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Next Generation event in co-operation with the Frankfurt Football Club

On Thursday, 02 September 2021 the German Australian Business Council in co-operation with the Frankfurt Football Club held an event for young professionals at „Gang & Gäbe“ in Frankfurt. The event introduced the „next generation“ of young professionals to the German Australian Business Council and the opportunities of the business network. On this beautiful late summer evening, members and friends of the German Australian Business Council as well as members of the Frankfurt Football Club enjoyed the first of many to come Next Generation events. The Frankfurt Football Club as partner of the event looks back on a tradition of over 25-years of Australian Rules Football in Germany.

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Ambassador’s Dinner 2021, Frankfurt, June 2021

On Thursday, 17th of June 2021, the German Australian Business Council hosted its first in-person event for 2021 in honour of Ambassador H.E. Philip Green, AO, Ambassador to Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. After a long period of COVID-19 restrictions, the dinner event at the Main Nizza restaurant on the banks of the Main River in Frankfurt was long anticipated by members and guests alike.

H.E. Philip Green used the opportunity to speak about the new bilateral Enhanced Strategic Partnership between Australia and Germany, signed by Foreign Ministers Marise Payne and Heiko Maas on the 10th of June 2021 (see download and link below). The Enhanced Strategic Partnership demonstrates the commitment of Australia and Germany to defend and advance the two countries’ common values and interests and to intensify bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The Ambassador also spoke about the new Australia-Germany Hydrogen Accord which was announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chancellor Angela Merkel during the G7 Summit in Cornwall during the previous weekend.

The German Australian Business Council would like to warmly thank H.E Philip Green, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, our sponsor ANZ and our members and friends for their support in making this event such a success.

 

Enhanced Strategic Partnership between Australia and the Federal Republic of Germany

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Ambassador’s Farewell Dinner, September 2020, Frankfurt

On Tuesday, 15 September 2020, the German Australian Business Council hosted our first in-person event since the lockdown in honour of Ambassador H.E. Lynette Wood who will be returning to Australia later this year.

In splendid weather conditions, the outdoor networking reception with lively conversation set the stage for a wonderful evening at MainNizza in Frankfurt. Dinner started officially with a welcome by Business Council Chair, Dr Sabine Pittrof, introducing the evening’s “Future-Focused” theme.

Ender Tanar, ANZ Germany Managing Director, and Evangelos Kotsopoulos, Sonic Healthcare CEO Germany, then shared their views on German-Australian relations. While Mr. Tanar focused on the digitalization brought by the pandemic, Mr. Kotsopoulus focused on the work in the testing labs, thanking his employees who have been working 24/7 continuously for the past few months.

Engrossing discussions at the tables over the main course were followed by the Ambassador’s keynote address. H. E. Lynette Wood looked back on four years of successful partnership to then give a positive outlook into the future, reflecting on the shared values between Australia and Germany.

Dr. Toralf Haag, VOITH CEO and Chairman of the Corporate Board of Management rounded off the evening by sharing his and VOITH’s view on future developments and reporting on VOITH’s role in achieving Australia’s renewables target.

The evening concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Pittrof and an official farewell to the Ambassador by the board of the Business Council.

The German Australian Business Council would like to warmly thank our sponsors Sonic Healthcare, ANZ and VOITH as well as our members and friends for their support, without which the event would have not been such a success.

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

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 Aviation event with Dr Ian Douglas, October 2019, Frankfurt

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

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

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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Siemens Factory Tour, September 2019, Frankfurt

On the 26th of September 2019, the German Australian Business Council invited members and friends to a tour through the Siemens Medium Voltage Switchgear factory in Frankfurt. Since 1984, Siemens has built gas-insulated switchgears, which can be used in transformer and distribution systems of power supply companies, as well as in medium-voltage systems which can be found, for example, in the mining industry, wind parks and on offshore platforms and ships. Siemens gas-insulated switchgear technology provides various advantages in respect of climatic independence, personal safety and maintenance-free design.

The tour provided a great insight in a fascinating field of technology which is otherwise usually not accessible to the public. Thanks to the very professional Siemens staff, who managed to explain the highly technological production processes to a largely lay audience, the tour was a fascinating and very informative event for all participants.

We would like to thank all at Siemens who made this event possible and we look forward to the next tour.

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Summer Networking featuring Barramundi on the Barbie- Frankfurt, August 2019

On 1 August 2019, the German Australian Business Council hosted a summer networking event at the Adina Neue Oper Frankfurt showcasing our Mittelstand member, Barramundi Aquakultur. Operations Manager, Fritz Beindorff shared his thoughts about the sustainable Barramundi farming business in Hainburg (20 minutes outside of Frankfurt) and emphasized the benefits of Barramundi grown without antibiotics or hormones. Following a lively Q&A, guests were treated to an expansive buffet spread showcasing “Barramundi on the Barbie” specially prepared by the Adina Frankfurt Neue Oper catering and culinary team. We were delighted to connect with many new members and friends over a spectacular sunset view of the Frankfurt skyline.

Photos by Cherokee Bech

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Ambassador’s Dinner- Frankfurt, June 2019

The German Australian Business Council’s Annual Ambassador’s Dinner 2019 was an exclusive and highly successful event as we welcomed over 100 international guests, including representatives joining us from the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK) Australia Delegation, at the Sofitel Frankfurt on 25 June 2019.

The pre-dinner networking reception set the stage for the evening with new and renewed connections and lively conversations over drinks and canapes. Dinner started officially with a welcome by Chair, Dr Sabine Pittrof and Co-Patron Australian Ambassador to Germany, H.E. Lynette Wood introducing our special speaker: Senator The Hon. Mathias Cormann, Minister for Finance, Special Minister of State, Leader of the Government in the Senate. Singing a line from Belgium’s wining Eurovision song “J’aime la Vie”, Belgium-born Senator Cormann showed his gracious humour as he responded to a quip by Dr Pittrof about Australia’s successful participation in the Eurovision as testament to the strong Australia-EU ties. This set the tone for his keynote as he outlined the Australian’s government economic priorities and the tremendous opportunities for strengthening bilateral relations.

The evening concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr Jeff Connolly, Executive Chairman and CEO of Siemens Australia and Pacific and Head of the AHK Australia Delegation.

The German Australian Business Council would like to warmly thank our sponsors FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH and ANZ; and partners, AHK Australia and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission for their kind support.

 

Photos courtesy of Todd Gardner, Frankfurt.