Advance December 2013

www.austchamthailand.comA MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN-THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUSTRALIA THAILAND BUSINESS COUNCILDecember 2013

COMMUNITY SERvICES On a Mission for Golf

CHAMBER EvENTSBangkok Sundowners at The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok

8 16 20

EMBASSY NEWS & UPDATE Australia Thailand Business Council Update

10

BUSINESS BRIEFThe 2013 APEC Leaders’ Meeting and East Asia Summit

Thailand Prepares for AECin this edition

Bilateral, regional, multilateral:

Trade negotiations are warming up

Exceptional People Ad final.indd 1 5/17/13 2:34 PM

Exceptional People Ad final.indd 1 5/17/13 2:34 PM

ATS specialistmortgage

ATSspecialistmortgage

ContentsPATRONHis Excellency James WiseAustralian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand

PRESIDENTLeigh Scott-KemmisDBM (Thailand) Ltd.

vICE PRESIDENTSM.L. Laksasubha KridakonBaan Laksasubha Resort Hua Hin

Belinda SkinnerTopTalentAsia

TREASURERWarwick KnealeBaker Tilly Thailand Limited

DIRECTORSDavid BellCrestcom-Ra-Kahng Associates Ltd.

Josh HylandAEC South East Asia Co., Ltd.

Brenton Mauriellodwp

Sam McMahonNS Bluescope (Thailand) Limited

Alan PolivnickWatson, Farley & Williams (Thailand) Limited

Rananda RichBlackmores Ltd.

Charles WrightmanNatural Ville & Lenotre

EX OFFICIOGreg WallisSenior Trade Commissioner, Thailand

COORDINATORSPaul WilkinsonJVK International Movers Ltd.ESB CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]

Trevor Dick Indochine Asset ManagementESB CoordinatorEmail: [email protected] Harry UsherLady PiePhuket CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]

BUSINESS BRIEFS6 Bilateral, regional,

multilateral:Trade negotiations are warming up

8 Critical Questions: The 2013 APEC Leaders’ Meeting and East Asia Summit

10 Thailand Prepares for AEC

20 Bangkok Sundowners at The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok

22 Phuket Sundowners at the Novotel Phuket Resort

AUSTCHAM MEMBERS24 New Members

FROM THE CHAMBER OFFICE

26 MessagefromtheOffice

ATBC NEWS AND UPDATES14 Australia Thailand Business

Council Update

COMMUNITY SERvICES16 On a Mission for Golf!17 Voluntary English Teaching at

Baan Khao Huay Mahad School, Rayong

CHAMBER EvENTS18 Achieving a Healthy Work/Life

Balance

18

14

20

December 2013 5AustChamThailand Advance

Speaking of the ABF, we have just com-pleted our fourth event in the series, being two in Bangkok, one Eastern Sea-board an one in Phuket. The experi-ence, insights and business experiences coming from these highly successful and effective Australians is of great value and, we hope, a help to our members and aspiring members.

The new Australian Government is using the term ‘Economic Diplomacy’ as it is seeking to further engage with the Asian region; hence we expect the structure of how Government and its agencies engage with Australian chambers of commerce in the region to develop further. The ABF has demonstrated the value that Australian companies and Australians on the ground have in supporting the success of eco-nomic diplomacy.

The end of the year is fast approaching, a time when a lot of you are off on holiday and or enjoying the end of year activities. Best wishes for an enjoyable and safe fes-tive season and best wishes for a suc-cessful 2014.

Thank you all for your support and encour-agement throughout 2013.

Leigh Scott-KemmisPresident, AustCham Thailandwww.austchamthailand.com

Over recent weeks your Board of Directors has been active in interviewing and selecting a new

Executive Director. We are delighted that Renee Bowman has accepted the posi-tion and commenced in the office onMonday 25th November. No doubt you would have read the full announcement recently sent to all members. I am sure you will all join me in welcoming Renee and please take the opportunity to intro-duce yourself when you meet Renee at any of the upcoming functions. I know she is keen to hear your views and ideas.

Mark Carroll will finish up as ExecutiveDirector at the end of December after three highly productive and successful years. In 2013 the Chamber has recorded a record number of members, a record level of sponsorship, record support for the AustCham Community activities, high operating productivity and efficiency, anew highly functional website and, of course, the introduction of the Austral-ian Business Forum (ABF – which is sup-ported by the Australian Government), just to mention a few of the long list of achievements. Renee inherits a cham-ber in great shape with a lot happening. There is always room for further improve-ment and no doubt a lot of new ideas, so we will all be looking forward to 2014 with excitement and anticipation.

thank you Mark for all of your efforts and contribution to AustCham in thailand. Your legacy will be lasting.

FROM THE BOARD

Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce20th Floor, Thai CC Tower889 South Sathorn RoadBangkok 10120Tel.: +66 2 210 0216 Fax: +66 2 675 [email protected]

For more information on individual Board Member focus please visit www.austchamthailand.com/boardmembers

Editorial CommitteeBelinda Skinner, Rananda Rich,Janna De Vos, Gary Woollacott

Marketing & Production Scand-Media Corp. Ltd4/41-42 Moo 3, Thanyakarn VillageRamintra Soi 14, BangkokTel.: +66 2 943-7166/8 Fax: +66 2 [email protected]

AdvertisingFinn BalslevEmail: [email protected]

Contributions to Advance magazine are welcome. Please submit content to communications@austchamthailand.combythefirstdayofthemonthforpublication in the following month’s magazine.

Opinions expressed in Advance do not necessarily reflect the views of the Chamber.

President’s Message

6 December 2013 AustChamThailand Advance

By Stephen Grenville

Australian trade officials have had abusy time over the past few months. Firstly,theTrans-PacificPartnership

(TPP) was discussed in Bali, alongside the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, in early October. Secondly, the Regional Compre-hensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) concluded another negotiating session in Brisbane in late September. Thirdly, the newAustraliangovernmenthasspecifieda high priority for three unresolved bilat-eral free-trade agreements (China, South Korea and Japan), with the objective of concluding an agreement with China within a year. Finally, World Trade Organi-sation (WTO) Ministers will meet in Bali this month to discuss the Doha Round.

Each of these negotiating streams has its strengths and weaknesses.

The so-called free-trade agreements (FTAs) are actually preferential trade agree-ments (PTAs), where a country gives up the right to deal with the cheapest foreign supplier in order to get favoured access for its own exporters. The main reason for joining in these distortionary arrange-ments is a simple one: if everyone else is doing it, you have to join in. They result, however, in a ‘noodle bowl’ of complex overlappingandconflictingagreements.

Both the TPP and the RCEP are also PTAs, but of a less distorting kind. The more members there are in a PTA, the less the distortion, as there is more opportunity totradewithalow-costefficientsupplier.They represent an opportunity to mitigate the damage of bilateral PTAs, over-laying these diverse agreements with a uniform framework common to all members.

They also offer more opportunities to lower behind-the-border barriers. The TPP, for example, will cover labour regu-

would link Australia into the wider regional activities.

