IYP Mondays are back!

Kick off the working week with the coolest after work in Hong Kong. This Monday 25th, February, don’t miss the reunion and the chance to mingle with old and new friends.

Spend an evening enjoying good cocktails and Piadinas while exchanging thoughts and experiences!

If that sounds like you, come by at Bella Lee and join us!

The Italian Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with The Dutch Chamber of Commerce and InterCham is delighted to invite you to attend the first InterSme seminar of the year.

Having the right talent will help start-ups and SME’s flourish and grow, while getting it wrong costs money, time and affects staff morale. However, SMEs face a number of challenges. They lack resources and a dedicated HR department, leaving these responsibilities to busy owners or senior managers.

During this breakfast seminar, our expert panel will discuss topics that are crucial for managing your employees:

* How to attract the right talent for your business.

* Visa, contracts and employment law in Hong Kong.

* How to motivate and thereby retain your employees, e.g. by using an employee stock ownership plan.

Join us at this breakfast seminar to receive practical HR advice to help ensure you understand your responsibilities.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Jeffrey Broer, Founder of Kohpy Ventures

Jeffrey is a Hong Kong-based Dutch entrepreneur, a strategist with focus on technology innovation. He (co-)founded multiple businesses, the latest be Recime.io (now SmartLoop.ai), a Palo Alto-based cloud-based platform for bot development, which he exited end of 2017. He’s been living in Hong Kong for 8+ years where he founded and exited Grayscale UX design agency in 2015. As co-director of the Founder Institute Hong Kong, he helps aspiring entrepreneurs to validate their business ideas in an intensive 14-week program. With his common sense and his Dutch direct no-nonsense attitude, he’s helped companies and startups prepare for investment, product launch and growth.

Susan Lavender, Consultant Solicitor at SM & Co in association with Gianni Origoni Grippo Cappelli & Partners

Prior to joining SM & Co, Susan worked as a Business Consultant for GOPHK and she continues to work closely with the firm through its formal association with SM & Co. Prior to joining GOPHK, Susan worked for several international law firms in Hong Kong, dealing predominantly with Italian clients. She assisted in setting up the first representative office of an Italian law firm in the PRC and has worked as Regional In-house Legal Counsel for a major Italian multi-national and as a Canadian Federal Adjudicator in immigration matters.

A member of the Hong Kong Law Society and past member of the Bar of Québec, Susan has common law and civil law degrees from McGill University, Montreal, a 1^st Class Honours degree in Italian and Rumanian from University College London and the Postgraduate Diploma in the Law of the PRC from the University of Hong Kong. Anglo-Italian by birth, Susan is bilingual in English and Italian and fluent in French.

Chiara Bertucco, Senior Business Development Manager, Adecco

After starting her career in HR industry as HR consultant in Italy, Chiara has been working in Asia for the past 5 years, mainly being focused on account management and business development of foreign companies in China. In the latest years, Chiara has been supporting international clients from all over the world, in establishing and developing their business in  China through FESCO Adecco’s solutions for then moving to Hong Kong and becoming directly responsible for the Key Accounts of The Adecco Group and the Business Development Department in  Adecco Hong Kong.

Linda Chan, Head of Product and Content, Zegal

Linda is a practising solicitor in Hong Kong qualified in 2008. Prior to joining Zegal, she advised listed companies in corporate finance transactions and worked in the listing policy division of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Her passion to explore a “new way of doing legal” brought her to Zegal, a dynamic tech business that connects small and medium-sized businesses with top-notch legal service with the use of technology. She completed her LLB and PCLL at the University of Hong Kong.

Ivan Wong, Enterprise Solutions Consultant, Linkedin

Enterprise Solutions Consultant, focus on partnering and identifying new business opportunities with public sector users. Lead engagements with key stakeholders include multiple HK Government Bureaus and key projects around conducting research to find out workforce/ talent/ skill insights for HK as an economy, as well as promoting open data adoption and LinkedIn as a hiring and branding platform to public sector users.

The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Macao is proud to present: TRUE ITALIAN TASTE – Cheese Tasting, Wine Pairing & Networking, a dedicated event within the project TRUE ITALIAN TASTE part of the campaign “The Extraordinary Italian Taste” promoted and financed by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and implemented by Assocamerestero in collaboration with the Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad.

