What I Learned from Our Last Company Visit in Singapore

Information for

Alumni Engagement and Advancement
Career Center
Current Student Resources
Defense Programs
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility
Executive Education
Experiential Programs
Global Programs
Industry Partners
Programs for Veterans
Recruiting at Whitman
Student Technology Center

When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.

Apply Visit Contact

Homepage
About
Whitman Publications
Whitman Across the Globe
East Asia Immersion Blog
What I Learned from Our Last Company Visit in Singapore

Whitman's Global Partners
Whitman Across the Globe
Florence Blog
Madrid Blog
London Blog

What I Learned From Our Last Company Visit in Singapore

By Qiong Wu

I took a short walk by Bugis Junction this morning at 7 a.m. If I were still in my little town in the suburbs of Syracuse, New York, I know I would be lucky if I’d even left my bed before noon. This week in Singapore, however, has been filled with so many wonderful places to visit, sights to see, and things to learn that I wake up early, excited to start each day. Today was no different.

This morning, we had the privilege of visiting two locations of HYC, a high-tech company that builds ovens for automotive chip testing. Our first stop was on Defu Lane, where we were given an overview of the company. We then paid a visit to the “K Center” at Kampong Ampat, where we were given a more detailed overview of the different types of semiconductor chip testing at HYC, as well as learned more about HYC’s interests in Singapore. At the conclusion of our visit, we got to hear from Dr. KC Chan from the Wholistic Institute of Lifelong Learning (WILL). Our visit ended with a lunch of egg sandwiches and oat pudding graciously provided by HYC.

In the afternoon, we visited Dolce and Gabbana, located in the ION Orchard mall near Orchard Road. Compared to the manufacturing facilities and offices we have visited so far, this was definitely the most lavishly decorated location yet. The walls are lined with patterned red velvet contrasted against shiny black shelves featuring various items—dresses, blazers, handbags and shoes. As we walked up the staircase to our meeting place on the second floor, several of my classmates audibly gasped at the displays.

We had the privilege of meeting several members of the team, including Carmen Chin and Marcello Rigotti, who taught me everything I now know about the luxury goods industry. What sets Dolce and Gabbana apart from other luxury fashion brands is that they are relatively new, and their designers, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, are still around and actively creating new pieces.

Dolce and Gabbana maintains their brand image by emphasizing creativity, partnering with well-known celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, and maintaining exclusivity. This last part caught my attention. To maintain the value and exclusivity of their items, Dolce and Gabbana follows a specific product life cycle, the last step of which is simply destruction.

When an item doesn’t sell, it is destroyed. Carmen describes the process as a “mass incineration.” I asked her what role sustainability played in this product life cycle, to which she simply answered, “Zero.”

Marcello, who oversees the merchandising team, added that sustainability is a tricky topic in the luxury industry and relies as much on consumer tastes and preferences as it does on the company’s values and actions. Would customers of luxury items be willing to buy last-season products in the name of sustainability? Would those items lose their value with time, and if so, would consequent price adjustments reduce their exclusivity and thus the company’s image? Dolce and Gabbana left us with a lot to think about.

We ended our day with a lovely alumni panel and dinner event at the Metropolitan YMCA Singapore, with nearly a dozen alumni present. We had the honor and privilege of hearing from three wonderful panelists: John Phillips '92, Joe Iannace ‘07 and Jing Li ‘13.

John Phillips, a born-and-raised Singaporean, studied engineering and physics at Syracuse University, earning his degree in 1992, and is now a venture architect. He has been involved with several different endeavors, working for Corning, then in semiconductor manufacturing, before finally focusing on startups at the National University of Singapore Design Incubation Centre, where he works on venture creation and customer discovery.

Joe Iannace '07 accounting and finance graduate from Syracuse University, is currently a financial services and assurance partner at Ernst and Young in Tokyo, Japan. We had the opportunity to visit EY’s Singapore office just yesterday, where he, as one of our gracious hosts, introduced us to the world of private equity and EY’s role in it.

Professor Jing Li earned her Ph.D. in economics from Syracuse University in 2013. Her journey has taken her around the world, from Harbin, China to Syracuse, New York, and finally Singapore. She has been teaching at the Singapore Management University for 10 years now, concentrating in real estate economics, urban research, and empirical research methods.

We were able to hear from each panelist their thoughts on working in Asia, the trends and characteristics in each of their industries (venture creation; accounting and professional services; economics and higher education), as well as the advice they wished to give us.

“Be an economist,” said Jing Li, immediately. She later went on to add two more pieces of advice: always keep learning and form your own framework for your expertise. In a world where AI is advancing so rapidly, it is crucial to form your unique advantage that makes you irreplaceable.

Joe Iannace advised us to take it slow. Set your goals, long-term and short-term, but don’t be stressed about taking your time to get to them. In the meantime, be a sponge—absorb and learn from the things around you. He left us with one last piece of wisdom: build close relationships with your colleagues and peers. “If you hug your clients every day,” he said, “every once in a while, you can squeeze them.”

John Phillips advised us to focus not just on getting our degree. A college education is important, but it isn’t everything. What’s just as, if not more, important is skills. Building your more practical and applicable skills is just as important as what you learn in class.

Toward the end of the panel, there was a question-and-answer session, where we were able to ask any of our burning questions. Many of my classmates were curious about the differences between the economies in Singapore and the United States, with particular focus on the public housing system and economic growth. We learned a lot about how our alumni saw the differences between the two countries, with Jing Li attributing them primarily to the different roles of governments and politicians, and John Phillips attributing Singapore’s economic success to various compromises on individual freedoms.

After the panel was over, we were introduced to the rest of the alumni, among them Kelvin Ang '07 (journalism and geography), Lisa Chan '16 (architecture), Ron Hanerfeld '05 (psychology), Ben Wightman '99 (public relations and marketing), Sangyoung Choo '14 (economics) and Bill Danusaputro '23 (marketing and management). We were able to sit with the alumni for dinner. I myself had the pleasure of talking to several alumni, including Jing Li, Sangyoung Choo, Ben Wightman, Joe Iannace, and Bill Danusaputro. I learned a lot from these lovely people who all once walked on the same campus that I do and might have even sat in any of my chairs at some point. It’s amazing to see how our paths cross with all these amazing people all over the world.

Today was a lovely experience, filled with learning and wonderful people. I'm excited for our day tomorrow at the Botanic Gardens, Chinatown, and Gardens by the Bay, which will be our last organized day as a class in Singapore. This week has been flying by!

721 University Avenue,
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244
(315) 443-3751

Give Back to Whitman
Academic Areas
Newsroom
Directory
MyWhitman

Syracuse University Home