RCEP also restores a notable omission from the TPP negotiations: China. Is Chi-na’s omission from the TPP negotiations a conscious element of US containment or is it an effort to establish a set of rules which China will later have to accept if it wants the benefits of participation? Per-haps the second is the stronger motiva-tion, although there may be elements of both.

Thetheoreticalfirst-bestwouldbeacom-prehensive WTO multilateral agreement. WTO discussions, however, have lost the central dynamic which would motivate negotiators to reach agreement — the overarching understanding that reduced

lations, investment procedures, environ-mental issues, competition policy and intellectual property rights. With this range of ‘behind-the-border’ issues, the TPP might more accurately be seen as part of an effort to establish Thomas Friedman’s Golden Straitjacket — the set of universal rules which will govern international rela-tionships.

The RCEP also looks ‘behind the bor-ders’, but it focuses on the operational hindrances which slow trade and inhibit multi-country supply chains. It looks at how customs, quarantine and adminis-trative procedures can be made simpler and more uniform. And of course its geo-graphical coverage is quite different: its ASEAN focus makes it much more Asia-oriented than the TPP and progress there

BUSINESS BRIEF

Image courtesy to the APEC CEO Summit 2013

Bilateral, regional, multilateral:Trade negotiations are warming up


trade barriers benefit all countries. Tit-for-tat bargaining, an unwieldy unanimity formula for the 157 members, and long-held grievances and intransigencies have brought the Doha Round to a dead halt. Perhaps the G20 will be able to breathe life into the multilateral format. At the least, the past gains (including the valuable dis-pute-settlement procedures) need to be maintained.

The bilateral PTAs can best be seen as a stop-gap response to other countries’ PTAs. If these will eventually be subsumed into wider agreements such as the TPP and RCEP (or a multilateral agreement), then no great harm will be done provided we don’t lose sight of the long-term objec-tive: a world in which everyone is treated the same. Thus playing special favourites now might just cause problems later.

It may be unhelpful for the negotiators to be given rigid instructions to conclude a dealwithin a specified timetable, as thiscan weaken bargaining positions. When the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement was negotiated, those on the other side of the bargaining table knew that Australia had to reach agreement, or admit that our Prime Minister was not as close to the US President as he wanted us to believe.

The TPP presents some of the same

problems. Paul Krugman has identifiedthe key flaw in the Golden Straitjacket:written from an American perspective, these rules might be unhelpful for much of the rest of the world.

How are the Golden Straitjacket rules being written? The likelihood is that thefirst draft of any behind-the-border ruleswill be mainly written by the largest par-ticipant in the negotiations, and will under-standably be tilted towards their own circumstances. The smaller negotiating countries are faced with all the political

BUSINESS BRIEF

pressures to be a ‘team player’ and not to stand in the way of a platinum-standard agreement.

The potential for an unfavourable outcome is greater for behind-the-border issues than it is for agreements to reduce trade barriers. Trade theory says that a negotiat-ingcountrywillbenefitfromloweringitstar-iffs even if other countries don’t follow suit by lowering their tariffs. Negotiators can beconfidenttheycan’tmaketheircountryworse off. Behind-the-border issues such as intellectual property rights, on the other hand, are generally a trade-off: what one country gains, the other loses. While tariff negotiations are an unambiguous win-win opportunity, other rule-writing is closer to a zero-sum game.

Dr. Stephen Grenville is a Visiting Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy and works as a consultant on financial sector issues in East Asia. Between 1982 and 2001 he worked at the Reserve Bank of Australia, for the last five years as Deputy Governor and Board member.

This article was originally published by The Interpreter [Online] on October 9, 2013. The Interpreter is published by the Lowy Institute for International Policy, an independent, nonpartisan think tank based in Sydney. It publishes daily commentary and analysis on international events. Image courtesy of the APEC CEO Summit 2013.

To receive digest posts from The Interpreter, visit www.lowyinterpreter.org.

It may be unhelpful for the negotiators to be given rigid instructions to conclude a deal within a specified timetable, as this can weaken bargaining positions....

Why are an ever increasing number of Thailand based expats choosing NZI for their health insurance requirements ?

For more details contact us on: Tel: +66 2207 1023 Email: [email protected]

• Easy to understand plans• Freedom to choose treatment provider• Family Plans: 2nd, 3rd & 4th Child free• No Claims Discount• Corporate plans: Group discount available from only 3 employees• English & Thai speaking staff• Plan cover up to THB 80 million


Critical Questions: The 2013 APEC Leaders’ Meeting and East Asia Summit

BUSINESS BRIEF

By Murray Hiebert, Noelan Arbis and Kyle Springer

IndonesiaandBruneihostedtheAsia-PacificEconomicCooper-ation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting on October 7-8 and the East Asia Summit (EAS) on October 9-10, respectively. APEC is a forum

that seeks to promote trade liberalization and economic coopera-tionamongits21affiliatedeconomies,includingsevenmembersofASEAN—Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam—plus Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States.

The EAS is a leadership forum designed to tackle political and stra-tegicissuesintheAsia-Pacificregion.Itfocusesonawidearrayofissues, including energy cooperation, maritime security, non-pro-liferation, humanitarian assistance, and health. EAS membership includes the 10 ASEAN countries as well as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the United States, which joined in 2011 as part of its rebalance to Asia.

One of the biggest stories of this year’s summits was the absence of President Barack Obama, who was unable to attend because of the partial government shutdown. Obama sent Secretary of State JohnKerrytofillhischair.Healsofilled in forObamaonapost-summit trip to Malaysia. He was joined by U.S. Trade Represent-ative (USTR), Michael Froman, and Commerce Secretary, Penny Pritzker. Unfortunately, Kerry postponed a planned visit to the Phil-ippines due to the impending typhoon.

Q1: What were the main issues discussed at the APEC summit?

A1: This year’s discussions centred on achieving the 1994 Bogor Goals, which call on all members to liberalise trade and invest-ment by 2020, improve connectivity through infrastructure devel-opment and lifting travel barriers, and maintain sustainable and equitable growth for the whole region. To help achieve the Bogor Goals, APEC ministers committed to reduce tariffs on environmen-talgoodsandservicestolessthanfivepercentby2015andestab-lish a public-private partnership to tackle non-tariff barriers in this sector.

APEC members also renewed their commitment to regional con-nectivity through the endorsement of a multi-year work-plan on infrastructure and investment, and the establishment of guidelines on delivering bankable projects, which are designed to promote moreprivatesectorfinancingtohelpmeettheregion’sinfrastruc-ture needs. Members also committed to ease visa restrictions for tourists and business travellers as a means to spur economic growth. Individual countries, such as Japan and China, also prom-ised to help improve the transport and energy infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific regionbyprovidingaid tobuild roads, railways, andpower grids.

In an effort to promote sustainable and equitable growth, China pro-posedanAsianInfrastructureInvestmentBanktofinancedevelop-mentprojectsintheAsia-Pacificregion.APECleadersalsoagreedto take action on expanding economic opportunities for women through skill and capacity building, ensuring equal access to employ-ment, and promoting the importance of greater market inclusion.

