The Chamber launched a new series on May 13 under the banner "Business Connect with BRIC Economies." This series aims to uncover business opportunities in the emerging BRIC markets, in particular, China's interaction with India, Brazil, and Russia. This inaugural seminar focused on the emerging opportunities brought about by India and China's complementary strengths and their evolving strategic roles in the international business arena.

Olaf Unteroberdoerster, Resident Representative, Hong Kong SAR, International Monetary Fund, presented the IMF's latest assessment of the global economy and the implications for countries in the Asia-Pacific region, at the Chamber's roundtable luncheon on May 8.

Dr John Fleming, Chief Scientist for The Gallup Organization, shared case studies at the Chamber's May 6 luncheon of how companies use HumanSigma to improve employee-customer engagement and enhance business performance. Gallup has studied human nature and behaviour for more than 70 years, and its research shows that organisations that have adopted HumanSigma management systems outperformed their peers by 26% in gross margin and 85% in sales growth over a prior one-year period.