[Members Only] European Chamber Annual General Meeting 2023 Go back »
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Time2023-05-24 | 14:30 - 18:00
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Venue:The Four Seasons Hotel, 3rd Floor, Tang I-III
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Address:No. 48 Liang Ma Qiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100125
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Fee:Members: Free* (please read notice below)
Please note that this is a members-only event. Online participation is also available.
To register, please contact Mr Luyang Syvänen at lsyvanen@europeanchamber.com.cn by latest Monday, 22nd May 2023.
Kindly note that you must have registered for the AGM, and received confirmation of your registration by email, before 18:00 on Monday, 22nd May 2023, to participate.
The designated representative from the primary legal entity registered with the European Chamber with voting rights (or the assigned proxy) are given priority on a first-come-first-served basis to register to attend the AGM in person, with one (1) representative per company.
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China will take place on Wednesday 24th May 2023 in Beijing at the Four Seasons Hotel Beijing. The AGM will be available for members to join both online and in person.
At this year’s AGM, elections will be held for the president (1 position), vice presidents (3 positions), and treasurer (1 position). The elected president, vice presidents and treasurer shall serve for a two-year term on the Executive Committee of the European Chamber (2023-2025).
The online voting period will open at 10am on Wednesday, 17th May and will close at 10am on Monday, 22nd May. The online voting information will only be sent via email (noreply@electionrunner.com) to the designated representative from the primary legal entity registered with the European Chamber with voting rights.
Due to seating limitations, for those who wish to join in person, the designated representative from the primary legal entity registered with the European Chamber with voting rights (or the assigned proxy) are given priority on a first-come-first-served basis to register to attend the AGM in person, with one (1) representative per company. Additional tickets may be available at a later date at an additional cost. Please kindly indicate whether you will attend online or in person when registering.
The EU Ambassador to China and the Honourary President of the European Chamber, His Excellency Jorge Toledo Albiñana, will deliver a keynote speech at the AGM. President Jörg Wuttke will present the Chamber's Annual Report showcasing the key moments and achievements from 2022. The chairs from six local chapters of the Chamber will also provide an overview of the achievements of their respective chapters.
Within the nomination period, the Chamber secretariat and the returning officer had received and approved the candidacies for the following positions (in alphabetical order of company names):
President (1 position)
Vice Presidents (3 positions)
Treasurer (1 position)
Agenda
14:30 – 15:00 Registration
15:00 – 15:05 Opening Remarks
- Jörg Wuttke, President, European Chamber
15:05 – 15:25 Keynote Speech by the Honourary President of the European Chamber
- H.E. Jorge Toledo Albiñana, EU Ambassador to China, Delegation of the European Union to China
15:25 – 15:40 Annual Report
- Jörg Wuttke, President, European Chamber
15:40 – 16:00 Address from the outgoing chairs from six local chapters of the European Chamber
- Andreas Risch, Nanjing Chapter
- Bettina Schoen-Behanzin, Shanghai Chapter
- Harald Kumpfert, Shenyang Chapter
- Klaus Zenkel, South China Chapter
- Massimo Bagnasco, Southwest China Chapter
- Christoph Schrempp, Tianjin Chapter
16:00 – 16:10 Finance Report
- Xiaobo Zhang, Treasurer
16:10 – 16:20 Auditor's Report
- Thierry Labarre, Mazars
16:20 – 16:30 Introduction to Election Procedures
Discharge of Responsibility of the Outgoing Executive Committee
- Mervi Kahlos, Returning Officer
16:30 – 17:00 Candidates Speeches
17:00 – 17:20 Casting of Votes
17:20 – 17:35 Coffee Break
17:35 – 17:50 Recognition of the Outgoing President
17:50 – 17:55 Announcement of Election Results
17:55 – 18:00 Closing Remarks
Who can attend the AGM and election meeting?
All members (including those who do not meet the requirements for voting and standing for election) have the right to participate, with the designated representative from the primary legal entity registered with the European Chamber given priority on a first-come-first-served basis to attend the AGM in person, with one (1) representative per company. However, only members who meet the criteria below can vote or run for election.
Kindly note that you will need to register, and have your registration confirmed by email, before 18:00 on Monday, 22nd May 2023, in order to participate.