Q2: What were the key topics discussed in the EAS?

A2: Security issues played a central role at the EAS. Japan, the Philippines, and the United States pushed their allies in the region to use the rule of law to resolve maritime and territorial disputes with China. Kerry called on the six parties claiming all or part of the South China Sea to negotiate a code of conduct as soon as pos-sible to resolve the disputes peacefully. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe encouraged ASEAN nations to present a united front in their disputes with China.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, on the other hand, repeated Chi-na’s position that negotiations on the South China Sea should only be held between directly concerned parties and that disputes in the sea should not get in the way of ASEAN-China economic relations. Speaking at China’s bilateral summit with ASEAN lead-ers, Li proposed a seven-point plan for ASEAN-China coopera-tion which calls for increased economic, diplomatic, and security cooperation.

Other achievements included an agreement by ASEAN countries to adopt a haze-monitoring system and a pledge by India to sign a free-trade agreement with ASEAN by the end of 2013. ASEAN leaders also adopted a declaration to safeguard women and chil-dren from violence and to improve access to social protection in the region. The Chairman’s statement called on ASEAN mem-bers to continue pushing ahead with regional integration, noting that they had already achieved nearly 80 percent of their goals for the establishment of an ASEAN Economic Community by the end of 2015.


BUSINESS BRIEF

Q3: How did President Obama’s absence impact APEC and EAS?

A3: Many heads of state were sympathetic, albeit disappointed, with Obama’s absence due to the partial government shutdown in Washington, prompted by sharp budget differences between con-gressional Republicans and the White House. Speaking at the APEC CEO Summit, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called Obama’s absence a “great disappointment” to many in Southeast Asia. The U.S. president’s absence also raised doubts about the sustainability of the U.S. rebalance toward Asia. Lee stressed that theUnitedStatesmustcontinuallyengageintheAsia-Pacificregionbecause it plays an important role “which no other country can replace,” a sentiment echoed by other leaders.

President Obama’s absence gave increased prominence to the presence of China’s President Xi Jinping and Premier Li, both at the summits and during their bilateral visits in the region before and after the meetings. Prior to attending APEC in Bali, Xi visited Malay-sia for three days. He signed a pledge with Malaysian Prime Minis-ter Najib Razak to boost bilateral trade to $160 billion by 2017, up from $95 billion last year, which would make Malaysia China’s larg-est trading partner in Southeast Asia.

Xi also met with Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoy-onoinJakarta,wherehebecamethefirstforeignleadertoaddressIndonesia’s parliament, before traveling to Bali. Premier Li attended the EAS in Brunei and then travelled to Thailand on October 11, wherehebecamethefirst foreign leadertogiveaspeechtothecountry’s legislature in over a decade. He is slated on October 13 to visit Vietnam, where he will likely propose strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

President Obama could quickly make up lost ground if he gave a speech soon outlining the importance of Asia to the United States and its critical role in boosting economic growth and creating jobs. Upon cancelling his trip, Obama promised to visit Malaysia and the Philippines before the end of his term. He has also said he would try to visit Vietnam. It would underscore the United States’ com-mitment to the rebalance if he scheduled those trips early in 2014 rather than waiting until he is in Asia for the next APEC and EAS late in the year.

Q4: How did the meetings shape the outlook for the TPP and RCEP?

A4: Secretary Kerry and USTR Froman met with trade ministers from the 11 other countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partner-ship (TPP) free trade agreement on the sidelines of APEC. President Obama planned to use APEC to urge negotiators to speed up TPP negotiations in the hopes of reaching an agreement by the end of 2013. Obama’s absence meant he was not in the meeting to use his personalinfluencetopressforprogress.TheimpasseinCongressover the government budget has also cast doubts over the United States’ ability to get legislators to ratify a completed agreement.

TPP negotiating partners have expressed mixed views on when negotiators should be able to complete hammering out the pact’s details. Prime Minister Najib said he is doubtful that negotiations will be completed by the end of the year, citing a need for further review within the Malaysian government. Froman said, however, thatsignificantprogresswasmadeduringhisnegotiationswiththe11 member countries just before the APEC summit.

President Xi meanwhile pushed countries on the sidelines of APEC to commit to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), an agreement between ASEAN and six EAS countries with which it has bilateral free trade pacts: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. It is considered a far less compre-hensive trade agreement than TPP, but also easier for countries not ready for such high-level liberalization to accept. RCEP nego-tiations began earlier this year in an effort to harmonise the differ-ent trade agreements within the region, and the participants aim to complete it in 2015. The United States, which does not have a trade agreement with ASEAN, is excluded from the negotiations, but would be allowed to seek entry once the pact is completed.

Murray Hiebert is a senior fellow and deputy director of the Sum-itro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Noelan Arbis and Kyle Springer are researchers with the CSIS Sumitro Chair.

This article was originally published in “Critical Questions”, a short analysis series produced by the Centre for Strategic and Interna-tional Studies (CSIS) on October 11, 2013. CSIS is a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and non-proprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s). To read the original article, please visit http://csis.org/publication/2013-apec-leaders-meeting-and-east-asia-summit.


BUSINESS BRIEF

The ASEAN Economic Community, which is due to be established in December 2015, creates a huge

potential for the streamlined flow oflabour, goods and services, and invest-ment capital across the region. There also will be tariff reductions and reform of cer-tain administrative procedures. Indeed, improved economies of scale and scope, heightened competition, higher produc-tivity, and increased foreign direct invest-ments-allofthesemodificationsshouldstimulate greater growth, generate more intra-regional trade, encourage the emer-gence of robust and globally competitive ASEAN enterprises, and lead to more jobs for all. However, along with these oppor-tunities there are also potential challenges that Thailand has to be aware of and address in order to fully exploit the pos-sible benefits arising from the country’spresence the wider ASEAN market.

Firstly, AEC members will confront a free trade environment wherein competition will be ripe. Various goods can be and will be sold without any additional tax in differ-ent countries, effectively creating a single market entity for all ASEAN countries. Indeed, this feature will allow Thai firmsto benefit from regional integration andmarket liberalisation, allowing more prod-ucts to be traded, which could generate increased revenues.

Secondly, labour migration will surge sig-nificantly thereby impacting industrialgrowth and development. People living in countries that provide a relatively low mini-mum wage will migrate to work in a place where conditions are reasonable and pay is higher. This could be both beneficialand detrimental.

Thirdly, the enlarged marketplace will aid investors, as they will have more options and will be able to select the smart choice to invest their money.

Fourthly, many countries outside of the AEC, like Australia, Japan, China, India, New Zealand, South Korea, have demon-strated enthusiasm for the project and its

erable advantage to businesses seeking new consumers, as well as increasing economies of scale.

