1 Contents President’s Message - 3 Executive Director’s Message - 4 About AMCHAM - 6 Board of Governors 2017/18 - 8 Honorary Members - 10 Executive Office Team - 11 Finance - 12 Membership Listing - 14 Committees & Working Groups - 18 Advocacy - 19 Events & Programs - 24 APCAC - 25 Washington Doorknock - 26 Photo Gallery - 28 Corporate Social Responsibility - 32 JA Malaysia - 34 2 President’s Message Dear Members, At AMCHAM, we take our commitment to our Mission and Objectives very seriously. Since the hiring of a new Executive Director in 2016, we embarked on a strategy to ensure that we would be in a position to fulfil those five tenets. I am happy to report that, three years later, the Chamber has achieved what it set out to do, reviving itself to become a significant voice for the American business community. We are stronger today than we have ever been and ready to face the challenges that impact us every day. As we witness monumental shifts in global trading relationships and the breakneck speed of technological development, the challenge of innovation and adoption, along with the shifting needs being imposed on talent development, makes it imperative to be communicating consistently with our host government. To do our jobs, it is incumbent on us to be as up-to-date and responsive to the changing business environment. This is made easier with our active engagement at the Chamber, along with the financial support we provide at various opportunities throughout the year. A strong Chamber becomes vital in helping us work as partners with the government, to bring out the best for both our companies and the country, together. As Malaysia Baru comes into focus, AMCHAM is providing an important line of communication with the various ministries. For AMCHAM, 2018 was remarkable and marked with two major events – one we controlled, the other we witnessed and responded to. Firstly, hosting the annual APCAC* Business Summit in April, for the first time, was an achievement for what is considered a small Chamber. It brought in an audience of over 400, many from around the world, to consider possible futures with its theme, “Charting a Bold Future: U.S. Businesses in the Asian Century”. Secondly, we witnessed the historic and peaceful transition of a new government for the country. Propelling into action, AMCHAM was able to deliver a high level of engagement with many of the key Ministries, allowing us to address critical questions in this time of transition. AMCHAM’s post-election engagement with five Ministers in the months that followed were notable and showcased the value placed on the organization to reflect the communities’ interests. The highlight of 2018 was, without doubt, the hosting of the new, and former, Prime Minister at our AGM Luncheon. It was an honor that we will treasure for years to come, marking not only the start of a new beginning for the country but also one for the strengthened voice of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce. From here, we will continue to strive to be the best that we can be for our members. Ramzi Toubassy President *Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers 3 Executive Director’s Message 2018 saw a three-year strategic plan to elevate the Chamber come to fruition. Our number one focus was to develop a strong platform that would be relevant to our membership. To achieve this, we needed to strengthen internal structures, revisit the value of our deliverables to the membership and ensure that they were fiscally sound and sustainable. Only then we would be able to fulfill our mission to be the voice of the U.S. business community. Some changes were structural, while others were to improve processes, institutionalize some operations and acquire necessary skill sets. By the start of 2018, we had replaced key positions in the staff and looked forward to galvanizing them on a new path forward. At the last AGM, we also adopted some Constitutional reforms, updating the guiding document to be in line with the new Companies Act. We did not know then just how robust we needed to be! The APCAC Business Summit consumed most of the first quarter of 2018. This annual two-day conference brought together 28 American Chambers of Commerce, along with leaders in business and governments from around the Asia Pacific region. Malaysia, or our AMCHAM, had never volunteered to take it on before, but I am very proud of the work that everyone had put in and even more so because it was a resounding success for AMCHAM. Over 400 people attended the conference, which was themed, “Charting a Bold Future: U.S. Businesses in the Asian Century”, and included international speakers, four U.S. Chiefs of Mission from the region and Malaysia’s Minister of International Trade & Industry, as well as the launch of our Business Impact Report on the E&E Industry. The APCAC 2018 was indeed a remarkable feat for what is considered a smaller Chamber. The new team at AMCHAM survived their “real-time” team building and gelled. With barely enough time to recover, just three weeks after the APCAC concluded, Malaysia witnessed on 9 May 2018, the historic change of government. This meant that the business community was on high alert and in need of information impacting their investments and operations in the country. AMCHAM rose to the challenge and supported this need by providing its members with a platform to communicate with and reach out to the newly formed government. Starting with the call from the Council of Eminent Persons, AMCHAM was able to make early connections with many of the new ministries, eventually seeing a total of five ministers in those intervening months. This included Minister of Finance Y.B. Tuan Lim Guan Eng, Minister of International Trade and Investment Y.B. Datuk Darell Leiking, Minister of Human Resources Y.B. Tuan M. Kulasegaran, and the Minister of Entrepreneur Development, Y.B. Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof. The highlight, of course, was hosting YAB Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammed at our AGM in June 2018, nary two months after being sworn in once again, at 92, as Malaysia’s Prime Minister. 4 Advocacy for a competitive Malaysia remains the focus of the Chamber. Key issues were addressed throughout the year and with a stronger team at the Chamber, we have been able to work more closely with members and stakeholders alike. Increased engagement of our members with the Chamber provides the Chamber its strength. Newly formed this year is the Corporate Citizenship Committee (CCC) along with two very active working groups one on Investment Taxation and another, the Technical Standards Working Group. Emerging from the MAEI Committee are also sub-committees on Finance and HR. More are anticipated not just for advocacy but for capacity building via peer sharing. 2018 also saw the second year of the Corporate Partners Program, which alongside the traditional event sponsorships, provides the Chamber with a more stable and predictable fiscal position. This enables the Chamber to make strategic decisions and grow to support the membership. We achieved many targets over the past two years through the participation and support of our members, and we look to build on these in years to come. Finding new ways to and encourage CSR activity remains a focus. Through our MY AMCHAM CARES program, the Chamber seeks to celebrate, benchmark and inspire members to ensure the impact is felt. We almost doubled the recognition of companies who are approaching CSR with these key pillars in mind: Strategy, Sustainability, Measurability, and Communication, This year we added alignment to national and global goals (SDGs) and started building a CSR Fund that we intend to deliver some real learnings to our members. The formation of the CCC will be integral to the success of this initiative. The year ended with a flurry of activity with moving into our new premises in December. Not only are we closer to the city center but we have doubled our floor space and provided the Chamber a dedicated event space that can comfortably seat 80. This resource will allow us to drive engagement with our membership and with government stakeholders without incurring major costs. AMCHAM also continues to house JA Malaysia within our premises. In closing, I would like to personally thank our members, specifically those who take time off their busy schedules to actively contribute to the Chamber and help us build our community with their ideas and expertise. Those who have volunteered their time have helped us understand the challenges of the business environment. Each contribution, individual or corporate, ensures that AMCHAM is strong, viable, and proud to be the voice of the U.S. business community in Malaysia. We look forward to 2019 where we can grow and be an even stronger version of today. Siobhan Das Executive Director 5 About AMCHAM The American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) was founded in 1978 as an international, non-profit, private-sector business association. It comprises of more than 1000 members representing about 260 American, Malaysian and other international companies. The Chamber is a member of the Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC) and affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is the largest chamber of commerce in the world. MISSION STATEMENT AMCHAM’s mission statement derives from the Chamber’s Articles of Association, which were originally generated in 1978 by the Chamber’s founders. AMCHAM is the voice of U.S. businesses in Malaysia. The Chamber provides relevant business information to its members, actively serves as a platform to represent members’ interests to Malaysian and U.S.