“Dear AustCham Members,
Here we are in July, six months into the year and for me personally six months into living in Thailand and joining AustCham as Ex-Officio Director! Although the time has flown by, a lot has happened and I’ve been impressed with the breadth of chamber activities and engagement of members.
This month continues to offer a number of activities to get involved including Sundowners on 3 July 2024 at Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit. The members briefing is education focused which I know a number of you are passionate about. Nurture Higher Education and La Trobe University will share about innovative education program design and preparing students for successful careers and then we’ll hear from Christine Mawal, People Culture & Program Leader and Joana Button, Vice President AustCham and Director of NextGen on the value of mentoring and being a mentor. As a passionate mentor and someone on the hunt for a reverse mentor (a young person that will share a different perspective!) I’m really looking forward to this one.
We will also hear briefly from Peter Baines, founder of Hands Across the Water on his plans in the lead up to the 20 year anniversary of the 2004 tsunami and how we can support the charity’s ongoing commitment to those children and communities who were impacted.
Related to our community engagement, Yvonne Foo and I are so pleased to have joined the CSR sub-committee. We would welcome new members to this subcommittee so if you are passionate about giving back to the community please email [email protected].
Our regional membership and engagement continues to be strong and I am looking forward to the activities on 19 July where you can visit NS Bluescope Rayong and then hear about their inclusive workplace at a members briefing and join the Joint Chambers ESB Sundowners at the gorgeous Pullman Pataya.
In my day job we are excited to have launched the first Southeast Asia Business Exchange mission to Thailand which will be focused on the digital economy. As well as attending the Techsauce trade show we hope to bring delegates to the August Sundowners so they can be inspired by all of you who are so experienced at doing business in Thailand.
Here’s to a dynamic and prosperous second half of 2024.
Amelia Walsh,
Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner Thailand and Laos, Austrade and Ex Officio Director AustCham Thailand