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GABC & ABIE France webinar with Mr John W.H. Denton OA, the Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, April 2020

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The Covid 19 crisis may stop people gathering, but it hasn’t stopped ABIE from holding events. The German Australian Business Council  (GABC) and ABIE France teamed up on Tuesday, April 21, to organize a webinar with guest speaker, Mr John W.H. Denton AO, the Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce.

The theme, of course, had the coronavirus as its core :

The ICC’S Global Engagement to Mobilise Business in the Fight Against Covid-19.

Sabine Pittrof, Chair of the GABC, welcomed the participants.

“We are very excited about this webinar today. Not only because we have a very eminent Australian speaker, but also as this is our first joint event with our sister organization ABIE France!”

Co-host Bernard Tabary, President of ABIE France, echoed her sentiment.  We are delighted to have this opportunity to work together”, he said, noting that the large number of French members registered for the event, together with those from other ABIE organisations, indicating the high level of interest in the topic and the Guest Speaker.  “We are privileged to have such an impressive global business and international policy advisor as our guest”.

It was a dense and wide-ranging presentation in which John Denton called on businesses to collaborate globally in addressing the human, economic and societal impact of COVID-19.  Topics ranged through the early absence of government engagement with the private sector as a trusted partner, plunging global trade, lives versus livelihoods, climate change, the future of work practices, the future of our health services….

Describing the current crisis as “a global problem requiring a global solution”, John Denton said he reached out to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom in the early days of the crisis to see how the two organisations might work together.  The result was a first-ever agreement signed on the 16th March between the ICC and the WHO to mobilise business in the fight against Covid 19. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/03/19/a-global-problem-requiring-a-global-solution/ https://iccwbo.org/media-wall/news-speeches/icc-who-covid19/

The joint ICC-WHO statement calls on national governments to adopt a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and underscores the urgency for Heads of State and Government to make preventing the spread of the virus a top priority.

The statement followed an ICC call for G20 countries to urgently agree on a comprehensive global action plan to address the pandemic and help restore confidence and stability in the global economy.  https://iccwbo.org/media-wall/news-speeches/icc-and-wto-call-for-increased-action-on-trade-to-respond-to-covid-19/

“The world has taken a $5 trillion hit, which is the size of the entire Japanese economy.  Global trade has been slashed by one third. Where governments are struggling, ICC must help.”

One of the ICC’s first actions was to launch a global campaign, #SaveOurSMEs, to help Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) survive the COVID-19 pandemic. https://iccwbo.org/media-wall/news-speeches/icc-calls-for-urgent-action-to-save-our-smes/

Another move has been to launch an ICC Carbon Council in Singapore, with John emphasising that the ICC was keeping climate at the forefront of its thinking. “It is not a trade off with the health crisis,” he said.  “Had we been further advanced with the goals of sustainable development, we would be better off during this crisis.”

John also said the ICC was addressing people’s legitimate concerns about protecting their health as they emerge from confinement. To complement many national efforts to develop COVID-19 immunity certificates, ICC is preparing to launch a digital health “passport” with the world’s largest medical and travel security services provider, International SOS.  The “ICC AOKpass” will help people and businesses make decisions about whether it is possible to return to work.

In conclusion, John Denton underscored that contributing to a coordinated effort to protect lives, livelihoods and the global economy is in line with the ICC purpose to enable business to secure peace, prosperity and opportunity for all.

With 85 participants, this very successful first joint German-French webinar proved so popular that more are being planned for the near future.

For more information:

A recording of the webinar can be accessed HERE

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Testing Times: Insights from Sonic Healthcare, a key player in COVID-19 Diagnostics, April 2020

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Over 25 members and friends joined our first ever webinar featuring Evangelos Kotsopoulos, CEO of Sonic Healthcare Germany and German Australian Business Council Board Member, who gave an overview of Sonic Healthcare’s significant role in the COVID-19 tests.

