AmCham China this evening announced the incoming Board of Governors and presented awards to two legal pioneers in the foreign business community, as well as the Committee of the Year Award.

The following candidates were elected and will assume office on January 1, 2016.

Chairman

James Zimmerman, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Vice Chairs

Colm Rafferty, Vermeer China         

Randall Phillips, The Mintz Group   

Governors

Brett Krause, JP Morgan Chase Bank     

Piper Stover, United Technologies           

Timothy Stratford, Covington & Burling   

Wan Li, Cummins China      

Malone Ma, MetLife      

William Zarit, Individual      

Mark Wheeler, ConocoPhillips China            

Jon Christianson, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom  

Patrick Powers, Rockwell Automation      

Lin Gao, Intellect Associates  

The winner of this year’s Committee of the Year, chosen from five finalists, was the Food and Beverage Forum, which has earned itself a reputation for consistency and focus by targeting specific policy objectives and using the White Paper to advocate for clear goals.

This year’s China Pioneer Award was presented to Tim Stratford, Managing Partner in the Beijing office of Covington & Burling LLP, and Les Ross, Partner-in-Charge of the Beijing Office of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. “For them, coming to China was not just a career, but a calling; a calling to make a difference as both a witness and participant in the ongoing legal and judicial reforms in China,” said Chairman James Zimmerman, who presented the award. “At the same time, they were also paving the way for American business that relied upon a stable and predictable legal system to operate. They set the stage for AmCham member companies to capture the commercial opportunities in China.”

AmCham China would like to thank the event’s sponsors: Sheppard Mullin, Mintz Group, The Yew Chung International School of Beijing, Oshkosh, Henry Global, Coca-Cola and The Alltech Group. The evening’s entertainment included a special live performance by Cynthia Sayer & Her Joyride Band, who were brought to China by Ping Pong Productions for "The Banjo and Great Gatsby Jazz” tour.