salesperson for what was to become Jebsen Consumer.
Read more about this revelation in ‘On the road to musical
success’ on page 2.
The ubiquity of music, thanks to mobile technology, has
also opened new lines of business for Jebsen. Catering to
the music-on-the-go market, Jebsen Consumer has recently
become the exclusive distributor for the popular Korean
brand Cresyn earphones and headsets. Read about it in ‘A
good ear for music’ on page 3.
Pop music has also proven to be an effective marketing
tool for Jebsen. Try humming ‘Waiting for a Girl Like You’
by Foreigners and chances are people will immediately
think of Blue Girl Beer – after all, the brand has been
using renditions of the song in its TV commercials for
nearly two decades. Find out more in ‘Blue Girl Beer in a
song’ on page 4.
It certainly seems that music lovers are also plentiful in
Jebsen as employees discuss their favourite songs and singers
in the regular back page feature, People Speak.
Darren How
Wines inspired by
musical instruments
P.6
A high-performance
sound system for a
high-performance car
P.9
Touching hearts
with songs of hope
and more...
2
On the road to musical success
In the Hong Kong music scene in the 1980s, there
are few names as well-recognised as Alan Tam.The
singer-songwriter is widely credited for helping to
develop the local canto-pop scene, earning him the
respected moniker “Principal Tam”.
Even today, at the age of 62, Mr Tam continues
to be active in the pop scene, most recently with
a concert tour that took him across China this
past December.
Perhaps a less-known fact about the star is that
before Mr Tam got his start in music, he was once
a Jebsen employee.
Around 1970, when Mr Tam was still in a band called
the Loosers with Natalis Chan, he joined what was
to become the Consumer Business Unit of the
Jebsen Group. He was a salesman for office items
including stationery and typewriters.
Mr Tam once shared in a media interview: “Actually
[at the time] I worked too hard to have time
for music. I was promoted from a normal clerk
With contribution from Priscilla Hu
CONSUMER
Hong Kong singer Alan Tam’s brief history with Jebsen
in three months after
I joined the company, as
my sales performance
was three times that of
others. I produced around
40 sales reports every day
compared to only seven or
eight for the others.”
Shortly after, however, the
Loosers disbanded and
Mr Tam decided to leave
for Singapore to further his
studies. When he formed
a new band,The Wynners,
with Kenny Bee in 1973,
he also rejoined Jebsen.
The Wynners soon catapulted Mr Tam to success,
and he decided to pursue his music career full time.
It was with regret that Jebsen let him leave once
again, but in return, the Hong Kong music scene
gained an irreplaceable talent.
Many Jebsen employees are
now big fans of Alan Tam.
Like melody and harmony
Perfect pairing of Stanley Huang
and Casio digital cameras
With contribution from Karen Wang
Casio announced the appointment
of Taiwanese singer Stanley
Huang as the brand ambassador
for its line of digital cameras in
September last year.
Mr Huang, who started out as a
member of the popular boy band
LA Boyz, is best known for his
rock and heavy metal-influenced
music. He once won ‘Best Male
Mandarin Artist’ at the renowned
Golden Melody Awards.
Stanley Huang is the new brand
ambassador of Casio digital cameras.
According to Casio, Mr Huang’s
confident, outgoing and dare-tobe-different image is a good match
for its digital cameras, which
continue to break new ground
in technological advances.
The recently launched Exilim
ZR-100 for example, marketed
and distributed by Jebsen
Consumer in Hong Kong and
Mainland China, is a lightning-fast
compact digital camera that can
shoot photos every 0.7 seconds.
The 12.1-megapixel camera also
comes equipped with a wideangle, 12.5x optical zoom lens that
extends from 24mm to 300mm,
which means it takes tight closeups as well as wide landscape
shots equally beautifully.
For these reasons and more, EISA
(European Imaging and Sound
Association) awarded the Exilim
ZR-100 “Best Product 20112012” in the Travel Compact
Camera category.
3
A good ear for music
Partnering Cresyn for your listening pleasure
Cresyn earphones and headsets have entered the
Hong Kong market, thanks to Jebsen Consumer’s new
partnership with the leading Korean audio brand.
Well-loved for its audio quality and contemporary
designs, Cresyn has earned itself a legion of fans in its
native South Korea, including many popular celebrities.
