Ulaanbaatar/MONTSAME/ The American Chamber of Commerce in Mongolia (AmCham Mongolia) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 16 at Shangri-La Hotel, hosting the Chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy, Manuel P. Micaller, and over 50 AmCham members and leaders from the business community.

During the AGM, AmCham members reviewed the key milestones and progress made in 2018, set the priorities and direction of the organization for 2019, and elected several new members of the Board of Directors.

A number of prominent business leaders were elected to serve the AmCham Board of Directors in 2019: Mr. David Reiner, Board Member of MSM Group; Ms. Enkhtsetseg Damdinsuren, Vice President at MCS Holding; Mr. Gary Biondo, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of International School of Ulaanbaatar; Mr. Jay Liotta, Partner at Mahoney Liotta LLP; Mr. John Bell, CEO of Khan Bank; Ms. Maryna Tarnavska, Senior Manager at PwC Mongolia; and Ms. Sunjidmaa Jamba, General Manager of External Affairs and Communications at Oyu Tolgoi LLC. Mr. Oybek Khalilov was appointed the new Chairman of AmCham Mongolia’s Board of Directors.

Steve Potter, outgoing Chairman of AmCham Mongolia, delivered opening remarks for the AGM, and stated, “As we approach 2019, I am delighted that we now have a roadmap for the Mongolian-U.S. Extended Economic Partnership, which specifically mentions the American Chamber of Commerce in Mongolia as one of the facilitators in implementing the policies set out in the roadmap. This government-to-government document largely mirrors the things that we have been promoting for the last several years, and will hopefully give us that much more leverage with all concerned, to make our objectives a reality for the benefit of our members and the Mongolian people as a whole.”

Following the Chairman’s remarks, Chargé d’affaires Manuel P. Micaller delivered keynote remarks and highlighted the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy, stating, “The United States has a vision to create a peaceful and secure region where all nations are sovereign.  We want to build a framework for economic growth that is private sector-led, and promote a governance emphasis that encourages private-sector growth by making economies open, transparent, and rules-based.  Our USD350 million Millennium Challenge Corporation Second Compact grant funding project with Mongolia is a specific example of backing up these commitments with real action.  Our shared values with Mongolia make the country a vital partner for our foreign policy.  To get there, we need the private sector, and we need the values that American businesses promote through transparency, commitment to fight corruption, and corporate social responsibility programs. AmCham Mongolia and the business community are the keys to that.”

Founder of AmCham Mongolia Jackson Cox emphasized in his speech, “Supporting and advancing businesses in Mongolia is the right thing to do. The mission of AmCham is to be good and impactful, and to make a collective effort to strengthen businesses.”