An Evening with Martin Barrow, CBE
In the run-up to The Year of The Snake, I am delighted that The Scottish Region of The Hong Kong Society, together with the Scotland-China Association, will host its first ever joint-venture, and I very much hope this will be the first of more such ventures!
Date: Tuesday 21 January 2025
Time: 7 p.m.: reception, with refreshments (Chinese tea and biscuits); 7.30 p.m.: presentation, followed by Q&A and discussion; 9 p.m.: close
Venue: The Quaker Meeting House, Edinburgh
At the age of 19, Martin Barrow set off, by road, on the long journey to East Asia (via Europe and The Middle East). During his travels, he worked in Malaysia, then in Australia and, finally, in Canada, before arriving back in the UK almost two and a half years later, with a determination to return to Asia as soon as possible!
Martin joined The Jardine Matheson Group in 1965. And with *Jardine Matheson, over a period of 36 years, he worked in Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. He was appointed a Director of the company in 1980; he returned to the UK in 2001.
From 1988 to 1996, Martin was Chairman of The Hong Kong Tourist Association; he was the last appointed British member of The Hong Kong Legislature prior to the 1997 Handover; he was a Director of The China-Britain Business Council in the UK and, in that rôle, he played a key part in Government-China relations; he also served on the committee of The Hong Kong Association in London for over 20 years.
Presently, Martin is a committee member of The Hong Kong Business Network; he is a Visit-Japan Ambassador; he has strong links with The World Travel and Tourism Council, The Tourism Alliance, and The Tourism Society; his work continues in ensuring that countries are open and welcoming as he presses for visa simplification.
*Jardine Matheson was founded in 1832 as a trading company in China. Its strong links with Scotland lie, principally, with its founders. It participated in the first ever joint-venture in China (Beijing Air Catering) after the start of The Open-door Policy.
Please contact communications@hkas.org.uk, by Monday 13 January 2025, to reserve your place. Note that there is no charge for this event but donations, towards the cost of refreshments, will be appreciated!
The Hong Kong Society and The Scotland-China Association very much look forward to welcoming you on Tuesday 21 January for, what I believe will be, a hugely interesting Evening with Martin Barrow!
Fiona Lauder, Convener HK Society Scottish Region