PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

In August 2008, the Singapore Government announced the liberalisation of the legal services sector, through the introduction of a Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) Scheme. The Scheme provides for licenses to be given to foreign law practices to practice Singapore law in permitted areas through Singapore-qualified solicitors employed by them. By December 2008, the Singapore Government awarded the QFLP license to Allen & Overy. The QFLP scheme will be reviewed in due course with a view to further liberalisation of Singapore’s legal services sector.

In August 2008, the Singapore Government announced the liberalisation of the legal services sector, through the introduction of a Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) Scheme. The Scheme provides for licenses to be given to foreign law practices to practice Singapore law in permitted areas through Singapore-qualified solicitors employed by them. By December 2008, the Singapore Government awarded the QFLP license to Clifford Chance. The QFLP scheme will be reviewed in due course with a view to further liberalisation of Singapore’s legal services sector.

In August 2008, the Singapore Government announced the liberalisation of the legal services sector, through the introduction of a Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) Scheme. The Scheme provides for licenses to be given to foreign law practices to practice Singapore law in permitted areas through Singapore-qualified solicitors employed by them. By December 2008, the Singapore Government awarded the QFLP license to Herbert Smith. The QFLP scheme will be reviewed in due course with a view to further liberalisation of Singapore’s legal services sector.

In August 2008, the Singapore Government announced the liberalisation of the legal services sector, through the introduction of a Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) Scheme. The Scheme provides for licenses to be given to foreign law practices to practice Singapore law in permitted areas through Singapore-qualified solicitors employed by them. By December 2008, the Singapore Government awarded the QFLP license to Latham & Watkins. The QFLP scheme will be reviewed in due course with a view to further liberalisation of Singapore’s legal services sector.

In August 2008, the Singapore Government announced the liberalisation of the legal services sector, through the introduction of a Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) Scheme. The Scheme provides for licenses to be given to foreign law practices to practice Singapore law in permitted areas through Singapore-qualified solicitors employed by them. By December 2008, the Singapore Government awarded the QFLP license to Norton Rose. The QFLP scheme will be reviewed in due course with a view to further liberalisation of Singapore’s legal services sector.

Maxwell Chambers, launched in 2009, is the world’s first integrated dispute resolution complex housing both best-of-class hearing facilities as well as top international alternative dispute resolution institutions such as the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the ICC International Court of Arbitration (ICA), and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution – Singapore (ICDRS). With the maturing of markets and the growing sophistication of businesses in Asia, awareness and use of alternative dispute resolution is rising rapidly. Maxwell Chambers will serve the growing demands of an international business community, making Singapore the preferred venue in Asia for those seeking neutral, efficient and reliable arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.

Gallup has studied human nature and behaviour for more than 70 years. Gallup's reputation for delivering relevant, timely, and visionary research on what people around the world think and feel is the cornerstone of the organisation. Gallup Singapore was established in 1996 and achieved IHQ status with EDB in 2003. Gallup Singapore employs 43 professionals and is the hub for Asia Pacific. Gallup has chosen Singapore as a base to customise its consulting offerings and curriculum for Asia, with initiatives such as the Gallup University Asian Campus. Such efforts are expected to help build up a critical mass of Singapore-based talent with international market expertise.

In June 2008, Gallup’s Singapore, HK and South-East Asia Managing Partner Mr Peter Ong, joined by Gallup’s Chairman & CEO Mr Jim Clifton hosted Gallup’s inaugural Global Behavioral Economics Forum in Singapore.

The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) is a top-ranked, global provider of executive education that develops better leaders through its exclusive focus on leadership education and research. Founded in 1970 as a nonprofit, educational institution, CCL helps clients worldwide cultivate creative leadership - the capacity to achieve more than imagined by thinking and acting beyond boundaries. CCL is headquartered in the U.S. with 5 campuses globally. It established its first Asian campus in Singapore in 2003 with a dedicated research team, and offers customised leadership programs, assessments, coaching and other services.

Hay Group established its global research and development centre for its Building Effective Organizations practice in Singapore in 2008. This practice helps companies manage a range of business issues such as mergers and acquisitions, globalisation and professionalisation of family-owned enterprises; in essence, taking them successfully from strategy to reality through building more effective organisations. The global centre undertakes all aspects of research and application development, including tools and methodologies in strategy execution excellence.

Recognising that Asia is the growth engine for the world, Singapore is the ideal platform for Professional Services companies to create a niche with a pan-Asian focus.  Top human capital consulting firms such as Aon Consulting and Watson Wyatt Worldwide have anchored research functions in Singapore.  In 2008, Aon Consulting launched its inaugural Global Research Centre. Singapore was chosen for its centrality in Asia, a fertile ground for emerging business and management practices. Asia is unique in its diversity, pragmatism, openness to change, and high growth rates.

