[Members Only] European Chamber Annual General Meeting 2024 Go back »
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Time2024-05-30 | 15:30 - 18:00
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Venue:The Four Seasons Hotel, 3rd Floor, Beijing Ballroom
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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.
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, one (1) representative per company.
Please register online or contact Mr Luyang Syvänen at lsyvanen@europeanchamber.com.cn before 18:00 on Tuesday, 28th May. Kindly note that you must have registered for the AGM, and received confirmation by email from Mr Luyang Syvänen, to participate. Additional tickets to attend in person are available at a cost of 200RMB/person.
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China will be held in Beijing on Thursday 30th May at the Four Seasons Hotel Beijing, from 16:00-18:00. The AGM will be available for members to join both in person and online.
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 Jens Eskelund will present the Chamber's Annual Report showcasing the key moments and achievements from 2023. The chairs from six local chapters of the Chamber will also provide an overview of the achievements of their respective chapters.
In addition, the Executive Committee (ExCo) of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China have proposed an amendment to the Articles of Association to fulfill a requirement by the Ministry of Finance and ensure the continuation of the Chamber’s non-profit status. Please click here to view the proposed amendment.
The designated representative from the primary legal entity registered with the European Chamber with voting rights may choose to vote online or in person at the AGM. Your vote is important as we need a minimum of 2/3 of members to achieve a quorum at the AGM for this amendment to pass.
The online voting period will open (Beijing time) at 10am on Thursday, 9th May and will close at 10pm on Tuesday, 28th 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.
Agenda
15:30 – 16:00 Registration
16:00 – 16:05 Opening Remarks
- Jens Eskelund, President, European Chamber
16:05 – 16:25 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
16:25 – 16:40 Annual Report
- Jens Eskelund, President, European Chamber
16:40 – 17:00 Address from the Chairs of six local chapters of the European Chamber
- Andreas Risch, Nanjing Chapter
- Carlo Diego D’Andrea, Shanghai Chapter
- Erich Kaiserseder, Shenyang Chapter
- Klaus Zenkel, South China Chapter
- Massimo Bagnasco, Southwest China Chapter
- Christoph Schrempp, Tianjin Chapter
17:00 – 17:10 Finance Report
- Xiaobo Zhang, Treasurer, European Chamber
17:10 – 17:20 Auditor’s Report
- Thierry Labarre, Founding Senior Partner, Mazars
17:20 – 17:30 Update to the Articles of Association
- Adam Dunnett, Secretary General, European Chamber
17:30 – 17:45 Casting of Votes
17:45 – 17:55 Announcement of Results
17:55 – 18:00 Closing Remarks
Who can attend the AGM?
All members (including those who do not meet the requirements for voting) 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, one (1) representative per company.
Kindly note that you will need to register, and have your registration confirmed by email from Mr Luyang Syvänen, before 18:00 on Tuesday, 28th May 2024, to participate. Additional tickets to attend in person are available at a cost of 200RMB/person.
Who can vote?
You can vote 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 2024, 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 Tuesday, 28th May 2024, Beijing time)
Eligible members with voting rights may only cast one vote per company. Please contact Mr Luyang Syvänen at lsyvanen@europeanchamber.com.cn to confirm your eligibility.
How can I vote?
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 Annual General Meeting in Beijing on Thursday, 30th May 2024. 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 before 18:00 on Tuesday, 28th May 2024, in order to exercise this vote.
2. Electronic voting will open (Beijing time) at 10am on Thursday, 9th May and will close at 10pm on Tuesday, 28th May. The designated representative of your company (from the primary legal entity registered with the Chamber) 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 in person.
3. Assign a proxy to vote on your behalf before 18:00 on Tuesday, 28th May 2024. The proxy must be a colleague from your own legal entity, and he/she must be present in person to vote. Please confirm your proxy by e-mail to Mr Luyang Syvänen at lsyvanen@europeanchamber.com.cn.
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 at lsyvanen@europeanchamber.com.cn.
Terms & Conditions
This is a members-only event with limited on-site seating, so to ensure your attendance we encourage advance online registration. We cannot guarantee entry to those that have not registered in advance.
A confirmation email with instructions on how to join online or on-site will be sent to those eligible members that have registered successfully. Likewise, those that have registered but are ineligible to join will receive a cancellation email.
Events are held in English and follow the Chatham House rule unless otherwise stated.
Cancellation Policy
If you cannot attend the event for which you have registered, please cancel your registration no later than one business day prior to the event. If you fail to notify us of your cancellation in a timely fashion, you will be charged for event costs, if any.
To cancel you can: 1) email lsyvanen@europeanchamber.com.cn, or 2) cancel online if you registered for the event through the website.
Disclaimer
Please note that the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China might take photographs from the event and post these on its public web-page (or social media platforms) in order to create awareness of these events. By attending this event you consent to the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China for taking, and using, such photographs as described above.
