Positive Feedback Received in Sydney

Since the recent Sydney Cocktail event with Minister Teresa Kok in late July, we have received much positive feedback.  The success of the event has meant that attendees and AMBC NSW and ACT members are now looking forward to the next event.

Thanks should go to all the AMBC NSW and ACT members, in particular Chapter President Bill Wilkinson, AMBC Immediate National Past President Justin Howden and AMBC National Treasurer Ian Jordan for their work and collaborative effort.  AMBCQ and AMBC NSW and ACT have a particularly close relationship due to our geographic proximity. 

AMBC NSW and ACT members are very fortunate to not only have a good and established chapter with a dedicated chapter president, but also the presence of MIDA, MATRADE and the Malaysian Consulate General in Sydney plus a pro-business State Government.  Members of the Queensland Chapter, AMBCQ,  are keen to participate in the next collaborative effort between the two organisations.  All AMBC  members are encouraged to share their views and ideas for our next project.

Singapore Business Council Ball, 6th August 2011

The Singapore Business Council Ball held their annual National Day Ball at the Stamford Plaza on Saturday 6th August.  We always have a great time at the Singapore National Day Ball and the AMBCQ took a table at the event, as we always do. The AMBCQ and the SBCA under Grace Tan have an excellent relationship, and it is always a pleasure to support their initiatives.  This year, we have had the privilege of working together on a number of projects, including the Shoulder to Shoulder Flood Relief Fundraiser, and the Dragon Boat festival, in which the AMBCQ and SBCA fielded a joint Dragon Boat team (we came second!).  The Dragon Boat team initiative has continued to have a life beyond the festival, and our joint team recently competed in another amateur competition and the team is very keen to continue to compete together.  Grace also assisted us in organising our recent function for YB Teresa Kok at the Stamford.


Grace giving her keynote speech
Photo courtesy of Leong Ming En (http://www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com/)

It was announced on the night that Grace's term as president is coming to an end - the SBCA have set two year terms and Grace will be stepping down later in the year.  I am not an advocate of the positive discrimination in the least, I always prefer things to be done on merit and I find quota systems patronising and demeaning. But it is very easy to see that there are a genuine lack of women in leadership positions in business groups and councils. That was why it has been wonderful to have Grace as President of SBCA. She has injected new blood, fresh air, good leadership, integrity and dignity into the realm of business councils and chambers. And she has done a magnificent job in the position, building the profile and the reputation of the council, and broadening and deepening the scope of their activities to build not only business relations, but also stronger community relations. Under Grace Tan's leadership, SBCA has become even more respected and even better run business council with a stronger reputation than at any other time. 



Me, Grace and Bryan
Photo courtesy of Leong Ming En (http://www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com/)



Lai Peng, Jamie, and Rose



The AMBCQ is quite a young organisation - we've only been around since 2006, and we have deliberately followed a policy to try to get people from all walks of life involved in the council. We have a very strong representation of women in AMBCQ, I would guess it would be close to 50-50 representation. We also have 60% of our executive made up of women - and there are no quotas involved, that is just how it happened. And we have always tried to have a child friendly policy where ever possible. We believe that this is beneficial to both men and women to have this approach, as extra events and activities outside of work hours are a strain on work-life balance and families in general.  We have also made sure that our approach has never been to target any single group or type of person - this is most denitely not a monocultural grouping (those groups that ironically and counter-intuitively call themselves 'multicultural but are so often monocultural) or a nationalistic organisation, it is a business council that operates in Australia, and as such, we reflect Australian values and Australian norms (even if we sometimes prefer Malaysian food, he he).  We do not discriminate on grounds of gender, sexuality, ethnic identity, marital status, age, or any other identifier, because that is the Australian way.  We believe firmly in meritocracy and that is why we will never be a boys' club.  I like to think that we have achieved this and set a standard for other community organisations and business councils, or at least encouraged them to consider their own practices. 

The SBCA is another organisation that has demonstrated these values and has also helped mold this standard. With Grace as their President for the last two years, it  sent a loud message about the equality of women in business and in business groups and councils.   It has been a great pleasure working with Grace, and we will continue to work together beyond her term.  We the AMBCQ will endeavour to continue to work together with SBCA into the future under a new leader, whoever that may be. Under Grace Tan, we have found many shared ideals and values, and of course the proximity and culture of Singapore and Malaysia mean that our interests often overlap.   Grace Tan has been undoubtedly one of the best business council leaders we have had the privilege of working with. 

