Message from the Executive Director - October 2022

Dear Members and Friends,

After a rather heavy and long rainy season, I hope you still have dry feet and are looking forward to the busy season of the year with many outdoor events. Tourism in Thailand has recovered strongly and I am happy to see that the various trade fairs in Bangkok are attracting not only many exhibitors but also potential customers from all over the region. At the last exhibition I attended, Swiss companies were well represented and I think this is a sign that our business community here in Thailand and in the region is picking up from the last few years. There are still uncertainties and challenges, but that is life and I am sure that together we can overcome them. Let me give you now an overview over some STCC related news!

Upcoming Events

I hope you have noticed that our chambers' activities in terms of events and networking are steadily increasing. For the rest of the year, we look forward to more successful events that will give you the opportunity to network while relaxing in good company. Therefore, I would like to ask you already to mark October 27 and November 30 in your diaries for the next two STCC single meetings we are planning.

Most importantly, we have a new theme in store for you for our flagship event at the end of November. After successfully hosting the EV Networking Night at the Embassy last year, we are now excited to host an STCC Innovation and Networking Night at the Embassy. If you would like to showcase your company at the event, we have already put together attractive packages. Contact me directly to learn more before we share it with the other members.

Also, don’t miss out on the inspiring company visits which we have restarted. The next one will take place on October 20 where we will visit the Bangkok Air Catering operations at Suvanabhumi Airport. You can find the full information here: https://swissthai.glueup.com/event/stcc-members-exclusive-site-visit-bangkok-air-catering-group-61043/

STCC Strategy Meeting

At our first Strategy Meeting that took place at the end of September, the Board established three different working groups:

• Thai-EFTA FTA: Chaired by Ms. Sheena Flannery, Group Director of Group Marketing, Healthcare and Consumer Goods, DKSH.
• Sustainability: Co-chaired by: Jacqueline Kuratli, SCG-Dow Group CFO of Dow Thailand Group and Andreas Wanner, Co-Founder of Mister Loo.
• STCC 25th Anniversary: Chair: Robert Woodrich, Founder and CEO of PAPER&PAGE.

You can read more about the meeting in the Newsletter and we look forward to your active participation in these working groups!

Business Fast Track (BFT) Program

For those members who have not already done so, I would encourage you to make use of our latest service that we offer at the chamber, the BFT Schengen Visa Program for business travels of your staff to Switzerland. As a BFT participant, your company and directly employed persons of your company will benefit from a faster and leaner visa application process:

• Reduced documents needed for visa application (see information sheet)
• Facilitated Submission at VFS Global via BFT appointment system
• Longer visa validity (minimum 1 year)

Don’t hesitate and contact us if you are interested and we will guide you through the lean registration process.

I look forward to see you soon at one of our events!

David Stauffacher

Executive Director