Proud First Edition:2010 - onebigagency.com · Proud. AMSTERDAM FIRST EDITION 2010 THE ROYAL...

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HERMITAGE AMSTERDAM

Art connects

MEAN WELL EUROPE

Switching power

AMSTERDAM WORLDWIDE

WiredadvertisingBOMBARDIER AEROSPACE

One hour air service

YAKULT EUROPE

A healthier Europe

HIKVISION EUROPE

Olympic surveillancePRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS

Servicing the world

QUALITY OF LIFE & ICONSBRIDGES OF AMSTERDAM

HIDDEN TREASURES

STATUES & ART

SPORTS & EVENTS

Proud.AMSTERDAMFIRST EDITION2010

THE ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUWORCHESTRA (RCO)

is a symphony orchestra of inter-

national renown and has gained its

unique international position with

its ’velvet’ strings, ’golden’ brass

and the exceptional and personal

timbre of the woodwinds. The

RCO’s home base is the ‘Concert -

gebouw’ in Amsterdam, world-

famous for its magnificent acoustics.

The RCO tours worldwide:

Tokyo, Seoul, New York, Shanghai,

Beijing, Berlin, London, Paris and

Vienna. The RCO was recently

named the ‘world’s greatest

orchestra‘ by the internationally

recognized British classical music

magazine Gramophone, based on

the judgments of an international

panel of critics.

www.concertgebouw.nl

003

It is one of my favourite stories of the history of the Amsterdam

Metropolitan Area. During Amsterdam’s first Golden Age in the

17th century, Tsar Peter the Great came in person to see for

himself how those Dutchmen had succeeded in establishing their

capital as a world centre of trade. Incognito, he observed ship-

building in the shipyards to the north of the city. He learned

about the trading of shares and the work of the exchange bank.

And tried to collect as many sea charts and other information

about faraway destinations as he could. Tsar Peter even toyed

for a long time with the idea of introducing Dutch as the official

language of trade in tsarist Russia and he had the urban

development plans of Amsterdam partially carried out in ‘his’

St. Petersburg. Dutch influences are still clearly visible in the

architecture of the city on the Neva.

What is less well-known is that during his years in the Nether-

lands, Peter the Great laid the foundation for one of the most

extensive and splendid art collections in the world. The collection

is so massive in fact that the world-renowned Hermitage in Saint

Petersburg can only exhibit a fraction of it at any one time. And

now at the initiative of a small group of enthusiasts led by

museum director Ernst Veen, last year saw the opening of

Hermitage Amsterdam on the banks of our own Amstel River. It

is an annex that has already drawn more than 700,000 visitors and

is rightly considered an enrichment of the already strong museo-

logical offering in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Tsar Peter’s

clandestine expedition to Amsterdam appears to have a

modern-day sequel.

I love this story (see pages 014 - 017) for a variety of reasons. First

of all, I find it a wonderful example of the type of cultural and

commercial co-operation needed to carry out such a massive and

international project. But, apart from that, to me it is evidence

that the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area remains an international

hub for cross-border ideas and initiatives.

And I am not alone in my conviction. Previously, the authoritative

Swiss institute IMD, in a study comparing the competitiveness of

various international locations, stated that the Netherlands was

the most receptive country in the world when it came to ideas and

concepts from other places. In other words: that same tolerance

and openness of spirit, which once attracted Tsar Peter and, before

him, great philosophers like Spinoza and Descartes, is still a fac-

tor in what attracts businesses and organisations to the Nether-

lands. And that certainly applies to the Amsterdam Metropolitan

Area as the Netherlands’ cultural and economic centre.

This is also reflected by another set of statistics that have crossed

my desk in recent months. It seems that over the past year this

region has been second only to London in attracting the highest

number of new head offices (European and international). And

all told, these foreign offices account for a sizable 17 percent of

local jobs. Moreover, businesses established here grow faster

than those in other European business locations. If we further

consider the indirect employment created by their presence here

and all the additional turnover generated for suppliers and service

providers, we can be confident in saying that its appeal for inter -

national organisations and investments have served Amsterdam

very well. Both in the past, and today.

You will understand that I am proud of Amsterdam. And it is also

with a certain sense of pride that I present you with this first 2010

issue of our magazine Proud in which we endeavour to keep you

up to date with the many other attractions on offer in the

Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.

Job Cohen, Mayor of Amsterdam*

on behalf of my colleagues in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

*Just before this edition was printed, Job Cohen announced

his resignation as Mayor to become the leader of the national

Dutch labour party. For the time being, Deputy Mayor Mr.

Lodewijk Asscher will act as Mayor of Amsterdam ad interim.

Dear reader,

Please be assured that having worked closely together with Job Cohen in the past four years as Deputy Mayor and Alderman for Economic

Affairs and Finance, I will do my utmost to continue his strong legacy. Thanks in part to Mr. Cohen, the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area is

one of the most international regions in Europe. I am firmly committed to further strengthening its business climate.

Lodewijk Asscher, Acting Mayor

Proud

INTRODUCTION: MAYOR JOB COHEN

PHOTOGRAPHY: VICTOR ALLING ~ A-A-P

005

INTERVIEWS

James Lai Mean Well Europe

Ernst Veen Hermitage Amsterdam

Brian Elliott Amsterdam Worldwide

Hiroshi Suzuki Yakult Europe

Jacques Comtois Bombardier Aerospace Netherlands

Jiangfeng Zhi Hikvision Europe

Robert Swaak PricewaterhouseCoopers

PAN-EUROPEAN BUSINESS HUB

Sustainable ambitions Among the greenest regions in Europe

Directing Europe Amsterdam Metropolitan Area: well-connected

A tax system bred for progress and expansion

Expatcenter

Facts & figures

amsterdam inbusiness in brief What can we do for you?

Contact

QUALITY OF LIFE

Hidden treasures

Sports

Art

Events

Statues

AMSTERDAM ICONS

Bridges of Amsterdam

I amsterdam

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

MISCELLANEOUS

Anne Frank House

Global model for cycling

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046

052

010

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Cover Mr. Ernst Veen, Managing Director Hermitage Amsterdam by Rahi Rezvani

Publishers amsterdam inbusiness, Amsterdam PartnersDirectors Hilde van der Meer, Charles van RenesseProject Management Tessa Wernink, Riske Akkerman

Editorial Director Peggy Stein

EDITORIALConcept Bureau PindakaasCreative Director/Strategy Peggy SteinDesigner Marjo DuivemanProduction Joanna Królikowska, Nora SchraderEditor Hans KopsContributing Editor Metamorfose Vertalingen

PHOTOGRAPHYPhotographer Rahi Rezvani ~ A-A-PProduction Director Victor Alling ~ A-A-P

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHYKoen Vanmechelen, Vee Speers, Enrico Fantoni, Watz,Jo Jake man,Tracy Ducasse,Paul Joseph,Mario, jpmm,Saharsh, Shirley Agudo, Kenneth Verburg, Andrew,Karel Delvoye, Victor Alling, The Russians are here,Evelyn Visschedijk/Gerbrand Dros, Amsterdam.nl, JuulHondius, Drinksmachine, Paolofefe, Salomao Nunes, Virtualpilot88, Kraskland, Ronald Deventer, Harm Kuiper,Arne Kuilman, TanjaN, CORVOS, Jonas Lund/ AnikaSchwarzloze, A. Zotos, Peter Stigter, Marathon-Photos

Maps C. Mayhew & R. Simmon (NASA/GSFC, NOAA/NGDC, DMSP Digital Archive)Printer Drukkerij Grafinoord

Additional Editors/Production Bapke Wiebols, Geerte Udo, Lilian Aarts, Nicolle van den Elst, Sannede Man, Victor Pallemans, Christa de Kemp, JaneZouten dijk, Marius Schulten Nordholt, Jeroen vander Ven, Colleen Geske, Sietske van Tuin, ShirleyAgudo, Elzelinde van ’t Hof, Maaike Osieck

© Concept & Design Bureau Pindakaas© Text City of Amsterdam Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this brochure was accurate at the time of going to press. We apologise forany errors or any omissions.

COLOPHONBRIDGES OF AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam is a city of bridges.

Having developed along the

banks of the river Amstel, the role

of water was initially more

important for the city than that of

land: water served as its shipping

channel, its defensive outer canal

and was even moulded into an

urban architectural ornament for

the city. Water is an inextricable

part of the city also known as the

‘Venice of the North’.

Amsterdam’s bridge infrastructure

saw steady expansion over the

course of history. From 52 bridges

in the16th century, their number

rose to110 around 1600, and

almost doubled during the major

urban expansion of the early 17th

century. When ‘completed’,

Amsterdam numbered 297

bridges. Today Amsterdam has

1,539 bridges, of which 252 are in

the city centre.

Proud. 2010 | first edition

James Lai spent three years travelling

all over Europe in search of the best

place to set up European headquarters

for Mean Well Enterprises. At the time,

Lai was the Export Manager for the

Taiwanese manufacturer of switching

power suppliers. He regularly turned his

routine visits to the company’s network

of distributors into a reconnaissance

mission, taking the opportunity to

evaluate the physical and knowledge

infrastructure of the various locations.

He searched for attractive rental loca-

tions and most importantly determined

whether the working and living condi-

tions suited his company’s growth am-

bitions, culture and quality-mindedness.

After narrowing down the list of

prospective locations, he had gradu-

ally crossed off one potential site after

the other in the company’s largest

European markets: Germany, France

and the United Kingdom. Lai empha-

sises with typical Asian courtesy that

although each of these countries has a

lot to offer, he had missed a certain

orientation to the European hinterland.

“In these larger countries, the individual

domestic markets in question are so

huge that less priority is assigned to the

other regions, which makes sense. For

us, however, it was important to have an

office in Europe that was closer to all

of the local markets in order to become

better acquainted with them; the idea

was to be able to support and co-ordi-

nate our whole distribution network

more effectively. Consequently, our

location had to not only offer optimum

connections with Taiwan and China

but also with the European hinterland;

with people who understand how all

Europeans think and do business.”

Suddenly, there was only one candidate

left on the list: Amsterdam. Or more

specifically, the Amsterdam Metropoli-

tan Area. “Of course we were already

well aware of the Amsterdam Area’s

appeal as a seat of business. Usually

when you fly from Asia to Europe you

have a lay-over in Amsterdam. Plus,

there are 17 non-stop flights a week

from here to Taipei. In addition, the bulk

of our products have been shipped

from China and Taiwan via the port of

Rotterdam and Amsterdam Airport

Schiphol for years. In terms of logistics,

the Netherlands is clearly the heart of

Europe, which is why the country was

already high on our priority list,” Lai

explains.

Today he is the General Manager of

Mean Well Europe, which was estab-

lished in Amstelveen in 2006. “In the

end, the deciding factors for us were

the global-mindedness of the locals

and the manageable scale of how

things are done here. As a medium-

sized company we were immediately

taken seriously and treated accordingly.

For example: during my first orientation

visit I was given a personal tour of the

available rental properties by an official

from amsterdam inbusiness and within

three days representatives from the

organisation visited our headquarters

in Taipei to give a presentation about

the region. While these may seem like

minor details, to me they served to em-

phasise once again that people really

wanted us here and that they will con-

INTERVIEW: JAMES LAI

TEXT: HANS KOPS | PHOTOGRAPHY: RAHI REZVANI ~ A-A-P

MEAN WELL EUROPE

James Lai,

General Manager

powerSwitching

006

tinue to support us in the future with

the plans we have for expansion.”

MAJOR PLAYER

Mean Well is a major player in the

quality switching power supplier mar-

ket. Founded in 1982 by Jerry Lin, the

Taiwanese parent company has become

one of the world’s largest suppliers of

components to compensate for voltage

differences in power supply (from 110

to 220 volts) or to convert low-voltage

current into alternating current. The

range of products, which now features

2,500 different items, offers a solution

for virtually every electrical appliance

that is sensitive to power supply fluc-

tuations, from computer hardware to

televisions, cars and measuring and

control equipment.

