Canada - China News, Member News

Today marks my final day as Executive Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. A position I first began through a battlefield promotion during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. At the time, great uncertainty abounded regarding the Chamber’s future. Financial solvency was in question. Value propositions to our membership disordered. I was asked if I was up to the task of taking on these and more huge challenges. I responded with a joke. Hailing from a start-up background where every day is uncertain and challenging, I summited it was just another Tuesday.

What followed was far from a joke. The tireless efforts made in tandem with the Chamber Team, Board, Advisory Council, and Community ensured we not only survived the global upending of society as we knew it, but that we actually thrived to deliver new value to companies and people needing it when it mattered most.

Following this came some shifts in the bilateral relationship between Canada and China. In this context, we sought to promote what we hold true: that Canada and China are natural trading partners, and no matter the state of politics, business can always be the thread to weave the fabric of our two societies together. Business ties maintained our shared and storied history during turbulent times.

In 2022, new challenges emerged with Shanghai at the center of a new outbreak. Businesses were shut for months. A new and deeper era of uncertainty arose. FDI paused or redirected, skilled personnel left market, and daily battling of the omicron variant led to bleak outlooks. Yet the Chamber persisted and evolved. Small and Medium sized businesses, the heart and soul of every business community, were prioritized and given specific, specialized assistance any way our small, dedicated team could. Backed by true vision from our Platinum Members in the time needed most, we actually finished the year with a profit. One that was reinvested back into our service offering.

Then came new initiatives. The China-Canada Youth Forum. The China Business Impact Awards. The First Jobs Fair. We strived to connect those margins of the community that were underrepresented and give them a boost. We evolved our usual events into spectacles. Our annual Maple Leaf Ball’s formula was internally challenged and updated to be ever grander and more creative year after year. This was followed by more initiatives. The Community Membership and the Student & Alumni Membership. Collaborative efforts with new partners: other national Chambers in market, local governments and agencies, regional connection building across Asia, and a Canada based development strategy.

And now, after five years of hard work promoting Canadian business interests in China, it is time for me to exit the Chamber. I’m incredibly proud of the work completed during my time. I’m incredibly grateful of the many great people I worked with along the way. The final day as Executive Director is multiple times more certain than the first. It’s been a pleasure leading this community. And now, it’s time for a new chapter.

I wish the Chamber, and everyone in our wonderful community, great success going forward.

Thank you!

Regards,

Matt Whately, Exiting Executive Director