Far East Organization has a long history of contributing to the local community. But this year, we moved beyond monetary contribution to substantially share knowledge, and encourage and support the growth and development of young men and women.

Far East Organization welcomed into our midst three bright young scholars from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

Loic Lagarde, Nicolas Osouf and Michel-Alexandre Cardin participated in MIT's Technology and Policy Program's Internship Experience: Creating our Future. This summer internship hopes to provide the interns with some working experience especially in technology policy decision-making.

“We know all student interns will greatly benefit from the cultural, professional and work experiences afforded them and we expect them to make significant contributions as well to Far East Organization and their host organizations. The greater the work challenge, the greater the TPP students' response tends to be,” said Professor Dave J Newman, Director of the Technology and Policy Programme. 

Far East Organization welcomed the inputs and efforts of Loic, Michel and Nicolas. They learnt how Far East Organization and Yeo Hiap Seng operate, viewed the practicality and the end results of the working processes, and grappled with the business considerations of decisions carried out. In turn they generously shared their views and ideas.

Loic, Michel and Nicolas were also introduced to our culture and the diversity and richness of Southeast Asia.     

Loic Lagarde
“Is there any better way to discover Southeast Asia than to work in a leading organization? Of course not. Not only did I appreciate the rich cultural heritage as all tourists do, but I was also fortunate to meet the people that make this part of the world such a booming economic market.

This summer, the Yeo's family adopted me and took me to Malaysia. I worked and lived like a Malaysian. It is always good to read about things in books or economic reports but nothing equals first-hand experience. I learned so much about what it is like to do business in Southeast Asia.

On top of that, I was also lucky to get a glimpse of Far East Organization's activities in Singapore. I was stunned. While Singapore still bears the stigma of the past financial crisis, it manages to cautiously grow at light speed! Cautiously evolving at light speed may sound paradoxical at first but once you experience it, it makes perfect sense. On that regard, Far East Organization sets the highest standards in the industry. Always open to new opportunities, never committed to potentially lethal projects.

I cannot find the words to express my gratitude for this amazing learning experience. This internship seriously made me consider a future relocation in Singapore, the open gate to Southeast Asia.”

Michel-Alexandre Cardin
"I would like to thank gratefully Mr. Philip Ng and Dr. Richard de Neufville at MIT for creating this internship opportunity. This experience gave me great exposure to Singaporean culture, and certainly contributed to my desire to come back working in a few years. This experience was unforgettable, way beyond any expectation, and many people took good care of our group during our stay. I hope this involvement and exchange between FEO and MIT will continue for several years.

“During this internship I particularly enjoyed learning about the cultural diversity of Singapore. I feel this country has a model of society that should be taken more often as an example worldwide. Respect, tolerance, and intermingling of the different cultural, social, and religious backgrounds are impressive. I was also impressed by Singaporeans' hardworking culture. In addition, I was happy to discover how much the city has to offer in terms of arts and culture. It is a perfect port of entry for Westerners interested in discovering Southeast Asia, and to get acquainted smoothly with Asian traditions and culture.”

Nicolas Osouf
“The three of us had the great privilege of participating in the internship offered by Far East Organization in partnership with the Technology and Policy Program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA). From our perspective, the experience was a real success, and enabled us to apply our academic knowledge in the corporate world of Southeast Asia.

I learned a lot through the project I worked on which focused more specifically on the comparison of alternatives available to develop Yeo's market share in Vietnam. In particular, I had the opportunity to use and deepen my understanding of the concepts I had learned in economics and law, which are at the core of the TPP curriculum. On a more intangible side, this work experience also enabled me to interact with people at all levels of the corporation.  It provided me with a more complete picture of the way companies work, and helped me refine my career orientation. Living in Singapore, working on the Vietnamese market, and traveling throughout Southeast Asia also gave me a taste of Southeast Asian cultures, in their diversity.

Finally, I would like to thank very warmly all those who made this great internship possible - in Far East Organization and at MIT - as well as those who welcomed me, helped me with my project, or simply spent some time to introduce me very nicely to their countries and cultures.”