Chairman s Report 2014 for the 26 th AGM, Tuesday, 17 March by Peter Huber. SBA Chairman report 2014 Page 1

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1 Chairman s Report 2014 for the 26 th AGM, Tuesday, 17 March 2015 by Peter Huber SBA Chairman report 2014 Page 1

2 1. General and foreword Dear fellow SBA members, 2014 has been a very active year for the SBA with a record number of members, events and participants. The committee is very grateful for this support and will continue to promote the Swiss Business in Singapore. We saw some changes to the committee composition Christian Pauli stepped down as Chairman but remained in the committee as Vice-Chairman. Roger Bieri took over from Urs Brütsch as Hon. Treasurer. Last but not least, Christian Huber and Dr. Mario Bassi stepped down from the committee due to their professional commitments not allowing them to commit sufficient time to the committee work. We also had two new committee members joining. We welcomed back Manfred Rist as he relocated back to Singapore to work as correspondent for NZZ. In addition, Lionel Crottaz from Adecco joined as a new committee member. Without the hard work and commitment of the committee members this would have not been possible. I am very grateful for their dedication to the SBA. As we enter into 2015, we will continue on this path and work together with all our members to increase the dialogue and engagement in order to continue to remain relevant for Swiss Businesses in Singapore. We will need to discuss how we can professionalize some of our structures, establish relevant working groups addressing the burning issues that the businesses face in Singapore and intensify our lobbying work in relevant chambers and committees that can be accessed by the SBA. Last but not least, there are many things such as vocational training and internships between Swiss and Singaporean companies that we can contribute to more. And not to forget, we want to continue to offer you a platform for networking and social activities. We are highly committed to continue to evolve as a business association and to do this in a constant dialogue with our members. SBA Chairman report 2014 Page 2

3 2. Membership statistics/status At the end of December 2014 the SBA member were recorded and categorized as follows: Members 211 Chairman 1 Honorary 2 Committee 4 Total 218 This represents a total increase of 6 members in new members joined us in 2014 and 29 members resigned from their membership. This can be seen as a good development. Our Hon. Treasurer, Mr. Roger Bieri will provide you with the details on our financial position and key figures for the business period Members meetings/events 22 nd Jan - The traditional start of the SBA year was hosted in the UBS offices. The SBA and UBS were happy to welcome 69 members. The well-known financial expert Hartmut Issel, Chief Investment Officer at UBS Wealth Management presented an economic outlook for 2014 during a breakfast session. This was followed by a lively panel discussion. 11 th Feb - 54 members joined us for a networking night, which was hosted by our 1988 SBA founding Chairman Mr. Hans-Rudolf Schaub. The event was held at the wine universe restaurant at Millenia walk. 21 st Feb - An industry leaders talk around the Swiss China free trade agreement and how it will impact businesses was hosted by SBA in collaboration with PWC in February. The breakfast meeting attracted 67 SBA members and PWC clients. The talk by Felix Sutter and Simeon Probst was well received. 18 th Mar - The 25 th AGM was held at the Swissotel Merchant Court. 40 voting members were present through their appointed nominees and 2 represented by proxies. A dinner followed by an interesting speech of Rolf Gerber, chairman of the LGT Bank (Singapore). He shared a fascinating speech on Singapore s current SBA Chairman report 2014 Page 3

4 challenges and the international business community, which was followed by an interesting panel discussion. 1 st Apr - A networking lunch and industry leaders talk about the topic Key Learning from Living the Creative Process & Inspirational Perspectives was attended by 66 SBA members. This joint event with Swissnex was hosted at the national library. The speaker Elmar Mock, shared is a well-known co-inventor of the original Swatch Watch and shared some key learnings from living the creative process and provocative and inspirational perspectives. 3 rd April - The Zuercher Kantonalbank celebrated its 20 year presence in Singapore and invited its fellow SBA members to a dinner reception to celebrate this occasion at the Swiss Club. 55 SBA members congratulated the bank to this joyful occasion. 24 th May SBA members and sponsors joined us for a celebration of the SBA Gala dinner with the theme Extravaganza a sensory experience at the Grand Hyatt. The evening was filled with high-profile entertainments and gastronomical extravaganza. 4 th July - The Swiss Embassy and the SBA hosted a breakfast meeting and industry leaders talk at the Swissotel the Stamford. We were honored by the presence and speech of Mrs. Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch from State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO. She presented current opportunities and challenges for the Swiss economy and Swiss companies. 42 members attended the event. 30 th July - The Swiss Club invited all SBA members to a neighborhood party and treated us with a Swiss-style BBQ and beverages as well as a performance by the Swiss Champion Youth Orchestra Kreuzlingen. 2 nd Sep - Mr Oliver Burlot, serial entrepreneur and publisher of the year 2014 (Singapore MPAS Awards) shared with us his insights and entrepreneurial experience during this breakfast meeting and industry leader talk. The event was attended by 26 SBA members. 7 th Oct - Alexander Ochsner, Head of Singapore for Swiss medical device maker Straumann presented in our series of industry leaders talks during a Breakfast meeting. The event was held at the Mercuri Urval on Phillip Street and was attended by 15 members. SBA Chairman report 2014 Page 4