How can I run for elections?
The nomination period was from 18:00 on Thursday, 6th April 2023, until 18:00 on Friday, 5th May 2023.
Who can vote in the election?
You can vote at the election if you:
1a) Are the designated representative (the main contact from the primary legal entity registered with the European Chamber); or
1b) Are an individual member; and
2. Have paid the membership fees in respect of the year 2023, as well as any outstanding obligations for the previous year (if the Chamber has notified you that your membership payment and/or any other outstanding payment has not been received or confirmed, please make sure the payment is made, or provide a signed and stamped agreement to confirm the payment, no later than 18:00 on Monday, 22nd May 2023, Beijing time)
Eligible members with voting rights may only cast one vote per company. Please contact Luyang Syvänen at lsyvanen@europeanchamber.com.cn to confirm your eligibility.
How can I vote at the election?
Updates to the Articles of Association, approved during the AGM in 2016, have made voting more convenient by introducing the option of e-voting. There are three ways to vote:
1. In person by secret ballot at the election venue on Wednesday, 24th May 2023. Please note that even if you have voting rights confirmed by the Secretariat of the Chamber, you must have registered for the AGM in Beijing by 18:00 on Monday, 22nd May 2023, in order to exercise this vote.
2. Electronic voting will open at 10am on Wednesday, 17th May and will close at 10am on Monday, 22nd May. Please note that the designated representative of your company, from the primary legal entity registered with the European Chamber with voting rights, will receive a designated link via email (noreply@electionrunner.com) to access the online voting information. If you vote in advance by electronic voting you will not receive a ballot to vote again in person if you have also registered to attend the AGM.
3. Assign a proxy to vote on your behalf by 18:00 on Monday, 22nd May 2023. Please fill in the proxy form and send a scanned copy by e-mail to Luyang Syvänen at lsyvanen@europeanchamber.com.cn, or deliver it in person at the Chamber office in Beijing (Office C412, Beijing Yansha Center, 50 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100125, P.R. China).
Proxies received after the deadline or in a format different from those listed above won’t be accepted.
The proxy must be a colleague from your own legal entity, and he/she must be present in person to vote. The requirement has only two exceptions:
1. An individual member, who may give his/her proxy to another individual member / corporate member with voting rights.
2. The main contact from a primary legal entity located in a chapter other than Beijing, without an additional membership in Beijing chapter. In such cases, another designated representative of a corporate member with voting rights may serve as the proxy.
For more information, please refer to the Articles of Association and By-Laws of the European Chamber, or contact Mr Luyang Syvänen about your eligibility to participate, vote and/or run at the elections at lsyvanen@europeanchamber.com.cn.
Effective from 1st February 2023 through to 1st July 2023, the National and Local Election Commissions, appointed by the Executive Committee (ExCo) of the European Chamber in line with Article 1.1.2 of the By-laws, will formally assume their duties to support this year’s elections.
The Election Commissions at both national and liaison office levels have been created with the mission to: 1) promote a strong and diversified European Union business identity at the Board level (ExCo and liaison office boards); 2) improve consistency, transparency and efficiency of the Chamber’s ExCo and liaison office boards election processes; and 3) reinforce the competencies of Boards (ExCo and liaison office boards) aligned with the Chamber’s original core mission.
Please click here to find the full list of individuals appointed by the ExCo to the inaugural year of the Chamber’s Election Commissions.
Downloads
Some documents are only available to download by members in National.
If you are a member please login to our website first to download the documents.
Nomination Form 2023 - AGM Beijing Members only |
Motivation Letter 2023 - AGM Beijing Members only |
Proxy Form 2023 - AGM Beijing Members only |
Jens Eskelund (Maersk) - AGM 2023 Motivation Letter Members only |
Bruno Weill (BNP Paribas) - AGM 2023 Motivation Letter Members only |
Miguel Montoya (KPMG) - AGM 2023 Motivation Letter Members only |
Stefan Bernhart (Volkswagen) - AGM 2023 Motivation Letter Members only |
Magnus Sprenger (Ernst & Young) - AGM 2023 Motivation Letter Members only |
Xiaobo Zhang (TotalEnergies) - AGM 2023 Motivation Letter Members only |
Notice of Election 2023 - AGM Beijing Members only |
Speakers
Mr. Jorge Toledo Albiñana

