President’s Memo

LUCA CICO

President of The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Macao

Dear Members and Friends,

In just four months we will reach the end of 2020, one of the most challenging years that almost we all have ever faced: we are getting ready for the coming year with hope, while facing and fighting hard the compelling challenges of safely navigating through the perfect storm made up by the China-US Trade tensions, the social unrest and, last but definitively not least, the COVID-19 pandemic.

The journey to recovery continues, with Hong Kong’s great efforts in controlling the Covid -19 spread paying off thanks to its population discipline in following the instructions and regulations swiftly enacted by the authorities.

These uncertain and fluid circumstances have impacted hard on almost all the sectors, forcing all the players to embark on a business transformation journey by redesigning and adapting to their Customers’ and Consumers’ new behaviors and needs.

Also we, as the Chamber, in the last months we look deep on how to redesign our business model and services, to strengthen the new skills we need to fullfill our mission – to support our Members in strengthening and developing their presence in Hong Kong and in the GBA, to promote the Made in Italy and the Made by Italians, and our culture.

One of the major highlights we are proud to announce is creation of our fourth Chamber committee, the Industrial Committee. Given the several Italian excellences and their respected position in several industrial sectors, we do believe it is fundamental to have this committee, a platform to discuss challenges, to share and to hopefully work together on opportunities with their industry peers, on both side of the border. We do thanks all the current Industrial Committee members who made it happen, and we invite all the interested people to not only enquire about it, but to join!

In this magazine edition, we will dive into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its evolution. The focus has shifted to efforts that support a return to work, addressing the changes needed to face the months ahead. We have met companies’ representatives that have implemented successful strategies, to help their clients, fill new needs, and thrive amid uncertainty.

September also represents a moment of pride as we hosted one of our signature projects: “TRUE ITALIAN TASTE”, a national campaign aimed at consolidating the knowledge of authentic Italian products in Hong Kong and Macao, with a particular focus on PDO-PGI products. During this month we organized three different events: two dedicated to the Authentic Italian Table series, including two educational and enogastronomic virtual tours of the Piedmont and Sicily regions. The third event, an online masterclass, was entirely dedicated to one of the Italian excellencies, the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, where a master olive oil sommelier explained and showed to the audience how to recognize the product authenticity and its healthy properties.

Our heartful wishes for a smoother ride in the coming months to all our Members, Sponsors and Partners within the local, Italian and global communities, with our admiration for the tenacity, strength and commitment you and your teams have shown during this unprecedented crisis.

Confident we all will be ready to face the future stronger than before.