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Bestowal of the Distinction of
“Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite”
on Mr Franklin Willemyns, Senior Vice President, Suez Environnement Asia
and Mr Paul Yang, Head of Greater China
and Chief Executive Officer Hong Kong, BNP Paribas
Hong Kong, 29/01/2015
Speech by Mr Barthelemy, Consul General of France in Hong Kong & Macau
Check against delivery
Cher Franklin, Cher Paul,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
First of all, let me start by welcoming both of you, Cher Franklin and Cher Paul, to the French
residence.
We are gathered tonight to celebrate two eminent members of the French communities in
Hong Kong and Macau: Paul who despite being French could pass for a Hongkonger and
Franklin, who despite being Belgian could pass for a Frenchman.
It gives me also a great pleasure to welcome your family, friends and colleagues. I know the
key role they played in helping you achieve what we are celebrating tonight.
In a couple of minutes, I will bestow each of you with the medal of “Chevalier dans l’Ordre
National du Mérite”, “Knight of the National Order of Merit” which symbolizes France’s
recognition for your outstanding achievements.
I mean your professional achievements of course, since both of you lead prominent careers.
But also – and I like to think, more importantly – for your contribution to France and the
French community. Both of you have put a lot of hard work and talent in becoming who you
are, and this in itself is to be highly esteemed. But one thing I find you have in common is
that you have spared time to give back to others and share opportunities and chances you
found along your way. This, Paul, Franklin, is why you are here tonight; and I’m really glad
that France decided to reward your merits, because you are both good people and fully
deserve it.
In accordance with tradition and even though I am well aware that the story of your life is
familiar to all our guests, allow me to recall some of your personal and professional
accomplishments.
Let me first turn to you, Cher Franklin Willemyns.
Cher Franklin,
Media contact:
Ms Pauline DYKMANS, PR & Communications Manager, Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau
26/F, Tower II, Admiralty Centre, 18 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong
Tel: (+852) 3752 9921 / Fax: (+852) 3752 9905 / Email: press@consulfrance-hongkong.org
Website: www.consulfrance-hongkong.org / Facebook: www.facebook.com/franceinhk
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I have to confess that it was a challenge to get off to a good start in my speech about you. I
had to avoid many traps.
First, you are so well-known among the Business community in Macau and also here in
Hong Kong. What could I add to your Legend?
Second, everybody knows that you are fluent in six languages, Dutch, French, Spanish,
English, German and Portuguese and you are currently learning Mandarin.
The problem for me is that I need to master at least two of them just to introduce you, by
pronouncing in a correct way, your surname “Willemyns”, an ancient name in Wallon, a
regional language of Belgium, from a German origin, Willhelm, “Guillaume” in French, and by
pronouncing also the name of your former company: “Companhia de Electricidade “, in
Portuguese of course!
It is not an easy task for me: I do not speak Wallon, nor German or Portuguese!
Thank you Franklyn! From now on, I will look hopeless at languages!
So let me regain some of my reputation as a skilled linguist by elaborating on the Etymology
of your name “Willemyns”, a mix, I was told, of “Will” and “Helmet”, as a way to describe you
and your career.
1- “Will” means a man of will, of conviction, tenacious, audacious, perseverant, never
satisfied, looking for the best. You are, Cher Franklin, all of that. And you needed for sure a
great amount of “Will” to accomplish all you have done during your international career.
You are born in Argentina. This direct link with Latin America’s culture and its languages,
Spanish and Portuguese, under the auspicious symbol of “Argent”, (“money” in French, to
prove again my skills in languages!), certainly predestined you to come to Macau, a heritage
of Portugal and well-known temple of “Argent” through its games industry. Your studies and
first professional experiences took you to France, Switzerland and Brazil, where you learnt to
master the Portuguese language which contributed, among other talents, to your
professional successes in Macau.
In 1994, you joined the Suez-Environment group and held various senior executive positions
in its Public Utilities Companies in France (Valenciennes), Brazil and Puerto Rico (USA).
Then you came to Asia as Investment and Risk Manager for the Asia Pacific Region and
settled in Macau, where you were the Executive Director of Macao Water Company before
joining Companhia de Electricidad of Macau (CEM) in 2005 and chairing it from 2007 until
last summer. When SUEZ-Environment sold its share in CEM to Nam Kwong Group last July,
you were appointed Senior Vice President of SUEZ-Environment Asia and moved to Hong
Kong. An easy move, not only in terms of distance but also because you already had a
house in Hong Kong and a loving wife, who was certainly thankful to see you more than just
on weekends (or was she, actually?).
Cher Franklin, your role in CEM was instrumental in consolidating the French “savoir-faire”
in the domain of water supplies and electricity in Macau., Your last achievement in this field
was to safeguard the renewal of the concession contract for CEM with Macau government
for 15 years. Finally, as an ultimate proof of your success in making that company profitable,
the sale of CEM generated a capital gain of €129 million in SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT.
Media contact:
Ms Pauline DYKMANS, PR & Communications Manager, Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau
26/F, Tower II, Admiralty Centre, 18 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong
Tel: (+852) 3752 9921 / Fax: (+852) 3752 9905 / Email: press@consulfrance-hongkong.org
Website: www.consulfrance-hongkong.org / Facebook: www.facebook.com/franceinhk
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2- Here we come to the second element of your surname, “Helmet”. It could be interpreted as
a kind of protection, and takes us back to all that you’ve been doing in order to protect the
French interests in Macau, even if you don’t live there anymore, through the development of
the France-Macau Business Association (FMBA).
Launched in 2008 by a handful of French entrepreneurs settled in Macau and some local
personalities, FMBA has rapidly grown into becoming a major institution in Macau,
establishing strong and lasting ties with authorities. As I like to say each time possible, the
French success in Macau would not be the same without FMBA. French excellence is now
everywhere in Macau: luxury products, wine and gastronomy, but also utilities, infrastructures
and hospitality and France has become the first non-Chinese supplier of Macao, with a 10%
market share.
The dynamism of the FMBA is of course the result of the dedication of all its members but
everybody will agree to me that your contribution was instrumental.
Under your
chairmanship from 2011 to 2014, the progress in terms of numbers of members has been
spectacular. In only 2 years, when we celebrated its 5th anniversary in 2013, the number of
energetic and ambitious entrepreneurs and firms who joined its seminars, talks, briefings or
networking events, had doubled! The influence of FMBA did not stop there and the
Association was the driving force in setting up the European Chamber of Commerce in
Macao, inaugurated in November 2013, which in turn, will boost French business presence in
Macao.
Your successor Rutger Verschuren was courageous indeed to take over from your
chairmanship after such a successful record, but he already proved he would be up to it, by
organizing last Friday an amazing annual gala dinner. And he can count on your continuous
support too, since you stay vice chairman of FMBA.
Cher Franklin,
I am sure your family and all your beloved friends who came here today have many more
reasons to celebrate you successes and achievements tonight, and they are probably eager
to congratulate you with their own words. But before I leave them with this pleasure, I would
now like to bestow upon you a medal and a rank, Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite, for
the eminent role you play in the development of the French economic presence in Macao but
also in the restructuring of its visibility and its influence.
Franklin Willemyns, au nom du Président de la République et en vertu des pouvoirs qui me
sont conférés, je vous fais Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite.
Media contact:
Ms Pauline DYKMANS, PR & Communications Manager, Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau
26/F, Tower II, Admiralty Centre, 18 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong
Tel: (+852) 3752 9921 / Fax: (+852) 3752 9905 / Email: press@consulfrance-hongkong.org
Website: www.consulfrance-hongkong.org / Facebook: www.facebook.com/franceinhk
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I now turn to you, Cher Paul Yang,
Cher Paul,
You are one of the most outstanding representatives of the banking community of Hong
Kong. Not only because of your expertise and successes or because you are building, in
your domain, the most influential French presence in Asia Pacific and particularly, here, in
Hong Kong and Greater China. But also because you are one of the nicest persons in this
profession I’ve ever met. Everybody likes you! I’m sure there are groupies waiting for you
every night at the entrance of BNP-Paribas offices, screaming your name and asking you to
explain the intricacies of HK financial system in your soft calm voice!
Looking at your life and career, it seems to me you like straight lines:
You are born in Taiwan; you went to France and then back to Taiwan. A round trip all along a
straight line between France and Asia! This line is also a link between the two cultures you
inherited, having spent your early childhood in Taiwan and your education in Paris. Indeed,
you represent the perfect human bridge between France and Asia.
You stayed then in Asia-Pacific, in a long straight line until your present location, here, in
Hong Kong.
You spent all of your 26 years of career in BNP-Paribas, climbed the hierarchy stairs, to be
promoted in August 2014 at the top position of Regional Head for Greater China, as well as
Head of Country for China, in addition to your responsibilities as head of Country for Hong
Kong and CEO of BNP Paribas’ Hong Kong Branch you held since 2011. Quite a straight line
to the summit within the group!
Finally, one of your personal, and very appreciable, qualities is to be straightforward. When
you have something to say, you say it directly and honestly.
Tonight we celebrate all your achievements, included in these straight lines. Let’s begin with
your professional achievements. You joined BNP Paribas in Paris in 1988, and held various
senior positions in France and in Asia over the years, including Head of Country for Taiwan
from 2001 to 2004. Your current appointment as Head of Greater China is a creation,
acknowledging that this area is a crucial market for BNP Paribas’ Asia Pacific development
plan.
This new and crucial position tells a lot about the high esteem you are held in your group.
Your merits are also acknowledged far beyond the circle of BNP Paribas. As a veteran
banker in Asia, your in-depth understanding of the China, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets,
and your extensive client relationships, enabled you to be appointed by your peers as a
Committee Member of Hong Kong Association of Banks, the main body of representation of
the banking profession and privileged interlocutor of the government of Hong Kong on all
financial and monetary issues. As such, you are, Cher Paul, one of the 5 elected members
asked to defend and promote the interests of some 120 foreign banks implanted in Hong
Kong. However, I’d like to point out that you are one of the few bankers in Hong Kong who
Media contact:
Ms Pauline DYKMANS, PR & Communications Manager, Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau
26/F, Tower II, Admiralty Centre, 18 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong
Tel: (+852) 3752 9921 / Fax: (+852) 3752 9905 / Email: press@consulfrance-hongkong.org
Website: www.consulfrance-hongkong.org / Facebook: www.facebook.com/franceinhk
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stand up for a well-balanced and critical approach to the role and the limits of the Financial
Market as a whole. It is quite provocative, and may even be seen as a blasphemy in Hong
Kong, not to confide totally in the almighty power of the Stock Exchange. This is a striking
evidence of your open-mindedness and fairness, another of your qualities.
Your commitment to share your expertise with the French community also deserves our
admiration and appraisal. In spite of your very demanding professional activities, you
dedicate a lot of your time to your fellow countrymen within the French business community
in Hong Kong. You are part of the Hong Kong chapter of the French Trade Advisors Network
as its treasurer since 2001 and you are also a member of the Executive Committee of the
French Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. In these two functions, you always pay a close
attention to French economic interests and are always available to provide advice, both to
your fellow businessmen and to the French administration. It’s a great pleasure to hear your
clear and thoughtful analysis and comments of the economic actuality.
Last but not least, beyond your banking expertise, you embody, cher Paul, as I said earlier,
the strong relationship of France with the Chinese world and the best of their two cultures.
Through this ceremony, rewarding someone who is born in Taiwan, studied in France, lives
in Hong Kong and works mainly with the Mainland, we acknowledge the richness and
complexity of modern China and the contribution France can bring to it.
I would now like to bestow upon you a medal and a rank, Chevalier de l’Ordre national du
Mérite, for the eminent role you play in the development of the French economic presence in
Hong Kong and Greater China and for your commitment to the French community and its
influence.
You fully deserve it; it is my honor to be in front of you here tonight, congratulation.
Paul Yang, au nom du Président de la République et en vertu des pouvoirs qui me sont
conférés, je vous fais Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite.
Media contact:
Ms Pauline DYKMANS, PR & Communications Manager, Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau
26/F, Tower II, Admiralty Centre, 18 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong
Tel: (+852) 3752 9921 / Fax: (+852) 3752 9905 / Email: press@consulfrance-hongkong.org
Website: www.consulfrance-hongkong.org / Facebook: www.facebook.com/franceinhk