CHAMBER ACTIVITIES

Visit of DIHK CEO Dr. Wansleben and business delegation from Germany

Dr. Martin Wansleben, CEO of German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), and the business delegation from Germany had various meetings with GTCC member companies and high-level officials in Thailand during their visit to Thailand from 18-19 January 2024 as follows.

• 18 JANUARY: VISITING GTCC OFFICE, MERCEDES-BENZ, COVESTRO AND MERCEDES-BENZ TRAINING CENTER

On the first day, GTCC had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Wansleben and the delegation at our office. Our Executive Director Dr. Roland Wein provided a briefing on GTCC’s members and key activities, while Counsellor Economic and Commercial Affairs of the German Embassy Bangkok Mr. Johannes Kerner and Director Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos of Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) Mr. Thomas Hundt gave a comprehensive overview of Thailand's political landscape, economic development and German businesses in Thailand.

They further visited Mercedes-Benz Thailand and were welcomed by Managing Director & CEO Mr. Martin Schwenk, with an overview of Mercedes-Benz’s operation and success stories in Thailand. Mercedes-Benz is one of GTCC members and the German-Thai Dual Excellence Education (GTDEE)’s partner companies.

Upon their visit to Covestro (Thailand), they had a meeting with the company’s Managing Director and Site Manager Map Ta Phut Dr. Timo Slawinski and learned about the progress of Covestro’s business in Thailand as a German supplier of premium polymers.

After joining GTCC Business Luncheon “Thailand Economic Outlook 2024” (read more details on the next page), they visited Mercedes-Benz Training Center. Welcomed by MB General Manager National Training Thailand & SEA 1 Mr. Chatchai Jariyaungsanakul, and GTDEE Senior Manager Dr. Kamonsak Suradom, they were introduced to the GTDEE operated by GTCC and witnessed the PAL examination onsite. In the evening, they joined a reception hosted by German ambassador to Thailand, Dr. Ernst Reichel.

• 19 JANUARY: MEETING WITH B.GRIMM, EECO, AMBASSADOR OF EU IN THAILAND AND SIEMENS

On the second day, Dr. Wansleben and the business delegation from Germany visited B.Grimm, meeting with Dr. Harald Link, Chairman of B.Grimm. B.Grimm, the oldest infrastructure and healthcare company in Thailand, has developed into a multi-business corporation active in the fields of energy, industrial, healthcare, lifestyle, transport and real estate, after doing business in Thailand for more than 145 years.

They extended their visit to the Eastern Economic Corridor Office, meeting Assistant to Secretary General, Dr. Cholachit Vorawangso Virakul and Assistant to Secretary General, Dr. Nusara Satproedprai, Deputy Director Medical and Health Industries Division. The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) lies at the heart of Thailand’s 4.0 development strategy, aimed at restructuring and revitalizing the Thai economy.

This visit has been followed by a luncheon meeting with H.E. David Daly, Ambassador of the European Union to Thailand, and Mr. Petros Sourmelis – Head of Economic and Trade Section, European Union Delegation to Thailand.

They also visited Siemens Thailand Engineering, welcomed by CEO Mr. Tomasz Mazur and Director Lead Competence Excellence (LCE) Mr. Marco Maurer, who presented them an overview of LCE and engineering hub for signaling and electrification.

GTCC Business Luncheon: Thailand Economic Outlook 2024

GTCC welcomed about 110 participants including guests of honor German Ambassador H.E. Dr. Ernst Reichel and the members of a business delegation from Germany at GTCC Business organized on 18 January 2024 at The Sukhothai Bangkok.

GTCC President Mr. Michael Welser gave his welcome remarks and expressed his sincere gratitude on behalf of the GTCC to keynote speaker, Dr. Martin Wansleben, CEO of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) for sharing his valuable insights on “Germany's economic landscape and business ties with ASEAN and Asia-Pacific”.

Dr. Wansleben’s keynote was followed by a very informative discussion on “Industry insights, sustainability, competitiveness and challenges ahead” and live survey results by the following panelists from GTCC member companies.

• Mr. Alexander Donau - Regional Head Asia Pacific at Leschaco Service Ltd.

• Mr. Bjoern Bodenstein - Managing Director of Siemens Healthineers

• Mr. Jan Wittenstein - Director Sales & BD Automotive Technologies, SEA at Schaeffler Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

• Ms. Van Cam Nguyen – General Manager of Hormann (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

• Ms. Waranya Pratumtin - Director of International Sales at Thai Switchboard and Metal Work Co., Ltd.

The discussion was moderated by Mr. Krisana Thiengtham, Deputy Managing Director, Thai Nakorn R.O.P.

Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany visited Thailand

On the occasion of the visit of the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany H.E. Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Thailand, H.E. Dr. Ernst Reichel, German Ambassador to Thailand, hosted a reception on 25 January 2024. Many guests of honor among them, GTCC President, GTCC Board members, GTCC members and GTCC Executive Director joined the reception which was organised at MOCA Museum of Contemporary Art.

Before the reception, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand organised a discussion for representatives of Thai companies and the German business sector with the participation of our Executive Director. The event took place at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.

AHK Regional Meeting APAC

AHK Regional Meeting Asia-Pacific 2024 was organised by GTCC during 31 January – 1 February 2024 at the Anantara Siam, started with welcome remarks by Dr. Volker Treier, Chief Executive of Foreign Trade at DIHK and Member of the Executive Board.

Executive Directors/ Chief Representatives of German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHKs) in the Asia-Pacific region as well as key DIHK representatives discussed current topics in the region including political initiatives, diversification, trade, FTAs and further collaboration.

GTCC New Members Meet-up

• FIRST MEET-UP

GTCC proudly hosted the first New Members Meet-Up of 2024 on 30 January 2024, welcoming representatives from our new member companies including BSI Insurance Broker, Draeger Medical (Thailand) Limited, Lebua Hotels & Resorts, LODEC Metal Trade, Mueba Somboon Automotive Co., Ltd., Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, SAP Systems, Siemens Limited, and Wuerth Industry Service (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

• SECOND MEET-UP

On 26 March 2024 GTCC hosted again our “New Members Meet-Up” with the participation of representatives from new member companies such as JP contagi GmbH, Siam Fuji Industries Co., Ltd., Chulalongkorn University, DSI Laser Service (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Fuchs Lubricants (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Notion (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Herrenknecht (Asia) Ltd., Phoenix Contact (Thailand) Co.,Ltd., Combi Lift Projekt GmbH & Co. KG, and Siam Fuji Industries Co., Ltd.

GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing with L&P

2024 has brought substantial changes to Thai tax legislation and we were pleased to organise this year’s first GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing with Lorenz & Partners (L&P) on 8 February 2024 providing “Update on Personal and Corporate Income Taxation – and strategies to minimise their impact” Thanks Mr. Till Morstadt, Managing Partner at L& P, for giving the useful insights and advice at the event.

GTCC AFTERWORK Networking February

Following the Briefing, GTCC delightfully welcomed more than 100 guests at the networking session. GTCC President Mr. Michael Welser opened the first networking event of 2024 and thanked Venue Partner Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok for arranging the wonderful location and F&B, and for supporting the decent lucky draw prizes and all the guests for joining the event. He also expressed his sincere gratitude to GTCC Premium and Annual partners of 2024 for the continued support.

GTCC Executive Director’s mission in Germany during 19-22 February 2024

• MEETING IN BERLIN WITH AMBASSADOR OF THAILAND TO GERMANY

GTCC Executive Director Dr. Roland Wein had a meeting on 19 February 2024 with Ambassador of Thailand to Germany H.E. Nadhavathna Krishnamra at the Royal Thai Embassy in Berlin. They discussed several important topics including the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK), which will take place in New Delhi during 24-26 October 2024.

• ASIA FORUM IN BREMEN ON “DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRIC MOBILITY”

On 23 February 2024, GTCC Executive Director joined the Asia Forum titled “Development of Electric Mobility - Example of China and Thailand" as Keynote Speaker, providing insightful information and perspectives on Thailand’s economic development with a focus on its industrial and production landscape. His keynote speech was followed by informative presentations from Professor Hans-Ulrich Sachs, former board member of the Volkswagen Group, and Mr. Krisda Utamote - President of the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT).

The event was honored by the presence of distinguished guests including H.E. Parnpree Bahidda-Nukara, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand. and H.E. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Thai Ambassador to Germany, H.E. Nadhavathna Krishnamra, and the German Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Dr. Ernst Reichel.

The Forum was organised by the German Asia Pacific Business Association (OAV), Hochschule Bremen (HSB), IHK for Bremen and Bremerhaven, and Ostasiatischer Verein Bremen e.V. in Bremen.

GTCC Young Professionals Network Evening “Back to the Future”

A dynamic GTCC Young Professionals Network Evening on 29 February 2024 welcomes about 90 people with trailblazers “GTCCYP of 2024” sharing insights and making meaningful connections in the “Back to the future” ambiance of Siam@Siam Bangkok. The participants also enjoyed variety of beers supported by Bavarian Craft among other beverages. GTCC would like to thank all guests, Venue Partner Siam@Siam Bangkok and Beverage Partner Bavarian Craft for joining the first GTCC Young Professionals event of 2024.

GTCC Meets the German Ambassador

One hundred twenty-one GTCC members joined “GTCC Meets the German Ambassador” event which was hosted by H.E. Ambassador Dr. Ernst Reichel at his residence on 5 March 2024.

Following the opening remarks by GTCC President Mr. Michael Welser, German Ambassador Dr. Reichel shared his insights as a diplomat in different postings in Europe, the US and Thailand, during his talk with Khun Saksith Saiyasombut, Thailand Correspondent for CNA.

The event facilitated meaningful exchanges among the Ambassador and GTCC members further enhancing the strong cooperation between the German Embassy and the GTCC.

GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing with Luther

At GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing with Luther on 14 March 2024, “ESG in Thailand” was discussed by Mr. Fabian Lorenz (Partner), Ms. Arunrat Rattanaarun (Attorney-at-Law & Senior Associate), and Mr. Lukas Baumgärtner (Attorney-at-Law (Germany)/ Rechtsanwalt Associate). They provided an overview of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) regulations relevant for businesses in Thailand, while also gave practical advice on how organisations can begin or continue their journey toward ESG compliance and implement efficient and meaningful ESG standards within their business operations in Thailand.

GTCC AFTERWORK Networking March

Following the GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing with Luther, the second #GTCCAFTERWORK of 2024 took place and continued strengthening the German-Thai business community with the participation of 100 guests including GTCC members, partners and friends.

Thank you very much to our Event Partner: Luther for the generous support to GTCC AFTERWORK today and to our Venue Partner Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok for supporting us with this wonderful setting and F&B arrangements.

GTCC Executive Director’s mission in Germany during 11-15 March 2024

• VDMA FORUM IN FRANKFURT AM MAIN

In Frankfurt am Main, on 11 March 2024, GTCC Executive Director discussed “The future of European mechanical engineering in the ASEAN countries: Trends, strategies and prospects” along with Executive Directors / representatives from the German Chambers of Commerce (AHKs) in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam at the meeting organised by VDMA. He provided his perspectives and insights into Thailand's business and industry landscape, potential and challenges. The VDMA is the largest network organisation and an important voice for the machinery and equipment manufacturing industry in Germany and Europe.

• “ZUKUNFTSTAG MITTELSTAND 2024” IN BERLIN WITH PM THAILAND

On 13 March 2024, GTCC Executive Director joined “Zukunftstag Mittelstand 2024” at Station Berlin, attending the transformation stage in which Thailand’s Prime Minister H.E. Srettha Thavisin was one of the keynote speakers. PM Srettha emphasised that Thailand is open for cooperation with German businesses. He introduced "Ignite Thailand" vision making Thailand a regional hub in 8 future industry sectors.

“Zukunftstag Mittelstand 2024” is a platform for decision makers from the worlds of business and politics to discuss crucial topics for the future of German SMEs. Participants include high-profile representatives of the German federal government and from the business sector.

• “LÄNDERAUSSCHUSS THAILAND 2024” & “TALENT POOL ASIA” IN HAMBURG

GTCC Executive Director participated in a meeting “Länderausschuss Thailand 2024” on 14 March 2024 together with German Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Ernst Reichel. He provided an overview of “Thailand's economic development and situation of German companies in Thailand”. The meeting was organised by OAV (German Asia-Pacific Business Association) at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce.

He also attended a conference on “Talent Pool Asia – Building Bridges to Overcome Skills Shortages in 2024” organised by OAV at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. The event aimed to expand the dialogue between Asian and German business leaders with a focus on strategies for effectively using work models to manage Human Resources, thus tackling skills shortages.

• MEETING AND RECEPTION OF OAV BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ADVISORY BOARD

GTCC Executive Director joined the meeting and the reception of the OAV Board of Directors and Advisory Board as part of the 101. Ostasiatischen Liebesmahls. The event took place on 15 March 2024 at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and the Hamburger Rathaus, respectively.

Thai-German Conference on “Energy Storage Solutions including Hydrogen”

GTCC in cooperation with the eclareon GmbH organised the Thai-German Conference on “Energy Storage Solutions including Hydrogen” at the Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park Hotel on 19 March 2024, with an objective to discuss state-of-the-art technology solutions in the field of energy storage, including hydrogen.

Opening remarks were delivered by Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the German Embassy Bangkok Mr. Johannes Kerner, and GTCC Executive Director Dr. Roland Wein. During the event, we were honored to have Mr. Sarat Prakobchat, Deputy Director-General of the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO), Ministry of Energy of Thailand as a keynote speaker and the participation of leading German experts in the field of energy storage and hydrogen.

Representatives from prominent German companies including ARCA Regler GmbH, BAE Batterien GmbH, CONCEPT GREEN Engineering GmbH & Co.KG, Enstoretech GmbH, H2 Core Systems GmbH, and SFC Energy AG, showcased their advanced technology and innovative solutions. There was also a panel discussion featuring Thai experts from both the private and government sectors including Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), Office of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Hydrogen Thailand Club, Thailand Energy Storage Technology Association (TESTA) and Energy Absolute (EA).

The event was organised to strengthen the business relations 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).

Workshop on “Energy Storage Technologies including Hydrogen”

The current state of energy storage and hydrogen technologies in Germany and possible applications in Thailand were discussed at a workshop on “Energy Storage Technologies including Hydrogen” organised on 19 March 2024 by the Climate Department of the German Embassy Bangkok at German Ambassador H.E. Ernst Reichel's residence.

GTCC Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director participated in the workshop which was led by presentations of experts from Germany: Mr. Urban Windelen, Executive Director of BVES – German Energy Storage Systems Association, and Mr. Werner Diwald, CEO of the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (DWV).

GTCC Business Women Networking “Invest in women”

On 20 March 2024, about 50 female leaders and professionals gathered at "GTCC Business Women Network" event, connecting and addressing "Invest in women: Accelerate progress" to enhance women's rights and share practices to support women. We thank all of the participants for making this event a success, especially our speaker Khun Pahrada (Mameaw) Sapprasert, Partner at 500 Global Thailand; our special guest Khun Usa Lerdsrisuntad, Executive Director of Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women (APSW); our moderator Khun Cristy Aphimmonthol, Managing Director at Coachology; Beverage Partner Serenity Wines Asia; and Venue Partner Intercontinental Bangkok Sukhumvit.

Research day “The Societal Welfare Gains of Stainless Steel Recycling in Thailand”

The research day entitled “The Societal Welfare Gains of Stainless Steel Recycling in Thailand” was hosted on 27 March 2024 at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit by Oryx Stainless, this event was co-organised by GTCC with the support of the German Embassy Bangkok. The event also welcomed online guests via Zoom.

It is a joint project between Thai and German scientists for the benefit of excellence in stainless steel circular economy research. It aims to showcase the collaborative research efforts between Thais and Germans with a focus on Circular Economy, Decarbonisation, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Emission Trading Systems, and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

At the event, Mr. Sirichai Tempoomsuk and Mr. Johan Van Loggenberg, Managing Directors of Oryx Stainless Thailand, delivered welcoming addresses, while Mr. Hans-Ulrich Südbeck, the Chargé d’affaires of the German Embassy Bangkok, provided the opening remarks; and Mr. Roland Mauss, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Oryx Stainless Group, delivered the closing remarks.

The insightful presentations and discussions on stainless steel recycling were given by representatives from Oryx Stainless (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Oryx Stainless Group, the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, the Eastern Economic Corridor, the Fraunhofer Institute, Fraunhofer IMW, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), NSTDA, and ErnstAbbe-Hochschule Jena.

GTCC Ordinary General Meeting 2024

GTCC Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) 2024 was conducted on 28 March 2024 at Anantara Siam Bangkok. The meeting was attended by 91 representatives of our German and Thai member companies from various industries. Mr. Hans-Ulrich Südbeck, Chargé d'affaires of the German Embassy in Bangkok, also joined our event as a guest of honor. The election of five Board Members as well as the election of the President were conducted successfully using the Election Runner tool.

GTCC congratulates the newly elected Board Members as well as Mr. Alexander Donau, Regional Head Asia Pacific and Director of the Board, Leschaco (Thailand) Ltd. on his election as GTCC President for a two-year term.

The newly elected Directors of the GTCC Board for 2024/2025 are listed in alphabetic order of the member companies as follows:

• Mr. Enrico Sielaff, Managing Director of gerenga Service (Thailand) Co., Ltd;

• Mr. Martin Liebenow, Tax Director/Head of German Desk of Mazars (Thailand) Ltd;

• Mr. Matthias Hoffrichter, Managing Director of Ruwac Asia Limited;

• Mr. Jan Wittenstein, Head of BD Engine & Transmission Systems, E-Mobility and Chassis Southeast-Asia of Schaeffler Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd; and

• Mr. Krisna Thiengtham, Deputy Managing Director of Thai Nakon R.O.P.

We wish to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to outgoing President Mr. Michael Welser, Managing Director, Powertech 2004 Co., Ltd., for his strong commitment and great contribution to GTCC. Our thanks also go to outgoing Director of the Board, Mr. Steve Loo, Managing Director, Siemens Energy Ltd., for his support to GTCC.