AmChamHK Mar 2017 by The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong

Journal of The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong

Leading by Example Diversity at the Chamber

AmChamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blueprint for a Smart City Guide to Advertising, Marketing & Communication Services

March 2017

PUTTING YOUR CHILD 1

ACHIEVING MORE THAN THEY BELIEVE THEY CAN

CAMPUS OPENING SEPTEMBER 2017! For students 5 to 18 years old

Individualized Learning Plans from Age 5

Secondary and readies them for their future careers as ƐĐŝĞŶƟƐƚƐ͕ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ůĞĂĚĞƌƐ͘

Stamford’s Outstanding Results Our students at our Singapore campus consistently ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞ ĂďŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ h͘^͘ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ŝŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ D WΠ assessments. In Elementary, our students’ scores in Reading ĂŶĚ DĂƚŚ ĂƌĞ ŐƌĞĂƚĞƌ ƚŚĂŶ ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ďǇ ŽŶĞ ǇĞĂƌ on average. Progressing to Secondary, Stamford students ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵ ĂďŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ŝŶ DĂƚŚ ĂŶĚ ZĞĂĚŝŶŐ ďǇ ƚǁŽ or more years on average. In fact, the average Stamford 'ƌĂĚĞ ϲ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵƐ ĂďŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ĨŽƌ 'ƌĂĚĞ Every student at Stamford undergoes standardized

10 students in Reading, four grade levels above the norm.

Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) assessments

These outstanding MAP® results combined with the

in Reading, Math and Science twice a year, allowing

/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů ĂĐĐĂůĂƵƌĞĂƚĞ ŝƉůŽŵĂ WƌŽŐƌĂŵ ŚĂǀĞ ůĞĚ

us to measure their academic growth throughout

90% of our graduates from Stamford’s Singapore campus to

the school year and from year to year. We deliver

acceptance to their 1st choice university.

individualized learning plans based on each student’s ŝŶƐƚƌƵĐƟŽŶĂů ůĞǀĞů͕ ĞŶƐƵƌŝŶŐ ĞǀĞƌǇ ĐŚŝůĚ ŝƐ ƐƚƌĞƚĐŚĞĚ ĂŶĚ challenged appropriately.

Preparing Students for the Future Stamford’s unique problem-based STEMinn (Science, dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐǇ͕ ŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ͕ DĂƚŚ Θ /ŶŶŽǀĂƟŽŶͿ WƌŽŐƌĂŵ challenges students from age 5 in these disciplines ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ĐƌŝƟĐĂů ƚŚŝŶŬŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĂůͲǁŽƌůĚ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶ͘ >ĂǇŝŶŐ ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ĨŽƵŶĚĂƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞƐĞ ĂƌĞĂƐ ƉƌĞƉĂƌĞƐ ŽƵƌ Elementary students for success in the highly challenging WŚǇƐŝĐƐ͕ ŝŽůŽŐǇ ĂŶĚ ŚĞŵŝƐƚƌǇ ĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ ŽīĞƌĞĚ ŝŶ

Discover more at

Open House .BSDI www.sais.ĞĚƵ͘hk | +852 2500 8688 Ύ^ƚĂŵĨŽƌĚ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ ^ĐŚŽŽů ,ŽŶŐ <ŽŶŐ ǁŝůů ĂƉƉůǇ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ /ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů ĂĐĐĂůĂƵƌĞĂƚĞ ĨŽƌ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂĐǇ ŝŶ ĞĐĞŵďĞƌ ϮϬϭϳ͘

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AmChamHK Publisher Tara Joseph Editor-in-Chief Kenny Lau Managing Editor Jennifer Khoo Advertising Sales Manager Tom Chan

AmChamHK is a monthly magazine of news and views for management executives and members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Its contents are independent and do not necessarily reflect the views of officers, governors or members of the Chamber. Advertising office 1904 Bank of America Tower, 12 Harcourt Rd, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2530 6900 Fax: (852) 3753 1206 Email: amcham@amcham.org.hk Website: www.amcham.org.hk

COVER STORY As Tara Joseph takes over as President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, we look at the important contribution made by the chamber’s women members

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING Have you ever wondered about ideas behind AmCham’s own logo? We chat to world-renowned graphic designer Henry Steiner about the rationale behind his special design

MARKET PULSE

Printed by Ease Max Ltd 2A Sum Lung Industrial Building 11 Sun Yip St, Chai Wan, Hong Kong (Green Production Overseas Group)

Two months of improving data suggest the decline in retail receipts may have run its course with surveys showing their best results since mid-2015

©The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, 2017 Library of Congress: LC 98-645652 Single copy price HK$50 Annual subscription HK$600/US$90

TRADE & INVESTMENT Singapore is a leading smart city that is challenging Hong Kong to step up its game. We outline where the city-state is spending its resources and political capital to deliver a better country

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

March 2017 Vol 49 No 3

AMCHAM NEWS AND VIEWS

04 President’s Memo 07 New Business Contacts

16 68

Member Spotlight Mark Your Calendar

COVER STORY

SMART CITY

by Example 08 Leading As Tara Joseph takes over as President of the

28 AmCham’s Blueprint for Better Living

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

MARKET PULSE

American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, we look at the important contribution made by the chamber’s women members

Power of Visual Art 14 The Have you ever wondered about the ideas behind

AmCham’s own logo? We chat to world-renowned graphic designer Henry Steiner about the rationale behind his special design

CHAMBER NEWS minutes with…Godfrey Chan 18 Five AmCham’s Director of Digital Marketing &

Communications introduces our brand-new website

FINANCE & ECONOMICS for Higher Speeds 20 Built The IMF highlights the rule of law, a skilled labor force

and an ideal location as Hong Kong's strengths but also cautions the rise of signiﬁcant risks in a recent report

FISCAL POLICY Budget: Growth, Moderate Spending 26 The and Consistency

Global uncertainties have weighed heavily on the considerations in this year’s Budget, with Financial Secretary Paul Chan planning one-oﬀ deductions in taxes on income and business

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

The Chamber has been vocal in urging the government to collaborate more in devising a smart city strategy for Hong Kong as a priority issue to create a sustainable economy

34 Retail Sales Show Signs of Life

Two months of improving data suggest the decline in retail receipts may have run its course with surveys showing their best results since mid-2015

TRADE & INVESTMENT

38 Learning to be Smart

Singapore is a leading smart city that is challenging Hong Kong to step up its game. We outline where the city-state is spending its resources and political capital to deliver a better country

EDUCATION

44 Reﬂecting On 50 Years

As Hong Kong International School celebrates 50 years of American-style educational excellence, Head of School Alan Runge reﬂects on the philosophy that has kept it ahead and shares his advice on choosing a school

INDUSTRY FOCUS

50 Marketing & Communications

Corporate news from the worlds of public relations, advertising, media, and marketing & communications

BOARD OF GOVERNORS CHAIRMAN

Walter Dias

VICE CHAIRMAN

John (Jack) E Lange

TREASURER

Owen Belman

GOVERNORS

Donald Austin Evan Auyang Sanjeev Chatrath Elaine Cheung Sean Chiao Diana David Sean Ferguson Mark Green Robert Grieves Matthew Hosford Clara Ingen-Housz

Michael Klibaner Simon Ogus Seth Peterson Catherine Simmons Anna-Marie Slot Eric Szweda Rick Truscott Jennifer Van Dale Jenny Wong Patrick Wu Lennard Yong

EX-OFFICIO GOVERNOR

Peter Levesque

PRESIDENT

Tara Joseph

CHAMBER COMMITTEES Apparel & Footwear Ball

Gareth Brooks Elaine Cheung Rick Truscott Devin Ehrig China Business Lili Zheng Communications & Marketing Oliver Rust Corporate Social Responsibility Pat-Nie Woo Virginia Wilson Education Rick Truscott Energy Cynthia Chow Entrepreneurs/SME Jim C Taylor Environment Steven Chan Financial Services Veronica Sze Food & Beverage Mark Kemper Hospitality & Tourism Peter Liu Human Resources Benny Lee Information &

Communication Technology Insurance & Healthcare

Rebecca Harrison Hanif Kanji Gabriela Kennedy Intellectual Property Chiann Bao Law Jessica Bartlett Caroline Johnson Pharmaceutical Edward Farrelly Real Estate Robert Johnston Terrance Philips SelectUSA Lili Zheng MaryAnn Vale Senior HR Forum Ivan Strunin Taxation Barrett Bingley Trade & Investment Transportation & Logistics Gavin Dow Jennifer Parks Women of Inﬂuence Jennifer Wilson Michael Harrington Young Professionals

PRESIDENT'S MEMO

Dear fellow members and friends, What a year to join the chamber. Love him or loathe him, President Trump is shaking up long held practices in trade, media and regulation. Hong Kong this year celebrates its 20th anniversary as a Special Administrative Region of China, and our dynamic city will soon elect a new Chief Executive. That's just for starters. Hong Kong's traditional industries, like ﬁnance and logistics, are pushing ahead to embrace technological innovation from Fintech to Green technology and big data. A new Arts hub is under construction in West Kowloon, and companies are looking at burgeoning opportunities under the banner of China’s One Belt One Road eﬀort. With all these developments gripping us daily, it is an honor to serve as AmCham president as we steer our way forward in the age of disruption. I can't imagine there will be a single dull moment. I have just started to get to know many of our near 1,700 members across numerous industries, and yet, I know I have only just scratched the surface of a deep pool of talented professionals and devoted people. Revving up our chamber communications is just one of my early priorities, and this month we have tweaked our magazine title and added a cover redesign by chamber member Henry Steiner – the same designer of our chamber logo almost 50 years ago. We've also relaunched our website, and I hope you'll interact more regularly with us on social media. This month, our cover story highlights the growing number of women executives active in AmCham. This is no swipe at our male colleagues who have made us feel welcome at every turn. Instead it's a celebration of our growing diversity. Also this issue, we take the pulse of Hong Kong's economic climate and share in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hong Kong International School. I look forward to seeing you at AmCham and related events in this crucial year as we progress toward our own chamber 50th anniversary next year with both energy and focus.

Regards, Tara Joseph AmCham President

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN HONG KONG

FAST FACTS COMMUNITY AmCham celebrates over 45 years of promoting business and fostering greater trade ties and community service in Hong Kong

ACTIVITIES Members can access more than 400 programs, seminars, and conferences each year featuring top business and government leaders, industry experts and professional facilitators who address timely and relevant business issues. MEMBERS Over 1,700 members (40 different nationalities) from over 800 organizations, including multinational firms, small and medium enterprises, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations. COMMITTEES Our members can join and access up to 28 different committees covering industry sectors, professional service sectors, and special segments of the membership.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong 1904 Bank of America Tower 12 Harcourt Road, Central, Hong Kong T: (852) 2530 6900 E: amcham@amcham.org.hk www.amcham.org.hk

BUSINESS NETWORKING

INFORMATION

VISIBILITY AND CORPORATE EXPOSURE

ADVOCACY

ACCESS

www.amcham.org.hk

AMCHAM Means Business

Members Directory

Over 500 pages in three major sections, including a complete guide to chamber services, corporate sponsors and AmCham Charitable Foundation. This directory lists about 1,400 members from about 700 companies and organizations. ISBN 978-962-7422-68-6

LC 98-645651 NON-MEMBER PRICE Local Delivery HK$1500 Overseas Delivery US$195 Shipping costs: Local HK$45 (per copy) US/International US$50 (per copy)

MEMBER PRICE HK$800 US$104

AmCham Member Name: Title: Company: Address: Tel: Fax: Email: Website: copy(ies) of Members Directory Total: HK$/US$ (postage inclusive) payable to The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong check# Bank: Charge to AMEX (US$) Diners (HK$) Visa (HK$) Master Card (HK$) Cardholder's Name: Card# Expiry Date: Issuing Bank: Signature: (Not valid unless signed) The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong 1904 Bank of America Tower, 12 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2530 6900 Fax: (852) 3753 1208 Email: hchung@amcham.org.hk

New Business Contacts

View our other members at: www.amcham.org.hk/memberlist

The following people are new AmCham members: BlackRock

Andrew Reynolds

Managing Director

Change Enablement (HK) Ltd

Jeﬀrey Hackeson

Founder & Managing Director

Cognita

Hilary Ng

Director of Corporate Liaison

Carol Wong

Admissions Director

Control Risks Paciﬁc Limited

Ling Jin

Director

CXA Group

Bob Charles

Managing Director, Hong Kong

Sebastian Stuhlfauth

Director, Business Development

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

Andrew Warneck

Partner

Equinix HK Ltd

Candice Tsang

Field Marketing Manager, Hong Kong

Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong

Heron Holloway

CEO

HK Express

Luke Lovegrove

Director of Commerce

Hongkong International Theme Parks Ltd

Terruce Wang

Vice President, Sales & Hotel Operations

Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership (HK) Pty Ltd (IECL)

Angela Lee

Principal, Hong Kong

Legacy Education Alliance Inc.

Anthony Humpage

CEO

MGM China Holdings Limited

Rebecca Donnellan

Director of Sustanability

Paypal Pte Ltd

Sze Meng Soon

Senior Director and General Manager

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Garth Bray

Partner

The Gap Partnership

Eelco Modderman

Head of Asia

Thomson Reuters Hong Kong Ltd

Maureen Chan

Account Manager

Peter McMillan

Head of Market Development, North Asia

Thomas So

Sales Director

Vanguard Investments Hong Kong Limited

Davie Luce Cermak

Managing Director, Head of Asia

Weichert Workforce Mobility Asia Paciﬁc Ltd

Ivy Cheung

Controller

West Uniﬁed Communications Services

Nikita Mo

Enterprise Business Development Manager

Wing & Wheel (Asia) Limited

Linda Hon

Director, Specialist in Talent & Leadership Development

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

COVER STORY

Leading by

Example As Tara Joseph takes over as President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, we look at the important contribution made by the chamber’s women members

By Paula Sailes

quick chat with Jennifer Van Dale, Head of Employment Law and Partner at Eversheds, is all it takes to see how enthusiastic she is about her involvement with AmCham. “It’s fun,” she says. “and it is probably the best thing I have ever done for my career.” For Jennifer, there’s no question about the highlights of her participation: opportunities to meet, mix, and work alongside fellow professionals who bring experience from far and wide. “One thing is the diversity of perspectives that comes from having people of diﬀerent backgrounds, and the other is diversity of networks.” “Networks are resources, so if you have these diverse people coming to the board, then you have a much richer set of resources,” she adds. It is a part of working life that Jennifer has long been passionate about. She spent three years chairing the Women of Inﬂuence

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Women leaders on AmCham Board: (from left) Clara Ingen-Housz, Elaine Cheung, Jenny Wong, Jennifer Van Dale, Tara Joseph, Diana David, Catherine Simmons and Anna-Marie Slot

AmChamHK 3 â&#x20AC;˘ 2017

Committee before joining the board in 2014. Now, she’s helping lead the group through an important landmark year.

