Vietnam Business Forum – Key Outcomes and Outlook: the Inside Story

Mar 1, 2022 4:00 PM - 7:30 PM New World Saigon Hotel Event Level Rating: II

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REGISTRATION GUIDELINE

Virtual and physical participation are available.

For physical attendees, please register in advance to reserve your seat.

For virtual attendees, please register to receive the Zoom link.

You are invited to join this special hybrid event co-organized by AmCham and EuroCham to learn the inside story and key outcomes from the February 18 Technical Sessions and February 21 High-level VBF with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and the outlook for Vietnam and the VBF for 2022. The event is co-hosted with Consortium Member Chambers BritCham, JCCI, KoCham, and other chambers.

IFC Acting Country Director Amy Luinstra will offer opening remarks. Outgoing VBF Co-Chair and JCCI Board Member Tetsu Funayama will share his perspective on key outcomes for 2021. AmCham VBF Representative Fred Burke will moderate a discussion with key Working Group Leads on key results and insights. The event will conclude with a “fireside chat” with EuroCham Chair Alain Cany (and unofficial Godfather of the VBF) representing views of EuroCham on its 2022 role as Co-Chair and Fred Burke, also a dedicated VBF guru, on the the outlook of VBF for 2022, including plans to strengthen its effectiveness in serving member chambers.

While a main purpose of the event is to allow an opportunity for HCMC-based business representatives to learn about and discuss the VBF outcomes and outlook, we will hold the event in a hybrid format to allow participation of both speakers and members of the audience, wherever you are located. We look forward to seeing many members and friends for productive discussion, and a follow-on cocktail networking session for those who can join in-person!

AGENDA

4:00 PM	Check-in for physical guests
4:15 PM	Check-in for virtual guests
4:30 PM	Welcome
4:35 PM	Remarks by International Finance Corporation Acting Vietnam Country Director Amy Luinstra
4:40 PM	Remarks by 2021 VBF Co-Chair and JCCI Board Member Tetsu Funayama
4:45 PM	Discussion of Working Group Key Outcomes and Insights, moderated by AmCham VBF Representative Fred Burke
5:30 PM	“Fireside Chat” on the 2022 Outlook for Vietnam and the VBF with EuroCham Chair Alain Cany, representing the 2022 EuroCham Co-Chair position, and AmCham VBF Representative Fred Burke, moderated by AmCham Vietnam Executive Director Mary Tarnowka
5:55 PM	Closing remarks – Outlook for 2022 – Incoming VBF Co-Chair Soren Pedersen, EuroCham
6:00 PM	Networking reception Virtual event ends
7:30 PM	Event ends

COST

SPEAKERS

Amy Luinstra

Program Manager, Gender, East Asia and Pacific

International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Ms. Luinstra manages gender programs, engages businesses, and advises colleagues on gender and economic inclusion across Asia Pacific at the International Financial Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group. Ms. Luinstra leads activities aimed at improving business outcomes through investing in workplace gender equality; including women in agribusiness value chains; facilitating access to finance and markets for women entrepreneurs; reaching female consumers as a distinct market segment; and addressing gender-based violence.

Previously, Ms. Luinstra managed the Better Work program for IFC, a partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and over 70 leading clothing brands that has improved the working conditions of over 3 million garment workers worldwide. Ms. Luinstra has worked at the ILO in Geneva and as a social protection and labor policy specialist at the World Bank in Washington, DC. She has experience in more than two dozen countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, South and East Asia, and the Pacific Islands. She has been interviewed or had work featured on BBC, CNBC, Asia Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post among other media outlets. Ms. Luinstra lives in Hanoi, Vietnam with her husband and twin sons.

