UPDATE Q2/2025: Chamber Activities

GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing with Miskawaan

Around 45 participants gathered for our GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing with Miskawaan Health Group, organised on 30 January 2025 at the Ascott Thonglor Bangkok. The briefing focused on “Rejuvenation Trends 2025: Breakthroughs in Anti-Aging Science and Innovative Therapies”, highlighting the latest advancements in age management and rejuvenation technologies.

This insightful briefing provided attendees with a deeper understanding of how emerging therapies are shaping the future of health and longevity, and we are excited to continue supporting these groundbreaking advancements.

We are grateful to John Dangerfield, Chief Scientist at Miskawaan Health Group, for sharing his expertise on the cutting-edge developments in anti-ageing science, including the potential of chlorogenic acid and exosome stem cell therapies. Also, thanks to Polina Kurna for moderating the session and offering our guests exclusive insights into the future of age management and the latest health innovations.

GTCC AFTERWORK Networking: January 2025

Following the briefing with Miskawaan Health Group, the GTCC kicked off the first networking event with the participation of GTCC members, partners, and friends. Our Honorar y Treasurer Martin Liebenow welcomed guests with opening remarks.

On behalf of the GTCC, he expressed sincere appreciation to GTCC Premium Partners 2025: B.Grimm, DACHSER, Forvis Mazars, LUTHER, Rhenus Logistics, and Schaeffler Manufacturing; GTCC Annual Partners 2025: Bangkok Hospital, Glue Up, JP contagi Asia, Jungheinrich AG, Lufthansa, Miskawaan Health Group and SAP, for their great support and commitment to GTCC.

For the success of the event, we would like to thank Event Partners Guehring Thailand Co. Ltd., Miskawaan Health Group and Forvis Mazars; Beverage Partner Arcobräu by Flow Inter; and Venue Partner Ascott Thonglor Bangkok.

AHK ASEAN meeting

GTCC Executive Director Dr. Roland Wein traveled to Singapore, participating in the AHK ASEAN meeting along with his colleagues from the German Chambers of Commerce (AHKs) in ASEAN on 11 February 2025.

After the welcoming remarks from Dr. Tim Philippi, Executive Director of the Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SGC) of AHK Singapore, and Christopher Zimmer, Executive Director of AHK Philippines, they discuss a wide range of topics, such as upcoming events in Germany, collaboration for German-ASEAN business development, ASEAN digital, and the cooperation among the AHKs in ASEAN.

The drinktec roadshow in Bangkok

The drinktec 2025 roadshow in Bangkok, organised by the GTCC in partnership with VDMA e.V. and YONTEX GmbH & Co. KG, welcomed almost 50 participants at the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel on 17 February 2025, uniting key industry players to explore the future of the beverage and liquid food industries.

GTCC Deputy Executive Director Marius Mehner opened the event, welcoming esteemed speakers Richard Clemens, Managing Director, Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association & Process Plant and Equipment Association, VDMA e.V.; Markus Kosak, Executive Director, drinktec & drinktec Cluster, YONTEX; and Dr. Charoen Kaewsuksai, Chairman, Food and Beverage Industry Club, The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). They all shared their insights into global trends, technological advancements, and the role of drinktec 2025 in shaping the sector.

GTCC Business Luncheon: Thailand Economic Outlook 2025

Thank you to the 115 guests who joined the GTCC Business Luncheon: Thailand Economic Outlook 2025 on 18 February 2025, at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok.

A special thanks to our outstanding speaker, Dr. Charlie Lay, Senior Economist at Commerzbank AG, for his insightful talk on the global economic outlook for 2025, the key risks for Thai and Asian economies, and strategies for navigating rising uncertainties.

We also extend our gratitude to our distinguished panelists, who shared valuable industry insights and discussed sustainability, competitiveness, and the challenges ahead for German companies in the Thai market. The panelists were Dr. Matthias Pascaly, Country Head / Managing Director at Evonik (Thailand) Ltd.; Christine Russel-Wittebrood, Managing Director at LESCHACO - Lexzau Scharbau GmbH & Co. KG (Thailand) Ltd.; Dr. Rick Hilchner, Managing Director at Robert Bosch Automotive Technologies (Thailand) Co. Ltd.; Tomasz Mazur, CEO at Siemens Mobility Limited Thailand; and Decha Lertvilaisak, General Manager at TRUMPF Ltd. and TRUMPF Philippines Inc. We also wish to thank our esteemed moderator Pimolpa Simaroj, Managing Director / Chief Country Officer at Deutsche Bank AG, Bangkok Branch, for guiding us through the event’s discussions.

GTCC Young Professionals Network Evening with Ducati Motor (Thailand)

The GTCC Young Professionals network evening event welcomed about 80 guests for an insightful evening on 20 February 2025. Alberto Strada, Managing Director of Ducati Motor (Thailand) Ltd., shared Ducati’s best practices for managing manufacturing operations through innovation and cross-cultural environment.

The event facilitated networking amongst young professionals. Thanks to Event Partner dusitD2 Samyan Bangkok for the tasty food and the vibrant setting and to Beverage Partner Arcobräu by Flow Inter for premium drinks.

GTCC New Members Meet-up 1/2025

The GTCC proudly hosted our first New Members Meet-Up of 2025 on 25 February welcoming representatives from new GTCC member companies /new representatives including Meranti Green Steel Co. Ltd., Horton International Recruitment Ltd., The Peninsula Bangkok hotel, Beiersdorf (Thailand) Co. Ltd., and CleanMax Energy (Thailand) Co. Ltd. The event was held at the GTCC office, and was led by Jantarath Korbuakesorn, Head of Membership, Events and Communications.

GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing with Blumenthal Richter & Sumet Ltd.

Around 35 participants joined our insightful GTCC AFTERWORK Briefing with Blumenthal Richter & Sumet Ltd. at the Padma Ballroom, lebua Hotels and Resorts, on 13 March 2025.

The session focused on two important topics: “Understanding Thailand’s Foreign Income Tax” and the newly enacted “Top-Up Tax Emergency Decree B.E. 2024.”

The first part of the session provided an update on the government’s efforts in collecting worldwide income tax for expatriates and Thai citizens. In the second part, attendees gained valuable insights into the Top-Up Tax Emergency Decree B.E. 2024, which aligns Thailand with the OECD's Pillar II Global Minimum Tax Framework, introducing a 15 per cent global minimum tax for multinational enterprises (MNEs).

Thank you to Promboon Sookatup, Partner at Blumenthal Richter & Sumet, for sharing her knowledge and expertise, and to everyone who joined this informative session.

GTCC AFTERWORK Networking: March 2025

Following the briefing, a GTCC AFTERWORK networking session connected GTCC members, partners, and friends. The event was opened by GTCC Vice President Oliver Schnatz.

For the generous support we would like to express our gratitude to:

• Event Partners: Blumenthal Richter & Sumet Ltd. and Horton International;

• Beverage Partners: Arcobräu & ink by Flow Inter; and

• Venue Partner: lebua Hotels & Resorts.

GTCC seminar on “Cross-cultural awareness in business”

About 20 people participated in our interactive seminar on "Cross-cultural awareness in business" hosted on 11 March 2025, at the Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok hotel, in order to deepen their understanding of diverse cultural backgrounds and explore how cross-cultural communication influences success in business and global collaboration.

Special thanks to Carola Helwig, Trainer in Intercultural Communication for Southeast Asia, for leading the workshop and providing participants with her insights and strategies to avoid misunderstandings, resolve conflicts, and enhance communication in international business environments.

GTCC Business Women Networking “#AccelerateAction for gender equality”

The first GTCC Business Women Networking (GTCC BWN) event of 2025 took place on 20 March 2025, at the Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok hotel, with the participation of about 40 individuals.

In celebration of International Women's Day, the event focused on this year's theme, "Accelerate Action for Gender Equality", and featured a fireside chat with two high-profile female leaders: Nichapat Ark, Director at Openspace (a venture capital firm managing US$800 million in tech investments), Director of the Thai Venture Capital Association, and board member at Mahidol University's Institute for Technology and Innovation Management; and Nisa Suttipornphaisankula, the first female Managing Director of Covestro Thailand. The session was moderated by Cristy Aphimonthol, Managing Director at Coachology. Thanks to all three women for sharing valuable insights into their journeys and how they've overcome gender barriers in leadership.

