Message from the Executive Director

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Hello All,

It is my pleasure to present to you my third Annual Report as Executive Director of CanCham; recapping our endeavors over 2022, one of the most challenging years the Shanghai and wider Eastern China market has ever faced. From the outset, I’m happy to report that despite the challenges we faced, we were largely successful in pursuing our mission; to serve our Members, while simultaneously ensuring long-term stability for our Chamber.

Financially speaking, we not only broke-even, but our balance sheet showed a modest buffer at year end. This capped three consecutive years in which we, as a Chamber, built back a stable financial position after five years of negative net income. When I took on this position during the height of the pandemic in 2020, we had less than five months of runway and faced unprecedently uncertain times. I’m incredibly proud of our community, our members, our board, our advisory council, and our team for ending the Covid era in a much more secure position than we began it. We are now set to begin the next era with a full focus on our mission once again.

Activity wise, 2022 proved to be a difficult one to navigate. Starting the year strong with a full event calendar in front of us, the Shanghai lockdowns throughout Spring derailed many of those plans. During this time, we pivoted to providing on the ground service to those who needed it most. Working from our homes, we supported our community in the most basic and impactful fashion possible. It truly made a difference in ways many will never fully understand.

Post-lockdown, we endeavored to deliver our usual high-quality business, community, and marquee events, navigating robust requirements, policies, and unexpected challenges to do so. Triumphantly, we were able to hold our 15th Annual Maple Leaf Ball, a tribute to Shanghai past, present, and future. A cathartic experience, it reminded us what this city is to our community, and of the ever abundant opportunities that grow within our adopted home away from home. Not to be outdone, we successfully hosted the Canada @ CIIE Reception in concert with our government partners, showcasing the best of trade between our two nations. Then, to cap off the year, and dare I say the Covid era, we held our 15th Annual Christmas Gala at the historic Peace Hotel, where we celebrated not merely surviving, but thriving during these most interesting of times.

Challenges in the Canada – China relationship certainly exist, but in a business context, times have also never been better. Trade between our countries hit record heights in 2022, despite incredibly strong headwinds facing the business community, as well as our counterparts, from multiple angles. It’s important that this reality is truly understood. And this is one of the reasons why the Chamber prioritized working with local government entities, signing MOUs with many, to promote the next phase of business opportunities between our countries, who are quite simply natural trading partners.

In sum, we have navigated the turbulence of the Covid era as a Chamber and as a community in successful fashion. Related praise for such efforts should be allocated where it is due. A special thanks to the CanCham Board of Directors, whose input and expertise during this term was a key factor in said success. Led by our Chair, Mark Ceolin, our Vice-Chair Travis Joern, our Treasurer Novax Mao, our Directors Jenny Fan, Willy Wang, Eunice Wang, Alix Li, Veronique Gong, Olivier Brault, Gabriel Lagunes, and Paul Moysiuk, all deserve to be individually named and thanked. Special thanks to our Honorary President Dave Murphy, Vice-Chair Ex-Officio Alex Cerat, and Jason Reeve prior to him at the Canadian Consulate in Shanghai. Beyond this, as always, a special thanks to our Platinum Members: Manulife-Sinochem, Canpotex, Air Canada, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, Red Gate, Teck Resources, and Bank of Montreal. And finally, the biggest thank you to you, our members.

I look forward to beginning a new era with you all!

Regards,

Matt Whately

Executive Director

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai


Executive Team

As the executive arm of the Chamber, CanCham Shanghai’s team takes care of the daily operations of the Chamber. If you require any assistance regarding our events, promotional platforms or services, you may contact any one of our team members.

Matt Whately
Executive Director
Susan Bi
Office Manager
Ying Shi
Membership Manager
Sissi Slaney
Event Coordinator