AROUND TOWN WITH BILL BROOKS

Shining a spotlight around the city

Celebration was the order of the evening as Calgary’s Chinese community gathered with friends and colleagues at the Regency Palace Restaurant to welcome the Year of the Dog.

Hosted by the Hong KongCanada Business Association (HKCBA), Calgary Section, the gala is the highlight of the year for the association. Founded in 1984, the HKCBA is a nonprofit bilateral trade association with over 700 members in eight locations ( Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and the Atlantic region) in Canada. The mission of the Calgary chapter is to help its members conduct business using Hong Kong as a platform to enter the Asian market. Further, the association each year donates $10,000 in scholarships to four deserving students — two from Mount Royal University (MRU) and two from the University of Calgary. Recipients of the scholarships this year were: Zhixuan Lu, a finance student at the U of C; Parker Maris, a U of C student in his final semester of a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree; Katherine Schwartz, a Bachelor of Arts student at MRU; and MRU’s Regine Siamen, who has a degree in Criminal Justice and is looking to start a poutine business where ex-convicts and young offenders will be hired.

Other highlights this night included: a champagne reception, courtesy of Stikeman Elliott; a sumptuous 10-course meal; remarks from myriad politicians and HKCBA executives; the traditional Lion Dance performed by the Jing Wo Martial Arts & Athletics Association and a raffle prize of a beautiful Baume & Mercier watch courtesy of Birks, valued at $5,580.

Others among the hundreds of guests included: Mayor Naheed Nenshi; Consul General Lu Xu, The People’s Republic of China; Kathy Chan, director, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office; Manford Kwan, HKCBA Calgary Section president; U of C president Elizabeth Cannon; U of C vice-provost Janaka Ruwanpura; MRU president David Docherty; HKCBA Calgary Section director Andrea Lee Morrow; Tom Palaia, U.S. Consul General for Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories; Calgary Zoo’s Melody Song; TD Wealth’s Audrey Kwan; The Core’s Allison Onyett; Birks general manager Susanne Ventura with colleague Scott McNamara; HKCBA board members Bonita Paquette and Jenny Yu; event chair Lisa Liao; Wentworth Resources CFO Lance Mierendorf; incoming HKCBA Calgary Section president and KPMG partner Alex Henderson; Kody and Kris Carroll; TransAlta’s Hunter Wight; Bow Valley College president Laura Jo Gunter; HKCBA national director and RBC Insurance adviser Alexandria Sham; Dialog associate Robert Jim; Holt Renfrew divisional vicepresident Deb Kerr with colleague Jude Miyashiro, boutique director, Chanel at Holt Renfrew; PetroChina Canada president and CEO Jilin Fu with colleagues Murray Casault, Guangfa Chang, Guoliang Feng and Jian (Grace) Wang; and representing presenting sponsor HSBC, Jim Saclamacis, Carmen McHale, Lan Lam and Carie Ku.

PHOTOS: BILL BROOKS The Hong Kong-Canada Business Association-Calgary Section’s Chinese New Year Gala celebrated the incoming Year of the Dog on Feb. 23 at the Regency Palace. Pictured are association president Manfred Kwan and his sister Audrey Kwan, vice-president of TD...

Toasting the 2018 Chinese New Year of the Dog are U.S. Consul General Tom Palaia and the Calgary Zoo’s Melody Song.

Pictured, from left, are Hong Kong-Canada Business Association board members Bonita Paquette, Jenny Yu and gala chair Lisa Liao.

Wentworth Resources CFO Lance Mierendorf, left, and Alex Henderson, KPMG partner and incoming president of the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association-Calgary Section.

From left: HSBC wealth planner Carmen McHale; vice-president Jim Saclamacis; market branch manager Carie Ku; and private client relationship manager Lan Lam. HSBC was the title sponsor of the gala.

From left: PetroChina Canada general manager Guoliang Feng; president and CEO Jilin Fu; vice-presidents Murray Casault and Guangfa Chang and executive assistant Jian (Grace) Wang.

Pictured, from left, are The Core’s Allison Onyett with Birks’ Scott McNamara and Birks’ general manager Susanne Ventura. The Core and Birks were among the gala’s invaluable sponsors.

Kody and Kris Carroll.

HKCBA national director and RBC insurance adviser Alexandria Sham and Dialog associate Robert Jim.

Jude Miyashiro, boutique director, Chanel at Holt Renfrew and Holt Renfrew divisional vice-president Deb Kerr. Holt was one of the gala’s invaluable sponsors.

TransAlta’s Hunter Wight and Bow Valley College president Laura Jo Gunter.