Annual Report 2011 by FCCIHK

annual report

CONTENTS 04 President’s Note

Departments’ Activities

05 Executive Director’s Overview

35 Business Development

06 Highlights

38 Committees

10 Who’s who at the French Chamber

39 Events

President & Executive Committee Council Committees Permanent Staff

14 Membership profile in 2010/2011 18 Committees’ Activities

Banking & Finance Committee Business Advisor Committee China Committee Gala Committee Human Resources Committee Infrastracture Committee Luxury & Retail Committee Policy & Consultation Committee Publications Committee SME Committee Sourcing Committee Sustainable Development Committee Women on Board Committee Young Professionals Committee

45 Membership 46 Publications 43 Recruitment 50 Institutional Partners 54 Financial Report

President’s Note H

ong Kong once again proved its resilience during the global economic downturn in 2010. In parallel, Hong Kong retains its position as Asia’s most popular city for international companies, being ranked the world’s freest economy for the 17th consecutive year in 2011 by the Heritage Foundation. A blending of these unique qualities has created a free and friendly business environment, attracting foreign companies to invest in the city. French companies, both sizable corporations and SMEs, continue to expand and set up regional offices in “Asia’s World City”.

Nicolas Borit President

By the end of June 2011, the number of French Chamber members reached 750, representing an increase of 7% compared to last year. As one of the largest European Chambers in Hong Kong, the Chamber spares no effort to foster good relations between newcomers and Hong Kong, connecting them to the locals. The Chamber continues to provide various channels for people to meet and exchange ideas, ranging from breakfast meetings to conferences. More than 70 events were held in 2010, providing a wide variety of opportunities for our members to meet with business partners and to familiarise themselves with the city.

In view of the even closer economic link between Hong Kong and China, the Chamber has been exploring different hot business topics in relation to this gigantic market. For instance, a sourcing seminar, named Made in Asia Symposium, was held in May. Some 170 specialists from the sourcing sector attended the seminar, shared their insights on ways to source in China. We are optimistic about both the business and economic outlooks for Hong Kong in 2011-2012. The French Chamber will continue to help to weave closer ties between our members and the local community. Under the leadership of our Executive Director, Maryse Kraatz, the Chamber has experienced another year of success. I would like to extend a big thank you to all French Chamber colleagues who have been involved in business services, recruitment, membership, publications, events, administration and finance. Their dedication and creativity have taken our services to the next level. To cope with the increased number of activities and a wider span of services, we will expand our team in the next years and will continue to provide a comprehensive platform for our members to reach the community.

Maryse Kraatz Executive Director

Insight

Influence

Hong Kong has once again proved its ability to bounce back, recovering swiftly from the economic global recession.The Chamber has followed lead, and was at hand to inform you on all major changes in your specific industry, to offer you the best platform for sharing and networking, to provide visibility to your company, and to help newcomers successfully settle down in Hong Kong. The Chamber turned out to be the best place for mixing up the Hong Kong and French business communities, as the last twelve months vividly witnessed. The Chamber welcomed its 755th member, another evidence of its everlasting dynamism, and buoyant activities. We invite you to review our key 2010 - 2011 activities in this Annual Report.

Our business community is a core component of Hong Kong’s robust economy. Our lobbying actions, on behalf of our members, were well listened to and took several forms. Our think tank committee, Policy & Consultation, met numerous occasions with representatives of the Hong Kong Government, and came up with detailed recommendations. Your voice is clearly heard, and we all benefit from the extraordinary international platform the city offers us. All these lobbying actions went in the same direction, and were achieved hand in hand with our Hong Kong partners, the local authorities, and our members to make sure that the city remains one of the most attractive places in Asia where to live and to work.

Inform

Our fully professionalized team was up to the task to inform you on all the services at your disposal, which you have enjoyed thoroughly. Our different departments have tried to be creative by offering you various activities, and we are delighted to notice that our members kept up with the offer, and were tremendously active. We have continued to serve equally both our large corporations and SME’s, and took action for a better interaction between those two categories, through several networking events, in particular the first edition of our Made In Asia Symposium.

The Chamber would not have reached its current position without you. Wishing to have been truthful to our motto: ‘Insight, Inform, and Influence’, I take this opportunity to warmly thank you all: our members, our elected counsellors, our Executive committee members, our President, and Committees’ members for their dedication, time and support. Let us not forget to thank as well the fantastic Chamber’s team, with its 20 permanent staff, which I am very proud to lead.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Executive Director’s Overview

SME awards 2011

Olivier Partrat SME awards winner

The Hon. Rita Fan

Highlights of 2010/2011 Made in Asia: Symposium â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sourcing in Asia, what alternatives to China?

Creation of the Banking & Finance working group

Igor Duc Start-up prize winner

Prominent sPEAKERS

All you ever wanted to know about RMB Business in Hong Kong Infrastructure Seminar: Renovation/Rehabilitation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the key to sustainable development

The Hon. C.Y. Leung

Dr. Christine Loh

Dinner with Jacques Seguela

Christine Ockrent

Carrie Lam

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Highlights of 2010/2011

French Chamber Gala Dinner:

Annual General Meeting & Annual Dinner @ Shek O Golf Club:

Red Lanterns for a dazzling moon

Highlights of 2010/2011 More than 100 business women for the 1st Women on Board cocktail

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Highlights of 2010/2011

755 754 753 members

Second newcomers event: the keys to your successful integration in Hong Kong at Kee Club

The most innovative French Chamber abroad 9

President and Executive Committee President Nicolas Borit, DRAGAGES HONG KONG LIMITED Vice-presidents Jacques Boissier, CLASSIC FINE FOODS (HK) LTD Eric Douilhet, BLUEBELL ASIA LTD Kin-Lap Ho, KEYSTONE INVESTMENT Philippe Neveu, JORDAHL HONG KONG LIMITED Rebecca Silli, GIDE LOYRETTE NOUEL Victor Visot, HEARST MAGAZINES HONG KONG General Secretary Eric Mayer, THOMAS MAYER & ASSOCIES Treasurer Hélène Bayssette, CRÉDIT AGRICOLE CORPORATE AND INVESTMENT BANK Executive Members Christophe Degoix, INTERLUX LTD Marie-Amelie Hoffmann, LVMH WATCH & JEWELLERY HONG KONG LIMITED Paul Yang, BNP PARIBAS Honorary Presidents Richard Burton, COFACE HONG KONG Paul Clerc-Renaud, FARGO GROUP Bertrand Michaud, HERMES Gérard Millet, SODICA ASIA LIMITED

List on 30 June 2011

Who’s who at the French Chamber Council Hélène BAYSSETTE Jacques BOISSIER Nicolas BORIT Richard BURTON Paul CLERC-RENAUD Pierre COPPERE Jean-Baptiste DABADIE Christophe DEGOIX Damien DERNONCOURT Anne-Laure DESCOURS Eric DOUILHET Thomas FELD Philippe GRELON Jacques HATTERER Patrick-Marie HERBET Hans-Günther HERRMANN Kin-Lap HO Marie-Amelie HOFFMANN Michel JOSPE Hélène KRIEFF Pascal LAMBERT Paul LEVY Eric MAYER Gérard MILLET Philippe NEVEU Thierry NEVEUX Marie-Hélène PREVOT Rebecca SILLI Arnaud de SURVILLE Eric-Jean THOMAS Christopher TUNG Nicolas VANDERCHMITT Victor VISOT Vicky WONG Christophe WYGAS Paul YANG

CRÉDIT AGRICOLE CORPORATE AND INVESTMENT BANK CLASSIC FINE FOODS (HK) LTD DRAGAGES HONG KONG LIMITED COFACE HONG KONG BRANCH FARGO GROUP PERNOD RICARD ASIA ASIAPACK LTD PACKAGING & LOGISTICS INTERLUX CO. LTD JOHN HARDY INTERNATIONAL LTD LI & FUNG (TRADING) BLUEBELL (ASIA) LTD MAYER & BROWN JSM VEOLIA ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES HONG KONG LIMITED ASIA ONE TECHNICS LTD ABACARE GROUP LIMITED PAUL, WEISS, RIFKIND, WHARTON & GARRISON KEYSTONE INVESTMENT (HOLDINGS) LIMITED LVMH WATCH & JEWELLERY HONG KONG LTD METHONG PLASTICS HK LTD NEUMANN PARTNERS SOCIETE GENERALE CORPORATE & INVESTMENT BANKING CLESTRA LIMITED THOMAS, MAYER & ASSOCIES SODICA ASIA LIMITED JORDAHL HONG KONG LIMITED MOULIN ROTY ASIA PACIFIC GOUTEN CONSULTING LIMITED GIDE LOYRETTE NOUEL DEXTRA PACIFIC LTD THOMAS, MAYER & ASSOCIES K&L GATES LPA, LEFEVRE PELLETIER & ASSOCIES HEARST MAGAZINES HONG KONG EPC CONSULTING LTD LVMH ASIA PACIFIC LTD BNP PARIBAS

List on 30 June 2011

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Who’s who at the French Chamber

Committees

Who’s who at the French Chamber Permanent Staff

Banking & Finance Committee President: Pascal Lambert (SG CIB) Vice President: Fehreen Mahomed (CLSA)

Executive Director Maryse Kraatz

Business Advisors Committee President: Philippe Grelon (Veolia Environmental Services Hong Kong Ltd)

Deputy General Manager Head of Business Development Orianne Chenain

China Committee President: Paul CLERC-RENAUD (FARGO GROUP) Vice Presidents: Kin-Lap HO (KEYSTONE INVESTMENT), Rebecca SILLI (GIDE LOYRETTE NOUEL) Gala Committee President: Jacques Boissier (Classic Fine Foods) Human Resources Committee President: Vicky WONG (EPC CONSULTING) Vice President: Hélène Krieff (Neumann Partners) Infrastructure Committee

President: Nicolas BORIT (DRAGAGES HONG KONG LIMITED) Vice President: Vincent TUNG (ALSTOM HONG KONG LTD)

Business Development Manager Romain MARTIMORT Business Development Manager Lillian Lao Trade Fairs Manager, Promosalons Delegate HK Edith Wong Head of Membership Francoise DETANGER Membership Manager Edouard CAUMON

Luxury & Retail Committee

Head of Committees & Events Catherine Pielawa-Ko

Policy & Consultation Committee

Events Manager Annie Pudlo

President: Eric DOUILHET (BLUEBELL (ASIA) Ltd.) President: Rebecca SILLI (GIDE LOYRETTE NOUEL) Vice President: Thomas Feld (Mayer Brown JSM) Publications Committee

President: Hélène Bayssette (Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Banking) Vice President: Paul Clerc-Renaud (Fargo Group) Small and Medium Enterprises Committee

