At this meeting, we will hold our Chair and Vice Chair elections for the year 2016/2017. In this regard, please consider this email to be the required ‘Call for Candidates’.
The Chair and Vice Chairs play a crucial role in driving the Working Group forward, including a leadership role in the drafting of the Position Paper, the communication of key messages to Chinese and European government authorities and the steering of Working Group meetings. The desired candidate for a Chair or Vice Chair position is a senior industry representative with relevant expertise and government contacts who has the time and willingness to support the work of the WG. Moreover:
- Per the European Chamber’s Executive Committee’s (ExCo) decision of 29 September, 2015, ExCo members are not eligible for Chair positions, but are eligible for Vice Chair positions.
- A candidate is only eligible for a Chair or Vice Chair position if he/she is physically based in China and it is recommended that the member holds the position in the Chapter where he/she is physically based.
- Only Corporate members of the Chamber are eligible for Chair positions unless specific approval has been obtained from the ExCo.
- Both Corporate and Associate members are eligible to hold Vice Chair positions.
- The maximum duration of Chairmanship or Vice Chairmanship of a Working Group is three consecutive years.
For the Investment Working Group we are holding elections for the following positions:
- One Working Group Chair based in either Beijing or Shanghai to serve as the National Chair;
[Important:] Please note that in the context of the WG consolidation process where the number of WGs has been reduced from over 50 to 25, the position of National Chair will imply a bigger commitment than has previously been the case. It is expected that the national Chair acts as the ‘face’ of the Investment Working Group in Beijing and Shanghai and has profound insight into the main lobbying issues in order to represent the WG during lobbying activities and events as well as in the media. Since the Investment Working Group is active in different locations in China, potential travel expenses - which cannot be reimbursed by the European Chamber - need to be taken into account when applying for this position. In his/her important task, the National Chair will receive the support from the respective European Chamber Business Manager.
- One Vice Chair based in Beijing or Shanghai to serve as Vice Chair / Local Chair (a local Chair can only be based in the city where there is no national Chair);
- Up to two Vice-Chairs, one each based in Beijing and Shanghai respectively.
A total of four (4) positions.
[Important]According to European Chamber guidelines, members must be physically present at the Working Group meeting (i.e. at the European Chamber’s offices) to register a vote for the Chair elections.
Election procedures:
The National Chair election (1) will take place first, thereafter the Vice Chair/Local Chair election (2), and finally the Vice Chair election (3). In case there are two or more candidates for the national Chair position, then the unsuccessful candidate(s) can run for Vice Chair/Local Chair [depending on which city he/she is based in] or for Vice Chair. In case there are two or more candidates for the Vice Chair/Local Chair position, then the unsuccessful candidate(s) can run for Vice Chair.
Should you be interested in putting your name forward for election, please, firstly, read the attached Working Group Chairs’ ‘Code of Conduct’ and ‘Roles and Responsibilities’ documents. To apply, each candidate should submit 1) a short bio and2) a motivation letter prior to the election to Mr Max Merkle at mmerkle@europeanchamber.com.cn by Friday, 8th April, 2016. In the email, please clearly state the position you would like to candidate for.