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INSIDE SAL 22

UP CLOSE WITH MISCHA TCHANG

Managing Director Southeast Asia & Oceania

As Dutch living in Singapore, how is
that?
It’s great! Singapore is a wonderful city with
an enormous ethnic diversity which is also
well represented in our office consisting
of four people all with a different national-
ity. The Dutch tend to be somewhat direct
and I’m no exception. Luckily I have been
travelling in Asia sufficiently to know that this
is not always appreciated and one should
adapt to how business is done in the specific
country.
I have lived in Singapore for a year now,
yet there is still much to explore. It’s a vibrant
city with a 24/7 economy which surprises
you every day. Thanks to its central location
Singapore is a great hub to service South-
east Asia and Australia is also not that far
away. It’s inspiring to be in the middle of this
multicultural landscape where sometimes
you feel you’re travelling in time.
Mischa Tchang joined SAL in 2016. As Managing Director of A nice benefit is that my wife and I can also explore the
SAL Singapore, he plays a vital role for our business activi- region in our free time. We hope to spend many more years in
ties in the entire Oceania. Singapore.

What are your fields of responsibility? What is the most important driver for you in your work?
Our Singapore office is primarily the commercial representative of I want our clients to choose SAL.
SAL for Southeast Asia and as from April this year also for Aus- It is a great feeling when you know that a client opted for your
tralia. As such it’s my job to ensure all our clients in this region solution because you understood their needs. We are facing a
are well attended to. highly competitive market and therefore it is key for us to empha-
I travel a lot in the region, visiting our existing clients and size how SAL differentiates itself from its competitors. Consider-
seeking new opportunities for SAL. My mission is to warrant the ing that SAL is a well-known and respected name in our industry,
reputation of SAL and expand our client base in Southeast Asia we are on the right path.
and Australia.
What is the toughest challenge you face in your position?
How many years have you worked in shipping and how has It’s challenging to find the time to give everybody the attention
your career developed? they deserve. Externally, but also internally.
I’ve been in shipping for the last 17 years. I started as a trainee Our business is still very much based on relationships. We
on the Operations department of a heavy-lift shipping company need to maintain regular contact with our existing clients and in-
in the Netherlands. It soon became clear that I had great affec- vest time in finding new ones. Furthermore, we must also ensure
tion for the commercial side of the business and I was given the that our own SAL organisation runs smoothly and this requires
opportunity to join the Chartering department. close contact with the head office and other overseas offices.
I was very fortunate that my senior colleagues and superiors The face-to-face contact is crucial and therefore we spent much
invested a lot of time in me and I learned a great deal thanks to of our time visiting our clients and subcontractors.
them. For 15 years, I worked on the Chartering department with
two heavy-lift shipping companies and travelled the world meet- What is the most inspiring experience you have had in SAL?
ing clients and making friends. The dedication of the entire organization to be there for our clients.
Before joining SAL, I briefly worked for a company that owned Recently a colleague of our Finland office went to Tallinn on a Sat-
and operated jack-up barges. It was very interesting to experi- urday to oversee a loading operation without anyone asking him
ence another part of the maritime industry, but when the oppor- to do so and he proved to be vital for a smooth operation. This is
tunity arose to join SAL in Singapore, it was an easy decision. what I call commitment! D