Asia-Pacific Meeting 2018

June 2018

Ho Chi Minh City was the location for this year’s Russell Bedford International Asia-Pacific Meeting, which attracted members from ten countries from around the region.

Van Anh Thai of host firm, Russell Bedford KTC, opened day one with a welcome to Vietnam and to the regional annual meeting. Russell Bedford CEO, Stephen Hamlet, followed with an informative session on updates throughout the network and upcoming plans for the future.

The last session of day one focused on business strategy within the Asia-Pacific region and the international coverage of the Russell Bedford network.

Later, delegates enjoyed dinner and drinks at Mandarine Restaurant, recognised internationally for its traditional Vietnamese cuisine.

Day two started with individual presentations from each of the firms in attendance, focusing on practice and regional updates. Delegates heard about everything from local economic backgrounds to financial performance of the firms and professional developments in each country. It was interesting to discover how the same issues were faced across all firms.

After a buffet lunch, Stephen Hamlet led a panel discussion with the cooperation of three delegates from the region, Andrew Lim (Singapore), Kok Leong Loh (Kuala Lumpur) and Jeffrey Tulk (Melbourne), discussing consulting services and how member firms can leverage core skills.  This also led onto a very useful debate on how to attract and retain talented people.

For the closing session, Stephen Hamlet led a workshop focused on Russell Bedford’s new branding and how member firms can take advantage of belonging to an international network with a recognised global brand.

To conclude what was a productive two-day annual event, delegates embarked on a fabulous boat cruise with drinks and dinner on Bonsai Legacy, while they cruised down the Saigon River. The social event gave delegates the opportunity to network and to discuss how they can work closer together and continue to enhance the Asia-Pacific region locally, while maintaining a global focus.

Thank you to Russell Bedford’s Vietnam member, Russell Bedford KTC, for hosting this year’s meeting and to all the team for helping deliver yet another fantastic Asia-Pacific event. Until next year!