The Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) kicked-off what it hopes will be a year of recovery for the business community with the swearing-in of a new president and two vice presidents.
Amidst a grand array of luminaries including members of the Royal family, chamber members, CEOs, government officials, bureaucrats and entrepreneurs, Ugen Tshechup Dorji was officially sworn in as the BCCI president, yesterday morning, here in the capital.
Dechen Wangmo and Chen Chen Dorji were also officially sworn in as Vice presidents of the chamber. Dechen Wangmo, 32 from Samdrup Jongkhar is the chamber’s first and youngest female vice president. Chen Chen Dorji who runs a private IT institute in Thimphu was re-elected as the other vice president.
Talking to The Bhutanese, Ugen Tshechup said “there is a huge responsibility on the new office bearers, taking into consideration the present economic situation of the country. We hope we will be able to deliver to the expectations of the business community and all the individuals who elected us to office”.
After Ugen Tshechup was elected president during on 19 December last year, he vowed to fortify the credibility of the chamber, revolutionize perception of rural population towards mainstream business houses and unify the sector associations within his three years term.
Earlier, Ugen Tshechup who is also the Vice Chairman of Singye Group and Chairman of Zimdra Group private Limited told The Bhutanese, it is now his primary responsibility “to further enhance the image of the Chamber and work toward developing the business community for the betterment of the country’s economy”.
He served as a BCCI representative for 13 years and two years as president of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAARC- CCI). He was bestowed a gold medal in recognition of his service as the former SAARC-CCI President. He is also the honorary consul of Thailand in Thimphu.
He succeeded Tobgyal Dorji as the seventh president of BCCI.
He said he shall remain engaged in familiarization within the chamber, sort out problems and look into issues faced by all sector associations.There are plans by the president to travel across the country by March this year to reach out to the business community in all regions. The chamber shall also identify suitable businesses for different Dzongkhags. “We plan to discover new solutions for respective Dzongkhags. Our main focus shall be on how we can generate new ideas to bring about positive results,” Ugen Tshechup said.