Mr. Jorge Toledo Albiñana
After taking his Degree in Law and entering the Diplomatic School in Spain, Ambassador Toledo joined the Spanish Foreign Service in 1989. Since then, except for three years in Senegal, where he was Ambassador of Spain from 2008 to 2011, his career has been devoted mostly to European Union Affairs. Among others, he was Spanish Secretary of State for the EU and European Affairs. In Asia, he has been posted to India and Japan before arriving to China in September 2022 as the Ambassador of the European Union.
Ambassador Toledo strongly believes in the European integration and that only together can EU Member States have a meaningful relation and dialogue with a strong world power as China.
Mr. Joerg Wuttke

Mr. Joerg Wuttke
Mr. Joerg Wuttke
Joerg Wuttke is Chief Representative of BASF China, based in Beijing. Wuttke is President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China – an office he already held from 2007 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2017. Wuttke contributes regularly to the Swiss financial blog https://themarket.ch/. He has lived in Beijing for more than three decades.
Ms. Mervi Kahlos

Ms. Mervi Kahlos
Mervi Kahlos joined the Trade section of the Delegation of the European Union to China in September 2018. She follows in particular market access issues for healthcare issues, the European Economic Diplomacy and High Level Economic Dialogue.
Ms Kahlos previously worked in the Trade section of the Delegation of the European Union to Japan, where she followed market access issues for agricultural, forestry and fisheries products, along with food safety and other regulatory issues, including healthcare. She was closely associated to the EPA negotiations between the EU and Japan.
Ms Kahlos joined the European Commission in 2003. She started her career in the WTO unit of DG Agriculture, working on WTO's DDA and Article XXIV.6 negotiations for more than six years. She also served as Japan and Korea desk officer in DG Agriculture.
Ms Kahlos graduated from the Joensuu University in Finland. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Interpretation studies, having majored in Russian and minored in English languages.
Dr. Andreas Risch

Dr. Andreas Risch
As an Engineer, graduated in Material Science & Technology and in Mechanical Engineering / Production Technology (RWTH Aachen), my professional path began in R&D and Production Technologies. During the past 21 years I worked for BORSIG, GEA and TURCK before joining Fette Compacting in Nanjing.
Since 2000 I have been holding General and Senior Management (International Group level) positions with main responsibilities for Sales, Production, Engineering and R&D in the machinery / equipment business for various industries. In my responsibilities, it has been always my duty to drive businesses and operations; including strategic business and organizational development, change management, administration and personnel management on international level. My “China experience” started with improving and extending the operations of a JV (joint venture) back in 2004/05. Since January 2010, I am living and working in China as MD for WFOEs in Shanghai, Tianjin and now Nanjing. I am married and have two grown-up daughters.
Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin
Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin
Bettina Schoen-Behanzin entered Freudenberg Group in October 2012. As Regional Representative Asia she has been leading the Regional Corporate Center, based in Shanghai, China and is providing guidance and support for strategic planning and business development for the Freudenberg Business Groups in the region. From March 2008 to September 2012 she served as Managing Director of Wittur Elevator Components, China. She assumed the role of Managing Director of Rittal Electro-Mechanical Technology, China from 2000 to 2008, after having been the General Manager of Rittal in China as well as Sales and Marketing Manager of Rittal in Singapore. She had joined the Rittal Headquarters in Germany in 1992.
Bettina Schoen-Behanzin has acquired a Master degree in Sinology, Business Economics and Political Science at the Ruhr-University in Bochum, Germany. Furthermore, she did Post-Graduate Studies of Chinese and Economics at Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Speaking Chinese fluently, Bettina Schoen-Behanzin has around 25 years of working experience in Asia, mostly in China, leading operational business as well acting in corporate functions. From April 2014 to April 2016 she served as Director of the Board of the German Chamber Shanghai, being reelected in April 2016 and April 2018 as President of the Board of the German Chamber Shanghai. In 2019, she was the first German woman to receive Shanghai Municipal Government’s Magnolia Gold Award.
Mr. Harald Kumpfert

