Photo of the week: Richard Rome (KPMG Phoomchai Audi Ltd.) and Amornsri
Mingkhwanrungrueng (Assistant Manager KPMG Phoomchai Audi Ltd.) with Paul
Stinson (Executive Advisor Amata Corporation PCL).
Dr Iain Corness
The Holiday Inn’s Caf้ G was the venue for a combined
networking evening of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) and
the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), with the numbers also being
swelled by the joining of the Automotive Focus Group (AFG) after their
seminar at the Holiday Inn.
All of the chambers have been looking at ways to reduce
the costs involved in the networking evenings, generally by having multiple
sponsors, but in this case it was just David Nardone’s Hemaraj Land and
Development, with the two chambers sharing the costs.
Two kind hearted ladies meet,
Tracy Cosgrove (Melissa Cosgrove Children’s Foundation) and Judy A. Benn
(Executive Director The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand).
Of course, trans-Atlantic exploits are the things of
which legends are made, such as the first attempt to fly across the Atlantic
Ocean, where on October 15 1910, the airship America, with a crew of six
(including one Brit from Devon) - and a cat - left Atlantic City and headed
out to sea. They did not quite make it to the UK but landed on a friendly
ship that carried them back to the US. They are remembered, heroes all,
including the cat called ‘Kiddo’.
With members from two chambers and the AFG, numbers were
significantly greater than we have seen recently, and the wine supplies
diminished rapidly, but I was told that Hemaraj chipped in for more. The
white, from the Australian Woolshed label was quite drinkable, though I
heard mutterings about the red which came in a box called “Kiss my
Kangaroo”. The name should have been enough of a warning!
The two executive directors, Judy Benn (AmCham) and Greg
Watkins (BCCT), were smiling benignly with the joint roll-call of their
office bearers and members. There was no doubting that this event was a
success and expanded the networking concept into the different groups.
How’s the wine? Graham
Macdonald (Chairman BCCT) with Gregory Pitt (MD Mackenzie Smith).
David Nardone, the President and CEO of Hemaraj was very
buoyant in an interview with PMTV saying the concept of ‘clustering’
had worked very well in the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate, with major
manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers together. The expansion in the estate has
been continuing and shows the strength of the Eastern Seaboard in the
industrial arena. The fact that David Nardone was seen in deep conversation
with George Andraos from FordLand in Dearborn (FoMoCo head office) was no
surprise.
Another motor industry executive present was Keith
Hodgson (Thairung) seen chatting with James Beeson, the president of the
AFG.
A number of new (old) faces were enjoying the networking
with Keith Miller illuminating the place with tales of his LED’s and John
MacVicar (Greenline Energy) expounding on being green, though Marika Higuchi
from Life Partners was asking where were the Japanese. It was suggested that
she try up the road in Sriracha!
The October BCCT networking evening will be on October
28, and notice of the event and the venue will be published in the
Pattaya Mail and in the BCCT website
www.bccthailand.com.
John Mac Vicar (MD Green Line
Energy Thailand), Keith Miller (Starfire LEDS) with the charming Rutchadawan
Chunnoy.
The big guns (l-r) David
Nardone (President & CEO Hemaraj Land And Development PCL), Philip
Fletcher-Wilson (CEO Fletcher-Wilson Partners), Mariko Higuchi (Country
Director, Association of Life Partners Ltd.) and Gary Biesty (South Asia Law
Co., Ltd.).
A toast to success: (l-r)
Peera Thaweechart (MD Thaitan Logistics Co., Ltd.), Randy Simmons (Director
CHS-Asia Co., Ltd.), Ken Hinckley (Consultant CHS-Asia Co., Ltd.), Supansa
Supannawong (Executive Assistant Dana Spicer (Thailand) Ltd.) and Thananat
Chanbunditnant (Senior Program Manager Dana Spicer (Thailand) Ltd.).
Call me irresistible, Chutima
Thambun (Admin Assistant Pattaya Mail) is flanked by Dr. Alastair Acken and
Raymond O’Reilly. (Lecturer, Asian University).
A happy group of people (l-r)
Bruce Hoppe (VP of Asia Operations, Emerson Electric), Tracy Cosgrove
(Melissa Cosgrove Children’s Foundation), Peter Malhotra (MD Pattaya Mail
Media Group), Pui and Jim Phillips (US Embassy Warden), Judy Hoppe and
Herman Rowland (Jelly Belly).
Networking evenings are all
about business relations. (l-r) Ian Claffey (Oxondon Consulting), Araya
Somjit and Fred de Brouwer (Triskelion Trading Co.).
The snacks look yummy. (l-r)
Paul Wilkinson (AustCham), Roger Wilson (Sales & Marketing Manager GKN
Driveline) and David Wilkinson (MD Wood Group Heavy Industrial Turbines
(Thailand) Ltd.)
