KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Chamber of Commerce & Industry (EUMCCI) announced the appointment of Sven Schneider as its new chief executive officer (CEO) effective March 30, 2020.
EUMCCI said in the last 12 years of his career, Schneider played a significant role in bridging the gap between Malaysia and the European Union (EU) by promoting the state of Selangor as a key investment destination in Asean.
As Invest Selangor Bhd corporate communication and strategic planning as well as trade and investment and strategic planning director, Schneider has been an architect of Selangor’s ecosystem development and investment promotion strategies.
Before he set sail for Malaysia, Schneider started his journey by exploring his entrepreneurial spirit in Germany, when he consulted economic development strategies and export promotion programmes on state and city level.
EUMCCI chairman Oliver Roche said Schneider offers an excellent range of skills and knowledge as well as an extensive network to take on his new role.
“In recognition of EUMCCI’s mission to promote, support and develop EU business interests in Malaysia and strengthening bilateral relations, the board has given Sven the mandate to reignite the conversation on the EU - Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA),” he said in a statement.
EUMCCI said in 2020, it targets to enhance its collaboration with the Malaysian government to further grow European investments and bilateral trade.
“In this context, the board intends to strengthen the chamber’s advocacy work through its vast member base (1,600 members) in concerted collaborations with bilateral chambers and EUMCCI’s thematic committees.
“Most importantly, EUMCCI will focus on its members and core business by providing more business opportunities through business matching events and collaborations,” it said.
Schneider said the chamber plans to announce strategic partnerships and some exciting initiatives early in his tenure to position the chamber as a leading platform for investment and trade facilitation into Malaysia and the Asean region.
EUMCCI represents 27 EU member countries together with the respective bilateral chambers and thereby offers access into a market worth US$18.8 trillion or 22 per cent of the global economy.
EU companies have invested RM 3.1 billion in Malaysia for the period of January to September 2019 and remain a key trading partner for the country, by contributing 9.2 per cent of Malaysia’s total trade until September 2019.
“Since trade has slightly slowed in 2019, EUMCCI believes that trade and investment activities would benefit considerably from the promise of a trade agreement,” it said.