Dear Friends and Members of the STCC

An old Chinese proverb goes, “if we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed”, and there is definitely some wisdom in it. It is with some mixed emotions though, that after having written the President’s message 7 ½ years to you, our respected reader, this will be my last one. 2 years ago, our leadership team embarked on a major Chamber transformation project, where we considerably changed the direction of our Chamber. We upgraded our Chamber from a part-time volunteer organization to a professional one with our own employed Executive Director and full-time local staff, our own office on the premises of the Swiss Embassy, a very solid financial foundation grace to our corporate sponsors, increased revenue streams other than membership fees, more relevant network events and business activities for our members and, last but not least, excellent relations with the Swiss Embassy, Royal Thai Government, Board of Trade, and Foreign Joint Chambers of Commerce. We also updated our communication tools and are now highly active on several social media platforms and our monthly Newsletter also received a major face lifting. With the increased responsibilities and skills placed upon our leadership team, we were also able to attract younger professionals as STCC members and to our Board of Directors (BOD). Actually, we have now the most diverse leadership team in place in the history of our Chamber. It has been an incredible success story which would not have been feasible without your tremendous support.

Find all the pictures of the event here: https://bit.ly/3uIqwm6 & Video

After growth was slowed by the pandemic, the participating chambers have decided to help reignite growth, embrace the future, and position Swiss companies as valuable partners in the region. They have chosen a strong “Team Switzerland” approach, in which the Swiss private sector will cooperate with the federal government and the chambers.

The first step towards deepening chamber relations is taking place in the context of a series of conference events on the topic of sustainability, one of the two key thematic focus areas of Switzerland’s Foreign Economic Policy Strategy. This conference series allows Swiss companies to showcase solutions and technologies contributing to sustainable growth as well as their regional approaches in corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The collaboration is kicking off with four webinar events in 2022 showcasing Swiss companies’ sustainability efforts in APAC and sharing their expertise and best practices with the community, with an audience of around 150 online participants, among them business leaders from the SwissCham APAC Network, the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland (SACC), and governmental stakeholders in APAC and Switzerland.

The economy showed signs of a rebound in Q4 2021. However, the combined shocks of the ongoing Omicron wave and the fallout of the Ukraine-Russia conflict on global energy prices, tourism and financial markets, will further set back the recovery. The number of foreign tourists fell in January, due to a pause of the Test and Go program amid rising COVID cases.

The current account deficit widened as the goods trade surplus narrowed and the services trade deficit remained large. The Thai baht appreciated in February as investors gained confidence in Thai equity and bond markets, only to depreciate in March due to a global flight to safety as the Ukraine-Russia conflict intensified.

Surging global energy prices caused inflation to rise significantly to 5.3% but second-round inflation pressures remained contained. The banking system remained resilient, despite deteriorated asset quality

The revenue department’s announcement regarding taxing cryptocurrency has been in effect on 13 May 2018; however, investors continue to face confusion, controversy, and other difficulties.

In January, the department held a public hearing with representatives from the public and private sectors. To explore digital asset tax guidelines, representatives from the Bank of Thailand, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Thai Digital Asset Association, the Fiscal Policy Office and investor groups met to arrive at a digital asset tax collection approach appropriate for the current situation.

The guidelines are under the Revenue Code Amendment Act (No. 19) B.E. 2561 (2018). The taxable transactions must be conducted through the digital asset exchange platform under the SEC only.

It might be an understatement to say that the pandemic had a negative impact business-wise, not just on IGNIV Bangkok, but on the whole industry. It has also been challenging mentally. Last year we closed and reopened three times which can be tough and difficult at times to stay motivated. On the positive side, it gave us some time to breathe after the hectic few months leading up to the opening, and we had the chance to rethink, fine-tune and evolve.

We are all extremely proud – not only my IGNIV family here in Bangkok but also in Switzerland. To be recognized with a Michelin star for our unique sharing concept so shortly after opening is amazing and it has given our whole team at IGNIV by Andreas Caminada a boost of confidence. As head chef, it is a humbling reminder of teamwork, and the importance of working with my team instead of them working for me. I am very thankful for the support I get from my Sous Chef Arne Riehn and all members of my kitchen and service team as well as our partner St.Regis. And the lead I get from Andreas Caminada. Due to the pandemic, he has to have even more trust in our work– and it feels very good to prove him right!

