A FEW WORDS ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS IN MYANMAR AND THE SECTOR YOU ARE WORKING IN:
Razel MYANMAR is a fully owned subsidiary of Razel-Bec, the civil works division of the Fayat Group, 4th largest construction and related services in France. As a civil works contractor, we build all type of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, railways, airport strips, water treatment plants, Dams and Tunnels.
WHAT IS YOUR COMPANY’S STRATEGY IN MYANMAR
Our aim is to work on mid-range to large construction projects in the infrastructure sector with a special focus on complex projects such as Hydropower Plants, which combines our expertise in two complex fields: the Dams and the Tunnels.
HOW HAS YOUR COMPANY GROWN SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN MYANMAR?
We registered our subsidiary in parallel to the contract signature for the Underground Works of the Upper Yeywa Hydropower Project, which we carry out through a JV with our local partner. No more contracts have been signed so far, but the aim of establishing a subsidiary shows the will to develop the Myanmar market in the long term.
WHAT IMPROVEMENTS HAVE YOU SEEN IN YOUR INDUSTRY THE LAST FEW MONTHS / YEARS ?
I have seen very little change in our industry since we established the first contacts back in 2014. The people we deal with are still the same and the upper levels of the administration seem to be less accessible –maybe because they are too busy-. The infrastructure industry is still moving, in my humble opinion, too slow if we compare it with the huge need of the country; however, in the last months I do feel some of the projects we are interested in are moving finally forward and that could lead to a capitalisation of the experience earned so far.
WHAT ARE THE KEY MESSAGES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR MEMBERS REGARDING THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN MYANMAR?
Myanmar is a promising market because of its huge potential -as almost everything is yet to be done-. In addition, the will of the local authorities to develop the country’s economy in order to rise up the people’s living standards is in place. However, despite this, the business culture remains highly marked by the long years of autarchy and isolation. This is the reason why Myanmar is still an extremely challenging environment to develop an activity according to international standards.
YOUR LIFE IN MYANMAR AND YOUR RELATIONS WITH FRANCE
I spent 2 years travelling almost once a month from Paris before settling down in Yangon 2 years ago and I could spend much more time in here. I think that life in Myanmar is good for expatriates like me because people are usually smiley and willing to help, their peaceful character makes me feel welcome. In addition, due to the opening process of the country, a lot is happening in Yangon right now, and every day there are new opportunities of leisure to forget about the power cuts and heavy traffic.
Having said that, I am happy to go back to France from time to time, usually twice a year, meet family, friends and colleagues.
YOUR ADVICE FOR A NEWLY ARRIVED EXPAT IN MYANMAR
The first 6 months in Yangon were quite hard: it is not easy to land in a new country and even tougher when the culture gap is so significant. My recommendation to cope with these initial difficulties is to try to feel at home as soon as possible: set up a place to live that you like and where you feel comfortable, combine your work with other activities such sport, cinema and exhibitions, and last but not least, find some friends to avoid loneliness.
YOUR FAVORITE PLACE IN MYANMAR
Uffff…I have a lot. I shall name a few: the Dhammayangyi temple in Bagan, the estuary of the Kaladan River in Sittwe, The surroundings of the Upper Yeywa Project after the rainy season. I also love to visit the Shwedagon Paya from time to time, especially at dusk, and I have a particular attachment to the Savoy hotel, the first hotel I visited in Myanmar.