“Our components are essential for the

reliability and user-friendliness of the

products in which they are used. Now

that we are more dependent on elec-

tronics than ever before, every aberra-

tion or disruption of the power supply

can be disastrous,” Lai explains.

This insight indirectly formed the basis

of Mean Well’s decision to establish

independent sales offices and distribu-

tion centres outside Asia in addition to

the company’s two production locations

in the former mother country China and

the existing network comprising over

100 distributors worldwide.“Customers,

too, are consequently placing increas-

ingly higher demands with respect to

their suppliers’ delivery reliability and

the quality and speed of technical sup-

port and additional after sales service.

The fact is that we must be able to

deliver all of our products to the end

buyers’ production facilities within 24

hours. Basically, the lines to our dis-

tributors’ networks had grown too long

in order to do so. As such, we needed

to add another link. Having established

an office in the United States it was time

to reinforce our presence in Europe.

Especially because we feel it is one of

the markets in which there is still plenty

of growth for us to achieve.”

INITIATIVE

While that was the initiative for a lengthy

and extremely careful selection proce-

dure – the result of which has already

been revealed – subsequent develop-

ments have shown Lai and his superiors

that their decision was justified. Having

an on-site presence in Europe has in-

deed strengthened their competitive

position in the European markets.

“Our first priority was to set up our own

distribution centre where theoreti cally

we have enough products in stock to

be able to directly supply our distribu-

tors in every European country if they

do not have a certain product on

hand. So far we have exceeded our

expectations; we are already able to

respond to 75 percent of our custom -

ers with in 24 hours. Our goal is to be

able to guarantee all of our distribu-

tors and other buyers 24-hour service

by no later than 2015. Our ability to

make just-in-time agreements is a

crucial selling point.”

Lai quickly adds that he and his team of

employees – 12 at the latest count,

including two Dutch mechanical engi-

neers – could never have achieved

these logistic results on their own.“We

have the good connections with our

production sites and our customers to

fall back on here, both by sea and by

air. A container of new supplies arrives

each week according to a fixed sched-

ule, and for rush deliveries we can

appeal to the extensive network of

destinations to and from Schiphol. Plus,

for distribution in Europe we chose a

partner [TNT – ed.] that has done an

outstanding job of supporting us so far.”

Another proven advantage of the cur-

rent location is that Mean Well Europe

is now better equipped to track and

respond to market developments in

various European markets. “Twice a

year we organise a meeting here with

all of our distributors in Europe.

Information is shared openly about

issues such as local legislation and

regulations that may be relevant to

our activities, the anticipated need for

various products and demand fore-

casts for the different sectors. These

contacts are much more intensive

today compared to the past.”

In the meantime Mean Well Europe’s

plans for additional expansion are in

an advanced phase. Today, the Euro-

pean market already represents a good

third of the parent company’s total

turnover; now Lai sees another growth

spurt occurring in the years ahead as a

result of ongoing product quality

upgrading and enhancement of the

reliability of delivery. However, to do

so requires more room than the exist-

ing office allows. “We need to further

expand and professionalise our sales

organisation, as well as intensify our

activities concerning research & devel-

opment and technical support. Further-

more, our group’s strategy is to own as

much of our office space as possible.

Therefore we are currently studying

the best design for a new building.

We want to take up occupancy within

a year or two. One thing we’re sure of

is the location: we are going to stay in

the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.”

INTERVIEW: JAMES LAI

MEAN WELL EUROPE

ORIGIN TAIWAN

ESTABLISHED IN THE AMSTERDAM

METROPOLITAN AREA IN 2006

EMPLOYEES 12

INDUSTRY SWITCHING POWER

SUPPLY MANUFACTURING

ACTIVITIES SALES & CUSTOMER

SUPPORT CENTER

008

the Amsterdam Opera House and the

Amsterdam city hall, will even produce

more energy than it uses.

ALL BUT ONE

Recently the Amsterdam Area was

acclaimed one of Europe’s most sustain-

able urban areas. At the order of the

European Commission, the sustainabil-

ity performance of key urban conglom-

erations within the European zone was

compared according to a vast number

of sustainability criteria. These included

measuring the extent of CO2 emissions,

examining policies to heighten sustain-

ability of existing buildings, exploring

a more environmentally-friendly trans-

portation system and examining the

degree of dependence on non-sustain-

able power sources. On all these points

the Amsterdam Area was bettered only

by Hamburg. The responsible council-

lors were overjoyed with this result.

Annemarie Jorritsma, Mayor of Almere,

emphasises the importance of interna-

tionally acclaimed performance in sus-

tainability: “They are an important fac-

tor in establishing an attractive business

climate. To me, the concept of sustain-

ability is more than an ecological phe-

nomenon; it also encompasses the

promotion of social cohesion within

urban areas. Your overall performance

as a region has come to weigh increas-

ingly more in location decisions.”

This is a fact. Recent surveys examining

the preference of national and interna-

tional organisations for certain locations

show that sustainability is taken into

account as much as traditional factors

such as low tax pressure, access to

sufficient qualified and multilingual

personnel or local funding policies.

This is logical because enterprises can

no longer permit to go without a cohe-

sive sustainability strategy. Not only do

their stakeholders demand this, cus-

tomers also want to know the extent to

which the products manufactured affect

the environment and how any harmful

effects can be limited. Parties whose

performance is lacking in this respect

or who cannot explain their policy will

irrevocably stand to lose market share.

Herman Wijffels, former World Bank

Executive Director and advisor to the

Dutch government, wrote about this in

a renowned financial newspaper: “The

current crisis can in part be attributed

to the inability of economic parties to

adapt to the scarcity of energy and raw

materials. Tomorrow’s winners cherish

their natural environment and know how

to use available technology to restore

the natural balance.”

AT AN EARLY STAGE

People in the Amsterdam Metropolitan

Area were convinced of this at an early

stage. Many initiatives have since been

started that contribute to a common

goal: positioning the cities of Amster-

dam, Almere, Amstelveen and Haar-

lemmermeer as a region that excels in

all areas of sustainability at an interna-

tional level. This means that emission

of harmful substances will be reduced

Sustainableambitions

AMONG THE GREENEST REGIONS IN EUROPE


011

The latest example of Amsterdam

Metropolitan Area’s sustainable ambi-

tions involves the formation of a new

and truly green power company. The

Amsterdam Area aims to ensure that

within fifteen years, one third of all

corporate and private power is derived

from locally generated wind and solar

energy or other ‘renewables’. And the

City of Amsterdam’s public/private

green power company will take a

leading roll in this initiative. It will be

responsible for placing more than ten

million square metres of solar panels

in the city in the next few years. Long

rows of photovoltaic panels will soon

make the AmsterdamArena, home to

the Ajax football club, one of the first

stadiums in the world operating on a

practically energy-neutral basis and

the Stopera complex, which houses

faster than stipulated by prevailing in-

ternational agreements (a 30 percent

reduction by 2020 instead of 20 per-

cent) and that dependence on fossil

fuels will be cut back at an accelerated

pace. The Cradle-to-Cradle principle,

which for instance prescribes that all

materials used in the construction of

houses, commercial premises and

infrastructure be fully recyclable, has

become key to the further develop-

ment of this region. In Almere and

Haarlemmermeer (statutory seat of

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol), com-

mercial premises are encouraged to

be developed according to this princi-

ple and preconditions apply. In addi-

tion to this, a policy has been adopted

in Amsterdam giving preference to the

most sustainable plan when tenders

are invited for new developments.

If councillors view sustainability as the

discriminating factor, administrative

layers below them are following suit.

The Port of Amsterdam, for example,

is now pioneering a project exploring

the reciprocal use of rest products.

Dertje Meijer, Director of Port of Ams-

terdam, explains:“Our idea is based on

the premise that one company’s waste

can be another company’s input. The

following step could be that we start a

new line of business as waste product

brokers.” Another ground-breaking

initiative involves the Municipality of

Almere Sustainability Lab, which pro-

vides support for increasing the ener -

gy-friendliness of existing company

premises and residential buildings, but

also focuses on social, ecological and

economic sustainability. Also, anyone

establishing themselves here is en-

couraged to comply with the ‘Almere

Principles’: a series of sustainability

guidelines that also asks commitment

from local authorities with regard to es-

tablishment plans. Mayor Jorritsma:

“By formulating these principles we are

inspiring companies to set up and run

sustainable enterprises in Almere.”

NOT AS DEPENDENT

No less remarkable is Amsterdam Air-

port Schiphol’s ambition to decrease

dependence on fossil fuels. Schiphol

CEO Jos Nijhuis announced that plans

for Schiphol’s own windmill park in the

North Sea are now at an advanced

stage. In time, the capacity generated

should grow to 200 megawatts; ex-

ceeding the airport’s current demand

for power fourfold. Furthermore,

Schiphol Group is the joint initiative-

taker in an experiment involving

blending kerosene and biofuel. A

successful test flight was run using this

more environmentally friendly cocktail.

There are plenty of smaller-scale

projects as well. Retailers in one of

Amsterdam’s most popular shopping

streets, Utrechtsestraat, are collaborat-

ing on a Climate Street Initiative

towards a more efficient use of energy.

Initiatives are also being taken within

Amsterdam’s fashion cluster, which is

quickly gaining interest, to increase

sustainability with respect to the

purchase of materials and their clean

manufacture. Although this is a rela-

tively random assortment of the sus-

tainability initiatives across all

economic and social sectors, it is now

clear that the dynamics behind it all

have become an attractive proposition

for businesses focusing on sustainabili -

ty solutions. For instance, IBM decided

to set up its global water management

expertise centre in the Amsterdam

Area for this exact reason, and Cisco

has also chosen the region to focus its

activities exploring digital-based sus-

tainability solutions for urban environ-

ments. The Global Reporting Initiative

(which draws up regulations worldwide

for the recording of sustainability per-

formance) also established its interna-

tional secretariat here. Slowly but

surely, a cluster of companies making

a profitable business out of sustain-

ability issues has been growing in the

Amsterdam Area.

012


- Amsterdam Smart City is a unique co-operation

between the citizens of Amsterdam, busines-

ses and authorities in order to illustrate how

energy can be saved, now and in the future.

- One of the running projects is the Climate

Street. This is a concept for sustainable inner

city (shopping) streets that contains physical

and logistic initiatives in the public space as

well as behind the entrepreneurs front doors.

- Innovations that are being implemented are;

waste collection by electric vehicles, sustaina-

ble street lighting, tram stops with solar po-

wered light and for the entrepreneurs; smart

meters with an energy feedback display,

sustainable shop lighting and smart plugs.

- This is all being realised in close corporation

with the entrepreneurs in the Utrechtsestreet

and the partners of Amsterdam Smart City.

www.amsterdamsmartcity.com

ANONYMOUS STATUES IN AMSTERDAMOver the past 15 years, Amsterdam’s streets have been embellished

with various statues from the hand of The Unknown Sculptor (De

Onbekende Beeldhouwer). These remarkable bronze and iron

statues were installed anonymously by the artist under cloak of night,

quietly and without warning. The municipality has assumed ownership

of these works, on the condition that the identity of the artist(s) is not

disclosed. But this does not stop speculation. Some think the statues

were made by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix given the enormous

influence it would take to get statues installed anonymously at these

locations.

THE BLUE VIOLINISTThe blue violinist is a metal sculpture designed to look as though it

were made entirely of empty garments. With a violin case at its side,

it runs in the direction of the Marnixstraat. The work is also known

as ‘Man trying to catch tram 10’ and ‘Man with a violin case’. It was

installed in 1982.

LITTLE WOOD / TREE SAWYERThe statue of the little tree sawyer was the second anonymous

artwork to be installed in a tree on the corner of Stadhouderskade

and Leidsesquare, appearing in the night of 30 January 1989 – the

eve of the reigning Queen’s birthday.

BRONZE WOMAN’S BUSTThe third statue is a bronze woman’s bust. It’s very aptly located in

the pavement in front of the Oude Kerk on Oude kerks plein square.