“I think the environment

An open, diverse platform In February AmCham welcomed new President Tara Joseph, who brings a wealth of experience after 22 years in journalism and more than 15 years in Asia. Adding to her storied career at Reuters, most recently serving as Chief Asia Correspondent for Reuters TV, Tara is also the ﬁrst female leader to take the reins at AmCham Hong Kong, joining a board of governors with the highest ever percentage of women.

open, and that’s great

has become a lot more for the chamber. ” - Tara Joseph

Roughly one-third of the organization’s governing body is now female, something Tara sees as a very encouraging signal of times ahead. “I think the environment has become a lot more open, and that’s great for the chamber. It’s great for involvement, and it’s great for the next generation, because female executives are a hugely important part of the future.” As an “American chamber with international characteristics,” AmCham has a strong track record of bringing leaders together from diﬀerent backgrounds. As former chairman Peter Levesque explains: in a fast-paced, international city like Hong Kong, the board is spoiled for choice when it comes to qualiﬁed candidates.

An Experienced

Perspective

Anita Leung is a Consultant at David Lo and Partners. She served as chair of the Intellectual Property Committee before joining AmCham’s Board of Governors in 2008, a position she held for six years How did you ﬁrst become involved with AmCham? As a young partner, I was looking for a platform where I could strengthen my knowledge base and expand my network. AmCham, being “an American Chamber with international characteristics,” was a natural choice for me. What drove you to take such an active role? Advocacy has always been the strength of AmCham. As an intellectual property lawyer, I found it to be an ideal platform to advocate for – and make – changes on IP-related laws and government policies. The more I got involved, the more inﬂuence I could assert through AmCham as a collective unit on legislation

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

bound to have an impact on my practice, my clients and the public at large. What have you enjoyed most about your experiences at AmCham? The progression from being a member to serving on the Board has been a very privileged, memorable and enjoyable experience for me. As a panel judge for the Women of Inﬂuence awards, I came across a number of amazing and empowering men and women. Their commitment and perseverance have been an inspiration to me for my own personal development. What would be your advice to members who want to become more involved in the organisation? Be yourself, be open-minded, and dive into whatever role that attracts you. The experience can be as fruitful as you want it to be.

Anita Leung

“The talent pool in Hong Kong is full to the brim with Type ‘A’ over-achievers, who are at the very top of their game,” he says. “That provides us with a lot of opportunity and variety when selecting board members. While we always look to add balance to our board, our diversity is really a product of the dynamic city in which we live and work.” From media, ﬁnance to executive education, AmCham’s women leaders currently serving on the board represent the full spectrum of professional opportunity in Hong Kong. Catherine Simmons is Managing Director and Head of Government Aﬀairs at Citi; Jenny Wong is Executive Director of Public Policy at Time Warner; and Elaine Cheung is Group CFO at Regal Springs. Diana David, Regional Director of Corporate Development for the Financial Times, recalls the moment she was asked to be part of the AmCham family two years ago. “When I called a few of the people I knew to do due diligence on the opportunity, they all felt they did great work that mattered and made lasting friendships. That sounded like a pretty solid recommendation to me.”

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

A new member’s

outlook

Julie Brandt is Managing Director at Otis Elevator Company. She moved to Hong Kong in January 2016 and has found AmCham to be a useful resource as she adapts to life here

What attracted you to AmCham? I lead a team of more than 2,200 employees and am the only expatriate. I felt like this would be a good opportunity to network with fellow Americans and learn from their experience of doing business in Hong Kong. I fully support AmCham’s objectives, especially this year’s focus on education for a global, forward-looking, multi-talented workforce. At Otis, employees are very important and we work to develop a diversiﬁed skill base in our team. What do you enjoy most about the experience? Personal and professional development, networking with the vibrant U.S. business community in Hong Kong, and, ultimately,

Julie Brandt

The impact of inclusiveness Of the eight women on the board, three are practicing lawyers. Among them are Anna-Marie Slot and Clara Ingen-Housz, partners at Ashurst and Linklaters, respectively. “I find the role very enriching in terms of knowledge and friendships,” says Ingen-Housz, who joined the board in 2016. “I also enjoy contributing to the mission of the chamber. Without making undue generalizations, I think a more gender-balanced board leads to better discussions overall.” And Anna-Marie agrees. “The research is pretty unequivocal. Having people from different backgrounds with different experiences benefits every organization. Given that women make up 50 percent of the population, it seems to be a ‘no brainer’ that you would want to incorporate all of those views on your board.” The statistics support their views. In 2016, Bloomberg Markets tracked the performance of S&P 500 companies with the most women working as managers or on the board. The result: investing in those firms over a ten-year period would yield a 238 percent return, compared to 141 percent for the rest of the index.

“our diversity is really a product of the dynamic city in which we live and work.” - Peter Levesque

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Past and current female board members, (from left, front row) Andrea Richey, Elizabeth L Thomson, Anita Leung and Belinda Lui, (back row) Diana David, Catherine Simmons, Tara Joseph, Jenny Wong and Elaine Cheung, gather for a recent lunch event.

While some governments and private organizations strive for diversity by edict, AmCham’s high level of female participation has evolved organically. Representing more than 700 companies and 40 diﬀerent nationalities, President Tara Joseph believes diversity is ingrained in AmCham’s DNA. “I think that’s the most powerful thing about diversity.” integrating into the fabric of the Hong Kong business community.

“When you increase the number and the variety of people, you are opening up a huge talent pool of people who can contribute, who are smart and have things to bring into play,” she says. Looking to the future, she is conﬁdent the chamber’s values of inclusiveness, fair play and good governance, will continue to attract Hong Kong’s best and brightest.

What beneﬁts does greater diversity bring? The female presence at the chamber is an asset to the organisation and supports the fact that workforce diversity and inclusion are important. The labor market needs a wide range of diverse talent and if we can eﬀectively recruit more females to enter the construction industry, some of the challenges can be alleviated. The rise of women is not a gender topic alone, but a phenomenon that will help diversify team membership and broaden the decision-making base.

What are the benefits of participation in AmCham events? The more time I invest in the organisation, the more I benefit from it. Though we are all extremely busy and juggle many priorities both personally and professionally, events offered by AmCham are really flexible and work within my schedule. The professionals that I meet at these events expands my network and expose new perspectives.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

The Power

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

Henry Steiner

f Visual Art Have you ever wondered about the ideas behind AmCham’s own logo? Henry Steiner, a world-renowned brand consultant, distinguished graphic designer and long-time member of the chamber, explains the rationale behind his design in a recent conversation

By Kenny Lau

n late 2005 amid a re-branding campaign of AmCham, Henry Steiner, a highly acclaimed graphic designer and a longtime member, was asked to do a facelift of the chamber logo which he designed in 1980 and had been in use for more than 25 years. It was by no accident that Steiner was invited to create a symbol for AmCham because of his international experience and reputation. Born in Vienna and raised in New York, he was educated at Yale where he studied with design guru Paul Rand, before coming to Hong Kong in 1961 on an assignment for Asia magazine. He later founded Steiner&Co.

Over the years, Steiner has created a range of iconic logos for corporations in Hong Kong, including the Hilton Hotel, Lane Crawford, Dairy Farm and HSBC, in addition to Hong Kong’s dollar bills in the early 1980s. “The banknotes were distinctive because I detailed the old buildings to give a sense of age and strength and introduced the lions as icons.” An AmCham identity In early 2006, a new logo – or “mark” as Steiner likes to call it – was inaugurated. “The new logo is not as simple as some other logos, but it is in keeping with the dignity and importance of the group,” he says. “It was a pleasure and delightful to have the opportunity to

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

The star highlights American identity

The Chinese junk sail, in the colors of the U.S. ﬂag, refers to historic Hong Kong

The 13-stripe backdrop symbolizes the original number of American colonies

The typeface of Caslon is traditionally British and was extensively used in colonial America

improve upon the previous one.”

communicate with people,” Steiner explains. “The full name is very long, and people simply know us as AmCham.”

The AmCham logo is a reference to the historic signiﬁcance of the United States and Hong Kong. It is based on a Chinese junk sail – a reference to old Hong Kong – in the colors of the U.S. ﬂag, with a star highlighting American identity. The backdrop of 13 stripes – in white and a lighter blue – alludes to the original number of colonies in America before its independence, and was introduced to make the junk sail stand out.

The font type of “AmCham” is Caslon, a British typeface which was very popular and extensively used in colonial America, he adds. “It is a typeface you would see a lot in the early days, because they didn’t cast too much of their own design until much later.”

Another feature of AmCham’s current logo design, in contrast to the previous iteration, is “AmCham” on the bottom, shortened from the oﬃcial name of “The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.” It is how “The ﬁrst National City Banking Corporation of New York” became “Citi” and how “Federal Express” became “FedEx.”

Time for a revamp Often, a logo on a website or in a brochure is the closest that the public will get to the identity of an entity and is a vehicle to build up awareness, Steiner points out. “It is the ﬁrst contact most people have with a company. If there were no such thing, there wouldn’t be any diﬀerentiation.”

“The name you use ordinarily is very important; it is something you

The time for a re-design of a logo is “when you would need to change

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

clothing,” he rationalizes. “In other words, that’s when it doesn’t ﬁt anymore, when it is kind of worn out and looks shabby or when it is tragically out of fashion. If you wear a jumpsuit of the early 1970s today, people will think you are making a movie.” “It isn’t just about giving a fresh feeling. I’d like to have a rationale for everything I do,” Steiner says. “You have to be able to explain everything you do to a client in ways that you can see immediately. Sometimes it only happens after you do your design and study it.” “A good mark should be appropriate because what might work for a department store might not work for a bank,” he adds. “It should be clear and distinctive, and has to stand out from the competition. When you can do those things, you’ve got a great design.”

How long have you been in Hong Kong and what do you like most about life here? I moved here with my husband and kids (then 6 and 4) on Christmas Eve, 2007. There is a lot to love about Hong Kong! I appreciate the mobility of the city (I’m a big fan of the MTR), the ability to go from skyscraper to hiking trail in about 10 minutes, and the general openness to new ideas – you can get a ﬁrst meeting with anyone, it seems, in Hong Kong.

Name: Rachel Fleishman Job title: Head, Advocacy & Sustainability Communications Asia Paciﬁc

Favorite weekend getaway? It’s hard to choose. I love places that combine rural life, outdoor adventures and history, so would opt for Da Nang, Koh Samui, Penang, Luang Prabang…

arms control options for short-range nuclear weapons in Europe, just after graduate school. Soon thereafter the U.S. decided to remove these weapons from Europe – a good move; and a good time for me to move on (to the Pentagon). Favorite piece of advice (work-related or otherwise)? The only diﬀerence between a vision and a hallucination is the number of people who see it.

Outside the office, where can we find you / what can we find you doing? Making my kids tell me about their day in French at the dinner table, or hiking on Lantau or HK Island with my favorite hiking partner, my husband Eli.

What is something people would be Name something on your bucket list. surprised to learn about you? Becoming a senior climate change I grew up on a farm in rural Maine. My advisor to a future U.S. administration. father was the first and only psychiatrist that the town (or the county) had Company: What compelled you to become a ever seen, and I was the only Jewish BASF East Asia member of Amcham? student in my school. Even stranger, Regional Headquarters I spent five years as Policy Director at for anyone paying attention: we were AmCham EU, leading a team of young only Jewish family I knew of who raised Industry: professionals to lobby on behalf of U.S. pigs and ate them. Chemicals companies. It was a fabulous experience and gave me a great appreciation If I wasn’t a business leader, I would be… AmCham for public policy professionals. A helicopter pilot, a playwright and a member since: dancer. (Actually, Otherhood, a play I On and off since 2008. Which AmCham event are we likely to co-authored, was performed in HK a few Happily on again now. find you at next? years ago. I dance whenever I can. So I Anything having to do with environment, just have to work on the helicopter part.) sustainability, advocacy, innovation, leadership or wine – perhaps not in that What was your first ever job? order! Consulting for the U.S. government on

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

CHAMBER NEWS

Minutes with…

Godfrey Chan

Godfrey Chan, The Man Behind AmCham’s New Website AmCham’s Director of Digital Marketing & Communications introduces our brand-new website and talks all things digital

Tag AmCham HK on social media (Facebook/Twitter/ Instagram)!

By Jennifer Khoo Our hashtag:

Tell us a little about your role at AmCham, and about what went into launching the new website. Godfrey: I oversee the Chamber’s promotion of its services and activities via digital channels and our media partners. Internally, I am responsible for our website, our social media channels, and the digital upload of our publications. Before its launch, I acted as the facilitator

#AmChamHK and point-of-contact between Chamber staﬀ and EventBank, who developed the system behind our new website. After communicating AmCham’s functional requirements and suggesting design ideas of my own, the developer returned with a list of workable solutions for us to choose from.

To start using the mobile app for AmCham’s new website, follow these steps:

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Search and download ‘EventBank’ in the App Store

Start using!

Can you take us through some of the website’s new features? Godfrey: The most visible change you will notice is its overall look and feel, and that it is now, of course, mobile responsive. The new Events page in particular looks dramatically different; it uses a different template for different event natures, making it much more user-friendly. Another feature I am proud to announce is our website-embedded videos, where anyone can watch public event webcasts directly on AmCham’s website. In the past, they would’ve been redirected to our YouTube channel. And finally, our new system developer, EventBank, has a ‘ready-to-use’ mobile application, which members and

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

interaction between AmCham Event staﬀ and potential attendees.

anyone talks about auto pilot cars, most people will think of Tesla.

You may have also noticed that we are more active on social media, including the recent launch of our company Instagram (@amchamhk)!

What can organizations do to ensure digital changes are implemented as smoothly as possible?

Why is online presence important for businesses today? What do ﬁrms get right or wrong about maintaining it? Godfrey: From what I have observed in Hong Kong, many ﬁrms aim to create “noise” in the digital world, with little regard for whether their message is right or wrong. But not all publicity is good publicity, and companies and brands shouldn’t compromise their integrity just to make a sale.

non-members can download to keep track of all AmCham-related news and activities. The best part is, app users will receive a QR-code-enabled digital ticket when they register for upcoming AmCham events, which is a convenient green alternative to paper tickets. How have AmCham’s online marketing needs evolved since you joined? Godfrey: When I joined AmCham at the end of 2015, we were focused on streamlining the old website by removing unnecessary layers and making pages accessible with fewer clicks. But our old operating system restricted how much we could change. This gave rise to the idea of replacing the system entirely, so we could enjoy more ﬂexibility with the website design. Throughout the last two years, we have worked on overhauling our emaildirect-marketing campaigns (which were relied upon heavily for event signups), to encourage more personal

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

I think every piece of content that a company puts out should be aligned with its core mission, vision and values, and every message should draw to the viewer’s mind what that company is about. For instance, when

Godfrey: The biggest challenges occur during the initial implementation period, and getting through it smoothly requires good communication skills and patience. Good communication skills, as you are essentially asking people to change the way they work, and you need to be able to explain to them why it is necessary. And patience, because levels of technological literacy vary between individuals in a workplace, and some may take longer than others to adapt. My biggest tip would be to introduce digital change gradually - with an initial pilot test - along a timeline that allows for continuous tweaking, feedback, and suﬃcient training/brieﬁng for users.

