BEIJING, March 9 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham-China) announced that Christian Murck will be the chamber's next president. His term begins on April 2, 2010. Mr. Murck is currently Vice Chairman, Asia, APCO Worldwide Inc., and is a past chairman of AmCham-China, having been elected to that position in 2002 and 2003. He is also a longstanding member and currently chairman of AmCham-China's Public Policy Development Committee. He is well known and widely respected among policy analysts, and with business executives and government officials throughout China and the United States.
"Chris brings an exceptional blend of qualifications and accomplishments to the role as AmCham-China president," said AmCham-China Chairman John D. Watkins, Jr. "Our mission is to help AmCham-China members to succeed in their businesses throughout China. We look forward to Chris's leadership and his contributions towards achieving our objectives."
Christian Murck will serve a three year term as president. "In a time of renewed growth and new challenges, I'm delighted to work with AmCham-China's Board and professional staff to support the chamber's members," said Christian Murck.
Michael Barbalas will complete his term as president at the end of March 2010. During his tenure Mr. Barbalas increased the chamber's leadership in the business community and the chamber's influence with key business groups and organizations in China and the US. He oversaw a period of significant development as AmCham-China established new chapters in Tianjin, Central China (Wuhan) and Dalian and the chamber expanded its professional staff and resources to meet the needs of its growing membership.
Reporting to the chairman, the AmCham-China president is responsible for the day to day operations of the chamber. The president represents the chamber while leading the professional staff team to support the members and promote the organization's objectives. The president also works closely with the board to set strategy and decide on the long-term future of the chamber.
Prior to joining APCO Worldwide in 2001, Mr. Murck served as managing director and senior country officer of the Chase Manhattan Bank in Beijing. A graduate of Yale University, he obtained a doctorate in East Asian Studies from Princeton and was a Mellon Fellow at Columbia University. Mr. Murck speaks and reads Chinese.
About the American Chamber of Commerce in China:
AmCham-China is an independent, non-profit organization representing the interests of over 2,600 companies and individuals doing business throughout China. First founded in 1920, it was formally recognized by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs in 1991. The organization has its headquarters in Beijing, with chapters in Central China (Wuhan), Tianjin and Dalian. For more information, visit: http://www.amchamchina.org .