Chair's Message

Dear Members,

First of all, I would like to thank the Executive team for arranging the Annual General Meeting on the 14th September 2022 and all the members who participated in that meeting and the subsequent Extraordinary General Meeting. At the AGM we received reports on the events and activities of the Chamber over the past year and were regaled by the Chair, Peter Burnett, with his experiences as Chair over the last four years. Peter has worked tirelessly for the benefit of the Chamber during this time and I wish to thank him on behalf of the new “regime” for his dedication and service.

At the AGM a total of fourteen officers were appointed to the General Committee representing many aspects and facets of the Chamber membership. Along with the appointed members of GenCom we also have a number of co-opted members, as well as Committee Chairs. Underpinning and undertaking a huge amount of (often invisible) work on behalf of the Chamber is the Executive team led by David Graham. To one and all, I wish to give a vote of thanks. An enormous amount goes on behind to scenes to make the Chamber run smoothly.

I am deeply honoured to have been handed the baton as Chair of the Chamber and to step into those “big shoes” worn by Peter Burnett over the last few years. Equally, I am delighted that Jeremy Sheldon of JLL and James Turner of Prudential were appointed as Vice Chairs with Paul McSheaffrey continuing as the Treasurer. Together we look forward to the opportunities ahead as Hong Kong rebounds in terms of the economy and we all reconnect both from the business as well as social perspectives. For those who attended the AGM you will have heard Peter Burnett commenting on the Chair before him, Mark Greenberg, who upon handing over the reins said you will have enormous fun and meet with a whole range of fascinating people and experts. In my many years of active involvement in the Chamber, I have already had a lot of fun and have met amazing and interesting people, but it is fair to note that in the last couple of years the social side of business has been a little wanting.

Looking forward I will be seeking to attend Committee meetings to find out the agenda and directions being set for the year ahead, participating in events, continuing the advocacy role we play so well, along with meeting as many of the members as possible.

Together with the aforementioned team, we look forward to working together with the membership as we seek to re-energise Hong Kong and enjoy an economic rebound and “boundless prosperity”.

So, the plans for the year ahead? Firstly, it is my express intention to avoid the topic which has dominated all conversations over the last couple of years, and to focus forward! Thinking of the year ahead, and reflecting on the excellent Summit which was held 12-13th October 2022 under the theme of Hong Kong 25 Years and Beyond, the core themes we will be arranging our activities around include:

1) Establishing relationships with the New Administration within the HKSAR Government. Initial communications and outreach for meetings and dialogue have been positively received and we have started some of these meetings, bringing relevant Sterling and Committee members along. This is a fundamental activity of the Chamber as we seek to share views and ideas with the intention of making positive and constructive suggestions for the business community to thrive. We look forward to participating in such activities throughout the year.

2) Advocacy through our excellent Business Policy Unit and the Committees will continue and we will set priorities and align our activities to ensure there is focus and energy in those areas we can create the most impact. In particular, we provided suggestions for the Chief Executive’s Policy Address, which was revealed on 19th October, and our review of our submission versus the Policy Address revealed many of the themes and suggestions put forward were picked up in the address. You can read our policy matching exercise here [LINK].

3) We will continue to develop the relationships which have already been established with the Mainland Government which includes the Mainland Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong as well as the China Liaison Office.

4) We will continue to develop and maintain an excellent relationship with the British Consulate in Hong Kong. Our Consul General, Brian Davidson, has now been in post for a year and has been tremendously supportive of the Chamber and our work, we will strive to deepen the connections. In addition, we will work closely with the Department for International Trade as we see an evolving policy framework emerging from Westminster. And we will continue to engage with organisations such as the Hong Kong Association based in the UK sharing views around opportunities and the Hong Kong stories from here on the ground.

5) Recognising the benefits of consultation and at times collaboration with other Chambers of Commerce we will ensure we maintain an active dialogue across the business community – and seek to find mutual areas of interest to pursue the benefit of the membership.

There are more connections and relationships to be established, and these will evolve as we move through the Chamber year, with a programme of events and activities under active preparation for both business benefit as well as increasing our long-suppressed social engagements and interactions. The key themes for the year ahead are:

- Hong Kong rebound with a strong focus on attracting talent.

- Identifying and exploring opportunities in the Greater Bay Area.

- Exploring opportunities in ASEAN.

- Reinvigorating Hong Kong as an International Finance Centre, with a focus on but not limited to green finance and ESG activities.

- Energising creative industries within the context of international arts and cultural scene.

WHY we are keen to engage: is quite obvious that we have a vibrant community and much energy to deliver on the Chamber’s mantra – “where business gets done” and connections are made.

HOW we will engage is via in-person events, with James, Jeremy and I attending Committee meetings to meet the Committee members, to share ideas and plans, as well as being involved in events where we can engage the wider membership. We all recognise that with the long-awaited easing of travel there will be more people travelling, and hopefully more people coming back to visit Hong Kong. So, we are looking forward to welcoming new arrivals, as well as visiting executives to our events including those coming to Hong Kong for the international banking forum and the Rugby 7s in early November among other activities.

SO, WHAT do we need to do? We need to reconnect, share our stories, explore opportunities and reach forward. There is much to be done, and there are many opportunities to be explored. I look forward to the year ahead and to sharing activities and experiences as travel on this journey.

Ir Dr Anne Kerr Chair, The British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong