CHAIR'S MESSAGE Dear Members, A very Happy New Year to one and all! The New Year is a popular time for reflecting on what has been achieved, and there were many great Chamber achievements in the last 12 months. It’s also a time to focus on the future, and there is much to be optimistic about as we look to the year ahead. But first, a pause for reflection. We recently published the Annual Year in Review of the Chamber events, which I hope you all enjoyed. I will not elaborate on the content, but I will draw attention to a couple of key activities that were important in overall terms for the Chamber. One of these was the BritCham Hong Kong Summit held on 26 October 2023 with theme “Hong Kong Rebound”. An impressive array of speakers and panellists were curated for the event, and we heard deep insights into the challenges of the previous months when coming out of the COVID era, which were balanced with the exciting opportunities we see ahead. Some of the best conversations and outcomes were those discussions around the edges of the Summit, and as we step into 2024, we are planning for this year’s event. The Summit was held shortly after the Chief Executives Policy Address had been announced, and as usual, we made our Policy Address Submission to Government with suggestions and proposed actions for consideration. Thanks as ever to Jim Taylor, who leads the Business Policy Unit and Christy Ng, the Chamber’s Business Policy & Corporate Relations Manager, who directed and orchestrated inputs from what is a very broad business community. The suggestions made are, of course, being picked up at the policy level within the Government and by the Committees, so rest assured that the work does not end with the submission. We have started thinking about this year’s Policy Address, so if you have ideas or suggestions, we would like to hear from you via Paul, or Christy, or relevant Committees. _______
Another activity we were pleased to resurrect was the annual “door knock” in London in September. We curated a BritCham Hong Kong week in London when we held events to share opportunities around the Northern Metropolis, met with business and government representatives both formally and informally, enjoyed the HK Dinner curtesy of HKTDC and the luncheon hosted by the Hong Kong Association, as well as a splendid launch of our Creative Industries Committee refresh in the 3/6” venue in Fortnum and Masons, Piccadilly. All very enjoyable, engaging, and informative events. Planning is underway for this year’s similar event. More details will be shared to encourage members who may be in London at the time of the event to engage and participate. Since the first announcement of the Greater Bay Area plan from the Central Government in 2019, the Chamber has spent a lot of effort promoting alongside the Government the great opportunities imbedded in the region to wider businesses. We were particularly delighted that the Government had reopened the borders of Hong Kong in 2023. The Chamber was invited onto a GBA delegation by the _______
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