Message From Chamber - April 2026
With four years on the board behind me, I'm delighted to have been re-elected and to be stepping into my fifth year on the board and third year as Vice President. Thank you to the AustCham community for your continued confidence, there's always more to do, more to build, and more to advocate for, and April reminded me exactly why.
A Month That Had It All
We entered April with strong momentum from March, with the new board formally in place, and a strategic planning day completed charting our direction for the year ahead.
April hit the ground running. We kicked off on 1st April with Sundowners at the iconic SO/ Bangkok, a fantastic evening and exceptional venue. Our member briefing, led by Meinhardt, explored Thailand's extraordinary data centre boom. The scale of digital infrastructure investment flowing into Thailand right now is remarkable, and Meinhardt brought real depth and expertise to the conversation. A big thank you to SO/ Bangkok for hosting such a memorable evening.
On 7th April, we held our Business Luncheon Briefing with a focus on hospitality, an important piece of the chamber's broader work this year, which I'll address shortly.
On 11th April, Dr Angela Macdonald PSM, Australian Ambassador to Thailand, welcomed the new board. We were joined by new members of her team to discuss how we can strengthen our excellent relationship with the Embassy and explore how we can best support our Australian community here in Thailand.
Then came 25th April, ANZAC Day. In partnership with the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce under our MOU, we joined the Australian, New Zealand and Thai communities at the Hellfire Pass Commemorative Centre in Kanchanaburi for the dawn service. It's a solemn tradition we uphold each year, a moment to step away from the business calendar and honour those who gave so much.
Rounding out the month, we were proud to support the Thailand Tigers at their annual AFL fixture in Kanchanaburi, a brilliant display of community spirit and a well-supported event.
Hospitality: Important Work Ahead
The Hospitality Sub Committee is one of the chamber's key focus areas this year. Simon Angove, Khun Chokdee and I are leading this work, and the 7th April briefing was a strong start.
The sector faces real headwinds. Instability stemming from the Middle East is creating turbulence across visitor flows, costs and business confidence. Other industries are already deep in advocacy. We're here to ensure hospitality has its voice heard too.
In Q2, all hospitality members will receive a survey. Your responses will directly shape a white paper we intend to present to government, member-driven, evidence-based and practical. There's also another hospitality event planned for Q2, so watch this space.
A Final Word
To any member navigating a difficult period right now, please reach out, to myself or anyone on the board. As a community, we're here for each other. That's the strength of membership: having a community to support one another.
Big year ahead. Let's make it count.
Warm regards,
Jon Cannon
Vice President, AustCham Thailand
