Under The Radar

Today we speak to one of the world’s largest fast moving consumer goods companies Unilever.  While we may be fairly familiar with Unilever, our guest for today is Unilever Food Solutions, which is the dedicated professional foodservice business of Unilever operating in 76 countries around the world. But how does Unilever Food Solutions fit in the bigger picture for the FMCG giant? Also, what does Unilever’s latest quarterly sales amid rising inflation mean for the subsidiary?  Aside from that, we also want to take a look at Unilever Food Solutions’ recent First Menu Trends report, and what the findings mean for the subsidiary’s product offerings in future.  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Angeline Tan, Head of Country, Unilever Food Solutions (Singapore) for more.

Founded in 2015, G8 is a Singapore headquartered company that develops and constructs renewable energy projects across the globe.  It also uses its expertise in subsea cable and engineering technologies to develop solutions that effectively connect large offshore wind turbines and floating solar systems to land.  The group currently has over 3GW of renewable energy and subsea transmission projects under Asia and provides specialised engineering services to leading contractors, governments, utility companies and project developers to accelerate renewable energy developments around the world.  With most of G8’s operations and projects located overseas in countries such as South Korea, the company is now setting its sights in West Africa. But really what are the opportunities there and how does G8 assess its reliance on overseas projects? Also, the firm said last year that it plans to explore a NASDAQ listing this year, but to what extent can we expect that to happen amid the current economic climate? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Gerald Tan, Founder and Managing Director, G8.

Artificial Intelligence could help you plan your travel itinerary, come up with recipes.  But what about an AI-powered model that could capture patterns in the stock and options market that signals M&A, earnings shocks or FDA drug approvals?  Well, today we’re going to talk to the fintech company behind this AI model.  Founded in 2016, Qraft Technologies provides its AI models to banks, asset managers and insurance companies for them to launch investment products under their brands.  More famously, the company was known for raising US$146 million in Series C investment from SoftBank Group, the largest funding from the VC in a Korean enterprise after e-commerce giant Coupang.  But how does this work, what are the intricacies involved in operating an AI fintech company? Also, where will the US and South Korea focused company expand into next? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Francis Oh, CEO, Qraft Technologies APAC for more.

It is all about perfumes and fragrances today. And on that note, we want to bring you an inside look into a Singapore-based hauteperfumery brand called Maison 21G.  Founded in 2020, Maison 21G aims to make personalised perfumery accessible for all. The company says it is the first collaborative perfumery house for the luxury lifestyle generation, who wants to stand out from everyday common scents. But what does this mean?  And of course, we can’t escape from talking about business models, and dollars and cents. The company achieved US$3 million in revenue in 2021 and said it is the number four brand in perfumery in Singapore behind players such as Chanel, Christian Dior and Jo Malone.  It closed its series A funding last April  to expand the company’s footprint and reach within Asia and also in the Middle East, and grow the team. But what is the status right now? On Under the Radar, finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to  Johanna Monange, Founder & CEO, Maison 21G.

Today we want to talk about a Finnish tech company that will take you back to the days without smartphones and tablets.  You might have guessed it already - yes - we are talking about Nokia.  Founded in 1865, Nokia is a B2B technology innovation leader in networking, bringing together the world’s people, machines and devices to realise the potential of digital in every industry.  It was also once a legendary phone maker, having commanded an over 40 per cent global market share in mobile phones at its peak. That is before smartphone makers Apple and Samsung came into picture in the late 2000s and early 2010s.  To make a long story short, the company eventually sold its handset and services business to Microsoft in 2013. What does this mean for Nokia in terms of its priorities then?  And as the company prepares itself for further technological disruption, its CEO Pekka Lundmark predicts smartphones would become extinct by 2030 with the invent of 6G. Why is this the case, and how does this influence the way the company positions itself for the future?   On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Daniel Jaeger, Head of Southeast Asia, Nokia to find out all about Nokia’s plans ahead.

Building an unbroken cold chain within ASEAN. That’s become increasingly important as rising demand for perishables drive the need for cold storage to extend the shelf life of food items.  Our guest for today Commonwealth Kokubu Logistics does just that. Founded in 2018, Commonwealth Kokubu Logistics, is a joint venture between Commonwealth Capital - that’s the company behind F&B brands such as Pastamania, Swissbake and The Soup Spoon - along with Japanese F&B distribution giant Kokubu Group.  The company aims to provide end-to-end supply chain solutions to food retailers, ranging from warehousing, distribution and supply chain management.  It is currently in the process of setting up a S$200 million food logistics facility in Singapore. But what are the opportunities for cold storage facilities, and how does the JV fit in Commonwealth Capital’s business?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Daniel Tan, Managing Director, Commonwealth Kokubu Logistics.

We’re going to talk about watches today. When it comes to watches, the first that comes to mind might be those that come with sober round dials, say your Rolex or Omega watches.  Instead of that, we want to talk about watches that look like spaceships, cost US$100,000 and above, and have a waitlist stretching from years to almost a decade.  Founded in 2005, MB&F started with a dedicated fan base but has gained increased attention among the wider watch collecting community of late.  The company, which produced just 30 watches in its first run, now forecasts production of around 420 watches this year with a revenue of over 42 million francs.  But what’s next for MB&F, and what does a booming secondary watch market mean for watchmakers when determining the supply available?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these burning questions to Maximilian Büsser, Owner & Creative Director at MB&F. 

Ever wondered where all the millionaires are right now? And where they intend to migrate to in the near term?  Well, that’s what we are going to talk about today with UK-based consultancy firm Henley & Partners.  The company is a global leader in residence and citizenship by investment, with over 40 offices worldwide. It also runs a leading government advisory practice that has raised more than US$10 billion in foreign direct investment. What’s interesting is that Henley & Partners said its business grew 25% last year and another 35% the year before.  Meanwhile in its “USA Wealth Report”, the company said the number of Americans enquiring about citizenship investments and residency options has risen over four-fold since 2019.  But where are wealthy Americans moving to? What does this mean for the consultancy firm as well as or Asia as the region tries to attract family offices to set up shop? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Scott Moore, Managing Director, Henley & Partners for more.

This company will likely ring a bell, especially if you’re clearing your annual leave, submitting your taxi claims or an accountant working on your company’s financial statements.  You may have guessed it by now -  we’re talking to SAP. That’s a company behind the enterprise resource planning or ERP systems companies use to manage their day-to-day activities like accounting, purchasing inventory, human resources and more.  With over 110,000 employees from over 160 countries, we want to find out how SAP views the global enterprise software market, which is expected to reach a market volume of US$376.40 billion by 2028, according to Statista.   Also, the company recently set up its first SAP Labs in Singapore last March, but what is the status right now? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Eileen Chua, Managing Director, SAP Singapore for more.

What comes to mind when you think of peanut butter sandwich biscuits? How about Julie’s biscuits? If you’ve been having Julie biscuits lately, you might have realised that their blonde-haired Julie logo doesn’t look quite the same.  In fact, Julie might look slightly younger now - and that’s thanks to a global rebranding effort by the company in 2020 to capture younger consumers.  And if you’ve been tracking the company, you might realise that the Malaysian brand temporarily changed its Julie logo to Michelle Yeoh upon her winning the Best Actress at the Oscars. But why is Julie’s actively rebranding itself as a youthful brand to capture the younger crowd? To what extent were the efforts driven by the competition or shifts in the biscuit industry?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Sai Tzy Horng, Director, Julie's Biscuits.