It was the Australian Chamber of Commerce’s (AustCham) turn to organize the combined networking evening for AustCham, the British Chamber (BCCT) and the American Chamber (AmCham) and the venue chosen was the Pattaya Hilton. With Thitiporn (Bee) Boonsuk, Hilton’s director of sales popping up everywhere and the F&B guru Simon Bender also present, the event on the 17th floor went extremely smoothly. Well done Hilton! (And the valet parking is such a boon.)
The ‘star’ guest was HE James Wise, the Australian Ambassador, who had been visiting some of the Australian enterprises on the Eastern Seaboard, and had met up with Scott Finsten, the Aussie Harbormaster at Ocean Marina and Gold Coast boat builder Paul Birgan.
(L to R) Peter Scott (General Manager, Infocomm Thailand Coverage Ltd.), Mark Carroll (Executive Director, Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce), and Scott Finsten (Harbour Master, Ocean Marina Yacht Club).
The President of AustCham Leigh Scott-Kemmis welcomed everyone to the event, and was heartened by the good roll-up, despite another networking event having been organized by the Movers and Tremblers for that evening.
Being an Australian Chamber organized event, the wines were the eminently quaffable Broken Hills red and white, which seem to appeal to all tastes.
(L to R) Jeff Powers, Clive N. Butcher (Transearch), and Panther’s chairman Jim Howard.
Paul Wilkinson, the Eastern Seaboard GM for JVK International Movers was there chatting to Graham MacDonald (MBE) who has taken over the reins of the Seth Efrikken Chamber! Chris Thatcher was being his normal happy self and Simon Matthews, the vice-chair of the BCCT, celebrated his position with yet another shirt with indescribable patterns. Can the BCCT not buy him a nice plain pastel colored shirt?
(L to R) Clive N. Butcher (Transearch), Natchanan Dechaakhrawanit (Business Development Manager for Allied Pickfords Thailand), and Simon Matthews (Country Manager, Thailand, Manpower Group).
No function would be the same without Kevin Fisher’s CEA and CES organizations, represented by the lovely Manipa, while Rosanne Diamente represented her group Women With a Mission. One very interesting chap was Brad Dickinson from Bisley work wear (available through CES), with shirts that kill mosquitoes! With the current epidemic of the mosquito born Dengue Fever, this is something of real value.
Frank Holzer, Mike Diamente and Armin Walter from the Automotive Focus Group were present with Armin winning the lucky draw of a bottle of Australian wine. “But I only drink beer,” he said! Ah well, I am sure many friends would help him out there.
(L to R) R. Greg Wallis (Senior Trade Commissioner, Minister-Counsellor (Commercial) Australian Embassy), Jesse Bronson (Belzona).
New faces on the Eastern Seaboard included Jesse Bronson (Business development manager of Belzona) and Olly Cavallaro (GM of SEACOGS) involved with the Marine Industry.
With a quality venue like the Hilton, it would be difficult to imagine a networking evening there that was not successful. The next event will be hosted by AmCham and details will be printed in the Pattaya Mail.
(L to R) Jason Ellis (President Thailand for Ns BlueScope (Thailand) Limited), Jyoti Sachavirawong (Deputy Director, British Chamber of Commerce Thailand), and Tom Kerr.
(L to R) Tony Hanscomb (Creative Director, Amazone Falls Co., Ltd.), Les Nyerges (Managing Director, Capital TV Productions), and Prapaporn Sriprommunee (Trading Manager, Pattaya Brokerage Bartercard (Thailand) Ltd.).
(L to R) Rosanne Diamente (Women With a Mission), Paul Wilkins, H.E. James Wise, Australian Ambassador to Thailand, and Kylie Grimmer (Women With a Mission).
(L to R) Chris Thatcher, Vice Chairman of BCCT, and Graham Macdonald, Chairman of the South African Chamber of Commerce.
(L to R) Karnmanee Saengchan (Sales Manager for Amari Orchid Pattaya), Helmut Buchberger (Managing Director of ABC Development), and Pimteera Rattanakupt (Assistant Sales Manager for Amari Orchid Pattaya).
(L to R) Narawadee Thongboonchoo (Corporate Sales Manager for Cape Dara Resort), Dr. Dirk Janovsky (General Manager, Continental Automotive (Thailand) Co., Ltd.), and Sittidej Rochanavibhata (General Manager of Cape Dara Resort).
(L to R) Manita Boontham (Sales & Marketing Manager, Equipment & Tools for Professionals), Dr. Iain Corness, Phanwadee Dancthongdee (PD+M1 Supply Co, Ltd.), and Brad Dickinson (Territory Manager, South East Asia for Bisley Workwear).
