INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION
AmCham’s committees provide the intelligence the Chamber needs to best represent the Chilean-American business community. These committees include experts in their field, and monitor issues that have a real or potential impact on U.S.-Chile business relations and on member companies. Committees initiate and prepare position papers on these issues as necessary, and inform the membership of developments through seminars and publications.
AmCham members are free to participate in any Committee of their choice - as well as their different company executives - depending on their areas of interest. Committees provide excellent networking opportunities among AmCham members and also for finding eventual business partners. Each Committee is presided by an AmCham Director, they meet monthly and they invite guests of interest to its members, as well as authorities in the various topics, coming both from the public and private sector. Such meetings are attended by groups averaging 30 persons, which permits a deep and frank exchange of views between attending members and their guests, thereby enriching their points of view and obtaining privileged information.
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Chair: Katheleen Barclay
Partner, Barclay & Halpern
It is responsible for Business Chile, including its contents, layout and financial success. The Editorial Committee strives to present contents that are consistent with AmCham’s mission statement of promoting free trade and investment between Chile and the United States. The magazine’s editorials reflect the Chamber’s positions on different issues, and it also informs of the many AmCham activities.
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Chair: Mario Farren
Country Treasurer, Citibank
The Finance Committee discusses, analyzes and divulges relevant aspects of the Chilean economy, as well as financial and tax reform issues. It communicates AmCham’s position on these issues to government officials. The Finance Committee also seeks to promote an increase in capital flows through distribution of relevant information.
INFORATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
Chair: Luis Siles, General Manager, IBM Chile
This Committee promotes the use of technology as a business tool, while exchanging information on new technologies. it is a platform for the analysis and discussion of technological innovations that impact the traditional way of doing business.
The Committee also discusses legal issues and encourages its members to proactively contact government officials and carry out lobbying activities to improve relevant legislation. Additionally, it houses AmCham’s CIO sub-committee, that brings together member companies’ chief information officers to discuss issues relevant to their activities.
CHILEAN ISSUERS COMMITTEE
Chair: Alfredo Ergas, Chief Financial Officer, Enersis
The CIC Committee analyzes, discusses and divulges aspects that are considered relevant for companies that have issued financial instruments in international capital markets, especially in the United States.
LABOR COMMITTEE
Chair: Ricardo García, Regional President for Latinamerica, Seguros Interamericana Aig/ Alico
Among other goals, the Labor Committee seeks to promote better labor practices among AmCham members. It also analyzes new developments in labor legislation, engaging in lobby at various levels when necessary and keeps AmCham members informed about relevant labor issues.
SOCIAL ALLIANCE COMMITTEE
Chair: Rodolfo Echeverría, General Manager, Coca-Cola Chile
The Committee seeks to generate adequate conditions for the exchange of information on corporate social responsibility, and promotes this practice among AmCham’s members and Chile´s private sector as an integral part of business strategy. Its activities involve identifying means of cooperation between organizations, the State and the private sector, promoting the optimization of social investment, and properly communicating this to the community, in order to promote social action among corporations..AmCham recognizes good practices in this field through its Good Corporate Citizenship Award.
HUMAN CAPITAL COMMITTEE
Chair: Karina Awad, Human Resources Manager, Presto
This Committee meets monthly with modern management methods experts, to discusse, analyze and communicate concepts, techniques, methodologies and experiences related to excellence in management. It also promotes the importance of efficiency in management as a means to increase productivity
TRADE COMMITTEE
Chair: Jay Ewald, Managing Director, Wintec Holdings
The Committee’s goals are to promote the free trade of goods, services and strategic partnering between Chile and the United States, with emphasis on increasing the flow in both directions. It keeps track of FTA implementation and other international trade issues, so as to contribute to trade and inform members about key matters.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Chair: James Hughes, General Manager, Hotel Ritz Carlton
This committee was created in 2002, and its goal is to look for new benefits, services and activities for AmCham members, in order to provide them with more value added.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE
Chair: Guillermo García
Public Affairs Manager, Esso Chile
The Environmental Committee promotes economic growth in Chile in the context of clear, stable and non-discriminatory environmental regulations based on scientific principles, on self-regulation and on a cost-effectiveness analysis. AmCham encourages members to be environmentally active within the community.
LEGAL COMMITTEE
Chair: Jaime Irarrázabal, Partner, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido, Brunner
The Legal Committee’s goals are to promote transparency and ethics in the business community, to create a space for the legal community to exchange experiences, and to and establish a fluid information stream. It also aims to promote AmCham’s Arbitration and Mediation Center. This committee analyzes the legal issues and implications of the FTA and the legislative matters in the Chilean Congress that relate to bilateral trade and investment. The committee provides the information that the Board requires to lobby U.S. and Chilean authorities, and provides support for other committees that study legal subjects.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Chair: Michael Grasty, Senior Partner, Grasty, Quintana, Majlis & Cia.
This Committee seeks to design and execute a strategy designed to promote bilingualism in Chile, as an indispensable tool to get around in our globalized world and to boost linkages between companies and superior and/or technical institutes and universities. Another objective is to organize activities to facilitate student apprenticeships in our partner companies, both in Chile and in the USA.
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
Chair: Charles Kimber, Director Corporative Affairs and Marketing, Celulosa Arauco y Constitución.
The objectives of this committee are to promote discussion and knowledge of topics related to Corporate Communications in different business areas, learning first hand experiences from Chile and the USA so that AmCham member’s can strengthen their business image and better manage their communications in case of crisis.