President: Philippe Neveu (Sino Linker LTD) Vice President: Jean-Baptiste Dabadie (Asiapack Ltd Packaging & Logistics) Sourcing Committee

Head of Publications Julie Pourtois Publications Manager Sine Choy Head of Recruitment & Training Ariane SCHAAP Recruitment & Training Consultant Dolora Angeles

President: Christophe DEGOIX (INTERLUX CO. LTD) Vice Presidents: Olivier BURING (HAGER ELECTRO LTD), Anthony GUINVARCH (EJ SOURCING)

Recruitment Consultant Christelle Lebrun

Sustainable Development Committee

Administrative Manager Derek So

President: Christopher Tung (K&L Gates) Vice President: Christophe Bongars (SustainAsia)

Women on Board Working Group President: Marie-Amélie Hoffmann (LVMH Watch and Jewellery Hong Kong Ltd) Vice President: Orianne Chenain (FRENCH CHAMBER) Young Professionals Committee President: Antoine Hauguel (Pricewaterhousecoopers)

Administrative Assistant Noreen Chow Administrative Assistant Vicky CHAN IT Manager Jonathan RAULT

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Who’s who at the French Chamber

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Membership’s Profile

At the end of our 2010-2011 fiscal year, the French Chamber had 755 members, an increase of 8% (51 members) compared to the previous year. The number of members has been growing constantly since the Chamber’s creation 25 years ago, particularly over the past eight years:

800 700 600 500

755

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Membership’s Profile

400 300

Membership Categories

200 100 0 2003/2004

2004/2005

2005/2006

Highpoints: The multicultural nature of our membership attracted a wide range of business organizations. Another new committee, Banking & Finance, brings us to a total of 15 committees, and has widened our membership profile.

2006/2007

2007/2008

2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011

Sectors of Activity

Sectors Sectors of Activity

Sponsor 16%

Services 36%

Transport & Tourism 8%

Media 20%

Property 11%

Corporate 46%

Consumer Goods 22%

Industrial Goods 5%

Legal 19%

HR 6%

Entrepreneur 19%

Financial 14%

Technology 5%

Training 10%

Consultants 20%

Individual 12%

Food & Beverage 9%

Healthcare 1%

Design 14%

Young Professional 7%

The Chamber has been able to meet the very different needs of its members, from the largest companies to the smallest of the SMEs, and has been able to answer the requirements of different sectors with many diverse activities.

Membership categories

Sectors of activity

One of the largest European Chambers in Hong Kong

The members’ sectors of activity mirror the Hong Kong economy’s leading sectors.

Our 755 members represent 563 companies in the following categories:

Predominant sectors are:

Members of the Chamber are getting younger.

- 36 Sponsor companies representing 123 people

Despite our very successful Women on Board Committee, the number of women members has slightly decreased.

- 255 Corporate companies representing 346 people

- Consumer Goods

- 130 Entrepreneur companies representing 144 people

- Food & Beverage

- 88 Individual members

More French companies established in Hong Kong – particularly companies relocating their headquarters to Hong Kong or entrepreneurs setting up a new company – increased the number of new members, especially in the entrepreneur and corporate membership categories.

- Services

- 54 Young Professionals

- Financial

- Transport & Tourism - Industrial Goods - Technology

With such a wide range of sectors and industries represented through its members, the French Chamber has both the legitimacy and the influence to support the French business community in all its needs.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Membershipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Profile From the largest companies to SMEs Companies considered being Hong Kong SMEs:

- in the manufacturing sector, any company that employs fewer than 100 people. - in the non-manufacturing sector, any company that employs fewer than 50 people.

These two types of members obviously have very different needs and we always keep in mind our dual function of serving both sides of the equation, and adapting our services to suit the entire spectrum of our membership base.

Large company VS SME Large Company SME

Nearly a third of the French Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s members are female (28%)

Gender Female Male

A multicultural Chamber The French Chamber is proud to say it is becoming more and more international, with almost half of its member companies being from Hong Kong and other countries and a third of its members being from non-French.

Company nationality French 51%

Created with French Entrepreneurs 47% Created by others 53%

Membership nationality French 63%

Hong Kong 36%

Hong Kongese & Chinese 20%

Others (Australian, British, US, ...) 13%

Others (Australian, British, Canadian, US, German, Italian, Spanish, ...) 17%

Committees’ Activities Banking & Finance Committee

P.19 P.20 P.21 P.22 P.23 P.24 P.25 P.26

Banking & Finance Committee

China Committee Gala Committee

President & Vice-President: Pascal Lambert (SG CIB) Fehreen Mahomed (CLSA)

Human Resources Committee Infrastracture Committee Luxury & Retail Committee Policy & Consultation Committee Publications Committee

P.28

SME Committee

P.30

Creation of sub-groups:

Business Advisor Committee

P.27

P.29

Actions:

Sourcing Committee Sustainable Development Committee

P.31

Women on Board Committee

P.32

Young Professionals Committee

Because ‘Banking & Finance’ is a very wide subject, and since this sector in itself covers various missions, some members quickly expressed the need to create two sub groups – Compliance Officers and Export Finance – that also gather on a regular basis. Other subgroups are also likely to be formed, such as HR, Derivatives, DCM or ECM.

Compliance Officers group: The group is a useful forum for compliance officers to share and exchange information in areas such as:

Implementation of the new PI requirements Missions: This new working group joined by the heads of most banks and financial institutions in Hong Kong, plus consultants/lawyers in the field, has found a regular meeting rhythm and tackles general topics related to the industry:

Promotion of Hong Kong financial markets on IPOs and RMB bonds, particularly in relation to the development of the offshore RMB market Global trend to try to regulate OTCs through a centralised derivatives clearing system Human Resources management Promoting IPOs and RMB bond issues in Hong Kong for French Issuers in France Update on the UK Bribery Act and other similar international regulation which may impact Hong Kong-based financial institutions New policies discussed or implemented by HKMA or SFC

10 September 2010: First meeting of the Banking & Finance working group 6 October 2010: First meeting of the Compliance Officers group 17 November 2010: Banking & Finance Working Group meeting 6 January 2011: Banking & Finance Working Group meeting 22 February 2011: First meeting of the Export Finance Group 28 February 2011: Compliance Officers group meeting 11 March 2011: Banking & Finance Working Group 7 April 2011: Export Finance Group 28 April 2011: anking & Finance Working Group 13 June 2011: Export Finance Group

Impact of PDPO S.33 New clearing house for OTC derivatives

Export Finance group: The group’s aim is to grow the Export Finance business, and show that major export finance banks share common views, interests and opportunities for lobbying.

Future goals are: Focus on China and Vietnam Event under preparation with Sinosure,

Event and meetings: 1 December 2010: All You Ever Wanted to Know about RMB Business in HK This first event was very successful, attracting 55 participants The group intends to organize events on hot topics, or when economists visit Hong Kong, and the next event will take place in July on the very important subject of sovereign debt.

Outlook: As economists, members’ expertise will surely be much sought after during the coming year – their economists’ views being most in demand in this time of economic and financial uncertainty.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Committees’ Activities

President: Philippe Grelon (Veolia Environmental Services Hong Kong Ltd)

Committees’ Activities

Business Advisor Committee

China Committee

Missions:

Meetings:

The aim of the Business Advisors Group (BAG) is to enhance networking and building of contacts, as well as to advise on and coach startups and companies going for new developments. Advisors come from different sectors and cover a wide range of activities.

3 November 2010: Brainstorming meeting

China in Hong Kong, as well as relevant Hong Kong government departments.

The BAG offers:

28 January 2011: Brainstorming meeting

Meetings with professional advisors Free advice Confidentiality guaranteed Constructive criticism When possible, business matching with relevant persons Advisors’ commitment to meet budding entrepreneurs for one hour Decision by advisors regarding follow-up received within one month For some selected entrepreneurs, a one-year coaching period by two advisors may be proposed

The rapidly changing macro-economic situation and the flurry of new regulations and short-term or more structural changes now challenging our members will give us ample matter for information exchanges in the new Chamber year.

26 November 2010: Electronic accessories 10 December 2010: Internet tablet 10 January 2011: In-door soccer

25 February 2011: Candidate in the French traditional confectionary 11 March 2011: Candidate in French food 3 June 2011: E-commerce 10 June 2011: City pass

President & Vice-Presidents: Paul Clerc-Renaud (Fargo Group) Kin-Lap Ho (Keystone Investment (Holdings) Limited) Rebecca Silli (Gide Loyrette Nouel)

Outlook: The group looks forward to meeting new budding entrepreneurs with exciting projects, and hope that the BAG advice and network will help them in successfully carrying out their business ideas.

Events organised by the China Committee during the year 2010-2011: 10 September 2010: Prospects for Hong Kong, and the Regional Integration between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, with the Hon. CY Leung, event within the Prominent Speakers Series 14 October 2010: Working Capacities in China: Is the ‘Factory of the World’ Over?, with Stanley Lau from the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, joint event with the Sourcing Committee 12 April 2011: The 12th 5-year Plan as an Indicator for the Future of Hong Kong, with the Hon. Rita Fan, within the Prominent Speakers Series

Actions: The BAG is a flexible body that meets budding entrepreneurs upon their requests, whatever field they come from:

17 May 2011: Hong Kong, Leading City in the Region: Is its Model Sustainable?, with Nicolas Brooke

Deep involvement from all advisors

Caroline PUEL

Missions: The China Committee is a forum where members can exchange information and experiences about the rapidly changing Chinese business environment. Local and foreign guest speakers are often invited to present practical advice or research findings on issues and events relevant to doing business in China. Actions: The committee continued its active participation in the Intercham PRD Committee and friendly exchanges with the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China (CEFC), the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprise Association, and the various official representatives of

Outlook: The main themes on our radar will be:

14 April 2011: China’s Management Revolution, with Charles Edouard Bouee, Roland Berger

Average of eight advisors (out of 10) present at each meeting

3 May 2011: Optimize the Internal Control of your Mainland China Company, with Benoit Stos, Managing Director, Ganzhou Office, MAZARS CPA Limited

10 June 2011: The 30 Years that have Changed China, with Caroline Puel

Several speakers were invited to address various subjects during committee meetings: 4 November 2010: Pascal Gondrand from Invest in France on the Internationalization of Chinese companies. 10 December 2010: Jean-Francois Huchet and Jean-Pierre Cabestan: the CCP Plenum on 15-18 October, and the 12th Five-year Plan. 14 February 2011: Preferential Free Trade Agreements, Opportunities for European Companies in China and in the Asian Countries, presentation by Jean-Marie Salva, partner of DS Avocats Law firm

Macro themes Migrant workers and social concerns in China Internationalisation of Chinese brands Intellectual Property and the web Precaution necessary in dealing with state secrets when doing business in China Vietnam

Practical/Technical themes Competition law – monopoly law PRC tax update

Experience sharing / Networking Luncheon with the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce Networking cocktail with the Chinese Enterprise Associations

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Committees’ Activities

President: Jacques Boissier (Classic Fine Foods)

Gala 2011: Cinema Mon Amour

Human Resources Committee

the Court & Council of the Hong Kong Baptist University, honoured the dinner with his presence as representative of the charity.

Missions:

Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Mr Raymond Young was the official Guest of Honour at the dinner, while the Consul-General de France in HK and the President of the French Chamber entertained us with their introductory remarks. Mrs Mabel Cheung and Mr Alex Law, both famous Hong Kong directors, delighted us with their interviews.

The French Chamber’s Annual Gala Dinner 2011 – 27 May 2011 at the Grand Hyatt in HK: Cinema Mon Amour The French Chamber Gala Dinner – which has several times been proclaimed “The best gala in Hong Kong” – was held this year on 27th May at the Grand Hyatt. Members of the Hong Kong and French communities gathered in a delightful setting to experience once again the finest French Art de Vivre. The theme this year was Cinema, Mon Amour.

The 2011 Gala dedicated itself to an important art form whose power of communication is universal: Hong Kong is a major hub for movie-making in Asia, while France is the nation that gave birth to those on-screen flickering images a century ago.

Committees’ Activities

In addition, Kenzo hosted an exclusive fashion show introducing their winter 2011 collection, while the night’s main performer, Duel, entertained guests with their musical parody show. Finally, young chef Mathieu Pacaud of the three-star restaurant l’Ambrosie created a dinner that was truly one of the best we have ever had: classic, refined French cuisine

accompanied by wonderful wines from Bernard Magrez, including an exceptional Magrez Fombrauge from Saint Emilion.

The Human Resources Committee aims to serve French Chamber members in the areas of knowledge and experience-sharing within the corporate and professional human resources community, people-oriented organizations and executives in Hong Kong.

Press coverage of the gala was prominent, with articles in the South China Morning Post, Asia Tatler, Petit Journal, several Chinese newspapers and various other social media. We are pleased to say that everyone seemed very satisfied with this year’s Gala Dinner and we received many messages of congratulations from guests.

President & Vice-President: Vicky Wong (EPC Consulting) Hélène Krieff (Neumann Partners)

Actions: The French Chamber HR Committee has changed in the past months its knowledge-sharing format and operation model. In addition to open seminars covering broad HR topics among all members, we have initiated discreet and confidential experience-sharing meetings among HR practitioners and business leaders of the French Chamber. These have provided a comfortable and relaxed environment in which HR practitioners can share HR best practices and issues, and exchange ideas and insights.

The HR Committee has organized the following knowledge-sharing events in Hong Kong: 17 November 2010: HR Management across Hong Kong and China – from Strategy, HR Practice Migration, to Practical Implementation. Practical planning of HR migration across Hong Kong to PRD with Mr Bernard Coulaty, Vice-President, Human Resources, Pernod Ricard Asia and Elaine Ng, Managing Principal, HRBS 2 December 2010: Brain Mapping and its Application to HR Management with Dr Colin Wallace who explained how finding and retaining the ‘right’ people is now one of the biggest and most important business challenges in Asia

This year, Christie’s hosted a live auction of a unique and much coveted lot – a private visit to the well-known Château Margaux for eight people who would also enjoy a tasting session at the vineyard. Thirteen other remarkable prizes were also up for grabs in the lucky draw. All proceeds – a record amount this year! – from the gala dinner were donated to the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) which will use the money to launch an awareness campaign to promote French cinema to Hong Kong students. Mr Wilfred Wong, the Chairman of both the HKIFFS and

The HR Committee continued to successfully include Human Resources managers’ participation during committee meetings and addressed hot topics during very interactive sessions, such as: 16 February 2011: Human Resources’ Contribution to Business Planning, presentation by Gilles-Henri Leroux, Managing Director / Vice President Controlling & Human Resources Manager - Asia Pacific, Seb Asia Ltd 24 May 2011: Best Practices on Appraisal Forms / Staff Evaluation, exchange sessions/workshops specifically targeted at SMEs on appraisal forms / staff evaluations.

Outlook: The world is evolving. The global economic environment, business models and HR management practices are changing. The French Chamber’s Human Resources Committee is also evolving to serve the changing HR needs of our members and our community. We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Bernard Coulaty, Vice President – Human Resources of Pernod Ricard Asia as the new HR Committee President, and Vicky Wong, Managing Consultant of EPC Consulting as VicePresident. The new committee’s combination of corporate HR practitioner and HR consultant intends to better address the confidential and pressing needs of corporate HR issues of our corporate members, as well as to share the best HR practices with our community. The committee will gather together members with HR responsibilities, focus its activities on HR topics, interact with other committees on HR topics of common interest, and organize mentoring activities and HR study missions. We welcome members with HR responsibilities to join the committee. We also welcome recommendations on HR topics and activities to better serve our committee and members.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Committees’ Activities

Infrastructure Committee

Luxury & Retail Committee

Missions:

The Infrastructure Committee is a forum for companies involved at all stages of the development of infrastructures in Hong Kong, Macao and China. Members are typically contractors, equipment manufacturers, material suppliers and service providers. The objectives of the Infrastructure Committee are to:

President & Vice-President: Nicolas Borit (Dragages Hong Kong Ltd) Vincent Tung (Alstom Hong Kong Ltd)

Committees’ Activities

Encourage participants to exchange information about projects, statutory regulations, government policies and market trends Organize meetings at high level with government official, developers, operators to obtain first-hand information and promote the image of French expertise Provide a neutral front to suggest ideas about inadequate government policies, terms and conditions, specifications Meet with counterparts in other chambers Organize site visits

Actions: 1-2 November 2011: Very successful two-day seminar: Renovation / Rehabilitation: The Key for Sustainable Development. To support the Hong Kong Government’s initiative to renovate and rehabilitate part of its real estate, industrial park and historical monuments, the Infrastructure Committee invited French companies, specializing in the areas of renovation, rehabilitation and sustainable development, to share their expertise with members of the Government. And for the first time ever, 200 eminent government representatives had the opportunity to meet more than 20 French companies during both lectures and workshops, giving them theoretical background and business-matching opportunities.

Secretary for Development Mrs Carrie Lam, accompanied by Permanent Secretary for Development Mr CS Wai, honoured the event with her presence, and in her speech, reiterated the government’s willingness to benefit from the French expertise and experience. Two eminent speakers – Mr Pierre-Antoine Gatier, Chief Architect and General Inspector for historical monuments, President of ICOMOS, and Mr Camille Chammas, Architect Planner at EPAD – presented the French expertise in heritage and contemporary buildings renovation. Following the plenary session on Monday morning, 24 interactive workshops, equivalent to nearly 1,000 business matchings, were held between French companies and various government departments. These workshops provided an excellent opportunity for French building specialists – from architecture to engineering and sustainable development – to display their knowledge and skills in multiple products, services, software and pave the way for future collaboration. Outlook: The Builders Innovative Gatherings (BIG) Event The Infrastructure Committee is organizing luncheons with key consultants/architects and interior design companies at their offices to present and share expertise from various sectors such as interior design, energy-saving technologies, construction-related techniques and lighting and textiles architecture. The committee is also studying the feasibility of an “award on Hong Kong city”, that would reward the best book published on Hong Kong.

President: Eric Douilhet (Bluebell (Asia) Ltd)

The Luxury and Retail Committee’s goal is to provide Chamber members, particularly managers and business people working within the luxury and retail sectors, with the most extensive knowledge possible on the day-to-day challenges facing these industries in Hong Kong and Asia. It also strives to strengthen the ability of our members to face such problems head on and to succeed in an increasingly competitive environment.

Actions: The Committee organised the following meeting and events during the 2010-11: 14 September 2010: E-commerce in Greater China: A Fast Growing Opportunity for Luxury Brands, an event with Thibaud Villet, Glamour Sales, who explained why luxury brands must develop appropriate e-commerce strategies to increase their customer base, control their online distribution, enhance their brand awareness and protect their image. 27 January 2011: The China Luxury Forecast and the Chinese Customer, presented by Albatros during a committee meeting. Albatross disclosed the most recent findings based on the China Luxury Forecast, the importance of the ‘boutiques’ (point of sales) and service, and ways for luxury brands to enhance service in their boutiques. 31 March 2011: Real Estate and Relations between Landlords and Retailers, co-presented by MTRC representative Betty Leong and Gregor Pratley (Asia Pacific Land), who focussed on the landlord’s business model and his strategic planning, Hong Kong’s retail landscape and relations with brands, the perspective of the Hong Kong market over 10 years, and a parallel/comparison with China and Japan

12 May 2011: Profiles of Mainland Cities as Key Consumer Markets and Selling to Chinese Consumers, featuring a presentation by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council which spotlighted a selection of 20 mainland cities with large market potential and discussed some salient developing features of their respective consumer markets, including the dynamics of different commercial districts as urbanisation continues to unfold. 10 June 2011: Decoding the Chinese Perception of Luxury Ads with Laurence Lim, looked at how Chinese consumers perceive luxury adverts, and the Chinese cultural specificities brands should be aware of to better communicate. Beyond the debate about whether or not Western luxury advertisements should be adapted to better suit the Chinese market, the presentation also decoded the Chinese perception of adverts while referring to Chinese culture – art, philosophy, moral and spiritual values.

Outlook: The committee will focus on the following additional topics over the next year:

Update on real estate in China IT and its development/success Quality control as protectionism reform in Asia

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Committees’ Activities

Policy & Consultation Committee

President & Vice-President: Rebecca Silli (Gide Loyrette Nouel) Thomas Feld (Mayer Brown JSM) Missions: This committee acts as a think tank and helps determine the strategy of the French Chamber and voice its views on government policies and initiatives in Hong Kong. External representatives may, from time to time, be invited to participate in the committee’s meetings in order to share their experience and provide specialised advice on particular issues.

The committee also monitors and responds to business and tax issues that are likely to have an impact on Chamber members. The committees of the French Chamber are invited to forward their concerns to the Publicity & Consultation Committee so that any issue impacting on French Chamber members can be brought to the attention of the relevant Hong Kong authorities.

Meetings:

Missions:

Distribution

24 November 2011: Brainstorming on recommendations for the budget 20112012

Air France, British Airways and Cathay Pacific 4,500 copies

Actions:

5 May 2011: Brainstorming meeting on recommendations for the Policy Address

The Publications Committee aims to provide relevant and up-to-date information to those interested in business-related issues in Hong Kong as well as in France. For more than 20 years, the Publications Committee has been producing Hong Kong Echo, a highly attractive quarterly magazine, which features business-oriented articles covering a broad range of topics.

Preparation of the French Chamber recommendations for the budget 20112012 We adopted a new format for this recommendation which was shorter, straight to the point and with several appendixes. Three main topics are covered: Maintaining Hong Kong’s Attractiveness as a Premier International City in Asia: an urgent topic Hong Kong, a New Regional Hub of Education and Research Green Hong Kong 2020: Let’s start today!

More specifically, the committee’s objectives and functions are to: ascertain the French Chamber’s strategy when it comes to taking an official position or voicing concerns on issues that may affect members; help other committees of the French Chamber with their lobbying needs;

Publications Committee

The above recommendation was delivered on 18 January, 2011

Preparation of the French Chamber recommendations for the Policy Address 2011 There are five main topics:

write “budget recommendations” and “general policy papers” once a year; and,

Maintaining Hong Kong’s Attractiveness as a Premier International City in Asia

participate in other Hong Kong Government consultations that may affect the activities of Chamber members and more generally as and when necessary.

Cost of doing business and living in Hong Kong SME Export Marketing Fund Hong Kong, a New Regional Hub of Education and Research

7 December 2010: Meeting with Kim Salkeld, Efficiency Unit, to better target our recommendations 4 January 2011: Brainstorming session on recommendations for the budget

Event: 20 January 2011: France – Hong Kong Comprehensive Double Taxation Agreement: its Consequences, with Deloitte and Mazars. This event was very well attended and very successful.

Outlook: The Policy & Consultation Committee will continue supporting the French Chamber, one of the most active bodies strongly involved in local life, in contributing actively and positively to business life in Hong Kong.

President & Vice-President: Hélène Bayssette (Credit Agricole and Corporate & Investment Bank) Paul Clerc-Renaud (Fargo Group)

Actions:

Hong Kong Echo provides high-quality, focused editorial coverage of interest to the Hong Kong business community. Part of the publication is written by experts drawn from the Chamber’s membership and part from the international business community in Hong Kong. Published in full colour, each 64-page issue focuses on a specific theme and also provides information on French Chamber news and events. Hong Kong Echo is widely distributed to French Chamber members and other business leaders via airport lounges, selected bookstores and official French institutions. In total, 6,500 copies are distributed. Past issues of 2010-2011 No 58 – Greater China’s Taste for Luxury No 59 – Who’s Who? Hong Kong Business Leaders (including a gatefold on the 10 most influential tycoons in Hong Kong) No 60 – Testing & Certification in Greater China No 61 – Education in Hong Kong

Coming issue for Autumn 2011 No 62 – Women on Board

Green Hong Kong 2020: Let’s start today!

French Chamber members, the French business community in Hong Kong and France, Hong Kong Echo contributors, VIPs 1,500 copies Bookstores and institutions

500 copies

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Committees’ Activities

Small and Medium Enterprises Committee Monthly SME luncheons and The Entrepreneurial Stories: We were also happy to continue to focus on “entrepreneurial” experience-sharing with our monthly SME Lunch. Interest in these practical and informative sessions on specific business topics remained high all year long, with participation averaging 20 people each time.

President & Vice-President: Philippe Neveu (Jordahl Hong Kong Ltd) Jean-Baptiste Dabadie (Asiapack Ltd Packaging & Logistics)

The committee also launched a new series, The Entrepreneurial Stories, during which entrepreneurs present their companies, experiences, challenges, successes, failures . . . to other entrepreneurs. 8 September 2010: SME Lunch: Back to Work 13 October 2010: SME Lunch: SMEs and Charities

Missions: The Small & Medium Enterprises Committee remains the place for SMEs to meet and network. We believe that diversity creates dynamism and that experience-sharing benefits each and every entrepreneur. In that respect, we organize seminars and exchange sessions specifically targeted to members’ needs.

Actions: The SME Awards: The SME Committee was very pleased to contribute to the third edition of the French Chamber SME Awards that were presented during the Annual Gala dinner on May 27, 2011. Created in 2008, this event highlights the dynamism and entrepreneurial spirit of outstanding French-owned SMEs in Hong Kong. Seventeen dynamic SMEs, coming from various industries with very different profiles, competed this year. Four companies were short-listed by a jury panel of 13 professionals, and two prizes were remitted: the French Chamber SME Award to Evergreen Land (Para’Kito), and the 2011 Start-up Prize to Native Union (MoshiMoshi).

8 December 2010: SME Lunch: Exit Strategies; Why; How; and What 12 January 2011: SME Lunch: Doing Business in China: the Role of Commercial Contracts’ 9 February 2011: SME Lunch: Accounting Systems and Solutions for SMEs: Software, Recommendations, Good Practices 9 March 2011: The Entrepreneurial Stories: Tips, Experience and Inspiration to Move Forward! with Charles d’Haussy, Diligent Group 11 April 2011: The Entrepreneurial Stories: Tips, Experience and Inspiration to Move Forward! with Philippe Sejalon, Global Citizen 18 May 2011: SME Lunch: Reform your Performance Appraisal Scheme! with the HR committee 14 June 2011: SME Lunch: Winner of the French Chamber SME Award, Olivier Partrat, Evergreen Land (Para’Kito)

Sourcing Committee

The SME Support Centre:

Actions:

Events:

This centre has two main objectives:

Though the committee is only two years old, it is highly active, holding 14 meetings and events within 10 months. The committee attracted 22 members in 2011 (exceeding the target of 20), and its success mainly lies in the participative mindset of its members (70% rule), and their involvement. Committee meetings are organized around three axes: exchange of news between committee members; core topic presentations; and an update on coming events/subjects. Last but not least, the first symposium organized by the committee, Made in Asia, What Alternatives to China?, was a huge success, prompting a decision to hold it annually.

14 October 2011: Working Capacities in China: Is the ‘Factory of the World’ Over?, by Stanley Lau, Deputy Chairman of FHKI, with the China Committee

Providing a catalogue of all the various financial help offered by the Hong Kong and French governments to SMEs based in Hong Kong Meeting with established professionals in Hong Kong to get direct and practical advice from successful entrepreneurs.

Outlook: The SME Committee will organize the second edition of Travailler Ensemble forum, enabling French SMEs and large French corporations to meet through business matching. The first such forum proved to be a real success, with the enthusiastic support of companies showing real collaboration and solidarity. We hope that the second one will be even more successful. The committee will continue to focus on assisting small and medium-sized company members. Because SMEs create the majority of jobs and constitute over 90% of all enterprises in Hong Kong, it is imperative that we try to help them continue to thrive. And, as always, we welcome suggestions from members and/or members-to-be for new activities and topics.

President & Vice-Presidents: Christophe Degoix (Interlux) Olivier Buring (Hager Electro Ltd) & Antony Guinvarch (EJ Sourcing)

Meetings: Objectives: The objectives of this committee are to:

Create a platform for discussion and for sharing information and experiences relevant to sourcing across all industries; Select topical issues and identify experts to talk on them at events organized for the sourcing community in Hong Kong.

And finally, while working towards the above objectives, to acknowledge the high proportion of regional sourcing companies based in Hong Kong while also accepting the significance of the PRC in this industry.

19 November 2010: The Labour Market in China, by Stéphane Cieniewski, Trade Commissioner / Head of Economic Department 13 December 2010: Professional Relationship Evolutions and Conflicts in China, by Jean Ruffier, CNRS Researcher at the CEFC in Hong Kong and Sun Yatsen University, Guanzhou 21 January 2011: Raw Material Price Evolution, by Olivier Buring, Hager Electro Ltd. 25 February 2011: Corruption in Chinese Companies/Factories, by Grant Jamieson, KPMG 21 March 2011: Sourcing Smarter on Alibaba.com, by Vincent Wong, Michael Mang and Bryan Kam, Alibaba.com 15 April 2011: How do Factory Managers See the Evolution from their Side, by Owen Inglis, ex-factory owner

5 November 2011: Meeting with Customs officers from Le Havre Port 13 December 2011: Christmas dinner 17&24 February 2011: Visits to the air freight terminal, organized by Guillaume Halleux, 11 May 2011: Sourcing in Asia, What Alternatives to China? Major oneday seminar at the Novotel Wanchai, featuring prominent speakers from Tesco, Kingfisher, Li & Fung, Luen Tai, etc, and attracting 175 participants. The event Included an interactive workshop on Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. An after-event survey gave excellent feedback, and the plan now is to hold this seminar once a year 21 June 2011: Visit to Hong Kong port, co-organized by Maersk and CMA-CGM

Hong Kong Echo: March 2011 issue on ‘Testing and Certification’ The committee participated in the magazine’s preparation, and committee members wrote the editorial and some of the articles.

Outlook: Sourcing is a very exciting and everevolving business and we can expect much discussion on, as well as developments in, the need to share and collaborate over the next year.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Committees’ Activities

‘Women On Board’ working group

Sustainable Development Committee

President & Vice-President: Christopher Tung (K&L Gates) Christophe Bongars (SustainAsia)

Missions:

Outlook:

Events:

Outlook:

The Sustainable Development Committee (SDC) has continued to engage members in sustainable development issues including climate change, low carbon economy, and environmental and corporate social responsibility matters. The committee totally supported the French Chamber in its decision to carry out a carbon audit of its operations, and we further intend to launch awareness campaigns targeting the Hong Kong community at large.

In the coming year, the SDC intends to launch awareness campaigns targeting the Hong Kong community at large, and to continue its regeneration while launching new actions. The French Chamber carbon audit will also be actively promoted within the Chamber itself and in various communities in Hong Kong generally.

8 December 2010: The first “Women On Board” Networking Cocktail, attracted 100 participants from more than 10 countries. Su-Mei Thompson, Executive Director of the Women’s Foundation, was the guest of honour. Participants had very varied profiles and spanned many different industries, an indicator of the breadth of women who are ready to spend time networking, sharing experiences and knowhow, and helping each other. Women’s networking is possible!

The committee will have a very busy year with the official launch of the Women’s Talent Pool (WTP), and its major contribution to the Autumn issue of Hong Kong Echo which is focussing on women.

We look forward to welcoming you to our new programme of events and activities in the coming year!

President: Marie-Amelie Hoffmann (LVMH Watch & Jewellery Hong Kong Ltd)

Actions: The SDC held three meetings last year, in September 2010, March and June 2011. During the March meeting, revamping of the committee was discussed: Four themes were raised and retained as instrumental to the objectives of the committee:

Public / members education in a variety of sustainable development related topics Green transport and the transformation of Hong Kong’s connectivity Waste management Green building policies and initiatives

And working groups were created to focus on: Education Networking Lobbying, with the help of the Policy and Consultation Committee

Missions: The WOB Working Group aims to helping leading businesswomen to excel, by giving to its members the brand value and confidence they need to propel their careers further. Having spent the first year of its existence successfully building strong ties between its members, the group has now decided to broaden its activities and has launched a very promising project, the Women’s Talent Pool (WTP).

Actions: The Women on Board committee had a very exciting year with regular monthly meetings, the organisation of successful events, and the launching of a new project, the Women’s Talent Pool (WTP), while also continuing to establish strong ties with other women’s organizations.

23 February 2011: Prominent Speaker Series: Dr Christine Loh, JP OBE, spoke about her experiences in public life, particularly dealing with difficult or even taboo subjects.

Official launch of the WTP project that will be run by a sub-group of four WOB members with the help of women from outside the committee. The role of the Women’s Talent Pool is to provide a platform to help talented women to identify possible short-term working opportunities in SMEs – or larger companies – looking for skilled professionals.

7 March 2011: The WOB committee took a table at the Women’s Foundation Gala Lunch celebrating the centenary of International Women’s Day.

Hong Kong Echo, special women – September 2011:

12 April 2011: Becoming Entrepreneurs of Ourselves, with Stefania Lucchetti who discussed women as leaders. 28 June 2011: The Women’s Talent Pool was given its initial introduction during the French Toast cocktails

Brainstorming sessions / presentations within committee meetings: 7 October 2010: Build your Self Confidence workshop 29 October 2010: Brainstorming session 5 November 2010: How Do We Deal with our Emotions? presentation 3 December 2010: Brainstorming session 13 January 2011: Networking cocktails 15 February 2011: Luncheon – welcoming of new members 8 March 2011: rainstorming session 6 May 2011: Corporate Initiatives with Best Practices in Favour of Women or Gender Diversity presentation 9 June 2011: Brainstorming session

Women’s Talent Pool

Several WOB members have volunteered to take part in the preparation of this issue of the magazine to be published in September.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Committees’ Activities

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Committees’ Activities Young Professionals Committee

President: Antoine Hauguel (Pricewaterhousecoopers)

Missions:

Seminars:

The Young Professionals’ & VI Committee provides information through seminars for any member of the French Chamber willing to learn more about the Hong Kong and China local business environment & cultural scene. The Young Professionals’ & VI Committee has also implemented a new concept of workshops that aims to share experiences on different topics. It also continues to organise the very successful networking cocktails.

Evening Seminar – Shared Experience with Entrepreneurs The YP& VI committee invited 50 participants to join this seminar to discover the experience of three different entrepreneurs: Romain Ventimiglia, manager of Asia One Trading Ltd Marie Amiand, Founder & Managing Director of Brands Republik Gerard Belicha, Co-founder and Managing Director of Red Packet

Actions: 1 Integrate & meet new YP & VI 2 Connect & share YP & VI with business Industry 3 Share experience together in Hong Kong

Round Table – Working in a Multicultural Project Team “How to work in a pluri-cultural environment?” presented by Ludovic Walls

4 Develop the community via events Events organized: Cocktails:

Outlook: Organize a “Walk for a Charity” event

16 September 2010: YP & Vi networking Cocktail – 220 participants

Organize three additional round tables and create more round tables outputs (placemats, articles, thought leadership, etc.)

12 May 2011: YP & Vi networking Cocktail – 260 participants

Find one or two different ways to better interact with other committees

Monthly VI after-work drink – 60 participants

Recruit more active young professionals

Departments’ Activities Business Development Department

P.35

Business Development Department

Identity:

TO INFORM

The Business Development Department assists French companies wishing to develop or expand their business in Hong Kong. Our activity can be summarized within four goals

Identity:

TO INFORM

P.38

TO PROSPECT

Committees Department

TO SET UP TO COMMUNICATION

P.39

P.45

P.46

P.48

Events Department

Orianne Chenain Deputy General Manager and Head of the Department

Membership Department Publications Department Recruitment Department

Market studies Our strengths are: A multicultural and business-minded team

Market intelligence, especially in the following areas: - F&B

25 years of experience in Hong Kong

- Wine

Independent

- Luxury – Retail – Home decoration

Wide network and extensive knowledge of the market

- Infrastructure – Architecture – Design - Green

A unique one-stop-shop solution for SMEs setting up in Hong Kong

- Logistics

Tailor-made offers

A newsletter in French sent to more than 2,000 contacts

Global Achievements:

Lillian Lao Business Development Manager (especially in charge of our additional services and mission)

We help French SMEs assess their market potential: Assistance is given to help them to understand the market and how to approach it, to identify the key players and main competitors, to market a product, to communicate and increase brand awareness. We assist them in understanding the Hong Kong market: how to use the city as a regional platform to penetrate the Mainland market, and how to adapt their products to the local needs. Our tools are:

37 export and sourcing missions for French brands and French SMEs: 25 found their commercial partner through us 41 new companies created and established in HK 35 working visas processed and obtained 150,000 words translated; 5,500 hours of interpretation organised Five well-known French fairs promoted A new sectorial approach

Credit research to check the notoriety of a potential partner

Achievements: Markets studies done in various sectors such as architecture, food & beverage and luxury goods Consulting missions on brand awareness, communication and marketing Market insights offered to students from prominent French business schools Meetings with more than 180 SMEs to inform them about the Hong Kong market. The department has introduced 20% of them to professional partners who are members of the Chamber

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

French Chamber 2009-2010 Annual Report

Departments’ Activities

Business Development Department TO PROSPECT

TO SET UP

To communicate

Relations with local players

Identity:

On the one hand, we organize export missions to help our clients develop their business in Hong Kong and Macao. Our missions are always organized in two steps: to feel and understand the market, and business matching meetings. On the other hand, we provide sourcing missions to help our clients lower their costs and find the right suppliers. Our products are:

A one-stop-shop solution with a comprehensive company set-up service. From creating a company with all the correct legal documentation, to hiring staff, through virtual or physical domiciliation (in our business centre or with our partners, working visas, etc.), we take care of everything when starting a business.

We foster the promotion of Hong Kong in France through various tools: our quarterly newsletter in French, our special report – Réussir à Hong Kong, our ad-hoc studies. We are part of a supportive network of French Chambers Abroad.

During the year, we carried on our relationships with our local partners in Hong Kong and their representatives in France: Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Invest HK. We worked regularly with other French Chambers overseas, especially the French Chamber in China, by exchanging information, promoting their services, and doing cross-selling. The department has attended Cap Chine hosted in Beijing in January 2011, gathering international advisers from CCI and ACFCI.

Contact lists

Romain Martimort Business Development Manager (company set-up, domiciliation, missions)

Tailor-made export missions and sourcing missions of 2 to 10 days Part-time sales executive in Hong Kong

Additional services: Room rental; video conference; translation; interpretation; payroll (including MPF, medical leave, holidays, etc). Introduce new companies in Hong Kong to our members (logistic, law firms, accountants, etc.) We provide the Québec Immigration Office (BIQ) in Hong Kong with translation services.

Achievements: The department organised 30 export and sourcing missions for French brands and French SMEs – that’s up 46% over the previous year. Among them, 25 found their commercial partner through us, sourcing totalled 16% while export accounted for 84%. By area they represented: - Wine: 25% - Food: 10% - Luxury: 20% Edith Wong Trade Fair Manager and Business Development Manager (including visa service)

Business Development Department

- Infrastructure: 10% - Environment: 5% - Web/media: 16% - Other: 14%

Achievements: An inclusive “company set-up / domiciliation” service: 41 companies have been set up during the fiscal year, an increase of 24% over the previous year More than 90 companies are now registered at the Chamber Stable volume of activity for the translation services and a decrease in the translations done for Québec. We have accomplished over 1,930 interview cases with the BIQ. Another year of success for our business centre, which has been fully booked and with a waiting list, including our VIE desks service. Sectors covered by the companies set up: - Wine industry: 27% - Consumer good: 22% - Services: 22% - Web/IT: 12% - Heavy industry: 5%

The department is the Promosalons agent for Hong Kong and Macao, and consequently promotes well-known French fairs to potential Hong Kong and Macanese visitors.

Objectives: Achievements: Promosalons: We have promoted the following fairs: Maison & Objet (interior design and deluxe home fashion), SIAL (F&B), SIAL CHINA (F&B), SILMO (Optical), and Cartes in Asia (smart technologies). Maison & Objet: Number of visitors in January 2011 increased by 59% compared with January 2010. SIAL 2010: Visitors up 9% comparing with the previous edition in 2008. SIAL China: In 2011, Hong Kong was second in terms of visitors from Asia (an increase of 15%).

To be known and recognized as a unique entity in Hong Kong for French SMEs with global and professional solutions. We want to be known as the most reliable one-stop service provider for those who want to export to Hong Kong, offering professional services best suited for their budgets: from market surveys and product-testing, to setting up their companies, helping them to recruit, finding them a business centre or an office, etc. To increase our F&B practice, particularly within the frame of collective missions promoting regions in France

Cartes in Asia: Stable number of visitors.

To enhance the exposure of Business Development by improving our website

Communication with France: We communicate regularly with our French network through the circulation of our newsletter, France-Hong Kong Express, which is sent to the Chamber’s network in France, to the companies registered at the French Chamber and to all the SMEs we have met. It is a link to Hong Kong for those not yet based in Hong Kong.

To increase our French fairs portfolio for Promosalons To bring to the Chamber thorough market intelligence on four specific sectors (Food & Beverage, Luxury & Retail , Infrastructure, and Environment) As the Chamber has recently become the coordinator of the French Chambers in Asia, we will take this opportunity to enhance and promote regional missions in several Asian countries.

- Food: 2% - Other: 10%

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Departments’ Activities

Committees Department

Events Department

Achievements:

Objectives:

Identity:

The department organized 75 committee meetings this year, all of them different in the way they were carried out: some preferring to emphasize experience sharing, some inviting keynote speakers to address the committee’s members on hot subjects, and others focusing on the organization of key events.

Besides supporting committee members on a daily basis, the department will endeavour to:

With the support of the 15 committees of the Chamber, the Events Department strives to embrace Hong Kong’s dynamic and fast-changing market by organizing a wide range of large and small corporate events focused on topical subjects.

The department supported the committees in organizing over 30 events. Among them: Catherine Pielawa-Ko Head of Committees & Events

Identity: Each of the Chamber’s 15 committees brings together certain members who represent an industry sector or business interests, share information on it and organize events. Joining a committee gives our members the opportunity to share professional experience and obtain industry updates, thus acquiring valuable business information first-hand.

The Committees Department takes part in regular events or meetings held by other organizations in Hong Kong, then tries to establish links with them, with a view to helping Chamber committees in their activities by, for example, recommending speakers, or subjects, of interest.

Departments’ Activities

Renovation/rehabilitation, the key to sustainable development: a two-day business matching forum between the Hong Kong Government and French companies in the field of renovation and rehabilitation which attracted more than 200 participants Sourcing in Asia, What Alternatives to China: a one-day sourcing symposium with keynote speakers of the industry, which had 175 participants

Regarding the development of committees: After a fruitful year as a working group, the Women on Board has developed naturally into a committee. The department supported the creation of the Banking & Finance working group. Finally, the New Tech Committee suspended its activity for the time being, pending the development of a new direction that matches the needs of members in that industry.

Study the feasibility of creating a Food & Beverage working group Organize the second annual Made in Asia Symposium with the Sourcing Committee

Through a series of events which are both practical and tailored to members’ needs – such as corporate seminars, workshops and social gatherings – the department provides opportunities to facilitate business development and networking.

Coordinate with the SME committee in the setting up of Working Together (Travailler Ensemble) event. Refurbish the Human Resources Committee with a stronger emphasis on HR recruitment policies and on gathering members with regional HR responsibilities Support the establishment of a third Banking & Finance working group dedicated to HR or/and capital markets

Annie Pudlo Events Manager

Achievements: The department organized 76 events during the year 2010-2011, either alone or through cooperation with our institutional partners

45 events initiated by the French Chamber 7 events co-organized with other chambers in Hong Kong 10 events with InterCham 12 events co-promoted (BCE, BEC, EUBIP, Invest HK, etc) 2 events in support of charities

These represent

Thanks to its professionalism and expertise, the department is now organizing events for clients, such as galas, networking cocktails and business missions.

Objectives: Our goal is to strengthen our platform upon which members can forge better relationships with the business community. We aim to keep members informed of developments in their fields of interest and provide opportunities for them to meet with other business people and promote their businesses. In order to do so, the department will strive to organize events that match as closely as possible the industry needs of our various members.

We will support the Committees Department in organizing the second edition of the Made In Asia Seminar and the Working Together (Travailler Ensemble) event.

Finally, we aim to increase the sponsorship of our events and the organization of events for third parties.

40 seminars 6 large-scale events 9 SME lunches 14 cocktails 5 delegations or business missions 2 charity events

The department created a new sponsorship scheme for its events, offering our partners a new visibility platform when they support events such as the Prominent Speakers’ Series, the Annual General Meeting and the Annual Dinner.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Departments’ Activities

Events Department Detailed list of events organized by the department in 2010 – 2011:

Seminars: 5 July 2010: Joint event organized with the Canadian Chamber CLP Seminar – Hong Kong’s Energy Security: Nuclear Power and Safety Several Speakers

14 September 2010: Luxury and Retail Committee of the French Chamber

Mrs Sophie Dupont, Senior Property Consultant, House Hunters

E-commerce in Greater China: A Fast Growing Opportunity for Luxury Brands

Mr Gérard Henry, Deputy Executive Manager, Editor-in-Chief, PAROLES magazine, Alliance Française

Speaker: Mr Thibault Villet, founding partner of Glamour-Sales

16 September 2010: French Chamber Back to work event: Economics and Markets across Asia for 2010-11

Will the Global Economy Fall Back into Recession?

Speakers: Mr Michael Spencer, PhD, Chief Economist and Head of Global Markets Research, Asia Pacific, Deutsche Bank

Speaker: Dr Joerg Kraemer, Chief Economist, Commerzbank

Mr Luca Silipo, Managing Director, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific, Natixis

27 August 2010: Intercham

30 August 2010: Marketing Partnership Agreement The Starbucks Experience: Speakers Connect & Next Chapter Events Speaker: Dr Joseph Michelli, Leadership Workshop in Hong Kong

31 August 2010: The Clean Technology Investment World Asia 2010

10 September 2010: China Committee of the French Chamber Prominent Speaker Series: The Hon. C.Y. LEUNG Chun-ying

Mr Glenn B Maguire, Asia Chief Economist, Societe Generale Hong Kong

21 September 2010: French Chamber Annual General Meeting

Mrs Maryse Kraatz, Executive Director of the French Chamber of Commerce Mrs Alice Kaushal, Managing Director of Refine Consulting Mr Jeffrey K. F. Lam, SBS, MBE, JP Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Member of the Legislative Council, Government of the HKSAR, and Managing Director, Forward Winsome Industries Ltd Mr Eric Mayer, Managing Partner of Thomas, Mayer & Associes Mr Charles NG, Associate DirectorGeneral of Investment Promotion

Ms Jenny Torrie, Property Consultant, House Hunters

21 October 2010: Joint Event organized with the Dutch Chamber

The Hong Kong Environment: Time to Clean the Air

Made in China, Spent in China?

14 October 2010: China Committee & Sourcing Committee of the French Chamber Working Capacities in China: Is the ‘Factory of the World’ Over? Speaker: Mr Stanley C. H. Lau, BBS, MH, JP, Managing Director of Renley Watch Group, Deputy Chairman of FHKI

Speakers: Ms Marjorie Diebolt, Head of the Recruitment & Training Department, French Chamber

Speakers: Mr Bernard Coulaty, VicePresident, Human Resources, Pernod Ricard Asia Ms Elaine Ng, Managing Principal & Founder of HR Business Solutions Asia Ltd 17 November 2010: HKIAC Rethinking International Arbitration

18 November 2010: Joint Event organized by the Norwegian Chamber International Financial Centre – Hong Kong or Shanghai? Speaker: Mr Peter Wong, Chief Executive, Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd

The Honourable Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the HKSAR

17 November 2010: InterCham PRD Committee & Human Resources Committee of the French Chamber

Mrs Wai Lin Ng, Managing Director, France Tax Services, Deloitte AP ICE Ltd

22 March 2011: French Chamber Will Jasmine Revolutions Expand to China? Probably Not, At Least for Now Speaker: Mr Jean-Pierre Cabestan, Professor and Head Department of Government and International Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University.

21 February 2011: French Chamber

31 March 2011: Luxury and Retail Committee of the French Chamber

Permanence Fiscale

Luxury or Property? The Landlord’s View

Speakers: Mrs Vanessa Calderoni, Tax specialist, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

Speakers: Ms Betty Leong, General Manager, Investment Property, MTR Corp Ltd

Mrs Sophie Carlei, Tax specialist , Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

23 February 2011: Women On Board Committee of the French Chamber

Speaker: Dr Christine Loh, JP OBE, CEO, Civic Exchange

Speakers: Mr Eddie Ching, COO Financial Institutions, Asia-Pac, HSBC

25 October 2010: French Chamber

3 November 2010: Intercham

Speakers: Mr Alexander Mak, Managing Director, Mazars CPA Ltd

All You Ever Wanted to Know about RMB Business in HK

Mrs Julia Leung, Under-Secretary Financial Services and Treasury Bureau, HK Government

Speaker: Mrs Christine Ockrent, Chief Operating Officer of Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France

France – Hong Kong Comprehensive Double Taxation Agreement: Its Consequences

Prominent Speaker Series: Dr Christine Loh

Mr Richard Iley, Chief Asia Economist, BNP Paribas

Prominent Speaker Series: Christine Ockrent

20 January 2011: Policy & Consultations Committee of the French Chamber

1 December 2010: Banking & Finance Committee of the French Chamber

Several speakers

19 October 2010: French Chamber The Keys to your Successful Integration in Hong Kong

Human Resources Management across Hong Kong & China – from Strategy, Human Resources Practice Migration to Practical Implementation

Mrs Cecile Thomas, Hong Kong Accueil

7 October 2010: Joint Event organized with the Swedish Chamber

Speaker: Mrs Christine Loh, CEO of Civic Exchange

Events Department

Mr Gregor Prattley, Executive Director, Group Head of Leasing & Marketing, Asia Pacific Land

7 April 2011: Joint Event organized with the Australian Chamber Understanding the Future of Business: Yesterday the World Changed, Now It’s Your Turn Speaker: Mr Mike Walsh, CEO, Innovation research lab Tomorrow

12 April 2011: Women On Board Committee of the French Chamber Women in Leadership: Becoming Entrepreneurs of Ourselves

2 December 2010: BODW

1 March 2011: Intercham

Speaker: Ms Stefania Lucchetti, CEO, Restless Travellers Publishing Ltd

Business of Design Week

The Honourable John Tsang Financial Secretary of the HKSARG

13 April 2011: French Chamber

18 January 2011: Asian Financial Forum

Prominent Speaker Series: The Hon. Mrs Rita Fan

Asia: Reshaping the Global Agenda

4 March 2011: Joint event organized by the German Chamber

18 January 2011: Intercham

The EU and the Euro – A Failure or Growing Pains?

14 April 2011: China Committee of the French Chamber

Speaker: Dr Michael Fuchs, MdB, Deutscher Bundestag

China’s Management Revolution

Steiner on Branding Speaker: Mr Henry Steiner, Founder, Steiner & Co

Speaker: Mr Charles-Edouard Bouee, President Asia, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Departments’ Activities

Events Department

Large-scale events:

16 September 2010:

22 March 2011: French Chamber

1-2 November 2010: Infrastructure Committee of the French Chamber

Dinner with Jacques Seguela

French Toast: Meet the Councillors

16 September 2010: Young Professionals Committee of the French Chamber

12 May 2011: French Chamber Young Professionals Committee

Renovation/Rehabilitation – The Key to Sustainable Development

11 May 2011: Sourcing Committee of the French Chamber Asian Sourcing Symposium – Sourcing in Asia, What Alternatives to China?

43th Young Professionals Cocktail

21 September 2010: French Chamber Annual Dinner: Red Lanterns for a Dazzling Moon

Young Professionals Cocktail

21 June 2011: Intercham Intercham Connecting People Cocktail

13 May 2011: French Chamber and Hong Kong Land Boutique Boulevard: Central de Luxe

19 October 2010: French Chamber French Toast: When Existing Members Meet New Members

26-27 May 2011: Art HK HongKong International Art Fair 12 May 2011: Luxury and Retail Committee of the French Chamber

Share Experience with Three Entrepreneurs in Hong Kong

Selling to the Mainland: Selected Mainland Cities as Key Consumer Markets

Speakers: Ms Marie Amiand, Founder & Managing Director, Brands Republik

Speaker: Mr Billy Wong, Senior Economist, HKTDC

17 May 2011: China Committee of the French Chamber Hong Kong, Leading City in the Region: Is its Model Sustainable? Speaker: Mr Nicholas Brooke, Chairman, Professional Property Services Ltd, Hong Kong Harbour Front Commission and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

Mr Gerard Belicha, Co-founder and Managing Director, Red Packet Mr Romain Ventimiglia, Manager, Asia One Trading Ltd

28 October 2010 VIP Invitation to the Wine & Dine Festival

4 June 2011: French Chamber Gala Dinner Cinema, Mon Amour

4 June 2011: SME Committee of the French Chamber SME Awards 2011

30 November 2010: Intercham

28 June 2011: French Chamber

44th Young Professionals Cocktail

French Toast: Celebrate the Summer Break!

