In the beginning...

Back in 1996 three individuals sat on a Chamber of Commerce Human Resources Committee in Hong Kong. One of them, Ray Everett, was the committee chair. At one of the meetings only three people showed: Ray, Charles Caldwell and Martin Wray. The meeting was cancelled, but the three joked about having a Sub Committee meeting in the Captain’s Bar of the Mandarin Hotel. The evening ended late. Several weeks later, and after numerous calls to motivate the HR Committee, Ray held another meeting. Again, only three of the twelve committee members showed: Ray, Charles and Martin. They hauled Alvin Lee, the then Executive Director of unnamed Chamber, into the meeting and Ray officially dissolved the HR Committee. However, all agreed to meet again in the Captain’s Bar that evening. While the HR Committee may have died – the Sub Committee would meet no such death. Thus started The Sub Committee, often referred to as The Rogue Sub Committee, since it broke away from its founding organization. The Sub Committee is now an island unto its own, with no one that the members need be accountable to, except for themselves.

As a matter of integrity and trust, the Sub Committee adopted the pre-1997 Kai Tak Convention, post-1997 Chep Lap Kok Accord and the Canadian “Bound in Secrecy Act” at one of its early meetings.

Sub Committee meetings are normally organized by Charles Caldwell. Charles and Martin still live in Hong Kong, Ray in Dubai, and Alvin back in Canada. Updated May 2023.