CONSORTIUM

Tetsu Funayama

2021 Co-Chair

Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (JCCI)

Funayama Tetsu is President and General Director of Mitsubishi Corporation (Vietnam) Co., Ltd and a Board Member of JCCI. After graduating from University of Tokyo in 1991, he joined Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and in 1992 he was assigned to Hanoi as its first Vietnamese language trainee studying Vietnamese in University of Hanoi for 2 years and late in 1990s he stayed in Vietnam as new business development manager of MC. During his career in MC Headquarter since 2000, he has been in charge of new business development in such markets as Columbia, Myanmar, Turkey and so on. After being assigned as country representative of MC in Vietnam in 2016, he actively engages in a wide range of businesses such as power generation business, automobile manufacturing / sales, real estate development, retail (including UNIQLO Vietnam) and so on.

Alain Cany

2021 Rep

EuroCham

Alain Cany began his career at Credit Commercial de France, holding various executive positions in France before working as Deputy General Manager and Head of Business Development in Hong Kong and Chief Representative in South Korea for the company.
In 1994 he became General Manager of CCF in Hong Kong.

He then moved to HSBC as the Head of European Business Development at the regional headquarters in Hong Kong and the President and Chief Executive Officer for HSBC Vietnam for 4 years from 2003.

Mr. Cany has been Group Country Chairman of Jardine Matheson Vietnam since August 2007 and Chief Representative and Senior Advisor of N.M Rothschild & Sons until August 2013.

Mr. Cany has been Co-Chairman of the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) 2012- 2014, representing foreign businesses.

Mr. Cany was Chairman of Eurocham Vietnam for 7 years from 2005 – 2012. He has returned as Chairman since 2021.

He holds a BA in economic sciences from the University of Paris and was awarded Chevalier de la Legion d’ Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by the President of the Republic of France in 2002 and Officer of the French National Merit Order.

Mr. Cany was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister on 6 January 2011 and a Friendship Medal by the President of The Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 30 March 2011.

Soren Roed Pedersen

2022 Co-Chair

EuroCham

Born in 1978 in Randers, Denmark.

Educated as a commercial pilot but moved away from the aviation business in 2005, to start up Julie Sandlau’s Jewelry factory in Hanoi, Vietnam

Completed an Executive MBA in 2014

Been living in Vietnam since 2006 serving as General Director of Julie Sandlau Vietnam.

WORKING GROUP LEADS

David Whitehead

Agribusiness

David Whitehead is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mavin Group, a multi-faceted agribusiness enterprise with feedmills, farms and other facilities throughout Vietnam.

He has also been involved in international moving and logistics since 2005. David has held the Allied Pickfords franchise for Vietnam since December 2012. Allied Pickfords is an internationally renowned moving and logistics organisation.

Tim Evans

Banking

Tim Evans is the CEO of HSBC Vietnam. A highly experienced and versatile executive with deep knowledge of HSBC’s franchise in emerging markets, Evans joined the HSBC Group 26 years ago. Since then he has held many senior leadership roles with the Group across three continents and seven markets.

Before taking the helm at HSBC Vietnam, Mr. Evans served as HSBC’s Regional Head of Commercial Banking, International Markets in Asia-Pacific, covering Bangladesh, Mauritius, New Zealand, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (China), Thailand, and Vietnam.

He was formerly HSBC’s Regional Head of Middle Market Enterprises in Asia-Pacific, where he covered 19 markets, and Regional Head of Global Trade and Receivables Finance and Chief Operating Officer of HSBC’s Commercial Banking business in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, overseeing ten countries and territories.

Brian O’Reilly

Education & Training

Mr Brian O’Reilly is the MBA Program Coordinator at the Vietnamese-German University (VGU). He is a Director and former President of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AusCham) and has served on the AusCham Board for over 12 years. Brian is also the Chair of the Education and Training Working Group of the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF), the Vice-Chair, Advocacy for the Education and Training Committee, and the Southeastern Vietnam Delegate for Community Building for the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham). Brian has been working in Vietnam for over 19 years in higher education, management consulting, and corporate training. He has extensive experience in higher education and launched Vietnam’s first 100% foreign MBA program in Vietnam in 2003.

