AmCham Staff

CEO
April Palmerlee

April Palmerlee is Chief Executive Officer of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia. She joined AmCham in 2017 after a distinguished career in government, education, and the corporate sector. American-born, Palmerlee has lived in Sydney since 2003 and is a dual citizen. She received a BS from Georgetown University and a Master’s from Columbia University. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Immediately after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, she was appointed to the senior executive service of the US Department of State where she served as Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues (now called Ambassador-at-Large, equivalent to Assistant Secretary). Before that, she was a senior executive at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. She has also worked for couturier Oscar de la Renta, financial publisher The Bank Credit Analyst, and not-for-profit The Spanish Institute. She is currently on the selection committee for the Fulbright scholarship in NSW and the Georgetown University Australian and New Zealand Studies Board.
 

 
 











General Manager NSW & ACT
Doug Grant

Doug Grant joined AmCham as General Manager of NSW & ACT  in December 2018.

He has over twenty years’ experience working within the finance industry as a Business Development Manager, Broker, consultant and sales and marketing representative. 

In that time Doug has built a broad network of business clients and referral partner contacts across most industry sectors through his focus on relationship creation, ongoing relationship management and solutions sales.

Recent activities include non-conforming loan structure and financing solutions outside of mainstream financial industry services, and establishment of referrer partner networks and systems as sources of new business.

His understanding of sales processes, cycles and mindsets has enabled him to quickly establish and build rapport leading to constructive relationships with all business levels, from administrative staff through to senior executives.

Doug is looking forward to engaging with current members and forming new relationships to grow the membership base of valued AmCham business partnerships  




General Manager QLD
Alicia Doherty

Alicia Doherty joined AmCham as General Manager of QLD in January 2017.

Alicia’s career commenced in the US Army as a Helicopter Repairer and Aviation Life Support Equipment Specialist. She graduated from The University of Southern Queensland with a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and Diplomas in Export Management and Market Research. Her professional & community expertise spans across stakeholder & member engagement, cultural inclusion, event management and corporate comms for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, CBRE, Nova Systems, RailCorp, the American Club, Austrade, Events NSW, Canberra CBD Ltd, the Australian American Association, Canberra Theatre Centre, QLD Department of Premier and Cabinet and the General Douglas MacArthur Memorial Foundation Ltd. 

As the daughter of a US Marine, she grew up across the US, Rio de Janeiro and Okinawa and continues to travel extensively. Alicia has lived in Australia for 25 years and counting. As a collaborator and an effective connector, Alicia can assist you with expanding your network!
 
 
   

General Manager SA
Rasa Buckley


Rasa Buckley joined AmCham as General Manager South Australia in March 2019, returning to her hometown Adelaide after 20+ years in Asia.

A graduate of the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Economics (Asian Studies) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting); Rasa worked in Hong Kong, Singapore & Malaysia for Global Media Companies including Lucasfilm, CNBC, BBC and TechTV. 

An expert in building exposure, promoting brands, creating compelling stories and producing innovative events, Rasa ran her own Communications company for clients including Disney, Maker Studios, NBCUniversal and Sony Entertainment Television Networks. 

Drawing on her long experience in Asia, Rasa’s role at AmCham supports business objectives by connecting people together globally as well as locally and leading them to success.

 










General Manager WA & NT
Penelope Williamson

Penelope Williamson was appointed as the General Manager of the American Chamber of Commerce in Western Australia on the 19th June 1995. Her role was expanded to encompass the Northern Territory in 2008.

One of her most successful initiatives includes developing the concept and organising all facets of a State and Federal Government endorsed National Trade Mission to the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas. After the success of the first delegation in 1999, the OTC is an annual event for AmCham members, with representation from companies throughout Australia. Penelope is Project Manager for all AmCham Trade Missions, including O&G, Mining and Defence.

Prior to joining AmCham, Penelope’s career encompassed international trade and marketing, with an emphasis on Japan. Her knowledge of the language, protocol and etiquette required her to forge on-going business relationships at the highest level, resulting in the formation of 2 companies, to deal with Japan.








General Manager VIC
Adam Serry

Adam Serry joined AmCham as General Manager Victoria in January 2020.

He has over twenty years of experience in general management, relationship management and business development across sectors including not for profit, membership organisations, finance / accounting, legal and professional services. 

This includes senior relationship / engagement and management roles at CEDA and The Institute of Chartered Accountants (now Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand), and as General Manager VIC/TAS of The Tax Institute.