Mr. Harald Kumpfert
Harald Kumpfert serves as Co-Founder and General Manager ECO-WIT New Energy Co. Ltd. and Chairman of the Board, EU Chamber of Commerce in China, Shenyang Chapter.
Harald Kumpfert has been working for 20 years in China in the field of energy efficiency.
From 1996 to 2009 Harald used to work for Honeywell and Siemens in China to lead the controls business for heating and cooling systems. Many city heating systems were modernized using control systems to reduce energy consumption and to improve the operational safety.
Innovative system designs and control methods were introduced to the Chinese market.
In 2010, Harald Kumpfert joined SmartHeat and established the Heat Pump business through acquisitions in China and Germany.
In 2016, Harald Kumpfert founded and Established ECO-WIT New Energy Co. Ltd and Established Strategic Partnerships with Kuebler GmbH, to become the Representative for China. And established partnerships in China for joint market development.
Harald also introduced new technologies, designs and operational methods to the industry, helping companies to reduce their energy bills while contributing to the improvement of air quality.
In appreciation for his contribution to the development of the City of Shenyang and the Liaoning Province Harald was awarded the Rose Prize of Shenyang in 2013 and the Friendship Award of Liaoning in 2014.
In 2015 Harald Kumpfert joined the Board of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China and took over the position of Chairman of the Shenyang Chapter to support European Companies in developing their business in North East and to foster the ties with the society.
Mr. Klaus Zenkel

Mr. Klaus Zenkel
Biography:
Born in Germany and graduated in Industrial Engineering. Until late 80's mainly remained in Germany near his hometown in Erlangen, where he had a position at Siemens Healthcare HQ.
From 1993 to 2006 he was based in Hongkong, Malaysia, Germany and China for several executive management positions within the Siemens Healthcare organization, one of which was Technical Director at Siemens Healthineers facility(SSMR), based in Shenzhen's Hi-Tech Industrial Park.
In 2006 start-up and developed from scratch the Shenzhen subsidiary of a Swiss Company, Imedco AG. Imedco is global player involved in the healthcare Industry, manufacturing MRI shielding solutions for hospitals and research institutions.
Involvement at European Chamber South China Chapter board since 2016. As an active board member of the European Chamber South China Chapter he holds the Chair of the board position since 2021. In the capacity as EU Chamber Vice President supports the member companies and meets with government officials on a regular basis to discuss the current economic and technological issues.
In March 2021 Klaus was elected as a Director of the Board at the Swiss Chamber in South China. He is also a member of the German Chamber in South China.
Mr. Massimo Bagnasco

