BusinessMirror Feature Article
BRITISH businessman Roger Lamb has been traveling around the world for the past 21 years. He met his lovely Russian wife on one of his journeys. Their love story had a sweet and lovely start as he was then working as regional general manager for Cadbury chocolates in cold Russia and the Baltic states. Thus, it was a bit of a change to move to the humid tropic clime of the Philippines when he was appointed as a consultant for a multinational firm based here. He moved his entire family here—his wife and two sons—in 2008.
Despite having traveled extensively around Southeast Asia, the Britisher found the Philippines to be a surprise. His first impression of the country? “The country is in Asia, but typically not Asian.”
Lamb, who grew up in idyllic Manchester in England, admits to having fallen in love with the “not so Asian” culture of Filipinos: they speak perfect English, are very optimistic about life, and are friendly and polite. Since then, the Philippines has become his family’s home away from home.
The warmth and excitement of Philippines culture, coupled with the robust economic growth in the last few years, has fueled closer cooperation among members of the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (BCCP), where he serves as board chairman since 2013. He is happy to lead BCCP’s 200 individual and corporate members, especially at this most opportune time of growth for British businesses in the country.
This Valentine season, Lamb says the BCCP and the British Embassy in the Philippines is launching British Fashion Month to allow Filipinos to catch a glimpse of high-street fashion in the United Kingdom. British Fashion Month, which runs from February 10 to March 9, is part of the five-month celebration of “This is GREAT Britain” that showcases British business and culture.
Lamb says Britain’s contribution to fashion has long been recognized in the world’s fashion capitals; it is now ready to conquer Manila, too.
He adds that the next few years will be more exciting due to the rising interest of British retail shops to invest in the Philippines.
The BCCP chairman says the love of Filipinos for British fashion has been inspiring clothing retail companies to explore the Philippines market. He agrees with the observation of British Ambassador Asif Ahmad, when he says: “Shopping is a national passion in the Philippines, and I am happy to see British brands doing well here.”
In the last 10 years, Lamb says British foreign direct investments in the Philippines ranked the highest among members of the European Union. He adds that this trend is likely to continue with the resumption last year of direct flights of flag carrier Philippine Airlines to London, which reduces travel time between the destinations to just 14 hours.
“This is the most exciting time for British businesses to be in the Philippines because of the robust economic growth and strong interests of Filipinos in British consumer goods,” he says.
The BCCP head says such momentum will be strengthened further with the decision of the British government to allocate a significant amount to the BCCP to support British small and medium enterprises that are investing in the Philippines.
“The funding from the British government will cover full range of support services to British SMEs investing in the Philippines,” he explains.
He says the funding assistance would help British companies explore the Philippines market, with BCCP providing them with the right market research.
The new funding initiative reflects the strong message of British Foreign Secretary William Hague, during his recent visit to the Philippines, that the country is the most interesting place to invest in among Southeast Asian countries.
Lamb says the strong focus of the British government in terms of trade and investments in the Philippines makes it easier for him to lure more British businessmen to explore the Philippines market. He believes that the presence of some 250,000 Filipino workers, mostly highly paid nurses and professionals in Britain, also helps promote the Philippines as an investment haven for British companies.
At the same time, he said BCCP also assists Philippines companies to explore the British market. He said the huge presence of Filipinos in Britain continues to attract top Philippines companies to invest in the United Kingdom. These companies are mostly engaged in telecommunications, commercial banks and financial services.
Despite his hectic schedule as BCCP chairman, Lamb says he always makes sure that he and his family find time to enjoy the scenic island destinations of the Philippines.
He says he marveled at the many island attractions during the eight years that he has been living in the Philippines. Some of the places he has explored with his family include Bohol, Cebu, Coron, Davao, Baguio, La Union and the world-famous beach paradise of Boracay. He finds the resorts in Cebu to be very nice and comfortable. He also enjoys the idyllic scenery in Northern Palawan.
It was in the Philippines where he and his wife learned diving, while their kids enjoy snorkeling. “My wife and I enjoy the scenery down the water, while our kids play on the surface,” he explains.
In all the years he has lived here, Lamb admits to developing a fondness for chicken adobo; he hasn’t tried yetbalut. When he is in Cebu, he looks forward to lunching on the local lechon.
Love is indeed about meeting the right person and finding the right place to continue your wonderful journey together. The Lambs agreed they made the right decision to spend eight wonderful years in the Philippines. And just like any marriage, the love they found in the Philippines transcends hardships and difficult moments.
He says he could not forget his experience during the massive flooding in Metro Manila spawned by Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.
“We were along C-5 when the water started rising,” he narrates. “My wife and I had to pick up our kids from a birthday party. Its a good thing our Filipino driver was quick to go to some alternative routes to get to our house fast before the road was completely submerged.”
The Lambs felt lucky to have reached home quickly, especially when they learned of the extent of damage the calamity brought to many parts of Metro Manila.
Lamb says he is astounded by the Filipino spirit of helping each other out in the midst of tragedy and the resilience shown by the flood victims.
“I had the first taste of resolved camaraderie of Filipinos as everybody was helping each other,” he says. The couple sent donations for flood victims, knowing they were so lucky to still have each other.
“People here are aware that life is full of risks. The spirit I saw among Filipinos during Typhoon Ondoy was repeated during Supertyphoon Yolanda and the response of people is very impressive,” he adds.
Asked whether he plans to go back home in England where life is safer and much more comfortable, the British executive merely shook his head and gave a sweet smile.
Aside from preparing for a variety of activities the BCCP has scheduled this month, Lamb says he feels excited to be celebrating with his wife another Valentine’s Day in the Philippines. He says having a Russian wife means celebrating special occasions not usually known in the Philippines. He says he looks forward to a special surprise from his wife on February 23, which is celebrated in Russia as Men’s Day, or Red Army Day. And when they celebrate Valentine’s Day this Friday, it will also have a special twist.
He finds March 8, which is International Women’s Day, to be 10 times more festive than Valentine’s Day. He looks forward to celebrating it again here with his wife.
Indeed, Lamb believes in the Philippines government’s campaign, saying “It’s more fun in the Philippines, especially with the British Chamber of Commerce.”
Source: BusinessMirror
