Spanish Chamber Celebrates Friends of Spain Awards and SCC 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner

25th Anniversary of the Spanish Chamber

Hong Kong, Dec. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2016, the Chamber will turn 25, and to celebrate this special milestone, a Gala Dinner was held on the evening of December 3rd. This was a very unique celebration and privilege as it also marked the hosting of the Friends of Spain Awards for the first time in Hong Kong.

FRIENDS OF SPAIN AWARDS

For the first time as well in Hong Kong, the High Commissioner of the Government for the Marca Espana (Spain Brand), together with the Leading Brands from Spain Forum, the Spanish Consulate, the Trade Commission and the Chamber of Commerce presented the "Friends of Spain" awards to companies and individuals who have been particularly friendly to Spain over the years. The following companies and individuals received a statuette designed by the firm Lladro symbolising the friendship between the two countries. Please find below the name of the awardee (in bold) and the name of the person who collected the award:

Hutchison Port Holdings
Ms. Ruth Tsim, Group Chief Financial Officer, Hutchison Port Holdings

Cathay Pacific
Mr. Mark Celenk Manager, Revenue Cathay Pacific

Wharf T&T
Mr. Vincent Ma, President of Wharf T&T

Dr. Stanley Ho
Ms. Daisy Ho, daughter of Dr. Stanley Ho

Hong Kong Arts Festival
Executive Director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival

Peter Gordon
Peter Gordon himself

These companies and Individuals have been recognised as Friends of Spain. All of them have shown great friendship towards Spain over the years in different fields (investment, arts, tourism) and so they have been recognised for their great efforts to bring both territories closer.

After this recognition, some of the most important Spanish brands also recognised the persons who have been most friendly to them so that the whole evening was a great celebration of the Friends of Spain as a country and the Friends of the Spanish brands.

The event was chaired by the High Commissioner of the Government for the Spain Brand, Mr. Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros, the Consul of Spain in Hong Kong, Mr. Santiago Martinez Caro, the President of the Spanish Chamber, Mr. Jose Martino and the CEO of the Leading Brands from Spain Forum, Miguel Otero, who emphasised the importance of having good allies to succeed in competitive markets and hence the recognition to these Friends.

Mr. Thomas Wong, member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Chamber and the Investment Ambassador of Invest HK, who spoke on behalf of the Friends of Spain Brand and Spanish Brands from his experience, highlighted the changes both countries have experienced in the last 25 years and how they have strengthened trade relations between them.

THE GALA DINNER

The evening continued with the 25^th Spanish Chamber Gala Dinner Anniversary for 244 attendees; the evening consisted of a very special culinary cocktail and dinner with a total of six courses designed by Chef Pedro Samper, the Executive Chef of the Langham Hotel. Each of the dishes was paired with some of the best Spanish wines to provide a complete Spanish gastronomic experience. At the end of this dinner the President of the Chamber presented one of the founders of the Chamber Mr. Joan Dedeu with the 2015 Golden Abacus Award, the annual recognition of the Chamber. This Gala Dinner will be the starting point for a year of special events and celebrations.

The High Commissioner closed the event by highlighting the importance to Spain of a market like Hong Kong, and the need to have a powerful Chamber to help strengthen the business relationships with business events like this.

PICTURES OF THE EVENT:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a04lr8o9nheds4a/AAAs_SQb3C2XUsRPYsoOGOmHa?dl=0

SPECIAL THANKS TO EL CORTE INGLES AND ALL OTHER SPONSORS

We also want to thank our Annual Sponsors BBVA, Santander, Telefonica and Lufthansa Swiss, and above all our platinum Sponsor of the evening El Corte Ingles the Spanish Department store, one of the largest in Europe, for their great support in this event. We also want to recognise all the companies that have made this evening possible, very specially to CWCC, Port de Barcelona, Civil and Commercial Arbitration Court (CIMA), Hong Kong Sotheby's International Realty.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Please find below the links to additional information on Marca Espana (Spain Brand), Foro de Marcas (Leading Brands from Spain Forum), the Awards and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

Marca Espana: http://marcaespana.es/
Foro de Marcas (Leading Brands Forum): www.brandsofspain.com
Spanish Chamber: www.spanish-chamber.com.hk

For more information please contact events@spanish-chamber.com.hk or call +852-2763-6236.

Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong
7/F, Unit B-C. One Capital Place
18 Luard Road (entrance by Jaffe Road)
Wanchai, Hong Kong
www.spanish-chamber.com.hk

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