It has been gracefully present and has been linked with the boldly

displayed female bodies near the Oude Kerk, which is situated right

in the heart of the Red Light District.

THE VIOLINISTThe fourth statue, the violinist, began life in the sea, where he

played his music whilst waves lapped against his chin. In his new

home in the Stopera building (a contraction of the Dutch words for

city hall and opera) he is submerged to his chin in the floor tiles.

QUALITY OF LIFE: HIDDEN TREASURES

hiddentreasures

013

HERMITAGE AMSTERDAM

Ernst Veen,

Managing Director

Artconnects

It is quite likely that Tsar Peter the Great

rested his very eyes upon (and perhaps

even visited) the building that would

house, more than three centuries later,

part of the art collection accumulated

by his Imperial offspring.

In 1696 the Russian sovereign spent a

lengthy incognito sojourn in Amsterdam

and nearby Zaandam. His primary

reason for coming here was to learn how

this area had expanded into one of

the major centres of trade and culture

of his time. In addition to practicing

what would now qualify as pure corpo-

rate espionage (he even worked incog-

nito on a shipyard to see how the Dutch

built their ships), this enterprising Tsar

also developed a genuine love of Dutch

and Flemish painting.

As such, he planted the seed for a

collecting frenzy that would place him,

with generations of Romanovs to follow,

among the most prominent buyers of

art in Europe. Their passion would make

the Hermitage (the palace complex of

the Imperial family in St. Petersburg)

one of the richest museums in the world.

The impression that the monumental

building on the Amstel River in

Amster dam makes upon its countless

visitors today is not so different to the one

it would have made upon Tsar Peter in

his time. The classical features so pop-

ular in 17th century Holland are promi-

nently visible throughout this former

convalescent home for the Christian

sick and elderly. Only the man-sized

gilded letters that have adorned the

façade since the opening in the early

summer of last year refer to the con-

version of the building into a museum:

the Hermitage Amsterdam, the first

foreign branch of the state museum in

St. Petersburg with the same name.

UNIQUE JOINT VENTURE

The origin of this project – one of the

first truly cross-border joint ventures in

the world of fine art – can be traced

back to the mid-nineties. At the time

Ernst Veen, then director of the

Amsterdam De Nieuwe Kerk museum,

maintained excellent contacts with

Michael Piotrovsky, the person respon-

sible for the more than three million

artefacts making up the collection of

the Russian Hermitage. They organised

exhibitions together and, during their

meetings at the Hermitage, Veen

015

INTERVIEW: ERNST VEEN


noticed the deplorable condition part

of the building was in.“The Hermitage

has 22 works by Rembrandt, an incred-

ibly precious asset, but they were poorly

lit and ventilated, and overall the hall

wasn’t equipped for the exhibition of

objects of such artistic value. Piotrovsky

agreed with me wholeheartedly.”

In response, Veen decided to seek

Dutch funding to renovate the hall. In

this way he hoped to contribute to the

conservation of these works which,

after all, are part of the Dutch cultural

heritage. A few years later, the success

of this initiative led to similar work being

done to an adjacent hall housing other

Dutch and Flemish masterpieces.

This brought a significant impulse to

the relationship between the two par-

ties. Perhaps even more importantly,

the team of Russian conservators and

managers of the Hermitage (headed

by Piotrovsky) learnt to appreciate

Veen’s dynamic approach, and they

eventually asked him for advice on a

problem the Hermitage had been

grappling with for some time.

The museum’s permanent exhibition

offered space to only five per cent of

its collection; by far the majority of the

works were not on view. Michael

Piotrovsky: “An art collection such as

this should be available for all the

world to admire.”

PURCHASED FOR ONE EURO

When Ernst Veen returned to Amster-

dam, these words resounded in his

ears until someone informed him that

De Amstelhof was likely to become

available soon. Reportedly, the owner

(a non-profit foundation) was willing to

sell the monumental premises for a very

modest price provided that it would

be used for housing a cultural or social

institution. Ernst Veen remembers how

all the pieces fell together like a puzzle

the first time he walked through the

extensive complex. “I immediately saw

what it could be like. We would estab-

lish a satellite museum of the Hermitage

here. I called Piotrovsky straight away

and a week later he appeared on my

door step. I will never forget his re-

sponse: It is still a crazy idea, but this

is a fantastic venue for it”.

This provided the impulse for a com-

plex and challenging development

project that would ultimately take more

than ten years to complete. The first

landmark was achieved when the City

of Amsterdam pledged to buy the

building and make it available as the

Amsterdam branch of the Hermitage

for the symbolic amount of only one

euro. In response, numerous sponsors

pitched in: the Dutch government,

cultural foundations and private art

lovers alike. Bit by bit, Veen and the

Hermitage on the Amstel Foundation

collected sufficient funding to balance

the budget and a construction team

was assigned to supervise the drastic

renovation.

This phase, too, required a great deal of

cultural entrepreneurship and crea ti v i ty:

“In those early days, it was a challenge

to tap sufficient financial resources to

keep things going. For instance, I

funded a feasibility study using the prize

money I had been awarded in my ca-

pacity as director of my other museum.

The results of that study enabled us to

take the next steps.”

Another creative and hugely success-

ful solution was the decision to start on

a small scale, in 2004. “Looking back,

that was a perfect exercise. By starting

with the Small Hermitage we managed

to keep all parties enthusiastic and

received confirmation that the interest

in the Hermitage collection was enor-

mous. Over six hundred thousand

people visited our exhibitions. This also

allowed us to test our ability to organ-

ise at least two rotating exhibitions a

year. The whole concept proved

immensely successful and we have

carried this through today.”

MOST POPULAR MUSEUM

In 2010 the Hermitage Amsterdam

proved to be the most popular museum

in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area,

a region richly blessed with museums.

Since its opening by Queen Beatrix and

Russian President Medvedev in June

2009 it has seen more than 700,000

visitors, causing this Russian-Dutch

newcomer to earn itself a place of ho-

nour on the list of the most frequently

visited attractions in the country.

Ernst Veen and his team have succeed -

ed in giving the buried treasure of the

Hermitage a new home in the region

where a large part of it was originally

created. “This museum functions as a

bridge. We are already noticing a lot

more attention for the historic ties

which, over the ages, have connected

Russia and the Netherlands at various

levels. I find it a satisfying thought that

we have been able to contribute to this.”

www.hermitage.nl

017016

INTERVIEW: ERNST VEEN

AMSTERDAM WORLDWIDE

Brian Elliott,

CEO and Founder

INTERVIEW: BRIAN ELLIOTT


Two years ago Brian Elliott and his

partners found themselves at a cross-

roads, with their advertising agency in

urgent need of reinvention. Driving this

realisation was – and is – their conviction

that the traditional ad agency business

model has its lost currency in today’s

world. Or, as Canadian Dutchman Elliot

(who received his Dutch passport last

year) explains during our conversation

in a modern minimalist-styled room in

a 17th century house along one of

Amsterdam’s canals,”The emergence

of digital forms of communication

means that advertising agencies no

longer need to maintain a physical

presence in all the key markets. With

economic relationships changing dras-

tically as a result, national borders are

now becoming steadily less important,

cultural differences are taking on new

dimensions and it has become relatively

easy to work from a remote location.

This also means you can now put togeth -

er creative teams of talented people

from all over the world, working to-

gether in a fully online environment”.

Clients’ demands, too, are keeping

pace with the changing digital econo -

my. ”Just five years ago they would have

called in a single agency with a similar

scale and global network of offices to

orchestrate a worldwide campaign.

Now, however, they prefer to co-ordi-

nate marketing publicity themselves

and choose agencies based on their

creative ideas and capacity to translate

those ideas into multimedial commu-

nications.” It was against this backdrop

of groundbreaking market develop-

ments that the agency Amsterdam

Worldwide was remoulded from the

former Strawberry Frog. “We had al-

ready jointly come up with the plan to

separate the Amsterdam branch from

the head office in New York. We

considered all the options – even, for

example, of relocating to London or

Barcelona and directing operations

from there.”

“But we quickly realised that it is pre-

cisely our location in the Amsterdam

Metropolitan Area that is one of this

agency’s most valuable assets. The

crucial factors determining the success

of a business like ours is being ‘wired’

to the international community on all

fronts. We have to identify emerging

trends and developments before and

better than anyone else, we have to be

connected with every media platform

and network through which to feed

brand perceptions and, most impor-

tant ly, we have to appeal to the inde-

pendent-thinking, creative types whom

we want to have working for us or with

us. Ultimately it became clear to us that

our current location offers more value in

terms of all these key requirements.

What did need changing, however, was

our own organisational structure – only

then would we be able to profit fully

from our location. Having taken that

step, we now offer a rock-solid business

proposition. We also changed our name

to Amsterdam World wide, with the

idea of tapping into the international

appeal and dynamic of this metropolis.

Plus, we feel we truly reflect the charac-

teristics that define Amsterdam.”

CREATIVE CROSSROADS

The (re)birth of Amsterdam Worldwide

is proof once again of the Amsterdam

Metropolitan Area’s position as a cre-

ative crossroads, with an advertising

cluster that is fast becoming a large

and international presence. Increasing

numbers of advertising and marketing

agencies are responding to the attrac-

tive mix of a transparent and provoca-

tive culture that Amsterdam has to offer,

the city’s international elite of creative

talents and its unlimited access to one

of the worlds most prolific networks.

This sector of the Amsterdam Metro-

politan Area’s creative industry alone

is responsible for an estimated annual

five billion euros in turnover, and al-

though the credit crunch has tempered

growth to some extent, there is no

question that this segment will continue

to flourish over the years to come.

Interestingly, the sector’s fastest-grow-

ing players are mostly small to midsize

ad agencies with a strong international

Wiredadvertısıng

020 021

orientation. Recently, agencies like the

British-born 180Amsterdam, American

Wieden+Kennedy and Canadian TAXI

have all made successful debuts from

premises along Amsterdam’s canals or

in the new business centre linking the

City of Amsterdam with Amsterdam

Airport Schiphol. Since their launch,

these agencies have been behind a

number of high-profile brand campaigns.

Today, athletic and clothing labels Nike

and Adidas have their worldwide cam-

paigns conceived and designed in Am -

sterdam, and heavyweights like Coca-

Cola, IKEA and Sony are increasingly

‘shopping’ here for agencies to supply

their international marketing publicity.

As Amsterdam Worldwide Director

Brian Elliot sees it, all this is just the

beginning.“Amsterdam is evolving into

a creative hub distinguished by its

strong international orientation and

maximum integration of digital com-

munication channels. Nowhere else

will you find an industry so keyed into

understanding what is and what will be

important to the global consumer, and

on how to create added value. Adver-

tising today is about giving a brand its

own unique personality that transcends

all boundaries and with which potential

consumers can and want to identify

themselves with. A brand’s market value

lies in what it can do for you, not in what

it claims to do. So today’s advertising

designer has to be linked to a creative,

multidisciplinary community that occu-

pies a trendsetting position in terms of

what people around the world are going

to be defining as important. Amster-

dam has long combined that streak of

independence and open outlook in

which such communities thrive.”

HYBRID

In its new guise as Amsterdam World-

wide, the agency will be in a better

position than ever to profit from these

attributes, says Elliot, who has now

been living in Amsterdam for 25 years.

“We opted for a hybrid business model,

one that combines the strengths of the

traditional ad agency organisational

model with detailed knowledge of

digital communication forms and how

these can best be used to reach peo-

ple. In this business, we are seen as a

trendsetter in the field of digital com-

munication. We have already received

a few Webbies [an award for the best

web-marketing publicity, ed.] for our

digital campaigns, and we have pio-

neered the use of social networks like

Hyves, Twitter and Facebook, which

have huge potential. In this respect too,

Amsterdam provides added value:

nowhere else do people make as much

use of these networks as here, as a

result of which nearly all the major

Internet network providers have set up

offices in the Amsterdam Area in order

to test their new products and applica-

tions. And when it comes to this

category of innovations, we’re in the

vanguard.”