At a recent press conference by the Akkreditierten Labore in der Medizin, ALM e.V., it was shared that over a million SARS CoV-2 tests have been carried out in Germany since the beginning of March. This is equivalent to 1.5% of the Germany population having been tested.

The top ten test labs (six of which are Sonic Healthcare labs) have been performing over 40% of the testing in Germany. Sonic Healthcare has been equipped to do the SARS CoV-2 test since the end of January and their German labs have conducted more than 800,000 tests since the beginning of March with over 7,500 employees working across three shifts 24/7 and continuing to increase their productivity every day. With a daily capacity of 93,000 tests, Germany’s testing capacity is much higher than that of many other countries and Germany is now accepting tests from other countries such as the UK and Switzerland.

While the current PKR tests have served well, they only provide a snapshot in time of the patient’s condition and the focus is now on antibody testing.  These antibody tests can help determine the prevalence of the disease across the population, the real mortality rate, and people with immunity so a certain percentage of the population can return to work. That being said, there are only four to five companies with the ability to develop these antibody tests and each of the rapid testing machines can only process a small number of tests at a time. With this limited ability to scale antibody tests, the next conversation will be around who should be tested and when.

Speaking about the positive learnings from this experience, Evangelos shared that the speed and willingness for scientists, industry and government to collaborate and the appreciation for the diagnostic testing was heartening.

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GABC Focus Future event with DB Schenker ANZ, February 2020, Frankfurt

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On 6 February 2020, Craig Davison, CEO, DB Schenker ANZ provided an overview of the AU$1.0b business which has been in operation since 1962 with over 2000 employees. Craig discussed DB Schenker’s transition from a traditional freight forwarder and cargo logistics company to an end-to-end supply chain solutions provider offering value-added services to customers. He also highlighted some of the current key projects in Australia, including the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, BHP South Flank Project in Western Australia, and Belectric Limondale Solar Farm. The presentation was followed by a lively discussion about the future of the freight industry and DB Schenker ANZ’s sustainability initiatives.

We thank GABC Member Adina Frankfurt Neue Oper for the kind hospitality.

 

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GABC Christmas Celebration, December 2019, Berlin

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GABC members and friends met for a pre-Christmas networking dinner at Berlin´s famous Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market. Traditional Glühwein helped to warm up a freezing evening, followed by a festive dinner in Lutter & Wegener´s tent.

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GABC Aviation event with Dr Ian Douglas, October 2019, Frankfurt

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GABC members and friends from the aviation industry gathered in October for an event titled “A land far away: How mega-hubs impact the way we fly to Australia?”. The keynote speaker was Dr Ian Douglas , Chair of the Australian International Air Services Commission. Dr Ian Douglas, who recently retired from the School of Aviation at UNSW Sydney where he was a Senior Lecturer in aviation management,  shared his broad experience in air transportation economics and airline strategic thinking. The audience engaged in the discussion on the rise of the mega-hub airports in the Middle East and Asia and how this has changed travel patterns and the way in which Europe and Australia are connected. Additionally, GABC was honoured that the event was attended by Mrs Anna Fedeles, the new Australian Consul-General in Frankfurt. Ms Fedeles was happy to introduce the event topic in light of her own experiences, having recently served in the Middle East prior to her posting in Frankfurt.

 

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End of Year Breakfast Briefing, December 2019, Frankfurt

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On 11 December 2019, the German Australian Business Council concluded the year with a breakfast briefing focusing on our 2019 themes of the Australia- EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and digitalization.

We also had pleasure in welcoming Ms Anna Fedeles, the new Consul-General, Frankfurt, and Trade Commissioner with responsibility for the DACH region and the Netherlands. Anna gave an update on Austrade’s new Digital First strategy, which includes delivery of services digitally and access to wide-ranging data sources and information tools. She also highlighted the key investment priorities between Germany and Australia in sectors such as space, financial services, advanced manufacturing, mobility (as a service), defence, AgTech and energy.

