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AGM 2019- Frankfurt, March 2019

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.

 

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Farewell Dinner for GABC Patron, Richard Leather- Frankfurt, March 2019

GABC members and friends came together for this informal event to honour Richard Leather, Consul General and Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for Western Europe. Richard has been GABC patron for last two years and an active member, providing ideas and impulses and helping to bring the GABC forward. Richard and guests enjoyed a three-course dinner at Enoteca InCantina, which serves high quality food and wine from Italia’s Emilia Romagna region.

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Australia Day Breakfast Briefing: The EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement Negotiations-Frankfurt, January 2019

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

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Melbourne Cup Reception- Frankfurt, November 2018

On the 6th of November 2018, members and friends of the German Australian Business Council gathered at the Mantis Roofgarden in Frankfurt to embrace the essence of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. Guests enjoyed an Aussie-style BBQ buffet combined with numerous alcoholic beverages while delightfully socializing within the wonderfully lit atmospheric venue.

Congratulations to Oliver Schmidt who was the lucky winner of our sweepstake, tickets for two from the VRC to the Melbourne Cup Carnival 2019. Other stylish winners for the best dressed male and female were: Mr Robert Retz and Mrs Claudia Enke who were presented with a 50€ gift voucher kindly sponsored by the Australien Shop Frankfurt.

The German Australian Business Council expresses great appreciation to our generous sponsors and partners for this successful evening: Aesop, Australien Shop Frankfurt, Victoria Racing Club and Visit Victoria.

 


 

 

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AHK Australia Breakfast- Frankfurt, October 2018

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.

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Spring Networking Drinks, May- Frankfurt

Members and friends of the German Australian Business Council were warmly welcomed by the German Australian Business Council’s Co-Patron, Richard Leather, Consul-General Frankfurt and Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for Western Europe, at his residence for our Spring Reception on 16 May 2018.

We also had the privilege to hear from Ms Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO, Business Events Sydney about the power of conferences and how business events are setting agendas, shaping best practice and creating change. In particular, she spoke of her recent experience as Co-Chair of the Host Steering Committee for the Global Summit of Women Sydney 2018. This summit was the largest ever held with over 1200 delegates from 60 countries coming together to share effective strategies and practical working solutions by and for women in all three sectors of society – government, business and civil – to improve women’s economic status globally. There was a strong German delegation at the Summit led by Ursula Schwarzenbart, Daimler’s Head of Global Diversity Management. The next Global Summit of Women will be in Basel, Switzerland in 2019.

We were delighted to see a number of new faces at the reception and new connections being made over canapes and drinks.

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German Australian Business Council participates in Brexit Briefing

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.

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German Australian Business Council AGM 2018

The Annual General Meeting of the German Australian Business Council e.V. was held at the Frankfurt office of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission on Thursday 19 April 2018.

The Chair of the Board, Sabine Pittrof, gave a review of 2017 and an overview of 2018. 2017 was a celebration of the German Australian Business Council’s 20th Anniversary and was marked by a growing profile nationally and internationally, increasing numbers of corporate memberships and a broadening focus on policy review.

Eberhard Goihl, Treasurer of the German Australian Business Council, outlined the current financial status and highlighted some of the improvements in 2017, including an online payment system.

The Board thanked Eleanor Stephen for her contribution as Office Administrator and wished her well in her new employment. We welcomed Elizabeth Matters as our new Office Administrator.

The Board also thanked our departing Board Members for their contribution over their terms. We welcome our new Board Members – Rebecca Liebel (Munich), Kiki Loukas (Frankfurt), Malte Schudlich (Frankfurt) and David Urry (Berlin).

The evening concluded with networking over drinks and refreshments.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission for their warm and generous hospitality.

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Insights from Queensland University of Technology Breakfast in Frankfurt

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!

 

 

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2017 Christmas Business Networking Reception in Frankfurt

2017 has indeed been a positively eventful year – not only for the German Australian Business Council that has been commemorating its 20th anniversary, but also for our two countries on a number of levels. What better way to celebrate this special year than to come together with members and friends for a business networking cocktail! Held in Frankfurt on the 30th of November, 2017, the event was a perfect start to the festive season.

We were honoured to be warmly welcomed by the German Australian Business Council’s Co-Patron, Richard Leather, Consul-General Frankfurt and Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for Western Europe, to his residence.

To the backdrop of an elegantly intimate setting, accompanied by excellent Australian wines and delicious food, our members and friends found themselves in an ideal atmosphere to unwind, celebrate and mingle. We were delighted to welcome a number of new faces from different horizons and professional backgrounds, thus enhancing the diversity and quality of the business networking.

Sabine Pittrof, German Australian Business Council Chair, took us through the highlights of the past year – with some very good news. The various events and activities of the German Australian Business Council in 2017 resulted in significantly increased cooperation between our two countries. In addition, Sabine Pittrof shared with us insights from the recent Asia-Pacific Regional Conference, held in Perth in November 2017, in which our association actively took part. We also had a preview of the eventful calendar lined up for 2018. We definitely have a lot to look forward to!

To mark the end of our 20th anniversary year, Sabine Pittrof and Richard Leather hosted the business card draw. Five lucky winners took home superb bottles of Australian wine.

As this unique year winds up, we would like to wish all our members and friends an enjoyable, peaceful and safe festive season. Thank you wholeheartedly for your involvement in 2017. We are excited about continuing our promisingly prosperous journey with you in 2018!