Hans Jäger: At home in Singapore

As he strolls along the banks of the Singapore River in a Chinese-style, short-sleeved shirt, you can tell Hans Jäger is completely at home in Singapore. He lives with his partner in the area surrounding the lively Clarke Quay district in the heart of the city, in a large residential complex with a community pool. The now 70-year-old ETH alumnus has lived in the south Asian city-state for 20 years, albeit with some interruptions. Jäger’s long career has seen him pack his bags and move away to take up new challenges on more than a few occasions. It’s only mid-morning and the temperature is already just under 30 degrees – mild weather by Singapore standards. “This area has completely transformed over the past few decades,” says Jäger as he points towards the restored, pastel-coloured Chinese warehouses. A place once filled with dock workers is now teeming with tourists. The river which resembled a sewer in the 1980s is part of the drinking water reservoir today. Jäger, who grew up in the town of Thalwil on Lake Zurich, walks on. A couple of minutes later, the surroundings become quieter. Loud nightclubs are replaced with hip cafes and restaurants that serve up Western cuisine. Jäger uses a keycard to open a gate that leads directly from the riverbank to the residential complex where he lives. Under the gazebo, he sits down at a table in the shade. “Singapore is my life,” he says as he leans back. “Life here is wonderful!” He describes the country as a multicultural melting pot, concluding: “I think that’s fantastic.” The majority of Singapore’s 5.6 million inhabitants come from China, India and Malaysia. Expats from around the world add to this cultural mix. Like Switzerland, Singapore – which is barely half the size of the canton of Aargau – has four official languages: English, Tamil, Chinese and Malay. Jäger loves walking through China Town, a stone’s throw from where he lives. However, he avoids the touristy areas. “The alleyways that remain untouched by modernisation are the most fascinating,” he explains. In fact, Singapore offers a little bit of everything: modern luxury meets Asian traditions; skyscrapers and giant shopping centres compete with 300 parks and four nature reserves. Jäger has found his home overseas. Returning to Switzerland is only his plan C, but more on that later.

Raclette at the edge of the jungle

Despite the distance, the ETH alumnus, who studied engineering in his time, never lost touch with his alma mater. On the contrary: seven years ago, he established the ETH Alumni Singapore Chapter, a network of around 50 ETH graduates and associated members such as the researchers from the Singapore–ETH Centre. They meet several times a year, including for an annual get-together at the Swiss Club for a raclette meal with family and friends. Surrounded by the jungle of the nearby nature reserve and its wild monkeys, which keep straying onto the grounds, the group fondly remember their former home. Every now and then, they are joined by visiting members of the Executive Board; ETH Rector Sarah Springman was their most recent visitor this past spring. These network gatherings serve as a platform to meet, exchange information and create important contacts. Jäger is convinced that “ETH Zurich is not just a Mecca for scientists, but also an incubator for leaders of technical enterprises.” He himself took a similar path: “Although I’ve never built a single machine since completing my studies, I’ve built several companies instead. Organisation and planning have always fascinated me.” After completing his doctorate at ETH Zurich, Jäger spent a decade applying his engineering knowledge at truck and textile machine manufacturing company Saurer in Arbon on Lake Constance. He then spent the next 13 years working for Sulzer, an industrial group based in the Swiss city of Winterthur. It was his role at Sulzer as the head of the Asia-Pacific region that brought him to Singapore in 1995. Jäger was 48 years old at the time. “My path was unconventional. Most people go abroad when they are still young,” he says. It’s a step he has never regretted.

Detour via Switzerland

The biggest upheaval of his career was in the year 2000 when he was offered the post of Rector at the St. Gallen University of Applied Sciences. It was a job he couldn’t refuse, as working in education had been a long-cherished dream. And so, Jäger moved back to Switzerland, although only for a brief period. During this time he accepted a position at the University of St. Gallen, a decision that took him back to Asia just three years later – to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital. Once in Indonesia, he became actively involved in the International Senior Entrepreneurial Programme (ISEP), a seminar for executives supported by the University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich. He was also instrumental in setting up the Swiss German University, where he continues to teach courses in strategic management and entrepreneurship to this day. “In Indonesia, when the lecturer is a bule – a white foreigner – they are held in great respect. And if you have grey hair to boot, you’re pretty much a VIP,” Jäger says jokingly. After a four-year stint in Indonesia, Jäger decided to move back to Singapore and make the 75-minute commute by air to Jakarta every week. The reason for his move this time round was not work, but personal: a walk in Singapore’s Fort Canning Park 15 years ago led to him meeting his Singaporean partner. Back again in Singapore, Jäger became involved in several different projects. Alongside his teaching role in Jakarta, he is presently also the director of Brain Connection Singapore, a company founded in 2004 by ETH graduates. Courses and consultation on topics of innovation, simplicity and strategic business development form the company’s core business. In addition, he works as a consultant for Siteco, a non-profit organisation that sets up dual vocational education opportunities in emerging and developing countries.

More free time on the horizon

Jäger is slowly starting to toy with the idea of retirement. He’s looking to travel more with his partner, who also works in education. His four children with his ex-wife live scattered across the globe. He also has seven grandchildren whom he plans to visit. He’s also taken with the idea of trekking through Burma, West Java or China. One thing is for certain – he won’t be bored. After all, Jäger is also a member of the Rotary Club, a charitable organisation that takes on a specific project every year. Past projects included helping children in Indonesia born with a cleft palate or teaching English in Chinese primary schools. This year’s project aims to help street children in Jakarta. “Life’s been kind to me, which is why I’d like to give something back,” says Jäger. Jäger plans to stay on in Singapore as long his residence permit allows him to, but his permit is tied to his work, making things uncertain once he retires. His plan B is the apartment he has bought in the neighbouring city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia that comes with a ten-year visa. “Plan C is returning to Switzerland,” he says. He could then finally go back to doing something he has missed in Singapore: skiing.