THE ASIAN MARKETPLACE CONFERENCE – SINGAPORE
The Asian Marketplace Conference (“AMC”) is a tremendous platform that brings together Christian business owners and professionals from different countries in the region for the purpose of sharing challenges and experiences, imparting life changing lessons relevant to business persons, inspiring them to work out their business plans according to a bigger and higher calling as other successful Christian business owners have already done, and networking with like-minded believers who understand that it is just not business as usual.
The DNA of a Successful Kingdom Entrepreneur
Session 1: The Kingdom DNA
Not everyone understands the Kingdom of God. Those who do, however, have a distinct advantage over those who do not. Kingdom Entrepreneurs need to know how to embrace their Kingdom DNA and fulfill their God-given assignments.
Session 2: The Assignment of a Kingdom Entrepreneur
Kingdom Entrepreneurs are God’s change agents on the earth. They are not called to hide their abilities but use their unique gifts and skills to extend the blessings of the Kingdom of God into every sphere of society.
Session 3: The Entrepreneur as King and Priest
The Bible is clear that God uses leaders to be both kings AND priests. Learning how to flow in both roles will allow the Kingdom Entrepreneur to have influence in heaven and earth.
Session 4: Making an Impact as a Kingdom Entrepreneur
The advantages of Kingdom Entrepreneurs are unique. Knowing how to leverage the wisdom and favor of God will give them opportunities to profoundly impact the world around them.
Session 5: The Entrepreneur and the Secret Place
Kingdom Entrepreneurs have a competitive advantage when they understand what Joseph, Daniel and Nehemiah understood about hearing God in the secret place. Significance and fulfilment await the person who knows how to do business God’s way.
Marketplace Session I: The Journey of A Christian Enterprise (Philip Ng)
A look into how the largest private property developer in Singapore re-positions itself as a Christian enterprise.
Marketplace Session II: Doing Business God’s Way (Wendy Yap)
How do you incorporate Kingdom principles in managing a large and successful business?
Marketplace Session III: Stewarding My Father’s Business (Alfred Wong)
God’s own purpose was birthed in the company as He steered Alfred from his earthly father’s ailing construction business to his heavenly Father’s gift business. Alfred shares how God led him and his family to grow what started off as a seasonal side business into a public listed company over a 40 year period, and how he is, today, conscientiously managing and growing the business according to Kingdom principles with the vision of Bringing People Closer, Making Everyday Better.
Alan is a gifted Teacher and Prophetic Strategist who brings a unique and powerful influence not only to the corporate world and non-profit organisations but also to churches throughout the Body of Christ.
Alan is the Founder of Quantum Strategies Inc a consulting firm to the businesses all over the world. Alan carries a unique skill set and giftings coupled with a prophetic anointing bringing influence to the corporate world. Quantum Strategies has worked with a variety of corporate clients and non-profit organizations, such as:- Sony, Time Life, Qantas, Toshiba, Pizza Hut, PGA and Unilever Rexona. Alan has also founded Kingdom Business Ministries which is dedicated to equipping and empowering the Body of Christ. It’s aim is to Equip, Empower and Activate believers into their calling in the Marketplace.
Making The Complex …Simple
With a broad and successful background in business spanning 40 years, Alan has competently brought skilled implementation of strategies, practical facilitation techniques and advanced training programs to companies across the world. Alan is a gifted and dynamic Platform Speaker, Strategist, Facilitator, Educator and Trainer who competently brings his professional business acumen to the Speaker Platform. His unique ‘people skill’ ability and advanced training techniques unlock the secrets to successful learning, independent of the size of his audience. Alan delivers his subject in an easy to grasp, lively way using vivid illustrations, demonstrations and real life examples. Alan is committed to delivering each and every subject he is invited to speak on with passion and excellence.
The ‘Aussie speaking’ Canadian, having lived and worked in many countries, with his strong leadership skills empower company management, senior pastors, staff and congregations. His passion is to lead individuals and businesses towards the realisation of their full potential and identified purpose. His vision is to see the marketplace influenced for Christ.
Some of his case studies include:
Sony Australia:
‘’We implemented a Change Strategy Program through all departments over a period of three years. These changes include improved interpersonal skills for all team members, improved leadership, greater team spirit, a process that allows all team members to have a say and quickly resolve issues… the list goes on and on. Add to this a measurable bottom line impact and you end up with a very successful partnership between Sony Australia and Alan Strudwick.’’
Graduate of Alan’s School of Kingdom Business:
“Meeting Alan and going through the school opened my eyes to how business can and should be conducted as a believer that is called to be in the world, but not of it. Simple things that I had never thought about, like praying and declaring God’s favor over different areas such as our accounts receivable, has all but eliminated stress from my life as a business owner. With his help and input we have expanded from a business operating out of a basement, with the wrong people in important positions, to a company now operating out of a 5000 sq. ft. office, with close to 30 employees, and a strong unified leadership core.”
Marketplace Speaker: PHILIP NG, CEO – Far East Organisation
Everyone in Singapore should know the Far East Organization (FEO). They are the largest private property developer with one in six private homes built by them. You may be aware that the Ng family also controls the Sino Group, a leading property developer in Hong Kong, which is managed by the elder brother Robert, whilst younger brother Philip manages FEO in Singapore. FEO has also diversified into hospitality (Far East Hospitality – one of Singapore’s largest hospitality group portfolio by asset value), food and beverage (Yeo Hiap Seng, Cold Stone Creamery, Quiznos Sub, Fat Cow, Dean & Deluca etc), and medical services (Novena Medical Center and Novena Specialist Center). So whilst their father, Ng Teng Fong, built up the property business from scratch, it is the sons who diversified the business to form a stronger base that can withstand the various economic cycles.
Philip Ng has this to say about his own faith journey in business:
‘Some may know me as a property developer, but I am really a servant of the most high God whom I know through my Lord Jesus Christ. Property development is for me just a way of making a living… I am in business and business is about money. But money and possessions can possess us (Matthew 6:20–24). How then do I serve God as a business person? The way to do this is to realise that I am a steward; money has been entrusted by the Lord to me to be managed responsibly. At the end of the day, we take nothing with us. I saw this when my father passed away. He had built up the family business, literally with his bare hands. When it came to the end of his life, he left everything behind…As a steward, I do not, therefore, have to contend with building treasures on earth, where moth and rust do destroy. If you have much, you will worry because you do not know what can happen; markets can go awry, property and stocks and share prices can change suddenly. So you see the wisdom of Jesus telling us to store our treasures in heaven. As a businessman, one of the things I guard against is covetousness…’
One of the keys to becoming a successful entrepreneur is to build a good team around you and manage them well. At this Asian Marketplace Conference 2016, Philip will be sharing with you how he does this through the wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit, transforming his diversified business group, into a Christian enterprise, which reflects Kingdom culture. He says, ‘I tell my people in the organization that when we do business, we want to do good business and to do good in business. That is my call to them.
Sometime ago, I also realized that my people and I were working on Sundays after working five and a half to six days. We would go to our project sites on Sunday, to inspect, and ensure the quality of our delivery. But I was working my employees on Sundays and that was not right. It never occurred to me, obviously before I was a Christian because I did not believe in a day of rest. So when I became a Christian, I realized, “Gosh, there has to be a day of rest and I must do what is right by God,’’ and so when I told everybody, ‘’You know, something funny happened to me, I became a Christian. Now all of you will get your day of rest,’’ which obviously made all very happy. What is so amazing is that I did not know until a couple of months later that the wives of some of my Christian colleagues had been praying for their husbands to be released from this curse. God does amazing things. This is a small anecdote, but I think it had a large impact on the organization.’
In re-making FEO as a Christian enterprise, Philip is operating as a king and priest in the marketplace. Come and join us in this Conference and let Philip share how you can do that in your business too, no matter how small or large it is!
Marketplace Speaker: WENDY YAP, CEO – PT Nippon Indosari Corpindo Tbk
Over the past three years, Wendy Yap has been honored as one of the most powerful businesswomen in Asia by Forbes Asia. Her company, PT Nippon Indosari Corpindo, has received the Forbes Asia’s Best Under a Billion award and Forbes Best of the Best award.
Wendy was able to achieve all these in a relatively short period of time because she surrounded herself with the right management team and infused the Kingdom culture into the company without necessarily calling it as such. This is critical given the cultural environment which the business is operating in.
Wendy says, ‘Many of our key people, such as my CFO and Business Development Manager, were with me when I started Wendy’s Hamburgers in the early ‘90s. My partner is the Salim Group, which owns Indofood, the biggest food company in Indonesia and one of the largest in Asia. Indofood gave us some personnel for production and finance. These people had worked at Indofood for a long time and have helped us grow when they moved to our company.
It’s very important that we have stable management because having a high labor turnover would have made the business more difficult. I have always had a very good team and they have been very loyal, so we have had little labor turnover in management.
I practice good corporate governance and everything has to be very transparent. We are about teamwork and I believe in using the best consultants. From the beginning, we always used the top international accounting firm, and I have always used reputable professionals. I have always taught my management team that it’s about teamwork. Everything is part of a system so, whatever they do, I ask they make sure their second in line also knows about it. Then, if they are not available, the work can still go on. This is the legacy I would like every single manager in my company to create in their various departments.’
When the question is posed on what those who work with her would say about her management style, she had this to say, ‘They would say, she’s very frank. She is clear about what she likes and what she doesn’t like, and she puts us on track and helps us maintain our focus. I would hope they would say she’s very fair and professional, and treats us all very well.’
Wendy also recognizes that managing a business is not all about the bottom line. Kingdom culture also requires us to consider how we can positively impact the community which we are operating in. She said, ‘It’s very important because Indonesia is still considered a third-world country. There are a lot of people there who don’t have higher education but still need jobs. There are a lot of distribution agents, for instance, who aren’t highly educated, but giving them a job to sell our bread from their bicycle or in their store is a good way to make sure that people have jobs.
