Chamber Activities

First GTCC AFTERWORK

We had a great time connecting with our members and partners at the first #GTCCAFTERWORK, which was also our first event of 2023, organised at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok on 19 January 2023. More than 100 guests were welcomed by GTCC President Mr. Michael Welser with his opening remarks. On behalf of GTCC, he wished everyone happiness, prosperity and success in their businesses throughout the year.

For this year, we are grateful to have the support of our existing and new GTCC Premium Partners: B.GRIMM, DACHSER, Luther, Mazars in Thailand, RHENUS LOGISTICS and SCHAEFFLER, and GTCC Annual Partners: Bumrungrad International Hospital, GlueUp, and Lufthansa.

We also would like to thank our Event Partners Hampton Hotel & Residence Management and WHA Group for their support to this event, Beverage Partner Paulaner for the authentic German drinks, and our Venue Partner, Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok for providing the perfect venue and delicious food and beverages.

GTRA Steering Committee meeting on sustainable mobility

GTCC, honorary member of the German-Thai Railway Association (GTRA), participated in a meeting held on 25 January 2023 at the German Embassy in Bangkok, together with the steering committee of GTRA, the Department of Rail Transport (DRT), the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS), and experts in the industry. The discussion focused on enhancing the exchange on sustainable mobility, a field in which Germany possesses significant expertise.

GTCC AFTERWORK in February

GTCC AFTERWORK event offered a wonderful time connecting with our members, partners and friends at Le Méridien Bangkok on 9 February 2023. Our President, Mr. Michael Welser, greeted a crowd of more than 90 attendees with a warm welcome and officially commenced the networking event.

We are very thankful to our Event Partners Luther, Mazars in Thailand, and Schüco for their invaluable support, Beverage Partner Paulaner by Flow Inter for supporting the authentic German drinks, and Venue Partner Le Meridien Bangkok for the beautiful venue and delicious cuisine.

We would like to extend our appreciation to all those who joined the event and made it such a memorable one.

GTCC visits Oerlikon Balzers Coating (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

On 17 February 2023, about 30 GTCC members had an opportunity to explore the production site of Oerlikon Balzers Coating (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Thanks to Mr. Markus Lorenzini, Oerlikon President APAC, Mr. Michel Maeusli, Regional Lead – Tools APAC and General Manager Thailand and Vietnam, Mr. Gopinath Chikathor, Director – Sales and Operations of Oerlikon Thailand and the team for their warm welcome.

Located in Amata City Chonburi Industrial Estate, Oerlikon Balzers Coating (Thailand) Co., Ltd. specializes in providing tailored Surface Solutions in several fields of applications for all main industries, from various metal working industries to plastic manufacturing for future industries such as robotics, electric vehicles, medical appliances and aerospace. For more than 18 years the company has been serving more than 300 local customers.

Oerlikon is a leading global provider of surface and additive manufacturing solutions and services. The division offers an extensive portfolio of market-leading thin-film, thermal spray and additive manufacturing technology and equipment, components and materials.

Welcoming the Head of the Foreign Trade and Investment Promotion Department, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, to GTCC

It was a great pleasure to welcome Dr. Kristina Heussner, Head of Foreign Trade and Investment Promotion Department, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Germany, at our office on 23 February, and to present GTCC’s key activities at an introduction meeting, The event was also joined by Mr. Johannes Kerner, Economic and Commercial Counsellor, German Embassy in Bangkok.

The meeting was followed by a productive lunch at The Peninsula Bangkok in which we also had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Hans-Ulrich Südbeck, Deputy Chief of Mission, German Embassy in Bangkok and Mr. Thomas Hundt. Director Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos of Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI).

DIHK/AHK Regional Workshop Asia-Pacific

Two-day DIHK/AHK Regional Workshop Asia-Pacific was hosted by GTCC during 23-24 February 2023 at Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok. The delegates of the workshop were welcomed by Mr. Benjamin Leipold, Managing Director of DIHK DEinternational GmbH, at the Sindhor. WE Kempinski Hotel Bangkok on 22 February. There were fruitful exchanges among the participants from the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHK) in Asia Pacific. The workshop was completed with a memorable farewell cocktail dinner with Ms. Jigger, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok.

GTCC Business Luncheon “Thailand Economic Outlook 2023”

About 100 participants joined the GTCC Business Luncheon "Thailand Economic Outlook 2023" on 2 March 2023 at the Sukhothai Hotel Bangkok. We owe a debt of gratitude to our Keynote Speaker, Khun Narit Therdsteerasukdi, SecretaryGeneral, Office of the Board of Investment (BOI) for sharing his insights on "Thailand 2023 and beyond: Toward an Innovative, Competitive and Inclusive New Economy”.

GTCC also would like to thank the panellists from GTCC member companies: Mr. Kanoksak Mokkamakkul, Executive Vice-President, Bangkok Bank Public Co., Ltd.; Mr. Alexander Donau, Regional Head, Asia-Pacific and Director of the Board for Leschaco (Thailand); Ms. Anlee Do, General Manager Thailand, Viet Nam, the Philippines and the Mekong Region, Lufthansa German Airlines; Mr. Jan Wittenstein, Head of Automotive Technologies Sales and Business Development SEA/P, Schaeffler Manufacturing (Thailand); and Mr. Tomasz Masur, Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Mobility; and our Moderator Dr. Timo Slawinski, Managing Director, Covestro (Thailand) for their kind contributions to the panel discussion.

Meeting with Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office, Germany

On 3 March 2023, GTCC had great pleasure in welcoming Dr. Tobias Lindner, Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office, and German Ambassador to Thailand Georg Schmidt for a meeting on Thailand’s economic development and activities of German companies in Thailand.

Representatives of GTCC member companies Mr. Martin Knoss, Robert Bosch Automotive Technologies (Thailand), Mr. Jan Wittenstein, Schaeffler Manufacturing (Thailand), Mr. Björn Bodenstein, Siemens Healthineers Thailand and Mr. Amir Reza Sinai, BEUMER Group (Thailand) discussed business opportunities and challenges in Thailand and ASEAN.

GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing with L&P

Our first GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing kicked off on 9 March 2023 with Lorenz & Partners (L&P) Co., Ltd. The briefing was organised at Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok.

Thanks to Mr. Till Morstadt, Managing Partner of L&P, for sharing his insights on "What Executives in Thailand need to know about International Tax Developments – An Overview on the Impact of BEPS, Pillar 2 and Minimum Tax on Investments and Investment Incentives in Thailand" with about 20 participants.

GTCC AFTERWORK in March

Third GTCC AFTERWORK networking was held on 9 March 2023. Thanks 100 guests for making our monthly networking event a wonderful gathering once again. We highly appreciate the generous support from our Event Partners G.M. Tour and Travel, Mazars in Thailand, and MedPark Hospital; Beverage Partner Paulaner by Flow Inter and Venue Partner Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok.

Thai-German conference on “Solar PV and Grid-Integration”

On 14 March 2023, a Thai-German conference on "Solar PV and Grid-Integration" was organised to provide a platform for discussing cutting-edge solutions for solar PV and grid integration necessary for Thailand's carbon neutrality 2050 goal, the projection for Thailand's new Power Development Plan (PDP) well as most recent advancements and pilot projects in Germany and Thailand.

More than 100 participants at the conference learned from keynote speakers and experts in the field including Mr. Johannes Kerner (German Embassy Bangkok), Mr. Tawatchai Sumranwanich (EGAT), Mr. Sarat Prakobchat (EPPO). The event also featured panel discussions joined by representatives from ERC, MEA, PEA and TPVA to elaborate on topics such as the potential for solar PV in Thailand, grid integration challenges, and innovative solutions for grid integration.

Participating German companies A.Eberle. GmbH & Co KG, Megger Germany GmbH, SMA Solar Technology AG and SolarNext AG showcased technology solutions.

The event was organised by GTCC in collaboration with the eclareon GmbH, as a further step to increase co-operation between Thai and German companies, and within the framework of the German Energy Solutions Initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). It was followed by a business-tobusiness matching on the following day.

GTCC Business Women Networking on “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”

The first GTCC Business Women Network event of 2023 took place on 14 March 2023 at the Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit. Speaker Khun Kulthirath Pakawachkrilers, CEO and Co-founder at Thailand e-Business Center (TeC) and President of the Thai E-commerce Association (THECA) and Master of Ceremony Khun Mookfee Nantanapramoth, CEO and Founder of Chris & M Co., Ltd. had a

fireside discussion on "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality" with about 50 businesswomen. GTCC thanks all participants, in particular Event Partner Bumrungrad International Hospital eclareon GmbH, Beverage Partner Serenity Wines Asia and Venue Partner Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit for their great support to the event.

Online supplier seminar of the 2nd BMWK/BME Purchasing Initiative Southeast Asia

GTCC in cooperation with the German Association of Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Logistics (BME) and the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Myanmar organised the online supplier seminar of the 2nd BMWK/BME Purchasing Initiative Southeast Asia supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) on 15 March 2023. Over 45 participants were welcomed and gained insights into German buyers' decision-making and the B2B buyer's journey.

