On behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Quinton
Quayle, British Ambassador to Thailand, appointed Rodney Bain, Managing
Director of Market - Edge Asia Ltd and the former Chairman of the British
Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT), an Officer of the Order of the British
Empire (OBE) for his tireless promotion of British business interests in
Thailand. Rodney was presented with his medal at the Ambassador’s Residence
on 24 August 2010.
Quinton Quayle (right), British Ambassador to Thailand,
appointed Rodney Bain (left) an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
for his tireless promotion of British business interests in Thailand.
The BCCT is the biggest and most active non-Asian chamber
in Thailand. The United Kingdom is also the biggest EU investor in Thailand
with investments totalling over £5bn. Working closely in partnership with
the British Embassy, the BCCT has been very effective in promoting and
protecting British trade and investment with Thailand.
Rodney served on the Board of the BCCT from 2001-2010. He
took over as Vice-Chairman in 2006, was elected Chairman in 2007 and
subsequently re-elected in 2008 and 2009. Under Rodney’s stewardship, the
BCCT membership increased dramatically to its present level of over 650. As
a director of Market Edge, Rodney is well attuned to the needs of SMEs and
has helped recruit a large number of small companies to the Chamber. It is a
great testimony to Rodney’s efforts that the BCCT is also seen by many
non-British companies as the most effective Chamber in Thailand.
Rodney
Bain (left) proudly shows his family his new OBE.
Through his strong personal relationship with the British
Embassy, Rodney has supported a number of initiatives to enhance the
interface between the UK Government and British companies in Thailand. These
include market briefings in the UK, breakfast briefings by the British
Ambassador at his residence every couple of months for BCCT members and more
restricted political briefings by the British Ambassador over lunch for key
clients.
At the presentation of the OBE, Quinton Quayle said, “The
award of an OBE to Rodney Bain is richly deserved. I am sure I speak for all
members of the BCCT in warmly congratulating you on this honour for your
sterling work in promoting British commercial interests in Thailand.”
(Left to
right) Michael Goh and Joachim Grill from the Royal Cliff Beach Resort; Chirdsak
Vitooraporn, TEMCA President; Suji Korprasertsak, Secretary General; Pakdee
Suttawuttiwong, Relationship Management Committee member, and Pongpan Chaiyakam
- Special Activities Committee member.
The Thai Electrical & Mechanical Contractors Association (TEMCA)
held their 26th annual seminar and exhibition at the Pattaya Exhibition And
Convention Hall - PEACH earlier this month.
Almost 100 exhibitors from around the Thailand region
assembled at Pattaya’s biggest convention center to showcase their electrical
and mechanical products with other leading organizations within the industry,
resulting in over 1,000 delegates in attendance.
VIP’s included the Deputy Trade Representative from the Prime
Minister’s office, the Deputy of the Ministry of Industry and TEMCA executives,
all of whom gathered to conduct seminars throughout the event.
One of Thailand’s top girl bands, G20, also attended the
function to perform a special concert during this successful
business-to-business meeting.