Godfrey’s three tips for eﬀective social media use in business:

1. Keep content personalized + localized – Adding a personal tone to corporate content, and making sure it is relevant to your location and target audience, will set you apart from the “noise” 2. Work-related vs informal content – Strike an even balance between what you are trying to promote and more casual content, such as news updates and company culture posts 3. Less text, more multimedia – Use of videos and images is an eﬀective way to get a message across in a short timeframe

FINANCE & ECONOMICS

Built for Higher Speeds The IMF highlights the rule of law, a skilled labor force and an ideal location as Hong Kong's strengths but also cautions the rise of signiﬁcant risks in a recent report

By Kenny Lau

espite the prospect of persistent uncertainty and volatility, a softening of international trade and downturn in mainland Chinese tourist arrivals, Hong Kong’s economic and financial standing remains relatively strong, according to the latest assessment by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The report says the city is well placed to withstand shocks from an unfavorable economic environment, although there are some challenges that are likely to darken the outlook for growth. After annual growth of 1.5 percent, the IMF expects Hong Kong’s GDP to pick up to about 2 percent this year, driven mainly by private consumption in a steady market for labor. Hong Kong is also on a solid financial footing as a result of prudent fiscal policy and intensive supervision of

the ﬁnancial system, the IMF says. The current account surplus is just under 3 percent of GDP and is projected to increase to around 3.5 percent over the medium term. Hong Kong has abundant savings, its ﬁscal reserves being the equivalent of 35 percent of GDP, or 23 months of expenditure, and its net international investment being 315 percent of GDP, more than that of any other developed economy. Banks in Hong Kong are capitalized well above the global standard of Basel III and the U.S. dollar peg continues to support a small yet open economy. The outlook, however, is more challenging, as global economic growth has slowed considerably since 2015. Hong Kong achieved an average annual rate of growth in

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

The Real Economy is Subdued Exports of goods and services have slowed

Exports of Goods and Services (In percent (yoy), BPM6) Goods Exports Services Exports

35 25 15 5 -5 -15

-25 2000Q1 2002Q1 2004Q1 2006Q1 2008Q1 2010Q1 2012Q1 2014Q1 2016Q3 Source: CEIC Data Company Ltd; WEO

A Turning Credit Cycle?

Credit growth (including ﬁnancial institutions) has fallen back, especially for foreign currency loans…

Photo: Thinkstock

Credit Growth (In percent, year-on-year, 3mma) 35

HKD Total Loan Foreign Currency(RHS)

30 25

70 60 50

-5

-10

-20 -10 Jan-07 Apr-08 Jul-09 Oct-10 Jan-12 Apr-13 Jul-14 Oct-15 Sep-16 Source: CEIC Data Company Ltd; HKMA; Haver Analytics; and IMF staﬀ calculations

GDP of 4 percent between 2005 and 2013, largely due to unusually low interest rates and economic development in the mainland, the IMF argues. This is changing as U.S. interest rates see an upturn, global trade softens, the mainland economy slows and U.S. policy shifts. Soft performance Hong Kong has performed “below potential” in the past 18 months, the IMF says, blaming a poor global trade environment; soft spending in retail, private investment and exports since the mainland stock market crashes in 2015; and a downturn in mainland tourism. Measures of consumer conﬁdence, expected retail sales and business activity remain subdued. Yet the labor market is steady and resilient to slower growth, the IMF says, owing to robust investment in

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Exposure to Mainland: Financial Channels Hong Kong banks’ exposure to mainland banks and corporates is high—though it has eased since 2014.

Exposure to China (In billions of HKD) 8,000

Banking Sector’s Exposures to ChinaLocated banks

7,000 6,000

Banking Sector’s Non-Bank China Exposures (NBCE) (Hong Kong)

5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2016Q2

Source: Bloomberg; CEIC Data Company Ltd; HKMA; and IMF staﬀ estimates

public-sector construction. Unemployment in the third quarter of last year was relatively low, at 3.4 percent, though job vacancies have decreased in recent months. Hong Kong's major industries - ﬁnancial services, tourism, trading and logistics, and professional services - employ roughly half of the city’s labor force and account for more than half of GDP.

lending for wholesaling, retailing and manufacturing, and a decline in mortgage lending and personal loans. But property prices were only 3.3 percent below their previous peak by the end of the third quarter, and have since climbed higher than ever before. The IMF estimates that at the end of the year prices overvalued housing by between 10 percent and 20 percent.

The Hong Kong stock market has climbed out of February 2016’s trough, equity prices ended last year 20 percent higher, amid concern about the mainland’s economic prospects, the implications of Brexit, the presidential election and US interest rate increases. The outflow of capital stabilized and began to reverse in the middle of the year, though depreciation of the Chinese currency has sharply reduced oﬀshore Renminbi liquidity, deposits having fallen 35 percent from their peak in 2014.

To blunt the spike in property speculation, the stamp duty on residential property transactions was raised in November to a flat rate of 15 percent from a rate that varied between 1.5 percent and 8.5 percent. This was a macroprudential measure targeting buyers that already own property. The IMF says the risk exposure of banks to the property boom has been contained through limits on loan-to-value ratios, debt serviceto-income ratios, higher risk weight floors for property loans and interest rate buffers since 2009.

It was a year of poor credit growth, particularly the ﬁrst six months, because of the weakening of demand for loans by mainland investors, a reduction in domestic

Outlook and risks The IMF says that given the global environment of tepid international trade, the imminence of an

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Fiscal Reserves after 2022 (Percentage points of GDP)

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Source: Report of the working group on long-term fiscal planning, IMF. Note: Scenario uses (i) staff baseline prior to 2022; (ii) a constant primary balance set to match fiscal reserves projection in 2041-42 in the "No service enhancement" scenario from the report of the working group on long-term fiscal planning; and (iii) real interest rate and GDP growth of 1 percent and 2 percent.

upswing in US interest rates and a rebalancing of Chinese economic policy, the quickening of growth in Hong Kong will likely be gradual and follow a bumpy road. Growing economic ties with mainland China, exposure to US and global market volatility, and an over-stretched property market are the main sources of downside risk, the fund says. In the short term, Hong Kong is expected to make a slow recovery as US interest rates increase gradually while the global economy improves. The IMF says Chinese GDP growth will be “steady” but will begin to soften in the coming years. In Hong Kong, the fund says credit growth will be “moderate” as property prices adjust; consumption may begin to recede, owing in part to the fall in housing prices; and private investment will be “subdued.” Further out, an aging population will curb growth and weaken the structural fiscal position of the city, perhaps leading to structural fiscal deficits within a decade as demand for social spending increases

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

exponentially. The fiscal reserves will drop to 33 percent of GDP in 2021 without fiscal impulses, or changes in expenditure and revenue. In the unlikely event of heightened uncertainty about policy in the West being coupled with a hard landing for the Chinese economy, a contraction in external demand could trim the annual rate of growth in GDP by up to three percentage points. It may mean the economy contracts. Such an external shock would badly buffet equities and households in Hong Kong because of a backdrop of already high household and corporate debt levels, the IMF says. A decline of 35 percent in stock and housing prices would cause considerable negative wealth effects and reduce by 2 percentage points or more the contribution to growth made by domestic demand. GDP growth could fall by between 3.5 percentage points and 5.5 percentage points in a global downturn. Ample fiscal reserves and the sturdiness of the capitalization of the banks could offset adverse effects on the Hong Kong financial system in the event of economic distress. But the IMF says it is equally important to adapt to the mainland's rebalancing and move up the value-added chain by playing a bigger role as a global financial center, by reducing inequality and by supporting labor force participation. The strength of the rule of law, its skilled labor force and ideal location put Hong Kong, as a leading center for offshore dealing in Renminbi, in a good position to seize the opportunities created by the mainland's economic expansion, its integration and liberalization of its capital account, the IMF says. But, it cautions, Hong Kong will remain a financial and business center relevant to global commerce only if it can preserve its strengths and fulfill its potential.

Where Hong Kong faces risks The three main dangers the Hong Kong economy faces this year are greater-than-expected economic diﬃculties in the mainland, global market volatility and ﬂuctuations in property prices, the IMF says.

RISK #1: The mainland market The link forged by the One Country, Two Systems arrangement is important to growth, but greater interconnection has exposed Hong Kong to greater risk. Mainland tourists and trade contribute considerably to business revenue and employment. Further slowing of tourism and trade would further depress the hospitality, retail, logistics and wholesale warehousing businesses. Many Hong Kong SMEs operate in the mainland, and if interest rates are higher, a business downturn could reduce their ability to borrow and to service debt. Links between Hong Kong and mainland enterprises have grown appreciably in the areas of Renminbi internationalization, mainland equities, securities issuance and asset management. Roughly half the money borrowed from Hong Kong banks is lent to mainland China or to ﬁnance trade.

Mainland banks

Lending by banks in Hong Kong increased rapidly between 2010 and 2014 as the oﬀshore Renminbi market developed, the Renminbi appreciated and Renminbi investment grew. With liabilities on onshore Chinese banks worth HK$1.5 trillion, mainland banks are the greatest risk to the interbank market.

Nonfinancial companies

The exposure of Hong Kong to mainland companies other than banks in the form of loans, off-balancesheet items and trade finance is nearly HK$4.6 trillion, even though the sum dwindled slightly in 2015, when mainland companies began to repay foreign currency debt. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority says any credit write-offs due to mainland growth slowing would be manageable.

Offshore Renminbi market

Hong Kong is a premier oﬀshore center for Renminbi dealing and is responsible for 70 percent of the value of Renminbi settlements around the world. But this business has contracted since August 2015 because the market expects the currency to depreciate. The recent trends suggest that thin liquidity and capital outflows mean volatility and pressure on the currency will persist.

Stock market connections

Schemes connecting the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with its counterparts in Shanghai and Shenzhen allow reciprocal stock-trading with greater access, so boosting investment both ways and liquidity within an aggregate and daily quota, but also increasing the transmission of risk and volatility between markets.

Asset management

The Hong Kong asset management industry has grown rapidly. Its assets under management almost tripled in the preceding seven years to reach HK$17.39 trillion by December 2015. As the city seeks to become a global center for full-service asset management, it could be prone to heightened sensitivity to capital ﬂows and investor sentiment.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Rising US interest rates

A rise in US interest rates could curb domestic consumption and inhibit investment, given the high level of household and corporate debt. The external debt of nonﬁnancial corporations rose to 80 percent of GDP in 2015 from 30 percent in 2010, so default risk increases appreciably.

Turbulence in Europe

The financial systems of Hong Kong and Britain are closely tied, and Hong Kong is susceptible to movements in financial markets elsewhere in Europe. The liabilities of Hong Kong in Britain alone are more than 110 percent of GDP. A sudden change in policy could easily make financial conditions crippling.

Over-stretched valuations

The rebound of housing prices since the middle of last year has further stretched valuations: household debt levels are high at 66 percent of GDP; and income gearing among borrowers – the interest they pay on money they have borrowed as a percentage of their incomes – is generally high. If interest rates rise faster than expected, default risks increase drastically.

Higher interest rate

Floating interest rates are charged on more than 90 percent of new mortgage loans. An increase of three percentage points in the rate reduces a borrower’s ability to service debt by more than 15 percent, according to the latest debt service index and stress tests.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

RISK #2:

US, global market volatility US monetary policy tightening will have a direct eﬀect on Hong Kong interest rates because the Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the US dollar. A hike in US interest rates means hikes in interest rates at the institutional and retail levels, thus depressing investment and consumption. The peril is exacerbated when there is an outflow of capital from emerging markets in pursuit of higher yields as the US dollar appreciates, increasing the possibility of a liquidity crisis and having other adverse eﬀects on the Hong Kong domestic economy. The combination of higher US interest rates and an appreciating US dollar could result in considerable losses for those that take excessive foreign exchange risks.

RISK #3:

The Hong Kong property market

The property market is by far the largest domestic source of downside risk in Hong Kong. Despite a decline in mortgage and personal lending in 2016, property prices had fallen only 3.3 percent from their peak by the end of the third quarter, and they have since climbed to their highest yet. The IMF estimates that at the end of last year prices overvalued housing by between 10 percent and 20 percent. Between 2005 and 2013 credit grew rapidly, owing to interest rates remaining low and spillover eﬀects of the economic development of the mainland, so prices of mass-market housing nearly tripled between 2008 and 2015 and prices of top-end housing doubled.

Perils to the real economy

Although macroprudential tightening measures have reduced the level of risk to which the financial system is exposed, the effect of an abrupt change in housing prices on the real economy considerably increases the danger of negative effects on wealth and equities effects, of lower collateral values, of slower credit growth and of weaker household spending.

FISCAL POLICY

The Budget:

Growth, Moderate Spending and Consistency Global uncertainties have weighed heavily on the considerations in this year’s Budget, with Financial Secretary Paul Chan planning one-oﬀ deductions in taxes on income and business. We ask the Big Four accounting ﬁrms for their analysis

By Kenny Lau

inancial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has used the Budget speech to emphasize an intention to use the fiscal surplus to “take care of the needy… ease the heavy burden of middle-class families and make appropriate investments essential for a better Hong Kong.” In telling the city he would not attempt to “open up a new world for Hong Kong” in a single document, his proposed measures suggest a sense of cautious optimism. The spending and tax measures proposed in Chan’s first budget are largely in line with those of the past few years, allowing one-off tax deductions on personal incomes and business profits, yet following a broad strategy for longer-term development. “In the coming year, our economy will be fraught with uncertainties arising from the complicated and volatile external environment,” Chan said. He highlighted the rise of political populism and protectionist sentiment around the world. “In 2017, the economic growth of advanced economies will be modest and patchy.”

Underlying the Budget, the government expects the United States economy to improve and interest rates to rise, the euro zone economies to be constrained by its high levels of structural debt, deflation in Japan to remain despite the fiscal stimulus measures in place, the mainland economy to be driven by domestic demand and growth in its services sector, and emerging Asian markets to propel global growth. “If the recent growth momentum continues, our merchandise exports will see a stronger performance this year,” Chan said. “Sustaining domestic demand will remain crucial to maintaining the stable development of our economy and underpinning the employment market. In the light of the recent developments, and [granted] no severe external shocks, I forecast gross domestic product growth of 2 to 3 percent in 2017.” Given that prices of apartments are at a record high, partly because the supply of land is tight, interest rates are low, and capital continues to flow into Hong Kong, Chan reiterated the government’s commitment to open land for development, improve housing stocks and cool the property market by curbing short-term speculation.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Deloitte: Cautious Note

EY: Premature Assumptions

Deloitte believes the Budget is forward-looking but cautious. The ﬁrm says the Budget attempts to boost competitiveness and enhance Hong Kong’s global interconnectedness. Most notable, it says, is the lack of “new and inspiring tax measures to address the pressing needs of the community.”

EY calls the budget a “steady-as-we-go” plan, suitable both as the first Budget drawn up by Chan and the last by the administration of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. However, the firm says it is too early to make assumptions about the direction of fiscal spending and tax policies that “may undergo significant changes in the future.”

Many of the measures proposed to reduce salaries and profits tax reduction are the same measures taken in the past few years. Chan did call for a new government unit “to examine different tax issues [including] the long-standing problem of a narrow tax base,” but Deloitte says none of the proposals will ease long-term problems such as the shortage of housing or the aging of the population. The firm says the focus on innovation and technology as a new engine of sustainable economic growth is pushing “in the right direction.” The government has earmarked HK$18 billion to start the engine. The measures proposed to support the growth of Fintech, or financial technology, are to be commended, it says.

