The British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) hosted the year’s first networking evening for the BCCT last Friday, inviting the American Chamber (AmCham), the Australian Chamber (AustCham) and the South African Chamber (SATCC). They were also joined by the members of the Automotive Focus Group (AFG).
The venue was the Amari Orchid Pattaya and the networking was to be held in the Amari’s gardens. At 4 that afternoon, the heavens opened and it looked as if the finger food from Chef Leonard Faust’s kitchen would be soggy sandwiches. Silent prayers were forthcoming and by magic the torrential downpour was over by 5 p.m. and the set-up in the garden could continue.
(L to R) Tony Malhotra, Deputy Managing Director, Pattaya Mail Media Group; Dr. Iain Corness; Dueanpen Thongsombat, Assistant Director of Sales; and Brendan Daly, GM of Amari Orchid Pattaya.
The sponsors for the event were Town & Country Property (Kees Cuijpers), MBMG Group (Graham MacDonald), Asian Tigers Mobility Thailand and the Amari Orchid itself being the venue sponsor.
The now traditional ‘Doc and Jock’ show for Pattaya Mail TV interviewed the new GM for the Amari, Brendan Daly, a very tall Sydney-sider from Australia. Brendan has been in Thailand for six years and describes his professional life as having started in Chiang Mai, then to Bangkok and now being pushed out to sea. Has the Amari management designs on a cruise liner, one wonders? Brendan, despite only being in the top job for two weeks, moved confidently around the networkers as if he had been there for years.
Mark Bateman, Executive Business Manager of PRTR Recruitment and Outsourcing (Eastern Seaboard) Co., Ltd. and Mike Griffis, GM (Director) of Harrington Industries (Thailand) Ltd.
One GM who had been there for three years was David Cumming, the immediate past GM, who is enjoying his new posting to the Onyx Group, which has hotels being built everywhere, including one in Pattaya.
The MBMG organization was there in force, with Simon Philbrook looking around the gardens to see if he could erect some cricket practice nets there, whilst his ‘boss’ Graham MacDonald (now MBE) has forsaken the BCCT to take over the reins of the Seth Efrikken Chamber! At least he will get some half-decent wines to sample, according to South African wine promoter Allan Riddell.
Other BCCT people of note included Simon Matthews, the vice-chair of the BCCT, Joe Barker-Bennett, the chairman of the Eastern Seaboard division, a man who has many ideas on the directions that Thailand should be heading, and Chris Thatcher being his normal happy self.
(L to R) Graham Macdonald MBE, Former Chairman and Honorary BCCT Member, Managing Director of MBMG Group; Andrew and Linda Reay, and Simon Philbrook, Client Advisor from MBMG Group.
Kevin Fisher and Andy Hall (CEA and CES) were chatting to the ‘dog man’ Joe Cox, running the Defense International Security Services, whilst the vivacious CES girl Manipa charmed everyone with her smile.
Paul Wilkinson, the Eastern Seaboard GM for JVK International Movers was making many contacts, whilst Scott Finsten, the Harbor Master at Ocean Marina was very pleased to report that he had more yachts than ever tying up at his marina.
The AFG did arrive en masse with Uli Kaiser, Frank Holzer, George Strampp, Mike Diamente, Richard Jackson, Armin Walter and the resident tooth fairy Stuart Saunders never seen without liquid refreshment.
(L to R) John L. Pollard, Managing Director of Meinhardt (Thailand) Ltd. and Stephen Frost, Director of Bangkok International Associates.
The Women With a Mission were represented by Rosanne Diamente, who was waiting for a new email address after hers had been hacked, with the perpetrator sending out begging letters.
Amongst the new faces were Kevin Watkins, the GM of Piper Plastics, who had moved their (flooded) factory from Ayutthya to the ESIE and Niclas Andersson of Future State Asia promising solutions and that he will “get you there.” (I must have a word to him about this dream I have incorporating Angelina Jolie.)
It was an excellent networking evening and newcomers John Wiggins (Mobility Equipment) and Stuart McKenzie (Sales and Engineering) made many valuable contacts, as does anyone who attends these chamber networking evenings.
Mark Butters, Director, RSM Advisory Thailand Ltd. and Peter Malhotra, MD of Pattaya Mail Media Group.
(L to R) David De Vos, Sales Manager, Transpo International Ltd.; Lyndsey Rowe, Senior Client Advisor of MBMG Group; Smith Sriporamanout, International Relocation Sales Executive, Transpo International Ltd.; and Vincent Pourre, Corporate Account Manager, Efficient English Services Ltd.
(L to R) Rosanne Diamente, Armin Walter, Production Manager, EFTEC (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Ken Hinckley.
(L to R) Simon Matthews, Country Manager Thailand, Manpower Group; Michael Parham, Business Development Manager, CEA; Chris Thatcher, Director, British Chamber of Commerce Thailand; and Vincent Pourre, Corporate Account Manager, Efficient English Services Ltd.
Joe Cox, Managing Director of Defence International Security Services and Graham Macdonald MBE, Former Chairman and Honorary Member of BCCT, Managing Director of MBMG Group.
(L to R) Cees KC Cuijpers, managing partner of Town & Country Property Co., Ltd.; Joe Barker-Bennett, Chairman of Eastern Seaboard BCCT Group and Managing Director of JMBB Consulting Co. Ltd.; Graham Macdonald MBE, Former Chairman and Honorary BCCT Member, Managing Director of MBMG Group; Brendan Daly, GM of Amari Orchid Pattaya; Simon Landy, Executive Chairman of Colliers International; Simon Matthews, Country Manager Thailand, Manpower Group; and David De Vos, Sales Manager, Transpo International Ltd.
(L to R) Simon Matthews, Country Manager Thailand, Manpower Group; Mark Butters, Director, RSM Advisory Thailand Ltd. and Russell Winn, MD of AchieveGlobal Thailand.
(L to R) Joe Barker-Bennett, Chairman of Eastern Seaboard BCCT Group and Managing Director of JMBB Consulting Co. Ltd.; Ken Brookes, Jerry Stewart, David Wilkinson, MD of Wood Group Heavy Industrial Turbines (Thailand) Ltd. and Joe Cox, Managing Director of Defence International Security Services.
(L to R) Stephen Frost, Director, Bangkok International Associates; John L. Pollard, Managing Director of Meinhardt (Thailand) Ltd.; and Joe Barker-Bennett, Chairman of Eastern Seaboard BCCT Group and Managing Director of JMBB Consulting Co. Ltd.
(L to R) Operation Director Chaiwat Sukmaitree, Managing Director Peera Thaweechart, Boonyiem Sukhuen, Project Manager Samran Tapsay, and General Manager Premchai Boontam, all from Albatross Logistics Co., Ltd.
(L to R) Graham Macdonald MBE, Former Chairman and Honorary BCCT Member, Managing Director of MBMG Group; Bert Elson, David Cumming, Vice President Operational Development of ONYX, and Derek Brook, chairman of the Royal British Legion Chonburi Thailand Branch.
(L to R) Sam Jones, Earl Brown, Eastern Seaboard Manager, The Sutlet Group; Joe Barker-Bennett, Chairman of Eastern Seaboard BCCT Group and Managing Director of JMBB Consulting Co. Ltd.; Brendan Richards and Kevin Fisher, Managing Director, CEA.
A fine spread of food and beverages was put on by Amari Orchid Pattaya.
