Hall of Fame

Origin of the Award: The CanCham Thailand Hall of Fame was established in 2012 to honour the chamber’s key founders and members who have made significant contributions to the formation, development and growth of cancham thailand and canadian-thai relations over the years. basis for selection: candidates for selection to the cancham thailand Hall of Fame shall be chosen by cancham’s executive board based on their contributions to the chamber’s managerial or executive ability; the development of the canadian-thai business community and their character.

SAM COHEN “the heart and soul of cancham thailand” is how Sam cohen has been described. Indeed, if CanCham had a favourite member award, Sam would have probably won it as many times as it was contested. the calgary native studied petroleum engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He first came to Thailand in 1982 to develop the fields in the Gulf of Thailand. In 1988, he came back to stay working with the Petro canada international Assistance Campaign (PCIAC) to set up the exploration and production side of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTTEP). Not long after being called up to Thailand for his second assignment, Sam met Sumon, who became his second wife and has been his constant companion ever since. Sam has three children (Gil. Don and Chari) with his first wife, Gea. An avid sailor and motorcyclist, Sam has sailed many of thailand’s waterways and driven many of its highways on his 1300cc Harley. Besides being President of CanCham (then the TCCC) in 1994 and 1995, Sam served as a representative of the government of Alberta in Thailand, chaired the Joint Foreign chambers of commerce in thailand, and was the secretary for the organizing committee of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Sam’s mantra is the three P’s: patience, perseverance and presence. Follow these, and you will do well in Thailand he says; they’ve certainly worked for Sam. Many people have been touched by Sam’s strength in his time in thailand and few people have had an impact on a foreign chamber the way Sam has had on CanCham. Finding someone who has a nasty word to say about Sam is almost impossible and that’s very difficult in this day and age. A loveable bear of a man, Sam, one of the founding members of cancham, has been a tremendous representative for the Canadian community in Thailand.

SEAN BRADY Sean brady, a founding father of cancham thailand, has been a driving force behind the growth and development for 27 years. Sean was probably destined to spend the bulk of his professional life in Asia after he became one of the first Canadians to pursue Chinese and Southeast Asian studies at the University of toronto and cornell University in the 1960s. In his early years in the Canadian Foreign Service he was based in Hong Kong and visited China frequently during the Great Cultural Revolution. His second diplomatic posting was in thailand from 1977-81 and led to his virtually lifelong fascination with Thailand. After posts in New York and Ottawa, where he was the Official Spokesman of the Department of External Affairs headed by Foreign Minister Joe Clark, and Singapore, where Sean served as High commissioner (Ambassador), he returned to Thailand for good in mid-1989 to enter the private sector. in July 1989, Sean joined Sam cohen, Don Lavoie, Jim Gulkin and others in the fledgling Thai-Canadian Business Club. He became the Founding President of the then thai-canadian Chamber of Commerce (TCCC), the forerunner of CanCham. As TCCC President, Sean could regularly be counted on for iconoclastic remarks from the podium in a successful effort to increase the profile and appeal of the business club and chamber in the early years. He has continued to be a prominent public speaker and a mentor to young leaders in the Asia Pacific region through organizations such as the Hitachi Young Leaders program. Sean also headed his own successful consulting company, Pac Rim International, for more than two decades. He is an active rotarian and has been the President of the rotary club of Bangkok South. Though he has made his permanent home in thailand with his wife of 25 years, Premsiri Devahastin na Ayudha, Sean remains a passionate Canadian with a dedication to increasing Canada’s footprint in The ASEAN region, with primary emphasis on Thailand. He is currently an Advisor to CanCham.

PETER VAN HAREN Peter van Haren is a very deserving member of the cancharn Hall of Fame. He has served as CanCham’s president at two different times: first from 1998-2001 and then from 20122015. He is easily one of our most recognized and high-profile members. His résumé is quite impressive and includes being the chairman of the Joint Foreign chambers of commerce in thailand for nine years, Vice-chairman of the board of Trade for seven years,Advisor to the International Chamber of Commerce, Advisor to the Ministry of Industry, Advisor to the thai trade representative and Director of the thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce. Peter first came to Thailand to work for Com-Link, which built and maintained telecommunication and fiber optic networks. His job was to coordinate the workforce and materials to get the project finished. He later became CEO of the SET listed company, Wiik & Hoeglund PLc and executive Vice President of KWH Pipe Ltd. (Finland). Peter’s thai language skills are so good that he is one of the few foreigners to host a radioshow in Thai (FM 96.5). This has given him an insight into Thai culture that few foreignershave. Peter proudly received an Award for Exemplary Use of Thai Language from the thai Ministry of culture, rarely given to nonnative speakers. Peter is a successful handyman too, as he loves to work in his home wood and metal work shop. Building things, by first putting ideas into a 3d model cad design, then physically seeing them turn into something usable. A native of Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Peter also flies remote-controlled helicopters and drones, which he says is a great way to relieve stress. Peter enjoys teaching part time in the international trade and Business Logistics (B.B.A)program at the International College at KMUTNB. He’s also a regular course facilitator for the Institute of Directors (IOD). Using his charm, wit and intelligence, Peter has certainly carved a niche for himself in Thailand.

DON & DANIELE LAVOIE No one couple is more deserving of the CanCham Hall of Fame honour than the inseparable duo of Don and Daniele Lavoie. Over the past three decades, they have given selflessly of their time and experience, helping to organize and manage countless Events for the Canadian community. Don has been a stalwart in the chamber since it started life as the Thai Canadian Business Association in 1988. He served as a faithful and ever-present cancham board member and advisor during the time in which he was bombardier’s primary representative in Thailand. For many years, Daniele went out of her way to help new Canadians and their families arriving in Thailand, including staff assigned to the canadian embassy in bangkok, helping them adapt quickly and easily to life in Thailand. Don and Daniele were always available on short notice to help newcomers get adjusted and find their bearings. Oftentimes, the Lavole would be the first ones to arrive for an event they were helping to organize, and the last to leave, always cheerful, and ever-helpful Daniele designed many of the backdrops, table settings and decorations at cancham events, especially the thanksgiving ball

Don and Daniele were mainstays at all canada Day parties as Don ran the volleyball and tug of-war contests while Daniele ran the t-shirt booth, usually with Sumon Cohen. They always had a smile and warm word to say and made everyone feel welcome at the events they helped run. Don and Daniele have been tremendous ambassadors for CanCham in so many ways: the irony is that Don is an American citizen, while Daniele is French. No matter, we recognize them as representing the ideals of what it means to be canadian, and members of CanCham.