Regarding the issue of labour, it is worth noticing that legal migration of workers based on quotas and illegal migration continues and grows. With this in mind, the Ministry of Labour has prepared set criteria for the issuance of work permits tocopewiththefreeflowofASEANpro-fessionals and skilled labour, once the AEC goes into full effect in December 2015. Indeed, Permanent Secretary for Labour Somkiat Chayasriwong said that, in the initial stage, work permits would be issued for ASEAN citizens in 25 pro-fessional fields, in line with the ASEANAgreement on the Movement of Natural Persons (MNP). The professional fieldsinvolved with, for example, engineering, computer, research and development, advertising, marketing research, manage-ment, agricultural, telecommunication, educational, financial, health, translation,construction, and transport services.

future expansion, potentially creating the largest consumer market in the world.

And finally, the AEC will drive the worldeconomy by investing in infrastructure projects in developing countries such as Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Inthelongterm,amorelevelplayingfieldin the ASEAN region will be achieved and prosperity more evenly spread out across Southeast Asia. But, in the short term, some ASEAN members will be better positioned to take advantage of the AEC and to utilise it as a platform to enhance their global competitiveness.

Nonetheless, the fact that both the goods and services markets will be larger means that there will be more prospects availa-ble for both Thai business entrepreneurs and workers. Thailand has a domes-tic market of approximately 65 million people, but after the AEC this market will effectively increase to about 600 million people. If ASEAN succeeds in reducing taxes and tariffs, this will have a consid-

Thailand Prepares for AEC

Bangkok Patana School Celebrates IB and (I)GCSE

Achievements

Congratulations to the Class of 2013 on your IB results: 93% pass rate against a world average (WA) of 78% One student gained a perfect 45 point score Two students achieved 44 points A mean grade of 5.3 in individual subjects (WA = 4.7) Average points score of candidates who passed is 33.0 (WA 29.8) (with a non-selective admissions policy)

We wish the Class of 2013 the best of luck in their future

endeavours. Last year 226 of our students sat (I)GCSE exams: 25.98% of grades awarded were A* (WA = 19.73%) 51.43% of grades awarded were A*- A (WA = 39.99%) 90.13% of grades awarded were A*- C (WA = 62.45%) 12 candidates, who sat AS Maths a year early, achieved the top A grade 21 students were awarded eight or more A*s

Many congratulations to all our (I)GCSE students and we wish them the very best as they progress in their academic studies.

643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna, Bangkok, 10260

Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 2785 0200

Email: [email protected] www.patana.ac.th


AustCham Bronze Corporate Sponsor: RLC ReCRuitment Co., Ltd.

BUSINESS BRIEF

Of equal significance, efforts have beenmade to provide greater opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in preparation for the AEC. The Department of Industrial Promotion has worked out major strategies to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs, which serve as the foundation of the country’s economy.

According to the proposed plans, SME operators will be provided with more funding and information sources, as well as product testing services, to facilitate their operations. While the existing opera-tors will be assisted further in their devel-opment, new SME operators will receive the requisite backing from the Depart-ment of Industrial Promotion. Innova-tions and information technology will be emphasised to increase the efficiencyofproduction. In order to enable SME oper-ators to compete effectively in the world market and to survive in the AEC, busi-ness matching between Thai SMEs and their foreign counterparts will be a priority.

Moreover, these SME groups will help generate more income and employment. With these projects, the Department of Industrial Promotion expects to develop at least 7,000 SME operators.

There are currently almost three million SME operators across Thailand in the pro-duction, trade, and service sectors. Like-wise,areportfromtheOfficeofSmallandMedium Enterprise Promotion, under the Ministry of Industry, stated that, during the first six months of 2013, Thai SMEsexported more than 905.7 billion Baht worth of goods, mainly to China, Japan, the United States, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. Major exports include gems and jewellery, plastic products, rubber and rubber prod-ucts, machinery, computers and compo-nents, and sugar. During the same period, Thai SMEs imported 1.2 trillion Baht of goods, mainly from China, Japan, Switzer-land, the United States, and the Republic of Korea. Major imports include machin-ery, computers and components, electri-cal appliances, iron and steel, and plastics.

Overall, the integration of ASEAN into a single market will be a true transformative endeavour for the region. More impor-tantly, it will intensify and enhance notice-ably the current linkages that ASEAN maintains with the global economy and open additional doors of opportunity to individual ASEAN members.

As the process of globalisation pushes countries towards greater cooperation and policy coordination at the interna-tional level, so does regionalism play a similar role at a more localised level. With the ASEAN Economic Community on the horizon, the Government of Thailand, together with its partners in the private sector, has taken steps to prepare the country and its citizens for the changes that will follow regional economic integra-tion and trade liberalisation.

This article was originally published in Thailand Investment Review (TIR), Volume 23:10. TIR is a monthly publication of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI).

International School Bangkok

www.isb.ac.th

ISB Grade 2 - 1966

Bringing out the passion in each of us since 1951.


Once more, it’s been another busy year for the ATBC. In the past year we have: collaborated with AustCham on the ‘Australia in Integrated Asia’ conference in Bangkok

in November 2012; supported the Australian government in promotion and attendance of the ‘Doing Business in Thailand’ national seminar series of Australian Ambassador H.E. James Wise, and Senior Trade Commissioner Greg Wallis; worked collaboratively with the Thai government to provide advice on trade delegations and support the official recognition of‘Thai Town’ in Sydney; liaised with the University of Sydney in relation to a potential business event in association with the 12th International Conference on Thai Studies in 2014; and attended Australian government events and forums representing the ATBC. We have also worked with Baker & Mackenzie to collaborate on an AEC business seminar for November this year.

2012-13 was a year when the Board largely focused on strategic review regarding the role of the ATBC, the stakeholder environment, and viability of our core operating and business model.Webelieved itwas important to reflectonandensurethe ATBC serves to meet the evolving needs of the business community in which it operates.

The ATBC was founded 30 years ago in Canberra, at a time when the internet did not exist, when trade was largely bilateral in nature, and when information was shared in person at face-

to-face networking events. At its peak, the council had hundreds of members, led delegations to Thailand, and was a key part of furthering the Australia Thailand Business relationship.

The world has changed. It’s now possible to access key information on digital platforms, face-to-face networking is not as critical, and global mobility is far more possible. The Thai-Australian business dynamic has also shifted dramatically. Companies are regionally integrated, and Thai investment in Australia is larger than Australian investment in Thailand by an order of magnitude. Trade is also more likely to be regional than bilateral. Government services such as those of Austrade and the Thailand Board of Investment support Australian businesses branching out into the region, and AustCham provides valuable networking opportunities on the ground in country. For the ATBC to thrive, it will be critical to address these broader changes and deeply connect with the growing Thai business community in Australia.

I will be standing down from the Presidency of the ATBC at the October AGM. It has been an exciting and challenging journey, and I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to fellow Board and Advisory Board Members for their support and involvement in the past two years. Other Board Members who have announced their intention to step down include: Christa Avery, Kaye Eldridge and Linsey Siede. John Hancock, Mike Courtnall and Gavin Thomas will also be stepping down as Advisors to the Board.