No wonder, then, that Amsterdam

Worldwide was the agency selected

by the French mother company

(Pernod-Ricard) of an Armenian brandy

producer (Ararat) with the assignment

to inject this once-famous brand with

fresh, international appeal. “Our client

indicated that they saw us as a cultur-

ally neutral party due to our Dutch

background. They feel that we, as an

Amsterdam-based agency employing

20 different nationalities, are better

poised to rediscover the brand’s

authenticity and to give it an affective

charge that will appeal to cognac

drinkers all over the world.” Ararat is

thus the latest addition to a client

portfolio that already features such big

names as Belgian beer brewer InBev,

American chip manufacturer Intel and

Japanese athletic shoe and clothing

brand Asics. Joining these clients is an

expanding number from Russia, where

the communications field is gradually

maturing. “Even with the credit crunch

we have continued to see growth, and

that’s an exceptional achievement in

this sector at this point in time.”

But the most important development

– according to Brian Elliott – is the one

he has seen in himself and those around

him.“One major additional factor in our

decision to keep Amsterdam World-

wide operating from its current loca-

tion is that it gives us an edge in

recruiting the best creative minds in

the business. Everyone is keen to live

and work here, and this aspect is only

weighing heavier as we enter an age in

which people are feeling a deeper need

for engagement and placing greater

demands on their work-life balance.”

“I suppose I would be a prime example

of this: I live five minutes away, take our

kids to school by carrier bike before

heading to the office, have given up my

car, and if I need to visit a client abroad

I can be at Schiphol in under half an

hour. Just recently I had to be in central

London, and I later calculated that my

travel time from Amsterdam was less

than when I still lived and worked in a

London suburb. In this sense, too,

we’re at the heart of the action here.”

AMSTERDAM WORLDWIDE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN CANADA



EMPLOYEES 45

INDUSTRY ADVERTISING AND BRANDING

ACTIVITIES GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS

INTERVIEW: BRIAN ELLIOTT

022

YAKULT EUROPE

Hiroshi Suzuki,

Managing Director

INTERVIEW: HIROSHI SUZUKI


Since its launch on the European mar-

ket, Yakult has become a new nutri-

tional staple for many inhabitants of

Europe. Once a day – or more – they

down the contents of a small bottle of

this brand’s dairy drink to give their

digestion an added boost. Science

has proven that the LcS bacillus (short

for Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota),

on which the company holds the inter-

national patent, has a positive effect

on the balance of intestinal flora and

the human immune system, and that’s

why a daily consumption of this drink

is a wise health choice.

As if engendering a shift in the dietary

patterns of such a large group of regu-

lar consumers was not already a huge

achievement in itself, the introduction

of one of the most successful health

food products to hit the European dairy

market in the past decades has also

been behind the emergence of an

entirely new market sector in our local

dairy aisles. Following in market leader

Yakult’s wake are a host of other manu-

facturers, each touting the compara-

ble health benefits of their lactobacilli

and bifidus bacteria-enriched nutri-

tional drinks.

A sense of good comradeship prevents

Hiroshi Suzuki, Managing Director of

Yakult Europe and the man in charge

of all Yakult Europe’s activities, from

commenting on the substance of these

claims, but he does offer the pointed

observation that few manufacturers can

match Yakult’s in-depth understanding

of the now established field of probi-

otics.“The composition of our product

is the result of more than 75 years of

intensive scientific research and wide-

ranging market experience. Just to give

a sense of the complexity: each bottle

contains more than six and a half bil-

lion bacteria. Getting and keeping the

proportions exactly right entails a

continual process of testing and the

capacity to invest tremendous efforts

in research. Over the course of time

we have built up the scale and knowl-

edge infrastructure to enable us to do

this, and we have exceptionally well-

equipped laboratories in both Japan

and Europe. Moreover, we have devel-

oped a production method that com-

plies with the most stringent hygiene

criteria and we see the manufacture of

probiotic food products as our core

competence. This is Yakult’s unique

point – both here and in the rest of

the world.”

DISCOVERY

A plaque in the reception area of Yakult

Europe’s headquarters in a business

park in Almere, in the northeast of the

Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, pays

tribute to the founder of the Japanese

food manufacturing enterprise. In 1930,

doctor and scientist Minoru Shirota

identified a type of lactobacillus resist-

ant to acidities allowing it to do its

salubrious work in the intestinal tract

itself. This discovery was so ground-

breaking that it led Shirota to establish

Yakult Honsha Co., an enterprise now

active in 32 countries. With the 28

million bottles of Yakult now manufac-

AhealthierEurope

024

028

During the second World War, Anne

Frank wrote her diary in the secret

hiding place in the rear part of her

father’s office building on the Prinsen-

gracht, number 263. Here, she lived

for over two years with her family and

other people in hiding.

The secret Annex has been preserved

in its authentic state. The front part of

the building – the offices where the

helpers worked – has been restored to

the style and ambiance of the war

years. Quotations from the diary,

photographs, films, and original

objects – belonging to the people in

hiding and those who helped them –

all serve to illustrate the events that

occurred at this location. Anne’s first

diary is on display in the museum

along with some of her other original

notebooks.

Anne FrankHouse

www.annefrank.org

tured and distributed on a daily basis

(a low-calorie version has also been

introduced), the company is making a

significant contribution to the objec-

tive that its founder set himself and his

successors: not to chase profit margins,

but to make a demonstrable contribu-

tion to improving the health of as many

people around the world as possible.

When the company decided 15 years

ago to take its noble endeavour to

Europe, finding the best possible busi-

ness location from which to serve this

patchwork of cultures was key. As one

might expect of an enterprise with its

roots in scientific research, the process

of selecting a location began with

intensive study and careful comparison

of the various options. “There was a

long list of criteria. Ultimately we

opted for the Amsterdam Metropoli-

tan Area because this location scored

highest by far on the majority of our

requirements”, Suzuki explains. Natu-

rally all the usual advantages played a

role in this decision (that almost every-

one speaks English, the region’s repu-

tation as a well-connected logistics

hub with extensive land and sea con-

nections through the Port of Amster-

dam and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol,

but there were other factors that

weighed heavily as well, such as the

quality and composition of the water

supply (“which is vital in ensuring the

stability of the fermentation process”)

and the presence of a strong and

highly internationally-oriented cluster

of dairy corporations and knowl edge

institutions. “This is a centre of

groundbreaking fundamental research

in this field, and we at Yakult are keen

to be on the frontline and make our

own contribution.”

Also informing the decision was a

historical awareness of the flourishing

centuries-long trade relationship

between the Netherlands and Japan.

“Our countries have a unique history in

this respect”, says Hiroshi Suzuki, who

recently served as co-organiser of the

commemorative celebration to mark

the four hundred year anniversary of

trade relations between the two coun-

tries. Dutch merchants were the first

(and at that time only) foreigners

allowed to enter Shogun Japan. “Back

then it was the Dutch who introduced

us to Western ideas in medicine. Even

today there are still many words in the

Japanese language recalling this.

Thanks to our common history, many

Japanese have a positive image of the

Netherlands. Certainly that’s true for

me too. And this makes it extra special

that we are now coming back with a

health-enhancing product.”

HOUSEHOLD NAME

Fifteen years on, Yakult has indeed be-

come a household name in its Dutch

pilot market, and the company is

making strides in the rest of Europe as

well. Radiating from its European

headquarters in Almere is a network of

sales offices in eight different countries,

including Belgium, Germany, Austria,

the UK and Italy. The 130 employees

working in the company’s production

arm generate an output of some six

million product units per week for all

these market areas combined – in

different packaging for some, but al-

ways with the same uniform product

composition. “The recipe for Yakult is

basically the same the world over.”

Almere is also the site from which the

various product markets are cultivated,

as well as home to all those jobs that

go hand in hand with being a European

headquarters. Market activities in the

Netherlands are co-ordinated from a

dedicated office in Amstelveen, the

municipality located just south of the

City of Amsterdam in the Amsterdam

Area. Clearly, Yakult has succeeded in

carving out a permanent position not

only in the probiotics market sector

but also as an active member of the

business community both locally and

in the rest of the Netherlands. Today

the company is principal sponsor of

the Nederlands Philarmonisch Orkest

(Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra).

Social activities of this kind are simply

part of the Yakult culture, Suzuki em-

phasises. “We are, first and foremost,

a ‘missionary company’. By that I

mean we are not here to sell X many

more million units of product. That’s

not us. The thing that sets our com-

pany apart is that we pursue our

mission to contribute to the health

and happiness of society.”

It is with a measure of pride that Hiroshi

Suzuki later shows me a certificate

proclaiming Yakult Europe the most

innovative and socially-engaged busi-

ness in this part of the Amsterdam

Metropolitan Area. “And of course the

trust that we gain this way also helps us

to achieve our corporate objectives.

After all, what makes or breaks the

launch of a food product like Yakult is

your capacity to feed the brand with

qualities such as reliability, purity and

integrity. The fact that we’ve managed

to achieve this is a further key factor

accounting for our success.”

YAKULT EUROPE B.V.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN JAPAN



EMPLOYEES APPROX. 250, OF WHICH APPROX.

150 IN THE AMSTERDAM METROPOLITAN AREA

INDUSTRY PRODUCTION AND SALES OF HEALTH

ENHANCING PRODUCTS

ACTIVITY EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS FOR

PRODUCTION, SALES & MARKETING

INTERVIEW: HIROSHI SUZUKI

029

THE AMSTERDAM MARATHON The Amsterdam Marathon has won a permanent place in the top

10 fastest marathon cities in the world. However, Amsterdam has

more than just a fast course. It provides entertainment, an enthusiastic

crowd and notable sights such as Vondelpark, Rijksmuseum, Amstel

Hotel and the wonderful river the Amstel, along which the course

passes. The Amsterdam Marathon is held yearly in October. Runners

can register for the distances marathon, Mizuno Half Marathon,

Menzis 7.5 km, Business runs and Echo Kids Runs.

www.amsterdammarathon.nl

CRICKET TOURNAMENTIndia is an important country for trade and it is an important partner

for foreign investment in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, hence

the Indian business community in the region is growing fast. To

celebrate the presence of this large community, amsterdam inbusi-

ness started organising an annual cricket tournament in 2007. Teams

consist of employees of Indian companies located in the Amster-

dam Metropolitan Area. With 15 teams and about 200 spectators

this has become a very popular event . Besides the tournament, the

event hosts a special India Network Cocktail in order to strengthen

the relationship between the Dutch and Indian communities.

www.amsterdaminbusiness.com

CONCOURS HIPPIQUE The annual Concours Hippique Haarlemmermeer will be held this

year in June. For five days, the Haarlemmermeerse Bos will be fully

geared towards equestrianism. This free event draws tens of thou-

sands of visitors each year. The pleasant straw village and the beach

on the lake make the Concours Hippique a special event for

the whole family. The international jumping table for the Grote

Prijs (Grand Prize) of Haarlemmermeer will be held. The crème de

la crème of the Dutch harness horses also will be returning to

Hoofddorp. www.concourshoofddorp.nl

WINDMILL WINDUP INTERNATIONALSince 2005 Amsterdam has hosted the annual Windmill Windup

International, an Ultimate Frisbee event visited by more than 80

teams and 1,000 players from all over Europe. Ultimate frisbee is a

teamsport, played on a field with the length of a soccer pitch. The

object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player

in the opposing endzone, similar to an endzone in American foor-

ball or rugby. The sport demands stamina, athletisism as well as

subtile technique. The intense sporting focus of the tournament

is balanced by the atmosphere around the grounds throughout

the tournament. Bands en DJs light up the parties in a typical

Amsterdam style. www.windmillwindup.com

GIRO D’ITALIAAmsterdam will turn into a little Italy in May 2010 with a full festival

of Italian food, fashion, music and other cultural events as host

to the start of the annual Italian cycling tour, the Giro d’Italia.

