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Meet your host,
Doug Barry, and guests:
Stewart J. Ballard, Chief Commercial Consul, Hong Kong;
Swee-keng Cheong, Commercial Specialist, U.S.
Commercial Service, Hong Kong; Elanna Tam,
Commercial Specialist, Foreign Commercial Service;
Fanny Chau, Commercial Specialist, U.S. Commercial Service, Hong
Kong
Stewart
J. Ballard
Chief Commercial Consul, Hong Kong
During his 18 years with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Stewart
Ballard has helped U.S. exporters succeed in winning new business in
India, Kuwait, the15 Member States of the European Union and, most
recently, in 35 Asia Pacific developing countries that are members
of the Asian Development Bank. Stewart has worked especially closely
with U.S. firms in the following sectors: high technology and
professional business advisory services (India); energy (Kuwait);
and environment, energy, transportation and healthcare (European
Union & Asian Development Bank countries).
During his assignment in Hong Kong from 2004 to 2008, Stewart is
working with U.S.-based firms to help them take advantage of new
business opportunities in Hong Kong, China and other Asian Pacific
countries. Key new initiatives Stewart has launched include the
“ImaginAsian” film and television industry trade missions to the
U.S. promoting U.S. entertainment industry exports; the “P2E2”
creative financing program that is creating new buyers in Hong Kong
and mainland China for pollution prevention and energy efficiency
technologies used in manufacturing, power generation and real estate
projects; and the “AREAS” (American Real Estate And Services)
pavilion promoting U.S. commercial, industrial and residential
properties to foreign investors and buyers from Japan, China,
Singapore, India, the Middle East during the MIPIM Asia real estate
trade show in Hong Kong on September 27-29, 2006.
Stewart has received both the Bronze Medal and the Quarterly Star
award from the International Trade Administration. His employment
background includes eight years of private sector experience in
intellectual property law; international banking; international
freight forwarding; and import-export. His educational background
includes a B.A. in Political Science (with honors) from the
University of California at Berkeley; an M.A. in International
Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced
International Studies (SAIS); and a J.D. from Tulane University. His
educational background abroad includes graduate work at SAIS’
Bologna Center in Bologna, Italy; and graduate work (in French) on
European Union law at the University of Nancy II in Nancy, France.
Stewart has French, Italian and Mandarin Chinese language skills. He
is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.
Swee-keng Cheong
Commercial Specialist,
U.S. Commercial Service, Hong Kong
Swee-keng Cheong is a graduate from the University of Singapore
where she majored in Economics. In 2001, Swee-keng Cheong joined the
Commercial Service in Hong Kong as a Commercial Specialist. She
started her career with the Singapore Government’s Trade Department
(Textile Unit). She moved to Hong Kong in 1981 as the tourism
representative from Singapore and later joined the British Trade
Commission for more than 7 years as the Commercial Officer handling
consumer goods. In 1994, she joined Kerry Properties, a Hong Kong
and China property developer promoting retail properties. She
continued her work in Asian retail property leasing and consultancy
with Jones Lang La Salle before moving to research work in Egon
Zehnder, an executive search firm.
Covering the consumer goods industry sector, Swee-keng Cheoung
organized and coordinated numerous trade events in Hong Kong,
specifically the Asian regional buyer delegations for Cosmoprof
Asia. Cosmoprof Asia is the regions most prestigious cosmetics and
beauty industry trade show. She also promoted the Hong Kong
International Jewelry Show, World Boutique, Hong Kong Fashion Week
and the Hong Kong Franchise Expo and other fashion retail outlets
throughout China and Singapore.
Elanna Tam
Commercial Specialist, Foreign Commercial Service
Elanna Tam received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of
Toronto, Canada with a major in Commerce and Economics. Since March
1995, Elanna Tam has been working as a Commercial Specialist with
the Foreign Commercial Service. Before joining the Foreign
Commercial Service, Elanna Tam worked for the British Columbia
Government's representative office in Hong Kong and for New World
Development Co. Ltd., one of Hong Kong’s major property developers.
Her main industry portfolio is the building sector, which includes
building products, construction equipment, and
architectural/construction/ engineering services. She also covers
aviation-related services and equipment.
Elanna Tam is a member of the Architectural/Construction/Engineering
sub-team of the Service Team, and Aerospace Team. She is also the
liaison person for Commercial Service Hong Kong for the Asia Pacific
Team.
In January 2005, Elanna Tam received the Employee of the Month
Award. Her native language is Cantonese and she also speaks English
and Mandarin.
Fanny Chau
Commercial Specialist, U.S. Commercial Service, Hong Kong
In 1985, Fanny Chau went to the University of Manitoba, Canada where
she majored in Marketing. In 1997 she joined the Commercial
Specialist in Hong Kong where she has been with the Commercial
Service for over 7 years. Before joining the Commercial Service,
Fanny Chau was the Director for a trading unit of a major local
construction company where she managed a team of 12 people. She was
also a Property Negotiator at Chesterton Petty where she was
responsible for the marketing of a major shopping center. She was a
Business Development Manager at the Café de Coral Holdings, a
Business Development Manager at Lam Soon Holdings in 1994, and a
Director for a trading unit of CEF Holdings, a major local
construction company, in 1995.
Fanny Chau’s industry profile covers computer and computer
peripherals which includes computer software and services,
electronic components, consumer electronics, electronic industry
test equipment; lasers, electro-optics, business equipment;
printing, graphics art equipment, audio and visual equipment,
trucks, trailers, buses, automotive parts and service equipment,
automobiles and light trucks and vans.
In 2003, Fanny Chau spearheaded a webcast project in 2003 and
developed a webcast package to promote Hong Kong as a gateway into
China. Fanny was able to stretch post resources by successfully
leveraging the funds the Marketing & Communications Office supplied
with sponsorship from a local production house, Laaga Limited. Fanny
Chau actively promoted this webcast to fellow Commercial Service
Team members and clients. Fanny was so successful in promoting this
tool that the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), (the
trade promotion entity of the Hong Kong SAR Government) agreed to
fund and co-produce a follow-on series of 4 web cast stories
highlighting the strategic importance of Hong Kong for U.S.
businesses.
Doug
Barry joined the U.S. Commercial Service, the global business solutions
unit of the Department of Commerce, in 1998. Barry has served as
an international trade specialist, helping U.S. companies enter
emerging markets in Russia and elsewhere in the former Soviet Union.
He earned his undergraduate degree from San Francisco State University
and has graduate degrees from New York University and Columbia University.
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Market Briefs --
a combination of videoconference and streaming media technologies --
brings you real-time Commercial Service global market insights and
opportunities from around the world. The Hong Kong and China's Pearl
River Delta Market Brief, taped
in May 2006, is brought to you by the International Trade
Administration,
Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce.
Reference to any particular company or organization, or to any
trade, firm or corporation name, within this Webcast or in its
surrounding pages, or links to Websites outside of the U.S.
government, are for the convenience of the user. Any such reference
does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the U.S.
Commercial Service, U.S. Commerce Department."
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