China & Hong Kong Business Awards 2019

On Thursday 21 November 2019, the Netherlands China Business Council (NCBC) and the Netherlands Hong Kong Business Association (NHKBA) will proudly host the 2019 China and Hong Kong Business Awards Ceremony during a festive dinner at Kasteel de Wittenburg in Wassenaar.

The Business Awards Dinner will put the spotlight on entrepreneurs who have excelled in the markets of China and or Hong Kong, who have set up new businesses or have successfully expanded existing ones.
This high profile event brings together business executives doing business in the Netherlands, China and or Hong Kong and to celebrate their successes and facilitate deepening of existing partnerships and establishing new business relationships.

Here are two prizes to be awarded :

The China and Hong Kong Business Award 2019

To give recognition to a Dutch company active in the Agriculture & Food sector, which has:

•  Achieved excellent results in terms of business accomplishments in the markets of China and or Hong Kong
• Made an excellent contribution in terms of creativity or innovation in China and or Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Shooting Star Award 2019

To give recognition to a Dutch company active in Hong Kong, which has:

• Made an excellent contribution in terms of business accomplishments in the market of Hong Kong
• Combines this business excellence with commitment to Corporate and Social Responsibility and to the region.

We are currently seeking suitable companies to be considered for the awards and kindly invite you to submit your own company’s application. You can also nominate another company or other companies.

For the sake of transparency, you will find a description of the selection process below.

Selection process
Companies interested to be considered for the Business Awards 2019 are requested to fill out the questionnaire in the email and return it to the secretariat.

The deadline for submission is 10 September 2019.

Nominated companies will be asked to submit detailed information which will be checked confidentially by an appointed accountant.
Based on the answers received, the Jury Panel will make a shortlist of 3 companies. Each of the companies shortlisted will be interviewed by two members of the Jury Panel. The overall winner will be determined based on a mix of public voting through the social media (30%) and the jury (70%). The public voting stays open until 21 November 15:00 hrs. The winner will thus only be known on the evening during the official Business Awards festive Dinner on 21 November 2019.

The Jury Panel will among others apply the following assessment criteria to select the final three nominees and the winner:

• Overall Business Achievement
• Vision & Business Strategy
• Level of innovation achieved
• Corporate & Social Responsibility impact

Jury Members for 2019 are:
Mr. Jochum Haakma, chairman
Dr Ir Aalt Dijkhuizen, president Dutch top sector Agri & Food
Mr. Joop Geelen, senior sourcing manager fresh food, Alibaba
Mr. Bart Jan Koopman, director EVO Fenedex
Mr. Jan Holthuis, partner Buren Legal China
Mr. Boudewijn Poldermans, chairman CGCB International
Mr. Ewout Stumphius, partner Loyens & Loeff
Mrs. Jacqueline Baud, vice chairman NHKBA

Keynote speakers
We are delighted to have found a true Captain of Industry, Mr. Hein Schumacher, CEO of FrieslandCampina, the largest Dutch exporter of dairy products to China and Hong Kong, to deliver the key note speech.

Her Excellency Mrs. Sigrid Kaag, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development has been invited to deliver the Dinner Speech.

His Excellency Mr. XU Hong, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Netherlands has been invited to attend dinner.

Practical information:
Venue: Kasteel de Wittenburg,
Landgoed de Wittenburg 1, 2244 BV Wassenaar
Parking: Free
Time: 17:30 to 22:00
Dress Code: Tenue de Ville

If you have any questions regarding the China and Hong Kong Business Awards, please do not hesitate to contact the secretariat.

Yours sincerely,

Jochum Haakma
Chairman NCBC

Hans Poulis
Chairman NHKBA