In a statement prepared for publishing on the website of the Thai-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce (http://www.norcham.com/) President Axel Blom explains the reasons behind the decision to cancel the current office sharing contract with the Thai-Swedish Chamber of Commerce.
The statement confirms that the Chamber aims at a cut over date by 1 July 2008. Currently, interviews are taking place with a number of identified potential Executive Director and Chamber Secretary.
A final decision on the Chamber’s office location has not been made, although a closer co-operation with Innovation Norway in regards to office and activities is desired, and preliminary meetings with Innovation Norway have been held. A decision will be made during May 2008.
Chamber President Axel Blom and Vice President Vibeke Leirvaag are in charge of the transition
President Axel Blom’s full statement reads like this:
For quite some time the Thai-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce has been hampered by lack of resources and this has put a brake on an expansion of the activity level of the Chamber. 2007 featured an expanded programme including the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Project as well as the Business Seminar held in November 2007, but the resources were extremely squeezed, and it was clear that it was impossible to continue to expand without adding resources.
Simply, a crossroad had been reached and a choice between two scenarios had to be made:
1. Increase activities and the ambition level of the Chamber in order
to add more value for members and also increase revenue earning opportunities
2. Scale back the activity level in the Chamber to a bare minimum and
tag on to the TSCC
On 12 February the issue was brought up at the Board Meeting, and the Board voted for a stand-alone scenario. The issue was also brought to the Members’
attention at the Annual General Meeting on 20 March. The Board is aiming to cut over to the stand-alone scenario from 1 July 2008. The changes aim to strengthen the Chamber so it can better serve and add value to the members.
The increased activity level will focus on expanding business activities in Thailand as well as strengthening the business relations between Thailand and Norway
Chamber President Axel Blom and Vice President Vibeke Leirvaag are in charge of the transition. John Svengren, the joint Swedish and Norwegian Executive Director, is also very much part of the transition team, and will oversee the practical transition and knowledge transfer.
We are now looking for a dedicated local Norwegian Executive Director and Chamber Secretary, both starting in July 2008. Several local Executive Director candidates have been identified, and interviews are taking place. A final decision on the Chamber’s office location has not been made, although a closer co-operation with Innovation Norway in regards to office and activities is desired, and preliminary meetings with Innovation Norway have been held. A decision will be made during May 2008.
Finally, Chamber President Axel Blom would like to thank the Thai Swedish Chamber of Commerce and in particular John Svengren for his dedicated work for many years and his understanding for the current situation. The transition team will work at making the cutover as easy as possible with ample time for handover so that all aspects of practical Chamber operation can be taken into account.
