Revealed: APAC Chamber of Commerce Awards 2019 Winners

The APAC Chamber of Commerce Awards, in its 3rd edition, saw a record number of nominations across 8 award categories in which we were looking for outstanding achievements of Chambers of Commerce around Asia Pacific region.

"Chambers of Commerce help businesses band together and address important concerns and issues for the business community,” said Eric L. Schmidt, CEO and Co-Founder of Glue Up. "It's wonderful to see their hard work and innovative ideas rewarded at this exciting initiative. I'd like to congratulate this year's hugely diverse range of winners whose positive impact reflects the very high standard in the chamber of commerce industry and leadership across the Asia Pacific.“

Glue Up is pleased to recognize those trailblazing industry leaders and Chambers of Commerce that made the greatest impact and are at the very top of their game. We would like to thank all those who participated this year and made it such a success!

<h2>Award Categories</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="#large">Large Chamber of the Year Award</a></li>
<li><a href="#small">Small Chamber of the Year Award</a></li>
<li><a href="#international">International Chamber of the Year Award</a></li>
<li><a href="#local">Local Chamber of the Year Award</a></li>
<li><a href="#risingstar">Rising Star of the Year Award</a></li>
<li><a href="#executive">Executive of the Year Award</a></li>
<li><a href="#technology">Excellence in Technology & Innovation Award</a></li>
<li><a href="#eventaward">Best Event of the Year Award</a></li>
</ul>

<h2 id="large">Junior Chamber International (JCI) Manila</h2>

Junior Chamber International (JCI) Manila is a premier leadership development organization based in the capital city of the Philippines. Founded in 1948, it has since been a group of young active citizens that aspire to create positive change in the world. JCI Manila is responsible for projects such as Operation Brotherhood (OB), Voice of Democracy, and Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM).

In 2019, JCI Manila was all about MAKING EVERYBODY COUNT in creating positive change from JCI members, families and loved ones, project beneficiaries, partners and sponsors. This year was all about offering BELONGINGNESS, INVOLVEMENT, and DEVELOPMENT to individuals in serving humanity together. JCI Manila has successfully executed 214 projects to make everybody count, these projects were in the field of healthcare, disaster preparedness and response, assistance to the handicapped, community empowerment, education, Indigenous people support, infrastructure, environmental protection, entrepreneurship, nation-building and social responsibility, civic partnership, foreign worker assistance, personal skills development, leadership, organizational development, and athletics, to name a few.

<blockquote>“JCI Manila is highly organized Chamber spearheading various projects with their members. Very well done!“ Asli (Akdeniz) Özelli, Executive Director, American Chamber of Commerce, Turkey</blockquote>

<h2 id="small">Australia Africa Chamber of Commerce</h2>

The Australia Africa Chamber of Commerce is a national organization that is dedicated to facilitating trade with Africa, by providing the very best quality research, networking events and business matching services between Australia and Africa.

In 2019, the biggest accomplishment for the Chamber is the highly-successful WhyAfrica Seminars. The #WhyAfrica! seminars, a collaboration with Austrade, highlighted significant opportunities for Australian firms in key sectors such as mining and METS, energy and renewables, education and training, food and agribusiness, and services and technology. The seminars connected with 500+ government, industry, and academia representatives and is supported and prompted through Austrade’s State Directors, AACC sponsors – Dentons and KPMG.

<blockquote>“The African market is assessed and relevant Australian industries are appropriated. All stakeholders are successfully involved and related events are organized for successful practice. Very well organized Chamber of Commerce with structured goals and operations.“ Sharaf Davlatov, Executive Director, American Chamber of Commerce, Tajikistan</blockquote>

<h2 id="international">The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan</h2>

Established in 1948, the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) is an exceptionally active and ever-expanding not-for-profit private membership organisation serving almost 1000 high-caliber members representing over 200 companies.

2019 saw the launch of Chamber vision project, “BCCJ 5.0”, which has connected members to a future of innovation and inclusion while staying true to the BCCJ’s mission of strengthening business ties between the UK and Japan. BCCJ 5.0 is a project inspired by the Japanese Government’s ‘Society 5.0’ framework, designed for creating a ‘super-smart’ society, in which cutting-edge technology, the internet of things, and AI are implemented to solve 21st-century issues. With key elements of Society 5.0 aligning with core, existing BCCJ values around Diversity & Inclusion, Digital & Tech Innovation, and Responsible Business, the Chamber has designed a vision project that will steer forward-thinking dialogue at the Chamber while creating inclusive opportunities surrounding the 3 above pillars.

<blockquote>“BCCJ has a wide range of high-quality offering for all its stakeholders - from EDI, through business services to business awards, and beyond. Their activities even cover the needs of international investors as well.“ Asli (Akdeniz) Özelli, Executive Director, American Chamber of Commerce, Turkey</blockquote>

<h2 id="local">Cowra Business Chamber</h2>

The Cowra Business Chamber is a non-profit organization, built to support local business' in Cowra and the surrounding villages. The Chamber is your contact to the NSW Business Chamber, other business' and local government to provide open communication of events, issues, training and opportunities.

In 2019, the chamber has fulfilled all of its plans, including grant applications, creating a state of the art co-working space, increasing membership numbers, providing even more events and making this years' Cowra Business Awards awards the biggest in the town's history. Another program the Chamber is proud of is AgriZone, a networking night designed to incorporate their local farmers to their professional networking events and TradeZone, a new networking event that is designed to celebrate trade based business and show their handy work to the general community.