Mr Jason Collins, CEO of fellow ABIE organization European Australian Business Council, then gave an update on the current status of the proposed FTA between the EU and Australia after the latest fifth round of negotiations. Against the context of the US-China trade dispute and Brexit, there is optimism regarding the negotiations as there has been significant investment growth over the years in sectors such as renewable energy and public procurement (particularly in infrastructure and defence) between Australia and the EU.

A lively discussion followed about the potential FTA benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the promotion of stronger research and innovation ties between the EU and Australia through programs such as Horizon EU.

The event concluded with a farewell from the Business Council Board to our Co-Patron Mr Dan Tebbutt, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade who heads back to Australia in the new year. Dan has been a positive and proactive supporter of the Council and we wish him all the best in his next role.

We thank all members and friends for your support over the year and look forward to seeing everyone in 2020.

 

 

 

 

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ABIE conference, November 2019, Frankfurt

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On November 8th, 2019, the GABC patron, Dan Tebbutt, General Manager Europe and Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner Frankfurt for Austrade welcomed delegates from a number of ABIE organisations at the Australian Consulate-General in Frankfurt a.M. He delivered a special briefing on Austrade’s global strategy and priorities which was followed by networking at the Indian restaurant Mera Masala owned by GABC Member Om Johar.

The following day, the international meeting of Australian Business in Europe (ABIE), a network of Australian business associations and chambers across Europe, took place at the office of GABC Corporate Member Squire Patton Boggs. ABIE brings together multiple organisations representing Australian and Australian-interested organisations across Europe with the shared objective of growing and strengthening the trade, investment, business and diplomatic ties between the two regions. 

Delegates from eight different organisations convened to discuss the future strategy of the network. Prior to the meeting, delegates heard three presentations from Australian government representatives. Simon Clayton, the Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy, Berlin spoke about the negotiations of the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Dan Tebbutt spoke on collaboration between government agencies and business organisations, and Charlotte Stevenson, from the Department of Home Affairs, spoke on the Australian government’s Global Talent Program.

Dalibor Vukadin and board Gabc conference Dalibor Vukadin and board Gabc conference frankfurt

 

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Act Global, Think Local- Tools for Global Brands to Engage with Local Culture at CADU (Cafe an der Universität), November 2019, Munich

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On the evening of November 5th 2019, members and friends of the German Australian Business Council were introduced by Martin Karaffa, Associate Partner at Hofstede Insights, to the world of branding and advertising, observed from the cultural point of view. Martin successfully engaged the audience by comparing the “me-culture” vs. “us-culture” and explained the effects of individualism vs. collectivism in the formation of repurchase intent. Using the cultural dimension of high  “power distance” in some countries, Martin explained why luxury cars serve as power indicators. He also explained further cultural factors such as uncertainty avoidance, masculinity etc. and their effect on branding using very sophisticated techniques. The result was a thoroughly thought-provoking presentation. In addition, the cosy atmosphere at CADU and the delicious tapas style food made for a very enjoyable evening.

We would like to thank Martin Karaffa for his presentation.

 

 

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ABIE representatives meet in Australia, October 2019, Sydney

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In an ABIE first, representatives from four ABIE organisations: the European Australian Business Council, the Australia Spain Business Association, the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce and the German Australian Business Council were able to gather for a working lunch in Sydney. Delegates discussed ways to advance the network and better integrate the Australian organisations. Thank you to the European Australian Business Council and the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce for hosting this special meeting.

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Berliner Wirtschaftsverbände Sommerfest 2019, August, Berlin

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As in the previous years, the Sommerfest der Berliner Wirtschaftsverbände was again a great success! With perfect weather and a very strong turnout, more than 15 GABC members had ample opportunity to mingle in a relaxed atmosphere and network with their peers, including those from the local Berlin region, Germany and also with members from other international associations (including organisation representing the UK, China, Thailand, Netherlands etc.). In addition to a delicious BBQ style buffet, there were activities for children and families and the largest tombola ever (supporting an education focused charity) with the opportunity to win over 100 prizes including several offerings of South Australian wine.