The firm welcoms the one-off relief measures to “help alleviate the tax burdens of individuals and enterprises, and [to] help those within the social security net to better face the uncertainties ahead.” But it suggests it is “also time to examine Hong Kong’s tax policy, given the recent changes to international tax rules.” The proposal to develop the aircraft financing and leasing businesses through tax incentives will allow the city to compete with two leaders in the field, Singapore and Ireland, while the proposal to extend tax exemption to the asset management industry will enhance the city’s stature as an international financial center.

KPMG: Stay the Course

PwC: Comprehensive Agenda

In KPMG’s view, the Budget is “a continuation of policy from one ﬁnancial secretary to another” in maintaining a status quo despite having “resources available to consider a change of course.” That there was “little new in terms of approach, with similar themes adopted in previous years” was no surprise given Chan’s January appointment.

PwC considers the Budget “a comprehensive agenda for the incoming administration” in July. Although there were no surprises, it presented “a detailed overview of recent government achievements and ongoing programs in a wide range of ﬁelds” and “suggested a thorough to-do list for the next administration.”

The focus on small- and medium-enterprises through a one-off deduction of Profits Tax and in measures to promote key industries are recurring themes that reflect Hong Kong’s economic strengths. KPMG notes that there are challenges in changing course too dramatically.

The 71-percent rise in spending on social welfare in the ﬁve years to 2017-18 may exacerbate the need to broaden the city’s narrow tax base. Combined spending on social welfare and healthcare next year is estimated to be 34.6 percent of recurrent expenditure, up from 24.8 percent in 2002-03.

However, it is also Chan’s view that “the government must be appropriately proactive in developing the economy and improving people’s livelihoods...that it must be forward-looking and invest continuously for the future, and that it must make good use of ﬁnancial resources, with a view to building a fair and just society.”

The proposed Tax Policy Unit within the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau will encourage innovation and technology through the concept of smart city development, thereby improving livability, PwC notes. This should have a tangible, direct impact on Hong Kong’s competitiveness.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

SMART CITY

AmCham’s Blueprint for

Better Living

The Chamber has been vocal in urging the government to collaborate more in devising a smart city strategy for Hong Kong as a priority issue to create a sustainable economy and improve the quality of life

By Kenny Lau

mCham has made it a policy priority to advocate and lobby the government as it draws up a blueprint for making Hong Kong a smart city. The Chamber’s position is for the government to integrate further the functional areas of its institutions with the expanded use of technology, with a focus on developing a high-quality workforce and education system, increasing eﬃciency and making better use of natural resources. Smart city development is one of AmCham’s advocacy priorities because it believes sophisticated infrastructure, high-tech connectivity, cutting-edge sensor technology and big data analytics are what will drive a sustainable economy and improve the quality of life. In a nutshell, smart city development is an engine of growth that makes the economy greener. AmCham’s eﬀorts are timely because businesses stand ready to partner with the government to stimulate innovation, encourage market creation and broaden civic participation in an open environment. To remain competitive and move forward with a comprehensive plan for a smart Hong Kong, AmCham strongly suggests a bottom- up, collaborative approach to devising a smart city strategy.

“The private sector in Hong Kong is extremely excited about the huge potential benefits of a smart city strategy,” says AmCham Chairman Walter Dias. “While the ecosystem is gradually building, we hope the government will closely engage leading businesses, SMEs and other public stakeholders here and across the border in Shenzhen to drive innovation.” “These sectors should be a valuable partner in devising a smart blueprint for the city and providing inputs to the government on potential areas of growth, as well as solutions for challenges – as in areas of regulation and data security,” Dias adds. The Chamber’s position In a recent submission to the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer on the soon-to-be-released Smart City Blueprint, AmCham highlights imperatives that are crucial to an effective strategy. The Chamber

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

has focused its submission to government in 12 policy areas. • Adopt a collaborative mindset within the government and with other community stakeholders, including businesses, to facilitate cross-disciplinary action; • Set up a high-level authority to coordinate and formulate integrated policies; • Allow active participation by stakeholders in policymaking, from devising policies through to implementing them; • Engage leading international businesses, ranging from technology enterprises to consultants, to gain practical knowledge and experience from projects abroad; • Make strategy goal-oriented, with a set timeframe and measurable policy targets; • Promote a green economy driven by consumer demand, and create definitions of smart living; • Apply international best practices in a regulatory framework for sustainable consumption, including labelling and certification; • Make the Internet of Things a key economic driver for government and businesses; • Promote a sharing economy to increase efficiency and improve standards of living; • Make cybersecurity a priority in addressing data security and protection in the smart era; • Create a favorable regulatory environment for innovative products and services; and • Promote citizen participation and nurture “smart citizens” as a starting point for change.

Collaboration is essential Because smart city development is multifaceted and cross-sectoral, a collaborative approach led by the government and joined by community stakeholders, including private businesses, is fundamental. One way is to set up a high-level authority to coordinate inputs and formulate integrated policies, thereby allowing comprehensive planning and implementation of various initiatives. While smart city development varies from one city to another, it is typical for government agencies, universities, private businesses and citizens to come together in the planning stage to analyze the issues in depth before goals are set in stone. In Hong Kong, the government, universities, business community and citizens all have important roles to play. A multi-agency government task force can induce interdisciplinary thinking and cross-sector collaboration by leveraging the research capability of universities, the expertise of private companies, the passion of start-up incubators and the knowledge of NGOs. Global companies with cross-disciplinary experience, ranging from technology to consulting, are an important source of know-how. In developing a smart city, citizen participation through online platforms, social media and public workshops often gives understanding of the issues and how best a city should function. Amsterdam is an example of a city where the public contributes ideas for development, where the spirit and creativity of people is unleashed, and where new business opportunities are created. Hong Kong is wired The Internet of Things has revolutionized the way people go about their day-to-day business and every decision they make is inﬂuenced by the ﬂow of instantly

Photo: Thinkstock

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

• An initiative started in 2009 using data from 32 government departments • Designed to provide better public services and sustainability • It focuses on mobility, living, society, economy, big data, and infrastructure • Projects based on partnerships between government and private businesses • Citizens participate by contributing ideas to the proposal • Smart urban lighting, traﬃc management with real-time information

Oslo, Norway • A leading city in commercial electric vehicles (EVs) including taxis • 400 EV charging stations installed in • 2007, a total of 900 by 2014 and 2,000 now • From almost no EVs in 2009 to 35,000 in 2016, replacing half of the city’s ﬂeet • Tax incentives in a favorable regulatory environment • A vibrant EV-related industry in relations to smart-grids and applications • Signiﬁcant business opportunities in renewable energy and manufacturing

Hangzhou, China

• The ﬁrst bike-sharing scheme facilitated by smart payment started in 2008 • Now a system with over a thousand bike stations within the city • Bikes can be unlocked for complimentary use in the ﬁrst hour • A mobile app (now obsolete) developed to check for availability in real time • Proven to be extremely popular among users • The concept of mobility sharing is expanding to other cities in China

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Vancouver, Canada • The “greenest city” plan initiated in 2009 and adopted in 2011 • 10 goals reﬂecting “zero carbon, zero waste” • 35,000 people engaged through online platforms, social media and events • 80% of 125 priority actions completed in 2014 • Other measurable targets to be achieved by 2020 • Projected to be 100% renewable by 2050

Singapore • Real-time information on the elderly to ensure safety • Energy, water usage, and waste production monitored in public housing • “Smart Mobility 2030” to create an “Intelligent Transport System” • A green, informative, assistive and interactive traveler experience • An emphasis on standards and protocols to ensure inter-operability • Collaboration among public agencies, industry players and research institutions

SMARTEST CITIES How cities worldwide are driving initiatives and adopting to the movement of smart city development

Vienna, Austria • Framework adopted in 2014 after three years of development • Action plans on resources, quality of life, and innovation • Reduction of carbon emissions by 80% from 1990 to 2050 • Vienna-Brno-Bratislava to become an innovation hub • Exports of tech products to increase from 60% to 80% by 2050 • An inclusive society irrespective of social backgrounds

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Barcelona, Spain • Signiﬁcant • • • • •

investment on technology since 2008 An extensive fiber optic network and WiFi coverage in place An app launched to ease city traffic congestions Water conservation up by 25% LED lights equipped with sensors for higher energy efficiency An open, democratic and creative city as an engine of growth

US Delegation Comes to Hong Kong The International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce is organizing a Smart Technologies Business Development Mission to Taiwan, Hong Kong Guangzhou, China. This mission aims to expand U.S. exports of smart technologies in transportation, building design, and ﬁnancial services across the region. A delegation consisting of U.S. providers of high-tech products and services will be in Hong Kong on April 24-28 to allow participants to learn about the expanding markets of smart technologies markets, gain insight with business and market brieﬁngs from local experts, engage in one-on-one meetings with potential partners, distributors, and end users, and connect with local government leaders and decision makers.

Opportunities in

smart transportation include: • Data Analytics, Multimodal Transport Planning, Intelligent Parking • Intelligent Traﬃc Alerts/Road Safety/Accident Management • Electric Vehicles, Car/Scooter/Bikeshare Services

Opportunities in

FinTech include: • • • •

Regulatory and Insurance Technology Wealth Management Blockchain Technology Payment Technology

Opportunities in

building design include: • Energy Eﬃciency Design/Retroﬁt • Integrated Building Management Systems • Building and Infrastructure Safety/Integrity Monitoring

available data. With world-class telecommunications, the city is well positioned to connect service providers and users and reap the benefits of technology. In supplying power, for example, a smarter grid would make electricity generation more reliable by increasing the resilience, efficiency and safety of the energy supply chain. A smarter grid would give consumers more options, economically and sustainably. In public transportation, optimizing capacity would benefit commuters by reducing waiting times, roadside pollution and traffic congestion. The use of

real-time data to match supply with demand and minimize redundancy would improve quality of life. On the healthcare front, apps for mobile devices already allow patients to share their data with healthcare professionals. The adoption of technology in healthcare will make the system more eﬀective. It is the way forward in caring for the health of the elderly as the population of Hong Kong ages.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

MARKET PULSE

Retail Sales Show

Signs of Life

Two months of improving data suggest the decline in retail receipts may have run its course with surveys showing their best results since mid-2015

By Kenny Lau

AmChamHK 3 â&#x20AC;˘ 2017

Photos: Thinkstock

consecutive months of dipping sales, consumer spending is increasingly robust. In the fourth quarter, retail sales increased by 2.3 percent over the same period in 2015.

The survey of retail sales, released by the Hong Kong government’s Census and Statistics Department, found a 2.9-percent contraction in December which was the equal-smallest monthly downturn recorded last year. January’s decline was 0.9 percent in year-on-year terms and was the best result since May 2015.

ong Kong’s monthly survey of retail receipts shows a sector that continues to contract, but at a far slower pace than at any stage in the past 20 months. After two consecutive monthly surveys showing the decline in the value of retail sales has moderated, there is a suggestion that this struggling sector may be positioned to rebound.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

However, the full-year data from the survey showed a contraction of 8.1 percent compared to 2015. It was the biggest percentage decrease in a calendar year since the Asian Financial Crisis. Total retail sales reached HK$436.6 billion last year, after a HK$475.1 billion result in 2015. Those numbers reflect an extremely difficult retail market in the first half of last year and are the result of the worst retailing slump since 1999. The most recent data may signal that after 23

“2016 has been a challenging year for Hong Kong,” says Thomson Cheng, Chairman, Hong Kong Retail Management Association. “Despite strong headwinds, Hong Kong’s economy has proven to be more resilient than expected, with 1.9 percent GDP growth in the third quarter, which is better than the previous two quarters, and 1.5 percent economic growth forecast for the whole year. “For the ﬁrst ten months of 2016, the total retail sales decreased by 8.9 percent compared with a year ago. However, the retail industry observed the smallest decline of the year in October 2016 at 2.9 percent, mainly due to the improved tourist numbers that month,” Cheng says. “The depreciation of the Renminbi has also led to a stronger Hong Kong dollar and it made Hong Kong less attractive in the eyes of Mainland tourists.” Mixed results The monthly survey is based on the sales receipts of local retail establishments and includes supermarkets and most discretionary spending but excludes housing, catering, medical

and healthcare services, transport and communication, ﬁnancial services, education and entertainment. December saw a trend of improved consumer sentiment for some commodities. The value of sales of jewelry, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts – considered discretionary purchases and likely linked to festive

Monthly value and volume indices of total restaurant receipts (Average index from October 2014 to September 2015 = 100) Index 115

Index Value Index

Volume Index

115

110

105

100

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr MayJuneJuly Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2015 2016

Source: Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

season gift-giving – jumped by 2.3 percent year-on-year; receipts from supermarkets grew 0.7 percent; and spending on other seasonal items, such as alcoholic drinks, cosmetics and Chinese herbs, also saw strong growth.

In January’s data, released in early March, there is a similar pattern of mixed results and the inﬂuence of the Lunar New Year holiday. The value of sales at the supermarkets taking part in the survey increased by 5.4 percent over the same time last year. There were also better results from department stores (2.8 percent); for sales of food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco (9.9 percent); medicines and cosmetics (2.8 percent); footwear, clothing and accessories (4 percent); and optical shops (3.4 percent). Consumers displayed restraint, however, on more substantial outlays in January. Sales receipts for electrical goods and photographic equipment fell by 24.4 percent, the biggest decline recorded in January’s survey. The value of sales of jewelry, watches, clocks and other valuable gifts decreased by 3.9 percent in year-on-year terms. Motor vehicles and automotive parts, furniture and other consumer durables were other categories with signiﬁcant decreases. Lifestyle-led recovery? The run of contracting retail sales is mostly attributed to an ongoing decline in tourist arrivals from Mainland China and a reduction in their per capita spending over the past two years. At the same time, demand within Hong Kong is stable, and unemployment is low; these are factors that have acted to counter dipping sales.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Movement of value index of total retail sales % 40 30

Year-on-year rate of change

20 10 0 -10 -20 -30 1/11 1/11 1/12 1/12 1/13 1/13 1/14 1/14 1/15 7/15 1/16 7/16 12/16

The government says the near-term outlook for the retail sector depends largely on whether tourism arrivals increase – and that includes the flow of Mainland tourists – and how labor market conditions, global economic concerns and political uncertainties might evolve to influence consumer sentiment. The trend in consumer spending on catering services is a different story. In contrast to declining retail sales of consumer goods, the value of restaurant receipts and purchases – comprising Chinese restaurants, non-Chinese restaurants, bars, fast-food chains and other eateries – have consistently grown by a few percentage points each month since the last quarter of 2015 and throughout all of last year. In the fourth quarter of last year, the value of receipts in the restaurant sector reached HK$27.8 billion, an increase of about 4 percent over the same period a year earlier. When adjusted for inflation, the value of receipts grew by more than 1 percent. Purchases made by restaurants increased by 4 percent to HK$9.3 billion in the same period. Of all the venues included in the survey, fast-food outlets were the fastest growing (a 7.4 percent increase

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Movement of volume index of total retail sales % 40 30

Year-on-year rate of change

20 10 0 -10 -20 -30 1/11 1/11 1/12 1/12 1/13 1/13 1/14 1/14 1/15 7/15 1/16 7/16 12/16 Source: Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

in value, 3.7 percent growth in volume) and bars were ranked second (4.8 percent and 4.9 percent). Non-Chinese restaurants (4.5 percent and 2.5 percent), other eateries (4.8 percent and 1.8 percent) and Chinese restaurants (2.6 percent and a one-percent contraction) were the slowest growing market segments. In an adjusted comparison netting the eﬀect of the holiday season, the growth of Hong Kong restaurants was more vigorous in the ﬁnal quarter than in the third, increasing by 1.4 percent in value and 0.6 percent in volume. The annual result came to HK$107.4 billion, an increase of 2.9 percent over 2015, but volume eased by 0.2 percent compared to the 2015 result.

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Learning to be

Smart

Singapore is a leading smart city that is challenging Hong Kong to step up its game. We outline where the city-state is spending its resources and political capital to deliver a better country

By Jennifer Khoo

AmChamHK 3 â&#x20AC;˘ 2017

Marina Bay, Singapore Photo: Thinkstock

AmChamHK 3 â&#x20AC;¢ 2017

nergy-efficient buildings in Copenhagen, telecare services in Barcelona and solarpowered waste bins in Yinchuan; these technology-based advances are making our cities smarter, revolutionizing the way we live and work. In the Asia-Pacific region, few places have shown Singapore’s zeal to become a ‘smart city’. With the goal of becoming the world’s first smart country by 2025, Singapore has been on a long-term mission to build the best digital infrastructure through its Smart Nation plan. This series of government-led policy initiatives is seen by many as the ideal mechanism to deliver tomorrow’s cities, and an examination is timely in the wake of AmCham’s advocacy of smart growth for Hong Kong. In Singapore’s case, the technology may be new but the challenge has been faced by its government since independence: how to make the island nation, with negligible resources other than the talents of its people, a going concern that continues to thrive. Energy and traffic The Lion City is also the world’s top-ranked smart city, according to research and analytics firm Juniper Research. Last August, Singapore collected more Smart City Asia Pacific Awards than any other country except New Zealand, with which it tied.

Smart housing technology – including renewable energy solutions, ‘green’ buildings and Internet-of-Thingsenabled home environments – is being tested for implementation in Housing and Development Board (HBD) apartments, i.e. the government-managed housing projects where over 80 percent of residents live. Nearly 1 million motor vehicles were on the road in 2015, according to Statistics Singapore. But under endless pressure to make the most of its limited land mass, building new roads isn’t a sustainable solution to Singapore’s growing traﬃc concerns. By using smart sensor technology and apps for mobile devices, commuters will be able to see when a bus is due and how many seats are free, improving the convenience and appeal of public transport. Health and productivity Singapore’s population is aging. By 2030, the number of citizens aged 65 years and older will have more than doubled, according to the Ministry of Health. Initiatives in the healthcare system are driven by the limited amount of manpower for healthcare, medical costs that Statistics Singapore says are rising, and what the World Health Organization says is an increasing tendency for longer hospital stays to treat more chronic diseases.

Energy imports sustain the country’s economic growth, making its conservation a priority. The near-constant use of air conditioning in most homes and workplaces, for instance, is one driver of innovation in sustainable energy management.

HBD ﬂats in Singapore Photos: Pixabay

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Gardens by the Bay Photo: Thinkstock

What makes a city

‘Smart’ ?

A term given to cities that have eﬀectively utilized technology to address a range of urban issues such as energy and waste management, traﬃc management and congestion, public safety and sustainability.

Hospitals are testing a virtual reality rehabilitation system. With body sensors transmitting data back to the hospitals, patients can carry out their therapy at home, freeing up facilities at hospitals for critical care. Yet more sensors in the homes of the elderly will monitor their movements and send alerts to caregivers if irregular behavior is detected. Smart Nation measures will also be taken in other key areas, including business productivity and public-sector services. Master plan The Singapore government has made policies and introduced legislation meant to nurture a culture of experimentation and innovation, in the hope that new ideas will eventually be adopted. In January last year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation

“People will come here and say, ‘I have seen the future and it works.’”

Contactless payment Contactless fare payments on public transport will bring convenience for commuters as more Singaporeans rely on tech gadgets for everyday transactions.

Tele-health Smart sensor technology installed in the home passively monitor the daily activities of the elderly, and alert caregivers when abnormalities are detected. Wireless panic buttons will also allow the elderly to notify their loved ones in times of distress.

master plan, which outlines how US$13.4 billion should be spent to support science and technology in the public and private sectors. About US$2.7 billion, or the equivalent of about 1 percent of Singapore‘s GDP, will be spent annually over ﬁve years. With more than 5 million people living on 719 square kilometers of land and an internet connectivity rate of 99 percent, Singapore is an ideal testing ground for new technologies. There are dedicated spaces for public- and private-sector researchers to develop, prototype and test technological solutions. The one-north business park and science and technology hub is the country’s ﬁrst test site for self-driving vehicles and other mobility concepts, and is also home

to a handful of start-up accelerators, venture capitalists and MNCs, who come together to bridge the gap between innovation and enterprise. Open invitation In his speech at the opening of Smart Nation Innovations week 2016, Minister for Foreign Aﬀairs Vivian Balakrishnan, who is the Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation, invited investors, application developers, service providers and other companies to come and leverage the opportunities the city oﬀers. These opportunities, Balakrishnan said, include a market of “5 million human beings, almost every one of whom is carrying a smartphone.” A smartphone, he said, is a piece of technology with the potential to

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Smart homes Smart planning tools and data analytics can analyze wind ﬂow, solar irradiance and shaded areas within a town, and determine how best new ﬂats can be designed and sited to provide maximum thermal comfort and a more conducive living environment for residents.

Self-driving vehicles (SDVs)

Traffic management & transport planning

Roadside sensors and mobile apps can be used to detect levels of congestion on the roads and inform commuters of alternative routes or modes of public transport.

Once approved, self-driving vehicles will promote the concept of shared mobility and address the constraints faced in land and manpower.

Photos: Thinkstock

Information provided by Smart Nation Singapore

“acquire and analyze data to create actionable insights and applications.” Singapore is ranked number 10 in the world and ﬁrst in Asia for its startup ecosystem, according to the 2015 Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking, and second only to New Zealand for ease of doing business, according to the World Bank. “What we are trying to do in Singapore is create the most conducive environment for people who get it, so that in the future people will come here and say, ‘I have seen the future and it works,’” Balakrishnan said. Surveillance state The obvious challenges facing Smart Nation relate to

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

privacy and cybersecurity - both gray areas wherever the collection of personal data using technology is concerned. Even the government has alluded to not knowing the full extent of cyber-risk involved, and appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach. But for Singaporeans – who have steady faith in the government and are long accustomed to restrictions on their behavior and civil freedoms – a city under surveillance has many advantages, including a more eﬃcient, open society, and greater peace of mind. The question is: just how much privacy are citizens willing to compromise in return for utility, transparency, and predictability? See for yourself, in eight years’ time.

EDUCATION

Reflecting on

Years

By Jennifer Khoo

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

1990s, service was a part of the curriculum. Today, service and community engagement remain at the heart of the HKIS mission, vision and values. Service to the wider community is viewed as an end to itself and a means to learn, Runge says. “Just as our educational philosophy results in a more dynamic classroom environment, with active and engaged students, we hold that the outside world provides the best classroom for our students,” he says.

ong Kong International School (HKIS) was founded in 1966 to promote an American-style educational philosophy and curriculum, as well as strong American and Christian values in children. In the 50 years that followed, HKIS has sought to challenge its students to develop their intellect, imagination, independence and responsibility; their ability to collaborate; and to grow a character that combines faith and values. Head of School Alan Runge oversees day-to-day operations and works on a range of projects with parents, corporate and community partners, and the government. Here, he tells how service leads to growth. Learning by serving In the early 1970s, the school instituted its Day of Giving, a day when students volunteered with a charity. By the late

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Runge says service and community engagement give students opportunities to develop and apply their skills, and to learn about concepts in a real-world setting. He says service and community engagement are the most powerful vehicles students have for learning about themselves, their beliefs and their own character. The HKIS calendar requires a week of volunteer experience for all students in Grades 8 through 12. “During these experiences, we focus on building personal capacity and self-awareness, in addition to other skills that build aspects or creativity, collaboration and resilience in the students,” Runge says. “In the High School, students get to choose their interim experiences and over half of those are primarily service opportunities.” Teacher development Runge says the school’s education philosophy applies across the institution and community, including the faculty. The school is committed to seeking out, then developing and retaining the best faculty available. “We know that even if we attract and hire the best faculty, we won’t keep them long-term if we don’t give them

Classes of 2014-2016: HKIS alumni go on to pursue higher education all over the world

Netherlands 1 student

Canada

29 students

31 students

Ireland 2 students

USA

441 students

France

Did you know?

1 student

Between 2014 and 2016, over 80% of HKIS graduates pursued tertiary study at colleges or universities in the US.

the opportunities and support to continue growing professionally,” he says. Professional development of its teachers has become an important focus. The school holds valuable conferences and workshops. It also welcomes a steady stream of visiting consultants who are

world-class authorities on education, and each stays for a week or more to oﬀer their support. There are regular appraisals and annual funding for the professional development program. Multiple choice Runge rightly suggests that Hong Kong oﬀers parents a choice of good schools,

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Switzerland 2 students

Korea 1 student

Japan 1 student

Hong Kong 7 students

Singapore 1 student

Australia 2 students

both public and private. But after curriculum and programs, and the fees, what distinguishes one school from another is culture and, speciﬁcally, philosophy of education. The more closely the culture and philosophy of education of a school are aligned with the beliefs and

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

expectations of parents, the better for all concerned. Runge urges parents to apply three further criteria when selecting a school. “First, during school and classroom visits, look for the role of the students versus that of the teachers. Ask questions about how the students play

a role in shaping their own learning goals and activities, and about the balance of content and student project work,” Runge says. “For the younger grades, ﬁnd out to what degree play and student-directed activity is integrated and considered a part of the learning process.” Second, Runge recommends that parents take note of the cultural environment of a school. “Does there appear to be a single strong school community or is there more of a sense of many smaller communities or clubs within the student body?” he advises parents. “Is a wide selection of athletics programs and clubs important? Do you want a wide diversity of backgrounds, languages and customs,

“Just as our educational philosophy results in a more dynamic classroom environment, with active and engaged students, we hold that the outside world provides the best classroom for our students.” - HKIS Head of School Alan Runge

or do you desire a more consistent social and community environment?” The third criterion is values. “As parents, we entrust a school to instill much more than knowledge and skills into our children, but to also instill and reinforce values that you as parents share. It is critical that the values, beliefs, assumptions about character, methods for discipline etcetera are closely aligned between the family and school,” he says. Heading to 100 HKIS has expanded its facilities to meet demand and so has gradually grown across its sites. In response, the school is putting into action its Master Facilities Plan. The plan envisions redevelopment of the Lower Primary School building and

renovation of the Upper Primary School building in Repulse Bay; expansion of the High School campus in Tai Tam; construction of a Student Activity Center for Middle and High School activities such as sports and physical education; and the redevelopment of two gymnasiums into a state-ofthe-art Performance Hall, with seating for about 1,000 people and a ﬁne arts complex. The plan also calls for dedicated facilities for professional development of the teachers, which the school hopes to make available as it becomes a venue for education conferences and workshops. Even after 50 years, HKIS is showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, its success thus far has only inspired its ambitions for the next 50.

Alan Runge

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

How do you define an AWA Woman?

You don’t. We come from more than 30 different countries. We’re artists, athletes, moms, lawyers, soldiers, bookworms, entrepreneurs, adventurers, doctors, dragon boaters, foodies, hikers, students, scuba divers, bankers, young and not as young. It’s hard to describe an average AWA woman because we’re anything but average. We are glad to reach out a helping hand, either to the local charities we support or to each other when the need arises. Whether you want to save the world or just make some new friends, there’s a place for you in AWA.

We can’t wait to meet you!

Join Today

http://awa.org.hk

INDUSTRY FOCUS

Corporate updates from the worlds of public relations, advertising, media, and marketing & communications By Jennifer Khoo

21 Century Fox 21st Century Fox (21CF) has named Thomas Gaissmaier to the role of Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Oﬃcer. Based at the New York headquarters, he will work with senior management and human resources leaders across the business to help drive the ongoing transformation of the company and its people. Gaissmaier joins 21CF from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he led the Human Resource practice in North America and was a member of the global leadership team of the People & Organization practice. Prior to his 16-year career at BCG, he was a television and radio news reporter and producer in his native Germany.

“Thomas Gaissmaier named Executive VP, Chief HR Oﬃcer.”

APCO Worldwide APCO Worldwide will open a new oﬃce in Frankfurt, as part of its ongoing expansion into Germany. The new Frankfurt oﬃce will be led by Isabel Kassabian, Deputy Managing Director of APCO in Germany. Kassabian is originally from the area and will be relocating there from Berlin in early 2017. With a background in legal studies and business administration, Kassabian joined APCO’s team in Germany in 2002 and was promoted to deputy managing director in 2015. She has more than 15 years of experience leading multi-market corporate communication and crisis campaigns for clients across a range of sectors.

“APCO Worldwide opens new oﬃce in Frankfurt.”

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Arkadin Arkadin, an NTT Communications company and one of the largest providers of Unified Communications and Collaboration services, revealed in December that businesses can now deploy contact center agents on local cloud infrastructure in the Americas, Europe and Asia that integrates with Skype for Business. Arkadin’s hosted Clarity Connect Contact Center for Office 365 enables customers to deploy agents in more than 15 countries, all connected on a single domain. It is a global cloud solution, filling a market need for a provider capable of supporting complex worldwide deployments and helping customers who are not currently supported natively in Skype Online, advanced call routing and queuing, IM routing and webchat.

“Arkadin extends support to Microsoft Skype.”

Bloomberg Bloomberg was named one of the Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality, receiving a perfect score on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Bloomberg has exemplified leadership on key LGBT issues, signing the corporate amicus filing for marriage equality before the U.S. Supreme Court, signing the Human Rights Campaign letter of corporate support for the repeal of LGBT discriminatory legislation in North Carolina, Mississippi, and Missouri, and participating in a corporate amicus filing for the NC legislation to be overturned.

“Bloomberg named ‘Best Place to Work’ by Human Rights Campaign Foundation.”

Burson-Marsteller Mike Fernandez has been named U.S. CEO of Burson-Marsteller, succeeding Michael Law who becomes Worldwide Executive VP. Fernandez joined PR and communications firm in 2016 as Chair of Global Corporate and Financial Practice to spearhead client development, strategy and new offerings for the Practice. He has previously served as the chief communications officer for five large U.S.-based corporations across different industries, including financial, technology, consumer goods and services, and healthcare. Most recently, he led global corporate affairs at Cargill, where for six years he was responsible for communications, brand and marketing services, government relations, and corporate social responsibility.

“Burson-Marsteller names Mike Fernandez U.S. CEO.”

CASBAA CASBAA, an association for digital multichannel TV, content, platforms, advertising and video delivery in Asia, has returned to Singapore to host the 4th OTT Summit, Asia’s OTT (Over-The-Top) industry marquee annual event. A series of expert panels explored how internet-based content is changing the media landscape. While traditional media incumbents remain dominant, over-the-top (OTT) video services are transforming viewing habits throughout the region. The spectacular success, both critical and commercial, of such diverse video platforms as Netflix, Hooq and Spuul have established OTT services as real competitors to mainstream broadcasters.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

“Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia hosts 4th OTT Summit.”

CMMB Vision Holdings Ltd CMMB Vision Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong-based next-generation satellite-to-mobile Internet Protocol-broadcasting company, has entered into a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement with TIAA (Telematics Industry Application Alliance), China’s largest connected-car industry ecosystem alliance, to develop standards, products, and services on a satellite-based mobile multimedia broadcasting platform. The collaboration will promote digital entertainment, data, and telematics services for vehicles with rapid development of a full range of products and services. One of the goals is to deliver big data and multimedia services to consumer mobile devices anytime anywhere with unprecedented speed, scale, low-cost, and universal connectivity.

“CMMB Vision partners with TIAA to develop connected-car technology.”

Colt Technology Services Colt, a global high bandwidth network provider, plans to expand and enhance the Colt IQ Network™ in Singapore and Hong Kong as part of a signiﬁcant investment push into Asia over the next three years. Comprising both optical and ethernet architecture, it will provide high-bandwidth services to major buildings and data centers across Asia. With this expansion, Colt will become the only provider to have fully-owned ﬁber metro networks in key Asian cities (including Tokyo, Osaka and Singapore) and major European cities. Colt’s Singapore-based initiatives are set to begin in April, with Hong Kong and other Asian cities to follow in 2017 and beyond.

“Colt invests in Asia metro area network.”

The Conference Board Over the next decade, health spending will grow 15 percent due to demographic trends alone, according to a report by The Conference Board, The Impact of Demographic Trends on Consumer Spending, examining the size and age distribution of the future population and how spending patterns will change as people age. More so than any other category, healthcare spending is concentrated among the oldest households. Long-term care, in particular, is likely to experience even more dramatic growth of 20-25 percent. Businesses can be proactive in anticipation of these major changes, and improve future planning.

“Major demographic shifts to impact U.S. consumer spending.”

Dezan Shira & Associates Dezan Shira & Associates, a pan-Asian, multi-disciplinary professional services firm in legal, tax and operational advisory, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2017. Since 1992, it has expanded from a humble beginning in Shenzhen to 30 offices spread across China, ASEAN, India, and other developed economies. To honor a landmark year, a new commemorative logo was launched to reflect the continuous journey, with the numbers “two” and “five” tracing the steps from its starting point in China (red) and bridging the rest of Asia to span the ASEAN region (yellow), Vietnam (purple), and India (green).

“Dezan Shira celebrates 25th anniversary.”

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

The Economist Group The Economist Group has acquired Signal Noise as it expands its fast-growing content solutions business. Signal Noise is a London-based data design studio founded in 2010 to create data visualizations, tools and dashboards for clients including Accenture, EE and Unilever. The Economist Group is known for telling engaging stories using facts and data that provoke meaningful conversations with key audiences. The capabilities of Signal Noise, with its mix of technical and creative talent, will allow the London-based multimedia company to step up the innovative and disruptive quality of its visual data storytelling for clients.

“The Economist Group acquires data design studio Signal Noise.”

Edelman Hong Kong Edelman has appointed Celevel Butler as Managing Director of Integrated Brand, one of Edelman Singapore’s largest practices. The announcement follows a string of senior hires across Edelman’s global network in the integrated brand communications space, including Mark Renshaw as global chair of the Brand practice and Rupen Desai as vice chairman of APACMEA. Butler will have immediate responsibility for the vision, strategy and operations of Edelman Singapore’s Consumer practice, partnering with the ﬁrm’s digital, strategic planning and creative teams to further Edelman’s integrated marketing initiatives in the country. In her seven-year tenure as general manager of Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, she transformed the Singapore operation into a regional hub.

“Edelman names Celevel Butler as managing director, Integrated Brand in Singapore.”

FleishmanHillard FleishmanHillard (FH) has promoted Yu Li, previously a senior vice president and partner, to Regional Talent Development Lead for the Asia Paciﬁc region. She was also the ﬁrm’s Head of Talent Development for Greater China and spent eight months of her 12-year tenure working in its global headquarters in the United States. Before joining FleishmanHillard in 2005, she worked for three years at a leading logistics company in Beijing and started her career at JPMorgan Chase in Paris. In her new role, she will be tasked with continuing to build FH’s talent in the region, which boasts a low turnover, strong tenure and longstanding gender equity.

“FleishmanHillard appoints new Talent Development Lead in Asia Paciﬁc.”

Global Sources Global Sources, a business-to-business media company and a primary facilitator of trade with Greater China, has renewed its contracts with AsiaWorld-Expo Management to host Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) in 2019 and 2020 at a total contract value of approximately US$27.1 million. Global Sources has been hosting trade shows at AWE since 2006 and has brought more than 2 million buyers and exhibitors to visit Hong Kong over the past decade. The most recent held show in October featured more than 8,500 booths and attracted more than 79,000 buyers from 153 countries and territories to attend. In 2016 alone, Global Sources exhibitions contributed approximately HK$2.75 billion to the local economy.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

“Global Sources reaﬃrms commitment to Hong Kong.”

GP Strategies (Hong Kong) Limited GP Strategies Corporation, a global performance improvement solutions provider, and Degreed, a technology company for all forms of professional and lifelong learning, have partnered to oﬀer Degreed’s learning platform to clients of GP Strategies within the US federal government and other commercial enterprises globally. The Degreed program targets informal and self-directed learning and supports employee learning in a one-stop shop by providing employers with the structure and tools necessary to organize, curate, target and track goals and progress. On a single, easy-to-use platform, it can take place anywhere, making corporate learning and development (L&D) easier to manage and more eﬀective.

“GP Strategies partners with Degreed to enhance corporate learning.”

Instinctif Partners Instinctif Partners’ managing partner & CEO Nic Pearce spoke recently as a panelist at the BritishAmerican Business (BABinc) Talent Brand event in New York, discussing the impact of the “gig economy” on people, businesses, and brands. It is believed that the gig economy is here to stay. For businesses, it can provide a flexible resource and cost base that enable higher speed and efficiency. It is a way for companies to generate quick fixes and short term results. But many believe the negative impact on a company’s culture and brand can easily outweigh the short-term gains of speed and efficiency because businesses are still driven by human endeavor.

“Instinctif joins panel discussion on challenges of the gig economy.”

Mandarin Matrix Hong Kong-based Mandarin Matrix, a publisher of teaching materials helping K-12 students learn Chinese as a foreign language, has been chosen as a partner for the 1 Million Strong Initiative. Launched in 2016, the initiative is a commitment to strengthening US-China relations by teaching one million US students Mandarin Chinese by 2020. Along with the University of Oregon’s Center for Applied Second Language Studies and Tencent’s VIPKID, Mandarin Matrix will develop and leverage technology to improve and increase access to Mandarin language classes, particularly in underserved communities. The company has been building a global presence supporting schools in the Asia Paciﬁc region and, most recently, in the larger US market.

“Mandarin Matrix chosen for US-China Strong Foundation’s 1 Million Initiative.”

New Narrative New Narrative, a publications firm specializing in financial market editorial content, has announced the expansion of its operations to North America with the opening of an office in New York City. It will be led by Glenn Mott, a former executive editor and publishing director at Hearst. Mott, an award-winning editor, publisher and journalist, joins the company as the founding partner of its North American operation. In his previous role as editor and publishing director for the Hearst newspaper syndicate, he oversaw an array of syndication partnerships with global media organizations, including The Guardian, The Toronto Star, Bulls Press, Univision, Tribune Content Agency and Gannett.

“New Narrative expands to New York.”

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Ruder Finn RFI Studios China, the digital arm of communications consultancy Ruder Finn Asia, has been selected as the digital agency for the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA), Asia’s premier sports car racing series. Ruder Finn Asia has served Porsche China as the corporate communications agency before RFI Studios’ retainer win for the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. RFI will lead Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s digital campaigns and social media promotions across the region, in addition to designing and maintaining this prestigious event’s entire web presence. Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is a one-make sports car racing series featuring the 911 GT3 Cup model, and 2017 will be the 15th season for the series.

“RFI Studios wins digital retainer from Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.”

Saatchi & Saatchi Saatchi & Saatchi has been chosen as the lead agency for HSBC’s global brand advertising account in a competitive bid. The agency will develop a new brand positioning for the bank through multichannel communications across the world, including HSBC’s iconic global airports portfolio. Saatchi & Saatchi has been on the HSBC advertising roster since 2012, when it was appointed to the HSBC Premier and Sponsorship accounts, before adding responsibility for HSBC’s Jade, Asset Management and Insurance briefs. An integrated team, based in the new Saatchi & Saatchi oﬃces at 40 Chancery Lane in London, will be dedicated to the new account.

“Saatchi & Saatchi wins HSBC global brand account.”

Scholastic Scholastic, a global publishing and media company for children learning, has surpassed the company-wide goal of sustainable paper procurement practices by increasing the percentage of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certiﬁed paper used.

“Scholastic leads in

In 2015, Scholastic purchased 74,286 tons of paper, of which 53,437 tons (71.93%) was FSC-certiﬁed, up from 3.6% in 2007. In addition, 81 percent of all paper purchased contained post-consumer recycled waste (PCW), ranging from 10% to 100% recycled waste.

procurement

sustainable paper practices.”

The goals include sustainable forestry practices, wise use of resources, use of recycled paper/materials, minimization of basis weight, design for the environment, clean manufacturing practices, economic viability, and credible reporting and veriﬁcation.

Time Warner Inc “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” has crossed the US$800 million mark at the box office worldwide. The acclaimed film – set in a new era in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World – is the Warner Bros. Studio’s top-grossing film internationally for 2016.

“‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find

In addition, it has earned ﬁve BAFTA Award nominations: Outstanding British Film, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Special Visual Eﬀects.

Them’ surpasses

The ﬁlm marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, whose beloved Harry Potter books were adapted into the top-grossing ﬁlm franchise of all time. Her script was inspired by the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by her character Newt Scamander.

mark.”

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US$800 million

The New York Times Despite precipitous declines in print advertising, The New York Times Company recorded signiﬁcant growth in subscriptions and in digital advertising. In a February release of ﬁgures, print advertising revenue in 2016 fell 16 percent, driving a 9 percent drop in total advertising revenue. The story on the digital side was positive. Digital advertising revenue rose 6 percent last year to reach US$209 million, while digital-only subscriptions to news products during the year increased by 514,000 for its news products during the year, bringing its total to 1.6 million. Some 276,000 subscriptions were made in the last quarter.

“NYT’s decline in print advertising oﬀset by digital gains.”

Resources Global Professionals (HK) Ltd The holding company of Resources Global Professionals (RGP), Resources Connection, Inc, has appointed Kate W. Duchene to the position of President and CEO after serving as Interim CEO since October 2016 when Anthony Cherbak announced his unexpected retirement due to health considerations. Duchene joined the company in 1999, serving as Chief Legal Oﬃcer, Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Secretary. As part of the executive team in the past 17 years, she developed strategy and made business decisions across RGP’s global platform. In 2012, Duchene assumed leadership and ﬁnancial responsibility for the company’s legal consulting business.

“Resources Connection, Inc. appoints Kate Duchene as President and CEO.”

Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters has officially opened the Thomson Reuters Labs in Singapore. The Labs enable lean experimentation with advanced data analytics and machine intelligence to solve global challenges for customers. Specifically, they provide capabilities across the many disciplines that constitute data science, delivering data exploration tools, dashboards, visualizations and proof-of-concept applications. The Singapore Lab, located in the central business district at One Raffles Quay, is the first branch in Asia to open as part of a growing global network, joining locations in Boston, Cape Town, London, Waterloo (Canada) and Zürich. It will support Thomson Reuters financial & risk, tax & accounting and legal businesses across Asia Pacific.

“Thomson Reuters continues APAC expansion of global Labs network.”

Turner Asia Pacific Turner Asia Paciﬁc has announced the establishment of a new Southeast Asia organization and appointment of a new regional lead to be based in Singapore, naming Vishal Dembla as Vice President and General Manager of Turner Southeast Asia. In his previous capacity, he was responsible for distribution and content sales in Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. In his new role, Dembla will provide oversight of all commercial lines, including ad and content sales and will lead the region’s programming, creative services and marketing departments for all of Turner’s kids and entertainment brands. His team will also focus on further expanding the reach of Turner’s existing brands.

“Turner announces new Southeast Asia organization and new General Manager.”

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Weber Shandwick One of the leading drivers of corporate reputation among consumers is how good or healthy a company’s products or services are for them, and how happy they make them feel, according to a recent survey by global communications and engagement firm Weber Shandwick. The degree to which products and services make individuals feel good or healthy surpasses their interest in specific corporate responsibility initiatives, sometimes by wide margins, with 47 percent of consumers frequently discussing how healthy or good specific company products or services are, and 46 percent increasingly buying from companies that make them feel good.

“‘Good for Me’ outweighs ‘Good for All’ in driving company reputation.”

WE Communications A study by WE Communications covering China, the US and the UK reveals that earned media placements are regarded as the most inﬂuential sources of news and information when it comes to driving consumer opinions about brands and products, and when driving sharing across social media and other platforms. Additionally, earned media rates are highest amongst respondents when asked what source of news and information about a brand they would likely share when seeing something positive about a brand. Brands can win by understanding intentional and unintentional search behaviors, and with smarter targeting of the types of content that resonate by sector.

“Earned media most powerful inﬂuencer, WE Communications study ﬁnds.”

West UC According to a West UC report, customers engage with brands wherever they are, be it in person, over the phone, online or through apps – areas in which businesses need to be delivering consistent, superior service. For brands, this means having to maintain a connected ecosystem of communication channels and data to accommodate diﬀerent customers’ needs at diﬀerent times. The report suggests: a human touch by speaking to a person over the phone still represents a fast, convenient option for resolving certain issues; proactive communication shows customers that your brand is always a few steps ahead of their needs; and brands can develop ideas for improvement through social channels.

“West UC report reveals consumer expectations from brand communication.”

WRG Creative Communication WRG and The Moment have created a new partnership, bringing together WRG’s scale and established reputation across the events sector and The Moment’s expertise in marketing communications and film. The collaboration reflects the changing face of marketing and how brands are seeking new and effective ways to engage audiences.

“WRG joins forces

WRG’s clients include Shell, adidas, Google, and other healthcare companies; clients of The Moment include Levi’s, Ladbrokes and Kenco. Both agencies are being led by CEO Russ Lidstone under the alliance named The Creative Engagement Group.

alliance.”

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

with The Moment in a new agency

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Advertising, Marketing & Communication Services

ADVERTISING, MARKETING & COMMUNICATION SERVICES

Axis Studio Ltd 3/F Park Avenue Tower, 5 Moreton Terrace, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 3595 0238

Email: info@axisstudio.com.hk

Website: www.axisstudio.com.hk

Key Contacts: Iris Li (Executive Producer), Agnes Choy (VFX Director) ABOUT US Established in early 2010 by industry veterans, Axis Studio is dedicated to providing outstanding post-production services in CGI animation and dramatic film effects. Our philosophy is to enrich the visual experience of every masterpiece. We are specialists in photo-realistic rendering, visual film effects and animation. Our portfolio is extensive spanning Hollywood grade movies, TV series, TV commercials to feature films. WHAT WE DO At Axis Studio, we focus on providing a full-service post-production shop under one roof. Our solid management and efficient pipeline enables us to deliver on our promise of the best quality-to-cost ratio in Asia.

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Our scopes of services include: - Animation supervision & production - Character design - Storyboard - Lighting supervision Client Categories - Bank - Cosmetic - FMCG - Government Organization

- Realistic rendering - Visual ﬁlm eﬀect production - Digital multimedia production

- Property - Retail - Telecommunication - Training & Service Organization

For more information, please see at www.axisstudio.com.hk/clients

Base Creative Consultants Co. Ltd 15/F The Hennessy, 256 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2868 2793 / (852) 3586 0792/ (852) 3586 0791 Email: info@basecreate.com Website: www.basecreate.com Key Contacts: Mr. Matthew Kinsman, Managing Director Expertise and Practice Specialties: Our expertise lies in branding, digital and marketing where we focus on helping clients generate better commercial results through offering an integrated brand solution. Practice specialties include hospitality, property, consumer, corporate, F&B, and luxury. World-renowned clients include Walmart, Deloitte, Standard Chartered, BASF, LI & FUNG, Swire Pacific, Hermes etc. Company Overview: Base Creative is a fully integrated multidisciplinary branding and marketing agency with offices in Hong Kong, France and China. We work with some of the world’s leading entrepreneurs to create integrated brand and business strategies that are transported well to every cell of the company.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Fabulous Eternity PR & Event Management Ltd Email: minogue@fabulouseternity.com Tel: (852) 5399 8157 Key Contacts: Mr. Minogue Lam, Founder & CEO

Website: www.fabulouseternity.com

Company Activities: Well-established in 2007 by acting upon those commitments your made for chance and improvement. Ambitious and highly dedicated entrepreneurial executive with experience working in high growth/top performing global markets. More than 10 years of experience in strategic planning, and in managing marketing, communications, and marketing sales in the luxury goods, Watch & Jewellery, and accessories segments. The natural leader with a hands-on approach and proven ability in successfully building and managing teams. Our clients operate in the ﬁelds of professional services. Their reputation and their public image are of paramount importance to them, and we see our role as one of partnership, always working alongside them to ensure that their public presentation is accurate, far-reaching and persuasive. In this coming year, we will continue to explore new frontiers. With immense and dedication, we promise to exceed all your expectations! Of course, we value your suggestions and constructive criticism as we strive to bring our client the very best @ FABULOUS ETERNITY. Testimonials: “Minogue and his team of Fabulous Eternity bring huge enthusiasm to all our PR activity and energize any marketing meeting that they attend. They are also good at coming up with ideas and contacts that have been very helpful in gaining exposure for our business in both trade and market news & strategy and service delivery always goes the extra mile.” - Mr. Jean Sebastian Berland, Regional Brand Director, ROGER DUBUIS “We have been really impressed by the depth of Fabulous Eternity PR understanding of our business requirements. They have demonstrated their ability to deliver results. They are a great team – professional, eﬃcient, organized and enthusiastic. It is a pleasure to work with people who are passionate about the job they do.” - Mr. Nakagawa, Regional Director, MIKIMOTO HONG KONG.

Gartner Hong Kong Ltd Suite 2204-06, 22/F, Berkshire House, 25 Westlands Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong Website: www.gartner.com Fax: (852) 2824 6138 Tel: (852) 3402 0402 Key Contacts: Lester Owencroft, Area Vice President Year Established: 27 Sep 1994 Staff Size: 20 Company Activities: Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. We deliver the technology-related insight necessary for our clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, we are the valuable partner to 60,000 clients in 12,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, we work with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 5,200 associates, including 1,280 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. Gartner Research Process Our research process embodies a way of thinking that turns complex information into insight you can use for business advantage. Research Methodologies Gartner methodologies consist of research practices, procedures and rules that distill large volumes of data into clear, precise, actionable insight so our clients can formulate plans or make difficult business decisions. Gartner for IT Leaders Gartner for IT Leaders is an indispensable strategic resource, delivering timely, reliable insight to guide your key decisions and get the most from your highest-priority initiatives. A service that more than pays for itself, it includes contract reviews that identify real savings, connections to peers who have walked in your shoes, and tools that save you time and money.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Gartner for Supply Chain Leaders The supply chain can make or break an organization's competitiveness, but with unstable raw materials costs, volatile demand patterns and rampant supply risks, using it to drive profitable growth and product innovation is no small feat. What's more, corporations must create demand-driven supply chains that embrace sustainability, or risk falling behind more innovative competitors. Gartner for Supply Chain Leaders delivers objective, actionable insight and best practices to help supply chain professionals build, manage and transform their global supply chains—maximizing productivity, minimizing risks and driving revenue and competitive advantage. Gartner for Technical Professionals Gartner for Technical Professionals delivers resources tailored to the needs of your technical architects and engineers. Written by technologists for technologists, this research provides detailed technical guidance on technical planning and architecture design. GTP benefits IT organizations to accelerate project timelines, mitigate risk and develop your staff.

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Hill +Knowlton Strategies Hong Kong 36/F, PCCW Tower, Taikoo Place, 979 King's Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2894 6321

Fax: (852) 2576 3551

Email: kw.lam@hkstrategies.com

Website: www.hkstrategies.com

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Key Contacts: K W Lam, Managing Director, Hong Kong Year Established: 1962 Staff Size: 100 Major Business: Corporate communications, marketing communications, financial communications, public affairs, risk management and crisis communications, training and digital communications Notable clients: McDonald’s, Ping An Insurance, PetroChina, HSBC, Ford, CNOOC, Alibaba, China Resources Enterprise, Facebook, KKR, Rolex, Coach, Indosuez Wealth Management, Tata Communications, Microsoft, Swire Properties, Korean Air, Hong Kong Airlines, Jones Lang LaSalle, BUPA, UnionPay, Bulgari, Dalian Wanda. Recent Major Awards: Hill+Knowlton Strategies Hong Kong has, in recent years, been nominated and won notable awards which recognise excellence in expertise and services. Most recently, H+K Strategies was nominated at the Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards 2013 in the categories of Business-to-Business Marketing, Restaurants and Food Service Sector Campaign, and Associations Sector Campaign. H+K Strategies was also previously awarded the Asia-Pacific Consultancy of the Year and Asia-Pacific Public Affairs Consultancy of the Year by The Holmes Report, Best Financial PR Company in Asia at the Asian Excellence Recognition Awards, and recognised for Excellence in Launch Marketing at Marketing Magazine's Marketing Excellence Awards. Professional Associations: Council of Public Relations Firms of Hong Kong, American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Company Activities: Hill+Knowlton Strategies is a public relations and integrated communications agency with 87 offices around the globe. H+K Hong Kong is home to over 100 creative strategists, content creators and storytellers experienced in helping clients strengthen brands, reputations and bottom lines. We understand how audiences think and engage, and recognize that in today’s ever-connected world, it’s all about business-to-human integrated communications. Whether it is investor relations, corporate communications, digital communications, or innovative marketing communication campaigns, H+K Hong Kong, together with our digital arm Rice 5, crafts credible and engaging ideas that deliver cut-through and measurable impact in an always-on world. That’s why we’re proud to say that fifty percent of our top ten clients in Hong Kong have been partnering with us for ten years or more

New Narrative Ltd. 6/F, 12P Smithﬁeld Road, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 8192 7768 E-mail: info@new-narrative.com Fax: (852) 3568 6342 Website: www.new-narrative.com Key contacts: Joseph Chaney, Partner Jonathan Hopfner, Partner David Line, Partner Glenn Mott, Partner (New York) Year Established: 2013

Staﬀ Size: 8

Major Business: Tailor-made content marketing, research and thought leadership campaigns for ﬁnancial services and other ﬁrms active in Asia, the Middle East and beyond Professional Associations: Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong Columbia University Alumni Association New York University Alumni Association Oxford University Alumni Association American Chamber of Commerce British Chamber of Commerce Beta Gamma Sigma Company Activities: New Narrative Ltd. (n/n) is a Hong Kong and New York-based, content-focused marketing agency founded by professionals from the world’s top media organisations. The company conceptualizes and creates custom research, thought leadership and editorial campaigns across a range of formats that help its clients highlight their expertise, develop compelling voices in the marketplace and ultimately drive business growth.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Ruder Finn Asia Ltd 24/F Neich Tower, 128 Gloucester Road, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2521 0800 Fax: (852) 2521 7088

Email: hkoffice@ruderfinnasia.com Website: www.ruderfinnasia.com

Key Contacts: Jean-Michel Dumont, Chairman, Ruder Finn Asia Anne Geronimi, Vice President and General Manager, Hong Kong Charles Lankester, Executive Vice President, Global Reputation & Risk Management. Year Established: 1989

Staﬀ Size: 400

Professional Associations: CPRF, American Chamber, British Chamber

Major Business: Integrated communications, Reputation management, luxury sector communications, digital and social media marketing strategy & services, corporate, brand and crisis communications Company Activities: Founded in 1989, Ruder Finn Asia (www.ruderfinnasia.com) is the Asia-Pacific subsidiary of New York-based Ruder Finn (www.ruderfinn.com), a global communications consulting firm, producing award-winning work at the intersection of content, creative and digital. Ruder Finn Asia today employs close to 400 consultants in Asia-Pacific and has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore. The firm is represented across all other regional markets through a network of high quality partners. Ruder Finn Asia’s business centers on four strategic pillars: Corporate & Public Trust, Global Connectivity, Health & Wellness and Life+Style. As an integrated communication consultancy, we help our clients engage with those vital to their success, delivering meaningful, measurable, business results through inspirational, data-driven, communications counsel and solutions. Our expertise encompasses reputation management, digital and social marketing strategy, employee engagement, branding and executive skills training. Our research and analysis team provides insights and counsel in market trends, producing annual research reports including the China Luxury Forecast, Physicians Digital Outlook Survey and other publications. Ruder Finn Asia’s key clients include Bang & Olufsen, Cotton Inc, Daiichi Sankyo, Emirates, GSK, Hermès, Jumeirah, L’Oréal, Michelin, Omron, Sanofi, VISA, Volkswagen Group and leading brands from the Kering, LVMH and Richemont Groups.

Sinclair Communications 12/F, So Hong Commercial Building, 41 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2915 1234 Website: www.sinclairasia.com Email: talk@sinclairasia.com Key Contacts: Kiri Sinclair, Managing Director Year Established: 2009 Staff Size: 30 Kevin Lam, Director Major Business: A multi award-winning PR consultancy with a fully integrated approach to brand strategy, from research and ideation through to implementation. We develop communications strategies that propel brand reputation. Our services include market analysis, media relations, KOL marketing, experiential activations, storytelling, advertising, digital strategy, social media management, and listening. Major Clients: Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, Cheetah Mobile, Deliveroo, Dining Concepts, Hong Kong Parkview, Pret a Manger, Prophet, PURE Group,Robert Parker Wine Advocates, SCAD, Singapore Tourism Board, Swire Properties, Taste Festivals, Tourism Australia, Van Cleef & Arpels. Professional Association: Council of Public Relations Firms of Hong Kong Public Relations Professionals' Association Hong Kong Marketing Society Asia Company Activities: At Sinclair Communications, we create a strategic approach to building brand reputation for our clients, driving business objectives and growth. Our approach is integrated, bringing the online and offline worlds together to create engagement and experiences that resonate across Asian audiences. Through careful positioning, thought leadership, key messaging and storytelling, we localise global brand campaigns, and bring local brands to the world. Our team works with both consumer to corporate brands, from large corporations to boutique brands and e-com start-ups, delivering great results with enthusiasm and passion. Sinclair Communications has been accredited with the following recognition: • Consultancy of the Year (in country) – Gold Standard Awards 2016 from PublicAffairs Asia • Social Media Influencer of the Year - Mumbrella Asia Awards 2016 • Best Experiential PR Campaign – PR Awards 2016

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

ADVERTISING, MARKETING & COMMUNICATION SERVICES

Strategic Public Relations Group Room 2401-02, Admiralty Centre I, 18 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2527 0490 Fax: (852) 2114 4948

Email: enquiry@sprg.com.hk Website: www.sprg.com.hk / www.sprg.asia

Key Contacts: Richard Tsang, Chairman of SPRG Eveline Wan, Senior Director – Asia

Year Established: 1995 Staﬀ Size: 310

Major Business: An integrated PR consultancy that provides IPO, investor relations, corporate marketing communications, public aﬀairs, government relations and digital solutions. Major Clients: AEON Stores, ASM Paciﬁc Technology, Bank J. Safra Sarasin, BT, China Mengniu Dairy, Coolpad, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Fairwood, Fortune REIT, Google, Herbalife, Hershey, Hong Kong Deposit Protection Board, K. Wah International, KFC, Kingsoft, Land Transport Authority, Lenovo, Melco Crown Entertainment, Merek, Microsoft Hong Kong, Procter & Gamble, PuraPharm, Scripps Networks, Sinomax Group, The Hong Kong Institute of Director, TravelSky Technology, Tsui Wah, UC Rusal, Xinyi, Xtep, ZTE

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Professional Association: Partner of PROI Worldwide Company Activities: Established in 1995, Strategic Public Relations Group (SPRG) is one of the largest public relations networks in Asia and Hong Kong’s largest public relations consultancy. With 310 professionals working from 15 oﬃces in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, SPRG is currently advising over 300 MNC and local clients on a retainer basis in Asia.

In the past few years, SPRG has earned over 165 regional and global accolades and over 90 CSR recognitions: • Public Relations Agency of the Year in Asia Pacific 2014-2016 – the Stevie Awards • Public Relations Agency of the Year in Asia 2013-2016 – the Stevie Awards • Grand Stevie Award Winner 2013 – the Stevie Awards • Greater China Independent Agency of the Year (Silver) 2012 – Campaign • Local Hero – Public Relations Agency of the Year 2010-2013 & 2016 – Marketing Magazine • Asia Pacific Financial Consultancy of the Year 2011 – the Holmes Report • Asia Pacific Network of the Year 2010 – Campaign • Hong Kong Consultancy of the Year 2009 – the Holmes Report • Best of Show – Agency 2016 – Marketing Magazine • Best Crisis Management Team 2014 – Marketing Magazine • Innovation in Community Relations or Public Service Communications 2016 – the Stevie Awards • Corporate Social Responsibility Programme in Asia Pacific 2016 – the Stevie Awards • Corporate Social Responsibility Programme in Asia 2016 – the Stevie Awards In 2014, SPRG established Strategic CSR Network, a registered not-forprofit organisation that operates as a one-stop platform for connecting corporations, NGOs and volunteers together to help the underprivileged communities on an ongoing basis. It is first and only NGO to be funded and fully supported by a PR consultancy in Hong Kong.