Mr. Massimo Bagnasco
Mr. Bagnasco has been actively involved in the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC) since his arrival in China. Since 2008, he has alternatively covered positions of Chairman and Vice Chairman of Construction Working Group. He has been also focusing on EU SME sector. In 2013, he was elected as Italian State Representative in the Supervisory Board of the EUCCC. Since 2014 till now, he became Member of the Chamber Executive Committee. Since 2017, he serves as Vice President. In 2021 he became also Chairman of Southwest China.
He has been involved in the preparation, implementation and development activities of EU-China Sustainable Urbanization Partnership. Mr. Bagnasco was also one of the four European experts, members of the Taskforce in charge EU-China Innovation Cooperation Dialogue framework agreement promoted by DG-RTD and MoST.
In 2016 he received the Knighthood of the Order of the Star by appointment of President of the Italian Republic to have acquired special credits and in the promotion of friendship cooperation of Italy with China.
Massimo Bagnasco is the CEO of China Europe Carbon Neutral Technology, a consulting firm which provide holistic solutions to the decarbonization target by the contribution of international academic experts and leading technology companies.
In 2004, he joined Progetto CMR, the only Italian integrated design firm ranked in the top 100 worldwide. The same year he moved to China setting up the local company (Progetto CMR Beijing) with offices in Beijing and Tianjin. He operated as Managing Director and was involved in several projects in China, including master plans, hotels, mixed use complexes, retail and sports venues. In 2009 he became a shareholder partner.
From 2017 to 2022, he is appointed as the visiting professor of School of Architecture and Design at Beijing Jiaotong University.
In 2019, he was appointed as member of advisory committee of International Centre for Creativity and Sustainable Development under the auspices of UNESCO (Category 2).
In 2021 he was appointed by the Politecnico of Turin University as China Centre advisory board member.
In 2023 he was nominated “Professional Affiliate" at IdM Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa
Mr. Bagnasco got a Master degree in Urban Planning and a bachelor degree in Architecture at University of Genoa.
Dr. Christoph Schrempp

Dr. Christoph Schrempp
Dr. Christoph Schrempp is the General Manager of Airbus Tianjin Delivery Centre Ltd. In 2021, he was elected again to be the Chairman of the EUCCC Tianjin Chapter Board. He is an experienced senior manager with over 22 years of international leadership and industrial lobbying, having worked in various roles at Airbus in China and in Germany as well as served on German Board of Standardization for Cabin DIN/NL. He has nearly 10 years of experience with being involved in government dialogue including with the Chinese government, having served on the Board of EUCCC Tianjin Chapter in various roles including the chairman and vice-chairman. He has a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Stuttgart University in Germany.
Ms. Xiaobo Zhang

Ms. Xiaobo Zhang
Xiaobo Zhang, nationality as China, an expertise in treasury and finance functions. Xiaobo has 19 years of professional and management experiences in top tier multinational companies across financial institution, Energy, manufacturing, international clearing and community organization. She is currently head of Group treasury and finance director in TotalEnergies China. Prior to joining in TotalEnergies in early 2020, she held corporate market Director role of SWIFT China. She spent 12 years and was Vice President in JPMorgan Chase Bank between 2006 to 2018 and spent 3 years in Motorola Finance team since 2003.
Xiaobo graduated from Peking University with a MBA and from Central University of Finance and Economics in Master of laws, holding two Masters and two Bachelor degrees.
She has proven tracking record and accomplishments in strategy, initiation, compliance and governance in executive group. She has gained reputation for her inclusive leadership and stakeholders engagement. Xiaobo holds as Chairman and sponsor to women network groups.
Mr. Thierry Labarre

Mr. Thierry Labarre
Thierry joined Mazars’ Paris office in 1989 where he spent 8 years, including a two-year secondment in Hong Kong as Regional Financial Controller (Asia Pacific) for a client, before he started Mazars operations in mainland China in 1997 – the year he became a partner. Since then, he has been living in Beijing with his multi-cultural family.
With 30 years of professional experience, the vast majority gained within China, Thierry serves as trusted business advisor and financial auditor with a proven track record in helping foreign companies investing in China. He developed and maintains practical knowledge of Chinese accounting & tax regulations as well as current business and operational practices in China. His focus is on adding value to cross-border transactions and providing transparency, control and assurance to management of owner-managed businesses as well as multinationals active in China.
In addition to his practice management role, Thierry specializes in Audit and Accounting (Chinese GAAPs, IFRS, US GAAP), Chinese and cross-border Tax and Social Contributions as well as Transaction Services (IPOs, Mergers & Acquisitions, Due Diligences).
Thierry is a Certified Fraud Examiner and serves on the Beijing Chapter Board of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He has particular expertise in Internal Controls and Risk & Corporate Governance as applied to the dynamic Chinese environment.