INTERNATIONAL MEN’S CLUB OF ZUG, P.O. BOX 7212, 6301 ZUG IIIIIIII Editor: Muthana Kubba • email: [email protected] IIIIIIIIIIIII IMCZ NEWS APRIL / MAY 2018 Introducing… New members THE IMCZ WELCOMES: EDITORIAL Marek Slotwinski I was honoured to be elected as the new Marek was born and raised in IMCZ club President at our recent AGM in Poland. He completed his studies February. One of my goals is to expand and graduated with a BSc in the club membership, which will hopefully mechanical engineering in result in the membership directory Poland. Soon after graduation he growing in the coming years. Many immigrated to South Africa and worked there expats come to Zug for work and this will undoubtedly with ESCOM, an electric power generating continue, given the attractive conditions on offer to company. Later he changed jobs and worked international companies moving to Zug. Companies in turn for Atlas Aircraft Corporation. Soon after the bring newcomers to the Zug area and it is these newcomers ANC came to power and cut all military who we can target for club membership. Whilst we have been spending in 1994, he started working on first and foremost a social club, this does not mean we should property development, building gated not reach out to our local business and networking contacts, condominiums for the rich and nervous white in order to encourage them to join the club. I certainly intend SA community. Later in 2002 he immigrated to do so myself within my Landis+Gyr and Siemens with his wife and two sons to Australia. He communities. We have a fascinating diversity of professionals continued to work with property development and entrepreneurs amongst us, some retired but many still but on a much smaller scale; his wife worked active, with interesting business stories to tell and career in the pharmaceutical industry. His sons grew experiences to share with others. I have several colleagues up, graduated from university and then left home. They moved to Switzerland this year. seeking new positions and I believe our club can help these They live in Lucerne, his wife works in Zug, but individuals. Our Special Stammtisch events provide a great he is responsible for assimilation. Marek likes platform to introduce new companies and share new business wine and food and enjoys good company and ideas. Of course, we should still foster and nurture the social intelligent conversation whilst starting a new side of our club, continuing with our cultural and family hiking chapter of his life in beautiful Switzerland. IN THIS ISSUE events. I believe the IMCZ can offer a unique blend of social and business networking activities. After all, our motto is New Members continued on page 2... PAGE 1 “IMCZ, for business, networking and fun”. I would like to • Editorial encourage every one of you to reach out to your contacts and invite someone new to our Stammtisch to • New Members “test out the beers” as our past President Roger Brooks so aptly puts it! EVENT NEWS P.3 We will again be holding our traditional signature events during 2018, including the Summer BBQ and the • Annual General Meeting New Members Receptions, culminating with our legendary Burns Night next January. I hope to see plenty • Future Events of Special Stammtisch events this year and am sure that our very active and energetic Events Coordinator, • Investment Opportunities Enrico Dell’Angelo, will not disappoint. Please do let him know if there are any special events you would • ExpatExpo like to see. The regular Stammtisch on Thursday evenings at the City Garden Hotel remains as our HEALTH P.5 club watering hole, unless we are diverted to the waters at the Park Hotel. During all these events we • Insulin: A Burner of Fat? will continue to uphold our traditional values, showing respect to each other and showing tolerance for our different cultures and points of view. Half the fun in the club is to be had in the enjoyment of our SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY P.6 cultural differences. • Space Exploration, Facts & Fiction One of the interesting aspects of our club is that we have many members who rarely appear at the events. We are of course most grateful for their continued loyalty, membership and financial support and it is thanks TRAVEL AND LEISURE P.8 to them that the rest of us can continue having fun. However, it would be great to meet more of them, so • Southeast Asia if any active members know a “sleeping” member, please encourage him to come along! Singapore & Thailand • Ayurvedic Spa, a little known During my first year as president, I will be very much dependent on the experience and support of the other board members, who do so much to keep the club running smoothly. I would like to extend my thanks to Paradise in Southern India the whole board for their ongoing effort and commitment to the club. Their work makes it a good place for • New York City everyone to meet and have fun together. We are seeking new board members. In particular, we are seeking SPORTS P.12 a new Newsletter Editor to take over from Muthana, who has done an outstanding job as Newsletter Editor • Joe’s Ski Hacks: during the past seven years. Muthana has promised to support the new incumbent as Co-Editor during little things that will the first year. Please do apply if you have an interest in Newsletter publishing. There is always PR, Outreach make your ski day easier and Stammtisch Coordination work to be done as well. • Kegeln Report I would like to express my thanks to the many club members who have come forward to organize activities, HUMOUR P.15 such as bowling, skiing and Burns Night. We are very grateful for your initiatives, and we would love to see TIDBITS P.16 more club members come forward to promote further activities within the club. I encourage you all to use • Member’s Marketplace this directory to reach out and meet other like-minded individuals who share the same interests. Look up • IMCZ Rates one of your hobbies and see if there isn't a "critical mass" of members out there with whom you can • Corporate Space collaborate. With your help, we can make the club an even more fun place to be. Thanks for your support! Bill Lichtensteiger, President www.imcz.club EVENT NEWS •IMCZ NEWS Introducing… New members years as a Soldier and Officer training in the British Alan Cattell Army; Music and Ceremonial. Highlights of this exciting Alan hails from Glasgow, Scotland, but THE IMCZ WELCOMES: period include; extensive travel, performing for high has been living in Zug for the last 25 profile dignitaries and royalty, many key “tattoos” years. He studied Physics with focus on Christian Hill around the world such as Edinburgh, Basel, etc. As solid state, covering superconductivity, Chris hails from Australia and was born some may have observed by now, he is an advocate quantum heat transport etc, but moved in a small beach town close to Sydney. for most things Scottish. He is working now in Finance later into industrial research and development and He completed his apprenticeship as a and Insurance. When he finds time he enjoys; Skiing worked on display technologies, bio-medical sensors and boat-builder. In his early twenties, after (learned in Scotland; disclaimer), Scuba diving, Squash, other multi-disciplinary topics. He moved to Switzerland gaining as much experience as he Theatre, Music, Outdoors, Hiking, Shooting, and to work for what was then Landis & Gyr and experienced could in Australia, he set his eyes on getting a job with Whisky! It’s in and around these areas – where there the ownership transitions to Electrowatt, and then an America’s Cup sailing team. He took a job with a may or may not lie some ambiguous talents. Meeting Siemens. He survived all the upheavals but with less hair. Chinese team to build a boat for them in mainland China many interesting members within the club, has been a He has travelled extensively on business in Europe, Asia- close to Hong Kong. They planned to go with the boat highlight of his last few months in Zug. He very much Pacific and North America and enjoyed being in different and team to Spain to provide technical support during looks forward to meeting more members, and indeed places, meeting and working with people from different the America’s Cup racing in 2007. While in Valencia he learning more about you all at a Stammtisch in the backgrounds and cultures. However, now that he is met his Swiss wife who was working for the Swiss team near future. retired, he is happy not to be suffering from jet-lag on a Alinghi. They spent the next few years travelling and near weekly basis. Alan is married with two children and working all over the world with sailing teams for the Yaz Loukhal four grandchildren. His passion is sailing, which luckily America's Cup and Volvo ocean race as well as a few Yaz is a French national, who recently is also his wife’s. Since retirement, he and his wife try other projects before setting back in Lucerne in 2014. moved to Zug after living in London for to spend as much as possible afloat. They do mostly He is self-employed now and is working all around more than 25 years. He grew up in coastal-hopping with overnight anchorage or mooring. Europe. In Switzerland he is working for sailing teams France but moved to the US to finish They also do longer passages of (so far) up to 5 days.