8 December 2010: Women On Board Cocktail First “Women On Board” Networking Cocktail

3 June 2011: Luxury and Retail Committee of the French Chamber Decoding the Chinese Perception of Luxury Ads Speaker: Ms Laurence Lim, Founder, Cherry Blossoms Market Research

24 May 2011: Coface

10 June 2011: China Committee of the French Chamber

2011 Credit Risk Conference – Rebalancing or Recovery?

China in 2011, New Challenges: The 30 Years that Transformed China 1980-2010 Speaker: Mrs Caroline Puel, Journalist

31 May 2011: Young Professionals Committee of the French Chamber

Networking events: 10 August 2010: Intercham 43rd Young Professionals Cocktail

15 February 2011: Intercham

Events taking place outside Hong Kong 26-27 September 2010: French Chamber in China Chongqing; Ville d’Avenir

45th Intercham Cocktail 11-12 October 2010: Intercham 24 February 2011: French Chamber SME Bluebiz Cocktail Speakers: Mr Florent Nedelec, Architect, DPLG Mr Maren Striker, Project Manager, Urban Discovery Mr Herman Wan, Corporate Sales Manager, Air France KLM

Two-Day Mission to Jiangmen, Zhongzhan and Foshian

25 November 2010: French Chamber in Vietnam The French Week in Vietnam in 2010

2 April 2011: European Chamber The 2011 Macao International Environmental Co-Operation Forum & Exhibition

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Departments’ Activities

Events Department

Membership Department

11 April 2011: Intercham

Supported Charities:

Identity:

Objectives:

Two-Day Mission to Guanghou

25 March 2011:

The Membership Department aims to satisfy its members’ requirements all year long and to increase membership so that ever more networking business opportunities are created. It is our belief that a strong membership base enhances the benefits for all affiliates.

The Membership Department continues to strive to arouse the interest of potential new members – not only French, but also Hong Kongers and other nationalities – to ensure that the Chamber continues to have both the legitimacy and the influence to support the needs of our business community.

“Enfants du Mékong”: Mobilisons nous pour l’école primaire de Sras Reang!

SME Committee Lunches 8 September 2010: Back to Work SME lunch

April 15 2011: Sing for Japan: Charity Concert

13 October 2010: SMEs and Charities. Mrs Olivia Broquereau, Variety

8 December 2010: Exit Strategies; Why, How and What? Mr Paul Phenix, Baker Tilly Hong Kong

12 January 2010: Doing Business in China: The Role of Commercial Contracts. Mr Thomas Keenan, Minster Ellison

9 February 2011: Accounting Systems and Solutions for SMEs: Software, Recommendations, Good Practices. Mrs Mathieu Laure, Symm Corporate Services Ltd.

9 March 2011: The Entrepreneurial Stories: Tips, Experience and Inspiration to Move Forward! Mr Charles d’Haussy, Diligent Group Ltd. 11 April 2011: The entrepreneurial stories: tips, experience and inspiration to move forward! Mr. Philippe Sejalon, Global Citizen

Francoise Detanger Head of Membership

18 May 2011: Reform your Performance Appraisal Scheme! Mr Bernard Wong, Operational Effectiveness Director of Pfizer Corp. HK Ltd.

The department acts as a global relationship manager for each member, by knowing him/her and his/her industry, in order to refer him/her to the various departments of the Chamber according to his/her needs and to put him/her in contact with other members and foster their relationship. Finally, the department strives to create additional exclusive offers for members (VIP invitations, special events/seminars, etc)

Achievements: With 755 members, the French Chamber is now the number one European chamber in Hong Kong and one of the largest French chambers in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of number of companies involved. This figure increases each year, in terms of more business interests in both France and in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

14 June 2011: Meet our French Chamber SME Award 2011 Winner. Mr Olivier Partrat, Evergreen Land

Edouard Caumon Membership Manager

Online renewal has created a much smoother process for our members and thanks to the development of our web site and CRM (which is linked to our database), we have achieved an even better understanding of our members’ needs. Last but not least, we have revamped our Members Privileges which now offer even more attractive discounts and advantages in areas as diverse as business services, hotels and serviced apartments, food and beverage, and leisure and shopping.

Thus we have intensified our visibility by being present at all Chamber events, as well as at events organized by the business community of Hong Kong. For the future, our aim is to intensify our focus on developing a multicultural horizon to achieve a better mutual understanding of societies and businesses.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Departments’ Activities

Publications Department Identity: The Publications Department produces all of the French Chamber’s publications, ensuring consistency and relevance to meet the expectations and needs of our 750 members. The department is also responsible for communications with our members and partners. The department’s aim is to promote our members and increase their visibility within the Hong Kong business community. Julie Pourtois Head of Publications

Our publications are very diverse and encompass a magazine, a directory, a guide, a website and a newsletter.

Achievements: Hong Kong Echo magazine The magazine is thriving, and over the years has gained a reputation in a Hong Kong as a reliable reference source for its neutral and business-oriented content. As the official magazine of the largest European Chamber in Hong Kong, the Echo boasts an impressive readership of 25,000.

Sine Choy Publications Manager

Indeed, in a media environment where most printed magazines are struggling to make ends meet, Hong Kong Echo is bucking the trend with a readership that keeps increasing. This also led to a slight increase in advertisements during the last fiscal year.

Cheng (Head of BNP Paribas North Asia), Michael Suen (Secretary for Education, HKSAR), Eden Woon (VicePresident, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Wilfred Wong (Chairman, Hong Kong International Film Festival), Philippe Ciarlet (Professor, Department of Mathematics, City University of Hong Kong), Roberto Bruzzone (Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong University-Pasteur Research centre), and Kevin Thompson (Director, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts). Hong Kong Echo currently has a standard circulation of 6,500. About 60% of the magazines are distributed to the business lounges of Air France, British Airways and Cathay Pacific (it is the only chamber’s magazine to be distributed in the Business and First Class lounges of CX), while more than 25% are sent to members of the French Chamber, government officials and other members of the international business community in Hong Kong and France.

Publications Department Directory

Website

The 2011 edition of the Members Directory has been very well received, both in terms of its user-friendly format and the usefulness of the information provided. The process of updating members’ profiles within the directory has been made slicker and easier thanks to our online process. Members can now modify their profile at will, and validate it just weeks before the directory’s publication.

The website is an important tool for connecting with our members, and for the public at large. New services – such as the mobile website and the classified ads – have been provided, enabling us to enhance our members’ visibility. This has resulted in increased traffic, and fccihk. com has become one of the most viewed French Chamber websites worldwide. Thanks to our 5,000 unique visitors a month, advertising has noticeably increased on the website during the past fiscal year.

For the first time this year, the directory was designed in-house – a successful undertaking which will be repeated for the 2012 edition. 1,400 copies of the directory were printed.

Guide S’installer a Hong Kong

Flash Info The newsletter Flash Info is sent to our entire member base every two weeks.

In 2010, the French Chamber undertook to re-edit its guide How to Settle in Hong Kong, last published in 2005. The guide was not only revamped but entirely rethought, and 4,000 copies were printed. These are currently being distributed by the French bookstore Parentheses, Dymocks (IFC and Repulse Bay), the Lycee Francais International, and Hong Kong Accueil. During this fiscal year, the guide proved to be a bestseller with French newcomers to Hong Kong.

Over the year, the magazine focussed on four diverse subjects: Greater China’s Taste for Luxury (Autumn 2010); Who’s Who? Hong Kong Business Leaders (Winter 2010); Testing & Certification in Greater China (Spring 2011); and Education in Hong Kong (Summer 2011).

Jonathan Rault IT Manager

Many quality articles were contributed, written by legal, fiscal and industry experts. Our outstanding contributors included: Valerie Hermann (Chief Executive Officer, Yves Saint Laurent), Guillaume Brochard (Co-founder, Qeelin), Rita Lau (Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, HKSAR), Christine Loh (Chief Executive Officer, Civic Exchange), Mignonne

In addition to providing up-to-date news about our members, it also keeps readers abreast of the French Chamber’s upcoming events as well as other local events of potential interest.

Objectives: One of our main objectives for the coming year is to increase the visibility of French Chamber members within the Hong Kong business community. We hope to achieve this by publishing more of our members’ press releases on our website and newsletter. We will also continue to develop the excellent relations we entertain with our advertisers, to enhance the magazine’s visibility in the community.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Departments’ Activities

Recruitment & Training Department

Recruitment Department

Identity

Candidates’ profile

The Recruitment Department is a professional recruitment consultancy covering sectors such as Trading/ Sourcing, Engineering/Technical and Luxury for clients (members and nonmembers) in Hong Kong.

Half of our candidates are middle to senior level managers, whom we placed in a wide variety of positions, including managing director, business unit manager, financial controller, factory manager, marketing manager, communications manager, business developer, supply chain manager, financial analyst, recruitment consultant, graphic designer, IT manager, product developer, merchandiser, personal assistant, sales coordinator and executive assistant.

Comité Consulaire pour l’Emploi (Committee for Employment)

We specialize in recruiting multilingual and multicultural staff from junior to executive level.

Achievements Ariane Schaap Head of the Recruitment & Training Department

The department achieved excellent results this fiscal year, confirming the strength of the economic recovery and reflecting companies’ increased employment activity. Hiring expectations reached a new high and the Recruitment Department achieved a record year since its creation in 1996, as well as increasing the number of placements it made at senior executive level significantly.

The unemployment rate in Hong Kong fell to 3.8% in the period November 2010 January 2011, the lowest unemployment rate in over two years. This figure is expected to remain low in the next months as companies are planning to increase headcounts. Dolora Angeles Recruitment & Training consultant

Departments’ Activities

About the candidates Candidates’ placements Helped by a strong local economy, the department handled around 150 job opportunities and successfully placed 90 candidates – an average of eight placements a month.

Employers’ profile Around 60% of our clients are French Chamber members. We have developed an in-depth expertise in the following sectors: luxury, trading, manufacturing, retail, recruitment, textile, cosmetic, IT, finance and consulting.

Candidates’ registration The department welcomes all applications from French and local candidates looking for jobs in Hong Kong. Our consultants interview each applicant carefully to evaluate their experience and skills. The department is then able to quickly and efficiently meet its clients’ needs. Our database hosts 4,504 active candidates, 900 of whom have been interviewed face-to-face by our consultants this year. Around 40% are French, 40% Hong Kong Chinese, and 20% other nationalities. We have noticed a profile evolution in that recently we have received more applications from Hong Kong residents who have been educated in France and can speak French, English, Cantonese and Mandarin. We have also interviewed more French nationals who have gained professional experience in mainland China.

The Recruitment Department is involved in the Comité Consulaire pour l’Emploi, which is dedicated to supporting French nationals in their job search in Hong Kong. The department provides candidates with information about the job market and helps them find a position in Hong Kong.

