Colm Rafferty

Vice President, Asia Pacific

Vermeer Corporation

Chairman

Vermeer China Limited

Running for: Vice Chair

Campaign Statement

I am Colm Rafferty, Vice President – Asia Pacific for Vermeer Corporation and Chairman of Vermeer China.  Vermeer is an equipment manufacturer from the Midwest of the United States, with products used for agricultural mechanization, environmental protection, infrastructure development, and non-blast surface mining.

My candidacy for reelection as Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of AmCham China is based on my personal passion to advocate for the interests of U.S. businesses likes ours that are operating in China.  Over the past year, I have attended every board meeting, have actively participated in the U.S. and Chinese government engagement activities, and have actively worked with the committees to champion U.S. business interests.  I am particularly interested in expanding the level of assistance that AmCham China provides for our regional chapters.  With your support, I would like to continue this work in 2017.

Biography

Colm Rafferty is the Vice President – Asia Pacific for Vermeer Corporation and is Chairman of Vermeer China Limited.  Vermeer is an equipment manufacturer from the Midwest of the United States, with products used for agricultural mechanization, environmental protection, infrastructure development, and non-blast surface mining.  The Asia Pacific business includes integrated supply chain operations and dealer networks and company-owned distribution in China, Singapore, Australia, Northeast Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Vermeer advocates for the interests of U.S. businesses around the world.  In the U.S., Vermeer is an active participant in President Obama’s Export Council (PEC).  Vermeer’s Chair of the Board is the recent former Chairwoman of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the largest industrial trade association and lobbying group in the U.S.  In China, this past year, Colm served as Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of AmCham China.

Colm received an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in East Asian Studies from Brown University.  He currently serves on the Yale University Asia Development Council, the Yale School of Management’s Greater China Advisory Board, and recently served on the Executive Committee of the Beijing Chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO).