Tom Starkey
Aquarii BD (Cambodia) is now no longer a new kid on the block as it marked its one-year anniversary with plans for a consolidation of its core services, a refresh of its online platform and an expansion of its core staff.
The business strategy and development consultancy’s anniversary also coincided with its inclusion as an in-market consultancy in Cambodia on the website of Enterprise Singapore (ESG), a statutory board under the Singaporean Government set up to support the development, innovation, and internalization of Singapore SMEs.
Despite its short period of establishment, Aquarii ¬– which was set up to connect businesses and investors with opportunities in the Cambodian market and navigate local intricacies – has been lauded for its unconventional but bold approach to changing misperceptions and outdated perspectives of Cambodia.
Aquarii’s business philosophy and approach
CEO of Khmer Enterprise, Dr. Chhieng Vanmunin, said they strongly support Aquarii’s business philosophy and approach.
“Aquarii BD Cambodia is one of Khmer Enterprise’s strategic partners which we continue to collaborate with successfully to foster a strong and resilient business network between Cambodian and regional businesses.”
“Through our joint collaboration, we will carry on encouraging intra-investments between ASEAN countries much to the benefit of the Kingdom’s business community and wider economic development.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Director and Shareholder Representative from Phillip Bank, Mr. Ong Teong Hoon, said the Aquarii platform serves as a useful one-stop center for investors seeking information and assistance in exploring business opportunities in Cambodia.
“It has been invaluable for us as service providers to showcase our products and services to a wider audience and know that they are being presented by a trusted source within the Cambodian business sphere.”
“I would highly recommend utilizing both the Aquarii platform and their services if you want to gain access to the market or grow your business opportunities in Cambodia”.
As well as banking and enterprise, Aquarii has also been involved in other sectors including strategic communication and education.
Opening new doors & connecting them with the right parties
Managing Director of SCIA, a leading Singaporean international school in Cambodia, Mr. Tan Wee Pin, said Aquarii has supported SCIA in fulfilling its goal to be the education hub for lifelong learners by opening new doors & connecting them with the right parties.
“Their excellent and practical advisory helped to address several blind spots that we have not thought of before, thanks to their wealth of experience.”
Speaking about his vision for Aquarii and its impact on the business community in Cambodia, CEO Michael Tan said, “we all need to aggregate our resources and efforts to help foreign businesses and investors better understand Cambodia and what it has to offer.
“Many have overlooked Cambodia as a destination for business and investment. Head in the sand and backside in the air is never a good proposition; international opinion about Cambodia isn’t going to change by itself overnight”, said former Singaporean diplomat to Cambodia turned entrepreneur Tan.
Aquarii’s business delegation visit to Indonesia, organized in partnership with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (IndoCham) and entitled “Cambodia – An Overlooked Destination for Business and Investment”, was a successful demonstration of Aquarii’s commitment to enticing foreign investment in a unique way.
The five-day event covered key topics during multiple seminars and webinars, including an overview of the political and socio-economic climate of Cambodia, its favorable business and investment policies, and the opportunities that the Kingdom offers to Indonesian investors and businesses, agriculture, and the real estate development landscape in Cambodia.
Raise awareness of the potential and opportunities of the Kingdom
Now, Michael and his team intend to further raise awareness of the potential and opportunities of the Kingdom, with a refresh of their platform and new ideas to help its partners and clients expand their reach to a wider target audience of foreign businesses and investors.
The refresh is set to see an uptick in output and social media presence, which Tan says will include a new look landing page with an improved navigation bar, new consolidated partnership and services sections, integrated Library of Law resources, optimized promotional space for partners and advertisements as well as an updated interactive business tools section.
“We are marking our anniversary and our ESG listing today, but the hard work starts again tomorrow, and we hope to offer bigger and better things for partners, investors, and the wider Cambodian business sphere,” Tan added.
Aquarii was established on 22 November 2021 to help connect businesses, create opportunities and grow partnerships through its strategic market insights and diverse network of contacts.