Appropriately dubbed the GiroMania!, the Italian festival will

combine international allure with the intimacy of a true Amsterdam

party, all centered around the bicycle as a means of transportation,

recreation and competition. GiroMania! combines the best of

Amsterdam with the best of Italy. As Amsterdam’s Alderman for

Sports, Carolien Gehrels, says, “Both are idiosyncratic and cosmo-

politan. Hosting the Giro d’Italia in Amsterdam is a once-in-a-

lifetime event – a festival that the visitors will never forget.”

www.giromania.nl

SAILEvery five years, the city and port of Amsterdam host ships from all

over the world during SAIL Amsterdam in August 2010. This unique

maritime festival is known as one of the largest sailing events in the

world. For five days, the Amsterdam IJ harbour serves as the back-

drop for a festive programme full of music, culture and nautical

riches. The tall ships will be surrounded by an impressive collection

of Dutch sailing heritage and an extensive programme of events

will be held on the quays. Every day will end with a breath-taking

fireworks show. www.sail.nl

031

QUALITY OF LIFE: SPORTSQUALITY OF LIFE: SPORTS

sports

sports

030

Ask CEOs of international companies

what sets the Amsterdam Metropolitan

Area apart from other interesting loca-

tions in Europe, and you’ll get many

different answers. One might point to

the many European multinationals

established or represented here, while

another would mention the local

population’s international outlook or

the multicultural character of the sur-

rounding region. A third might extol

the city’s high-quality physical and

digital network against the inspiring

backdrop of a centuries-old trading

center with a rich cultural heritage.

No matter what the answer is, there’s

one thing they all agree on: the

Am sterdam Metropolitan Area is the

director of the European stage. With

its central location, its international air-

port and extensive maritime complex,

033

DirectingEurope

AMSTERDAM METROPOLITAN AREA: WELL-CONNECTED

the region has traditionally served as a

transit port to and from the European

hinterlands for people, goods and

capital. Over the past few years, the

gradual shift in focus of European eco-

nomic activity has seen the area take

on a new dimension.

In their search for an ideal base to co-

ordinate and consolidate their activities

on the European continent, more and

more companies are opting to set up

headquarters or distribution centers in

the Amsterdam Area. In turn, the

presence of over 1,900 international

companies attracts new business and

logistics service providers, offering

global networks and specialised knowl-

edge on every aspect of international

business.

Over time, the region has developed

into a hub of Europe-oriented activity

that is unique in terms of both compo-

sition and scale and offers great

advantages to the companies within it.

These businesses grow faster, create

more added value and – most impor-

tantly – enjoy the unique opportunity

of sharing knowledge and jointly

developing new services or products.

HARD FACTORS

In order to gain insight into the Amster-

dam Metropolitan Area’s localizing

benefits, we must distinguish between

its hard and soft factors. The most

obvious hard localizing factors: the

presence of over 350 million affluent

European consumers within an 800-

mile radius and the region’s suitability

for distributing and enriching trans-

portation and passenger flows to and

from this consumer market, the sec-

ond-largest in the world. The Amster-

dam Area offers a rapidly growing port

with ample space for further expansion,

good railroad and inland shipping

connections, Europe’s largest port in

Rotterdam at just an hour’s distance by

road and the second-most extensive

destination network of all European

airports at Amsterdam Airport

Schiphol. The local logistics sector is

far ahead of its international competi-

tors when it comes to the speed of

transshipments, the reliability of

deliveries, cost-effectiveness and the

potential for added value.

However, the Amsterdam Area is also

well connected in other respects. The

Netherlands has the second-highest

broadband density and capacity in the

world. This has attracted a large

number of innovative ICT companies,

whose presence has only helped fuel

the region’s leading position in the

area of data transmission. Here too,

the logistics sector is an excellent case

in point. The transportation of goods

to and from the Netherlands can be

traced online at all times, with all

handling partners using standardized

data-exchange platforms. This makes


032

035

it far easier for companies to minimize

inventories and optimize delivery

reliability.

A HUMAN SCALE

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area’s

appeal is partly due to its pleasantly

human scale, which facilitates continu-

ous cross-pollination between mutually

complementary partners. With the

world’s largest concentration of busi-

ness and logistics service providers in

a region of this size, the Amsterdam

Area hosts the establishment of

relatively new business concepts such

as the centralization of non-core activi-

ties in shared service centers and call

centers on a scale not seen anywhere

else in Europe.

The mild and transparent local tax

climate also plays a role in attracting a

growing number of international com-

panies to the Amsterdam Area. The

Netherlands applies a low tax on prof-

its in comparison with other European

countries, and has a highly appealing

exemption regulation for profits from

(international) holdings above a cer-

tain amount. Tax treaties have been

entered into with nearly all major trad-

ing countries in order to avoid dual

taxation, and Dutch tax inspectors are

more than willing to make advance

agreements with new businesses on

their expected tax burden.

Expats pay no taxes over 30 percent of

their Dutch income. Recently, the

Dutch government took steps to

further accommodate foreign employ-

ees: under the highly skilled migrant

scheme, expats and their families (with

an annual income of at least €40,000)

are eligible for an accelerated applica-

tion procedure for residency and work

permits. Foreign employees seeking to

apply for this or other benefits do not

have to worry about bureaucratic red

tape; the Expatcenter was set up to

help with all the necessary administra-

tive procedures and provide active

support in other areas, such as finding

housing or good schools.

SOFT USPS

With its comparatively low cost of

living, high-quality, affordable interna-

tional schools and good supply of

reasonably priced office space and

housing, the Amsterdam Area offers

your organisation and its employees a

great deal of material advantages.

However, Amsterdam and its neigh-

boring municipalities are also set apart

by a distinctive set of hidden values,

known as soft USPs. Those to have

visited the city and experienced its

unique atmosphere will certainly

agree: Amsterdam and its surrounding

region offer all the advantages of a

cosmopolitan working and living envi-

ronment – but on an intimate scale.

The city’s work-life balance is univer-

sally lauded. The Amsterdam Metro-

politan Area also enjoys a rich tradition

as an international center for social and

cultural innovation. Almost four cen-

turies ago, Amsterdam traders estab-

lished the Dutch East India Company,

the very first global trading company.

This multinational’s need for capital

resulted in the development of the

stock trade and the establishment of a

stock exchange and exchange bank.

The Netherlands is also the birth place

of the modern pension system.

This innovative spirit is still alive and

well to this day. The presence of a rich

network of outstanding knowledge in-

stitutions and creative minds ensures a

continual flow of new ideas, concepts

and initiatives, prompting companies

to exchange knowledge and expand

their horizons.

These creative impulses also nourish

another trait characteristic of the

Amsterdam Metropolitan Area locals:

an international outlook. The Dutch

way of doing business is distinguished

by the ability to bridge diverse cultural

identities. The composition and work

ethic of the local (working) population

is an excellent case in point; largely

multilingual, multicultural, tolerant,

idiosyncratic at times, but always dedi-

cated to finding a consensus.

Many believe these qualities have

earned the Amsterdam Metropolitan

Area its position as director of the

European stage. In the cultural patch-

work that is Europe, one needs the

ability to build bridges – an area in

which the Dutch have traditionally

excelled.


034

ART AMSTERDAMThe first edition of Art Amsterdam was held in 1984. At the time,

the fair played a pioneering role as, until then, there was no annual

event for contemporary art. In fact, back then, the number of galleries

in the Netherlands for contemporary art included no more than 60.

Nowadays, Amsterdam alone boasts several hundreds of galleries.

This makes the capital the natural place for a contemporary art fair.

In addition to the leading Dutch galleries, Art Amsterdam welcomes

exhibitors from countries such as Belgium, Germany, France, the

UK, Denmark, Asia, the US and many more. Art Amsterdam 2010

will be held at Amsterdam RAI.

www.artamsterdam.nl / www.rai.nl

GERRIT RIETVELD ACADEMYAmsterdam’s Gerrit Rietveld Academy (usually simply referred to as

the Rietveld Academy) is a college for the visual Arts & Design. It

was set up in 1924 following the merger of three schools and aims

to support and educate talented young people in order to operate

independently in their field. Together with the Schule für Gestaltung

in Basel, the academy founded AIAS, the International Association

of Independent Art and Design schools. The association links 17 art

academies from Europe, the US, Japan and Korea and has a varied

international network of contacts. It organises regular student

exchanges and participates in joint projects and the development of

shared activities, including exhibitions, publications and workshops.

www.gerritrietveldacademie.nl

SPIEGELKWARTIERCollecting antiques or modern art, the historical neighbourhood just

opposite the Rijksmuseum is the place to go. Spiegelkwartier has

been the heart of the national art and antiques trade for the past

eighty years. There are few places in the world where you will find

such a stunning choice of art and antiques. Over seventy specialised

art and antique dealers offer a wide variety of objects, from

archeological finds to 17th century furniture, glass and Dutch Delft-

ware, from oriental and tribal art to contemporary art, from clocks to

jewellery and, last but not least, paintings and old master prints.

www.spiegelkwartier.nl

QUALITY OF LIFE: ART

art

037

1 Competitive corporate tax rate is

well below the EU-average (20 per-

cent over the first€250,000 and 25.5

percent for more than €250,000)

2 The Dutch ruling practice, as a

result of which certainty in advance

can be obtained on future trans -

actions, investments or corporate

structures

3 Participation Exemption, meaning

that all benefits relating to a qual i -

fying shareholding (including cash

dividends, dividends-in-kind, bonus

shares, hidden profit distributions

and capital gains), are exempt

from Dutch corporate income tax

4 Double taxation relief via the

Royal Decree for the Avoidance of

Double Taxation

5 The Patent Box: an effective tax

rate of 10 percent for income rela-

ted to a patent obtained in respect

of self-developed intangible assets

(certain conditions apply)

6 Absence of withholding tax on

out going interest and royalty

payments

7 No capital-tax levy on the contri-

bution of capital to a company and

any later expansion of share capital

8 The 30 percent ruling for expats:

tax-free reimbursement of 30 per-

cent of an employee’s salary,

provided that the employee has

been recruited or assigned from

abroad and has specific expertise

which is scarce in the present

Dutch labour market

9 Enhanced Supervision. If a com-

pany established and paying tax in

the Netherlands can indicate, in

accordance with a clearly defined

format, how it weighs and estima-

tes the various fiscal risks and how

it plans to deal with them, Dutch

tax inspec tors have the freedom to

offer it cer tainty about its future tax

treatment

A tax systembred for

progress andexpansion


As an open economy, the Netherlands

has always given priority to a transpa-

rent and stable tax system, flexible

enough to anticipate the rapidly

changing requirements of international

economic flows. Moreover, tax agree-

ments have been made with most of

the world’s trading nations, which gua-

rantee univocal treatment. Companies

established in the Netherlands profit

from various tax advantages, including:

BOMBARDIER

AEROSPACE

NETHERLANDS BV

Jacques Comtois,

General Manager

One houraırservıceAccustomed to the vastness of Canada,

Jacques Comtois appreciates the

central location of his new post. Over

three-quarters of his clients based in

Europe are able to reach Bombardier

Aerospace’s newly opened European

Service Centre by plane within an hour.

Now they can bring their Bombardier

jet to the hangar for routine mainte-

nance in the same amount of time it

takes to visit a garage equipped to

service the luxury car equivalent.

An advantage like this makes a huge

difference in the unique world of gen-

eral aviation, which is something that

the trailblazer and general manager of

Bombardier Aerospace Netherlands BV

knows from years of experience. “In

the aviation sector, the quality and ac-

cessibility of the after-sales service is a

deciding factor. The type of aircraft

chosen is determined in part by the

availability of a skilled and reliable

service outlet, preferably operated by

the maker of the aircraft in question. In

Europe, up until now we worked with a

network of authorised service facilities

to service our Learjets, Challengers

and Globals. However, now that the

European market is becoming more

and more important for us we really

need to boost our presence here.

Consequently, we decided to set up

our own service hub for Europe at Am-

sterdam Airport Schiphol.”

“My job is to get this initiative off the

ground and work out the details.