Dr. Michael DiGregorio

Environment

Dr. Michael R. DiGregorio is the Asia Foundation’s Vietnam Country Representative. He has directed the Foundation’s work in Vietnam since 2014, during which time he has led new projects and programs to address business related disaster risk, city level climate resilience, green finance, blockchain traceability for export agriculture, digital applications for the “gig” economy, trade facilitation, energy planning, and digital finance for rural and remote farmers and small enterprise owners.

Michael earned a PhD in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2001 with a dissertation on the cultural economy of industrializing craft villages in the Red River Delta. His MA in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Hawaii was published in 1994 as “Urban Harvest: Recycling as a Peasant Industry in Northern Vietnam”. Dr. DiGregorio also holds an MA in Development Economics from Ohio University and serves as an affiliate faculty member at the University of Hawaii. He holds a BA in Theology from Central Bible College.

Mike has been an AmCham member for more than 20 years, and has been a member of the Hanoi Chapter Board for half of that time. As Secretary of the Hanoi Chapter, he is also currently a member of the National Board.

Ha Nguyen

Digital Economy

Ha Nguyen is AWS’s Country Public Policy Lead, based in Hanoi and responsible for advancing digital economic policy issues and engaging with government agencies in Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. Amazon Web Services – the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform – launched in Vietnam in 2017 and is providing cloud computing tools that are helping Vietnamese startups and big enterprises to lower their IT costs, improve their cyber security, increase their regional competitiveness, and experiment with innovative services like big data, Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence.

Ha has extensive experience working in both private sector’s international institutions and government agencies, with focus on foreign investments. Before joining AWS, she was a member of the management team and director of government affairs of Citi Vietnam, engaging with key economic ministries, financial services regulators and industry groups to advance policy issues aimed at growing and protecting business operations for foreign and domestic companies in various segments. Ha worked in Vietnam’s trade ministry coordinating the implementation of Vietnam’s market access commitments with EU and North America in banking, sea transportation, pharmacy and telecom sectors. Prior to that, she held roles in the State Securities Commission, participating in setting up the legal framework for the country’s capital market, trading, settlement and listing rules for local exchanges and corporate governance practices for listed companies.

Ha has been a long-time member of AmCham, contributing to numerous AmCham and other associations’ policy recommendations to the Government. She has been instrumental in AmCham’s advocacy efforts to address most challenging digital economy policy issues. The last two years have seen unprecedented turbulences from Covid 19 pandemic, Ha was involved in initiatives supporting Vietnamese enterprises and startups to sustain their business, educational institutions to continue training activities, working with government ministries and local ICT community to increase adoption of new technologies. Vietnamese Government has set its digital transformation strategy and Ha wishes to advocate for US companies’ active participation in accelerating the country’s digital transformation to boost the economic recovery and sustainable growth.

Ha holds a bachelor’s degree from Hanoi Foreign Trade University and a Master of Public Policy from Japan’s Graduate Institute for Policy Studies under the joint Government of Japan – IMF scholarship.

Marieke Van Der Pijl

Governance & Transparency

Marieke van der Pijl is Practice Manager at ACSV Legal. She joined the team in June 2017. Marieke has worked as the Knowledge & Business Development Manager of the law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel, Vietnam. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam and a member of the Board of the Dutch Business Association (DBAV) in Vietnam and chairs the advocacy group within the DBAV. Marieke has been the Vice-Chair and Legal Consultant of the Food, Agri and Aqua Business Sector Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, and Chair of the Agribusiness Working Group of the Vietnam Business Forum. Before moving to Vietnam in 2011, she held various legal positions in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Marieke holds an LL.M in European and International Law of the Radboud University, Netherlands. She has studied a year at the Law Faculty of the University of Poitiers, France.

She is the co-author of the article Corporate Governance in Vietnam – its significance and challenges as published in the International Journal of Corporate Governance, Vol. 7, No. 1, 2016 and author of the chapter on Food Safety and Agriculture in the Whitebook of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, edition 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and edited the Whitebook 2012 and 2021 editions.

Marieke speaks fluent Dutch, French, English, Italian and also Vietnamese, German and Spanish.