We also practice that in every community where we have set up a factory. We always make sure that there are not only jobs but we also donate some of our bread for the poor. Additionally, the infrastructure we require, such as water and electricity, help build communities around us. We also sponsor events for education and health in the local communities. Wherever we set up a factory, particularly in smaller cities, it’s important for people to know we are also going to help improve the living standard of the community.’
At the Asian Marketplace Conference 2016, you will learn how God’s servant, Wendy Yap – one of Asia’s most powerful business woman, flows in her Kingdom anointing and carries out her divine assignment as God’s change agent.
Marketplace Speaker: ALFRED WONG, Founder – Noel Gifts International Pte Ltd
Noel Gifts is the most well-established industry leader in the flowers, gifts and hampers business with a SGX main board listing. Things, however, did not start that way for Alfred back in the 70’s. You could say that this business was an accidental business for him and his family. Recalling his past, Alfred said,
‘In 1973, I joined my family’s construction business and back then, it was an annual routine for most companies to send hampers to business associates on special occasions such as Chinese New Year.
But the feedback from sending hampers was that some hampers had rusty cans inside and some other products that were not so desirable. So, with this feedback, we decided to pack the hampers ourselves because we firmly believed that gifts bear good wishes and therefore they must be of high quality to carry the sincerity and goodwill of the sender.
The response was heartening and many of our recipients called to ask if we can assist them by packing the hampers so that they can present them to their business associates in turn. This hamper project became our small seasonal side-venture. But when my father’s construction business failed, we decided to go full time into the gifting business.’
God intentionally used what may seem like an accidental side business to a casual observer and turned it into a sustainable business when the family construction business failed. Not only did God provide a way forward, He anointed Alfred and his team with the ability to grow the side business into a major player in the local festive hamper scene with a 40 per cent market share. They have literally transformed the plain functional hampers of the early ’80s into today’s creative and quality-packed hampers. Noel capitalised on its expertise in the hamper business to diversify into related gift areas – floral arrangements and gift packages. This has contributed to a steadier business. They have also earned a reputation for creativity and innovativeness in setting new trends within the industry.
Their spiritual gifting and talents, along with their hard work and dedication to excellence, repositioned Noel to a position of headship in the industry. Being faithful to his calling allowed God to use Alfred as His change agent to impact some many people with their gifts, just as He impacted the world with the perfect gift of His only son, Jesus. Alfred has this to say of his business,
‘This business of ‘gifting’ is extremely satisfying when you know that you have helped people improve their relationships in one way or another, be it with business associates, friends, family, or loved ones. To see the smiles on the recipients’ or senders’ faces proves that you did a job well done.’
In 2015, Noel was honoured with Two National Projects. They were the official vendor for the SG50 Baby Jubilee Gift project, a community initiative spearheaded by National Population and Talent Division. Noel Gifts contributed to the design, packaging, distribution and sourcing of materials for the Gifts. They were also appointed by Monetary Authority of Singapore as the exclusive marketing agent to design the packaging and market the SG50 Numismatic Currency Collection. The lesson here – In His Kingdom, God blesses His change agents to be a blessing to the world. Till today, Noel Gifts remains true to its core values, and continue living out its vision of ‘Bringing People Closer, Making Everyday Better’. Doesn’t that resonate with Kingdom values as well?
At the Asian Marketplace Conference 2016, you will learn how God’s appointed change agent, Alfred Wong – transformed his ‘accidental side business’ into a leading player in the gifts industry with the ability to deliver gifts internationally. This was not for Alfred’s own benefit, but it was God’s clear purpose and intention to gift Alfred the business of Noel so that he can be a blessing to many with their innovative and creative gifts, and be an influence in the marketplace for the Kingdom. God took Alfred and made him the head in the gifts industry, and not the tail in the failing construction business of the 70’s.
Noel Gifts Interview on Channel New Asia – Branded For Succes video: https://youtu.be/IFTvyNEN
Spiritual Mentor: NAOMI DOWDY, Naomi Dowdy Mentoring & Consulting
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Dr Naomi Dowdy is a pioneer. More than forty years ago, she made the shift from being a business woman in California to become a young missionary to the Marshall Islands. Moving from island to island to preach the gospel, she battled loneliness and culture shock, while breaking open coconuts for food and drink. During that time, she built churches, a Bible School and dormitories. Her responsibilities were as wide and varied as the islands of Micronesia across which she traveled to nurture church plants. For over 30 years, she led a church in Singapore from a small house church of 42 members to become a large church of global impact.
Today, Dr Dowdy is helping a new generation of leaders fulfill God’s calling upon their lives. She mentors church leaders, business leaders, and men and women in strategic leadership positions. Her apostolic vision has an immense impact on all who hear her speak or read her books. She is inspiring and raising a new generation of world-changers.
