Tokyo (SCCIJ) – Mr. Andre Zimmermann, Representative Director of Lindt & Sprüngli Japan since 2010 and a member of the SCCIJ Executive Committee (EC), has been chosen as the new president of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan. His predecessor Mr. Michael Mroczek ended his presidency after four years at the end of January and took up the post of Chairman of the European Business Council. This could also be seen as a recognition of the SCCIJ, Acting President Mr. Masao (Mark) Torii said at the Annual General Meeting 2019.
Changes in the line-up
Besides the resignation of Mr. Mroczek, the line-up of the Executive Committee changed further because Vice-President Kansai Mr. Dieter Sommerhalder (Executive Director of UBS Wealth Management) and Mr. Jean-Jacques Makoto Jaccard (CH Projects Management & Kellerhals Carrard) also left their posts after spending a maximum of four years within the EC. Mr. Mroczek as well as Mr. Sommerhalder will remain as Special Advisors on the committee, whereas Mr. Jaccard has left Japan for a new challenge in Switzerland. SCCIJ Acting President Mr. Torii (Representative Director of Novartis Holding Japan) thanked the three outgoing EC members for their work.
AGM of the SCCIJ in 2019
Among five new candidates, the AGM chose three members of the Executive Committee by secret ballot: Mr. Stefan Aebi (Managing Director of Gebruder Weiss KK), Mr. Oliver Patrick Ryf (Managing Director of Aryzta Food Solutions JP/SK) and Mr. Bernd Schneider (General Manager of Swissotel Nankai Osaka). Mr. Guenter Spiess (Senior Managing Executive Officer and Chief E-Commerce Officer of Nestlé Japan), an EC member ad interim due to the resignation of Mr. Thomas Keller (Nestlé), was confirmed. Additionally, Mr. Torii was re-elected as EC member.
Members and advisors of SCCIJ Executive Committee with Honorary President Mr. Jean-François Paroz
Opening by Swiss Ambassador
The AGM was formally declared open by SCCIJ Honorary Chairman, H.E. Ambassador Jean-François Paroz, Ambassador of Switzerland to Japan. He expressed his gratitude to former SCCIJ President Mr. Mroczek and lauded the good cooperation between the Embassy of Switzerland in Japan and the SCCIJ. As one example, he mentioned the Swiss Economic Forum in March which is jointly organized by the SCCIJ and the Embassy.
The new SCCIJ President Mr. Zimmermann has spent most of his career in Japan starting in 1989 as Managing Director for Telekurs Financial. After serving as Senior Representative for LocationSwitzerland SECO 2005-2007 and as Managing Director for MATISA Japan from 2007, he took up his current position at Representative Director at Lindt & Sprüngli Japan in 2010. He also served on the Executive Operating Board of the European Business Council (EBC).
New SCCIJ President Mr. Andre Zimmermann (second from left) with Honorary President Mr. Jean-François Paroz (second from right), outgoing SCCIJ President Mr. Michael Mroczek (first from left) and Vice-President Kanto Mr. Masao (Mark) Torii (first from right)
Report of PR/Media Subcommittee
In lieu of subcommittee head Mr. Jaccard, the other subcommittee member Mr. Bryan Mark presented a positive summary of the activities in 2018. 91 articles and 47 newsletters were produced. The number of LinkedIn followers of the SCCIJ company page increased by 160% to 226. SCCIJ’s Facebook friends rose by 23% to 388. A new responsive website with an integrated payment system was launched at the beginning of 2019. There is now a desktop and a mobile version of the website.
The PR and media activities are all financed by the contribution of the SCCIJ sponsors. They currently are: Platinum – The Adecco Group, Credit Suisse, Novartis, Straumann; Gold – M-Industry Japan, Reishauer, Roche, SWISS, Swissotel Nankai/Osaka, Unzen Kanko Hotel; Silver – DKSH, Hotel Grand Phenix Okushiga, Richemont; Bronze – ABB, Hilti, Nestlé, Pictet, Sonderhoff & Einsel.
Report of Kanto and Kansai Events Committees
The head of the Kanto Events subcommittee, Ms. Mamiko Tanaka (other members: Mr. M. Torii, Mr. A. Zimmermann, Mr. I. Kaufmann), reported 11 luncheons with a total of 574 participants. There were several events with the Embassy of Switzerland, among them four Swiss Young Professionals Gatherings and five Swiss’ Experiences talks. Also, the SCCIJ participated in 14 joint events with more than 20 other chambers. In addition, two events were held with the Swiss Club Tokyo.
The head of the Kansai Events subcommittee, Mr. Sommerhalder (other member: Mr. G. Spiess) reported two Swiss Young Professionals Gatherings in Osaka and Kobe. Also, the SCCIJ Kansai chapter participated in the Kansai International Meishi Exchange in October. The main SCCIJ Kansai event of the year was a tour of the Sunstar factory in Takatsuki followed by a networking buffet lunch.
Reports of Relationship Management and Scholarship Subcommittees
Mr. Luca Orduña, Head of the Relationship Management Subcommittee (other members: Mr. C. Mazzucchelli, Mr. N. Okabe, Mr. F. Clerc / Mr. D. Sommerhalder for Kansai), told the participants that the membership basically was stable from 2017 to 2018. The average number of luncheon attendees rose to 52 from 49 in 2017. 58% of the participants were SCCIJ members, seven percentage points less than in the previous year.
Mr. Orduña then continued reporting the activities of the Scholarship Subcommittee (other members: Mr. D. Sommerhalder, Mr. T. Meyer) to the AGM. In 2018, five scholarship recipients came to Japan – three women and two men. Four scholarship recipients have been nominated for this year, half of them female. They come from a variety of different backgrounds, from pharma to law and architecture to banking. Companies offering internships are, among others, Straumann, BMW, Shinkawa, Mitsubishi Motors, Science & Technology Office at the Swiss Embassy and Nespresso.
Profit Contribution 2019
The SCCIJ is a non-profit organization and does not aim to create a surplus. Hence, out of its surplus in 2018, it donated a total of 3 million yen to aid victims of the record rains that hit Western Japan in July. At the AGM 2019, the Swiss endeavor Cybathlon was chosen as recipient of a donation out of the expected surplus of this year. The donation will support the “Cybathlon Wheelchair Series 2019” in May in Kawasaki. Cybathlon, an event created and organized by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), involves races of pilots with disabilities and their engineering teams in six different disciplines.
Text and photos: Martin Fritz for SCCIJ