The SBCA Ball is one of the few functions we can feel comfortable about bringing our kids to. 



YB Teresa Kok visit to Brisbane, July-August 2011

This blog has taken me a while to write - my computer died and it was a frantic couple of days of trying to recover all the information and get it repaired.  Grrr - it is easy to forget how much one relies on the computer these days.  But I digress...

Yang Berhomat (The Hon) Teresa Kok, Senior Selangor State Ex-Co member and Selangor State Minister for Trade, State Member for Kinrara and Federal Member for Seputeh, recently made a visit to Australia with a delegation from the Selangor State Investment Council (SSIC).  The delegation was focused on a number of industries including pharmaceuticals, complementary healthcare, aviation, biomedical and life sciences, and aged care.  Her visit was at first scheduled to visit Brisbane but due to the floods, the Selangor government decided to visit Melbourne and Sydney instead.  Happily, we convinced her that she should come to Brisbane too, given that Brisbane had long opened for business post-flood. 

We have a fair bit of experience working with politicians both here and in Malaysia, and it was a real pleasure to engage with Teresa.  She is an extremely diligent, hard working, thoughtful and capable Minister, and on top of that, she is a really nice person.  She went out of her way to meet people, working late until the night every night, and even meeting potential investors on the bus in between commuting to other appointments. 

Although Kiong and I were involved in organising the delegation in a business capacity, we managed to squeeze in a few AMBCQ events, which suited the Minister well as she was keen to meet investors and also Malaysians and former Malaysians residing in Australia.  AMBCQ co-organised a AMBC NSW function - as you may be aware, the two state chapters frequently collaborate.  The AMBC NSW function was very good, considering it was only a week in the making.  Justin Howden, AMBC Immediate National Past President, very kindly organised the Royal Exchange of Sydney as the venue, and their Vice Chairman Mike Milward was a delightful host, along with co-hosts our good friend, Bill Wilkinson, President of AMBC NSW, and Ian Jordan, AMBC National Treasurer.  A good crowd of around 40 attended the event and mixed with Teresa Kok and her delegation.


YB Teresa addressing the crowd at the Royal Exchange of Sydney 




Kiong, AMBCQ President, YB Teresa Kok, Bill Wilkinson, AMBC NSW President, Mike Milward, Vice Chair of the Royal Exchange of Sydney, and Ian Jordan, AMBC National Treasurer 

  
In Queensland, we organised a nasi padang dinner at the Stamford Plaza in honour of Teresa's visit - many thanks to Grace Tan from the Singapore Business Council for helping us to facilitate this.  We had another good crowd of about 50 people. We were very honoured to play host to Teresa and also very honoured to have the presence of Cr Angela Owen-Taylor, representing Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, and Richard Lim, retired Member of Parliament and former Opposition Leader for the Northern Territory (and also a former Malaysian).  Teresa presented to the crowd on opportunities for investment in Selangor, and also took questions from the floor, ranging from education, to mining, to biotechnology, and current affairs in Malaysia. 




George Ho, Selangor Times, Cr Angela Owen-Taylor and YB Teresa Kok
Photo by Leong Ming En, http://www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com/

 

YB Teresa Kok chatting with Richard Lim, while Lai Peng Chan and Kiong Chan look on
Photo by Leong Ming En, http://www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com/

YB Teresa with Simon, Chee Lee, Jerome, Wei Ming, and Ee Shoay

YB Teresa with William, Vincent, Maxwell and Adrian

Teresa's visit to Brisbane was quite short - she did have the opportunity to visit the Gold Coast and also South Bank briefly for a tiny bit of sightseeing, but even then she squeezed in a site visit to an aged care facility and a meeting with Malaysian students.  She also met with the Hon John Mickel MLA, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and the Hon Michael Choi MLA, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Multicultural Affairs. 

YB Teresa presenting a Royal Selangor Pewter Plate to the Hon John Mickel MLA, Speaker of the House

Meeting with the Hon Michael Choi MLA, Parl Sec for Trade and Multicultural Affairs

During a tour of State Parliament with Adriene, YB Teresa, and Mary-Anne from the Speaker's Office

Meeting with students at Coffee Club Riverside