Everything has proceeded faster than

anticipated thanks in part to the active

support provided by the airport man-

agement company Schiphol Group,

the Schiphol Area Development Com-

pany (SADC), the surrounding munici-

palities and the Netherlands Foreign

Investment Agency. With their collec-

tive help we were able to begin opera-

tions in this hangar within a mere

couple of months after we had de-

cided to set up shop here. For now we

have enough room and facilities at this

location to offer the full range of Bom-

bardier service and repairs, complete

with additional training and classes.”

“Ultimately, however, we will move to

a brand new location further down on

airport grounds two years from now.

The building is being designed and

built entirely according to our specifi-

cations. Preparations are now under-

way. The result will be an ultra-modern

complex that not only meets the very

highest aircraft maintenance demands

but also offers our customers a per-

sonal Bombardier experience. An

added advantage is that we will liter-

ally be right next door to the new ter-

minal for general aviation, which will

open later this year. This is another

point in favour of our customers, who

greatly value comfort and for whom

time is at a premium.”

EASTWARD EXPANSION

The demand for jet aircraft for busi-

ness or private use is increasingly shift-

ing eastward. In light of the gradual

saturation of the North American mar-

ket, manufacturers of these types of

aircraft are shifting their focus to com-

panies and wealthy private individuals

in Europe and the Middle East.

Bombardier Aerospace is following

suit. The aviation branch of the Mon-

treal-based transport group (Comtois:

“We are in trains and planes”) has es-

tablished a strong starting position in

the general or business aviation sec-

tor. The Learjet and Canadair acquisi-

tions have turned the company into a

039

INTERVIEW: JACQUES COMTOIS


major player in the sector. In order to

maintain – and ideally expand – this

position, Bombardier must reinforce

its presence in tomorrow’s growth mar-

kets. “We expect that the total fleet,

which is currently 500 Bombardier air-

crafts, will increase to 650 in our focus

area in five years. And that is a rela-

tively conservative estimate.”

With the optimistic growth expecta-

tions in mind, it made sense that

Jacques Comtois and Michael McQuay,

President of Bombardier Aircraft

Service Centres, were given the task of

establishing a service and repairs loca-

tion for general aviation in Europe.

“We started out with no less than 40

potential sites. Each and every one of

them met our basic requirements: an

airport in the immediate vicinity with

the necessary takeoff and landing

options and room for our own service

centre.”

“Next, we identified 15 criteria in

order to narrow down our list of candi-

dates. During this stage we compared

the various sites in terms of fiscal ap-

peal (which is very important in a capi-

tal-intensive business such as ours), for

example, along with the quality of the

know-how and expertise available at

the location, and whether there were

other companies in the area that could

potentially support us.”

“The intangible criteria were also ex-

tremely important. At an international

company like ours English is the

official language, so we needed to

choose a location where English is the

medium of communication. Also,

Bombardier is still very much a family

business at heart. Our corporate

culture is a significant distinguishing

feature, and under no circumstances

do we want to see that compromised.

So when deciding on a location it is very

important that people acknowledge

and understand our values. Especially

because we believe in a local-for-local

approach [hiring as many local people

for management and other jobs – ed.]”

Eventually we narrowed down the list

to two locations that withstood our

rigorous vetting: a site nearby a Lon-

don airport, and a site at Amsterdam

Airport Schiphol. “The deciding factor

was that we could not get any closer

to our clients than Schiphol, as well as

a sense that we would have more free-

dom to really be ourselves here. This

is quite interesting, considering we are

a company with one foot firmly

planted in English traditions.”

FIRST ROUND OF

MAINTENANCE ORDERS

Less than a year after settling on a lo-

cation, Bombardier Aerospace’s Dutch

operation will soon commence with

the first round of maintenance orders

at the temporary site, while training

programmes for aircraft mechanics

have already started.

“It has really taken off,” Jacques Com-

tois says with understandable satisfac-

tion, reflecting on the first few months

in his new workplace. In the distance,

a Learjet taxis towards the runway at

the airport. “Last year in August, it was

just me on my own here and we still

had to establish a legal entity. Now, six

months later, we already have 35

employees, and according to the plan

we should have 50 by the end of the

year. I feel completely at home with

everyone. This is truly an international

group. For starters, we have a Por-

tuguese national who speaks fluent

Russian. This is very useful, since we

are seeing more and more Russian-

speaking customers.”

Incidentally, other businesses in and

around Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

are also excited about the Bombardier

European Service Centre’s promising

debut. According to SADC’s Paul van

den Brink, it is a very welcome addi-

tion to the local aviation cluster. “Tra-

ditionally Schiphol-East has been an

attractive business location particularly

for aviation-related activities. We have

a wide variety of companies here in-

volved in repairs, assembly and main-

tenance, training and education, as

well as consulting and financing. The

goal now is to strengthen the relations

between the various links in this chain

and create a community that produces

more added value for the member

companies. The steps towards realis-

ing this master plan, which has been

dubbed Schiphol Aerospace Ex-

change, include a new terminal for

general aviation that will open this

year along with new headquarters for

KLM subsidiaries Martinair and

Transavia. The arrival of Bombardier is

the latest significant reinforcement of

the economic structure of the aero-

space cluster.”

Jacques Comtois endorses this view-

point: “We have drawn up ambitious

growth plans for the years ahead.

Once we occupy our new building we

believe that we will have work for

150 employees or more. We will also

continue to expand our activities.

Bombardier is here to stay.”

040

INTERVIEW: JACQUES COMTOIS

BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN CANADA



EMPLOYEES 35

INDUSTRY AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE

ACTIVITY EUROPEAN SERVICE CENTER

043

The Expatcenter, located in the WTC in

Amsterdam’s business district Zuidas,

provides a one-stop shop service for

international companies and their highly

skilled migrants. As of February 2010,

companies based in Almere and

Haarlemmermeer can also make use

of the Expatcenter’s services, marking

an important step in the regional

expansion of the centre.

The Expatcenter first opened in June

2008 as a joint initiative of the cities of

Amsterdam and Amstelveen, along

with the Immigration and Naturalisation

Service (IND). The Expatcenter proce-

dure allows employers to initiate the

registration procedure for a residence

permit prior to their new employee’s

arrival in the country. The advantage

of this procedure is that it allows highly

skilled migrants and their family mem-

bers to complete several important

formalities in a single visit. They are now

able, in one appointment, to collect

their residence permit and simultane-

ously complete the necessary registra-

tion with their city administration,

Shortly after registration, they will

receive a citizen service number (BSN),

allowing them to open a Dutch bank

account, among other things.

The Expatcenter in Amsterdam was

the first of its kind in the Netherlands.

Its aim is to better meet the needs of

international companies and their ex-

patriate employees. Since its opening

in 2008, the centre has proved to be a

great success. Over 750 international

companies and their employees have

now made use of its streamlined pro-

cedures. In a recent survey, companies

gave the new service and improved

procedures a rating of 7.7/10, a definite

improvement from the previous rating

of 5/10 of the former procedure.

In 2009, an average of 350 expats visited

the Expatcenter monthly. Some 100

expats also contacted the centre for

information each month. At this grow-

ing rate, the Expatcenter should be

able to help its 10,000th client in 2010.

The Expatcenter’s website contains

a wealth of useful information for

expats, with detailed articles covering

essential topics from residence

permits to finding a job, childcare, or

an apartment. The Expatcenter staff is

ready and able to answer questions,

provide information and offer advice

on a wide range of topics.


ExpatcenterAmsterdam

www.iamsterdam.com/expatcenter

045044

AMSTERDAM GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABILITYAND TRANSPARENCYIf you are interested in helping shape the sustainable development

agenda for the next decade, or in understanding what some of the

leading trends are and meeting the key global players, the biennial

Amsterdam Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency

is not to be missed.

The ambitious and timely objective of the conference will be to craft

a global agenda for sustainability reporting – the measurement and

management of economic, environmental and social organisational

performance – for the next decade.

The event is hosted jointly by the Global Reporting Initiative –

provider of the world’s most widely-used sustainability reporting

framework – and the City of Amsterdam.

www.amsterdamgriconference.org

CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVALJust south of Amsterdam lies Amstelveen: home to Europe’s second

largest Japanese community. The presence of such a large com-

munity underlines the centuries old trading relationship between

the two nations. In fact, Japan and the Netherlands have been trad-

ing partners for over 400 years and to celebrate this anniversary, the

Japanese Women Club donated 400 cherry trees in the year 2000 to

the Amsterdamse bos. Ever since then, Amstelveen has held its own

Cherry Blossom festival, which acts as a family happening as well as

a networking event for the entire community.

5 DAYS OFFEach year at the beginning of July, groups of young musicians from

all over Europe and the US arrive in Amsterdam to participate in this

electronic music festival. Not simply one of Amsterdam’s great

indoor dance events, ‘5 Days Off’ is an important cultural meeting

place with a reputation that stretches beyond the Netherlands.

For five days its audience enjoys nightclubbing, live shows, per-

formances, experimental films, electronic music videos and art

installations. www.5daysoff.nl

QUALITY OF LIFE: EVENTS

events

THE WORLD CONGRESS ON ITThe World Congress on IT (WCIT) brings together more than 2,500

captains of industry, ministers and academics from over 80 coun-

tries. Delegates are invited to discuss the theme Challenges of

Change and to design a Declaration of Amsterdam on the global

solutions IT can offer in the field of Creative Industries, Security &

Safety, Energy, eGovernment, eHealth, eInclusion, Mobility, Sharing

Space and Water. The 2010 edition (17th) will take place in Amster -

dam RAI. This flagship event of the IT industry is supported by the

European Commission, hosted by the Dutch IT association ICT

Office and co-hosted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the

City of Amsterdam. www.wcit2010.org

AMSTERDAM INTERNATIONAL FASHION WEEKAmsterdam International Fashion Week (AIFW) was founded in

2004. It is developed to improve the co-operation between com-

mercial, creative and cultural parties: to bring together designers,

brands, agencies, investors, schools, media, governments and

institutions, as well as the broader creative industry as a whole. AIFW

hits town twice a year. The official show schedule takes place at

the iconic Westergasfabriek, combining established brands, top

designers as well as young, breakthrough talent. A program of pub-

lic-access events (called Fashion Week DOWNTOWN) is organised

in association with designers, galleries, museums and retailers

throughout town, spreading the excitement of the new seasons’

collections across Amsterdam. www.amsterdamfashionweek.com

MYSTERY LANDIt will be no surprise to learn that the Mystery Land festival area in

Haarlemmermeer is often referred to as one of the loveliest festival

locations in the world. Spending time there feels like being in a true

summer wonderland. Mystery Land is one of the dance festivals that

takes place every year and attracts visitors from around the world.

The reason for success is not very mysterious though; it undoubtedly

has to do with the impressive line-up and the great atmosphere.

The festival has 21 different areas, all with different DJs and differ-

ent music genres. Mystery Land is usually held in August.

www.mysteryland.com

QUALITY OF LIFE: EVENTS

events

HIKVISION EUROPE

Jiangfeng Zhi,

General Manager

OlympicsurveillanceWhen asked to name the most memo-

rable achievement of his parent com-

pany Hikvision, Jiangfeng Zhi logs in to

the security camera system at the Bird’s

Nest – Beijing’s Olympic stadium – from

his desk in Haarlemmermeer. His laptop

gives him access to the application

that controls the stadium’s 2,800-plus

security cameras. In search of any

suspicious activities or movements, we

take a real-time peek at the VIP rooms,

seating areas and corridors from a

distance of many thousands of kilome-

tres. The stadium – which served as the

epicentre of the successful Olympics

in the Chinese capital just two years

ago – seems quiet for now.

Zhi is general manager of Hikvision

Europe, the company’s European head-

quarters that opened several months

ago. As he explains in perfect English,

this demonstration is intended to prove

two things. First, Zhi aims to under-

score that the web-based video surveil-

lance system used at the Olympics fully

deserves its reputation as a sophisti-

cated, high-quality solution. However,

he also wants to make it clear that his

company’s massive presence at the

Olympics (Hikvision security systems

were used in nearly all accommoda-

tions) reflects a renewed level of

ambition: to gain a firmer grip on the

global marketing and distribution of

its own products. “Like so many other

Chinese companies, up until a couple

of years ago we focused on manufac-

turing entire systems or supplying

components for other brand names.

We aim to continue along that road,

but we also made a decision to further

expand our own brand. Playing an

active role in the subsequent stages of

the supply chain simply creates more

added value.This is why Hikvision opted

for an international branding strategy

several years ago, and we have been

047

INTERVIEW: JIANGFENG ZHI


048

INTERVIEW: JIANGFENG ZHI

working hard ever since to build our

own network of offices around the

world. For example, we set up a US

sales and marketing office in Los

Angeles, and have entered into joint

ventures with India and Russia.”

”In order to service the European

growth markets more effectively, we

recently decided to set up a European

headquarters at this location. From this

base, we will be working to expand

our European network. We are also

developing plans for a central logisti-

cal hub in order to supply our European

customers and offer the level of service

you would expect for a product that

needs to be operational on a 24/7

basis. Given our rate of growth up to

now, we expect to have an extremely

solid business here within five years.”

A SHINING EXAMPLE OF GROWTH

For many Chinese companies, Hikvision

Digital Technology serves as a shining

example of a business with longstand-

ing local roots moving on to expand

its horizons. Having started out as a

government research centre for security

equipment in Hangzhou, Hikvision has

expanded to become a medium-sized

company. The enterprise, with a work-

force of some 2,300 employees, is a

consistent frontrunner on every list of

China’s most promising technology

firms. Hikvision is also set to become a

listed company in the course of this year.

However, Hikvision is also expanding

in other areas. Having professionalised

its organisation, the company has the

ambition to secure a larger and more

profitable share of the global camera

surveillance market. Zhi predicts this

battle will be mainly fought in Europe.

”Due to the growing sense of insecuri -

ty, the entire industry is set to expand

in the coming years. And we expect to

see especially great incentives for

growth across Europe. The call for

enhanced safety in public spaces has

been greater here than in other parts

of the world, and the private sector is

also setting higher standards for safety

technology. In addition, a large num-

ber of existing systems have become

outdated. Europe, a traditional front -

runner in terms of digital technology,

will see a demand for replacement

systems based on the IP protocol that

can be accessed by all types of Inter-

net-based data mediums. In the future,

we’ll be able to check whether our

house has been broken into while we’re

away using our mobiles. The linkage

between security systems and this type

of application is one of our company’s

strengths.”

In order to be successful in the highly

diverse European markets, Hikvision

must establish a local presence and set

up a bridgehead in order to provide

effective, tailor-made services to all

countries in the European zone.

“Unlike the US market, a homogenous

marketing and distribution strategy

simply won’t suffice here. We’re dealing

with at least 25 different countries (not

counting non-EU countries), each of

which has its own specific culture,

security policies and legislation. That

means we will have to apply a tailor-

made approach to each market, which

is only possible if we can keep our fin-

ger on the pulse of local developments.

We will have to build local support

networks involving a large number of

local parties. In order to co-ordinate

this type of effort, you need a centrally

located European headquarters with

employees that know the continent well

and speak your customers’ languages.

Establishing your business in the

Amsterdam Metropolitan Area offers

added value on all these points. Prac-

tically everyone here speaks English,

there are plenty of highly qualified

employees available, we are only a few

hours away from every location you

may wish to travel to in Europe and we

can rely on a strong network of service

providers able to help us further ex-

pand our business here. Moreover, this

is a very attractive living and working

environment for our expats.”

A LEASE WITH GROWTH

POTENTIAL

Since having set up operations in the

office building – a lease with the option

of further expansion – a ten-minute

drive to their ‘second home’ at

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s depar-

tures and arrivals hall, Zhi and his five

countrymen find themselves satisfied

with their decision. “It meets our

expectations in every respect. We’re

currently recruiting local staff, and the

majority of candidates have impressed

us with their international outlook and

foreign language skills.”

Zhi smiles as he recalls his first contacts

with the man working for amsterdam

inbusiness, who helped him find a

suitable office and apply for the

necessary permits. “He spoke fluent

Mandarin, so I automatically assumed

he was a fellow countryman, but he

turned out to be a tall Dutchman who

had studied Chinese.”

Jiangfeng Zhi regards the logistical net-

work around his current bridgehead as

a great advantage. Ships to and from

several major Chinese ports depart

and arrive at the Port of Rotterdam, at

less than an hour’s driving distance.

The nearby Port of Amsterdam is also

part of the network of shipping com-

panies that maintain regular connec-

tions with Zhi’s home country.

Hikvision Europe is currently rounding

off negotiations with a party capable

of helping them establish a European

distribution centre. “We’ve decided to

outsource distribution for the time

being. There’s no pressing need to take

any steps, with plenty of professional

parties capable of handling our storage

and distribution. That means we won’t

have to make any concessions in terms

of quality or worry about hick-ups. We

also have our own storage facility here

in Hoofddorp, where we store key

components and other items we pre-

fer to keep under our direct control.”

Systems sales are already starting to

pick up. The past few months have seen

Hikvision Europe collaborate with a

technology partner to install video

surveillance systems at a British ham-

burger chain, and the recently com-

pleted terminal at London’s Heathrow

Airport. Zhi recently received an e-mail

from the agency responsible for

organ ising the 2012 London Olympics,

requesting that he drops by to discuss

Hikvision’s experiences in installing

camera surveillance systems at the

Beijing Games. “Obviously, that would

really put us on the map across Europe,”

Jiangfeng Zhi muses hopefully.

HIKVISION EUROPE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN CHINA



EMPLOYEES 6

INDUSTRY DIGITAL SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT/ICT

ACTIVITY EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS

049

I AMSTERDAM

was created as the city motto to

help promote and improve the

image of the Amsterdam Metro -

politan Area on an international

level. A single concept guides the

raising of Amsterdam’s profile: the

city is renowned for its combina-

tion of creativity, innovation and

commercial spirit.

The life-size I amsterdam letters

at the Museumplein have become

an icon to the city and a favourite

for visitors to take their photo-

graphs with, climb over and sit on.

Go to the website for more

information about where to

find them.

www.iamsterdam.com

There are more financial service

providers per business or institution in

the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

than anywhere else on earth. The way

Robert Swaak sees it, this is not a

problem. In fact, on balance the chair-

man of the board of the Dutch branch

of business service provider Pricewater-

houseCoopers actually considers it an

advantage for all of the service organi-

sations established here and their

clients. Admittedly, clients’ ‘shortlists’

may end up being rather long. However,

the flipside is that the fierce competition

as well as the highly internationally

oriented surroundings prompts many

service companies based in and around

Amsterdam – the service centre of the

Netherlands – to go the extra mile

and really expand their horizons.

“There are very few places in the world

where you will find such a globally-

minded and innovative service cluster,”

Swaak theorises in his executive office

on the top floor of the Pricewaterhouse-

Coopers headquarters in Amsterdam.

“We are a product of it as the Dutch

arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Throughout our international network

of over 130 country offices we have a

reputation for embracing and incorpo-

rating new services and products faster

than average. We are also considered

a pilot market, especially for continen-

tal Europe: when something catches

on here in the Netherlands we can go

ahead and try it out in the rest of

Europe. Our people have a pioneering

role in many of the innovations and

developments in our areas of expertise,

too. For example, employees in our

accounting department in the Nether-

lands are involved in developing new

International Financial Reporting Stan-

dards (IFRS) that will play an increas-

ingly important role in the years ahead.

This dynamic is what makes our pres-

ence here extra appealing.”

BIG FOUR

With respect to the Amsterdam Metro-

politan Area as a business region it is

regarded as one of the absolute major

assets. Nowhere else in the world is the

service sector so well-represented with

such a wide range of branches. And at

the heart of this extensive range of

financial service providers, management

consultants, lawyers, communication

specialists and all of the other profes-

sionals involved in service industries,

you will find the Dutch equivalent of

the Big Four: the national offices of

KPMG, Ernst & Young, Deloitte and

PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Parallel to their evolution on the global

markets they likewise became leaders

in the Netherlands in the fields of ac-

countancy, fiscal affairs and manage-

ment consultancy. At the same time

they also draw new service activities

and help nurture national and interna-

tional talent.

Market leader PricewaterhouseCoop-

ers is one representative. During the

1970s the original American company

Coopers & Lybrand gained a foothold

in the Netherlands after acquiring

Dijker & Van Dien, a local network of

accountant and tax consultant offices.

The subsequent global fusion with peer

company Pricewaterhouse signified a

leap to the next level. Combined with

above-average autonomous growth,

PricewaterhouseCoopers is now the

053

INTERVIEW: ROBERT SWAAK


worldPRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS

Robert Swaak,

Chairman of the Board

Servicingthe

054

market leader in its segment in the

Netherlands. Over 4,500 employees

based at the Amsterdam headquarters

and offices around the country are

involved in every economic sector imag-

inable. The majority of listed companies

in the Netherlands are either channel

1 (reporting and fiscal advice) or chan-

nel 2 (management advice) clients.

The organisation also provides services

to many government, education and

health care institutions. A considerable

number of smaller and medium-sized

companies call on Pricewaterhouse -

Coopers for support and advice, too.

But the organisation also serves nu-

merous foreign companies and institu-

tions, providing advice and assistance

from the Netherlands. In some cases

this involves establishing a financial

holding, usually accompanied by help

with building up a European network

and setting up or refining a professional

organisation.

SERVICE ECONOMY

Aided by this unique market position

chairman of the board Robert Swaak

has good insight into what makes the

service cluster in and around Amster-

dam so powerful and how it adds to

the appeal of the local business climate.

“The density of the network can of

course be explained to a large extent

by the structure of the Dutch economy.

In the Netherlands, the service sector

represents 70 percent of GDP, and the

situation in the Amsterdam Metropoli-

tan Area reflects this.”

“An equally important explanation,

however, is that the service sector also

profits from the international aspect of

the economy. The Netherlands has

typically been a cornerstone of the

globalizing corporate sector in which

the service sector has expanded accord-

ingly. This region alone has over 1,900

foreign companies that oversee most

international operations. In the wake

of this development you can see a fly-

wheel effect manifest in the service

sector, too; there is an increasing num-

ber of providers and in order to keep

standing out in the crowd you must

continuously improve not only the

quality but also the scope of your net-

work.” This in turn will attract new

business activity.

The area itself is stimulating, too. For a

knowledge business such as Pricewater-

houseCoopers, the diversity of the

workforce and quality of the existing

knowledge cluster are exactly what

counts. “The Amsterdam Metropolitan

Area scores high on both points,”

Swaak says, who bases his evaluation

in part on his personal experiences as

an expat in countries including the

United States. “Young people around

the world are very keen to live and work

here because of the attractive work/life

balance or because they feel drawn to

the unique sense of freedom that they

have here. Amsterdam is a very special

experience in that sense, too. This is a

tremendous advantage for us as an

employer, of course. Plus, the quality of

university education and technical and

vocational training is excellent here,

and the various schools and institutions

often work closely with universities

and colleges abroad.”

Another advantage is that the Nether-

lands is perceived as politically and

culturally neutral by the rest of Europe.

A sensitive corruption investigation into

a major German group by the German

PricewaterhouseCoopers office was

entrusted to the fraud investigators at

the Dutch sister company. To the out-

side world this offered an additional

guarantee with regard to the independ-

ence and quality of the study.

Moreover, the ‘Dutch’ (the team in

Amsterdam actually includes a South

African and an American, too) were

considered better qualified to view the

corruption practices against the cultural

backgrounds of the developing coun-

tries in which they were committed.

“This cultural neutrality arguably mat-

ters more in our sector than in others.

In a globalizing economy, companies

are confronted with more and more

international legislation, which often

leads to misunderstandings. For ex-

ample, Americans tend to prefer to

take everything that is wanted and un-

wanted and put it into rules and laws

(the rules-based principle), whereas

Europeans tend to favour the princi-

ple-based approach that allows for in-

dividual interpretation. Obviously these

differences in approach are a potential

source of misunderstandings. I get the

sense that having one foot firmly

planted in English traditions and the

other in our own Western European

cultural history enables us to mediate

more effectively.”

