Could you briefly introduce yourself and your role at Air Liquide in Singapore?

In the last 13 years with Air Liquide, I worked in the US, China, Thailand, France, and now Singapore. In my current role, I wear two hats: as the managing director supervising operations in Singapore, and as the regional vice president overseeing Air Liquide’s presence in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Brunei.

Could you elaborate on Air Liquide’s presence in Singapore?

Air Liquide is instrumental to many industries in Singapore. Our oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and special gases are critical to the refineries and chemical players on Jurong Island. In the realm of healthcare, Air Liquide also supplies hospitals with essential gases like medical oxygen and nitrous oxide.

What are the main demand trends in the industrial gases space?

I see the economic environment experiencing a widespread, but uneven recovery. Since the second half of 2021, we have seen a strong recovery of industrial activities driving demand for gases. But towards the end of Q1 2022, the economic rebound significantly slowed as we began to feel the impact of the war in Ukraine. Oil and gas markets are volatile, but investments have continued, driven either by customers resuming their development projects or the commencement of new plants. On the domestic market, we expect Singapore to continue to have a high demand for gases, driven by the electronics sector, especially since people are reliant on phones and laptops, which drives the appetite for the megaproject investments we witness in the semiconductor industry. Extending our lens to industrial merchants in the ASEAN region, a similar recovery trend is observable, though the pace of recovery varies from one country to another. In my opinion, the Sino-American trade tension and rising labor costs in China during the pandemic can also induce an outflow of investments to ASEAN.

Could you walk us through Air Liquide’s decarbonization and energy transition strategy?

Air Liquide has specific solutions to address climate change and we are able to take practical actions right now. From decarbonized hydrogen for industry to hydrogen as an energy carrier for clean mobility, not forgetting CO2-capture solutions at industrial sites, both our own and those of our customers, we are at the forefront when it comes to climate change.

How does Air Liquide position within the hydrogen economy?

Air Liquide is a pioneer and a leader in the development of the hydrogen industry, and we have spent 50 years championing the infinite potential of this molecule.

We are at a turning point, living in a decade in which many different ideas will take shape to build a desirable future and Air Liquide, with its expertise in Hydrogen, can play a significant role in this. In the region, we are beginning to see and be part of many partnerships to study, pilot and test-bed hydrogen solutions that have the potential to scale in the long run. However, success will require all stakeholders to play a role. Companies like Air Liquide must invest long-term resources and technology commitment, and the public sector must reflect their commitment in policies, strategies and support to effectively advance the private sector development of a hydrogen economy.

Could you summarize your top priorities?

My main mandate is to partner with the growth in the region. While the growth momentum in Singapore comes from electronics, emerging countries will benefit from a capacity shift from China to lower-cost markets. Next, we want to support Singapore’s decarbonization ambitions and drive our own goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, preparing the technology, infrastructure, and partnerships required. We see Southeast Asia standing at the cusp of a wave of energy transition projects, and while this may take a few years more, the work begins now to ensure our operations, our customers, and even our partners and suppliers are ready. Most importantly, we need to prepare our people so they have the right expertise to support our goals. In this context, the pandemic has given rise to the buzzwords “the great resignation” and the “war on talent”, but we see that the competition for talent and the challenge of retaining people is serious and very real, and Air Liquide is committed to development and retention of our employees to ensure we stay at the forefront of this competition.