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION
AmCham’s committees provide the intelligence the Chamber needs to best represent the Chilean-American business community. These committees include experts in their field, and monitor issues that have a real or potential impact on U.S.-Chile business relations and on member companies. Committees initiate and prepare position papers on these issues as necessary, and inform the membership of developments through seminars and publications.
AmCham members are free to participate in any Committee of their choice - as well as their different company executives - depending on their areas of interest. Committees provide excellent networking opportunities among AmCham members and also for finding eventual business partners. Each Committee is presided by an AmCham Director, they meet monthly and they invite guests of interest to its members, as well as authorities in the various topics, coming both from the public and private sector. Such meetings are attended by groups averaging 30 persons, which permits a deep and frank exchange of views between attending members and their guests, thereby enriching their points of view and obtaining privileged information.
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Chair: Katheleen Barclay
Partner, Barclay & Halpern
It is responsible for Business Chile, including its contents, layout and financial success. The Editorial Committee strives to present contents that are consistent with AmCham’s mission statement of promoting free trade and investment between Chile and the United States. The magazine’s editorials reflect the Chamber’s positions on different issues, and it also informs of the many AmCham activities.
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Chair: Mario Farren
Country Treasurer, Citibank
The Finance Committee discusses, analyzes and divulges relevant aspects of the Chilean economy, as well as financial and tax reform issues. It communicates AmCham’s position on these issues to government officials. The Finance Committee also seeks to promote an increase in capital flows through distribution of relevant information.
INFORATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
Chair: Luis Siles, General Manager, IBM Chile
This Committee promotes the use of technology as a business tool, while exchanging information on new technologies. it is a platform for the analysis and discussion of technological innovations that impact the traditional way of doing business.
The Committee also discusses legal issues and encourages its members to proactively contact government officials and carry out lobbying activities to improve relevant legislation. Additionally, it houses AmCham’s CIO sub-committee, that brings together member companies’ chief information officers to discuss issues relevant to their activities.
CHILEAN ISSUERS COMMITTEE
Chair: Alfredo Ergas, Chief Financial Officer, Enersis
The CIC Committee analyzes, discusses and divulges aspects that are considered relevant for companies that have issued financial instruments in international capital markets, especially in the United States.
LABOR COMMITTEE
Chair: Ricardo García, Regional President for Latinamerica, Seguros Interamericana Aig/ Alico
Among other goals, the Labor Committee seeks to promote better labor practices among AmCham members. It also analyzes new developments in labor legislation, engaging in lobby at various levels when necessary and keeps AmCham members informed about relevant labor issues.
SOCIAL ALLIANCE COMMITTEE
Chair: Rodolfo Echeverría, General Manager, Coca-Cola Chile
The Committee seeks to generate adequate conditions for the exchange of information on corporate social responsibility, and promotes this practice among AmCham’s members and Chile´s private sector as an integral part of business strategy. Its activities involve identifying means of cooperation between organizations, the State and the private sector, promoting the optimization of social investment, and properly communicating this to the community, in order to promote social action among corporations..AmCham recognizes good practices in this field through its Good Corporate Citizenship Award.
HUMAN CAPITAL COMMITTEE
Chair: Karina Awad, Human Resources Manager, Presto
This Committee meets monthly with modern management methods experts, to discusse, analyze and communicate concepts, techniques, methodologies and experiences related to excellence in management. It also promotes the importance of efficiency in management as a means to increase productivity
TRADE COMMITTEE
Chair: Jay Ewald, Managing Director, Wintec Holdings
The Committee’s goals are to promote the free trade of goods, services and strategic partnering between Chile and the United States, with emphasis on increasing the flow in both directions. It keeps track of FTA implementation and other international trade issues, so as to contribute to trade and inform members about key matters.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Chair: James Hughes, General Manager, Hotel Ritz Carlton
This committee was created in 2002, and its goal is to look for new benefits, services and activities for AmCham members, in order to provide them with more value added.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE
Chair: Guillermo García
Public Affairs Manager, Esso Chile
The Environmental Committee promotes economic growth in Chile in the context of clear, stable and non-discriminatory environmental regulations based on scientific principles, on self-regulation and on a cost-effectiveness analysis. AmCham encourages members to be environmentally active within the community.
LEGAL COMMITTEE
Chair: Jaime Irarrázabal, Partner, Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido, Brunner
The Legal Committee’s goals are to promote transparency and ethics in the business community, to create a space for the legal community to exchange experiences, and to and establish a fluid information stream. It also aims to promote AmCham’s Arbitration and Mediation Center. This committee analyzes the legal issues and implications of the FTA and the legislative matters in the Chilean Congress that relate to bilateral trade and investment. The committee provides the information that the Board requires to lobby U.S. and Chilean authorities, and provides support for other committees that study legal subjects.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Chair: Michael Grasty, Senior Partner, Grasty, Quintana, Majlis & Cia.
This Committee seeks to design and execute a strategy designed to promote bilingualism in Chile, as an indispensable tool to get around in our globalized world and to boost linkages between companies and superior and/or technical institutes and universities. Another objective is to organize activities to facilitate student apprenticeships in our partner companies, both in Chile and in the USA.
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
Chair: Charles Kimber, Director Corporative Affairs and Marketing, Celulosa Arauco y Constitución.
The objectives of this committee are to promote discussion and knowledge of topics related to Corporate Communications in different business areas, learning first hand experiences from Chile and the USA so that AmCham member’s can strengthen their business image and better manage their communications in case of crisis.