Dreaming Big with Hannes Ruoff, CEO of Porsche Asia Pacific

Hannes Ruoff started as an intern in Porsche Asia Pacific when the office just turned 5 years old. From his nascent beginnings, he climbed the ranks across various positions in Porsche AG before a ‘homecoming’ back to Singapore - this time as CEO - in just 15 years.

We spent some time with Hannes to learn more about his exceptional career as he encourages others with similar aspirations to ‘dream big’, also the name of the installation by Chris Labrooy, a Scottish artist and lifelong Porsche fan, which was on display in Singapore earlier this year.

As a relatively new CEO who came onboard in October last year, Hannes also shares his vision for Porsche in the region, particularly for the Singapore market which has undergone significant changes. Within just a year, we saw the establishment of the new venture Porsche Singapore Pte. Ltd. as well as the announcement of the new Porsche Studio Singapore which is currently under construction. Porsche currently operates two brand spaces - one Porsche NOW Pop-up at Guoco Tower, and another at Mandala Club.

James Wong: Can you tell us more about your story with Singapore? You started as an intern right here in the Porsche Asia Pacific (PAP) office and worked your way up to being a CEO!

Hannes Ruoff: That’s true! My journey with Singapore started in 2008, when I had the opportunity to do an internship at the PAP sales department. The nice thing about internships at Porsche is that you get quite a lot of responsibility at an early stage - to get to know the company, to see and feel it. And of course, the company also gets to know the intern.

After the internship, I finished my studies in Germany, and then the opportunity to come back to Singapore came along. During this time I worked in PAP for six years, roughly, in different roles – for example, in training qualification, sales and other various topics.

Then I moved back to Germany for another seven years. And finally, a dream of mine came true when I came back in a different role last year in October – this time as CEO of PAP. Now I'm back in the familiar office, but still with a fantastic team.

James Wong: Was there a specific reason why you chose to come back to Singapore after your internship?

Hannes Ruoff: I enjoyed working here very much. I think that the Singapore office is really unique; I haven't seen something like this elsewhere in the Porsche world. There’s a strong family and collaborative spirit. This has always been a characteristic of the office.

Also, the region has always been a very exciting one for Porsche, with a lot of growth potential. In the early years, we focused on developing markets like Korea and Taiwan to the independent Porsche subsidiaries they are today.

Today, there are other markets that have great opportunities in our region – and one of the best parts of this job is working collaboratively to elevate these markets to their fullest potential.

James Wong: Do you think young people can dream big and achieve big as well, like what you have done? I mean, it's also part of the ethos of Porsche, right?

Hannes Ruoff: I do believe that. If you look at the pioneering spirit of the company, its founder Ferry Porsche, and its spirit that resonates with fans or employees - I think having a dream, setting yourself an ambitious goal, and then working hard at it with a lot of passion, dedication and commitment to really achieve it is something that truly aligns in the Porsche world.

So, if you set yourself an ambitious goal, and you really work for it with a lot of passion, there is a chance to achieve it. I would love to encourage everyone in my team, but also beyond, to do this - set yourself goals and try to achieve them.

James Wong: Having been in both Stuttgart and also here in PAP, how has Porsche AG (PAG) changed their perception of PAP throughout the years, and vice versa?

Hannes Ruoff: The office has been around for some 20 years now since it was founded in 2001, and it was established because of the growing importance of Asia. At that time, ‘Asia’ meant markets including China, Korea, Taiwan, and so on were all part of Porsche Asia Pacific before they were subsequently spun off to become independent Porsche subsidiaries.

The importance of the region has not changed, however the focus has now shifted quite a bit towards Southeast Asia. With more than 650 million people in this part of the world, it is extremely exciting especially with a lot of the markets developing in an impressive way.

PAG is still looking very positively at the region and is very excited about what's happening here right now.

James Wong: Can you share a bit about how PAP is transforming and why it is doing so?

Hannes Ruoff: Our office in Singapore is in the centre of all that’s changing in the automotive industry right now and is also at the heart of Southeast Asia as a growth region. Elsewhere in the region, many new competitors are coming in, different retail landscapes are being tested, and of course new models continue to be introduced – of course, electrification plays a big role here.

I think the whole industry, including us, is currently trying to figure out how the future will be and what it should look like. And to find the best solutions – we have to work together along the value chain, meaning connecting people all the way from headquarters, to the regional office, to the importers, to the dealers and to the customers in the end.

We’re already located in Singapore – a city that is a melting pot of different cultures collaborating together. And that’s why at PAP, we’re evolving our space so that collaboration continues to be a key point. We’ve done away with individual office rooms, in favour of collaboration spaces. It's an open office concept, with strong digital integration as well to really support the transformation.

James Wong: Where are the focus points for PAP in the region, and which markets do you see further potential with?

Hannes Ruoff: We have very established markets like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. And even if they are established for so many years, I have to say they developed in an extremely good way in the last few years with not just continued but also sustainable growth.

Further afield, Vietnam comes to mind as a market that has developed particularly well. And of course, there are markets where we believe eventually growth will could eventually pick up. For instance, think of Indonesia and the Philippines, with large populations and importers with ambitious goals.

James Wong: You started a local assembly in Malaysia, could you share reasons why you did so? Do you also plan to do this for other countries in the region?

Hannes Ruoff: It was a long and collaborative journey to get Porsche local assembly up and running in Malaysia. Competitors have been doing this for many years, and as mentioned earlier, I think the automotive industry is changing and adapting, with different regions becoming more and more important. That's why Porsche also had to adapt somehow, and to assess how business is done in the future. For us, one of the key accelerators for the project was having a partner who aligned with us – and in Sime Darby, we have found an exceptionally good one.

At the end of the day, volume was one reason, but actually not the main one. More important was also gaining competence, learning and preparing ourselves for the future.

James Wong: Where do you see Singapore's automotive landscape in the future? There's a lot of talk about the COE system that's maybe going to be scrapped. Then there is the new legislation from Budget 2023 and prices have increased much for premium cars. What is your view on this?

Hannes Ruoff: In many ways, Singapore is hard to compare to anything else in the world. The whole automotive industry is one-of-a-kind, set up in a unique way.

For sure the landscape ahead will be more electrified, especially if you think of the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Against this backdrop, our model line-up is quite well-placed: the Taycan is actually one of the best-selling Porsche models in Singapore, and there are further upcoming models that will be electrified. So, I think from a product lifecycle point of view, Porsche will have sharper offers for the Singapore market in the future.

But more than just with model offers, we are also working together with partners like SP Group and Shell to really increase charging possibilities for our owners – at home, at lifestyle locations and even cross-country charging. So yes – cars may be more expensive, but ownership will come with more ease and peace of mind.

James Wong: Do you see future models of interacting with a car, for example renting or leasing, becoming more important? Especially in Singapore as they're so expensive to buy.

Hannes Ruoff: It’s an interesting proposition and I don't have the answer yet. Porsche is ready to explore those fields, as the company has similar offers overseas, like Porsche Drive in many markets right now. Potentially, this could be something for Singapore as well.

However, I'm not sure it may happen on a big scale here. I think people are still very proud of having their own car. If you already pay a lot of money for it, you might want to have it for yourself as a dedicated car. Public transport is also outstandingly good compared to anything else in the world I have seen so far, which might not support rental or leasing demand.

Photos by Horizon Drivers' Club

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