Colin Blackwell

Human Resources

Colin is Chairman of the Human Resources Group of the World Bank’s Vietnam Business Forum, representing chambers of commerce to the government on policy advocacy. His social enterprise creates artificial intelligence machine learning careers for people with disabilities and is a global impact portfolio member of the World Bank’s solutions for youth employment consortium. Previously Colin has worked for PwC and for multinational corporates in global HR leadership roles at the head office level. He is judging many global business competitions including the United Nations Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge, the United Nations Hult Prize and the Vietnam HR Awards

Tony Foster

Infrastructure

Tony established Freshfields Vietnam offices in 1994 and has lived and practised in Vietnam ever since, giving him an unparalleled experience and knowledge of business there. Tony is responsible for the work of the firm’s Vietnamese and foreign lawyers whose legal and practical knowledge – combined with international quality standards – produces one of the best legal teams in the country. Tony was the first foreign lawyer to be awarded a medal by the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice, has been recognised for many years by numerous legal surveys as being at the top of the profession in Vietnam, and – in the most recent survey – is in his own separate “star” ratings category by Chambers. Tony has 33 years of experience (including 26 years of experience with Freshfields in Vietnam). During more than two decades in Vietnam, Tony has been actively involved in countless major infrastructure projects. He is the chairman of the infrastructure committee of the national Vietnam Business Forum which meets twice a year with senior Government authorities to discuss issues. Tony advises both developers and lenders on many large-scale infrastructure projects in Vietnam, including numerous major power projects.

Seck Yee Chung

Investment & Trade

Seck Yee Chung leads the Firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions, IT/C and Healthcare practices in Vietnam. He is highly regarded in his field – Chambers and Asia Pacific Legal 500 rank him as a leading lawyer in the field of Corporate/M&A and TMT.

Chung has worked in Vietnam since 1999 and has been involved in significant cross-border transactions. He delivers sound and pragmatic advice on regulatory and transactional matters, particularly on foreign investment, market access, private and public M&A, securities, competition and anti-corruption, commercial activities, and data use, over a diverse range of sectors, from digital economy, healthcare, and consumer products, to food & beverage, manufacturing, property, and aviation.

He is a member of the Law Society of Singapore and serves as Vice President of the Singapore Business Group, Ho Chi Minh City.

Bill Howell

Mining

Bill Howell is an economic geologist with more than 50 years’ experience in all aspects of exploration management and mine feasibility studies with major international and junior corporations around the world. As former Head of Overseas Exploration for BHP (now BHP-Billiton) and Managing Director of Normandy and Newmont Mining exploration activities in South East Asia, he has led teams through the stages of discovery to feasibility of several major copper-gold deposits in developing countries.

Bill has been involved in evaluating Vietnam’s mineral potential since 1992. He is Head of the Mining Working Group of the Vietnam Business Forum, and has represented Vietnam at annual meetings of the APEC Mining Task Force.

He has been co-founder and/or Chairman of Australian ASX-listed, Toronto TSX-listed and London AIM-listed junior companies, including as director and then non-executive Chairman of TSX-listed Asian Mineral Resources Ltd until 2012, which developed the Ban Phuc nickel sulphide mine in Son La Province, Vietnam.

Bill is currently the sole director and owner of Triple Plate Junction Limited which is exploring a potentially major copper-gold project in Lai Chau Province, Vietnam.

He is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (FAusIMM) and a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists (FSEG).

Mark Gillin

Tax and Customs

Mark Gillin has been identifying, developing and investing in business opportunities in Indochina since 1993. He is a founder, Chairman, and Managing Director of America Indochina Management Ltd. (AIM) a diversified Holding Company with operations throughout Vietnam and Cambodia. Since its founding in 1996, AIM has established market leadership in a variety of product categories covering a diverse range of industries including Construction Materials, Specialty Furniture, Consumer Products and Industrial Consumables.

He is also a founder and Chairman of AIM Capital Management Ltd, an investment management company that provides expansion capital and strategic and operational support to small and medium sized companies throughout Indochina. AIM Capital Management has invested in Healthcare, Media, Technology, Furniture, Hospitality, and Consumer Products.