Jebsen Consumer has been appointed the exclusive
distributor in Hong Kong not only for Cresyn products,
but also its premium line of audio accessories, Phiaton.
The relatively young line was only established in 2007
but has long been recognised with an impressive list
of international design awards.
Phiaton is a perfect combination of innovative
technology and elegant design for the ultimate
listening experience.
Korean brand Cresyn earphones
and headsets launched in
Hong Kong market.
Among the award-winning products that are now
available in Hong Kong are the Phiaton MS400
headphones (International Design Awards USA 2008),
Phiaton PS320 headphones (Good Design Award Japan
2009) and Phiaton PS210 half-in-ear earphones (Reddot
Design Award Germany 2010).
These and other Cresyn and Phiaton products will
next be available at major retailers in Mainland China.
A tiny powerhouse
Introducing PENTAX Q, the world’s smallest
interchangeable lens camera
With contribution from Andalee Lam
Roughly the size of a deck of playing cards, PENTAX Q
is raising eyebrows for overturning digital camera genres.
Essentially a hybrid of DSLR and compact system cameras,
it is an interchangeable lens camera that is incredibly
small by current standards.
Weighing just 180g (body only), PENTAX Q offers DSLRquality results and a generous set of features in a tiny
body that will fit any coat pocket with room to spare.
It comes outfitted with PENTAX’s newly designed
Q-mount lens system, which allows the lens to be
conveniently swopped out for a variety of specialty Q
lenses. At the top of a camera is a model dial, complete
with manual, aperture and shutter controls, for the power
and flexibility of traditional DSL shooting. There is also
an automatic mode for casual photographers.
While small, the PENTAX Q build quality is not compromised – its sturdy body is made
of magnesium-alloy for durability. Inside, the 12.4-megapixel PENTAX Q packs a total of 19 digital
filter effects and supports high definition video capture.
Thanks to the new PENTAX Q, high quality creative photography now fits in the palm of your hand.
PENTAX Q features the world’s lightest
and smallest body in a DSLR camera.
CONSUMER
With contribution from Andy Wong
4
The duet of beer and music
With contribution from Dan Poon
BEVERAGE
Blue Girl Beer brings a live mini-concert to pub-crawlers
Like bread and butter, there are few other pairings as naturally
splendid as beer and music. And live music just makes the combination
even better.
By the very nature of live music, it is sometimes not as perfect
as recorded music (although for some artistes, the converse
holds more water). But what it lacks in perfection, it more
than makes up for with intimacy and interaction.
Jebsen Beer is no stranger to live acts. Last November, Blue
Girl Beer organised a mini-concert at the popular New Parrot
Pub in Hong Kong. Well-known music personality DJ Bob
Lam spun the turntable and fired up the crowd so that when
popular Cantopop songstress Stephanie Cheng took to the
stage, she was greeted with a roaring welcome.
At live events like this, experienced performers can quickly
size up their audience, sample the atmosphere, and adjust their
performances accordingly. It also gives them an opportunity
to interact with the crowd, which was exactly what Ms Cheng
did at the Blue Girl Beer event.
Singer Stephanie Cheng (second from right)
delivering passion to Blue Girl Beer consumers.
After belting out four of her hit songs to hearty applause, Ms
Cheng had fun interacting with the drinkers through games and
other activities. The night came to a close with a lucky draw
giveaway that saw drinkers walking away with a Nintendo Wii
console and a golden Blue Girl Beer bottle, among other prizes.
Blue Girl Beer in a song
The power of music in advertising
With contribution from Jude Chan
After watching the latest Blue Girl
Beer television commercial, you may
find yourself humming a familiar tune.
The ballad ‘Waiting for a Girl Like
You’ has accompanied Blue Girl Beer
advertisements for almost 20 years
now, but still remains as fresh and
endearing as when the brand first
started using it in 1994.
Classic advertising song “Waiting for a Girl like You”
says exactly what Blue Girl Beer is all about.
Back then, Jebsen Beer made the bold
decision to use a song with lyrics
for the Blue Girl Beer advertising
campaign – a first in the brand’s
history. Their song of choice was
‘Waiting for a Girl Like You’ by BritishAmerican rock band, Foreigner. This
1981 hit song remains one of the
band’s most famous works to date.
