Nicole Seah to foreign talent in Asia: adapt to our culture and way of working or leave
Singapore 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.
I wonder what prompted this outburst? I don’t think it’ll be the last time that we see a beleaguered politician play the race card. I thought she was leaving Singapore for Thailand? I hope that the locals are more open minded than she.
ReplyIt is comments like this, coupled with unsustainable living costs, that are driving a number of companies to relocate staff from Singapore to HK & the Middle East. It will be interesting to see what’s left of Singapore in a decade when MNCs do as Seah has suggested and choose to leave for countries that have more to offer.
ReplySounds like nick and nostradamus are the kind of foreigners nicole spoke about.
ReplyAs long as there’s easy money to be made, expats will still come in hordes to Singapore. High rents and mild xenophobia, be damned.
And if they don’t, will anyone really miss them?
Everyone is welcome.
ReplyJust repeat house rules.
I agree with the demand for foreigners to stop looking down on locals, but I think the way Ms. Seah communicated her demand is strange for someone working in the communications industry. From what I know, many Southeast Asian countries have questionable business practices that can often be very frustrating. As for the culture, we are talking about something very dynamic. The culture of SE Asian today might not be the culture of the region tomorrow. For example, it would be sad if certain countries kept their extremely conservative attitudes to women and gay people forever. Foreigners can bring new ideas to a society and if they are critical towards it, that can also mean they truly care about it and they want it to change for the better. Being critical does not necessarily mean that one looks down upon a society and culture.
ReplyWhen she returns from thailand, I hope she can tell us how well she adapted to their culture and way of working.
ReplyHer English is super. Love her accent, makes my stomach crinch every time. So good that I now have a six pack and didnt have to pay the gym to get it. Thailand will love your voice too.. thank you!
ReplyDon’t listen to Nicole [edited by Mumbrella].
Nicole doesn’t own South East Asia therefore has no right to tell others to leave a place that does not belong to her. For her thinking that it belongs to her for her to control only reflects her exaggerated sense of self-importance(ego) and over-controlling nature.
[Edited by Mumbrella] The local culture is indeed to be blamed for lots and lots of “performance inefficiencies”. I have even experienced a journalist from Mypaper(Esther Au Yong) who could not communicate properly what she needed to tell me perhaps because she was afraid of sounding offensive. In the end due to her lack of communication, I did not get paid the money she said the paper could pay me for my published articles in that paper. So that is pretty low like a form of daylight robbery. But I also chose to send my articles to that paper because I wanted the chance to get to know it to gauge that company’s integrity since it was blasted by many to be very inferior. So in the end I still got what I wanted.
ReplyI welcome foreigners to provide criticism and suggestions for a south East Asian country like Singapore, but for the foreigners whom I have experienced who have talked down to me before as though I was stupid even thought I am intellectually gifted and more intelligent than them, I gave them a great verbal assault and fucked them real good. I welcome them to come to Singapore but if they piss me off, they will only get their own shit in return in full and more.
ReplyTimothy, you cant write and I doubt you can edit….but you do sound funny…maybe you can be the emcee at the next singapore creative circle awards?
ReplyForeigners have been this way in Asia since the time of the VOC. I agree with Nicole!
ReplyNo Holly, I can write, and in different genres. It is just that you are short-sighted, poor in punctuation and lack intelligence to realise this. I am also an expert in making and editing music videos. I am also good in art and cooking. I have written many letters that got published in TODAY.
http://www.todayonline.com/voices/allow-women-consume-snacks-mrt-stations-alleviate-morning-sickness
http://www.todayonline.com/voices/coconut-milk-healthy-or-hazardous
You can shut your own short-sightedness now.
ReplyNo Holly, I can write, and in different genres. It is just that you are short-sighted, poor in punctuation and lack intelligence to realise this. I am also an expert in making and editing music videos. I am also good in art and cooking. I have written many letters that got published in TODAY.
Here are 2 of the most recent ones, so search for the links yourself:
Coconut milk: Healthy or hazardous?
Allow women to consume snacks in MRT stations to alleviate morning sickness
Show me your wonderful articles?
The [edited by Mumbrella] phrase you see is to replace my comment of “Nicole is so full of Sh*t”.
You can shut your own short-sightedness now.
ReplyHolly, mind your manners and stop being a troll on the internet, or I will restrict your internet access.
ReplyI was shocked to hear this from Nicole and with that, I had lost my respect in her.
ReplyStop contradicting your words, just because you are going to Thailand as a FT.
You don’t know anything about the working cultures in tis region and act as if you know everything.
Think you should just quit NSP and move on with your life and lies!
If you think we are not efficient, LEAVE THE COUNTRY!
They are worse than us in terms of efficiencies!
Why Thailand? The Thais are adventurous, willing to try and adopt, it’s the culture and please read more about AEC before you open your damn mouth!
Ignorant!
See tones of these foreigners who think that they are superior and talk down our countrymen! Thumb up for nicole
ReplyHave your say