Thirty Years of Building
Bridges Between Malaysia
and the World

Let us start with the basics. What is MDBC and what do you actually do?

Thank you for the invitation, Manju. MDBC stands for the Malaysian Dutch Business Council. My official title is Executive Director. We are a bilateral chamber of commerce — founded initially to support Dutch companies that are operational in Malaysia or want to be. We help them set up here, especially the smaller and medium-sized enterprises. For the larger companies, we support with networking, some business development, and representation toward the Malaysian authorities.

We work to open doors for our member companies, represent Dutch business interests in Malaysia, and when necessary, have discussions with Malaysian authorities about what it takes to do business here — to make the environment as favourable as possible for everyone involved.

I have always considered you the CEO in spirit given your depth of knowledge. Tell me — how long have you been in Malaysia? And when you think of home now, what comes to mind?

I came here in 1993 — initially for one year. And I am still here. So that tells you a lot. Malaysia has become home over time. My children grew up here. My first ten years I did all kinds of work that got me embedded in the community. And then since 2003, it has been MDBC — approaching twenty-three years now in this role.

I go back to the Netherlands perhaps two or three times a year. Personal, but mostly work-related trips. And what is funny is that after about two weeks in the Netherlands, I start thinking — I want to go home. People tell me by now that I am Malaysianised. This is not my second home. This is my first home.

What do you see as the key differences between operating in the Netherlands versus operating in Malaysia? Particularly for Dutch companies coming in?

Beyond the fact that Dutch people are generally quite tall — the main difference people always highlight is the directness. Dutch people are direct in everything. They do not mean it badly; they simply want to get to business. Meanwhile here in Asia, we save face. There is protocol. There is politeness. Hierarchy matters. Things take more time, and the relationship has to exist before the transaction can happen.

So one of the most important things we do at MDBC is tell incoming Dutch companies: slow down. This is not Amsterdam. You cannot walk in and start negotiating in the first meeting. You need to build the relationship first, understand the system, and work within it. Malaysia does have established rules and regulations — partly from British times — but there is also more flexibility here than you would find in the Netherlands, if you know how to navigate the environment properly. Understanding that nuance is the job.

And what have been the biggest mistakes you have seen companies make when they try to enter the Malaysian market without understanding that?

The biggest mistake — and I have seen it many times — is the assumption that a signed agreement means the work is done. In the Netherlands, if you have signed a contract, you can expect that contract to be executed exactly as written. Here, the contract is often the beginning of a relationship, not the culmination of one. The relationship around the contract is what determines whether it actually delivers what it promises.

Companies that do not understand this go in, sign agreements, and then wonder why implementation is difficult or slow or somehow different from what was agreed. The answer is almost always relational. The trust was not built. The relationship was not cultivated. You cannot sign your way into genuine partnership in Malaysia — you have to earn it through time and presence.

Tell us which Dutch sectors are gaining real commercial traction in Malaysia right now.

Historically, the Dutch have been strong in Malaysia through fast-moving consumer goods — Dutch Lady, Heineken, Unilever — those are the well-known names. And logistics and banking have been significant in the past.

But expertise evolves. Right now, water management is always relevant — flood management, coastal protection, drinking water. The Dutch are world-leading on this and Malaysia has consistent demand. Agritech is another strong area — the Netherlands is one of the most important agricultural innovation countries in the world, and Malaysia's interest in food self-sufficiency creates genuine opportunity.

Health and life sciences we have seen growing in delegations over the last few years. Port management — airports, maritime — there is Dutch expertise in construction and dredging that is relevant to Malaysia's infrastructure growth. Defense and security has been an active corridor for about five years, particularly in maritime.

And then what is genuinely hot right now — semiconductors and advanced manufacturing. Malaysia has built its semiconductor ecosystem over fifty years. It positions itself as Silicon Valley of the East. But Malaysia also wants to move up the value chain. And in the Netherlands, you have ASML — one of the most important technology companies in the world — located in Brainport, which has the highest concentration of intellectual property in Europe. The cooperation between Malaysia and the Netherlands in this space has been intensifying significantly over the last two years.

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to build a career with the kind of depth and sustained relevance that you have built?

Always be open to what you can learn every day. What you can experience every day. My work — even after twenty-three years — is different every single day. That is what makes me want to come to the office. If you carry that attitude, you have something very important already.

Learn from your surroundings. Be grateful for every exposure — every company, every diplomat, every government official you sit across from. You can learn something from everyone. And my view is this: it does not matter who is on the other side of the table. Treat them with respect. Whether they are above your level or below it in the formal hierarchy — you are sitting together to get a job done. So let us make sure it gets done.

Be disciplined. Be committed. And be detailed. If you run events, if you run programs, you cannot slack. You cannot let standards slide. Once you start making small compromises, the standards people expect from you start to slip — and you cannot easily recover that reputation.

And what about physically — I know you play tennis at a level that puts much younger opponents on the floor. Any advice on staying sharp in body as well as mind?

I barely sleep — six hours a night, which I know is bad. I feel guilty about it every morning. So do not take that as advice.

But what I do take seriously is preparation and recovery. I always stretch before a match — even the second or third match of the day. People look at me and say, but you already played. Yes. But that was hours ago. In between, the body cooled down, you sat and ate and drank. You have to prepare again. I have had too many injuries over the years that took me out for months. I would rather do the preparation and prevent that.

And I am still nervous before every match. I have played thousands in my life, and the nerves are still there. That is good. Nerves mean you care. You channel them into the warm-up, and from the first point on, you compete with full focus. No points are given away. If they earn it, they earn it. But I do not give anything.

I do sometimes meet people later who say — you once stretched me on the tennis court. And I apologise, because I genuinely do not remember. I play so many matches. But to all your listeners whom I may have beaten comprehensively over the years — I apologise. And I may do it again if we meet on the court.

The final question I ask every guest on this show — if you had one wish to make the planet a better place, what would it be?

Look — we are all on the same planet. And there is too much fire everywhere. Too much aggression, too much conflict, too little willingness to just sit down and talk it out. As Michael Jackson once said, start by looking in the mirror.

My wish: a bit more common sense — which, as we know, is not that common. And a little less aggression, please. If we could simply remember that we are all here together, and that the problems are solvable if we approach them with intelligence and some goodwill, we would be in a much better position than we are now.

Common sense and less aggression. Thank you, Marco. Thank you for being on The Centered Edge today. It was genuinely wonderful to have you.

My pleasure, Manju. Thank you for inviting me. It was a great conversation.