More importantly, the timelessness
of the song suits Blue Girl Beer’s
imported, premium brand image.
The concept of personifying Blue
Girl Beer as a beautiful girl worth
pining over, as narrated in the
song, has also been proven popular
with consumers.
Over the years, Jebsen has worked
with professional singers to produce
various renditions of the song, from
unplugged to rock, to keep the
song as evergreen as the Blue Girl
Beer brand.
Will there be another adaptation of
the song soon? Find out when Blue
Girl Beer’s new advertising campaign
is released this spring.
5
Gala celebrations
to round up the year
Jebsen Fine Wines joins Asia’s largest trade event
BEVERAGE
With contribution
With contribution
from Cocofrom
Liu
In conjunction with the annual Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Fair,
Jebsen Fine Wines held a 20th anniversary gala dinner on Nov 4.
The trade fair is the largest of its kind in the region with some 19,000
visitors. As the largest independent wine distributor in Hong Kong and a
major regional player, Jebsen Fine Wines’ presence at the Nov 3-5 event
was a given.
In celebration of 20 years in the business, Jebsen Fine Wines had the
largest booth among more than 900 other exhibitors.
Many principals who were in town for the trade show attended the black-tie
gala dinner at Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The 200 guests in total included
wine estate owners, representatives of major wine estates and other
partners who have collaborated with Jebsen Fine Wines over the years.
At the dinner, only the best and most representative beverage was served,
including Champagne Bollinger and Rosé from Chateau d’Esclans.
Some 200 guests gathered at Mandarin
Oriental Hong Kong to celebrate the 20th
anniversary of Jebsen Fine Wines.
Wine, inspired by music
Italian Bava Winery’s melodious approach to winemaking
With contribution from Sasha Wang
Italian winemaker Roberto Bava is passionate about his love for
wine and music, and it shows – in his wines, which he describes as
songs; and in his vineyard, which is known to host regular classical
and jazz music performances in its two dedicated music halls.
Representing Bava Winery, Mr Bava attended an exclusive dinner
party organised by Jebsen Fine Wines in Beijing in Nov 2011. At
the dinner, Mr Bava introduced his estate’s Quintet collection: a
series of five wines inspired by musical instruments.
The dinner, designed by Chef Omar Ugoletti, began with the pairing
of foie gras with the “Cor de Chasse” – Bava’s flagship white wine,
which Mr Bava associated with the nobility and elegance of an
English horn.
The star of the dinner, however, had to be the award-winning
“Stradivario”, a masterful red wine likened to the famous violin
for being smooth and velvety on the palate.
There was also the “Contrabbasso”, a double-bodied red wine as
rich as the sound of a double bass, the “Violoncello”, as ample and
mature as the notes from a cello, and the “Bass Tuba”, a Moscato
with an aroma as distinctive as the music of a tuba.
The Bava Quinlet Collection brings your taste
buds and listening pleasure together.
A high-performance audio system
befitting a high-performance car
An achievement
to sing about
Porsche wraps up a celebration
of 10 successful years in China
With contribution from Jessie Lin
With contribution from Stella Guan
Some Porsche models, including the Panamera and Cayenne
series, come with an option of the Burmester® High-End
Surround Sound System. The respected German audio
manufacturer is best known for its premium audio systems,
which are delicately assembled by hand in the final stages
of production.
It was only befitting to have evergreen Hong Kong singer-actor
Alex To perform at the anniversary party of a brand as iconic
as Porsche.
As early as the concept phase for the Panamera, Porsche
brought onboard Burmester to determine the optimal
locations within the car to position the 16 speakers. With
16 amplifier channels and loudspeakers including an active
subwoofer, the system is extensive but does not add
unnecessary heft to the Porsche, thanks to Burmester’s
lightweight technology.
The grand event, held at the Bund Zeal in Shanghai in November
last year, was the culmination of a series of activities organised
in celebration of Porsche’s 10 years in China.
The party was graced by Mr Helmut Broeker, Chief Executive
Officer of Porsche in China, Mr Mark Bishop, Group Director
of Jebsen, as well as some 800 distinguished guests.
Mr Tommy Zhao, General Manager of Porsche Centre Shanghai
Puxi, said: “We’re extremely proud to have helped in Porsche’s
brilliant achievements in Mainland China.”
