MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: A market leader in trade technology that “trades for good”

3 January 2023

Please meet Siva Gunesparan from GUUD, a global trade technology company that has been with us for the past three years.

1. Could you please share a bit about what you do, the company’s mission and what your main products are?

GUUD is a trade technology company, headquartered in Singapore and with projects in more than 17 countries globally. Passionate about using technology to bring about good for businesses and economies, our solutions focus on simplifying global trade processes and making it more accessible to all stakeholders via digitalisation. Sustainability is another key area that we focus on, as our solutions help reduce unnecessary printing of documents and carbon emission.         

In Singapore, our key products are the Trade Declaration Services (TDS) and Clickargo SG. TDS is an end-to-end permit declarations services, powered by EDI and AI to reduce manual data entry when it comes to submission of customs permits. GUUD is one of the largest declaring agents in Singapore with more than 20% market share of the total permit volume. Clickargo is our digital logistics platform that connects cargo owners, freight forwarders and truckers seamlessly to automate the job dispatch and generating the electronic proof of delivery (e-POD) upon completion. Clickargo also has a strong sustainability agenda, as one of its key modules is the tracking of carbon emission from the fleets used for last mile delivery, and providing insights into the root cause, and corrective actions to the stakeholders.

2. Could you also tell us a bit about yourself? For example, your role within the company and some of the favorite things to do in your spare time.

I am the General Manager for GUUD Singapore, and mainly responsible for the overall performance of the in-country business, ranging from Sales, Business Development, Operations and Technology. It is indeed a huge task, but I am thankful to be surrounded by a wonderful team, who are equally enthusiastic and ensure their part is executed well. This helps me to focus more of my attention on exploring new business models & products for business expansion.

I am a huge football fan, and a die-hard supporter of Liverpool FC. The tattoo on my arm explains it all, and I usually try to watch a few games every year at Anfield. With the World Cup taking place now, I am definitely sleeping lesser, but it’s all worth the effort. Rooting for Argentina for this World Cup 😉!

Picture: Csuites

3. Can you give some insight into why the company chose to set up an office at Csuites?

Among all the workplaces we have looked at, Csuites stood out quite significantly when we were looking for a space for the team. Being a shared office, it does not give you a feeling of a traditional shared office, as it still feels very private and personalised. Another key differentiator is that the office suite and common areas are very spacious, which you usually only find when you have your own private office. We enjoy very much the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that give you a feeling of open space and allow for tons of natural light. Also, let’s not forget the friendly staff, who has always been very supportive, from the front desk all the way to the back-end staff, including the tea ladies and housekeeping team.

Picture: Csuites

4. How has the experience been so far working at Csuites?

We call Csuites “a place we like to bring our customers to”, as the space also adds value to our own brand image. Many of our clients prefer coming to Csuites for meetings to us going to their office as they like the space so much. There are two main reasons. First one is that the environment is very nice, and they enjoy being here. Second reason, of course, is the vicinity to a wide range of options for food and drinks. You can have evening meetings followed by drinks or lunch followed by meetings, so I think it is quite strategically placed as part of a wider ecosystem. 

In addition, there are a lot of opportunities to connect with other tenants at the space who are also very friendly. We catch up once in a while during lunchtime or getting coffee at the pantry or in-house café, so it is a great place for cross-industry collaboration and networking.