Mr. Loo and COTTO have teamed up to design and provide public toilets at Ratanakorn Wanasin Market in Pattaya City, Chonburi Province. The aim is to create a new public toilet experience that is clean, comfortable, safe and hygienic, as well as looking beautiful in local style. By choosing products from COTTO that are modern, user-friendly, safe and beautiful, and reduce the risk of germ contamination. with sensor system and a sink with ULTRACLEAN+ coating that reduces the accumulation of germs by itself by up to 99

Sales revenue totaled USD 4,124 million (approximately THB 131,861 million) with EBITDA of USD 1,778 million (approximately THB 56,846 million), an increase of 216% from the previous year and net profit of USD 304 million (approximately THB 9,719 million), an increase of 643% compared to the last year

Accelerating the progress of the Greener & Smarter strategy towards the goal of delivering “Smarter Energy for the Future” by leveraging digital technology and cutting-edge innovations to expand greener energy and energy technology businesses to embrace future trends

At RIS Swiss Section, the dynamic pandemic situation in in the month of March led to almost daily changes and adjustments in school operations. However, thanks to the tireless efforts of teachers and administrative staff it was possible to run even the special project and theme weeks so students could have fun and enjoy some variety and joint extracurricular activities outside the regular timetable.

Also, the SEA Annual General Meeting 2021 was successfully held in its second meeting on March 23 as an online event (eAGM). Congratulations to the old and new school board members on their election and wishing them best of luck in this shortened legislative period until the next AGM in October 2022.

The school is now closed for Easter and Songkran holidays until April 18. Right after this well-deserved break, things will get serious for our graduating class when the written Matura examinations begin on April 20. Wishing them every success for their exams - and until then: Happy Easter and “Suk San Wan Songkran”!

New brand ÅF and Pöyry come together as AFRY. We are combining 125 years of global hydropower experience in one of the top 5 knowledge powerhouses for Hydropower.

AFRY has 17,000 employees in more than 100 countries to provide sustainable engineering solutions in the changing energy markets. AFRY is at the forefront of technological innovations in hydropower generation.

The increasing need for clean energy through the greater use of hydropower is a socio-political necessity today. We are here to make it happen.

Founded in 1999, the Asian Trails Group has grown to become Asia’s leading destination management company. Operating in 10 countries across East and South-East Asia, backed by global representation offices that offer support to our clients in their respective locations and time zone, we continue to blaze new paths in travel.

Asian Trails is known to be extremely dedicated to delivering personalised and unique experiences that are created through specialised local knowledge, technological innovation, extensive experience and a deep connection with our destinations and host communities.

Plastic welding machines and hot air heaters

We are the solutions for welding in civil engineering and tunnel construction, fabric and tarp, plastic pipes and tanks, roofing membranes , PVC floor coverings, or shrinking and packaging in industrial processes.

EHL Hospitality Business School prepares students and professionals of all ages and backgrounds for the future of hospitality and customer experiences. EHL has been a pioneer in hospitality education since its founding as Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in 1893. It has been ranked world #1 by QS World University Ranking for Hospitality and Leisure Management and by CEO World ranking for three years in a row, 2019-2021.

EHL’s united community consists over 25,000 alumni in 150 countries. With campuses in Switzerland and Singapore, EHL brings the best balance of Europe and Asia to its education offering.

For more information, please visit theEHL website.

DER FARANG is the most important news publication for German-speaking people interested in Thailand and has been offering a mix of local reporting, news, travel highlights, seasonal festivals and events. The magazine and the PDF edition are published every fortnight for expats, residents and tourists in Thailand. The printed edition is read by more than 25,000 readers each month and reaches Thailand fans at home around the world. The online news portal is updated several times a day with local and international news and has around 360,000 readers monthly and the popular news email is sent daily to 8,500 subscribers."

As market leader in Thailand, Novatech offer pump solutions to all industries ranging from F&B, pharmaceutical, chemical, oil & gas, ceramics, paint, and mining. We are the exclusive distributor and service provider for many renowned brands of pumps, most notably Wilden and Tuthill.

Novatech provides full-scope solutions for aviation service vehicles including the design, manufacturing, and repair of refuellers, hydrant dispensers, runway sweepers, runway rubber removal vehicles, and pit cleaning vehicles represented across the region at various international airports. All vehicles are custom-built to internationally accepted standards.

Furthermore Novatech is also entrusted by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans as the exclusive representative for Thailand.

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