Aon Consulting is leveraging on these factors and using Singapore as a place for experimentation with innovative management theories and practices that have implications for both the developed and developing economies of the world. Aon Consulting's Global Research Centre specialises in research on human capital issues of concern to the corporate boards and executive management.

Established in 1978, Mercer's Singapore office functions as its Asia regional hub, from which consultants service clients from all over the region. The Singapore office ranks among Mercer's top ten offices worldwide in terms of headcount and is also Asia's largest, with well over 400 employees today. Mercer College - the firm's executive learning brand - was launched in Singapore in 2004, specialising in professional development for human resource professionals as well as leadership and human resource programs for managers with people responsibilities. Since its inception, over 12,000 human resources professionals and business leaders have benefited from Mercer College programs. To date, its success in Singapore has served as a launch pad for the extension and progress of Mercer College across Asia Pacific and the world.

The Boston Consulting Group (“BCG”) is a global management consulting firm and the world's leading advisor on business strategy. BCG's Singapore office consulting staff represents over 14 nationalities and cultures and come from a variety of academic and commercial backgrounds. BCG's Singapore client base includes leading local and international firms from consumer goods, energy, financial services, industrial goods, media and telecom sectors. In Southeast Asia BCG partners with clients to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their business. In October 2012, BCG launched in Singapore its first ever Centre for Business Excellence (the “Centre”) in Asia. As part of this development, BCG will centralise its Knowledge Teams in Asia to develop thought & practice leadership in several key priority industry areas such as Metals & Mining, Financial Services, Public Sector, Oil & Gas and Mergers & Acquisitions. BCG has also located its Global Leadership & Talent Enablement Centre (“LTEC”) under the Centre to serve clients globally in developing dedicated curriculum and programs to help its clients on pan-Asian talent and leadership. 

McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm dedicated to helping the world’s leading organisations address their strategic challenges. McKinsey partnered the Singapore Economic Development Board to establish the McKinsey Innovation Campus (MIC) in Singapore in 2011. The MIC will drive intellectual property creation efforts in Singapore by bringing together the best of global expertise for innovation at scale and to pilot new cutting edge capabilities for McKinsey.

Various innovation centres have been set-up under the MIC including the McKinsey Center for Government which will help governments confront the significant challenges they face today; the McKinsey Green Campus which offers clients energy efficiency capability building and is also the firm’s first process model factory in the world; the McKinsey Asia Consumer Centre which will synthesise Pan-Asian consumer insights; and McKinsey Solutions which will deliver analytics tools to companies and governments to gain insights from large volumes of data to serve their customers and citizens better.

Wunderman is a global network of advertising, marketing and consulting companies. With 50+ years of experience, 130 offices in 55 countries and 15 specialised companies, Wunderman is the world’s largest marketing services network and is known as a pioneer of response driven marketing (direct marketing). Today, Wunderman is a world leader in delivering creativity and innovation in marketing solutions. Together with their expertise in actionable data, analytics and insights, Wunderman helps to build clients' brands, sales and business value. Wunderman is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands and a member of the WPP group.

Wunderman piloted an international learning programme called the Z Academy^sm with 19 students from three schools in Singapore in 2010. The programme adopts a total immersion approach and gives students international work experience on multi-million dollar accounts that goes well beyond the experience typical of traditional corporate internships.

KPMG in Singapore is part of a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. With more than 2,000 employees, it is also one of the largest professional services firms in Singapore

In March 2011, KPMG launched the Singapore chapter of the KPMG Institutes global network. This initiative helps professionals cut through complexity by providing them with knowledge necessary to making informed decisions and meeting business challenges. By providing forums where industry peers can exchange insights and practices, KPMG Institutes also aims to help organisations identify and understand emerging trends, risks and opportunities. Currently, three institutes have been established under the KPMG Institutes umbrella in Singapore, the KPMG Audit Committee Institute, the KPMG CFO Institute and the KPMG IFRS Institute.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“Deloitte”) is globally the 2^nd largest professional services firm by revenue with 193,000 employees in more than 150 countries providing audit, tax, consulting, enterprise risk and financial advisory services. Its Consulting practice has more than 160 consultants based in Singapore, delivering Strategy & Operations, Human Capital and Technology solutions to clients in Consumer Businesses & Transportation, Energy & Resources, Manufacturing, Technology, Media and Telecommunications, Financial Services, Life Sciences and Public Sector industries.

In July 2011, Deloitte chose to locate in Singapore its Asia Analytics Institute, a data analytics think tank dedicated to developing cutting edge strategies and tools to help business leaders unlock the potential behind many organisations’ big data.