Fresh graduates program

Christelle Lebrun Recruitment consultant

Events and Information Twice a month, the department organises job Information meetings, called Réunion d’Information sur l’Emploi (RIE), for French-speaking candidates who have recently settled in Hong Kong. During these meetings, various employment topics are discussed, such as labour laws, work visas, resume writing, wage conditions and work search tips. The Recruitment Department met and advised more than 150 newcomers as part of this programme this year, 70% of whom were under 30 years old.

Joblink is a bi-monthly, email newsletter in which we introduce a selection of talents ready for interviews in (or near) Hong Kong. It is sent to all our members and clients and is a tool that enables local and French companies to be informed directly about our best candidates’ skills and profiles.

In order to continue to meet the increasing needs of our members and clients, the department is working with well-known business and engineering schools in France, including HEC, Edhec, Essec, Ecoles des Mines, Ecole Centrale de Paris, ENSEEG and Ensam. This has enabled us to build up a large database of fresh graduates who are based in France but willing to seek their first job or internship in Hong Kong and South China.

Training program The Recruitment Department is in charge of the training offer to our members, and this year we organised 16 training events –30% more than last year. These sessions were set up with prestigious schools and training institutes such as ESSEC, Alphaeight, Dew-Point and Refine.

For the next fiscal year, we will offer a wider range of professional training options to meet both managerial and technical needs. We will also pursue our fruitful collaboration with the German Chamber of Commerce by jointly promoting several training modules.

Internship Platform To better coordinate the demands and offers of members and the needs of candidates, the French Chamber has designed a free internship platform as an exemplary programme for other chambers. Previously, the Recruitment Department helped place between five and 10 trainees per year. This fiscal year, however, we received 29 internship opportunities, and 260 candidates have registered. This platform brought about 9,000 web connections, of which 38% were professionals looking for a trainee. Since the creation of this free platform the matching efficiency has dramatically improved and we estimate that 65 internships were filled as a direct result.

Objectives Hiring expectations are still rising in Hong Kong and the buoyancy of the job market means that the next challenges for the Recruitment Department will be finding top talents for clients in what is a very candidate-driven market, as well as maintaining a high level of activity. If the summer financial crisis does not expand to the global economy in Hong Kong, the shortage of talents will remain a challenge. For the next fiscal year, we will offer a wider range of professional training opportunities, meeting both the managerial and technical needs of clients. We will also further pursue our fruitful collaboration with the German Chamber of Commerce via the joint promotion of some training modules.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Departments’ Activities

Institutional Partners

Relations with our Hong Kong and foreign partners

Invest Hong Kong

The French Chamber strives to maintain constant and close relations with the Hong Kong Government and the various institutions dedicated to the promotion of Hong Kong and/or international business interests. The Hong Kong SAR Government Over the years, the French Chamber has built strong ties with the Hong Kong authorities, at different levels and with different departments. The primary aim of our Policy & Consultation committee, the Chamber’s Think Tank, is to voice the Chamber’s views on government policies and initiatives in Hong Kong. This Committee, with the feedback of the 15 other committees of the Chamber, has prepared: The French Chamber recommendations to the Chief Executive for the 2011 Policy Address, submitted in June 2011, and The French Chamber recommendations for the 2011 Budget, submitted in February 2011. Both are available on our website. As residents of Hong Kong, and important contributors to the SAR’s employment market, we feel very proud to be able to closely work for a better Hong Kong with local authorities and other influential institutions.

The International Business Committee (IBC) Our Chamber is an active member of the IBC, an organization gathering the Chief Secretary of the HKSAR government with the chairmen of the foreign chambers of commerce in Hong Kong. Various subjects are covered by this committee, including air pollution and cooperation with the mainland, waste management, education of foreign nationals in Hong Kong, and the goods and services tax.

The committee is a unique forum in which the international business community has the opportunity to share its views with the highest levels of government. On the government side, the Chief Secretary of Administration chairs. The government pays great attention to the international business community and takes their views into account when formulating policy.

Invest HK is a significant partner of the French Chamber in promoting Hong Kong to French companies in France. Several collective missions have been jointly organised as our services perfectly complement each other. Over the past year, the number of French companies investing in Hong Kong has continued to rise and we believe that our combined efforts were instrumental in this increase. We have worked with Invest HK on the preparation of our latest publication, the guide Settling in Hong Kong. Invest HK was also a key partner for global presentations that the Chamber often does on Hong Kong’s economy, and for sectional talks during our individual missions.

The Business Coalition on the Environment (BCE) The Hong Kong Business Coalition on the Environment (BCE) is a partnership of various business and private sector organisations formed to create a coherent voice addressing environmental matters. It aims to promote greater environmental awareness, responsibility and performance in the business community and to act as a catalyst for government actions and policy changes toward an improved environment for Hong Kong. It also seeks to promote environmental cooperation and awareness in the Pearl River Delta. The French Chamber in Hong Kong is an active member of this partnership.

The European Chamber of Commerce (ECC) The ECC is an association gathering the European Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong and is a “Chamber of Chambers”. Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) This organization is another partner of our Chamber and we work with them on several fronts. The mains one are: Promoting their trade fairs in Hong Kong to our members and companies in France; helping them find partners for the organization of joint missions in France; and acting as a natural partner when French companies come to Hong Kong.

This year, the ECC continued to undertake the EUBIP project, now entering its third year: The European Union Business Information Programme (EUBIP) is a three-year initiative that aims to enhance awareness of Europe in Hong Kong and Macao. EUBIP is a partnership between the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Institute of European Studies of Macao (IEEM). It is funded by grants from the European Commission and IPIM.

Intercham The Hong Kong Business Coalition on the Environment (BCE) is a partnership of various business and private sector organisations formed to create a coherent voice addressing environmental matters. It aims to promote greater environmental awareness, responsibility and performance in the business community and to act as a catalyst for government actions and policy changes toward an improved environment for Hong Kong. It also seeks to promote environmental cooperation and awareness in the Pearl River Delta. The French Chamber in Hong Kong is an active member of this partnership.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Institutional Partners

Relations with our French partners in Hong Kong

Relations with our partners in France

The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong also coordinates actions with the different services of the French Consulate as well as with other French institutions in Hong Kong and in France.

Union des CCI Françaises à l’Etranger (UCCIFE)

The Consulate-General of France in Hong Kong and Ubifrance The French Chamber collaborates with the different departments of the French Consulate and Cultural Affairs and Ubifrance. We support the specialized “VIE” mission of Ubifrance, having several open space desks in our Business Centre expressly dedicated to VIEs representing French companies based in France. Furthermore the Chamber helps to coach the VIEs. On average, the Chamber supports at least five VIEs a year.

The French International School Founded in 1964, the French International School is now one of the largest and best international schools in Hong Kong, taking in more than 2200 students this academic year. This growth is the result of the school’s excellent international reputation: its outstanding results as well as its exceptional curriculum (offering a Bilingual section, Oriental section and a highly recognised English-stream International section). These are definite factors of choice when families have to decide whether or not to settle in Hong Kong. We would also like to congratulate the school’s Executive Committee for being able to adapt its capacity to the Frenchspeaking population’s increase in Hong Kong, opening additional sites in recent years, and as such highly contributing to the exceptional growth in the number of French nationals in Hong Kong, which has reached an unofficial figure of almost 13,000.

Invest Hong Kong Invest HK is a significant partner of the French Chamber in promoting Hong Kong to French companies in France. Several collective missions have been jointly organised as our services perfectly complement each other. Over the past year, the number of French companies investing in Hong Kong has continued to rise and we believe that our combined efforts were instrumental in this increase. We have worked with Invest HK on the preparation of our latest publication, the guide Settling in Hong Kong. Invest HK was also a key partner for global presentations that the Chamber often does on Hong Kong’s economy, and for sectional talks during our individual missions.

The French Chamber is a member of UCCIFE (Association of French Chambers of Commerce Abroad). UCCIFE represents 114 French Chambers abroad in 78 countries and its mission is to act as a network coordinator circulating information, cooperation and know-how, promoting its members to the business networks in France and supporting some specific services. The UCCIFE network represents some 25,000 members around the world. Belonging to this network gives us the opportunity to share experiences and to help our members do business around the world.

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Institutional Partners

ACFCI

French Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The French Chamber also has strong relations with the ACFCI (Association des Chambres Françaises de Commerce et d’Industrie or Association of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry), which gathers together 155 French Chambers in France and 20 regional chambers.

The French Chamber’s Recruitment Department is involved in the “Comite Consulaire pour l’emploi”, dedicated to helping and supporting French Nationals in their job or internship search in Hong Kong. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocates a subsidy for the Chamber to perform this public service; this year, through its bi-monthly meetings (called “Reunion d’Information Emploi”), the Chamber received applications from more than 150 French Nationals seeking a job in Hong Kong. We would like to warmly thank members of all these committee for their on-going support of the French Chamber.

The French Chamber participates twice a year in UCCIFE seminars, once with all the international French Chambers and once with all the French Chambers in Asia, for experiencesharing. Furthermore, in 2011, the French Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong was awarded the most innovative chamber overseas. It was also elected coordinator of the Chambers for Asia.

The financial statements 01 July 2010 - 30 June 2011 have been audited by Mazars CPA Limited. The Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities continued to grow and to be profitable with a net surplus before taxation of HK$ 687,470. The Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accumulated surplus amounts to HK$ 6,504,023 as of June 30th 2011. 1. Total Income was of HK$15,755,931, representing an increase of 12% compared to previous year and was derived from growth in all the services of the chamber: Recruitment/Training services +37%

French Chamber 2010-2011 Annual Report

Financial Report

2010/2011

2009/2010

Income HK$ of which Membership HK$

13,838,875 3,157,302

15,755,931 HK$ 3,689,120 HK$

Expenses HK$ 15,165,973 HK$ 13,603,615 of which Direct Costs HK$ 4,748,805 HK$ 4,680,735 Staff expenses HK$ 6,894,288 HK$ 5,785,396 Other expenses HK$ 3,522,880 HK$ 3,137,484

Events and Committees +37% Membership +12% Business services +7% Advertising +42% In revenue breakdown, Business services represent 32%, Membership 20%, Events 17%, Recruitment/Training 15%, Business Center 8% and Advertising 8% 2. Direct costs were almost unchanged at HK$ 4,748,805 while general expenditure amounted to HK$ 10,417,168 up 16%, with salaries representing 66% and rental 15%

Profit/(Loss) of the year(before taxation) HK$ 687,470 HK$ 235,260 Taxation HK$ 106,617 HK$ 3,485 Profit/(Loss) of the year (after taxation) HK$ 580,853 HK$ 231,415

Accumulated Profit Brought Forward HK$ 5,923,170 HK$ 5,923,170