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May 2019

Message from AmCham CEO April Palmerlee

Congratulations to the Liberal-National Coalition, elected on the weekend. AmCham looks forward to working with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his colleagues to further strengthen the $1.6 trillion two-way trade and investment relationship between the US and Australia.

AmCham Australia held its Annual General Meeting earlier this month. Thank you to the members who were able to join us. Our Chairman, Maureen Dougherty, and the Honorary Treasurer, Tony Clemens, reported on what has been an effective and rewarding year for the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia. Maureen summarised a nationwide program that included over 160 events, welcoming dozens of new members, and leading business delegations to the US, Hong Kong, Papau New Guinea and New Zealand with our members. to view a copy of the Chairman’s Overview of the AGM. She also acknowledged and thanked AmCham’s Honorary Treasurer, Tony Clemens, for his 29 years of service to the Chamber. Tony stepped down at the AGM and a new Board member and Honorary Treasurer was elected: . Please join me in welcoming him to the Board. All our other Directors were re-elected unanimously. We also welcomed some new Governors in various states. Governors offer advice to the Board on specific matters and issues. You can see a list of all of the Chamber’s Council of Governors .

AmCham is honoured to have US Ambassador A. B. Culvahouse, Jr., as its patron and to have the Consuls General as ex officio Governors in all of our states. This past month we have also been very fortunate to welcome several high-level visitors from the US to meet with AmCham leadership and members to discuss issues of mutual interest. Some of the leaders we have seen in Sydney in the past four weeks include: Senator Richard Shelby, (R-AL), Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee; Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID), Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Military Construction; Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), Member, Senate Armed Services Committee; and Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), Member, Senate Appropriations Committee; Acting Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and Development Manisha Singh; Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Asia Diane Farrell; Nicola Watkinson, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for North America, Austrade; the ; and Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Jay Clayton.

Last week was infrastructure week in the US. For seven years now, America’s businesses, workers, citizens, and elected leaders from all levels of government unite around one message: America’s future will be shaped by the infrastructure choices we make today. This is true in Australia as well. The investment Australian governments are making in infrastructure here at home are top-of-mind for Americans. You will recall that last year, several business leaders from Australia travelled to Washington, DC, to meet with President Trump, his cabinet, and the National Governors’ Association to discuss the models the public and private sector use in our states to build the infrastructure our growing population requires. Some of our members are investing in American infrastructure or building their own, like IFM Investors (see Network News below), QIC, and Brickworks. To cater to the interests of our members in this sector, we are holding two infrastructure events in the next month with American and Australian experts (see Upcoming Events below).

I’m also pleased to announce that the American Chamber of Commerce will partner with the Australian Israeli Chamber of Commerce on Tech Tour: Sustainable Growth Through Innovation

 

13-17 October 2019: US West Coast | 20-27 March 2020: Israel | May 2020: Australia

The tour leaders are AmCham Chairman Maureen Dougherty and Tesla Chairman Robyn Denholm. We hope you will consider joining us for any or all of the trips to explore Sustainable Growth through Innovation, with a particular focus on AI and robotics. . And please remember that we also have business delegations going to Washington for , the , as well as . We encourage all of our members to fly to the US on Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines to experience their exceptional service and new products

 

Thank you for your ongoing support,

 

April Palmerlee, Chief Executive Officer

American Chamber of Commerce in Australia

E

P 02 8031 9000

A warm welcome to our newest members

I’m delighted to welcome these new members and here are links to their websites:


Upcoming Events

ADELAIDE | AmCham SA

DRIVING BUSINESS & ACCELERATING GROWTH

Does SA have the infrastructure – ports, roads, broadband access, and more….. to help business thrive? Our leaders are promising new growth and jobs through industries such as space and defence, and skilled migration to deliver on projects. Are the supports in place to deliver long-term economic goals - without compromising quality of life?

 

Panel of Speakers:

 

Mark Dowd, Founder and Executive Director, Smart Cities Lab

 

Hon Stephan Knoll MP, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure, Local Government & Planning

 

Clare Boan, Mayor, City of Port Adelaide Enfield

 

Nikki Govan, Chair, Business SA

 

Event Partners: DW Fox Tucker Lawyers, Global Intertrade, Iocane, The Hospital Research Foundation

Business Luncheon

Friday 24 May 2019

11.45am - 2pm

Adelaide Convention Centre

SYDNEY | AmCham NSW

URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE: STRATEGIES TO SHAPE OUR STATE

As our population grows and our cities become more congested, the need for infrastructure and services to deliver smart, efficient and liveable cities is more critical than ever before.

 

Sir Rod Eddington AO, Chair of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, will lead a heavy-hitting panel of industry experts from Lendlease, MinterEllison and PwC to discuss the growing complexity of demands upon urban infrastructure, and how major project developers are utilising data, technology and shared space effectively to create economically functional and liveable cities.

 

Panel of Experts:

 

Sir Rod Eddington AO, Chair, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia

 

John Burton, Managing Director, Urban Regeneration, Lendlease

 

Nicole Green, Partner, National Government Leader, MinterEllison

 

James Sherrard, Partner, Infrastructure & Urban Renewal Leader, PwC Australia

 

Sponsorship opportunities available! Contact .

Business Luncheon

Thursday 6 June 2019

12pm - 2pm

Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney

MELBOURNE | AmCham VIC

ALBERTO CALDERON, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, ORICA

Join AmCham and Alberto Calderon, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Orica as he discusses Business and Government Leadership in the Digital Age.

 

Technological disruption is striking deep into Australia’s industrial and manufacturing heartland. The result is a confronting landscape, where the first movers and early adopters of emerging technologies, that create safer, more efficient and seamless inter-connected global operations, will earn the opportunity to succeed and those who don’t will almost surely fail.

 

Event Partner: Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines

Business Luncheon

Wednesday 26 June 2019

12pm - 2pm

Crown Melbourne

PERTH | AmCham WA

AMCHAM ACADEMY: FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

Join AmCham for our upcoming AmCham Academy Session on Strength Based Development-Discover, Develop and Use your Unique Talents for Increased Engagement and Productivity

 

Guest Speakers:

 

Lyn Beazley, Former Chief Scientist of Western Australia

 

Dr Rebecca McCrakan, Principal-Patents, Trademarks and Technical IP Attorney, Rio Tinto

 

Event Host: K&L Gates

Breakfast Briefing

Wednesday 26 June 2019

8am - 10am

K&L Gates Perth

BRISBANE | AmCham QLD

QUEENSLAND PREMIER AND MINISTER FOR TRADE, THE HON ANNASTACIA PALASZCZUK MP

Queensland has enjoyed longstanding trade, economic, business, education and cultural links with the United States.

 

What are the current opportunities for business and trade links with the US for Queensland companies and US investment into Queensland?

 

Join us on 28 June 2019 for a progress report direct from Queensland Premier and Minister for Trade, The Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk MP. This event is a terrific opportunity to host clients and collaborators to hear first hand from the Premier on what lies ahead in 2019.

 

Event Partners: ConocoPhillips, KDPR, KPMG, Mater Foundation, QPAC, UQ Business School, Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines | Sponsors: Beaconfield Partners

Business Luncheon

Friday 28 June 2019

11.30am - 2pm

The Westin Brisbane



Upcoming Trade Missions and Delegations


Premium Network News

Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines

AmCham's 2019 Official Travel Partner

 

Delta Air Lines launched an upgraded B777 aircraft in April with two new premium cabins, flying daily between Sydney and Los Angeles. Passengers can enjoy an elevated flying experience in Delta One Suites and Premium Select.

 

Delta One Suites Offer the ultimate in onboard luxury and is the world’s first business class cabin to feature a sliding door at each seat and privacy dividers between centre suites.

 

Premium Select Passengers can relax and recharge in superior comfort, with up to 50% more recline and up to 7” more leg room than Main cabin seats.

 

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Google Australia

2018 Financial Results

 

In 2018, Google Australia made a pre-tax profit of $155 million resulting in $49 million of Australian corporate income taxes payable, up 32% compared to the prior year. During the same period, Google invested almost $1 billion in their Australian operations, which employ close to 1,500 people.

 

IFM Investors

IFM doubles its US infrastructure portfolio with $9.3b pipeline buy

 

IFM Investors, Australia's globe-scouring superfund, will almost double its US infrastructure play with a $US6.5 billion ($9.3 billion) purchase of Houston-based pipeline operator Buckeye Partners.

 

IFM's all-cash deal, announced at the weekend, takes the Melbourne-based fund's total infrastructure exposure in the US to $US12 billion, and to $US45 billion globally....

 

DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity

Recognising AmCham Members

 

The DiversityInc Top 50 list recognizes the nation's top companies for diversity and inclusion management. These companies excel in such areas as hiring, retaining and promoting women, minorities, people with disabilities, LGBT and veterans.

 

AmCham Australia would like to congratulate and recognise our Members on the list:

 

AT&T | Marriott International | Hilton | Mastercard | KPMG | Abbott | Northrop Grumman | Procter & Gamble | General Motors | AbbVie | Colgate-Palmolive | Boeing | Medtronic | AIG | HSBC | HP | Intel Corporation

Survey

Experience of Australian returned expats and the perception of recruiters

 

AmCham Member, Indeed, is collaborating with the Australian global network Advance on a survey to gauge the experience of Australian expats when they return home to work and the perception of recruiters and HR decision makers of the value of overseas experience.

 

AmCham would like to encourage our Members and network to provide your input and/or share the survey links below to your networks:

 

For Australian Returned Expats:

 

For Recruiters / HR Decision Makers:



Become a Member


AmCham Logo

The American Chamber of Commerce in Australia

Website | ABN 62 000 361 633

SYDNEY/CANBERRA

02 8031 9000

MELBOURNE

03 9027 5633

ADELAIDE

08 8212 4688

BRISBANE

07 3220 2478

PERTH/DARWIN

08 9325 9540

 

Podcasts

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