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

offers a third unique selling point to a

service provider such as Pricewater-

houseCoopers: networks are relatively

open and casual. “In the service sector,

a lot of contracts depend on relation-

ships based on trust. During the time

I spent working abroad I realised how

important it is for you to know the right

people and for them to be willing to

admit you to their inner circle. With

regard to the whole ‘who knows who’

world here, I am struck by the trans-

parency. It is not a secret club that is

inherently off-limits to newcomers.

Quite the opposite: if you have a

good pitch and can convince others

that your presence offers added value,

you will be accepted as one of the

local ‘Amsterdammers’ in no time.”

INTERVIEW: ROBERT SWAAK

057

THE ELEPHANTS OF ALMEREArtist Tom Claassen designed five colossal elephants to occupy the

intersection of two motorways east of the Amsterdam Metropolitan

Area. At 11 metres long, almost 7 metres tall and weighing 40,000

kg each, they are an arresting presence for people passing by on

the motorway, and can be seen as a symbol of the city and munici-

pality of Almere’s recent powerful growth.

’T LIEVERDJE’t Lieverdje (‘little darling’) is the name of the small statue by Carel

Kneulman that stands on the Spui, a square in the centre of Am-

sterdam. The term was first coined in a column in the Dutch news-

paper Het Parool in 1949, when Henri Knap used it in the story about

a young boy who saved a little dog from drowning in a canal. It has

come to symbolize the youth of Amsterdam, who are always playing

tricks yet have a heart of gold. Situated around the square are a

number of bookshops, and on Fridays an antique book market fills

the tree-lined square, making it a popular place for book-lovers.

CODACoda, a work by Dennis Adams, can be found at Schiphol Plaza and

functions as a meeting point for the busy international airport and

railway station situated beneath the plaza. The colours red and

white stand for the general code used at airports. On the photo

panels Adams used 28 red and white objects that can be found at

airports such as towers, electricity houses and road signs while the

title of each panel refers to a place that once formed part of the

Dutch colonies.

KAREL APPEL FOUNTAINSituated on a prominent spot in front of the Cobra Museum for

Modern Art in Amstelveen is Karel Appel’s first aquatic artwork, aptly

named ‘The Fountain’. The large bird perched at the top stands for

freedom, whilst the arm and fist represent strength. The hat –

symbol of the city dweller – signals a contrast with rural life.

056

QUALITY OF LIFE: STATUES

statues

BLAUW JANOn Amsterdam’s Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen, forty life-size bronze

iguanas crawl through the grass in between the flowerbeds, or sit

motionless among a chaos of bikes and mopeds chained to the

perimeter of the small park. The highest concentration of the bronze

animals is around two spots, at the crossing to the Max Euweplein

and facing the bridge across the Leidsegracht. They seem to

suggest that something is happening at these spots, although it

looks like they could just as well dash off. The artist Hans van

Houwelingen wanted to create a tangible reminder that the water of

the now narrowed Lijnbaansgracht still flows underneath this spot.

GOLD IN YOUR MINDThis bronze sculpture, fully titled ‘Gold in your mind, gold in your

feet’, was a gift from the artist Mirjam Janse to the Westergas dis-

trict of Amsterdam, where it stands on a small terpe.

Describing her statue, Janse says, “A girl is standing on her head

and her feet, tracing an arch. She forms a bridge between having

golden thoughts and doing good deeds. The statue is about deci-

siveness, about putting yourself out there, about being strong by

daring to show your vulnerability”.

THREE FIGURES ON THE STREETPeter Erftemeijer has a large oevre of statues of ordinary people

doing ordinary things, like the ones of ‘walking’.

The three bronze figures have been placed on the road leading from

the Van Limburg Stirumplein to the district council building. As they

‘walk’, they create a link between the heart of one urban district and

that of the other.

THE FISHIn the middle of the beautiful Vondelpark you can find Amsterdam’s

very own Picasso. The statue was donated to the City in 1965 by the

artist himself to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Vondelpark.

Even though the sculpture is in fact a bird, it’s commonly referred to

as ‘The Fish’.

QUALITY OF LIFE: STATUES

statues

059

The Netherlands is the only nation in

the world with more bicycles than

people – 18 million bicycles and 16.5

million people. In Amsterdam alone,

there are approximately 550,000 bikes

versus 215,000 automobiles.

75 percent of all Amsterdam residents

(age 12 or older) own a bicycle; half of

them use it daily, cycling 2 million kilo-

meters (almost 1,243,000 miles) in the

city – every day.

It is estimated that there are a stagger-

ing 250,000 designated places through-

out Amsterdam to park a bike –

approximately 3,000 of which are con-

tained in a three-tier bicycle garage at

Amsterdam’s Central Station, touted

as ‘the world’s first bicycle flat’ (2001).

In this national cycling utopia, there

are no less than 29,000 kilometers or

roughly 18,000 miles of dedicated

bicycle paths lacing the entire country

of only 41,526 square kilometers

(16,033 square miles). The cycling

infrastructure in Amsterdam itself

includes a fine-mesh network of about

400 km (250 miles) of bicycle paths.

The impact of such a small country

having the highest bicycle density in the

world is profound, in a very positive

way – from sustainability to environ-

mental, economic and health benefits

– and other countries are taking note.

DUTCH BICYCLE CULTURE

Cycling is a way of life that is ingrained

in the Dutch culture. It’s second nature

– an integral, viable and pervasive part

of everyday life. Almost as soon as

Dutch children are able to walk, they

learn to ride a bicycle, and the habit

never stops, no matter how old they

get. People of all ages and socio-eco-

nomic status, including government

officials and dignitaries, regularly com-

mute to work, go shopping, socialize

and travel both short and long distances

on bikes – through rain, strong winds,

sleet and snow.

To the Dutch, cycling is practical and

functional. They use their bicycles as a

primary means of transportation, not

just for recreation. Almost anything

and everything is carried on bicycles in

the Netherlands – including furniture,

a full day’s shopping, the family dog

and four or five children.

AN ICON FOR CYCLING

With such a large proportion of bicy-

cles in transportation and a cycling in-

frastructure bar none, the Netherlands

is considered to be the global model

for cycling. Countries throughout the

world – including the US – are

attempting to emulate the Dutch

cycling model, particularly with the

international eye on cleaner, more

efficient transport. Many countries are

asking the Netherlands to help them

shape their own bicycle policies,

create similar cycle-friendly infrastruc-

tures, and devise ways to encourage

more people to cycle as a regular

means of transportation.

The world is looking to the Nether-

lands for inspiration and guidance.

Nowhere else is cycling such an icon

of practicality and sustainability.

Globalmodel for.

cycling.

058

www.bicycle-mania.nl

www.iamsterdam.com

061060

CLOSE TO THE MARKETS THAT

MATTER

The Blue Banana (also known as the

Hot Banana, European Megalopolis

or European Backbone) was first

seen by cosmonauts, and stretches

from North West England in the

north to Milan in the south.

It covers one of the world’s highest

concentrations of people (around

90 million), money and industry.

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COUNTRY

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Denmark 10

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Ireland 2

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Luxembourg 4

Estonia 5

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Turkey 7

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CAPITAL

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EU COUNTRY CORPORATE TAX RATES 2009KPMG 2009

062

AT A GLANCE

- Single contact point to help international companies

establish and maintain operations in the Amsterdam

Metropolitan Area

- Wide-ranging contacts in the private and public sectors

- Support network of civic partners in the region and

around the world

- Full programs for initial visits to evaluate and select

locations, services and professional advisors

- Advice for company staff and their families

- Services are free, confidential and without obligation

During every step from exploration to start-up and growth,

international companies can turn to amsterdam inbusiness

for two crucial requirements to help them to establish a

successful operation: know-how – to solve the problems of

businesses entering an unfamiliar environment – and know-

who – to provide introductions to the individuals and

agencies that are necessary for an effective operation. The

relationship between a company and amsterdam inbusiness

will continue over the long term. Amsterdam inbusiness

directs the lion’s share of its economic development staff

and resources toward the support and nurturing of firms

already established in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.

amsterdam inbusiness is the official foreign investment

agency of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (Amsterdam,

Almere, Amstelveen and Haarlemmermeer).

E [email protected]

W www.amsterdaminbusiness.com

CITY OF AMSTERDAM

P.O. Box 2133, 1000 CC Amsterdam, The Netherlands

T +31 20 552 3536

E [email protected]

CITY OF ALMERE

P.O. Box 200, 1300 AE Almere, The Netherlands

T +31 36 539 9487

E [email protected]

CITY OF AMSTELVEEN

P. O. Box 4, 1180 BA Amstelveen, The Netherlands

T +31 20 540 4423

E [email protected]

CITY OF HAARLEMMERMEER

P.O. Box 250, 2130 AG Hoofddorp, The Netherlands

T +31 23 567 6135

E [email protected]

EXPATCENTER

The Expatcenter provides a ‘one-stop shop’ service for

highly skilled migrants. A new method has been develo-

ped, whereby the employer can initiate the registration

procedure for an employee’s residence permit prior to their

arrival. Once in the Netherlands the employee can collect

their national residence permit and complete municipal

registration procedures in a single visit to the Expatcenter.

Shortly after their visit, they will receive a citizen service

number (BSN) by post, allowing them, among other things,

to open a Dutch bank account.

The Expatcenter is a joint initiative of the Immigration and

Naturalisation Service (IND), along with the cities of

Amsterdam and Amstelveen expanded to include Almere

and Haarlemmermeer.

World Trade Center Amsterdam, F-Tower, second floor

Strawinskylaan 39, 1077 XW Amsterdam, The Netherlands

T +31 20 254 7999

E [email protected]

W www.iamsterdam.com/expatcenter

063

If you are considering establishing op e r-

ations in a new, and therefore ‘strange’

country, you need an independent,

reliable partner on the ground. Some-

one to show you the best locations,

introduce you to the people who can

add value or knowledge, and help you

navigate quickly and safely through

the bureaucratic and fiscal barriers

that are part and parcel of any cross-

border business venture.

For all this,you can count on amsterdam

inbusiness, amsterdam inbusiness is

the official foreign investment agency

of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

(Amsterdam, Almere, Amstelveen and

Haarlemmermeer). We are there to

provide active support and independ-

ent advice to any organisation with

plans to invest or to settle in the Ams-

terdam Metropolitan Area (AMA). And

it’s all free, strictly confidential, and

without any hidden agenda.

Whether you approach us directly, or

via the Dutch Embassy-affiliated

Netherlands Foreign Investment

Agency branch in your own country,

our first action is to make a custom ised

information pack for you. Of course,

this suggests suitable locations, their

accessibility, and what investments

they involve. But we also go deeper

into the opportunities and challenges

of the specific sector in which your

company is active (in the Netherlands

and in the rest of Europe), outlining

the strengths and composition of the

cluster of relevant companies and

knowledge institutions with a local

presence, and indicating the legal and

fiscal possibilities, given the specific

situation of your company.

If these facts convince you to take the

next step, we will organise a fact-find-

ing mission for you. One of our team

members will accompany you and your

colleagues to visit possible locations,

meet relevant contacts in the produc-

tion and distribution chain, and make

connections in the widespread net-

work of business and creative service

providers and research institutes.

We can also help you get started in

finding the right employees, and en-

sure that you have an overview of the

administrative, legal and fiscal implica-

tions of relocating or opening new

premises. A key aspect of our service

is provided by the Expatcenter. This

newly opened center offers a one-stop

shop service for highly skilled

migrants, helping your relocating em-

ployees and their family members

deal with immigration issues and

residence permits. Our commitment

doesn’t end the minute you open your

new office. We’ll also be there to pro-

vide a long-term service, and to help

during your company’s next phase of

development in the Amsterdam Area.

With us as your partner, it’s easy to find

your place in the Amsterdam Area.

What can wedofor you?

AMSTERDAM INBUSINESS IN BRIEF

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