Mark has successfully managed businesses in a number of different markets at various stages of development (Japan, Hong Kong, Guam, Vietnam, Cambodia). Prior to coming to Vietnam in 1993, he spent five years with Getz Bros., the oldest and largest US non-commodities trading company, where he worked closely on marketing and distribution issues with leading MNCs including Nestlé, Mobile Chemical, Kimberly-Clark, Abbott Labs, Colgate-Palmolive, Heineken and others.

He has served as non-executive board member of Navigos, AA Corporation, Japan Vietnam Medical Corporation and Indochina Assets Limited. During his previous six years service as a member of Board of Governors, 2010-2015, he was Chairman in 2013 and Vice Chairman in 2012 and 2014.

Martin Koerner

Tourism

Martin is an accomplished sales and marketing specialist with extensive experience working in Asia. For the past ten years Martin worked in various senior positions, such as in the board of directors of HG Holdings, Group Director Sales, Marketing & Distribution of The Anam Group or Commercial Director of Alma.

Martin serves in the Executive Board of the European Chamber of Commerce Vietnam and chairs its Tourism & Hospitality Committee, further he is elected to the Board of the German Business Association Vietnam. Martin is also the current Chairman of the Tourism Working Group of the Vietnam Business Forum, a high level consultive group to the Vietnamese central government.

Martin is frequently invited as keynote speaker for seminars and business forums and regularly appears on Vietnam’s national TV for interviews. He is also a prominent contributor in newspapers and magazines such as Vietnam Economic Times, Vietnam Investment Review and VNExpress.

MODERATOR & MC

Fred Burke

AmCham VBF Rep

Fred has been active in AmCham in Vietnam since it was first established in 1994. He served as a member of the Board of Governors from 1995 – 2003 and was Chairman in 1997. After a hiatus of four years, he was re-elected to the Board in December 2007. Before coming to Vietnam in 1991, he served as the Secretary and Member of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, China. Fred Burke is a Senior Advisor of Baker McKenzie, based in Vietnam. He has more than 30 years’ experience practicing in the areas of International Trade, Taxation & Customs, Real Estate, Hotels & Resorts, Renewable Energy, Project Finance and Dispute Resolution. Fred currently serves as a member of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council on Administrative Reform in Vietnam. He served as the Investment & Trade Working Group Chair for the Vietnam Business Forum for over a decade and joined the VBF Member’s Council in 2020. He has extensive experience working with Vietnam legislators and law drafting committees on the full range of new laws and decrees integrating Vietnam into the global economy.

Mary Tarnowka

Executive Director, AmCham Vietnam

Mary Tarnowka joined AmCham Vietnam as Executive Director in August 2019. She continues to carry out AmCham’s long-term mission to strengthen the U.S.-Vietnam trade and investment partnership and serve as the “voice of American business” in Vietnam, established when it was founded informally just after the trade embargo was lifted in 1994. Under her leadership, AmCham Vietnam has been revitalized. It is one of the largest, diverse, and inclusive foreign business associations in Vietnam. Its network of active committees and extensive range of events provide members valuable opportunities for professional networking, business intelligence, advocacy, and business promotion. AmCham strives to be the most strategic and influential business association in Vietnam – that drives innovation and sustainable growth and helps its members succeed. A community you want to join!

Mary is an international trade and economic expert with decades of experience managing organizations and policy advocacy in Asia. Prior to joining AmCham, Mary served as the U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City. As a career diplomat and member of the Senior Foreign Service, Mary has served throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including postings in Seoul, Delhi, Shanghai, and Taipei, as well as at the State Department’s China Desk and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Before joining the State Department, Mary worked as a CPA and Tax Manager at KPMG’s San Francisco Office. Mary also serves as a Director on the Board of VinaCapital GS Energy.

CO-ORGANIZERS & CO-HOSTS

CO-ORGANIZERS

CO-HOSTS