ATBC NEWS AND UPDATE

Australia Thailand Business Council Update


ATBC NEWS AND UPDATE

In the past year, the ATBC has had a closer relationship with the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce, largely due to the talents and collaborative capacity of Mark Carroll, Executive Director of AustCham. Mark is also coming to the end of his term, and I commend him on a great job. AustCham continues to be a great resource for Australian business people in Thailand.

I would like to thank His Excellency Ambassador Maris Sangiampongsa, Thai Ambassador to Australia, and his team for the support, collaboration and engagement with the ATBC. I would also like to thank His Excellency Ambassador James Wise for his engagement with the ATBC and the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Thai desk and Australian Embassy in Thailand.

Without our members, the ATBC will not exist, and our members’ interest, involvement and financial contributionsmatter. It’s been a delight witnessing member creativity, innovation, and commitment to long-term engagement in Asia. Such commitment drives business and economic growth, both for Australia and for Thailand.

I strongly believe that in the Asian Century, Southeast Asia, andmore specifically Thailand, must be on the agenda for

Australian business. The challenge is to educate Australian business and support their engagement in the region by providing enabling information, targeted support and access to in-market business networks. Such networks need to expand beyond the bilateral to fully embrace and leverage the opportunities being provided in regionally integrated markets of ASEAN and the coming AEC. They also need to involve both Australian business people and their Thai and ASEAN colleagues and counterparts from the region.

I wish Robert Taylor, John Connor and Doug Blunt all the best in continuing to lead the ATBC. Their commitment to ensuring the institution of the ATBC and it’s legacy continues to be impressive, and the time they invested in the previous 20 years, andcontinuetocontributeissignificant.

I wish our members and community of stakeholders all the best in continuing to build a collaborative, creative and constructive business relationship between Australia and Thailand.

Sincerely,

Tamerlaine Beasley National President

6/F SPC Building, 1 Soi Chaemchan, Sukhumvit 55, Klongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand t: +66 2 714 8580 f: +66 2 391 4503

Focusing on heavy civil engineering and infrastructure, building, industrial and marine services, Thai Leighton is a leading construction service provider with the knowledge and experience to develop competitive, innovative and practical solutions. We are part of the Leighton Asia, India and Offshore Group.

www.laio.com

25th anniversarythis year25 years ago Thai Leighton began operations in Thailand, establishing its head office in Bangkok in 1988.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

AustCham ad_output Landscape Draft Rev5-1.pdf 1 11/1/2013 3:36:39 PM

AustCham Bronze Corporate Sponsor: thAi Leighton


[email protected] | www.mywwm.org

Women With a Mission is delighted to invite friends and supporters to join their

5THANNUALCHARITYGOLFTOURNAMENTAustChamThailandProudly supported by

B3,500pergolferorB14,000perteamof4.OPENTOMENANDWOMEN.

Date: Friday,18October2013Time:Loca�on:

12:00Noonshotgunstart(registra�onfrom11:00am-11:45am)PhoenixGolfClub(SukhumvitRoad,KM158,HuaiYai)

PlayerFee:Includesgreenfee,caddy,goodybag&tournamentgolfshirt.DinnerandawardceremonyatPhoenixGolfCoursefrom6pm,free-flowbeer&wine.Cartand�pnotincluded.Non-golferswelcometojoinbuffet,costB500.

AllproceedsfromtheeventwillbenefitchildreninWomenWithaMission'sNOURISH,EDUCATEandCAREprogrammesinThailand.

Seewww.mywwm.orgformoreinforma�on.Forbookingsorfurtherinforma�on,pleasecallKylie087-4823520,Rosanne

081-8650714,orBronwyn089-8980658,[email protected].

ProudlySupportedBy:OrganisedBy: MediaandHoleSponsors:

PREMIUMSPONSORS GOLDSPONSORS SILVERSPONSORS

SPONSORSHIPOPPORTUNITIESARESTILLAVAILABLE!Beinganeventsponsorprovidesaddi�onalsupporttothisgreatcauseandisagreatwaytopromoteyourcompany.For

moreinforma�ononthepackagesavailable,pleasecontactKylieGrimmer(087-4823520);RosanneDiamente(081-8650714)orPaulWilkinson(081-9039477).

The Women With a Mission team from Pattaya has done it again. Forthefifthconsecutiveyeartheyhaveorganisedandrunahighlypopular and successful golf tournament. They even managed to get through the entire day without rain on the immaculate Phoenix Golf Course in Pattaya, despite threatening black clouds and daunting thunderstorms loitering in the nearby skies.

Women With a Mission is a small group, comprising of one American and two Aussie ladies who work tirelessly to deliver support for marginalised needy children in Thailand. Their work with Karen children on the Thai-Myanmar border and severely disabled children in Sattahip has provided a real difference in the

lives of hundreds of children. There are more than 250 children on the Thai border relying on WWM every day of the year to feed, house and educate them. At the Sattahip disabled facility they are now looking to expand from a minding center to a facility that provides actual remedial therapy to the children.

The annual WWM tournament has become one of their major fund-raising sources; and this year was no exception. More than one hundred golfers turned up for the ‘Texas Scramble’ event held on Friday 18 October, and helped to raise B670,000. We would like to extend a special thanks to all of our sponsors, without whom our golf tournament would not be possible.

COMMUNITY SERVICES

On a Mission for Golf!

Mermaid Dive Center, Ibis Pattaya Hotel, Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya, Woodlands Suites, Harmony Beauty & Relax, Pinnacle Grand Resort, Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok, Mecure Hotel Pattaya, 20 Nail Studio, Club Wax Pattaya, Amari Hotel Pattaya, Pullman Hotel G Pattaya, Birds & Bees Resort, Bruno’s Restaurant, Mike’s Mexican Restaurant, Gian’s Restaurant, Linda’s Restaurant, Pan Pan Restaurant, Jelly Belly Candy Company, Holiday Inn Pattaya, Casa Pascal’s, Janneke Simoons, Hedie Sizoo, Cromwell-Tools (Thailand), Indian by Nature, Royal Varuna Yacht Club, Nancy Jacobs, Craig Donnelly, Asian Tigers, Travel Easy Asia, Nina Heyer, Phoenix GOLD Golf, Fenix Apparel, Kizwa OK Co. Ltd, Fitting Golf, Drifters Bar & Restaurant, Andrew Scaife Golf Pro, Raja’s Fashions, TPR Golf Academy, Richard Cromwell, Shenanigans Jomtien.

Prize Sponsors

Premium Sponsors Gold Sponsors Silver Sponsors








































































COMMUNITY SERVICES

voluntary English TeachingSaturday 16 november 2013 at Baan Khao huay mahad School, RayongThis month AustChams’ volunteer English teaching group had loads of fun with children from the Baan Khao Huay Mahad School! Together with a group of volunteers we organised a bunch of activities and games to engage the children in the English language. The aim of this programme is to have some fun with the children and show them that learning English is not as scary as they think! If you would like to join us, we welcome you! No prior teaching experience is necessary, just a lot of enthusiasm! So come and give it a try… contact [email protected] to put your name down now.


Toomuchtodo?Toolittletime?Mostof us are familiar with this double-sided dilemma. In fact, most of us

face it on a daily basis.

To help us overcome this problem, Aust-Cham invited Bumrungrad Hospital to share their knowledge in a special evening presentation held at the luxurious Cascade Club in Sathorn. The evening started with Dr Somboon Roonphornchai’s presenta-tion on “How Can Hormones Help with Your Energy Levels”. This was followed by Dr Pichet Nampuksan’s presentation on “Personalised Exercise Regimes that Work for You”. Finally, David Williamson,

General Manager of Cascade Club, took to the stage giving a short introduction to the Club and highlighting the extraordi-naryhealthbenefitsofredwine(tobecon-sumed in moderate amounts, of course!).

On Mr Williamson’s note, guests were warmly invited to Cascade Club’s very own bistro wine bar for a range of healthy canapés, drinks and friendly network-ing. A number of health-check stations were also available for curious guests to check their lung capacity, strength and balance.

Thank you to our venue sponsor, Cas-

Achieving a Healthy Work/Life Balance

cade Club, for spoiling guests with a won-derful selection of healthy fruit smoothies and canapés. The Club’s hospitality was exceptional, and their fitness and spafacilitiesfirst-class.Wewouldalsoliketothank our partners, the BCCT Professional Women’s Group, Australian-New Zealand Women’s Group Bangkok (ANZWG) and AustralianAlumni for extending the invita-tion to their members.

Thank you to Belinda Skinner, our brilliant eveningMC.Andfinally,abig thankyouto Dr. Somboon Roonphornchai and Dr. Pichet Nampulsuksan for their engaging and informative presentations

CHAMBER EVENTS

AustralianAlumni Partner: oPuS ReCRuitment


CHAMBER EVENTS

Bangkok Sundowners Wednesday 6 november 2013 at the imperial Queen’s Park hotel, Bangkok

Hosted by The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, this month’s Bangkok Sundowners was held in support of Convoy for Kids, a foundation that aims to put some fun into the lives of handicapped and under privileged children as well as give them financial support. Guests were welcomed to the hotel’s outside pool area, which was beautifully decorated with a special ice-bar and delicious food stations. Thank you to The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, our venue sponsor, for treating our guests to a luxurious venue and wonderful service. Also a very special thank you to our corporate sponsor, Servcorp, for making the evening possible.

1) Warwick Kneale , Baker Tilly Thailand Ltd, AustCham Treasurer ; David Mills, Convoy for Kids; Belinda Skinner, TopTalentAsia, AustCham Vice President; Australian Ambassador to Thailand HE Mr James Wise; Krittiya (Koom) Kanoknata , Servcorp; Michal Zitek, The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel; Leigh Scott-Kemmis, DBM (Thailand), AustCham President. 2) Kyong-Jin, Olivia Park, TICON Industrial Connection Plc; Christ Thatcher, British Chamber of Commerce Thailand. 3) Trevor Dick, IndoChine; Phairoj JewKaew, Tribeca Enterprise Co. Ltd; John Gillies, Thai Leighton Limited; John Ginnane, Baker Tilly Thailand Ltd; Colm Hunt, Alkimos Technology. 4) Rakchanok (Nok) Tiwa, Servcorp; Krittiya (Koom) Kanoknata, Servcorp; Yanisa (Nan) Sartrapai, Servcorp; Hana Wada, Servcorp; Thananphorn (Tanya) Sabut,

3

1 2

4


CHAMBER EVENTSCHAMBER EVENTS

Servcorp. 5) Ben Giles, Australian Trade Commission; Desley Lodwick, DeakinPrime; Philippa Dawson, Austrade; Jim Rolon, J.R. Photography. 6) Sam Flanagan, Meinhardt (Thailand) Ltd; Ali Adam, CH2M HILL; Warwick Baglin, Meinhardt (Thailand) Ltd; Greg Shand, Expat Property Planners; Daniel Astbury, GL Garrad Hassan. 7) Alex Swan, Et Al Architecture; Chalong Phijdvijan, HBO + EMTB. 8) Atakarn (Riz) Tragulmalee, HolidayInn Pattaya; Pitchayada Pitipattarajinda, HolidayInn Pattaya; praepan Wallisuta, HolidayInn Pattaya; Peerawit Roekpanee, HolidayInn Pattaya. 9) Kornkanok Taramaskul, The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel ; Wannapha Lowruktham, The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel; Sudawadee Intaaie, The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel; Chuanpit (Naam) Meyer, Administration Outsourcing Co. Ltd.

5 6

7 8 9

AUSTCHAM MEMBERS

This month AustCham held its Phuket Sundowners at Lounge V in the Novotel Phuket Resort by The Beach. We would like to extend a very special thank you to our corporate sponsors, dwp, for helping us make this wonderful evening possible.

Phuket Sundowners Friday 15 november 2013 at the novotel Phuket Resort

Can a business partner promise the world if they only operate on half of it?

We don’t think so.

Ambition and expertise that knows no bounds.

It’s how we drive change in our business - and yours.

For more information or to contact us, visit tti-global.com

.

Staffing

Learning

Research

Consulting

You’ll find TTi Global staffing, learning, research and consulting experts hard at work driving change, every day, in more than 24 countries around the world. From Afghanistan to Argentina, China to Chile and beyond, we deliver the tools, technology and talent to drive change improve business performance for our clients.

WORLD’S FINEST SERVICED & VIRTUAL OFFICES

SOUTH EAST ASIA | CHINA | AUSTRALIA | NEW ZEALAND | JAPAN | INDIA | MIDDLE EAST | TURKEY | EUROPE | UK | USA + 140 LOCATIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE

W | servcorp.co.thLevel 29 The Offices at CentralworldServiced OfficeT | 02 207 2500Virtual OfficeT | 02 207 2600

Levels 8 and 9 1 Silom RoadServiced OfficeT | 02 231 8000Virtual OfficeT | 02 231 8100

Level 18 The Park Ventures Ecoplex BuildingServiced OfficeT | 02 309 3400Virtual OfficeT | 02 309 3500

SERVICED OFFICESFor the 1-10 man business

Fully furnished prestigious offices 2 months deposit Dedicated receptionist answering your calls the way you would like Meeting rooms, multilingual secretaries Free private offices in our worldwide locations Fastest internet and IT support Lease terms from just 1 month From just THB 30,000

SERVCORP VIRTUAL OFFICEEverything but the Office

Prestigious business address for your letterhead and business cards Local telephone number answered by your receptionist the way you would like Free business lounge everyday Meeting rooms, multilingual secretaries Access to private offices Monthly contract, no risk No deposit required if payment made by credit card From just THB 950 per month

2 MONTHS @ 1/2 PRICENo Further Obligation *Only for Virtual Office

AustCham gold Corporate Sponsor: SeRVCoRP


digital Alchemy (thailand) Limited173AsiaCentreBuilding12AfloorSouth Sathorn Road, ThungmahamekSathorn, Bangkok, 10120 Phone: +662 163 6339Fax: +662 163 6338Email: [email protected]: www.digitalalchemy.asia

Representatives:Regan Yan, Managing DirectorWarakan Poomgumarn, Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist

Company Profile:Digital Alchemy Limited (DA) is Asia Pacific’sleadingDatabaseMarketingServices Provider. DA helps organisations to create a positive customer experience and achieve customer centric marketing by utilising technological solutions to optimise the use of customer data. This proven transformation process integrates DA’s expertise in the development of innovative customer strategies, analytics, campaign automation, database design and development, and blends these capabilities withthebusinessspecificknowledgeoftheclients.