Using only the finest technology behind Burmester’s premium
home system, the High-End Surround System delivers
a richly textured yet stable audio quality truly befitting
o f t h e Po r s c h e
driving experience.
Celebrity Alex To (left) and guests sang
a birthday song in unison for Porsche.
The Burmester® High-End
Surround Sound System
is highly acclaimed worldwide.
From race tracks to music tracks
What does Rodolfo Avila listen to before a big race?
“Punk rock. It gets my adrenaline pumping with
its fast and heavy beats. I am usually plugged into
bands like Box Car Racer, Fall Out Boys and the
Ramones before a race,” said Mr Rodolfo Avila, the
25-year-old driver for Team Jebsen in the Porsche
Carrera Cup Asia.
With contribution from Annie Ng
With his taste in music spanning many genres, it is
little wonder that Mr Avila has more than 3,000 songs
in his iTunes library. What is surprising, however,
is that he claims he knows the lyrics to most
of them because “that is just how much [he]
loves music”.
He recently completed his second full season with
Team Jebsen, recording an impressive 10 podium
finishes in 12 races and an overall second position,
just two points shy of the clinching the championship
in 2011.
Team Jebsen driver Rodolfo
Avila plays out his own rendition
of The Fast and The Furious.
LUXURY
It sounds
like a Porsche
6
7
From music to marine
Kristie Chan finds common ground between the two
“Both the music and marine industries
operate on the same principle. They sell
luxury goods, in the sense that their
products are not essential to daily life, yet
at the same time, make a great difference
in the quality of life,” said Ms Chan.
LUXURY
The music and marine industries are
seemingly disparate ones, but for Jebsen
Marine Sales Executive Kristie Chan who
has worked in both fields, they share
a commonality.
With contribution from Darren How
When asked about her start in music,
Ms Chan said smilingly: “I would say it
was in my mother’s kitchen as a child, but
the real turning point was when I won a
school singing competition when I was 13
years old. That gave me the opportunity
to visit a professional recording studio
and perform at various places.”
Her work at Jebsen Marine keeps her busy
but with the help of technology, Ms Chan
has recently taken to composing music.
Before joining Jebsen Marine, Ms Chan “I have started composing music on my iPad
was a production assistant at a record – I take it everywhere I go and sometimes
write music during lunch or while stuck
company. Her decision to cross over to
in morning traffic. I’m thankful that I am
the marine industry raised eyebrows, but
she still made the long-term career move. able to juggle both a career that is fulfilling
and a hobby that I’m passionate about.”
Even after leaving the music industry,
music is still ver y much close to
Ms Chan’s heart. A vocalist, she also plays
several instruments.
Sales Executive Kristie Chan is as passionate
about yachts now as she is about music.
The maestro of watchmaking
Raymond Weil’s deep association with the world of music
Swiss luxury watchmaker Raymond Weil,
marketed and distributed by Jebsen
Watch, is renowned not only for exquisite
timepieces, but also a reputation for
being a long-standing supporter of the
music industry.
The brand’s history is seeped in music,
with musical connotations attached to the
names of its collections such as ‘Parsifal’
from Wilhelm Richard Wagner, ‘Nabucco’
from Giuseppe Verdi and ‘Don Giovanni’
from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The musical themes stem from the
brand’s designing of unique timepieces for
international artistes and its partnerships
with world-renowned musical competitions.
For the past four years, Raymond Weil has
been a sponsor of The BRIT Awards, a pop
music awards in Britain.
With contribution from Wayne Yang
In 2011, the watchmaker also
organised New Music Talents, its
own annual competition that aims to
nurture aspiring musicians across all
music genres.
In addition, Raymond Weil collaborated
with VH1 Save The Music Foundation,
an American non-profit organisation
dedicated to restoring instrumental
music education programmes, which
aims to ensure that every child has
access to a complete education
that includes the benefits of
music instruction.
As part of its support, Raymond Weil
pledged a portion of the sales proceeds
from its Maestro watch collection to
the foundation.
Raymond Weil has a special bond
with music all the time.
8
Driving the automotive business
With contribution from Rita Ng
Oct 2011 saw Jebsen Industrial welcoming Mr Arnie
Jensen as General Manager for its Automotive
Technik Division.
