Bangkok--29 Aug--Thana Burin Asia Pacific A gala presentation dinner was held at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel on Thursday 23 August 2007.This is the thirteenth consecutive year that AustCham Thailand has held its Business Awards to recognise high achievers in the Thai-Australian business community. The large number of nominations every year proves that there is a great deal of competition for these prestigious awards and this year has been no exception. Gary Woollacott, President of AustCham Thailand said, “This is a special year for us as we celebrate AustCham’s thirtieth anniversary and we are very proud to have our 2007 AustCham Thailand Business Awards supported by Austrade, the Business Management Institute, GemCity Engineering and Manufacturing, and Raimon Land. This year’s gala presentation dinner is a continuation of a tradition of recognising and honouring companies that have business links in both of our countries. We congratulate the six category award recipients and 2007 Business of the Year, Siam Ocean World Bangkok Co Ltd. “All companies are eligible for the Business Awards regardless whether they are Thai-owned or Australia firms. However, the companies have to meet the judging criteria in particular contributing the bilateral relationships,” Mr Woolacott said. We are also delighted to have had a video message from The Honourable Warren Truss, MP, Deputy Leader of the Nationals and Federal Minister for Trade.” Seven independent judges, both Thai and expatriate, selected 14 entrants as semi-finalists for greater scrutiny and evaluation. Site visits were held to provide a further opportunity for semi-finalists to make their case and for the judges to observe, first hand, the nominees’ businesses. After vigorous analysis, evaluation and debate, all six categories of Business Awards were decided with the prestigious '2007 Business of the Year' Award for the most outstanding candidate. There were also Special Mentions for two notable companies that deserve recognition. The Awards recipients for 2007 are: 1. Best Exporter -- ANCA Manufacturing (Thailand) Ltd 2. Best Manufacturer -- Boral Thailand Concrete & Quarries 3. Best Services -- BNH Hospital 4. Environmental Excellence: Bovis Lend Lease (Thailand) Ltd 5. Best Employer: Siam Ocean World Bangkok Co Ltd 6. Best SME: Manheim Asia Pacific LtdSpecial Mentions by the panel of judges were given to: 1. Thai-Aust Aluminium for successful partnering and adapting of Australian know-how into the Thai market. 2. Kimberly-Clark Thailand for successful transitioning of Australian know-how and technology to Thailand for re-export to the Australian market under the auspices of the Thailand Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA). The other exceptional candidates chosen by the panel of judges to be in the final 14 semi-finalists were: 1. Kingsgate Consolidated Limited trading as Akara Mining; 2. Oogonia trading as Superior ART; 3. Prodrive Automotive Technology (Thailand); 4. Servcorp; 5. Tellus Systems; and 6. Woods Bagot (Thailand).Photo caption:- HE William Paterson (4th right), Australian Ambassador to Thailand, and Mr Gary Woollacott (far right); President of AustCham Thailand are seen with winners of AustChamThailand 2007 Business Awards 2007 after the awards presentation organised at The Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel. For media inquiries please contact Kasemsri Kaewthammachai (08 1 611 4696) Thana Burin Asia Pacific Ltd Tel: 02 231 6158-9 Email: [email protected] Click for photo release at www.thaipr.net