The Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce Appoints Tim Groth of Rieckermann Malaysia as President

In line with its vision of becoming a progressive bilateral chamber, more than one quarter (31%) of MGCC’s board of directors are women

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 June 2023 – The Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC) has appointed Tim Groth of Rieckermann (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd as its new President following the Chamber’s 32nd Annual General Meeting on 22 June.

Groth has extensive experience in the area of industrial solutions, and has been in Malaysia since 2018 where he assumed the position of Director at the Kuala Lumpur and Singapore branch of the Hamburgheadquartered company.

Serving alongside Groth as Vice President is Geetha Kandiah, intellectual property expert and KASS International chief executive officer.

In line with MGCC’s vision and mission of becoming a progressive bilateral chamber, the organisation now has more than one quarter (31%) of women as part of its board of directors.

An accomplished attorney, Geetha is also a highly sought-after international speaker, a business strategy coach and a member of the Malaysian chapter of the 30% Club, which supports sustainable business-led change to improve gender diversity in their commitment to include greater female representation into Malaysian corporate boards.

Both Groth and Geetha will serve MGCC for the 2023 – 2025 term.

“Being among the youngest board members, as newly elected President and Vice President we are happy to bring some new dynamics into MGCC over the next two years. We continue to face uncertain times. It’s even more important to cater for the specific requirements of our members and be a first-choice partner to expand business for and among FDIs and existing members. We further aim to improve bilateral trade relationship with commerce-related organisations in Malaysia and in Germany to achieve greater growth together,” they said in a joint statement.

MGCC executive director Daniel Bernbeck thanked the outgoing president, David Ng, managing director of health and security risk management firm International SOS, who was at the helm for a year, before welcoming the new board.

The appointment was declared during MGCC’s 32nd Annual General Meeting on 22 June at EQ Kuala Lumpur which saw more than 70 guests taking part in the voting process. The AGM was attended by the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr Peter Blomeyer who delivered a greeting message that reiterated Malaysia’s position as Germany’s number one trading partner in ASEAN. The occasion also featured a robust dialogue session with InvestKL chief executive officer Datuk Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) senior vice president and chief digital investment officer Raymond Siva, moderated by Bernbeck.

Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC®)
The Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC), or AHK Malaysia as it is known in Germany, is the official representative of German industry and trade in Malaysia with excellent relations to governments and its authorities, to business organisations and to industry both in Malaysia and in Germany. The Chamber represents the interests of more than 400 members and is part of the global network of German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHK network) with 150 offices in 93 countries—and counting.

Established in the year 1991, MGCC has since been a strong and reliable partner for its members and clients with a widespread, result-oriented range of services and a successful track record. As the largest bilateral European Chamber in Malaysia, MGCC is the preferred service partner for companies seeking to establish a market presence here or to increase their involvement in Malaysia. The Chamber also offers a platform to share experiences and exchange views at a wide range of forums and events, as well as to establish business relationships within its network. MGCC is supported by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action based on a resolution of the German parliament, the Bundestag.