People and culture, the one thing you can’t copy, and here’s how Sabine Hansen Peck intends that to be Amadeus’ competitive advantage; Yeoh Siew Hoon catches up with the power woman who runs people and culture at Amadeus IT Group, Sabine Hansen Peck, and talks Asia, diversity, gamification, and even animals and flying.

If she wasn’t yet convinced, her latest whirlwind trip through Asia Pacific, which covered Bangkok, Tokyo, three cities in China, Sydney and Singapore, has left Sabine Hansen Peck with no doubt in her mind that “the future is happening here”.

The senior vice president for human resources, communication and branding for travel technology giant Amadeus IT Group said, “You don’t have to go to Silicon Valley anymore, Silicon Valley is really here. Having seen all the entrepreneurs, initiatives here, it’s really amazing.”

Sabine Hansen Peck: “I have the best job because I am looking after the one thing you can’t copy.”

Not that the pendulum shift to Asia has taken this veteran in human resource by surprise. It’s been building up a while already, she said, “but the pendulum never swings very abruptly, things shifted some time ago but it takes time for the full magnitude of the shift to be realised. Government infrastructure and policies have provided ground for this to happen and now we’re seeing the innovation, the entrepreneurs, the can-do attitude, the positive mindset �" all happening in Asia.”

This is why she is making it her mission to allocate its resources, especially in people and culture, to support the future that’s unfolding in the region.

“I always say I have the best job in the company because I am looking after the one thing you can’t copy �" people and culture. It’s the only competitive advantage you have, everything else can be copied. We must make sure we have the right talent, right culture, so we can continue to grow.”

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