<blockquote>“The approach of Cowra Business Chamber is innovative and engaging all the actors in the field for the most effective results. The strong focus on the local community and building direct relationships is inspirational.“ Sharaf Davlatov, Executive Director, American Chamber of Commerce, Tajikistan</blockquote>

<h2 id="risingstar">Stella Soh, Manager, Marketing and Branding, American Chamber of Commerce Singapore</h2>

Stella has almost single-handedly grown the American Chamber of Commerce Singapore’s branding efforts into the communication initiatives that drive AmCham’s marketing strategy today. Needless to say, having a visually cohesive communication strategy impacts AmCham Singapore’s members (and potential members) impression and engagement with the Chamber. Not only has Stella excelled in the marketing and branding of the Chamber, but she has also done so while integrating the needs of various departments, projects, and objectives of the organization.

To quantify Stella’s impact, AmCham’s social media followers have grown exponentially since she has taken the helm of the Chamber’s social media strategy; from a couple thousand followers across all three platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter), to almost 7,000 followers to date on LinkedIn alone. Most impressively, Stella’s drive and ambition to be self-taught have allowed her to create a unique role for herself within the Chamber.

<blockquote>“Stella’s willingness to take up new challenges and eagerness to learn new skills should be commended. She has a very bright future ahead of her.“ Eric L. Schmidt, CEO and Co-Founder, Glue Up</blockquote>

<h2 id="executive">Daniel James Alexander, President, Australian - New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Philippines</h2>

As president of Australian - New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Philippines, Daniel championed the importance of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) in the workplace – this campaign has strongly echoed in all ANZCHAM events. Being the first chamber to promote this type of advocacy, a lot of member companies have started embracing D&I in their respective workplaces by creating and implementing more inclusive programs and policies for their employees. Daniel overhauled and reassessed the objectives of the chamber, and professionalized the operations and services as soon as he was elected as the ANZCHAM president in 2018. One of his main thrusts was to reinforce the ANZCHAM’s commitment to diversity and create gender-balanced events and advocacies.

In terms of revenue, he drove ANZCHAM’s gains from a single-digit growth two years ago to 153% revenue growth in 2019 – the biggest increase in the last five years. Under his watch, he strengthened the objectives of the BPO Committee and pioneered the first Innovation Forum in 2017 where innovative measures in the Business Process Management (BPM) and IT sectors were introduced and featured. Since then, it became one of ANZCHAM’s most successful and signature events.

<blockquote>“Daniel led strong growth for the chamber and at the same time delivered innovative programmes that demonstrate a wider view of what a chamber can achieve such as their work in Diversity; a key driver for current Global business.“ Steve Parker, CEO, British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei</blockquote>

<h2 id="technology">British Chamber of Commerce in China</h2>

The British Chamber of Commerce in China is a membership organisation for British business focused on boosting UK-China trade and investment. Operating as an independent, not-for-profit organisation with a strong and diverse membership. With over two decades’ worth of business experience in China, the Chamber provides intelligence, advice, and networking opportunities for members, helping their business grow in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.

In 2019, the British Chamber of Commerce in China launched 3 projects – Young Professionals Development Programme (YPDP), Beijing Highland Games and BritCham China Sustainability Series. With the aid of an all-in-one membership management software, BritCham China has adopted last year, processes and workload of finance, event, and membership teams have largely improved. Marketing initiatives have also improved and were done with greater consistency, reaching more subscribers and members and keeping them engaged. Technology improvements have also allowed BritCham China to run more targeted events for specific groups of members and enhance their communications with potential members.

<blockquote>“2019 was a transformational year for BritCham China and UK business in general with a lot of uncertainties and challenges. The Chamber, however, has done a lot of great work and invested a lot of time and resources in a diverse set of projects that have been appraised by their growing member network and set them as a role model for other Chambers around the region. “ Eric L. Schmidt, CEO and Co-Founder, Glue Up</blockquote>

<h2 id="eventaward">AmCham Women HERo Awards (American Chamber of Commerce Singapore)</h2>

In celebration of International Women’s Day, AmCham Women, the Chamber’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) platform, launched the first annual HERo Awards. The HERo Awards honour and recognize exceptional achievement, services and other social contributions made by both individuals and organizations towards the advancement of gender equality in the workplace. The theme of this year’s HERo Awards was Balance for Better.

The gala was attended by over 300 AmCham members. The nominations showed diversity, both in industry and professional titles, and the range of nominees indicate the widespread impact of members in advancing women in leadership.

The intentions with this award were two-fold. First, is to highlight the achievements and contributions of members in advancing women in leadership. In addition to being recognized at the award ceremony to the 300+ attendees, AmCham broadcasted the HERo Awards winners throughout different social media channels. Second, looking forward, the agenda of the event is to inspire members, particularly senior management, to learn about the D&I best practices of other AmCham member companies, and increase support and development of their own D&I initiatives.

<blockquote>“The whole idea of this event is incredibly great and important. The initiative has been successfully implemented and encouraged members and non-members alike. “ Sharaf Davlatov, Executive Director, American Chamber of Commerce, Tajikistan</blockquote>

<h2>Big Thank You To All</h2>

We want to thank all participants, judges and supporters who have participated in 2019 Chamber of Commerce Awards and made it such a success. We are already working hard on the 2020 edition, so stay tuned for more information!

Revealed: APAC Chamber of Commerce Awards 2019 Winners

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Revealed: APAC Chamber of Commerce Awards 2019 Winners

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