Orient - The Official Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore - Issue 72 June 2019
As we approach the summer period and look back, the Chamber has had a busy start to the year, launching our new Future of Trade theme, hosting the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat, delivering major events such as International Women’s Day, planning some fantastic activities for the second half of the year and working alongside the British High Commission on their SG-UK Partnership for the Future in recognition of this Bicentennial year. While politics in the UK continue to throw plenty of curve balls for the future, the growth of our region looks far more certain and this is a key year of opportunity.
Recently we hosted a special evening to say thank you and farewell to His Excellency Scott Wightman, the British High Commissioner to Singapore. Scott has been a key supporter of the Chamber during his four years in Singapore and has shared his own thoughts on his time in-post in our article on page 34. The Chamber thanks Scott for his work to strengthen the position between the UK-Singapore and the UK-South East Asia and personally I wish to thank him and his wife Anne for their friendship. We wish Scott all the best for his new appointment with the Scottish Government and settling into life in Edinburgh.
Kara Owen will soon take on the role of High Commissioner and we encourage you to sign up to the Back to Work Summer Social event on 22nd August where you will have an opportunity to meet her as we welcome her to the British community in Singapore. Kara is due to meet the Chamber team in her first week in Singapore as a key stop at the beginning of her appointment.
I would like to welcome our new Board members Shivkumar Seerapu, James Hennah and Michael Shearer who were elected in April’s Annual General Meeting, and look forward to working with them and our returning Board members to drive the Chamber strategy on your behalf in the year ahead. The Board continue to set the direction of the Chamber, strengthening relationships with Singapore Inc, promoting ASEAN with Singapore’s connectivity and setting ourselves apart as the partner of choice for businesses and other trade associations.
We have recently launched sales for our upcoming World Cup Rugby Dinner which takes place on 12th September and becomes the third Gala Dinner for this year alongside the 20th Anniversary of the Annual Business Awards on 3rd October, and the Great British Ball on 7th December. Tables and individual tickets will be available for each of these events on our website and we encourage you to bring colleagues and friends to join us.
I wish you all a relaxing summer and look forward to seeing many of you at the Back to Work Summer Social in August.