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NEWS GACIC Updates on the Council - AGM 2015 GACIC is pleased to announce that at the Annual General Meeting in May 2015 Lucy Hughes Turnbull AO was re-elected as the Chamber’s President and Paul Koenig and Wolfgang Babeck as Vice-Presidents, whilst BDO maintained their mandate as the Chamber’s auditors. Ron Koehler was confirmed as Chairman of the board, and five new members were elected to the board to raise the total number of councillors to now 15, in the following we would like to introduce three of them: Simone Whetton, Colin Biggers & Paisley How is the mission of the Chamber meaningful to you? “The Chamber has been a long-standing part of the success of Australian-German business relationships. It continues to find new ways to assist businesses in developing other markets and supporting collaboration between businesses in both countries. It is critical to the continued success of the Australian German relationship for there to be a strong and organised Chamber and I am delighted to be part of that ongoing mission.” How do you hope to bring your skills and previous experience to the board? “Having lived the dream of learning German at school and University and then being able to use the language in my career, I hope I can bring the “Aussie” side to the Chamber and help work to increase the bilateral discussions between business, cultural and educational groups. With my legal background and board experience, I bring governance and legal expertise to the board as well as problem solving skills and strategic thinking. With my knowledge of and work in the Australian cultural sector, I hope to bring those connections and expertise to the mix as well. Having lived in several parts of Germany for periods of school and University time, I bring an uncanny ability to speak in the relevant German dialect when needed!” Dr Martin Parkinson, O’Connell Street Associates How do you hope to influence the Chamber? “I hope that my knowledge of Australia’s policy processes and our operating context domestically and globally will be able to help Chamber members appreciate the opportunities available in Australia and Australian firms to appreciate the opportunities in Germany. Australia and Germany have often taken one another for granted but I think Chancellor Merkel’s visit for the G20, and everything that has flowed from that, has provided an opportunity to build a deeper relationship between the two countries. In particular, I can see many opportunities for the two countries to work together in global fora to advance common interests and for our firms to work together, including in third markets.” How can the Chamber shape key relationships? “The Chamber can help in a wide range of areas, but one that stands out is by helping key policy makers in both countries understand what determines a country’s attractiveness as a trading partner and investment destination. It seems obvious at one level, but hearing that message from both domestic and foreign investors can provide a powerful stimulus for economic reform.” Why did you nominate to join the board of the Chamber? The German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce was extremely supportive in the establishment of a Pilz Australia subsidiary over 15 years ago and has been providing assistance over the entire time since then. Subsequently, it is great to be able to contribute something back to the Chamber by being on the board. Scott Moffat Pilz Australia How is the mission of the Chamber meaningful to you? The German business world really has a lot to offer Australian companies especially in the areas of creating world-class manufacturing and engineering industries. I get to see a lot these companies operating up close in Germany and there are certainly myriad learnings, that we could be implementing here in Australia. Industry 4.0 is one such example in which the German government and business is heavily investing. Being in the Chamber, I have the opportunity to champion such German business initiatives with other like-minded members and this makes it very meaningful for me. How can the Chamber shape key relationships between Australia & Germany? The Chamber plays a fantastic role in developing and shaping key relationships between Australia and Germany and there have certainly been significant outcomes, especially in the political space. The Angela Merkel visit last year springs to mind as a highlight amongst many others. One area we are continuing to develop is that of building business-to-business relationships between Australian and German companies. A lot of the real value for Australia will be derived from strengthening ties between Australia and Germany companies at a deeper level. 4 www.germany.org.au
Q3 2015 EVENTS Christmas in July Melbourne If you thought Germans were mad about Christmas, with snow and seemingly endless christmas markets, advent calendars and Weihnachtsbäume blanketing the nation, the Australians take their somewhat more unusual version of Christmas to a new level. It’s not enough to celebrate a summer Christmas with barbecues and beach days… it’s also customary to simulate some sort of wintery feeling by creating a second Christmas halfway through the year. The result is Christmas in July and it’s a wondrous thing. Who doesn’t enjoy the merriment, laughter and scrumptious fare that the yule tide brings? The German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce decided to jump on this Christmas in July bandwagon, sharing a successful dinner with about 50 members and friends at the Munich Brauhaus in Melbourne. The evening was filled with delicious food, amusing entertainment and a few surprises. For a start, nothing screams “Christmas!” quite like the scent of Lebkuchen and Glühwein, (for Germans at least). All of our guests were greeted with a spicy, steaming cup of Glühwein and delicious Lebkuchen, instantly arousing the nostalgic atmosphere of the Weihnachtsmarkt. For those Australians present who might have been enjoying these Christmas treats for the first time, it was surely an experience they won’t soon forget. During the course of the night, guests enjoyed a further variety of appetisers, delicious, tender pork roast or cheese gnocchi as a main dish and a delectable Christmas cake for dessert. As everyone tucked into their food and drinks, conversation flowed freely and everyone mingled happily. Further adding to the fun on the night, we held a prize raffle, with four lucky winners taking home exquisite spices sponsored by Gewürzhaus, Urban Purveyor restaurant vouchers, as well as a weekend stay at the Amora Jamison Hotel in Sydney. No one could leave empty-handed, with all guests Sydney receiving a beautiful box of delicious Lebkuchen from Nürnberg, provided by Lebkuchen Schmidt and brought to us by DB Schenker. Thank you to those sponsoring organisations for their efforts in supporting the night. The evening concluded with a special performance of songs delivered by the Oom Pah Pah band, who came to visit us upstairs. The performance topped off an already fantastic event, cementing the German Christmas spirit, with more than enough mirth to last until actual Christmas in December. We would like to thank all attendees for enjoying a cheerful and festive dinner with us, as well as the Munich Brauhaus, whose fantastic hospitality, service and overall venue made the Christmas in July event possible. Everyone had a fantastic time and we look forward to many more unofficial and official Christmases with you all. Sydney Not to be out-done by Melbourne, the Sydney office of the German-Australian Chamber hosted its own much-anticipated Christmas in July event at the Urban Xchange Private Dining Room at The Rocks. The last similar celebration was held in 2013, the Chamber decided to bring back a Germaninspired Christmas dinner, also complete with Glühwein, traditional Lebkuchen from Nürnberg and Christmas carols for over 65 guests. The night kicked off with a welcome speech by Kristian Wolf, the Executive Director of the Chamber, who promised an evening reminiscent of a traditional German Christmas. In addition, he also took the time to thank Premium Event Partners, Etihad Airways & air berlin, including Partners, DB Schenker, Intercontinental Rialto in Melbourne, Lebkuchen Schmidt and Gewürzhaus, who all kindly supported the event. Melbourne This year’s Christmas in July event provided not only an important networking platform for members of the Chamber but was an opportunity for people to reconnect with old friends. During the dinner, all of the guests were treated to a world-class performance by the Chamber Singers of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs whose repertoire included O Tannenbaum, as well as German renditions of Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht and Leise rieselt der Schnee. Regarded as the nation’s crème de la crème, the choir successfully recreated a Christmas atmosphere with its authentic carols. After dessert, the much-awaited raffle draw took place. Dr Ralf Schüll, CFO of Audi Australia, was the big winner on the night taking home return-flights to Berlin, courtesy of Etihad Airways & air berlin. Roy Munoz from Audi Centre Sydney won a free night’s stay at the Intercontinental Rialto in Melbourne as well as a ticket to the 2015 Australia Germany Business Conference and Gala Dinner. Sebastian Harders from Henning Harders took home the third prize which was also a stay at the Intercontinental Rialto in Melbourne while Kristy Winchester from DB Schenker received the mystery prize… an assorted spice box from Gewürzhaus! The night concluded on an exciting note with all of our guests being treated to their own box of traditional Lebkuchen, direct from Nürnberg. Guests continued to network and mingle over drinks late into the evening. This year, tickets for Christmas in July sold out well in advance, a testament to the continual success of the networking dinner event. The German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce is delighted to have had the opportunity to present a night of Christmas festivity and would like to once again thank the Urban Xchange Private Dining Room and all of the sponsors, especially Etihad Airways and air berlin, for their support of the evening. See you next year! written by Carina Kofler, Lars Mehlan and Martin Feld Melbourne www.germany.org.au 5
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