True Italian Taste is an initiative that aims to raise awareness on the benefits deriving from the use of authentic Italian  Italian DOP and IGP products and to increase their consumption in foreign markets.

On February, Wednesday 27th, indulge in a delicious selection of Italian cheeses enjoying a spectacular set of wines at Conrad Hong Kong.

Learn how to recognize authentic Italian cheese (DOP, DOPG, IGP) and how to pair specific types with different kinds of wines.

You will also have the chance to discover the exclusive Conrad Hong Kong Cheese Library, where you will be able to take pictures, meet Cheese Library Curator Ronal Massink and find out all the secrets of wine pairing with Concetta Centanni, from Watson’s Wine.

Restaurant Specialty Chef, Riccardo Catarsi and Executive Chef, Claudio Rossi, will also prepare a delicious Risotto Gorgonzola, Pere e Noci and the renowned Cavatelli Cacio e Pepe, because, let’s be honest, there’s no such a thing as an Italian journey without pasta and risotto.

As fashion weeks are over, let’s kick-start the year of the pig with a toast.

Join the Retail Mixer, one of the best networking cocktails in town, and gather together with the retail players in Hong Kong.

Spend an evening enjoying good cocktails and the company of professionals working around the retail industry while exchanging ideas and experience.

The Italian Chamber of Commerce is delighted to invite you to attend this seminar about the origins, current practice, and future direction of tax law in Hong Kong.

In response to the international community’s measures to counter money laundering and tax base erosion and profit shifting, the Hong Kong Government has taken steps to complement these global efforts. The focus of the lecture will be mainly on the commercial implications of recent developments in Hong Kong taxation, and the impact these will have on both domestic and international enterprises operating in or through the region.

The audience will have the opportunity to acquire a grounding in Hong Kong tax law’s essential principles and evolution trends, therefore becoming aware of the risks and opportunities associated with the city’s rapidly evolving fiscal landscape.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Stefano Mariani, Counsel, Deacons

Stefano Mariani has a broad range of advisory and contentious tax experience. He advises on all matters of Hong Kong and international tax law, including tax-efficient structuring and restructuring, and tax appeals before the Board of Review and the higher courts. Mr Mariani speaks five languages (English, Italian, French, Spanish, and German), he is a lecturer in revenue law at Hong Kong University, and also a regular contributor to legal and industry publications, notably including the Hong Kong Law Journal, the Asia-Pacific Journal of Taxation, and the Asia-Pacific Tax Bulletin.

The Italian Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to invite you to attend this unique event that will see the participation of the craftsman of Gin made in Italy, Roby Marton.

Roby Marton Gin is the Italian and artisanal representation of the classic English distillate, obtained through the infusion of an unusual bouquet of 11 classic and exotic botanicals in pure neutral grain pot-stilled alcohol.

Let yourself be guided through a tasting journey which will reveal Marton’s Gin personality, discovering how its softness will fill your mouth, with flavors of red berries, licorice, and horseradish.

The cocktail selection will include:

– Divinorum (Gin, Sage’s Butter Fat Washed, Citrus and topped up with Ginger Beer);

– Kedro (Gin, Fresh Grapefruit Juice, Citrus and topped up with Cedrata).

It is an extraordinary opportunity to taste the only Italian Premium Dry Gin surrounded by the contemporary Greek atmosphere of Estiatorio Keia. Don’t miss it!

The development of new information technologies and global infrastructure have contributed to create new profession figures, the Digital Nomad.

Mostly Freelancer, Remote workers, Entrepreneurs, Bloggers, Influencers or Designers, Digital Nomad are all carachterized by itinerant professions that need to comply with corporate and tax regulations on a global level. That’s why is vital for them to select a friendly jurisdiction to establish their company and tax residence, in order to maximize the benefits of their traveller status.

Being such a new figure anyway represents an interesting case study from different perspectives and of course, taxation is a hot topic. If you want to know more about how these professionals face taxation according to different jurisdictions don’t miss this opportunity and join us to discover more about these new and pivotal business figures!

About the Speaker

Filippo Buzzi, Head of Italian Desk at Fidinam (Hong Kong) Limited

During his career, Filippo has worked in Switzerland, United Kingdom, Mainland China and Hong Kong. After graduating in Italy at University of Trieste (BSc in Political and Economic Sciences), he studied in both London (University of London) and Amsterdam, at the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD), where he has built his competence in international taxation. Filippo is bilingual in Italian and English.

For the International Women’s day, The Italian Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with The Italian Women’s Association, cordially invite you to attend a significant Apericena Night, on Friday, March 8th, with delicious snacks and canapés.

During the evening we will have the opportunity to celebrate empowering women all around the world while supporting them with a personal donation to “Home Care for Girls”.

Home Care for Girls is a charity organisation that is now sponsoring a Counseling Adventure Camp for the girls hosted at their Family Home, who were victims of abuse or come from dysfunctional families.

If you are willing to contribute to this important cause,  join us and support with meaningful action.

R.S.V.P by Monday, March 4th,  by sending an email to Cristina Carusillo at secretary@iwa.org.hk 

Nowadays, in an increasingly complex regulatory environment, companies may be faced with meeting multiple Know Your Customer, Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-bribery requirements.

Business Information is a cost-effective tool that helps in reducing Credit Risk & Compliance Risk. During our seminar, we will have the opportunity to better understand this process thanks to our speakers, Ms. Fion Fok from CRIF, that will share how their business intelligence is helping corporates to uncover hidden credit risk and Mr. Douglas Wolfson from Lexis Nexis, that will demonstrate how to locate financial crime compliance concerns efficiently.

Join our seminar and get to know more about how to identify qualified business partners and how to use business information to meet a company’s compliance requirement.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Fion Fok, General Manager, Hong Kong & South China Region at CRIF Hong Kong Limited

Fion Fok is responsible for developing CRIF’s Business Information business in Hong Kong and South China Region. CRIF is a global company specializing in credit bureau and business information, outsourcing and processing services, and credit solutions. It employs 4,400+ staff and serves 6,300+ financial institutions and 55,000+ business clients in 50 countries on a daily basis.

Ms. Fok has extensive experience in the field of credit and risk management solution to support enterprises’ business growth. Before joining CRIF, she has worked for D&B and EOS, which are one of the leading international providers of business information solution and financial services respectively.

Douglas Wolfson, Director, Financial Crime Compliance of LexisNexis Risk Solutions in Asia

Douglas Wolfson is Director, Financial Crime Compliance for LexisNexis Risk Solutions in Asia. Headquartered out of Hong Kong, Douglas drives the strategy and product development of the leading risk tools used by the biggest banks in the world that help to mitigate financial crime compliance issues.

Douglas has 18 years of financial services, risk management, and international business experience. His deep experience includes leading risk management departments at the world’s most recognizable financial institutions.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in International relations from Colgate University. He also is the co-founder and organizing committee member of the Blue Tie Ball in Hong Kong, an event created to raise awareness about and reduce the stigma around mental illness.

The Italian Chamber of Commerce is deeply honoured to invite you to the Joint Business Community Luncheon: 2019-2020 Budget, on March 19th. The Honourable Paul MP Chan, GBM, GBS, MH, JP Financial Secretary, The Government of the HKSAR will address the Hong Kong business community with a speech about his Budget. This Joint Business Community Luncheon is an ideal opportunity for you to learn more about his thoughts and insights behind the new Budget. You will learn directly from the Financial Secretary about the Government’s plans to steer its fiscal policy, enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness and encourage growth in innovation, technology and R&D sectors to sustain Hong Kong’s economic growth.

Companies wishing to sponsor a table will have priority in prime locations for their company, clients and guests.

Limited tables are available. Book now to avoid disappointment.

What do the rise of platforms and the tech-savvy consumers mean for business?

Today, it is imperative that retail companies think more about digital transformation to create a truly connected enterprise to harness the power of data. Companies also need to think about how to use data responsibly to build deeper insights and relationships with their customers. As such, they must engage their customers in an open and honest dialogue about such use.

If you want to have an overview of the topic and explore some of the technology and innovative trends that are impacting business and what is in store for 2019 and beyond join our seminar on March, 21st.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Anson Bailey, Head of Consumer & Retail, ASPAC, Head of Technology, Hong Kong, KPMG China

Anson joined KPMG in Hong Kong in 1999 and is currently a Partner based in the Hong Kong office heading up the Consumer and Retail Practice. He is part of the KPMG Regional Consumer and Retail Practice Leadership team as well as being a member of the Global Technology Innovation Centre and the Cluster Leader for the Technology, Media & Telecoms Practice based in Hong Kong.

Anson has been active in driving a number of thought leadership reports and executive briefings for senior executives covering innovation and consumers in China and across Asia. He has worked with many corporates to understand the complex markets we live in and current levels of disruption being seen with recent reports.

Today, he not only mentors the next generation of go-to-market professionals at KPMG but continues to work with a growing number of C-level executives as a trusted advisor in providing the best in client innovation whilst acting as the Lead Partner for a number of strategic accounts in the consumer and technology arena across the Asia Pacific region.

Understanding of tax and accounting implications is crucial for multinational companies investing in Hong Kong.

This interesting seminar will start with a discussion on the general aspects of the Italian anti-tax haven provisions and the recent changes in the Italian tax regulations that may have an impact on Italian and European companies investing in Hong Kong. A few examples will be analyzed that more frequently affects companies and individuals doing cross-border business.

The lecture will then move on to the accounting, financial reporting and intercompany transactions complexities for companies operating in multiple countries with a special focus on local regulations.

We are glad to invite you to attend this business seminar helpful to figure out how to manage the risks of non-compliance with regulatory bodies.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Marzio Morgante, Managing Partner, Asian Tax Advisory

Marzio is a member of the Tax Consultants Register of Milan and of the Italian Register of Statutory Auditors and he has been practising in Hong Kong since 2009 when he received an LL.M. in International Tax Law from Leiden University. His experience includes tax treaties, EC tax law, Italian tax law, Hong Kong tax law, corporate reorganizations, tax planning for corporations and individuals.

Erika Mingrino, Head of Finance, Accounting & Reporting, Asian Tax Advisory

Erika graduated in Economics and Management at Luigi Bocconi University (Milan, Italy) in 2011, and before joining ATA in Hong Kong, she worked as Senior Auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Milan. Her area of expertise includes an operational and financial audit, understanding of business processes, general accounting, Italian GAAP, international Accounting standards and financial controlling.

The Italian Chamber of Commerce is pleased to invite you to attend an enlightening business seminar on the change of Permanent Establishment meaning in Hong Kong and its tax implication.

Despite being first introduced in 1940s, the concept of permanent establishment (“PE”) has started to be widely mentioned in Hong Kong, and generally worldwide, after the launch of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project by the OECD in 2015. This program had the aim to tackle international tax avoidance by high-profile multinationals. Moreover, the enactment of Inland Revenue (Amendment No.6) Ordinance 2018 has brought a big change because it primarily implements the international standards of the BEPS package and codifies the transfer pricing principles into the Inland Revenue Ordinance (IRO).

Would this brand-new definition of PE bring more controversy or settlement of tax issues? That’s the main theme that this seminar will deepen.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Wilson Cheng, Partner, Hong Kong Business Tax Services / Tax Controversy Services, EY

Wilson is the Tax Controversy Leader in Hong Kong, with around 20 years of Hong Kong corporate tax advisory experiences. He provides a wide spectrum of tax controversy services to conglomerates, listed companies as well as the US and European-based multinational corporations.

He has extensive experiences in dealing with Hong Kong tax authorities, for example assisting corporations in settling pro-longed tax disputes on contentious tax issues in Hong Kong.  More recently, he advised his clients on new tax incentives scheme in Hong Kong and then assisted the client to obtain an advance ruling from the Hong Kong tax authorities.  His other tax experiences include group structure rationalization and restructuring, cross-border transaction planning and compliance, IPO review and restructuring.

Martin Richter, Partner, Transfer Pricing Services, EY

Martin is the Partner in charge of EY’s transfer pricing practice in Hong Kong, advising clients in both Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Martin advises on a full range of different transfer pricing project types, including policy design and implementation, tax aligned restructurings, audit defence, advanced pricing agreements, as well as general compliance and documentation.  He has deep experience in advising on a multitude of intercompany transaction types, including establishing and supporting unit prices for tangible goods; fees for services; royalties/licenses/ franchises for intangibles; and financing costs for financial transactions.

Cherry Lam, Partner, Hong Kong International Tax Services, EY

Cherry has extensive experience in advising multinationals corporations on international and Hong Kong tax matters and assisted her clients in numerous global and regional projects, including principal structure planning, operating model structuring, outbound investment planning, legal entity rationalization, licensing structure planning, tax health checks, IPO structure planning etc.

She is knowledgeable in serving clients in a wide range of industry including e-commerce, technology, industrial and consumer products, hospitality, logistics and transportation.