WE Global Exchange: From Boston and Munich to Singapore
In December 2014, WE-Munich’s Michaela Grandek and WE-Boston’s Victoria von Rinteln had the opportunity to travel to WE-Singapore as part of the WE Global Exchange program. Learn about their experiences and unique perspectives in the Q&A below!
Why did you apply for WE’s Global Exchange?
Michaela Grandek (MG): I applied for WE’s Global Exchange program because it is a great chance to learn more about WE’s global culture. The year before, I was an exchange buddy for a colleague from the US and I learned a lot about the program during her visit. Following this experience, I myself wanted to seize this extraordinary opportunity and applied for Global Exchange. I was lucky to get accepted for my location of choice at the first attempt.
Victoria von Rinteln (VvR): Ever since I joined Waggener Edstrom, Global Exchange was #1 on my list of things to do. I loved that the agency had such a large presence around the world and gave employees the opportunity to travel and learn about the innovative work our colleagues are doing in other countries. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity in order to experience the global culture that our agency offers and learn firsthand how our work varies in different countries.
Why did you choose to visit WE-Singapore?
MG: I chose Singapore because I wanted to get to know a very different culture and work environment in order to get some fresh inspirations that we can adopt to our work in Munich. Singapore has an excellent infrastructure, so I also wanted to learn about its market – especially for healthcare – for possible new global clients.
VvR: As a member of the US Healthcare practice, I have always been interested in learning more about what our global healthcare colleagues are working on and how we can better collaborate together across accounts and new business. WE-Singapore initially caught my interest after Shefali Srinivas (APAC Healthcare Lead) spoke to our team in the US about the work her team was doing in Singapore on accounts like Virgin Active and Abbott Nutrition. I realized that we have an opportunity to do even better work together if we are able to take advantage of programs like Global Exchange and build relationships across regions.
What was your favorite thing during your Global Exchange experience?
MG: The excellent hospitality during our stay in the Singapore office! Victoria and I were easily integrated into the team and we could support them in some of their projects and brainstorms. It was very interesting to learn about their strong integrated digital work on campaigns.
VvR: My favorite part about the Global Exchange experience was not only having the opportunity to visit WE-Singapore, but to also have Michela Grandek from the WE-Munich healthcare team visit at the same time. Not only was I able to learn about Singapore, I also learned a lot about WE-Munich and life in Germany. It was also fun to be able to explore the island together.
How does the WE-Singapore office compare to your home office?
MG: The biggest difference compared to my home office is that almost every team member in Singapore is both working on healthcare and tech accounts. In Munich we have two different units that usually do not overlap in their projects. Also the media landscape is very different – Singapore has just a small pool of media that is mainly digital, whereas in Germany we have hundreds of medical trade magazines for all kind of indications.
VvR: WE-Boston is predominantly all healthcare, so it was really interesting to see how colleagues across different sectors worked together in the same office. It was also interesting to learn that most junior staff are split between two different sectors (ie. healthcare and tech) and don’t specialize until they reach AM level.
What surprised you the MOST during your trip?
MG: The harmonic mixture of various ethnic groups in Singapore. I enjoyed all the different cultures that are reflected everywhere in Singapore, in food, languages etc. Though the city is familiar in some ways due to Western influence, that is a great feeling.
VvR: I was surprised at how diverse the country is. I will confess that when I decided to travel to Singapore, I knew very little about the country’s history. It was amazing to see how diverse such a little island can be. With a population of over 5 million, the majority is made up of Chinese, Malays, Indians, and ex-pats from across America, Europe and Australia.
What was your favorite Singaporean dish?
MG: My favorite food place in Singapore is the food street in Chinatown. Our colleagues showed us typical Singaporean food and I love the carrot cake. I even tried the century egg (an egg preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months) and it definitely tastes better than it looks! I also gave the famous durian a try, however it really tastes like rotten onions…
VvR: Singaporeans LOVE food! Before my trip, everyone told me the food was amazing in Singapore so it came as no shock that I was immediately overwhelmed with all the new smells and food options the island has to offer. My favorite dish was the chili crab. A group of WE-SG colleagues took me and Michaela out to try the popular Singapore dish and it was amazing! Of course, it was super messy so we were forced to wear plastic bibs, but it was 100% worth it. (And for the record, my least favorite food was the durian — it smelled like rotten onions.)
What did you learn from this experience that you hope to bring back to your home team?
MG: The Singapore healthcare team does a lot of digital work, like building websites and handling community management. This is something where we can learn a lot from our colleagues. The country is very modern and one step ahead in using mobile devices and social media, and this is also reflected in our broad digital offerings in the Singapore office.
VvR: Waggener Edstrom is filled with so many amazing people all around the world! We often get so busy stuck in our day to day world that we can easily lose sight of the resources and people that make up this agency. Global Exchange gave me the opportunity to step out of my daily routine and introduced me to colleagues I may never have had the chance to meet otherwise. The WE-SG office is filled with so many smart people and I was impressed with how much they are pushing boundaries in order to bring in more digital and integrated comms into their portfolio. Now that I am back in Boston, I hope to take advantage of the new relationships and connections I made. Even with the 12 hour difference, they are only an email away!
What recommendations do you have for colleagues visiting Singapore?
MG: Maybe practicing some “Singlish” in advance to better understand the local slang.
VvR: Don’t be afraid to try the local food. Stop by a hawker center during lunch and order something you have never heard of before. Between the curry fish head, bah kut teh and carrot cake, you are bound to find something new. Also, if you have time, take a few days to travel around Southeast Asia. Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are only a short plane, bus, or boat ride away!
What advice do you have for people applying to Global Exchange next year?
MG: Take the chance and apply for the program, it is definitely a great cultural experience to visit another WE office! For me, it was good to first figure out which office is the best to meet my expectations and to contact the host team. Initial discussions before applying help to ensure that both teams will benefit from an exchange.
VvR: Venture out of your comfort zone — try to pick a country/office you have never been to before and where you know you will have the opportunity to learn something new. If you are selected, be proactive in asking colleagues to grab lunch of a quick coffee so you can build relationships, and find time to explore the culture outside of the office.
