STAFF IN CONFIDENCE
FROM: CO Hum
DATE: 21 October 1992
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Mrs Sutherland,
Deputy Chief Clerk
HONG KONG: BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
1. I minuted to you about this on 21 September, and we later discussed subsequent developments.
2. Mr Day (BTC Hong Kong) has recently been active in pressing the case for a revived British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. He is now confident that this case will be supported by leading British companies in Hong Kong, and that they will be prepared to put up the necessary funds. His aim is now to put · together a detailed proposal to be agreed with the key companies before the end of the year and then submit it to the Minister for Trade.
3. Mr Day's ideas on staffing are that the Chamber will need an Executive staff of two. His original thinking was that the number two might be brought in on secondment from the FCO, but with all costs paid by the private sector. However I have now mentioned to him in confidence Mr Davies' possible interest in the number one position. Mr Day agrees that this would be a perfectly workable arrangement and that Mr Davies would be well qualified to do the job. In that case his Deputy would need to be someone with straight commercial experience, probably a local Hong Kong Chines... But the final decisions on staffing would of course be for the companies making up the Board of the Chamber, who may have other candidates in mind.
4. As agreed with you, I have discussed these developments with Mr Davies. In principle he remains interested in the idea of a secondment. But he will of course want to talk it through with He will want to know whether there are other openings for him in the foreseeable future; and what the terms might be for his secondment to the Chamber and his eventual re-entry into the Service. He is likely to contact you shortly.
you.
5. On timing, if all goes well the aim would be to set up the revived Chamber under its new management early next spring. Mr Day's feeling is that the Chief Executive job should be seen as a two-year stint with the explicit objective of putting the Chamber on a sounder footing. Thereafter it might be rather more routine, and possibly less attractive to senior DS officers.
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Corte
CO Hum
STAFF IN CONFIDENCE