News

Nicole Seah to foreign talent in Asia: adapt to our culture and way of working or leave

Nicole SeahSingapore politician and IPG Mediabrands executive Nicole Seah has spoken out against foreign talent in Southeast Asia who in her view take advantage of local resources but blame local culture for “performance inefficiencies”.

In a post on her Facebook page, the mdia executive said that while she appreciated foreigners who come to Southeast Asia with a desire to integrate, those who “talk down to my fellow countrymen or show your disdain for our region? Please be my guest, and leave this place.”

She also said that foreigners who are unable to integrate are as much to blame for poor work in the media business as locals.

She said: “If [foreign] business leaders, self-proclaimed or otherwise, are unable to integrate themselves locally and re-adapt their management style to suit the demands of the workforce, then it is they who are doing the local workforce and economy a disservice, not the other way around.”

Her Facebook post reads in full:

I have tons of love for Southeast Asia. Even though we’re heterogeneous, fragmented, and in the case of Singapore, stagnating socially – But all the potential, volume and talent is there, ripe for the taking. There is a reason why MNCs are setting up hubs here and in Thailand. The burgeoning growth of Asia and consumer demand mean that the locus of advertising content and branding has shifted from blind adaptation of globally aligned strategies towards content that is specifically developed and customised not just for the needs of the local market, but for the cultural demands across provinces.

Unfortunately, we also have a greater tendency than other regions to view ourselves as second-grade because of historical baggage, relatively recent emergence of SEA as a viable economic force, and mainly, foreign “talent” that parachute themselves here, especially in Singapore, take undue advantage of our resources as a service-provider for their needs, whilst they bemoan the paper-pushing culture or blame local culture for performance / operational inefficiencies.

My view is simply this – When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If business leaders, self-proclaimed or otherwise, are unable to integrate themselves locally and re-adapt their management style to suit the demands of the workforce, then it is they who are doing the local workforce and economy a disservice, not the other way around. Ultimately, such individuals are merely cogs in the wheel and the economy will continue to function perfectly with or without their presence.

TLDR; I’m all for foreign talent, and appreciate the people who come out here with a genuine desire to integrate or make things work, but if you talk down to my fellow countrymen or show your disdain for our region? Please be my guest, and leave this place.

Seah is now foreign talent herself, having taken a job in the digital department of IPG Mediabrands in Thailand.

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella Asia newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing