Tag Archive for: Frankfurt

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the German Australian Business Council e.V. was held at the Adina Frankfurt Westend on Tuesday, the 19th of March 2019.

The Chair of the Board, Sabine Pittrof, gave a review of 2018 which had been a year of changes and challenges for the Council on various levels. In that context, we were able to deliver 19 events, maintain our membership base, and contribute a submission to the Trade Sub-Committee of the Australian Parliament regarding opportunities for SMEs.

In 2019, the Council will focus on two core themes of Free Trade Agreement and Digitalisation which will guide our events strategy. This will be supplemented by a new communications plan led by board member Kiki Loukas.

Eberhard Goihl, Treasurer of the German Australian Business Council, outlined the current financial status and highlighted significant improvement on our account receivables. Our 2019 budget includes increased expenditure on event support and website enhancement in order to improve our membership engagement.

The AGM attendees also discussed the potential introduction of new membership models to enhance our value proposition for members. In addition, there were some updates and suggestions for the attraction of younger, next-generation members.

The board thanked Sabine for her dedicated leadership and Eberhard for his fiduciary diligence.

The evening concluded with interactive Australian business trivia and networking over drinks and refreshments.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our corporate member and AGM sponsor Adina Apartment Hotels for their warm and generous hospitality.

The German Australian Business Council kicked off 2019 with an event with Jason Collins, CEO of the European Australian Business Council, updating our members and friends on the current status of the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

Jason set the context with a general economic outlook for Australia and its bilateral relationship with Europe before delving into the core tenets of the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement negotiations. There was much discussion around the table of the potential impact on the flow of services, investment, and people.

This event was the first of our series on the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement. There will be another update with the Australian Business in Europe (ABIE) network in July.

In the meantime, here are some links for additional information on the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement:

http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/australia/

https://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/negotiations/aeufta/Pages/default.aspx

On 2 October 2018, the German Australian Business Council invited members and friends to an exclusive breakfast briefing in Frankfurt with Ms Alexandra Voss, Executive Director of the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Australia).

Prior to her appointment as the new AHK Executive Director earlier this year, Ms Voss was the Chief Representative of the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce and Managing Director of the German Chamber of Commerce in Beijing.

The AHK Australia, with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, has over 40 years of experience and a competent team of experts and partners who can deal with all facets of the Australian market.

The event provoked lively discussion over an enjoyable German breakfast.

Board Members of the German Australian Business Council, Peirui Tan and Sabine Pittrof, attended an expert briefing to Frankfurt’s international community on Brexit on 7th May 2018. Corporate Member Frankfurt Rhein Main GmbH International Marketing of the Region had invited representatives from the Consular Corps and the International Trade and Investment Commissions and Associations to “bust” some myths about Frankfurt and the Rhein Main Region, showcasing this central German hub’s capabilities and readiness for companies taking refuge from Brexit. Congratulations to Frankfurt Rhein Main on a successful event and thank you for all the good work you are doing for the City, the region and Germany in the broader sense.

How can we live better while living longer? Members and friends of the German Australian Business Council had the opportunity to hear some of the latest research and insights from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Faculty of Health’s Professor Ross Young, Executive Dean; Professor Greig de Zubicaray, Assistant Dean (Research); and Professor Remco Polman, Head of School.

Professor Young started with an overall introduction to QUT’s strengths in clinical health, biomedical and health technology research. He then spoke about his own research around genetic testing to provide early detection and care for mental health, which has become a priority for many governments and communities in recent years. Professor Zubicaray, who specializes in the neurobiology of language and memory, highlighted that policies and regulations have yet to catch up with the increased number of self-help health devices and apps. Greater collaboration between government, institutions and organizations will need to be in place to ensure consumer privacy and security while establishing efficacy and safety. In addition to mental health, Professor Polman emphasized that it was important to ensure physical health across all ages from adolescence to old age. Much of his research has centred around behavioural change and understanding motivations and fears, such as fear of falling among the elderly.

It was a mentally active and simulating morning for participants as they learnt about the latest health research developments in Australia. Wwe look forward to hearing more about QUT’s collaboration and work in Germany next time!