Seven Nation Army

 White Stripes' best song is this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY 

Besides the iconic bass riff - it's right up there with The Beatles' Come Together, Queen's Another One Bites The Dust and Duran Duran's Rio - the lyrics are simply amazing. Imagine these opening lines! 

"I'm gonna fight them off. A seven nation army couldn't hold me back"

In a manner, against conventional advice, I undertook a journey to reconnect face to face with my teams and clients in Malaysia, UK, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. And three days ago, after being away for 30 days, I return to Singapore. Each country had their COVID entry procedure. A couple needed local SIM card, some required installing their mobile app. All required some level of pre-registration cum approval. And of course all of them needed PCR-negative test. 

The last one worried me because if I tested positive anywhere along the way (I had to do 13 tests altogether from the start to the finish of the journey and I am now at test #10 just today), I would get stuck and won't be able to complete the trip as planned.

But make I did! There were some funny moments when I joked with the swabbers in the Middle East (an Indian in Doha, a Malaysian in Riyadh and a Filipina in Dubai) first to be gentle and then that i ordered a negative test. Am glad they took it all in their stride.

I am glad to have done this. The leader of the ME business tells me that there is "so much positive feedback from the teams and the MDP colleagues – I think it is a strong statement to be the first PAL to travel to the different regions, and it makes our clients and us feel special to be part of your first visit."

ME (KSA, UAE, Qatar), UK and Germany are three of my largest markets in EMESA, a newly integrated region in the firm. In fact, PSPA in EMESA has been a solid multi hundred million dollar business the past few years and with a potential to grow exponentially 

I have identified several key unlocks:

• Dedicated leadership capacity
• Deepening core markets and attacking white spaces
• Bringing the full offer of PA offerings to all markets
• Heightening EVP with PS “ring fencing”
• Injecting further expertise into the region

I don't often blog directly about the business but this one where management attention comes against all odds... a seven nation army of pandemic protection measure, couldn't hold me back.