Held at the Metropolitan Golf Club, Golf Road, Oakleigh South, VIC
On Sunday 4 July 2021
At 14.00PM
The minutes of the previous AGM were moved by Jane Wei and seconded by Sandy Zhang as true account of the meeting.
As required by the Association Constitution, the Australian Asian Business Women's Association (“AABWA”) held its Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) on 4 July 2021 at the Metropolitan Golf Club. Like all previous AGMs, English was used during the whole meeting. Apart from the general AGM procedures, the meeting also took the opportunity to announce the New Committee members, review the past 10 years’ growth, and present various Contribution Awards.
The AGM was hosted by Dr. Xiaoquan Xu, AABWA’s Committee Member. Ms. Dongjun Chen, one of the founders of the association, delivered a welcome speech. She explained that AABWA is a platform to nurture Asian professional women’s leadership and success. It provides an avenue for activities, functions, and networking, so all business women can learn, share and achieve their best potential. The Association also promotes on return to the community as its core value and mission.
Subsequently, the Executive President Jane Wei made an Annual Report. Jane acknowledged the challenges AABWA has encountered during the COVID pandemic. However, it was with great pleasure that with the support and the commitments from each member, AABWA has exercised innovation and managed to successfully hold various events and functions. They include:
• Hiking Walking Picking—Encourage members to protect the environment (e.g. picking up littering) while they exercise;
• Dandenong Range Hiking — Promote outdoor activities for wellbeing health;
• Rock Climbing— Another initiative organised by AABWA Fitness Club;
• New Year’s Charity Dinner—Raising more than $10,000 and donating all proceedings to Eastern Health Foundation;
• Networking Function on 8 March the International Women’s Day;
• Major event “Bringing Out the Best in You”;
• 4 English Salon activities with different themes;
• Weekly Radio Interview between a nominated member with the famous host Fei Liu at the program of "Rose Coffee House";
• "One Sentence News English";
• "Jar of Good Things".
Because of these wonderful activities that are in line with AABWA’s vision, the number of members of the association has increased by 128% in the past year, setting a record high.
AABWA Treasurer Ms. Shirley Thong made an Annual Financial Report to the members. On behalf of the Board of Committees, she expressed her appreciation to all members for their continual support over the past 10 years. Despite the facts AABWA had to cancel or reschedule some annual events due to COVID restrictions, AABWA’s funds were running in a healthy and orderly manner, and the net surplus has reached four times of last year’s.
Professor Guosheng Chen, senior Advisor of AABWA, invited all current Committee members to come to the stage, thanked them for their dedication, and announced that the Committee had successfully completed its mission and to be dissolved immediately. Subsequently, Professor Guosheng Chen and Dr. Pamela Williams OAM jointly announced that the new elected President of AABWA is Mrs. Jane Wei, who has made outstanding achievements in the Apparel Industry. Sandy Zhang and Yanjun Qiao were elected as Vice Presidents, Shirley Thong was re-elected as Treasurer, Tingting Jia was re-elected as Secretary. Kim Wen, Fiona Zhang, Jade Liu, Jun Teng, & Lida Gao were successfully elected as new Committee Members.
President Jane Wei delivered a brief inauguration speech. She thanked all members for their trust and confidence in her. This trust will inspire her to lead the association to build a better platform and better serve every member. She concluded by saying:
"We hope AABWA is a place where Australian Asian business and professional women are connected, inspired, and empowered to realise their hidden talents and full potential that is aligned with their passions and life purpose.
I shall commit myself to the sound development of AABWA. I look forward to working with the new Committee and all of you to move onto a new milestone for our future. We will also strive to work with other organisations for our local and global societies.”
In the next ten-year review session, Ms. Dongjun Chen, the founding President of the AABWA, shared with new members the original intention of establishing a professional women's association. She and the other two founders (Anne Pang & Wesa Chau) spotted the niche and wanted to fill that gap. They jointly carried out an extensive, in-depth and professional research and provided data support for the establishment of the association. In the following few years, they integrated with other various social resources and steadily enhanced AABWA’s influence and reputation. AABWA takes great pride in being the only Chinese Association that organises activities in the Victorian Parliament House every year.
Ms. Dongjun Chen sent her best wish to the new Committee. She encourages them to carry the spirits on, to cherish the community and endeavour to make AABWA a century-old association, an association that truly realises its social value.
Vice President Sandy Zhang used her video technology to condense the wonderful activities of the past 4 years and showed everyone lots of happy moments. These moments fully demonstrated the success, confidence, and independence of all AABWA's members.
No need to mention that the development of the association is inseparable from all internal and external support. In addition to acknowledging the generous support from 39 sponsors, Ms. Dongjun Chen, Professor Guosheng Chen, Chairman of the Fortune Elite Circle and Member of the Federal Skilled Immigration Ministerial Advisory Committee Susan Gin also took this opportunity to present the "AABWA Contribution Award". The winners are :
General Contribution Award: Rachel Mah, Li Ming, Viviana Ferrari, Olivia Zhang, Rachel Zhang, Zhanny Zhang, Yu Yongjie;
Excellent Contribution Award: Helen Hu, Belinda Liang, Lisa Shen, 3CW Aoxing Media, Juao Media, Business Circle Media;
Outstanding Contribution Award: Dongjun Chen, Jane Xu, Yiling Zhao, Stephanie Liu, Maggie Deng, Qiulan Cai
At the end, a chorus of "We are one" pushed the entire annual meeting to a climax. All members joined hands and sang this popular song over and over again, as the lyrics say "we are one, but we are many... we share a dream and sing with one voice".
There being no further business the meeting then closed at 17.30pm.
Signed as a true record
______________________
Jane Wei
President