Handover Meeting 2023-24

The gentleman with the yellow shoes is past. Immediate past. Immediate Past President. On Tuesday, June 27, the Rotary Club of Shanghai celebrated the handover from President David Smith to his successor, Tiziana Richiardi.

Wait a minute! Yellow shoes?

For most people, David’s fashionable shoes would be considered light brown. However, that was not the case for SR Andrew Hill. “Those shoes can be worn by Europeans; an American should stick to black shoes with a dark suit.”

David himself proposed to start the tradition of “roasting” the outgoing president. I’m not sure if he regretted that when Andrew took out his sizzling pan, reminding us of the obligatory “wait a minute” moments when David mixed up dates, locations, or slides.

In the end, even during the roasting, Andrew couldn’t help but praise David’s tremendous efforts, dedication, and of course, passion! that he demonstrated throughout the many years of service for RCS and especially during his presidency.

David himself critically reviewed the past year with its many downs (COVID and its aftermath) but also highlighted some ups, such as new members and saving children’s lives through the Gift of Life initiative. Although meeting attendance was rather low, the members dedicated hundreds of hours of community service to various projects. David thanked his board and chairs for their continuous efforts and support, and he specially recognized Frank Yih for best attendance and Rita Malvone as our “Super Sponsor.” He then wished Tiziana all the best for her presidency, hoping it would be a bit less challenging than his own.

More than 31 guests at Conrad Shanghai, including visiting Rotarians from RC Shanghai Elysee, RC HK South, and RC Merlion, witnessed SR Andrew and our new President Tiziana unveiling this year’s Rotary theme banner, “Create Hope in the World.”

Finally, Joanna Fan introduced herself with an inspiring speech to RCS and its friends as part of her application process to become a new honorary member.

Written by Christian Göttker