5 15 th Oct - The two partners & co-founder s of group8asia Manuel Der Hagopian and Grégoire Du Pasquier presented their fascinating public housing complex Punggol Waterway Terraces to our members. 13 members attended the guided tour around the complex and 57 members attended the evening presentation which was followed by a cocktail reception. 29 th Oct - 7 members of the SBA attended the SBA Myanmar delegation. The program 3 rd Nov included meetings with local and Swiss entrepreneurs living and working in Yangon, who gave an insight into doing business in Myanmar and the economic and political environment, company visits as well as meetings with government representatives. 4 th Nov - Country Manager Metalor Technologies Singapore, Gilles Robert, led our industry leaders breakfast talk in November. He presented the fundamentals of the physical gold market. The event was held at Mercuri Urval and attracted 31 members. 24 th Nov We were grateful to present Patrick Odier, Chairman of the Board of the Swiss Bankers Association as a guest of the SBA in November last year. Mr. Odier s speech focused on The Swiss financial centre, challenges and opportunities in a tax compliant world. The event was hosted at the tower club and 59 members attended the event. 28 th Nov Our networking BBQ year end event at the Swiss Club was attended by 89 events. During the event Mr. Christian Pauli officially resigned as SBA Chairman. The Swiss Ambassador as well as the SBA committee and members thanked him for his passionate and professional leadership of the SBA. 8 th Dec - The last event of the year was a joint SBA, Swiss Association and SBA event which was held at the national library. The first and only Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier shared his fascinating experiences and lessons learned with an audience of 117 interested guests. Please do check our website for event updates and photos. Interesting and quality content meetings and events are the priority of the SBA committee to serve the SBA community. We are always open for suggestions and appreciate if you as an individual member or organization would like to contribute with a presentation and/or financial support. Do not hesitate to approach us. SBA Chairman report 2014 Page 5

6 4. Committee Meetings & Committee composition 7 committee members are recorded for During the meetings, the committee is constantly reviewing financials as well as planning the day-to-day affairs of the Association. The year 2014 showed some changes in the positions: Chairman: Christian Pauli, Fine Are Logistics NLC Pte Ltd / from October 2014: Peter Huber, CEO Zurich Life Singapore Pte Ltd Vice Chairman: Christian Pauli, Fine Are Logistics NLC Pte Ltd Hon. Secretary: Birgitta von Dresky, Luther LLP Hon. Treasuer: Roger Bieri, UBS AG; he took over from Urs Brütsch during 2014; we would like to extend our gratitude to Urs for his tenure as Treasurer; he handed over the finances of the SBA in a very health state. Other committee members without specific portfolios are: Claude Verly, Art Management Outgoing during the year was: Christian Huber, Boncafe Dr. Mario Bassi, Solution Providers New comers to replace are: Manfred Rist, NZZ Lionel Crottaz, Adecco 5. Other Matters Urs Brütsch and Claude Verly announced in 2014 that they will step down from the committee at the AGM. We would like to thank both of them for the years of hard work and dedication. We have identified new committee members and will announce them at the AGM. As always, if you are interested in actively working for the SBA, please do not hesitate in contacting us. SBA Chairman report 2014 Page 6

7 Conclusion A special thanks goes to all SBA committee members and SBA members for their presence and active participation throughout the year. A big thank you also goes to Mr. Christian Pauli, who led the SBA from We are happy that he will continue as the Vice Chairman of the SBA. Cordially, Peter Huber, Chairman, Singapore, 2 nd March 2015 SBA Chairman report 2014 Page 7

Addressed to the 27 th AGM, to be held on Tuesday, 15 March 2016

Chairman s Report 2015 Addressed to the 27 th AGM, to be held on Tuesday, 15 March 2016 by Tom Ludescher Table of Contents General and foreword... 2 1. Committee Meetings & Committee composition... 2 2.