Established in 2003 and operating in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Nanjing, and Singapore, DA has been contributing to the success of an expanding breadth of clients including leadingcompaniesinfinancialservices,telecommunications, motoring services, media and other industry sectors. DA’s team of professionals are dedicated to working with clients to improve their marketingefficiencyandtocapturelatentcustomer value.

Products and Services: Transforming your database marketing by integrating DA’s top-class expertise in the development of innovative customer strategies, analytics, campaign automation, database design and development, and blending these capabilities with your businessspecificknowledgetooptimisethe use of customer data and achieve highest return.

iMs health inc.16th Fl., Ploenchit Center Bldg.,2 Sukhumvit Soi 2, KlongtoeyBangkok 10110Phone: +662 613 6300Fax: +662 656 9134Website: www.imshealth.com

Representatives:Helen Featherstone, General ManagerChatchai Lertwatthanachai, Sr. Sales Manager

Company Profile:IMS Health operates in more than 100 countries, and is the world’s leading provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. With more than 55 years of industry experience, IMS offers leading-edge market intelligence products and services that are integral to clients’ day-to-day operations, including product and portfolio management capabilities; commercial effectiveness innovations; managed care and consumer health offerings; and consulting and services solutions that improve productivity andthe delivery of quality healthcare worldwide.Additional information is available at http://www.imshealth.com/thailand.

Products and Services: • Information&AnalyticsOfferings• Measuresthesalesperformanceof

pharmaceutical products sold in the hospital and drugstore channels in Thailand

• CommercialEffectivenessServices• Qualitativeandquantitativemarket

research• ManagementConsulting

W hotel Bangkok106, 108 North Sathorn Road Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500Phone: +662 344 4000Fax: +662 344 4310Email: [email protected]: www.whotelbangkok.com

Representatives:Nick Heath, General ManagerAllen Howden, Director of Sales and Marketing

Company Profile:Thehotelcombinesa31-floormodernglass tower with a century-old, European-inspired heritage building. It is located in the heart of Bangkok’s bustling commercial district with direct access to the city’s elevated rail system.

W Bangkok features 403 guestrooms and suites, including 244 Wonderful Rooms, 106 Spectacular Rooms, 19 Cool Corner Rooms, 20 Studio Suites, 2 Fantastic Suites and 10 Marvelous Suites. Those who wish to enjoy an escalated design level may book a Wow Suite, Extreme Wow Suite (W-style Presidential Suite). The design and offerings of W Bangkok embody the capital’s fusion of past and present to create a shimmering new scene. Interiors of the hotel as well as The Mansion mirror the secrecy of the city’s obscure alleyways and the evocative twists and turns of its corridors, while evoking spirits of the past and evoking the city’s captivating collision of modern skyscrapers and ancient temples and shimmering bijous.

Products and Services: WET® DeckTheoutdoorpoolonthehotel’ssixthflooris eye-catching with the eyeball shape andtwinklingunderwaterfiberopticlightsresembling the star-sky. Lounge around on cabana by the pool and enjoy food and drinks served all day at the pool-side bar.

SWEAT® Fitness CenterGetfitandfirm24/7onthesixthfloorwith149 square meter space equipped with latestfitnessgearandtechnology.

W The StoreExpress yourself with trendy goods exclusively selected by W – clothes, accessories, merchandise and gifts – which are all too unique.

Whatever/Whenever®

W signature 24/7 Whatever/Whenever service can be your personal shopper navigating you through the fashion

AUSTCHAM MEMBERS

AustCham Welcomes new Members


Married to Oum (Thai national), with grown up children in Australia and Thailand and a young son in Malaysia. Keen golfer. Member of Austcham in HK and Manila, and founder, as well as Chairman of ANZCHAM in Korea from 2001-2003.

Mr Andrew thorpeCordelta Bangkok,ThailandPhone: +6681 809 7444Email: [email protected] Level: Individual Ordinary

superiorPO Box 920, NerangQueensland 4211 AustraliaPhone: +61755948200Fax: +61755948222Email: [email protected]: www.superiorjetties.com

Representatives:Phil Hudson, International Sales ManagerJohn Hogan, CEO

Company Profile:Headquartered on Queensland’s Gold Coast, in Australia, Superior is an Australian owned multi-disciplined group.

For over 25 years, Superior has provided highqualityflotationandindustrialproductsto a variety of industries throughout Australia and internationally. Superior is known for its personalised customer service and its innovation and ability to provide a complete ‘turn key’ package in respect of any of its products or services.

Superior has a strong reputation for partneringwithclientstofulfiltheirneeds.These partnerships have allowed Superior to drive forward with the development of innovative products, which are focused on the needs of clients – and their clients. The R&DTeamcontinuallyworktofindnewandmore cost effective and sustainable ways to both enhance existing products and to develop new systems and technology.

This reputation forged on quality, performance and delivery has resulted in many Superior products to be installed in some of the world’s most stunning marine locations, including the Seychelles, the Middle East, India and throughout Asia. Superior’s international licensee and dealer network offers on the ground support in many of these locations.

AUSTCHAM MEMBERS

mecca. How about an indulging banquet whilecruisingtheChaoPhrayaRiver?A helicopter ride over temples and skyscrapertips?Ourservicetransformstheordinary into the extraordinary.

Zambrero Pty Ltd33/105A Vanessa Street, KingsgroveNew South Wales, 2208 AustraliaPhone: +61(02) 8068 8131Email: [email protected]: www.zambrero.com

Representative:Stuart Cook, CEO

Company Profile:Zambrero is a humanitarian organisation that funds its aid and development projects by selling healthy Mexican food. Since being formed by Dr. Sam Prince in 2005, more than one million meals have been provided to those living in poverty around the world through the Plate 4 Plate initiative.

Plate 4 Plate is Zambrero’s way of providing food to those in need. For every burrito or bowl purchased at Zambrero, a meal is donated through distribution partner Stop Hunger Now, which distributes food to those in the developing world.

Founder Dr Sam Prince, entrepreneur and philanthropist, wanted to create a humanitarian organisation dedicated to social responsibility whilst providing bold, modern Mexican food. It is this combination that has seen Dr Prince nominated as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010, named ACT Young Australian of the Year in 2012 and Zambrero being recognised as the fastest growing franchise in Australia by BRW Magazine 2010.

Products and Services: The Zambrero product range includes burritos, nachos, and healthy burrito bowls, all topped with slow cooked meats, the freshest salsas, and guacamole made fresh.

Mr Rik BorgerConsultant Construction582/2222B Taiping Towers, Sukhumvit Soi 63, Ekamai, Watthana, Bangkok, 10110Phone: +668 3080 7132Email: [email protected]

Individual Profile: Recently semi retired to Thailand after more than 30 years in the construction engineering industry, covering Australia, Malaysia, Korea, Hong Kong and Philippines, most recently as Regional Director Asia with RMD Kwikform (10 years plus).

Products and Services: Superior can provide a variety of high quality marinas, pontoons, over water boardwalks,industrialflotation,boatliftsand Jet Ski docking systems for all types of commercial, government and resort requirements. The company’s Elite, Super Elite, Capri or UMD enable system options provide an ideal solution for any size or type of installation to suit the particular requirements of the location and intended use. Versatility can be achieved with Superior’s ability to combine marina systems for an optimum outcome.

Superior Work is the mining and industrial products brand for the group which specialises in rotomoulded and CNC machined plastic products. It supplies industrialflotationsystemsandcustomdesigned products and is a partner and moulding for a wide variety of external customers in many industries. These include automotive, defence and mining customers, in addition to designing and moulding its own range of products. Superior’ssignificantin-housetechnicalexpertise allows collaboration with designers, engineers and manufacturers to develop new moulds from design to testing and into production, ensuring a cost effective product.

With an emphasis on quality and customer satisfaction, Superior’s mission is to provide sustainable solutions to support work, play and life, and provide a comprehensive and satisfying customer experience with their variety of products and services.

Mr John Pegg, PrecipioPO Box 6250 North Sydney NSW 2059, 5 1 Elizabeth Plaza, North SydneyNew South Wales, 2060 AustraliaPhone: +61299292444Email: [email protected]

Individual Profile: Principal of Precipio, Chartered Accountants based in North Sydney, NSW.specialising in Taxation, Audit and Business consulting. Provides tax advice to Expats and has established clients from Singapore, Hong Kong, PRC, Malaysia, Europe, USA and Canada.

Precipio provides help for companies starting business in Australia by assisting in directorships, structure of business,accounting and taxation.

Fellow of Australian Institute of Direcors, Institute of Chartered Acoountants and Associate of Institute of Chartered Secretaries.


Within the AustCham office our teamis showcasing first-class service andefficiency. We’ve invested in new tools,and put in new place systems. We’ve had a healthy turnover of staff, and recruited impressive new talent. We’ve only begun to unlock the potential of our new member management system, but already it has transformedtheefficiencyandeffectivenessof the office (which translates into betterservice for members). I remain amazed at what AustCham is able to achieve on our very modest budget – and it is practically all done in-house. We rarely contract to others.

Our new performance remuneration system is bringing out the best in our paid employees. It demands top quality work, and rewards it. Our volunteers are rewarded less handsomely, but their value to the Chamber is enormous. I have been very lucky to serve under Leigh Scott-Kemmis and John Anderson as AustCham Presidents. The many, many hours they have voluntarily given to the Chamber reflectstheir unselfish dedication to advancingAustralia-Thai commerce. For them it has always been about the big picture. They have wanted to see AustCham grow as an institution.

It is a credit to AustCham that people such as David Armstrong, John Hancock and Gary White are willing to associate their reputations with the Chamber as Honorary Members. Their practical support is also invaluable.I’vecertainlybenefitedfromtheirwisdom.

This is my final message as AustChamExecutive Director. I thank the many Aust-Cham members and friends who have sup-ported me in the role. I’ve also received fantastic assistance from the Australian Embassy, led by the remarkably dedicated Ambassador James Wise. I particularly thankmy colleagues in the office who’vehad the courage and patience to trust that there is method to my madness. AustCham is an important institution with fantastic potential. I suspect there’s much more suc-cess to come.

Mark CarrollExecutive Director, AustCham Thailandwww.austchamthailand.com

Recently I discussed with a fellow AustCham Executive Director the key elements of a successful Australian

overseas Chamber of Commerce. I said that in my view it was crucial that a Chamber:

• beunapologetically focussedonAustralian-related business. That is the raison d’être of a Chamber and overwhelmingly why people becomefinancialmembers;

• reflectAustralianvalues,particularlyofinclu-siveness. A great strength of AustCham Thailand, for example, was the breadth and diversity of its membership and its role as a bridge into the Thai community;

• haveaclearbusinessnarrative.Asthepeakbody representing Australian business in any particular country, it is important that a Chamber be able to articulate a view on Aus-tralian business there;

• maintainastronginstitutionalcore,includingbest-practice systems and processes; and

• be able to bring out the best in its paidemployees, as well as the many volunteers that a Chamber relies upon.

Much of my energy with AustCham Thailand has gone to strengthening these key ingredients. It’s been a collective effort involving the Board of Directors, AustCham office, and manyAustCham members and friends. Looking back over my three years with the Chamber, I think we can be proud of what we have collectively achieved. We’ve built substantially on a strong 30 plus year foundation.

Today, AustCham Thailand has an identity and purpose that has perhaps never been clearer. It is encapsulated in our “Business. Connec-tions. Community.” mantra. Our membership embraces businesses big and small, Australian and Thai, and everything in between. We have developed new and strong bonds with the Thai community, particularly Thai companies that are investing heavily in Australia. Our Australi-anAlumniprogramhasflourished.ThroughourAustralian Business Forum (ABF) initiative, we are now elevating the focus on Australia-Thai business to a new level, and unlocking valuable knowledge and networking opportunities.

AustCham Thailand is sought out for our views. Ourofficereceivesastreamofvisitors–manyof them just in from Australia. Much of what we say refers back to our 2012 ‘Study of Australian Business in Thailand’. But we also point to our articles in Advance magazine, write-ups of ABF events, LinkedIn page and Business Information Library as containing the knowledge that com-prises the AustCham narrative.

FROM THE CHAMBER OFFICE

Calendar of Events

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER Bangkok Sundowners18:00 – 21:00 Venue: The Ambassador’s Residence, Australian Embassy, 37 South Sathorn Road Sponsors: dwp, The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel Bangkok, and Choice Foods

THURSDAY 5 DECEMBERAustCham Office closed In honour of H.M. The King of Thailand Birthday

TUESDAY 10 DECEMBERAustCham Office closedIn honour of Constitution Day

FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER Bayer Map Ta Phut Site visit Location: Bayer Map Ta Phut

Eastern Seaboard Sundowners18:00 – 21:00 Venue: Amari Orchid Pattaya

TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER AustralianAlumni End of Year Celebration 18:00 – 20.30 Venue: The Ambassador’s Residence, Australian Embassy, 37 South Sathorn Road Sponsors: Opus Recruitment and Blackmores

WEDNESDAY 25 DECEMBER – WEDNESDAY 1 JANUARY 2014AustCham Office closed

Message from the Executive Director

thank you to our november sponsors

Documents

Advance December 2013