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Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, The Hon Julie Bishop MP visits Berlin

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At the occasion of the Minister Julie Bishop´s state visit to Germany, the Australian Embassy in Berlin hosted an evening reception on 6 September which was attended by several GABC members. The Minister led an Australian Government delegation to attend the first German-Australian “2+2” consultations. This new format brings together the two country´s respective Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Defence and was attended by Minister Julie Bishop, the Australian Minister for Defence, The Hon Marise Payne, and their German counterparts Federal Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Minister Ursula von der Leyen.

In her speech to the evening reception´s guests, Minister Julie Bishop also announced the program of the 2017 Australia now initiative. This year-long series of predominantly cultural events seeks to highlight Australia´s creativity and power of innovation. Dubbed a “celebration of Australia´s culture in Germany”, the program will raise Australia´s profile in Germany and highlight the country´s cultural richness and diversity.

Julie Bishop, Foreign Minister of Australia, attends a reception at the Australian Embassy. Berlin, 06.09.2016. Copyright: Adam Berry/photothek.net

Julie Bishop, Foreign Minister of Australia, with Board members of the German Australian Business Council, Sabine Pittrof and Evangelos Kotsopoulos. 

 

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Australian Landing Pad in Berlin

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As part of the national innovation strategy, Australia is setting up five  landing pads to help startup companies expand internationally. The Hon. Steven Ciobo , Australia’s Minister for Trade and Investment was in Berlin’s co-working space Rainmaking Loft this week to announce the selection of Berlin as the European launching landing pad. He was joined by a number of guests, including GABC board members Sabine Pittrof and Robert Harrison.

Right to Left: Robert Harrison, Sabine Pittrof, Minister Cibo, Volkmar Klein MdB

Right to Left: Robert Harrison, Sabine Pittrof, Minister Ciobo, Volkmar Klein MdB (c) Australian Embassy

Rob, whose family come from Australia, was thrilled with the news. “There’s a growing startup ecosystem in Germany and it’s great to see the Australian government supporting young and innovative companies to join us in the heart of Europe.” As GABC President Chair Sabine noted, “Germany industry is on the lookout for innovative partners throughout the world. The German Australian Business Council provides excellent opportunities for German and Australian businesses to get to know each other. We’re looking forward to meeting our new friends as well as dedicated innovators from Australia”.

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World Doctor’s Orchestra

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Members and friends of the German Australian Business Council gathered at the Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin on 25 April 2015 to listen to the World Doctor’s Orchestra. After an introduction by the Australian Ambassador, H.E. David Ritchie AO, music by Wagner, Dvorák and Schumann was interpreted by the orchestra in a technically brilliant and emotionally moving way. Berliner Philharmoniker’s Ludwig Quandt received an enthusiastic applause for his appearance as did the orchestra and its conductor Stefan Willich. After the concert members and friends were invited to a reception to network in the beautiful Ludwig-van-Beethoven-Hall of the Konzerthaus.

 We wish to gratefully acknowledge that this event was made possible by our corporate member Sonic Healthcare Germany.

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Photos ©Frau Nina Altmann

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Christmas Drinks in Berlin

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Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin

The German Australian Business Council invites you to join us for Christmas Drinks in Berlin on Monday, 15 December 2014 from 6:30 pm and we hope that you can join us for Glühwein and dinner at the Christmas Market “Weihnachtszauber Gendarmenmarkt”. Please contact Susanne Schnack at office@abie-germany.de for more details or RSVPs.

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Fourth Australian German Science Circle

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Australian Embassy, Berlin

The fourth Australia-German Science Circle was held on a pleasant September evening in the meeting room at the Australian Embassy in Berlin. Attended by ABIE Board Members, Elisabeth Opie, Class de Boer and Rob Harrison, the event focussed on science collaboration around the world. Professor Debbie Terry, Senior Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland focussed on how important collaboration has become in the scientific world. Australia and Germany are leaders, with many of their researchers being on papers with non-local co-authors.  Growing tripartite arrangements involving Asian-based scientists were also discussed.

Professor Terry did not really dive into the commercialisation aspects of science, except to mention one interesting statistic: in Germany, the ratio of academic researchers to technologists and scientists working in industry is 2:4; in Australia the ratio is 5:2 – almost a complete reversal. This shows the potential for increase in Australian industry science-based structure while achieving high return on investment, and indeed is being encouraged by the Australian government. There is clearly a long way to go, and targeted international teaming up of scientists would certainly help meet the challenges ahead for mutual benefit – scientifically and commercially.

The evening finished off with the usual round of drinks in the Atrium.

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Presentation and lab tour by our corporate member Sonic Healthcare

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Sonic Healthcare, Berlin

On 21 October 2014, members and friends of the German Australian Business Council joined for a most fascinating evening at the premises of Sonic Healthcare in Berlin. They were welcomed by Sonic Healthcare Germany’s CEO Evangelos Kotsopoulos; Mr. Kotsopoulos delivered a presentation highlighting the state-of-the-art technology used by Sonic Healthcare in Germany. Participants learned about Sonic Healthcare’s steady growth in the past, making it the number one medical diagnostics company and the largest Australian investment in Germany. German-Australian Business Council’s patron, the Australian Ambassador to Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, H.E. Mr David Ritchie AO, greeted participants and highlighted the importance of mutual investments between Germany and Australia in his speech. In a tour through Sonic Healthcare’s recently built Berlin central laboratory, participants were fascinated by the complex interaction between information technology and medical diagnostics providing reliable, fast and most advanced medical services to doctors and patients alike. The event continued with a reception giving participants another great opportunity to network.

On details about the evening, please contact GABC board member Claas de Boer ( claas.deboer@abie-germany.de).

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Ambassador’s Dinner 2014

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Australian Embassy, Berlin

ABIE (Germany) hosted this year’s Ambassador’s Dinner at the Australian Embassy in Berlin.

More than 90 guests representing the political and the business community listened to speeches by H.E. Ambassador David Ritchie AO, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner and Consul General David Campbell, the CEO of Scout24 Group, Greg Ellis, and ABIE (Germany) chair of the board Sabine Pittrof. The large number of participants made this year’s Ambassador’s dinner one of the biggest events organized by ABIE (Germany) so far. While the presentations all shared a common focus on Australia’s G20 presidency this year and the commercial aspects to be discussed on the B20 level (the Business 20 (B20) brings together business leaders from across G20 member countries), the speakers put different emphasis on the political implications and requirements and commercial expectations such as sustaining a necessary growth rate to support future economical stability.

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The reception in the early evening followed by a three-course set menu enabled guests to meet, be introduced to each other and to network. The table talks were very inspiring and were followed by further discussions during meetings beyond this dinner. The Atrium of the Australian Embassy Berlin was a beautiful backdrop for this event. Comments by participants were: “It was an outstanding evening” and “Great networking event”.

The support of the Australian Embassy Berlin and its staff, speakers, guests and sponsors Sonic Healthcare, TELSTRA Global, Scout24 Group and Austrade made this event a successful forum for sharing information on current commercial issues and networking.

For further information please contact ABIE (Germany) board members Claas de Boer ( claas.deboer@abie-germany.de ) or Simone Wienhausen ( simone .wienhaus simone.wienhausen@abie-germany.de )

Brandenburger Tor at Night

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Ludwig Leichardt Event

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Australian Embassy, Berlin

ABIE (Germany) celebrated the Bicentenary of the birth of German-Australian explorer Ludwig Leichhardt in collaboration with the Australian Embassy, Berlin, the State of Queensland and the University of Queensland, at the Australian Embassy, Berlin.
Presentations were made by the great-great-great grandnephew of Ludwig Leichhardt (bearing the same name as the explorer), by His Excellency Peter Tesch, Ambassador to Germany (and also Patron of ABIE (Germany), by Reinhard Flessner of the University of Queensland and by Marc Voigt of Prima BioMed Ltd. While the presentations all had the subject of “Ludwig Leichhardt –  the Man and his Legacy” in common, the individual speakers put different emphasis on Ludwig Leichhardt’s explorations in the 19th century, the reception of his scientific findings until today as well as the question how his entrepreneurial spirit can be translated into today’s business world. Further, ‘The Leichhardt Symposium on Biodiversity and Conservation’, an academic conference to be hosted by the University of Queensland later this year, was introduced to the audience. Ken Smith, Agent General, Queensland Government, let the audience know about the popularity of Ludwig Leichhardt until today. To round up the event, André Parade and Werner Pfeil, experts on the life of Ludwig Leichhardt, answered questions and shared their profound knowledge with the audience.
After the presentations and the Q&A session, about 50 attendees enjoyed a reception in the atrium of the Australian Embassy and took the opportunity to network.
ABIE (Germany) thanks all persons involved for letting this event take place, organizers as well as attendees.