Thomson Reuters Hong Kong Ltd 18/F, ICBC Tower, 3 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3761 1800

Email: sanjeev.chatrath@thomsonreuters.com

Member since: October 1994

Website: www.thomsonreuters.com

Nature of business: Information, Technology and Expertise

Awards and Recognition: • Best Reference Data Provider, Waters Rankings • Best Corporate Actions Solution Provider, Water Rankings • Best FX Solutions Provider, Wealth Briefing Asia – Hong Kong • Best FX Market Data Platform, Profit & Loss Readers’ Choice Awards • Best Trading Platform by Corporations, Profit & Loss Readers’ Choice Awards • 2016 Technology Innovator, Technology Innovator Awards • Best Reference Data Provider, Inside Market & Inside Reference Data Awards • Best News Provider, Inside Market & Inside Reference Data Awards • Best Mobile Initiative, Inside Market & Inside Reference Data Awards • Best Reference Data Provider, Waters Technology • Best Corporate Actions Solution Provider, Waters Technology • Best Cloud-Based Services Provider, Waters Technology • Technology Provider of the Year, Structured Products Asia Awards • Best Financial Market Intelligence Provider, Wealth & Finance 2016 Awards • Best Broker for Forward FX, FX Week Awards • Best Vendor for Dealing Technology, FX Week Awards • Best Buy-Side EMS Provider (REDI), Buy-Side Tech Awards

• Best Buy-Side Pricing/Valuation Service (TRPS), Buy-Side Tech Awards • Best Technology Platform, Corporate Treasurer Awards 2015 • Best Trading Platform, Corporate Treasurer Awards 2015 • Best Treasury & Finance Strategies, Corporate Treasurer Awards 2015 • Best Independent Online FX Trading System, Global Finance World’s Best FX Providers • Best Liquidity Provider, Global Finance World’s Best FX Providers • Innovator in FX, Global Finance World’s Best FX Providers • Best Multibank and Independent Platform, Euromoney FX Survey • Best Provider of Data Analytics, Asian Private Banker Awards 2016

Company Activities: Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of news and information for professional markets. Our customers rely on us to deliver the intelligence, technology and expertise they need to ﬁnd trusted answers. The business has operated in more than 100 countries for more than 100 years. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges (symbol: TRI). For more information, visit www.thomsonreuters.com

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

The BlueCurrent Group

Edelman Public Relations Worldwide (HK) Ltd.

Suite 1501, Cityplaza 4, 12 Taikoo Wan Road, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong

7/F Central Plaza 18 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Website: www.bluecurrentgroup.com Tel: (852) 2967 6770 Fax: (852) 2586 7897 Email: chris.plowman@bluecurrentgroup.com / james.hacking@bluecurrentgroup.com Key Contacts: Year Established: 2011 Chris Plowman, SVP & Partner James Hacking, SVP Major Business: B2C and B2B Social Media Campaigns, Search Engine Marketing, SEO, Community Management, Social Advertising, Online & Digital Marketing, Monitoring Solutions, Digital Training, Branding/ Marketing/Advertising, Website Development, Employer Branding/ Recruitment Marketing, Employee Engagement Communications Major Awards / Projects Specialist consultancy of the Year, 2016 / APAC Gold Standard Awards, PublicAﬀairsAsia Employee Communications Campaign of the Year, 2014 / Gold Award, PRWeek Best Employee Engagement /Internal Communications, 2014 / Gold Award, Marketing Magazine PR Awards HK Stakeholder Communications. 2014 / Silver Award, HK PR Awards

Company Activities: The BlueCurrent Group is a network of agencies, wholly owned by Omnicom Group and a sister of global communications company, FleishmanHillard. BlueCurrent Hong Kong is a creative agency that delivers to companies and brands effective communications solutions across digital, social and media channels. Since its establishment, BlueCurrent Hong Kong has worked with many businesses in Hong Kong and across Asia Pacific providing fully integrated brand building, social media, digital communications and media/influencer services. The business leverages the experience and expertise of FleishmanHillard’s global network to take a modern and innovative perspective on approaches to publicity and relationships in the digital era.

Tel: (852) 2804 1338 Fax: (852) 2804 1303 Email: hongkong@edelman.com adrian.warr@edelman.com Website: www.edelman.hk Key Contacts: Adrian Warr, Managing Director, HK Benson Tam, Director, Finance Carolyn Hammond, Director, Consumer Yeelim Lee, Director, Technology Andrew Ryder, Director, Digital Year Established: 1986

Staﬀ Size: 73+

Awards and Projects: Edelman is the world’s largest independent communications firm, with 67 offices wholly owned worldwide and affiliates in more than 65 cities. Edelman Hong Kong’s Food Angel campaign with Lenovo won the 2016 PR Awards. The MARKies also recognized Edelman’s work last year and awarded Coffee Concepts Hong Kong Starbucks campaign a Silver and Marketing magazine awarded Edelman Hong Kong Public Relations Agency of the Year. Company Activities: Edelman is an independent consultancy with a specialist team of professionals covering creative, digital, reputation management, stakeholder and brand engagement, events organizations, CSR and crisis, consumer and corporate communications, government campaigns, and advertising.

FleishmanHillard Hong Kong

Hamilton Advisors

Suite 1501, Cityplaza 4, 12 Taikoo Wan Road, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong

901A, 9/F, Kinwick Centre, 32 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2530 0228 Fax: (852) 2845 0363

Tel: (852) 2488 8866 Email: rgrieves@hamiltonadvisorsltd.com Website: www.hamiltonadvisorsltd.com

Email: fhhk@ﬂeishman.com Website: ﬂeishmanhillard.com.hk

Key Contacts: Rachel Catanach, President & Sr Partner, Greater China Geoff Bilbrough, Deputy GM Year Established: 1996 Professional Associations: Member of the CPRFHK Major Business: Public Relations, Reputation Management, Public Affairs, Brand Marketing, Media Relations, Investor Relations, Crisis Management, Internal Communications, Social Media Management, Content Development, Influencer Relations Major Awards / Projects:

Asia Pacific Regional Network of the Year 2016 / ICCO Global Awards Asia Pacific Healthcare PR Consultancy of the Year 2016 / The Holmes Report In-Country Consultancy of the Year, 2015 / PublicAffairs Asia Gold PR Lion / 2015 Cannes Festival of Creativity Asia-Pacific PR Campaign of the Year, 2015 / PRWeek Asia

Company Overview: FleishmanHillard specializes in public relations, reputation management, public affairs, brand marketing, digital strategy, social engagement and content strategy. FleishmanHillard delivers on the power of true, reflecting the firm’s high values, and unique ability to guide clients through a world demanding unprecedented authenticity and transparency. FleishmanHillard is part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, and has more than 85 offices in 30 countries, plus affiliates in 43 countries. Visit http://fleishmanhillard.com.hk for more information.

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

Key Contact: Robert Grieves, Chairman & CEO Year Established: 2009 Major Business: Public Relations, Media Relations, Investor Relations, Brand and Reputation Management, Digital and Social Media, Executive Communications and Media Training Professional Associations: American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Council of Public Relations Firms of Hong Kong (CPRFHK), The American Club Hong Kong, The Foreign Correspondents’ Club HK (FCC) Company Activities: Hamilton Advisors is a Hong Kong-based consultancy providing premium strategic communications services to ﬁnancial institutions, listed and privately-held companies, and professional associations. We help clients build brand and reputation, strengthen stakeholder relationships and achieve business objectives. Our team includes multicultural public relations experts with extensive experience throughout the Asia-Paciﬁc region and in global markets.

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The New York Times

Madison Communications Limited

1201 K Wah Ctr 191 Java Rd, North Point, HK

Rm 03-04, 13/F, Valley Centre, 80-82 Morrison Hill Road, Happy Valley, HK

Tel: (852) 2922 1188 Fax: (852) 2922 1190

Email: inytsubs@nytimes.com Website: NYTimes.com

Key Contacts: Helena Phua, Executive Vice President, Asia / Paciﬁc & Philip P. Pan, Asia Editor, The New York Times Year Established: 1980

Staﬀ Size: 90

Major Business: Newspaper Publishers Major Awards / Projects: 6 Awards for Editorial Excellence 2016 from SOPA: Reporting on Women's Issues, Reporting on Women's Issues - Chinese Language, Digital News, Explanatory Reporting, Information Graphics and Reporting Breaking News Professional Associations: SOPA, PATA, WAN-IFRA

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Company Activities: The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) is a global media organization dedicated to enhancing society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news and information. The company is known globally for excellence in its journalism, and innovation in its print and digital storytelling and its business model. Follow news about the company at @NYTimesComm.

Key Contacts: Mr Samuel Mak, CEO Year Established: 2004 Staff Size: 8 Major Business: advertising, public relations, public affairs, event marketing and digital marketing Company Activities: Madison Communications is a creative agency offering integrated communications services: advertising, public relations, public affairs, event marketing and digital marketing. We offer innovative and powerful solutions that help client’s objectives: enhance brand values, product launches, gain stakeholders’ support, restore consumer confidence or rectify rumors.

Mazarine Asia Paciﬁc

OCCASIONS PR GROUP

Rm 403, 2/F, Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaught Road Central, HK Tel: (852) 3101 4680 Email: michelle.cheng@mazarineap.com Fax: (852) 3101 4681 Website: mazarineasiapaciﬁc.com

Rm 403, 2/F, Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaught Road Central, HK Tel: (852) 2523 7666 Email: info@occhk.com Fax: (852) 2810 6598 Website: occhk.com

Key Contacts: Pansy Ho, Chairman; Paul-Emmanuel Reiﬀers, Deputy Chairman; Michelle Cheng, CEO

Key Contacts: Pansy Ho, Founder & Chairman; Michelle Cheng, CEO

First Sino-Franco luxury communication group in the world Mazarine Asia Pacific is a joint venture between Mazarine Groupe Paris founded by Paul-Emmanuel Reiffers and Trimaran PR Asia co-founded by Pansy Ho and Michelle Cheng dedicated to the development of premium and luxury brands. Our unique Sino-French heritage in the region’s industry is the perfect union to assist global brands gain a presence in Asia, as well as answer the demand for international ‘savoir faire’ by Asia-based brands. Craftsmen of art as much as pioneers of unknown horizons, storytellers and creators, the Mazarine team brings together exceptional skills across a multitude of communication services and is admired for its professionalism, integrity and uncompromising commitment to creativity. Headquartered in Hong Kong with 60 professional talents across 4 offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Macau, we are supported by a team of 300 professionals in Paris and New York. Practice Strengths: PR & Marketing, Digital & Social Media, Image & Design, Events Creative & Production, Advertising

Tel: (852) 2881 8612 Fax: (852) 2881 8716 Email: info@madison.asia Website: www.madison.asia Facebook: www.facebook.com/madison.asia

FIRST LUXURY PR AGENCY IN HONG KONG When Ms Pansy Ho established Occasions in 1987, she has one definite aim — to make a difference in Hong Kong’s PR industry by introducing professional PR perspectives the territory had never seen. Celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2017, Occasions takes pride in honouring this aspiration and continues to lead the way in making events part of the international calendar of “must-attend” affairs, and the brands we represent part of the upper echelon of “must-have” goods. Leveraging on our personal and exclusive relationship with the media, movers and shakers in town, elites and UHWIs, we want our clients to be recognized year-round, year after year, giving brands the opportunity for exposure and positive publicity to strengthen their image and business. Fashion changes but the personality of Occasions endures. We are as dedicated as ever to offering sophisticated and creative PR campaigns that capture the essence of each client’s ethos. Since December 2016, Occasions has become the luxury PR arm of Mazarine Asia Pacific Group. Practice Strengths: Bespoke PR and Marketing Consultancy Service for the Luxury Sector

AmChamHK 3 • 2017

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www.hkstrategies.com

Hill+Knowlton Strategies. Changed and changing.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Trade, IP and Second Medical Use Patents – Mar 29 What Happens Next? Andrew Cobden, Consultant at Hogan Lovells Jasper MacSlarrow, International Public Affairs at Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Ltd This event will cover two timely issues for those interested in intellectual property or pharmaceutical patents. Recently, there was an important court decision in England on second medical use patents. As Hong Kong is likely to follow suit, there has been a lot of discussion and debate on this topic. Andrew Cobden from Hogan Lovells, who has been practicing patent law for more than 25 years will help provide clarity on this topic. A number of key policy challenges for innovative companies will need to be addressed in 2017. Perhaps no larger issue confronts multi-national companies in Asia more than what will come next now that the U.S. has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement – and specifically, what will happen with the rules that were laid out and intensely negotiated in the IPR chapter? Andrew Cobden is a solicitor in Hogan Lovells, Hong Kong office and has been practicing patent law for more than 25 years. He qualified as a lawyer in Hong Kong in 2008, having previously qualified in England and Wales in 1988 and Australia in 1985. Jasper MacSlarrow currently serves as Director, International Public Affairs – Asia for Pfizer. In this capacity, Jasper oversees government affairs and other related responsibilities focused on the Asia Pacific. Previous to working for Pfizer, Jasper served as a consultant focused on intellectual property (IP) protection and market access challenges throughout the Asia Pacific. Venue: The American Chamber of Commerce in HK 1904 Bank of America Tower 12 Harcourt Road, Central, HK

Time: 12:00pm - 01:45pm

Fees: Member: HK$280 Non-member: HK$400

Smart Charging – Smart Energy Apr 21 Hong Kong’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Ron Chung, Director of Engineering and Technical Services at Smart Charge (HK) Limited

For information, see website: www.amcham.org.hk Tel: (852) 2530 6900 Fax: (852) 2810 1289 Email: byau@amcham.org.hk

Both the technology and growth of electric vehicles (EV) have made significant advances to a point where they now are playing a major role in Hong Kong’s efforts to improve road-side air quality, reduce carbon emissions and to help make the city smarter and more connected. However, there are many factors at play for EV to succeed in Hong Kong such as technical challenges and a diverse set of stakeholders: building owners and management, EV suppliers, the EV users themselves, the power companies and the Government. Hong Kong needs an EV solution that is safe, reliable and practical while balancing the objectives of the various stakeholders in a way that is sustainable from a long-term business perspective. Ron Chung is the Director of Engineering and Technical Services for Smart Charge (HK) Limited. He has over 23 years of experience in the gas and electricity industry with roles ranging from engineering, marketing and customer services, sustainability to business strategy and regulatory affairs. Venue: The American Chamber of Commerce in HK 1904 Bank of America Tower 12 Harcourt Road, Central, HK

Time: 12:00pm - 01:45pm

Fees: Member: HK$280 Non-member: HK$400

From retention to engagement Apr 25 Create a new employee experience @work Bernard Coulaty, Founder & CEO of MOST engaged consulting Ltd In this interactive breakfast event, participants will explore practical tools to make their organization and their managers more "engaging" and develop more "engaged" individuals and teams, while reviewing their HR systems to increase employee engagement and sustain business performance. Topics to be included:

1. Engagement is being challenged • Future@work trends • Satisﬁed, motivated or engaged? • Building an engaging employee value proposition • From Human Capital to Employee Experience

2. Engaging and engaged actors • Engaged individual: body and mind model • Engaged team: culture and diversity • Engaging manager: build the team’s identity • Engaging organization: design your employer brand

3. Your HR systems: are they engaging? • How to revisit HR systems to boost employee engagement • Bridging the gap between the organization and employees • A strategic engagement framework for your organization

Bernard Coulaty is a senior global HR leader with over 20 years of professional practice as VP HR in multinational organizations in Europe and Asia, having developed a thorough expertise in employee engagement, talent management, leadership development and empowering HR communities in diverse business, cultural and geographical contexts. Venue: The American Chamber of Commerce in HK 1904 Bank of America Tower 12 Harcourt Road, Central, HK

Time: 08:00am - 09:30am

Fees: Member: HK$180 Non-member: HK$300

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