The American-born industry veteran who has lived in
Beijing for the past decade comes onboard to lead all of
Jebsen Industrial’s automotive activities across Greater
China. This includes its joint ventures with Mitec and
TCG-Unitech, as well as the automotive component
trading and automotive spare parts businesses.
Mr Jensen is also working to strengthen the division’s portfolio
of equipment and machinery for the automotive industry.
On a more personal note, he shares that he spends
his free time on a rather unconventional hobby: biking.
Unsurprisingly, his taste in music is just as diverse –
and ranges from hard rock and jazz to country and
easy listening.
Besides music, Mr Arnie Jensen
has a thing for bikes.
Meet the accordionist
A rare musical find
With contribution from Mandy Duan
Country Sales Manager Sun Yongjiang of the Engineering & Technology Division
opens up about his special musical weapon.
Q: We hear you play the accordion. That’s not a very common instrument?
A: I started playing the accordion as a child. Work has been keeping me busy so
I have not played much these days, but at the staff annual dinner in Beijing in 2010,
I performed two Polka dance pieces – Our Young Lady Polka, and Beer Barrel Polka.
Q: Polka dance music?
A: Yes, polka is a European folk dance that is also quite popular in the United
States. It is actually my preferred genre to play on the accordion. It has a quick
and lively tempo, but that also means it is quite demanding on the musician.
Q: Does that mean you like folk music?
A: I do, yes, but my favourite genre is still classical. It is timeless and evergreen.
In fact, many pop songs are inspired by, or have their roots in, classical music.
When I have the time, I attend concerts, or just stay home and listen. Classical
music is very soothing.
Mr Sun Yongjiang once
performed on the accordion
at a staff annual dinner.
INDUSTRIAL
Automotive Technik Division welcomes a new GM
9
Daniel Wun talks about how music
brings people closer together
Now playing
Rita Ng reveals what is
on her MP3 player
With contribution from Mandy Duan
E ve r y C h r i s t m a s f o r t h e p a s t
15 years, Jebsen Industrial’s Daniel Wun
volunteers his time to go carolling.
From the busy streets of Hong Kong’s
Tsim Sha Tsui East to hospital wards
and prison cells, Mr Wun and his
church members spread cheer and joy
through music.
Mr Daniel Wun thinks
Christmas carolling is a
good opportunity to
understand more about
different cultures
and people.
The Engineering & Technology Division
Finance & Admin Manager, sings in his
church choir and goes on missionary
and voluntary service trips to places like
England, Israel and Turkey.
“Every time I visit a foreign country,
I am amazed at how people can bond over
music, even though we speak different
languages,” he said.
Like Mr Wun, many other colleagues
also lend their singing voice to the community
outreach programmes organised by Jebsen
Volunteers every Christmas. Last December, a
festive party was held complete with a talent
show and games, for the elderly folks living
in the Siu Sai Wan Estate in Hong Kong.
With contribution from Darren How
Like many city commuters,
Jebsen Industrial’s Rita Ng has
an MP3 player as her faithful
travel companion.
“I am always plugged into
my MP3 player on the go.
Listening to music makes
the journey to and from the
office more enjoyable,” said the
Marketing & Communications
Manager, who stores more than
600 songs in her MP3 player.
“Humming to lively and energetic
songs also helps me stay upbeat
when I am feeling tired.”
In the office, however, Ms Ng
says she listens to music for
a different reason.
Music lets Ms Rita Ng
work more efficiently.
Ms Rita Ng’s MP3 playlist
1.
没那么简单 - 黄小琥
2.
No Promises - Shayne Ward
3.
这一生回忆有你就足够 - 关泽楠
4.
Love is Colour Blind - Sarah Connor
5.
Because You Love Me - Celine Dion
6.
甜蜜蜜 - 麻吉弟弟
7.
I Do (Cherish You) - 98 Degrees
8.
Could This be Love - Victoria Acosta
9.
好好就好 - 何润东
10. Because of You - 98 Degrees
“With my earphones on, I find I
concentrate better on my work.
I’m not actually listening carefully
to the music, but using it to block
out office chatter and other
distracting noises.”
