Statement from New AustCham Shanghai Board
In July 2021, your new AustCham Shanghai Board met for the first time and selected a new Chair, Deputy Chair, and agreed on the various governance roles across the Board's committees.
We are pleased to announce:
- Heidi Dugan was elected Chair.
- Tony Zhang was elected Deputy Chair.
Both have lived and worked in Shanghai for more than 25 years. Heidi and Tony bring to the roles a unique set of skills and experiences, including particular expertise in FMCG, media, market entry and expansion consulting, finance, and government relations. The Board is confident in the leadership that Heidi and Tony will bring to the organization.
Board committee roles were filled by the following Board members:
- Audit Risk Committee:
Becky Xia (Chair), Toby Graham, Stephanie Liu, and Todd Pearson. - HR Committee:
James Gathercole (Chair), Unice Liu, and Alexandra Chu. - Nominations Committee:
Barclay Doring (Chair), Heidi Dugan, and Tony Zhang.
Achievements in 2020
We were proud to announce at the AGM that the Chamber was financially stable and posted a small profit in 2020. Since then, we have stabilised our membership and last month, our membership grew for the first time since 2019.
The Strategy for 2020 was to:
- Stabilise operations for a sustainable Chamber.
- Embrace change to deliver new value to our members.
- Communicate more frequently and clearly.
- Become a stronger voice for business growth, adaptability, and community.
- Connect closely with trusted businesses and government networks, along with our members.
- Give members more opportunities to engage with the Chamber and provide feedback to inform our strategy and operations
While there is much more to do, we believe we have the right strategy moving forward.
Moving Forward Together
With the strength of the current team headed by Bede Payne CEO, and Simon Woods, GM – our focus is on:
- Listening to the needs of our members and giving them more opportunities to be involved.
- Growing the membership.
- Supporting our members through our business networks and services, events, government relations and the building of a closer, stronger community.
The Chinese economy is on the rise – and regardless of political ups and downs, we believe that the opportunity for business in China remains. It is our job and honor to represent every one of our members, to be a bridge between countries, and a gateway into trusted and reliable people-to-people networks.
Growth
The Chamber has organised 6 months of events that we believe will support your business, life and growth in Shanghai and China. The events cover the following areas:
- Executive networking
- Industry Events
- Professional Development
- Social / Community
We are proud to represent the Australian-China business community and all the members that make up our community. We are confident that this will be an incredible year, if we stay true to our strategy and work hard to add more value to you and your companies.
Regards,
Heidi Dugan
Chair AustCham Shanghai
Tony Zhang
Deputy Chair AustCham Shanghai
AustCham Shanghai
