The Phuket News Novosti Phuket Khao Phuket

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Strong team culture within Tourism Malaysia’s Phuket branch
  PHUKET: Mohd Fahmi Nordin, the acting director of the Phuket branch of Tourism Malaysia, believes working with the company has made him a competent multi-tasker. Known as Fahmi, he is based in Phuket and is in charge of promoting Malaysia to the 14 provinces of southern Thailand. He is currently working in the MICE department (Malaysia Convention Exhibition Bureau) to promote corporate tourism. “When I first joined Tourism Malaysia-HQ, I was given the responsibilities of handling the United States and European market. After few years I was then transferred to the MICE department where I gained experience in multitasking – due to the fact we only had a small department.” A Malaysian government officer, Fahmi graduated from the MARA University of Technology in Malaysia, majoring in the hotel and tourism industry. He worked in several HR companies before starting with Tourism Malaysia 11 years ago. In March 2008, he moved to Phuket. His job has taken him to many countries promoting Malaysia as an ideal location for conventions and business trips. He said while systems can be created within organisations to help with the workflow and efficiency levels, the most important aspect of any successful company was good teamwork. “Dealing with humans is not like dealing with a robot, therefore management requires a sense of human touch and a strong belief in teamwork,” he said. He said he once asked a Thai staff member here in Phuket ``What made you choose to work here?’’ “They answered `Even though I’m a Thai citizen, I love Malaysia too. But it is the teamwork culture that makes us aim to work harder from day to day.’’ Fahmi said it was also imperative to believe in yourself – no matter what. “Failure makes you a great teacher and helps to make someone else succeed.’’

Baan Tak-r-Kard raises bar for entry-level homes
  Starter homes in Phuket, aimed mostly at the Thai market, have continued to sell well throughout the global financial crisis, thanks to their low prices and the fact that Thais can get long mortgages. But until now designs for these homes have been depressingly cookie-cutter. Drop a Phuket resident into the middle of any of these estates and he or she would receive no visual clues about which estate it was. Baan Tak-r-Kard raises the bar. The 59-home development in Baan Don, about two kilometres west of Thalang, looks utterly different. Behind it is Living Vis Ltd, formed by Sunchai Nuengsit, whose own company makes construction materials “focused on environmental sustainability”; Sokoun Chanpreda, developer of Bangkok’s iconic Bed Supper and of hotels and resorts across Southeast Asia; and architect Pakhin Aunggulsant, whose AEP Group recently won the BCI Asia Green Leadership Award for its design for Phuket’s Orang Laut Cultural Centre. “Eco-Chic” is the description Living Vis is applying to the development, a reminder that a great deal of thought has gone into the choice of materials to save both space and energy. Mr Pakhin explained, “We are involved in so many other projects that we can buy the materials in large amounts, which reduces the unit cost. Other developers can’t do this.” The result is smart-looking homes – small, yes, but more eco-friendly than the concrete-block homes on offer in Phuket up to now, and with materials inside that simply don’t exist in the competiton – wood-block floors upstairs, for example. All the homes are on two floors, with two- or three-bedroom layouts available. Prices start at B2.6 million.