Entrepreneur of the month: David Chambat (GE 1995), with Villa-Finder.com

Can you tell us something about your background?
Since my graduation back in 1995, I have always worked in the travel industry, most of the time in Asia. I worked 10 years for Air France – KLM, firstly in Germany where I replaced an EDHEC alumni, Stéphane Argoud, then as Assistant VP south-east Asia in Singapore, Customer Service Manager in Tokyo (where I worked with another EDHEC grad Hervé Moulin), Distribution Manager for Americas (based in Paris) and lastly GM for the Netherlands, based in Amsterdam, at the time of the Air France merger with KLM. After 10 years in the Corporate World, I felt like having a break and went for a year-off back in Singapore to do the INSEAD MBA. I then joined a European start-up in the online hospitality industry TVtrip.com to develop their Asian business from 2007 to 2012 - before starting my own venture www.villa-finder.com ; www.villa-bali.com being Act 1 went live in August 2012.
 

What’s your main area? What’s your vision of it?
I am a fan of the “KISS” rule (« Keep It Simple, Stupid »). Our business needs to remain very simple: it is about finding the best villas in Asia and offering them in an ergonomic, secure and qualitative manner to consumers worldwide. We work with hundreds of villa owners in Asia to offer our clients a unique experience and a fantastic alternative to hotels and resorts in the region.
We are on two core missions: providing a great online experience to consumers thanks to a well organized, user-friendly website – while offering a very qualitative customer service on the phone and via email. In our hyper-connected, all-virtual world, consumers value the human “touch” behind the website: if you call a client rather than sending him a preformatted email, your conversion rate can go up 200%. Especially in our high-yield niche where consumers spend big amounts of money – and where trust is key.

What are your company’s future prospects?
Our development has been faster than expected since we launched 6 months ago. We are already one of the leaders in the growing Bali Villa market. Firstly, because it is a highly fragmented industry where a multinational and well-organized player like Villa-Bali.com has found a natural sweet spot. And also because we are operating with the online marketing techniques of the leading hotel websites – giving us a competitive edge.
Outlook is bright. We can grow horizontally with new destinations in Asia and/or vertically with local services to our clients (activities, car rental, insurance, etc.). We are launching www.srilanka-villa.com in a few weeks.
The travel distribution is being challenged by the Internet revolution. The traditional tour-operators are reshuffling their distribution systems, the online hospitality is dominated by the Priceline group (owner of booking.com and other successful websites) and there is clearly room for niche players like us.

What are your key figures?
We have already 300 villas all around Bali – and dozens of villas in other Asian destinations that will go online during the summer. Our website is translated in 7 languages (Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, French, English, German and Italian). We don't publish our traffic and sales figures but we are already one of the top sites on Google for the keyword “villa bali”; we do half of our revenues on our “home” market Singapore, and are growing fast on international markets in Europe, North Asia and Australia.

What links do you have with EDHEC and Edhec alumni?
I am deeply linked to the EDHEC network. In Singapore, where I have lived for 7 years and where EDHEC is very involved with a local campus and an active alumni network. We gather often, exchange tips, recruit interns through the EDHEC Singapore Facebook group. My Marketing Director at Villa-Bali.com is also an EDHEC 2012, Daniel Rouquette.
In France too where I have not only great EDHEC friends but also EDHEC grads I can refer to when I need help or advice for my company - in particular 2 EDHEC alumni working in large European travel groups that I contact often. And I am married to an EDHEC too…

Travel industry in an emerging country is a growing sector. What posts are available for experienced and/or young grads?
Singapore has become extremely attractive lately. The French community here in Singapore has doubled in size (from 5.000 to 10.000 in 5 years) – same in Hong-Kong by the way. There are newcomers from Europe in Singapore everyday, so it has become more challenging to get a job and a work permit. The best way to succeed here is to be a specialist in one of the flagship industries of Singapore (media, bio-techs, trading or luxury). Or an entrepreneur with capital as Singapore wants to attract new ventures in Singapore; there’s even a dedicated work permit (”entre-pass”) meant for entrepreneurs ready to move to Singapore.
Singapore is also a growing financial center, and there are many jobs to get in the private banking sector. Market Finance is mostly in Hong Kong.

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