Mrs. Matsubara Emi, Paul Schonenberg, Ambassador Matsubara
Dear AmCham Members, Partners and Friends!
Welcome to the 192nd issue of your AmCham Newsletter!
Over the weekend, I was thinking about our decision (driven by the changes caused by Covid) to cancel the quarterly AmCham magazine, which we were so proud to publish before Covid, and replace it with a weekly digital magazine. In simple terms, when Covid struck, our audience (you all!) faced an urgent need for frequent news updates explaining what was happening in government, business, and society, which affected you, your businesses, and your personal lives…. On that basis, we decided a quarterly magazine was too little too late and publishing a paper magazine would be too expensive (and besides, everyone was reluctant to touch things with their hands for fear of catching the disease!).
I am constantly amazed by how quickly the AmCham team created our digital newsletter, which now reaches over 8,000 subscribers every week! My thanks to the team, sponsors, and contributors for making this all happen!
Replacing my personal photo for the Chairman’s remarks this week, I have taken the liberty of publishing a photo featuring me with the Japanese Ambassador and his wife, who have just completed their tour of duty in Luxembourg and will be departing very soon for Japan. During the three plus years Ambassador Tadahiro Matsubara and his wife, Emi, have served their country here in Luxembourg, they have done so with an exceptional degree of wisdom, infectious enthusiasm, and warm friendship. They are a charming couple, excellent representatives for their country, and very good friends. I wish them well in their future lives and sincerely thank them for their friendship.
Our feature article this week has been written by Vitalij Farafonov who has authored and shares an essay on the most critical things executives need to know, understand, and successfully adapt to as AI becomes an ever more crucial part of our lives. Vitalij is currently studying AI at MIT, and I very much appreciate him sharing what he is learning with you and the rest of us! This article is the first in a series, as Vitalij has accepted my offer to write an AI-focused article for us to publish once a month. In addition to reading this yourselves, I encourage you to both read and share this information with your colleagues and friends.
Last week, I enjoyed attending an Oxford Society dinner at the Grand Ducal Country Club, which featured a speech by the Swiss Ambassador. My compliments to the Oxford Society for this event.
On Tuesday of this week, AmCham partnered with the British Chamber of Commerce (as we do every year) to host our annual personal tax event lunch with Laura Foulds. As every year, Laura did a superb job explaining the details of what each of us needs to do to understand Luxembourg’s personal tax policies and procedures, and to take advantage of the exceptional tax-reduction opportunities under the law. Laura has kindly provided us with her slides and executive summary for publication in this newsletter next week. Please download, use, and share this valuable information!
On Wednesday, we hosted our annual AmCham Member Benefits (MBC) Club Pizza breakfast event at Pizza Hut, (very generously and kindly sponsored by Streff!) with a keynote speech by the Luxembourg city deputy mayor, Maurice Bauer. This MBC program allows AmCham-affiliated employees to shop at over 300 retail establishments and receive significant price reductions as MBC cardholders. Our goal has been to help AmCham-affiliated employees buy more for less money while helping affiliated partners to gain AmCham-affiliated people as new shopping customers. My thanks to Mr. Bauer for his excellent speech and for engaging with our audience so warmly. My thanks also to Streff for their sponsorship and to Alex and his team for great food and a warm welcome. For more details about the AmCham MBC program , please contact Jorge@amcham.lu or Sonja@amcham.lu!
A short time ago, I was interviewed by John Petit for a podcast, which has now been edited and published on YouTube. You’re welcome to listen to this Podcast HERE.
Please note in this Newsletter the very strong program of upcoming events we have planned to keep you informed and to promote your best interests. Most especially, I encourage you to join our annual transatlantic trade and investment event which will take place on 2 December at Deloitte in Cloche d’Or. If you are not yet an AmCham member (all nationalities are warmly welcome), please feel free to contact me (Paul@amcham.lu), our head of customer relations Sonja@amcham.lu, or our head of communications and events, Daniel@amcham.lu!
We hope you enjoy your AmCham Newsletter and share it with your friends and colleagues!
I close by warmly welcoming US Ambassador Stacey Feinberg, who has just recently arrived in Luxembourg and will present her credentials to Grand Duke Guillaume at the palace on 13 November. We look forward to publishing a full interview with her in the very near future.
My respect and very kindest regards,
Paul Schonenberg
Chairman and CEO
AmCham.lu