Presidents Column

Greetings and welcome to the first Food, Wine, and Lifestyle issue of the Oceania. The new look of the magazine is part of our effort to revamp the Chamber’s publications as we approach our 30^th anniversary. In this issue, you will find contributions from ANZCHAM members and member companies that are in the food & wine industry. Included in this issue is a contribution from our very own Executive Director, Angelica Esguerra Pettersson who interviewed four top Australian and Kiwi chefs based in Manila for the article.

Our Annual General Meeting was held March 9 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel. The AGM provided the Board and Secretariat with the opportunity to update members on the Chamber’s activities and performance over the past financial year. At the AGM the membership elected a new Board of Directors.  It goes without saying that the new Board and the Secretariat, headed by a new Executive Director will work professionally and hard in carrying out their duties and responsibilities for the benefit of our members.

Once again, the highly anticipated Manila 10s Rugby Lunch, held last 19 March, 2010 at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel, proved to be very successful. Guests were treated to a scrumptious lunch and an afternoon with the popular Justin Sampson and rugby legends Joe Roff and Karl Tenana. The festivities continued throughout the weekend with games held at Nomads. Local and international rugby teams competed for the 10s title. The Board wishes to thank William D. Bailey, Chairman of the Manila 10s Committee, our valued sponsors, Matt Cullen of the PRFU, and Jonathan Thorp of Nomad Sports Club.

I would also like to thank Mr. Todd Pallett, our special guest speaker at the April Monthly Members’ Meeting. Todd is the Managing Director of EXS Capital, a Hong Kong based company that handles private wealth management, particularly focused on provision of services to Australian expatriates. He gave our members helpful tips and strategies on how to better plan and manage and grow assets and investment portfolios and strategies to consider when relocating back to Australia. It is a pleasure having Todd and his company as members of the Chamber.

We are currently updating our members’ Directory for 2010-2011. Please contact the Secretariat to advise any changes in your personal or corporate information. Clearly, the more accurate the information contained in the Directory, the more value the directory is to members. By the way, advertising spots in the directory as well as in the Oceania are still available.

As always, I encourage you to continue supporting ANZCHAM by attending events, joining any of our active committees, or by offering sponsorships to support the Chamber. Please contact the Secretariat for assistance and inquiries.