Thailand briefing for the delegation on biogas/biomethane from Germany

On 24 March 2025, GTCC welcomed the biogas/biomethane delegation from Germany to Thailand. The delegates joined the country briefing given by Marius Mehner, GTCC Deputy Executive Director; Hans-Ulrich Südbeck, Deputy Chief of Mission of the German Embassy in Bangkok; and Frank Malerius, Director Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) on Thailand’s current economic and political situation as well as biogas and biomethane market insights.

In the afternoon, the delegates visited RE Biofuel Co., Ltd. (HQ), one of Thailand leading EPC with a focus on biogas and biofuel. The group was welcomed by Pajon Sriboonruang, founder of RE Biofuel Co., Ltd., RE Power Service Co., Ltd. and Thailand Biogas Association.

Thai-German conference on “Biogas & Biomethane”

The Thai-German conference "biogas & biomethane" was organised by the GTCC in cooperation with the eclareon GmbH, within the framework of the German Energy Solutions Initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). As part of the German Biogas/Biomethane delegation in Thailand during 24-28 March 2025, the event took place on 25 March 2025, at the Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park hotel.

GTCC Executive Director delivered an opening speech and Johannes Kerner, Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the German Embassy in Bangkok, gave welcome remarks. Pongsak Prommakorn from Thailand’s Ministry of Energy delivered a keynote speech, followed by presentations of experts from German Biogas Association / Fachverband BIOGAS e.V. and the Institute for Biogas, Waste Management and Energy.

Representatives from leading German companies including atmosfair gGmbH, Binder GmbH, ETW Energietechnik GmbH, HeGo Biotec International GmbH and MRU Messgeräte für Rauchgase und Umweltschutz GmbH presented their latest products and technology solutions.

Highlights included a panel discussion by experts from the Energy Research and Development Institute Nakornping (ERDI), The Federation of Thai Industries, Thai Biogas Trade Association, the Solid Waste Management Association of Thailand, at CPF (Thailand) Public Co., Ltd. and Green Energy Network Co., Ltd., moderated by Asst. Prof. Pruk Aggarangsi. They shared perspectives on topics such as the current stage of biogas in Thailand and the policies impacting the biogas and biomethane sectors.

A B2B meeting was further arranged for the German companies following the conference to explore potential business opportunities and partnerships with Thai companies.

GTCC Ordinary General Meeting 2025

GTCC Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) 2025 was conducted on 26 March 2025, at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside Hotel Bangkok. The meeting was attended by 67 representatives of our German and Thai member companies from various industries. Hans-Ulrich Südbeck, Chargé d' Affaires of the German Embassy in Bangkok, also joined the event as a guest of honour. The election of nine Board Members was conducted successfully using the Election Runner tool and the election of the Vice President was conducted at the OGM 2025.

The GTCC congratulates all the newly elected board members. In addition, Alexander Donau, Regional Head Asia Pacific and Director of the Board, Leschaco (Thailand) Ltd., who had been elected at the GTCC OGM 2024 as GTCC President for a two-year term, continues as the GTCC President for another year. Oliver Schnatz, Cluster General Manager, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, has been elected as GTCC Vice President.

The newly elected Directors of the GTCC Board for 2025/2026 are listed in alphabetic order of the member companies as follows:

• Alexander Donau, Regional Head Asia Pacific and Director of the Board, Leschaco (Thailand) Ltd.

• Kanoksak Mokkamakkul, Executive Vice President, Bangkok Bank Public Co. Ltd.

• Pimolpa Simaroj, Chief Country Officer, Deutsche Bank AG, Bangkok

• Do Van Anh Thu (Anlee), General Manager Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Mekong Region, Lufthansa German Airlines

• Martin Schwenk, President & CEO, Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) Ltd.

• Rick Hilchner, Managing Director, Robert Bosch Automotive Technologies (Thailand) Co. Ltd.

• Tomasz Marian Mazur, CEO, Siemens Mobility Ltd.

• Oliver Schnatz, Cluster General Manager, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

• Wichien Harnpraween, Managing Director and Senior Partner, Wissen & Co Ltd.

We wish to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the outgone board members, listed below, for their great support and consistent contribution to the GTCC.

• Marcus Grundke, Managing Director, Rieckermann (Thailand) Co. Ltd.

• Van Nguyen, General Manager, Hormann Thailand Co. Ltd.

• Matthias Hoffrichter, Managing Director, Ruwac Asia Ltd.