Dear AmCham Members, Partners, and Friends,
The AmCham.lu team and I are happy to welcome you to read and enjoy our AmCham.lu newsletter number 203! We hope you enjoy our content and welcome your feedback (Paul@amcham.lu).
Several weeks ago, our Prime Minister Luc Frieden, went to North America to give a speech at Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government followed by a trip to Canada to promote the Luxembourg financial sector. His purpose at Harvard was to explain Luxembourg’s values and way of doing things. We are pleased in this newsletter to present the text of this Harvard speech and thank the Prime Minister for sharing it with us. Enjoy reading it!
My thanks to CHINALUX for the kind invitation to join their Chinese New Year Gala reception last week and especially for sitting me next to Jerry Grbic, the ABBL CEO at such an interesting VIP table. Although Jerry and I have known each other for quite some time, this evening we really had the opportunity to seriously talk about a broad range of topics. I was very impressed and pleased by the degree of common values and mutual points of view we share! I likewise enjoyed my discussions with Rolf Sorg and his wife Vicki from PM- International, Mario Di Stefano, Carlo Cravat, Simône Van Schouwenburg and Alain Mestat, Julie Becker and Deputy Prime Minister Bettel, who kindly shook my hand while returning to his seat following his speech. CHINALUX President, Jacques Bortuzzo, and his team put on a very good event!
Likewise last week, I enjoyed the hospitality of the Japanese Ambassador Mr. Nomura Mamoru and his wife Nobuko at their excellent lunch reception which hosted almost 400 guests. Great atmosphere and wonderful networking!
During the weekend, I spent all of Saturday at the University of Luxembourg in Esch/Belval attending (and co-sponsoring !) the multi-LEARN Institute conference put on by Dr. Natalia Durus and Dr. Gudrun Ziegler with funding provided by the Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees. This academic conference had a special focus on the advantages and risks associated with AI as a learning and influencing tool. I fully agree with the final symposium conclusion that AI must remain controlled by people to avoid the strong possibility that AI is a powerful tool which can, unless properly managed, perpetuate and institutionalize harmful biases.
Coming home on the train from Esch, I became aware of the military strikes in the Middle East. In AmCham we are and always will be non-political but pro-business. We leave to government leaders the responsibility to manage the many challenges in their remit and pray they have the wisdom, strength, and perseverance to bring and maintain fairness, peace, and stability.
This evening AmCham will partner with PwC for our annual International Women’s Day celebration. I encourage both women and men to attend this event. While much has been done over the past years, there remain many challenges. It is important and valuable to honor the heroes who have fought and fight for fairness and equality.
Tomorrow evening, we are delighted to host our Annual Carnival party in the evening at the DoubleTree Hilton in Dommeldange. While we are close to being fully booked, there may be a few seats which become available because of last-minute cancelations. Please sign up (HERE) or contact Daniel@amcham.lu if you want to join us. The AmCham team and I are looking forward to relaxing in our costumes, eating and drinking with good friends and colleagues … and dancing our feet off to the music and sound of Marco Boesen and his team! We will be happy to see and spend time with you!
My respect and very best wishes,
Paul Schonenberg
Chaiman and CEO
AmCham.lu