Speakers
Mr. Jens Eskelund
Jens Eskelund was born in 1970 in Aarhus, Denmark. He holds an MA in philosophy and has studied at University of Aarhus and University of Texas at Austin. He has also pursued studies in Chinese at Renmin University in Beijing. Coming to Beijing as a student in 1998, Jens Eskelund began his career in China as Commercial Officer at the Danish Embassy to China before taking on a position in marketing for Maersk Line in Beijing in 2000. He has since held positions as General Manager for Public Affairs for Maersk Line in China and later Director of Public Affairs for North Asia before assuming his present role as Chief Representative for Maersk in the Greater China Area and North-East Asia. Primary focus areas comprise engaging government entities, institutions and trade associations on matters of policy, regulatory environment and business development on behalf of the companies within the Maersk Group.
Jens Eskelund is a former Chairman of the Danish Chamber of Commerce in China as well as the Vice President and Chair of Maritime Working Group of the European Chamber. Jens was elected as the President of European Chamber in May 2023.
Jens Eskelund is married and has two sons.
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.
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.
Mr. Carlo Diego D’Andrea
Founder and Managing Partner of D’Andrea & Partners Legal Counsel, and Founder of DP Group.
Graduated in Law at the University of Teramo (Italy), he then subsequently obtained a Masters’ degree in Corporate Advisor at LUISS University in Rome and a Diploma in Chinese Studies at Nanjing Normal University and is a member of the Italian Bar Association.
Mr. D’Andrea arrived in China in 2005 and is fluent in Italian (mother tongue), English, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. He mainly deals with cross-border mergers and acquisitions, assistance in ODI/FDI and intellectual property rights.
He is also acting as Vice President of the European Chamber and Chair of the Shanghai Chapter.
Mr. Erich Kaiserseder
Born in 1962, Mr. Erich Kaiserseder is an Austrian national with over 30 years hotel experience, across countries and areas such as Europe, Mainland China, U.S., UAE, Singapore, Indonesia, Middle East, Hong Kong, Taiwan etc. Travelling around the world, Erich held leading roles with international hotel brands such as Ritz-Carlton and Shangri-La. Prior to joining Conrad Shenyang; Erich opened the Langham Haikou Hotel on the Island of Hainan in the role of General Manager at The Langham Haikou.
Erich is the General Manager of Conrad Shenyang and Chair of the European Chamber of Commerce, Shenyang Chapter and the head of a focus group to improve attractiveness and tourism of Shenyang.
艾嘉德先生1962年生人，来自奥地利，是一位具有30余年经验的资深酒店服务业专家和热情的拥趸，艾嘉德先生先后在欧洲、中国大陆、美国、阿联酋、新加坡、印度尼西亚、中东、香港和台湾等国家和地区从事高端酒店的经营和管理工作。艾嘉德先生所参与管理的高端酒店品牌包括丽思卡尔顿和香格里拉等，在加入沈阳康莱德酒店之前，艾嘉德先生以总经理的身份在海南岛开设了朗廷酒店。目前他担任沈阳康莱德酒店的总经理。此外，艾嘉德先生也担任中国欧盟商会沈阳分会主席，也是商会城市魅力工作组的主席。
Mr. Klaus Zenkel
Born in Germany, Mr. Klaus Zenkel holds a degree in Industrial Engineering. From 1993 to 2006, he held executive management positions within the Siemens Group across multiple locations, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Germany, as well as serving as Technical Director at Siemens SSMR in Shenzhen.
Since 2016, Mr. Zenkel has been actively involved with the European Chamber South China Board. As Vice President of the European Chamber and Chairman of the South China Board, he has played a vital role in supporting member companies and fostering constructive dialogue with government officials.
Imedco, one of the many member companies of the European Chamber South China Chapter, specializes in providing MRI shielding solutions for hospitals and research institutions. Founded in 1987 in Zurich, Switzerland, the company expanded its operations into China in 2006 when Mr. Zenkel established its Shenzhen subsidiary. In Europe, Imedco has also subsidiaries in Germany and United Kingdom.
In March 2021, Mr. Zenkel was elected as a Director of the Board at the Swiss Chamber in South China. Since March 2025, he has served as Vice President of SwissCham.
A well-established figure in South China’s business community, Mr. Zenkel maintains strong connections with national chambers and has cultivated extensive relationships with government officials across China.
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 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
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
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.
Mr. Adam Dunnett
Adam’s career has focused on trade & investment advocacy, promotion and association management. As the European Chamber’s secretary general, he is responsible for the overall implementation of its objectives, visibility, membership and advocacy activities across its 7 chapters and 9 offices in China (Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Shenyang and Tianjin).
Adam joined the Chamber in 2006. He served first as the senior business manager, later as Beijing general manager, and since 2013 as the secretary general.
Previously, he worked a commercial officer at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, 2000-2004 and from 2011-2012 he worked at APCO, a consulting firm, as deputy managing director. Since 2013 he is a board member and a rotating chair of the EU SME Centre. From 2014-2017 and again from 2023 he serves vice chair of the European Business Organisation Worldwide Network, an NGO that represents European advocacy organisations based in over 50 countries.
Adam holds dual British and Canadian citizenship. He holds an M.A.in International Development from the International University of Japan, and B.A in foreign languages from the University of Victoria.