PRESS RELEASE - AmCham Appoints New CEO

Thursday 7 September 2017

The Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia is pleased to announce that April Palmerlee will be the organisation's next Chief Executive Officer. Palmerlee, who will take up the role from October 3, comes to AmCham from a distinguished career in government, education, and the corporate sector. Most recently, she was a senior executive at the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. She has strong relationships with governments, business leaders and the public service in Australia and the U.S.

According to AmCham Chairman Maureen Dougherty, President of Boeing Australia/South Pacific, “April is the right person to take the organisation forward at a time when a challenging geo-political environment makes advocating Australia’s position as an unparalleled partner for American investment and trade more crucial than ever. With businesses feeling the impact of politics every day, the AmCham Board is delighted to have identified a leader with the knowledge and experience to build on AmCham’s standing as the leading international business organization in Australia.” 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 served as Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues at the US Department of State. 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 The Spanish Institute. She is currently on the Centennial Park Community Consultative Committee and the Selection Board for the Fulbright scholarship in NSW.

Palmerlee succeeds Niels Marquardt, who is returning to the US after seven years in Australia. Under his leadership, AmCham undertook a study in conjunction with the US Studies Centre that showed that the United States remains Australia’s leading economic partner by a wide margin. In taking the reins at AmCham, Palmerlee has indicated that she intends to promote further growth in these business links.

“I’m looking forward to leading AmCham in Australia – the most significant location for US investment in the entire Asia/Pacific region,” Palmerlee said. “Together with a very strong and resourceful group of Directors, Governors and General Managers around the country, we will advance business interests and advocate policies that create jobs and grow the economies of our two countries.”

AmCham Australia is a business-oriented advocacy group with members comprised of over 10,000 individuals from over 700 companies around the country. It was founded in 1961.


For more information please contact:
American Chamber of Commerce in Australia
Level 6| 48 Hunter Street | Sydney NSW 2000 | Australia
+61 2 8031 9000 [email protected] www.amcham.com.au