Better bakeries in the making
Jebsen Industrial helps establish new Henan
bakery training centre
China’s baking industry is about to get a boost with
the imminent opening of a bakery technical training
centre in Xinxiang, Henan.
This is the result of a three-party collaboration
among Jebsen Industrial, Xinxiang Xinliang Cereals
& Oils Processing Co and Sveba-Dahlen Group
of Sweden.
With a classroom fully equipped with machinery
and accessories from Sweden and Germany as well
as a pilot scale workshop, the new centre aims to
promote innovation in the industry.
“China’s baking industry is undergoing a rapid
transformation as consumer tastes evolve from
With contribution from Shania Xu
simple fare like traditional dumplings and noodles
to international produce spanning breads, muffins
and egg tarts,” said Bakery & Food Processing
Department Manager Theresa Shen.
“This makes the opening of the centre especially
timely, as it will serve as a platform for training,
information exchange and new product promotions
across central China.”
At the same time, Jebsen Industrial’s R&D
centre will provide a baking recipe development
service to the centre to help local enterprises
better meet the increasingly sophisticated tastes
of consumers.
Bringing European safety and health
concept for food processing to the
China baking industry.
INDUSTRIAL
Songs instead
of words
10
11 autographed CDs
for 11 lucky winners
Jebsen extends its appreciation via Sina Weibo
CORPORATE
With contribution from Priscilla Hu
Joanna Wang CD giveaway campaign on Sina Weibo attracted
many fans to share their special 11.11.11 stories.
Even as Jebsen expressed its gratitude to its longstanding
business associates at the partner appreciation event on Nov
11, 2011 (see cover story), it did not forget its loyal fans on
social media.
With Sina Weibo as a platform, Jebsen shared the night’s
musical festivities with fans through live updates and event
photos. In addition, 11 autographed copies of Taiwanese
songbird Joanna Wang’s latest album “The Adventures of
Bernie the Schoolboy” were also reserved as contest prizes.
W i t h N ov 11, 2 0 1 1 b e i n g nu m e r i c a l ly i n t e re s t i n g ,
Jebsen’s Sina Weibo followers were invited to share
their plans for the day. That was all it took for 11 lucky
participants to win themselves a copy of Ms Wang’s
signed CD.
The sound of silence
When the best acoustic performance
of a building is hearing nothing at all
It does seem like the acoustic design of
a building would be important only in
structures like musical halls, theatres,
auditoriums and the like. But even
for residential, commercial and office
spaces, the acoustic performance of
building material plays a large role
in ensuring the comfort of its users.
Most buildings require some acoustic
control to meet various guidelines
and statutory requirements. Unlike
in musical theatres where sound
optimisation is key, residential and
office buildings use acoustic control
to minimise noise breaking into and
out of the building.
This is where the choice of building
material comes into play. In the Sai
Kung Tseung Kwan O Government
Complex in Hong Kong, for example,
The Sai Kung Tseung Kwan O Government Complex and
hospital expansion project used soundproofing material
from Jebsen Building Products.
With contribution from Coco Liu
demountable partition systems and
timber doors distributed by Jebsen
Building Products are in use.
The par tition systems achieve an
acoustic performance of 49 decibels
(for steel panels) – which is quite
impressive, given that the noise level
of a typical nightclub is estimated to
be 110 decibels. The timber doors,
on the other hand, can block out (or
keep in) up to 35 decibels of noise.
So the next time you realise that
y o u a r e b e i n g p ro t e c t e d f ro m
environmental noise like traffic, the
chatter of passers-by and even the
pitter-patter of raindrops, say a quiet
‘thank you’ to the building material
around you.
11
Orchestrating a live simulcast
GMA Garnet brings Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
to Western Australia
EYE ON THE WORLD
With contribution from Stephanie Cheong
Sister group GMA Garnet was the main
corporate partner involved in bringing
the world-renowned Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra to Perth last September.
Regional communities in Western Australia
enjoyed a complimentary world-class
classical performance by the Vienna
Philharmonic Orchestra at the Perth
Concert Hall through a live simulcast.
Using high-quality video and audio
technology, the live broadcast was
aired at 12 venues across the state.
Patrons were also able to purchase
programmes, food and beverages at their
respective venues.
This was the orchestra’s second Australian
tour covering Perth, Brisbane and Sydney
since its debut performance at the Sydney
Opera House in 2006. Internationally
The orchestra was conducted by
Maestro Christoph Eschenbach.
One of the regional live broadcast venues
- Novotel Ningaloo Resort, Exmouth.
recognised as one of the world’s greatest
orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra, which was established in 1842,
is more closely associated with the history
and tradition of European classical music than any
other musical ensemble.
New Executive Vice Chairman
for Jebsen & Jessen (SEA)
Mr Alex Chan succeeds the retired Mr Heine Askaer-Jensen
Mr Alexander Chan Meng Wah has joined
sister group Jebsen & Jessen (SEA) as
Executive Vice Chairman.
Assuming overall responsibility of the
Group’s business infrastructure, he took
over the reins from Mr Heine Askaer-Jensen
who retired at the end of 2011 after an
illustrious career.
Mr Chan joins Chairman Heinrich Jessen and
fellow Executive Vice Chairman Fritz von
der Schulenburg on the Group’s executive
board, which oversees the management of
Jebsen & Jessen (SEA) and its eight regional
business units.
He brings with him a wealth of executive
experience, having led leading organisations
including Hewlett-Packard, Yeo Hiap Seng
and MMI Holdings.
“Alex Chan’s tremendous leadership
experience and success, coupled with his
With contribution from Laja Mensdorff
calm authority and personality, will be a
key asset to our executive team. He is
an ideal strategic partner with whom we
can evaluate the steady stream of business
opportunities,” said Mr Jessen.
“He is also a solid executive who is robustly
equipped to ensure that our shared services
platform is kept smart, risk-ready, costeffective and well-oiled for our double-infive-years growth programme.”
Mr Chan began his career in HewlettPackard as a production engineer, and has
held various positions in finance, accounting,
sales and marketing, as well as IT systems.
At the age of 38, he assumed the role of
managing director of Hewlett-Packard
Singapore and Hewlett-Packard South East
Asia. In 1994, he received the Singapore
Business Award for Outstanding Manager.
Executive Vice Chairman Alex Chan will
assume overall responsibility of the sister
group’s business infrastructure.
12
Music is life with rhythm
PEOPLE SPEAK
Jebsen employees discuss their favourite songs and singers
Hong Kong
Clan Hung
Department Manager
Building Products
Dalian
Penny Wei
Administration Clerk
Group Services
Shenzhen
Thomson Xu
Customer Relationship Management Executive
Luxury
“If I had to choose an unforgettable song,
it would definitely be ‘你令爱了不起’ by
Leon Lai – my wedding march song.”
“When I was younger, I loved Annie Yi for
her clear and crisp voice. But now, I am
listening more to Teresa Teng.”
“I once flew to Toronto just to watch Jacky
Cheung live in concert. It was quite a crazy
thing to do, but it was also the first concert
I had ever watched.”
Beijing
Jean Li
Senior Sales Coordinator
Consumer
Shanghai
Josie Shen
Sales Coordinator
Industrial
Guangzhou
Jerry Tan
Assistant Trade Marketing Manager
Beverage
“I like the Danish band, Michael Learns
to Rock. I once bought a karaoke
compilation of their songs and played
it so many times that I ruined the disc.
So I bought another copy of the same
disc – and spoilt that one too.”
“One of my all-time favourite songs
has to be Barry Manilow’s Copacabana.
It is a classic song, but the first time I
heard it was actually on an episode of
the American sitcom ‘Friends’, and fell
in love with it immediately.”
“I am not a particular fan of Angela
Chang but one of her songs ‘隐形的翅膀’
helped me through a difficult time once.”
About Jebsen Group
What started over a hundred years ago as a general trading company has now evolved into a focussed marketing and distribution organisation, deeply embedded in the industries
and markets it serves. With a unique long established presence in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the Jebsen Group offers local market access with a high degree of
specialisation and knowledge to companies from around the world. From a broad spectrum of consumer, industrial, beverage and luxury products, Jebsen is responsible for bringing
unparalleled quality to the regional markets, adapting to the rapidly changing business landscape in East Asia. Outside the region, the Jebsen Group enjoys close ties with sister
companies in Australia, Bangladesh, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia,Thailand, Philippines,Vietnam, Denmark, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
www.jebsen.com