December 2017
Insight
Plus
Direct from Asia Pacific's Leading Midshore Business and Financial Centre.
Yudai Watanabe, Managing Director of BPO Link Labuan Co, living in Labuan for more than two years
Tell us about yourself.
I set up and manage servers for transit trading via Labuan and our company offers offshore cloud services to clients. I also play a very active role in promoting Labuan to the Japanese and often offer my assistance to those who are interested in setting up a Labuan entity, be it as a translator or as a guide. I love interacting with the local people in Labuan and I think this is a good way to disseminate the Japanese language and culture.
Labuan as a place to live and work?
It has been a little more for than two years since I moved to Labuan. I think it is a wonderful island with beautiful nature and it is peaceful here.
Labuan is almost equidistant to most major Asian cities so it is convenient when it comes to conducting intermediary transactions connecting foreign countries ― you can import and export products (food, beverage or other products) in a short time frame. It is also possible to fly to most ASEAN countries within the same day for business trip via Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu.
Khairudin Abdul Rahman, Chairman of Association of Labuan Banks, GM/CEO of Maybank International Labuan and Co-CEO of Maybank Labuan Foundation, Chairman of the Tender Committee for Financial Park Labuan, living in Labuan for almost three years
Tell us about yourself.
I am an active person who loves any activity that can challenge my mind and body. Be it a tiring game of badminton or something as simple as a day out fishing. Apart from that, running, hiking, cycling, swimming and a good round of golf, never fails to keep me feeling physically fit to go through my days of long working hours.
Labuan as a place to live and work?
Labuan has grown tremendously business-wise, from an obscure financial centre to a financial hub attracting an increasing number of corporations. It is without a doubt a very small and quiet place here, more so with the slump in the O&G sector. Nevertheless, with its increasing attraction from financial businesses, Labuan is becoming an interesting place to live and work.
It’s definitely a more peaceful place to live in compared to the robust life in Kuala Lumpur where people are too busy going about their lives. In Labuan I find a lot of warm people who are more sincere and more willing to offer assistance in any way they can.
As we come to the close of 2017, we wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone happy holidays and seasons greetings. Looking towards 2018, the team is busy planning and preparing for market development initiatives, so look out for details in the months to come.
This bumper issue also marks my last message as Labuan IBFC Inc’s CEO. It’s been an honour and pleasure to have engaged with you through this medium. I have to say it has been an effective tool to disseminate information about Labuan IBFC, while offering our thoughts on current issues.
Feedback received has been very positive, and we are happy to say that Insight Plus will continue to feature in the years ahead.
Come 1 January 2018, this message will be penned by our newly minted CEO of Labuan IBFC Inc, Farah Jaafar-Crossby. My heartiest congratulations to her on the appointment! I am sure she will receive your full support in leading this organisation towards the aim of promoting Labuan IBFC as the preferred midshore business and financial centre in Asia Pacific.
From every member of our team, here’s wishing you and your loved ones a very happy New Year!
Thank you very much.
Danial Mah Abdullah
CEO, Labuan IBFC Inc
Moritz Gubler, Chief Operating Officer at Alpadis Group, living in Labuan for more than 20 years
Tell us about yourself.
I am originally from Switzerland and started my career in the wealth management and fiduciary services industry in Zurich. I then moved to Labuan to set up a trust company for one of the large audit firms. I currently run Alpadis Trust (Labuan) Ltd and helped building Alpadis Group together with my business partners. I arrived in Labuan in May 1997 and have never lived any where else as long as I have lived in Labuan, which is now more than 20 years.
Labuan as a place to live and work?
Living in Labuan is very agreeable and peaceful, distances are short and it is easy to find and make new friends. The offers for entertainment are limited, so you will actually spend more time with friends and other people. I like a lifestyle that is peaceful, friendly and at a human pace, so Labuan is a good place to live.
Any distance between home and workplace will be short, and it is easily possible to play half-a-round of golf in the morning and still be in the office by 8.30am! The authorities are accessible and the relationships are friendly, which does make work much more pleasant in many ways.
Maggie Teng, working at Labuan Financial Services Authority, living in Labuan close to almost two years
Tell us about yourself.
I’ve been living in Labuan since May 2016. It has been 19 months of endless discovery journey for me in both work and life.
Labuan as a place to live and work?
Labuan is an oasis of serenity where you can find a healthy balance between work and life. The safety of this island is top notch with almost zero crime rate. The locals are very friendly and welcoming; making any expatriate, newcomer visiting or relocating (like myself) to this island feel instantly at home.
Labuan has a laid-back and relaxed approach to life that is hard to come by and out of reach for many. It is the ultimate place for anyone who enjoys diversity while seeking a work-life balance. This duty-free island is the home to a world-class financial centre, with many historical sites, museums and galleries, unexplored natural sceneries and white sandy beaches as well as underwater paradise.
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