GTCC visits Ruwac Asia Ltd.

About 20 GTCC members joined GTCC Exclusive Site Visit to Ruwac Asia Ltd. On 17 March 2023. Thanks to Mr. Jens Peter Huhn, Managing Director; Mr. Thongkaow Silapachai, Regional Service Manager; Mr. Jimmy Khoo, Regional Sales Manager and the team for the warm welcome and the opportunity to explore Ruwac Asia's production site.

RUWAC, established in Melle, Germany in 1976, is the leading producer of customized industrial vacuums as well as dust collectors. RUWAC vacuums have been built In Thailand since 2009 by highly trained Thai craftsmen with quality components – sourced and certified by RUWAC Germany. Every RUWAC solution is customised to exactly suit the customer's requirement and to ensure long lasting quality and performance.

Meeting with Member of the German Bundestag and European Policy Spokesperson of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group

GTCC members including GTCC President and Executive Director had a lunch meeting on 21 March 2023 with Mr. Gunther Krichbaum, Member of the German Bundestag and European Policy Spokesperson of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag, together with Dr. Carsten Buchholz, Head of Mr. Krichbaum's Office

and Dr. Céline-Agathe Caro, Director of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. Thailand. They exchange perspectives on economic developments in Thailand and Southeast Asia and a Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Thailand.

GTCC HR Briefing & Networking

About 40 HR professionals gathered at GTCC HR Briefing & Networking with a focus on "2023 Best Practices in C&B, ER, L&D and TA", organised on 23 March 2023 at Le Meridien Bangkok.

Thanks to our speakers Khun Ploytabtim Yeetho, Country HR Lead Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia at Bayer Thailand; Khun Pachamon Panyosuk, Head of Human Resources Thailand and HR Business Partner Automotive Aftermarket, Southeast Asia at Schaeffler Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd.; Khun Suppawan Rattanapirom, Head of Business Services, Thailand & Vietnam at BASF (Thai) Limited; Khun Tikumporn Suewatanapong, Human Resources Lead at Robert Bosch Limited; and our moderator Mr. Tom Sorensen, Managing Director of Tom Sorensen Recruitment and NPAworldwide Co., Ltd. for sharing the insights into the topics.

GTCC Ordinary General Meeting 2023

The GTCC Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) 2023 was conducted on 30 March 2023 at Shangri-La Bangkok. We were honoured to welcome German Ambassador H.E. Georg Schmidt as our keynote speaker on "Thailand's way after the pandemic" .

The meeting was attended by 89 representatives of our German and Thai member companies from various industries. The elections of nine Board Members as well as the election of Vice President were conducted successfully.

GTCC congratulates the re-elected and newly elected Board Members. Mr. Michael Welser, Managing Director, Powertech 2004 Co., Ltd., who has been elected as GTCC President at the OGM 2022 for a two-year term, continues as the GTCC President for another year. Mr. Oliver Schnatz, Cluster General Manager, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit has been elected as GTCC Vice President.

The newly elected Directors of the GTCC Board for 2023/2024 are as follows:

• Mr. Alexander Donau, Regional Head Asia Pacific and Director of the Board, Leschaco (Thailand) Ltd.;

• Ms. Do Van Anh Thu (Anlee), General Manager Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Mekong Region, Lufthansa German Airlines;

• Mr. Marcus Grundke, Managing Director, Rieckermann (Thailand) Co., Ltd.;

• Mr. Tomasz Marian Mazur, CEO, Siemens Mobility Ltd.;

• Mr. Kanoksak Mokkamakkul, Executive Vice President,Bangkok Bank Public Co., Ltd.;

• Ms. Van Nguyen, General Manager , Hormann Thailand Co., Ltd.;

• Mr. Oliver Schnatz, Cluster General Manager, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit;

• Mr. Martin Schwenk, Managing Director MBC Region SEA 1 & CEO MBTh, Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) Ltd; and

• Mr. Michael Welser, Managing Director, Powertech 2004 Co., Ltd.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Volker Hellstern, who has resigned from the GTCC Board on 31 August 2022 and Mr. Roland Folger, who has resigned from the GTCC Board in December 2022; out-going Vice President Ms. Waranya Pratumtin, Sales and Marketing Manager, Thai Switchboard and Metal Work Co., Ltd.; and out-going Directors Mr. Andreas C. Richter, Managing Partner, Blumenthal Richter & Sumet Ltd. and Ms. Suwannee Singluedej, President & CEO at Siemens Ltd. Thailand for their strong commitment and consistent contribution.