AmCham - Access Autumn 2016

Offshore Technology Conference 2016

Page 10 Page 8 Page 6

Digital News:Social Media for Business

Success:Renewable Energy

Issue 4Autumn 2016American Chamber of Commerce Offi cial Magazine

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Access Autumn 2016 1

Contents

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Foreword 2

Welcome 4

Big Picture: Why the World’s Most Successful Companies Have Turned to Renewable Energy 6

Digital News: Social Media for Business 8

Cover Story: Offshore Technology Conference 2016 10

Women in Leadership: Kate Burleigh of Intel Australia 12

Trade and Government – A Snapshot 14

Lifestyle: Hilton Sydney 16

Podcast: What is Driving Change in the Energy Sector? 18

Energy and Resources – A Snapshot 20

Committee Round Up 22

AmCham New Zealand 25

State Round Up 26

Cover Feature:Offshore Technology Conference 2016AmCham Australia are orchestrating their 18th successive trade mission to the Offshore Oil and Gas Conference in Houston in May 2016.

10

Issue 4Autumn 2016

American Chamber of Commerce Official Magazine

2 www.amcham.com.au

Foreword

Welcome to 2016’s first edition of Access

Maureen Dougherty, Chairman AmCham AustraliaPresident, Boeing Australia and South Pacific

For many American companies operating here in Australia, we picked up this year where we left off in 2015: focused on innovation. The Commonwealth’s release of the National Innovation & Science Agenda last year is a significant step forward for business in Aus-tralia. When I speak with business leaders here and back in the US, there is an undeniable feeling of excitement and promise about do-ing business in Australia.

Much of that enthusiasm is related to in-novation. Many of us who are involved with AmCham also work for an innovative company, and it’s important to remember that innovation doesn’t always generate a shiny new product. Sometimes, it’s a business model that is innovative. Or, perhaps, it’s an innovative process. May-be it’s a single person who thinks about the world a little bit differently than his or her peers. In fact, innovation comes in all shapes and sizes. That’s what makes it such a great area for Australian and US compa-nies to collaborate on over the long term. That was a message a number of us from AmCham heard as we participated in the Australia United States Business Week in February, led by the Hon Andrew Robb AO MP, Special Envoy for Trade and In-vestment, and Assistant Minister for In-novation Hon Wyatt Roy. With briefings from such notable companies as HP, GE, Airbnb, Andreessen Horowitz, and NAS-DAQ, it was a really thought-provoking week of engagement and dialogue be-tween government, business and univer-sities who are all operating at the tip of the innovation spear. It was a great star t for the year for AmCham and the Australian-US business community.

4 www.amcham.com.au

Welcome

From the USA in February to China in April – and then to Washington

Niels Marquardt, CEO AmCham Australia

Welcome to this first edition of Access for 2016. Henceforth, Access will appear quarterly. We at AmCham are proud of Access and hope you will enjoy it either online or in its printed version. It is meant to celebrate the US- Australia commercial relationship with in-depth articles and other coverage of specific examples of how that relationship is working on both sides of the Pacific. Let me know what you think, and feel free to make suggestions on con-tent you would like to see in it.

In each edition, we will tell you what Am-Cham is up to. Trade missions and other business travel are important elements of our fulfilment of the AmCham mission, bridging the vast ocean joining Australia and America, and also joining Australia with the rest of the Asia-Pacific Regions. AmCham was delighted to be part of the Australia-US Business Week led by for-mer Trade & Investment Minister An-drew Robb in February. AUSBW visited seven major American cities over a 10-day span. AmCham was well represented at AUSBW with four of our nine Direc-tors: President Maureen Dougherty of Boeing, Director Geoff Culbert of GE, Di-rector Bill Townsend of INPEX, and my-self. NSW/ACT General Manager Robert Hossary also participated in the AUSBW visits to San Francisco and Houston. This demonstrated AmCham’s commitment to supporting government initiatives that can add so much to private sector con-nections made by our members. It was especially impressive to be in San Fran-cisco with newly-appointed Ambassador Joe Hockey and five other actual or for-mer ministers: Andrew Robb, his succes-sor as Trade & Investment Minister Steve Ciobo (who delivered the keynote on his very first day in that role), Health Min-ister Sussan Ley, Assistant Innovation Minister Wyatt Roy MP, and NSW Trade Minister Stuart Ayres. The ballroom full of American and Australian business leaders was clearly impressed by such a demonstration of Australian engagement with its leading economic partner, the United States. This month, AmCham is off to anoth-er critical Australian trading partner, China. As members of the Asia-Pacif-ic Council of American Chambers of

Commerce (APCAC), we are delighted that this year’s annual APCAC Business Summit is taking place in Beijing, April 14-15. Concerns about Chinese growth, stock market and currency fluctuations, and the overall stability of economic conditions there make this a very inter-esting time to visit China’s political cap-ital. Our sister AmCham in Beijing has organized a terrific program intended to unlock critical secrets, impart valuable insights, and provide unparalleled ac-cess to decision-makers in China. As this goes to press, we hope to have with us a significant delegation of AmCham-Aus-tralia members keen to understand bet-ter both the threats and opportunities presented by this enormous but often challenging market. We are also preparing our next APCAC Washington Doorknock, June 21-24 in the American capital. Every year Am-Chams from around the region lobby Congress on the “3 T’s” -- trade, travel, and taxation issues that affect our mem-bers. This year will be especially interest-ing given the crazy US electoral process that will be nearing the convention stage for both parties. The surprisingly suc-cessful candidacy of Donald Trump on the Republican side of American politics perhaps adds a “4th T” of deep interest to many members (and, dare I say, con-cern to others). Whatever your politics, consider joining AmCham on this fasci-nating insiders’ trip into the heart of the US political system, with calls not just on Capitol Hill but also visits to key mem-bers of the Obama administration, think tankers, and business associations. This trip will give you an uncommon grasp of what is really happening there and what it could mean for Australia and the region.

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Big Picture

To reduce emissions eff ectively in the long-term, governments must work together with businesses to transform the fossil fuel dependent energy sector. Germany’s ‘Energiewende’ (energy transformation) and Obama’s Clean Power Plan show that the way we produce and consume energy can be changed. If the USA and Germany can change, so can Australia. The right set of policies can stimulate investments in clean energy and Australia has the opportunity to showcase innovative technologies such as gen-erating electricity from ocean waves and to install large-scale wind and solar farms to harvest energy from nature. Rooftop solar and battery storage will also transform energy production and the way we use the electricity grid in the next decades.

The Burning Question is:

How well will we do it?Companies are diversifying their own energy mix for several reasons. They want to hedge against volatile energy prices, protect themselves from shortages in energy supply, take advantage of falling renewable energy technology costs and source renewable ener-gy to achieve their sustainability targets.

HERE ARE FOUR OPTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO COMPANIES IN AUSTRALIA:

Why the World’s Most Successful Companies Have Turned to Renewable Energy

Freddy Sharpe, CEO Climate Friendly

The way the world creates and uses energy has been in the spot-light and the Climate Change negotiations in Paris last year have given global economies another boost to increase clean electricity production. Govern-ments all over the world are striving to fi nd solutions that curb their countries’ carbon emissions.

GREENPOWER

POWER

PURCHASE

AGREEMENTS

ROOFTOP

SOLARGOLDPOWER


Big Picture

While Government policies and incentives are important, corpo-rate Australia is also vital to driving this change. Companies can choose how they want to create, purchase and use energy. While investments in renewable energy have stalled recently, we can once again look to countries like Germany or the USA. American companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft and others are leaders in sourcing renewable energy for their operations around the world.

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)In Australia, compared to other countries, electricity is expen-sive and network costs are signifi cant. Many organisations are now putting solar PV on the roofs of their facilities. An excellent approach, but one that reduces their fossil fuel consumption by only a fraction.

The market has considerable potential to follow the American market with PPAs and Australian and international businesses can reap the benefi ts from entering into long-term power pur-chases that hedge them against rising electricity costs. But how can it be done?

Companies with signifi cant electricity consumption can now en-ter a direct purchase agreement with a wind farm or solar farm operator. While the energy is still distributed through the grid, the price for the electricity is locked in for 10 years or more and protects the buyer from rising electricity costs. The buyer also acquires the environmental attributes (Renewable Energy Cer-

tifi cates) from the renewable energy purchase and can therefore, report lower emissions under their local and global reporting re-quirements such as National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER), National Carbon Off set Standard and CDP reporting.

Renewable Energy Certifi cates (RECs)Companies that don’t want to enter long-term contracts or have a high capital expenditure on their own rooftop solar system can demonstrate their sustainability credentials by purchasing Re-newable Energy Certifi cates. RECs are available in many forms and many countries. In Australia, RECs are typically known as GreenPower and bought and sold based on spot prices which have surged to over $80 per MWh in recent months. Interna-tionally, there’s a variety of renewable energy products available that are based on international standards, including GoldPower, a REC product available at a fraction of the cost of GreenPower but with many of the same features and benefi ts.

Climate Friendly is a founding member of the Business Renew-ables Center established with the Rocky Mountain Institute and helps companies globally to access the renewable energy that’s right for them. The company is also well known for its high quality suite of climate change solutions internationally and in Australia.

To f ind out more about Climate Friendly visit: www.climatefriendly.com, or get in touch on +61 2 9356 3600.

8 www.amcham.com.au

Digital News

Social Media for Business: 4 Power Platforms

Georgina Evans, National Marketing Manager, AmCham Australia

The way we communicate has changed and is constantly changing. Instead of the traditional marketing channels that ‘pushed’ our mes-sages to our audiences, we can invite them to participate and engage with our brand, products and services in an open online dialogue.

Platform 3 - Facebook According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Facebook has now reached 15 million users in Australia, meaning 62.5% of the population has a Facebook account. Facebook content is often a mixture of original and shared content. Creating engaging and ‘shareable’ content is how Facebook can generate the most traction with your audiences. One thing to note, however, is while Facebook is possibly the most powerful social media tool (there are 1.01bn daily active users on the platform worldwide), you now need to boost your posts to reach your audience, even if they already ‘like’ your page. The benefi t of this is Facebook also boasts comprehensive targeting tools, whereby you can segment and market to audiences that have already shown interest in the service or product you provide. Facebook allows you to run in depth analytics measuring reach, engage-ment (likes, comments and shares) and link clicks, to tell you which content your audience is responding well to.

Platform 4 - YouTubeThe paradox of digital media is that users are trying to feel more human through us-ing it. Post millennials who are our future leaders, especially look to connect and in-teract through video. YouTube and increas-ingly SnapChat (instant video messaging app) are the platforms providing this hu-man to human link. YouTube is the second biggest website in the world and a catalyst for sharing rich media and developing con-nections that last. YouTube has one of the highest conversion rates of any other social site, and is a persuasive tool in generating business and driving sales. Quick tip for YouTube – talk about a problem, off er a solution, end with a call to action.

TIPSTouch Them 7 Times – Based on an old marketing adage which states that some-one needs to see or hear from you seven times before they trust you and take ac-tion. Touch them 7 times across one or all of your social media touchpoints.

Information Marketing – The more information you can provide for free on a regular basis builds a solid relationship with your followers. It generates trust along with conversions. They appreciate what you have off ered them and want to give back, as well as learn more from you.

Relevance – Don’t republish the same content on every platform. Establish a specifi c tone of voice for each platform relevant to the target audience within your overarching brand identity. Quality posts are preferable over quantity.

Curate Your Content – Even if you are just sharing a link, add in your thoughts or opinion – say why you think the article or post is interesting. People are far more likely to click on the link if there is a per-sonal recommendation from you.

Develop a Strategy – Create a monthly content strategy. Ensure your messaging is relevant and consistent by planning your content in advance with a clear schedule you can stick to. Be responsive to customer feed-back, be it positive or negative. Transparen-cy and conversation are the most important points to gaining your audience’s trust.

Platform 2 – TwitterTwitter is one of the greatest networking tools ever created. Twitter gives every voice the ability to echo around the world instantly. It is a living hub of real time in-teractivity. Twitter’s magic lies in the way it is used. The most eff ective way to maxi-mise its potential is to authentically com-municate with content that is relevant and helpful to your followers. Great con-tent is retweeted by followers and pushed out to their own networks. It is the most ‘real time’ conversation tool out of all social media platforms. People want to know how much you care not how much you know, so tagging and retweeting your followers goes a long way to fuelling your conversations. The most successful inter-action occurs when followers like, know and trust you and hence engage in con-versations with your brand.

Platform 1 – LinkedInLinkedIn is a powerful B2B marketing tool. It is a transmedia storytelling plat-form. Think of LinkedIn as your own television station where you run all the controls. You can post video, imagery, self - published articles, share important links and engage through Groups or Slide Share. Groups are a way to reach networks of infl uence and to be seen as an infl uenc-er. Slide Share is a visual format that inte-grates infographics, documents or fi lmed content into an informative presentation. You can establish yourself as a thought leader on subjects that are relevant to your clients through the multifaceted LinkedIn platform. Recently, LinkedIn has intro-duced sponsored updates so your compa-ny can target and reach more people and attract new followers, similar to Facebook boosted posts.

Globally, Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies has more than 250 operating companies in 60 countries employing approximately 129,000 people. Johnson & Johnson has been operating in Australia since 1931.

Our primary focus is to make life-changing, long-term difference to human health by targeting the major health-related issues in Australia and New Zealand.

Johnson & Johnson Medical produces a range of innovative products and solutions used primarily by health care professionals in the fields of orthopaedics, neurological disease, vision care, diabetes care, infection prevention, diagnostics, cardiovascular disease, and aesthetics. We are the largest medical technology provider in Australia selling to more than 1,000 customers. Across Australia and New Zealand, we employ more than 950 people.

Working across both the public and private sectors, Johnson & Johnson is significantly invested in providing products and services to support the health of Australians. We have more than 30 major new products undergoing a regulatory submission in the next two years. These products will further improve patient outcomes and expand our market leadership while facilitating the development of new business models.

INNOVATION AT JOHNSON & JOHNSONJohnson & Johnson believes that innovation is critical to our mission of caring and saving lives. We are uniquely positioned to lead the advancement of health care delivery by developing customer-focused solutions and collaborating to bring innovation to life. We believe this will help us to develop new products and total solutions for patients and health care providers.

Globally, our commitment to innovation continues to deliver strong results for the business, with more than 85% of key platforms in #1 or #2 leadership positions across general and plastic surgery, orthopaedics, neurology, bariatric surgery, infection prevention, urology, gynaecology, sports medicine, cardiovascular disease.

Locally, Johnson & Johnson Medical embraces innovation through local partnerships and programs that help shape the medical technology industry. Our innovation activities harness the expertise of industry and community peers, with the strong belief that together, we are stronger.

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10 www.amcham.com.au

Cover Story

Offshore Technology Conference 2016 Penelope Williamson, General Manager WA, AmCham Australia

Founded in 1969, the annual Offshore Technology Conference is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opin-ions to advance scientific and technical knowledge, for offshore resources and environmental matters.

In 2015, more than 94,700 attendees from 130 countries gath-ered at the conference, demonstrating OTC’s position as the leading forum for exchanging ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for the safe, environmen-tally friendly and sustainable development of offshore oil and gas resources.

In recent years OTC has expanded technically and globally through the Arctic Technology Conference, OTC Brazil and OTC Asia.

Each year the AmCham delegation, made up of representatives from 30 Australian companies, travels to Houston via destina-tions that add value to delegates. This year the delegates will go via Dallas-Fort Worth to attend site visits with major U.S. companies such as Lockheed Martin.

In Houston delegates will benefit from Global Head Office per-sonal introductions and briefings to U.S.A. companies, includ-ing Chevron and ConocoPhillips as well as a variety of functions and meetings to facilitate networking with international con-tacts at a senior level.

In keeping with the Chamber’s objective to provide access for Australian companies by connecting them to the world stage, AmCham Australia is orchestrat-ing the 18th successive trade mission to the world’s largest Offshore Oil and Gas Conference (OTC), being held in Houston in May.


Cover Story

Speaking of the trade mission as a for-mer, and current delegate, John Slade, Business Development and Marketing Manager of Lockforce says: “The expe-rience of attending the AmCham trade delegation to OTC Houston in 2015 was insightful, educational and inspiring, and I am looking forward to more of the same this year.

“The schedule was busy but completely relevant, providing unparalleled access to industry briefings, networking and business development opportunities such as those delivered by sponsors Chevron and INPEX, and senior representatives of Schlumberger and Baker Hughes.

“We were also fortunate enough to receive a presentation on Global Energy Trends projected to 2030 from Exxon Mobil, and were welcomed to Dallas by representatives from Y-TEXAS, which is a membership association comprised of chief executives who are relocating or expanding their businesses into the state of Texas.”

When asked about Lockforce’s motivation for participating in the trade mission for a second year, Slade says: “In the current operating environment, cost minimisa-tion and the ability to remain relevant and necessary within the supply chain has be-come critical. There is an increased need to market strategically, particularly on a relationship basis. This means being face to face with key prospects to fully explain the safety and strategic security risk as-sessment services we deliver in Australia and South East Asia, and what makes us different to competitors.”

Penelope Williamson, General Manager of AmCham Western Australia and conve-nor of the trade mission, understands the importance of developing these networks, effectively ensuring that there are pre-de-parture opportunities for delegates to meet and communicate their key services and objectives to fellow attendees.

“While not every delegate will offer new business potential, they are in related fields and able to provide insight, awareness of

trends and key industry drivers,” says Wil-liamson, “and more importantly, they are all able to act as extensions of the whole Australian contingent while in Houston.”

In addition to the opportunities creat-ed by AmCham, both in Australia and overseas, delegates are exposed to OTC speakers including major, independent and national oil companies; federal and regional government officials; and aca-demics—presenting their views on a wide variety of topics, including future indus-try directions, operational integrity and risk management.

With 2016 being the tenth attendance of the OTC, the Australian Marine Complex (AMC) is the longest serving attendee of this particular AmCham initiative. Busi-ness Development Manager of the AMC, Gordon Milner says: “The OTC trade mission provides an invaluable oppor-tunity for us to raise awareness of the unique landside and waterside capabili-ties of AMC.

“With international credentials for the repair, maintenance and construc-tion of naval and commercial vessels, as well as infrastructure for the fab-rication and assembly of offshore oil and gas modules, the AMC facilities are easily positioned as a world-class centre for manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, maintenance and technolo-gy development, servicing the marine,

defence and resource industries, and the OTC provides the ideal platform to do that.”

Houston is home to more than 5,000 en-ergy related firms, and with a broad in-dustrial base in the energy, aeronautics, and technology industries, is considered to be the Energy Capital of the world.

“AMC have spent months researching and establishing a complimentary cal-endar of site visits with major US com-panies and meetings with prospects, and the AmCham trade mission has made it possible, adds Milner.”

In addition to the renowned conference, OTC offers over 650,000 square feet of exhibition space dedicated to offshore products and services available from companies around the globe.

Other OTC initiatives include the Rice Alliance Startup Roundup, an event whereby emerging companies have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with in-vestors. The event offers a great oppor-tunity for attendees to learn more about these startups and enable potential part-nerships and investments.

AmCham’s delegation has the endorse-ment of the Prime Minister of Australia and the Premier of Western Australia, as well as the support of the major Sponsors and industry supporters.


Kate Burleigh, Managing Director, Intel Australia

Kate Burleigh is Managing Director for Intel Australia / New Zealand. Kate is responsible for Intel’s over-all business within Australia and New Zealand and is committed to ensuring Intel’s customers benefi t from the diverse breadth of prod-ucts and services the company offers; from personal computing, the cloud and big data solutions, to the Internet of Things and data security offerings.

Women in Leadership


Women in Leadership

With a strong reputation in high-tech sales and brand marketing built over a 20-year career, Kate is passionate about the potential for technology to vastly im-prove how we live, work, and play within this increasingly connected world. She is a strong advocate for boosting education-al eff orts in the fi elds of science, technol-ogy, engineering, and maths (STEM) and advocates the need for smart government policy and industry leadership on how we harness technology to drive innovation.

Kate sits on the board of the Australian IT Industry Association (AIIA) and is depu-ty-chair of the National i-Awards steering committee. Additionally, Kate sits on the Camp Quality board.

Kate holds a Masters of Business and Marketing from University of Technolo-gy Sydney and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sydney University. She lives in Syd-ney with her husband and two daughters.

What do you believe is driving change in the IT sector?

“One of the biggest drivers currently is SMAC (Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud) all of which enable optimal data col-lection and analysis as well as operational effi ciency and signifi cant cost reductions.

“The expansion of connectivity and the pop-ularity of smartphones has increased in-vestment in the Internet of Things as well.”

What do you feel has been your greatest career accomplishment to date and how did it equip you for this position?

“I am fortunate enough to have had a long and diverse career with Intel and have been involved in a lot of interest-ing things during that time, but if I have to choose one then it would be back in 2003 when I took on the role of Asia Pa-cifi c Category Manager out of Hong Kong for the worldwide launch of Centrino® mobile technology.

“I learnt so much about the company, distribution channels and all the nuanc-

es of taking a product to market. Having to bridge my work and family life from Hong Kong made for a fantastic experi-ence both from a career and personal growth perspective.”

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader?

“For me those at-tributes are ongo-ing, it’s a matter of learning everyday. As a leader I consider my-self a work in progress. I participate in training and ac-tively seek council from other leaders.

“I also actively listen to input and feed-back from staff and customers about how to do things better.”

How do you encourage creative thinking and encourage other leaders within your organization?

“Intel is inherently a creative and innova-tive company – in every aspect, not just in how they take products to market. De-velopment and encouragement is organic and the people we hire are creative, cu-rious and naturally solutions orientated.

“So saying, we do partake in old fashioned off site strategic and creative sessions where participants are encouraged to think ‘outside the box’. I believe that solu-tions rarely come from one single person, and am a great advocate of putting people and teams together on a regular basis to review tasks and challenges and to come up with innovative solutions.”

What are the most important decisions you make as a leader of your organization? What strategic issues keep you up at night?

“The most important decisions I make are always about people, and ensuring we have the right resources in place to be able to deliver ongoing growth.

“Intel is fortunate enough to hold a high market penetration. This position is a privilege and one that I know takes a lot of

hard work to maintain. We constantly have to explore and mine addi-

tional seams to be able to off er new opportunities

and angles.

“As to what keeps me awake? Comparing ourselves to the mas-sive emerging mar-kets such as India,

China and Brazil, and developing strategies to

stay ahead of them.”

What do you see for the future of women in leadership positions in your industry?

“Only an upside. The truth of the mat-ter though, is that women are vastly underrepresented in the ICT sector, comprising just 24% of the total work-force. Within purely technical roles the percentages are estimated to favour men even more strongly.”

“We have a long way to go but the ICT in-dustry is maturing and there is increased recognition of the need for gender equali-ty across the sector.

“It is an exciting industry for those who like change, are innovative and inquisi-tive and if women do embark on a career in IT there is more chance that they could realise their full potential than in many other sectors.

“If more young women can be persuaded to enter the IT profession, I believe that both they and the industry will benefi t.”

“I ALSO

ACTIVELY LISTEN

TO INPUT AND

FEEDBACK FROM STAFF

AND CUSTOMERS

ABOUT HOW TO DO

THINGS BETTER.”


Committee Feature

Trade and Government – A SnapshotAs Chairman of the AmCham Trade and Government Committee – the longest serving Association Committee – Patrick Fazzone of Montgomery Fazzone PLLC is justifiably proud of the work under-taken by the group since the early 1990’s.

Responsible for developing and promot-ing AmCham policy on trade matters and liaising with Government on issues affecting members, the Trade and Gov-ernment Committee has been closely involved in a number of landmark ini-tiatives designed to promote trade and investment between Australia and the United States. Among the most notable is the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA), which came into effect on 1 January 2005, effectively en-suring greater access to the United States market for Australian exports.

This Agreement enhances prospects for Australian goods and services trade, opens significant sectors of the U.S. government procurement market, improves the regula-tory and overall investment environment between the two countries, and ultimately has led to far greater business mobility.

Another important international initia-tive of ongoing interest to the committee is the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies promoting free trade through-out the Asia-Pacific region.

Established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pa-cific economies, and the need for more practical trade facilitation in the region, APEC focuses on developing non-binding programs to simplify and promote trade among the member economies. The Committee has closely monitored the ac-tivities of APEC, provided valuable infor-mation to AmCham members on develop-ments and new initiatives and provided input to U.S. and Australian government departments on member priorities for APEC action. During the U.S. host year in 2011, Chairman Patrick Fazzone was invited to attend the APEC Trade Min-isters’ meeting as part of the Australian business delegation.

One of the principal strengths of the Committee is the expertise and hands on experience of its various members, who come from a cross-section of industries. “The Committee provides members with ongoing expertise and exclusive access to thought leadership, communities of in-terest, policy advice, business advocacy, information, and relationships with busi-ness and government,” Fazzone says.

“We take a very pro-active approach to communication ensuring that members have access to alerts and information rel-evant to their interests.

“Occasionally the Committee is asked to intervene or take a position on specific issues that can be contentious such as multinational tax laws, the viability of specific investments and more recently the protection of investors from expropri-ation. The rule of the Committee is that if there is a divergence in views among

Committee Feature

members on an issue, the Committee will not recommend AmCham taking a posi-tion,” adds Fazzone.

“In recent years, the Committee has been particularly focused and active regarding the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership (TPP) trade agreement recently signed by twelve Pa-cifi c Rim countries. The most ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement ever negotiated, the TPP seeks to promote commerce and investment in the region in landmark ways and among a very diverse group of economies. Its goals include: to promote economic growth; support the creation and retention of jobs; enhance innovation, productivity and competi-tiveness; raise living standards; reduce poverty in the countries involved; and promote transparency, good governance and enhanced labour and environmental protections. The agreement, which was seven years ‘in the making’ and has now been completed, is still to be ratifi ed by the countries involved.

“The signing of the TPP was very much welcomed by the U.S. and Australian business communities. While, as in any trade agreement, there are some areas where greater commitments were sought by business, such as in the area of data exclusivity, AmCham members have been uniformly aligned on the importance of this trade agreement.”

Through Vice Chairman Geoff Short, the Committee has actively involved in con-nection with the establishment of the Australian Trusted Trader Alliance, a program that seeks to provide trade facil-itation benefi ts to those businesses with strong security practices and a history of compliant behaviour.

“We like to believe that we are the ‘go-to’ Committee on trade and investment within AmCham. We continually seek to provide members with support to help them grow their businesses effi ciently and intelligently,” concludes Fazzone.

Patrick Fazzone specialises in sophis-ticated commercial transactions, cor-porate law, technology transfers and international trade law. His clients include U.S. and overseas private and quasi-governmental entities, including those in high technology industries.

Mr. Fazzone also provides advice and assistance on U.S. customs, export controls, and other international trade matters, and has served as Vice Chair-man for Trade and APEC for the Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce.

Trusted in Risk ManagementLockforce Consultancy International specialises in the provision of Management Systems, Auditing, Compliance, Safety and Security Response services to the Oil & Gas, Mining, and Maritime industries.

We help you manage increased operational complexity and provide a pre-emptive response in Risk & Crisis Management, Risk Consulting, HSEQ Compliance, Business Continuity and Resilience Planning through offices located in Australia, the Philippines and Malaysia.

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O I L - G A S - M I N I N G - M A R I T I M E

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Section Name HILTON SYDNEYTHE FACTS

AT A GLANCERecognised as a Sydney landmark, this contemporary hotel is centrally located close to all of the city’s attractions. Enjoy award-winning dining, stylish bars, refined guestrooms and an expansive conference centre.

• Conveniently located in the heart of Sydney• 579 beautifully-appointed guest rooms• 23 meeting rooms• High speed wireless internet

in all guest rooms• glass brasserie – run by celebrated

chef Luke Mangan• 3 vibrant bars to enjoy cocktails,

wines and live music• Complimentary access to LivingWell

Health Club


Section NameOUR ROOMSG U E S T R O O M S

Enjoy upscale amenities including a king bed, pillow menu and blackout blinds for restful sleep. Cservices and a wealth of extras are supplied, including LCD TV, alarm clock with CD and MP3 player, and high speed wireless internet.

G U E S T R O O M S P LU S

These rooms feature all the benefits of a standard guest room plus a spacious shower with unique Aquavision™ TV and stylish amenities.

D E LU X E R O O M S

Relax with sweeping city views from a choice of king or twin beds. The four-point bathroom boasts a separate bath and shower plus special touches including Peter Thomas Roth® bath amenities,

bathrobe and slippers.

E X E C U T I V E R O O M S

Upgrade from a Deluxe room to the Executive Floor and enjoy the benefits of the Executive Lounge including Peter Thomas Roth® bath amenities, continental breakfast, evening drinks and canapés.

E AT & DRINKG L A S S B R E A K FA S T

Sample the finest breakfast in the city, featuring

Australian delicacies, while enjoying captivating views of the Queen Victoria Building.

G L A S S B R A S S E R I E

Indulge in the definitive Sydney dining experience featuring the exceptional culinary expertise of highly-awarded chef and restaurateur Luke Mangan. Using fresh local produce throughout the menu, glass brasserie is ideal for lunches and relaxed dinners.

Z E TA B A R

A contemporary cocktail bar and exclusive escape in the city. Stylish and sophisticated, Zeta is internationally acclaimed as one of the most cutting-edge cocktail bars in the area.

OUR FACILITIESA LYS I U M DAY S PA

Enrich mind, body and soul with a soothing treatment at the A a range of services, from hand and foot massage to full spa packages based on traditional methods and authentic natural healing techniques.

L I V I N GW E L L H E A LT H C LU B

Enjoy complimentary use of personal health and fitness technology, with over 60 group fitness classes per week, large spa, saunas, steam rooms and a 25m indoor pool.

MEE TINGS

and executive roundtables, Hilton Sydney meets all your business needs. Features include 4,000m2 of multi-function space, 23 dedicated meeting rooms, Grand Ballroom seating for 1,200 people, exhibition space for 48 booths, 24-hour Business Centre and Executive Lounge. State-of-the-art technology and on-site audiovisual and technology services are provided by Staging Connections and high speed wireless internet is accessible throughout the hotel.

LOCATIONGetting out and about in Sydney is easy, with many travel options available. The train runs from Central Station, through Townhall Station, all the way to Circular Quay. The Monorail has two stations next to the hotel and along Pitt Street circling the city centre and Darling Harbour for easy access to shops, restaurants, bars and the Sydney Aquarium.

HILTON SYDNEY 488 George Street | Sydney | NSW 2000 Australia

T: +61 2 9266 2000 F: +61 2 9265 6065 E: [email protected]

sydney.hilton.com

R E L A X AT I O N R O O M S

An award-winning three-zone boutique room

hydro spa and three-jet shower, a LCD TV and a plush bed for absolute relaxation.

R E L A X AT I O N S U I T E S

Our thoughtfully-designed suites provide a king bed, three LCD TVs, two DVD players, separate bed, bath and lounge areas, and Executive Benefits. Unwind in the extra-large, double spa bath or work at the glass desk while taking in the city views.

M A R B L E B A R

Marble Bar remains one of Sydney’s best-loved bars, featuring live music Wednesday to Saturday. Built in 1893, the original Victorian-style décor and artwork make Marble Bar a must-see.

G L A S S W I N E B A R

Sip wine by the glass as you order fresh oysters or cheese from the tapas menu, while admiring the views of the illuminated Queen Victoria Building. Three 13m towers stacked with over 3,000 bottles of wine dominate the glass wine bar.

C A F F É C I N O

Enjoy a quick lunch, host an informal business C Cino

well as wine and beer.

I N - R O O M D I N I N G

Available 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Hyde Park

TO DARLINGHARBOUR

Pitt Street

Castlereagh Street

Elizabeth Street

Pitt Street MallMonorail

MartinPlace

TheatreRoyal

MLC Tower

York Street

George Street

Kin

g St

reet

Dru

itt S

tree

t

Town Hall And Railway Station

Mar

ket S

tree

t

TO THE ROCKS AND

HARBOUR BRIDGE

teertS kraP

College St.St. Marys Cathedral

Sydney Hospital

Parliament House

TO THE OPERA HOUSE

Macquarie Street

Phillip Street

Sydney Tower

and Westfield

Sydney

Australian Museum

State Theatre

Queen Victoria

Building

St J

ame

s R

oa

d

J U N I O R S U I T E S

The perfect retreat to relax, this spacious and modern suite is well-appointed with a five-point bathroom with double sink, contemporary glass work desk, LCD TV and DVD player and access to Executive Benefits.

K I N G S U I T E S

This stunning suite features comfort and privacy befitting an executive’s lifestyle. A separate lounge and dining area, extra-large bathroom with exceptional amenities and access to Executive Benefits turn this suite into an ideal sanctuary.


Podcast: Bringing Business to You

What is Driving Change in the Energy Sector?

Interview with Andy Vesey, Head of Australia Utility AGL Energy

What is driving change in the energy sector? “Technology.” Andrew Vesey says unequivocally that technolo-gy is the major external force facing ev-ery company today. And for the energy sector it’s not just renewable resources such as solar and wind, but how the val-ue chain is shifting to the consumer.

“Consumers have become market savvy and their expectation of the interface be-tween themselves and service providers has changed dramatically.

“Consumers want greater understand-ing and control with regard to manag-ing products that can be tailored to work within their time and budget framework, as well as meet their needs.

“In turn, service providers need to be-come intimate with the client interface, and to understand the capabilities that technology is providing today but also tomorrow. To serve a customer well we need to change their interaction with us from purely economic to experiential.

“At AGL, we want to continually provide value to our customers so they under-stand the impact they are having, what products are available to use, and which

best suit their lifestyle – it’s no longer just about providing

light and heat.

“Australia has an ex-tremely competitive energy market and we need to give con-sumers a full inter-

net-like experience.”

To make his point Vesey introduces ‘Oli-ver’, the AGL consumer of the future. Re-ferring to the marketing visual of a two-year old child playing with a tablet, Vesey postulates: “What will Oliver need and want in 35 years? What will his expec-tations be? What is his world going to be like? How are we going to be able to meet his demands?”

“We’re really challenging ourselves: how else do we want to approach the custom-er, how do we want to change that rela-tionship, how are we going to use the technology that is available, whether it’s storage or generation, or just an app on a smart phone to change the way ‘he’ man-ages and consumes electricity?”

“For AGL it’s about changing our busi-ness definition. When people ask if we are a retailer, a generator, or a gen-tailer, well no, we’re in the business of harnessing insights to enrich our cus-tomer’s experience.

“But just how does one prepare for such a rapidly evolving environment?”

Vesey believes it starts with how you think about the business overall. There has to be a move towards creating a par-ticipative culture and a means of building in the capacity to construct scenarios and anticipate the future.

“We need to become pre-active. We have the computational capabilities to get a lot of data and make sense out of a number of hard and soft trends as cheaply as possi-

“WE NEED TO

BECOME

PRE-ACTIVE”

The AmCham Podcast is an on-de-mand talk radio show, hosted by Dr Duff Watkins of ExecSearch In-ternational, that brings the most pioneering and influential minds of the business world to you.


Podcast: Bringing Business to You

ble. We need to predict how ‘Oliver’ will think about the future because we can see the influences that are most likely to shape it. That’s flash foresight.

“In this future-scaping environment com-panies need to ensure they have a system that allows them to be rapid learning or-ganisations that can pivot quickly based on lean processing, adaptive supply chain and busi-ness partnerships and responsive portfolio management.

“Make a bet on the future and then find out e v e r y t h i n g that will keep you from dis-mounting if you are headed in the wrong direc-tion,” he says. “Be ready for change.

Another mega trend,” adds Vesey “is the inevitable move to decarbonisa-tion. It’s inevitable that carbon will disappear from energy product cycle and it is our obligation to shareholders to de-risk that portfolio.

AGL is currently the largest stationery producer of greenhouse gas emissions or CO2, but it is also the largest developer, owner and operator of renewable energy

– solar, wind and rotating; and a range of new technologies – battery storage, electric vehicles, smart controls and is exploring the smart meter market.

“The refreshed greenhouse policy dictates that we will not extend the lives of our coal

producing plants beyond 2048, unless new technology

surfaces that enables operation without

the production of CO2. These sites will need to be re-purposed.

“ C o n s u m e r p r o d u c t i o n and storage of

premises-based energy is a real-

ity, and the inter-action of these sys-

tems with the network is what is driving growth.”

Vesey refers to a paper written in 1978, called the homeostatic control of electricity systems. And making an argument for re-al-time pricing, if you sent a real-time price, people would change their consumption.

“Basically the theory was that the incre-mental electron that is consumed by any end user at any point of time is different in terms of value to any other end user. So there is always an arbitrage opportunity.

“So, if that’s true, and you have batteries, you can produce your own stuff, and you can take it off the grid, and there are a lot of users there, people can be trading. You buy it and then you trade it. “Now think about the internet of things, where it is not the end user, it’s the end user device. 50 billion things connected - probably the most efficient network. So you will need less invested in generation, so read that as less environmental impact.

“Technology provides capabilities to the end user exponentially,” adds Vesey. On a graph you get this high sloping curve indicative of the great rates of change as opposed to social systems that develop linearly. The gap that is created between the two lines is called the technology disruption curve – meaning that not all things can be adopted because social sys-tems just can’t keep up.

“New business models will evolve,” says Vesey “And they will be largely based on how the market responds to new technol-ogies and the value chains they create. The future is now and it is going to be up to the customer to shape how the energy industry develops.”

Listen to all AmCham Podcasts by subscribing on iTunes or by visiting www.amcham.com.au

“TECHNOLOGY

PROVIDES CAPABILITIES

TO THE END USER

EXPONENTIALLY”


Committee Feature

Energy and Resources – A SnapshotIf the headlines and reports are to be believed, the Australian en-ergy and resource sector is in the doldrums, with the Australian Index of Bulk Commodities prices falling more than 20 percent in the past 12 months. The reasons are complex and differ to some extent according to the commodity in question, but when com-bined with a fl uctuating Dollar you end up with a negative eco-nomic sentiment.

Allan Drake-Brockman has been known as one of Australia's pre-eminent work-place relations and employment lawyers. Now a workplace relations and business consultant, and Chairman of AmCham’s Energy and Resources Committee, he re-mains optimistic.

Speaking about his role in the new-ly established national Committee, Drake-Brockman expands on his bullish outlook: “History tells us the commodi-ty cycle moves in peaks and troughs and often there is a major investment in pro-duction at times of high demand, that leads to price corrections like the ones we are seeing.

“Price volatility, based on supply and demand, is simply part and par-cel of the history of the resource sec-tor, but general-ly the long-term f u n d a m e n t a l s of the sector re-main strong.”

“Australia is one of the world’s key iron ore and LNG produc-ers and exporters, and coal continues to be Australia's largest energy export earner providing around 30 per cent of the world coal trade, and truth be told, there are a num-ber of domestic industries that stand to gain from a lower Australian dollar,” adds Drake-Brockman.

“Export led companies in particular should benefit from increased demand as overseas buyers see more value in their goods. Manufacturers are a good example of this, as are steel and resources companies.

With key commodity prices such as iron ore, coal and nickel languishing at multi-year lows, drilling, contract mining, labour and other major costs have come down across the industry, providing a signifi cant benefi t for local gold miners. Australia, and Western Australia in particular, are enjoying strong demand and unprecedent-ed prices in Australian Dollar terms.

“So yes, it’s mostly bearish at the moment,” says

Drake-Brockman, “and probably will be for

the better part of 2016, but if you’re willing to take a longer view there is still compel-ling value in the resources sector.

“And in the mean-time, the mining,

energy and resources sectors are driving techno-

logical innovation and change, leading the world in new technology, oper-ating trucks, trains and drilling equipment as well as being innovators and leaders in renewable energy – wind, solar, batteries, and tradeable energy commodities — such as biofuel, hydrogen or transmitted electricity.

For Australia, abundant, low-cost renewable energy, land availability, and proximity to emerging markets make it a perfect fi t.”

“Recent reports highlight the massive op-portunity ahead for Australian natural gas exports,” says Drake-Brockman. “It has in fact, been predicted that natural gas will be the world’s fastest growing traditional fuel with consumption increasing by 1.8 per cent a year to 2035.

“Natural gas is a safe, clean and reliable energy source for industry and millions of households, and is an irreplaceable feed-stock for a range of industrial applications in the plastics and chemicals industries. If the massive investments by BP, Chevron, independent Murphy Oil and local player Santos in exploration projects in the Great Australian Bight, Ceduna, and the Pilbara, WA, are anything to go by these projects will generate signifi cant economic benefi ts for Australia through investment, jobs, in-creased income and additional taxation revenues over the coming decades.

“Resources are indispensable to glob-al growth and global progress,” adds Drake-Brockman, “And of all the major resource exporting countries, Australia is best placed to capitalise on future demand. We are viewed as a reliable, high-quality supplier that is highly innovative, effi cient and proximate to key markets.”

The Energy & Resources Committee is a national committee that is based in Perth and commenced in 2015.

The Goals of the Energy & Resources Committee are to:

• Establish a national committee with a focus on research and debate regarding Energy & Resource issues;

• Educate and inform AmCham members on the Energy & Resources sector;

• Establish a steering committee with national representation; and

• Defi ne a communications strategy to ensure members are informed and engaged.

“FOR AUSTRALIA,

ABUNDANT, LOW-COST

RENEWABLE ENERGY,

LAND AVAILABILITY, AND

PROXIMITY TO EMERGING

MARKETS MAKE IT A

PERFECT FIT.”

Buildingrelationships,creating value

www.pwc.com.au

© 2016 PricewaterhouseCoopers. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the Australian member firm, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.


Committee Round Up

Women in Leadership (WIL) Committee NSW

Teresa Liu, Partner, Fragomen Worldwide, Chair Women in Leadership Committee

The NSW Women in Leadership (WIL) Committee in Q1 of 2016 has been occupied in developing a plan of engagement with members on broader issues of diversity and leadership. Our program will be kicked off on 7th April 2016, when EY's Lynn Kraus, Managing Partner, Sydney Office & Man-aging Partner for Oceania Markets will talk about her “Journey to the Top”.

Gender diversity and leadership contin-ues to be core to the committee and is part of the long history of AmCham and its support and promotion of women in leadership. In addition, there is also rec-ognition by AmCham and the NSW WIL Committee as to the broader aspects of di-versity and inclusion and the positive ben-efits that a diverse workforce and diverse leadership bring directly to business, the business community and economic out-comes. As a committee we were obviously very pleased that these issues have taken particular prominence with Lieutenant General (retired) David Morrision AO, and Chair of the Diversity Council Australia’s Board being awarded the prestigious title of 2016 Australian of the Year.

The Committee seeks to develop a dialogue and appreciation of the benefits of more inclusive and diverse workplaces and com-munities and hopes that the 2016 program

will further progress this broader agenda, first launched by WIL NSW in 2015.

Major events we are looking to engage with members on relate to gender, age (in-cluding millennials), the age gap, and flex-ibility in the workplace, particularly with regard to digital disruption.

We are also looking at ways in which we can foster a digital platform for leadership and inclusion using AmCham’s current social and digital platforms and the vast experi-ence and thought leadership of executives within AmCham’s corporate members. We are working through how this might best be promoted and hope to launch this at the start of Q2. In addition, we are keen to share and build alignment with the excellent work that the WIL committees in Victoria and Western Australia have made, and also work more closely with other committees at Am-Cham, such as the NEXT committee who we recognize as critical in the next generation and culture of leadership.

Lastly, the committee is looking at wel-coming new committee members, both male and female, who have an interest and passion in this space, and would like to contribute. If any member is interested they should contact AmCham or myself directly on [email protected]

NEXT: Network for Future Leaders VIC

Dr Marcele De Sanctis, Director, Centre for Leadership Advancement, Chair NEXT VIC

NEXT: Network for Future Leaders is focused on connecting and developing young professionals and business people who share an interest in the commercial relationship between Australia and the United States, by facilitating valuable and practical networking, education and personal development opportunities. In 2016, the NEXT Committee in Victo-ria is enthusiastically committed to de-livering a series of diverse, practical and innovative networking, skills and profes-sional development events/opportunities that energise young and emerging leaders across Melbourne. This includes 'learn-ing satellite' events held at the Melbourne Business School, in which participants will gain knowledge and skills across highly relevant areas including career management and planning, building per-sonal brand and crafting your 'leadership voice', resilience and entrepreneurship. Over the last 12 months at our network-ing events, we have been very fortunate to attract high calibre speakers includ-ing young entrepreneurs, CEOs and regional leaders from digital start ups, privately held large organisations and listed companies. Given the enormous increase in young entrepreneurs and business leaders using social media to promote their product, we will contin-ue to focus on attracting speakers who are building agile, thriving businesses through online marketing. The NEXT Committee, comprising emerging leaders from a broad range of professions including law, accounting and finance, psychology, management consulting and professional services, will continue to promote the values and mission of NEXT and AmCham and looks forward to seeing you at one of our future events!


Committee Round Up

Trade Advisory Board

Jeremy Hyman, Senior Communications Manager, Baker & McKenzie, Chair Trade Advisory Board

The Trade Advisory Board (TAB) was established to identify and evaluate key issues affecting AmCham members and deliver programs to address these issues. AmCham has long been an ad-vocate for the implementation of some form of supply chain security (or Autho-rised Economic Operator) program by the Australian Government.

The Australian Border Force launched its pilot Australian Trusted Trader (ATT) pro-

gram on 1 July 2015 and involves a small selection of invited exporters and their ser-vice providers. ATT is being implemented in a phased approach starting with limited participation to test and refine processes before it is opened more broadly.

A number of Chamber members have stepped up to be amongst the first partici-pants in the program. TAB will assist these efforts by hosting a boardroom style brief-ing for potential participants in the fully operational program due to commence in July this year. The briefings will be chaired by TAB member, Geoff Short from Tanda International who is representing AmCham on the Australian Trusted Trad-er Industry Advisory Group, providing a key link between the two organisations. Geoff has already attended an industry summit on behalf of AmCham and the TAB where a strategic vision for the future of Australian border management was discussed and how we all can work togeth-er effectively to facilitate trade, travel and migration while protecting Australia from threats to the border.

Human Capital Committee

Chris Gardner, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw, Chair Human Capital Committee

The Human Capital Committee’s ob-jectives are to discuss and develop Am-Cham’s position on Human Capital issues and create initiatives to this end. The future of the workplace is of enormous interest with research predicting that up to 40% of existing Australian jobs could disappear due to technological advance-ments by 2025-30. Not surprisingly, the digital world is transforming work itself, creating both threats and opportunities.

In 2015, AmCham’s Human Capital Com-mittee hosted a successful panel discussion on the future of work. This April, John Mul-len, CEO of Asciano and newly appointed Telstra Chair, together with Nick Dickin-son, Director of Human Resources at Met-ro Trains, will lead a round table discussion on “The Australian Workplace – Challenges and Opportunities”. A separate panel dis-cussion on progressive workplace practices and digital disruption in the workplace is foreshadowed for later this year.

The Committee is also initiating a mentoring scheme matching senior and junior leaders. This follows the consistent recognition of the importance of leadership in the business community together with the enormous currency which lies in the sharing of ideas.

Recently, the Committee explored the potential for its involvement in Victori-an Government initiatives being “Back to Work” (which focusses on facilitating the return to work for retrenched and mature people) and “Reconnect” (aimed at 18 to 20 year olds who might benefit from be-ing mentored for a return to work).

Whilst there is various research on the top current global trends in HR, culture and engagement, maximising workforce capability, coping with data, and the simplification of work tend to emerge as perennials. The Committee will continue to explore such themes and look for op-portunities to engage with the AmCham membership in respect of them.


Event

SWITCH FESTIVAL

What is SWITCH FESTIVAL? SWITCH is a two-day innovation tournament which brings world-class insight, ideation and competition to Sydney.

Designed to foster inter-industry linkages, collaboration and di-versity of thought, the tournament blends top executives, from leading organisations (multinationals and ASX 150), and high performing graduate students, from top tier universities.

Why is it relevant? In order to ensure content and workshops are always relevant and strategic, SWITCH FESTIVAL invites high-profi le industry leaders and recognised innovators to form a Curation Commit-tee that guides and advises them throughout the design process.

As a result of this consultation this year you shall hear from speakers such as:

Professor Roy GreenDean of UTS Business School

Minister Victor DominelloNSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation

Dr Amantha ImberFounder of Inventium and Co-Creator of the BRW Most Innovative Companies List

Mark ZawackiFounder of 650 Labs

Tara McKentryCreative Director of Google APAC

Michael EalesDesign Strategist at Business Models Inc

Paul AdamsCEO of EverEdgeIP

On topics as varied as: Australia’s New Innovation Agenda, Business Model Innovation, The Science of Creativity, Identi-fying and Monetising IP and Intangible Assets, Global Trends and Outlook, Digital Disruption, Big Data, Collaboration Tech-niques, Design Thinking, Customer Experience Design, Acceler-ated Decision Making, Strategic Storytelling, Context Mapping, Value Proposition Design and Data Analysis

Why should market leaders participate in SWITCH? To empower and activate change leaders SWITCH is a powerful learning and development tool as it is an invigorating mix of new ideas, thought provoking speakers, practical skill-based workshops and healthy competition. It aims to change the way participants view the world by show-casing international speakers and case studies and getting par-ticipants to work in extremely diverse teams.

To receive high level coaching and supportDuring the the tournament, teams will be guided, mentored and ad-vised by industry and subject matter experts. This invaluable sup-port ensures they can test their ideas and be challenged throughout.

To build strong inter-industry relationships The act of working together, rather than simply talking, forges strong relationships, thus off ering you connections that are far stickier than those that come out of regular events.

To identify young, entrepreneurial talent Amongst the participants will be top-tier MBA, Masters and PhD students. Two days of ideation, deliberation and debate will provide companies wishing to talent scout the perfect opportu-nity to see which bright minds show the most potential in a ‘test case’, group work scenario.

To help fi nd a cure for cancerSWITCH FESTIVAL is a not-for-profi t event with all net pro-ceeds going to Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.

“SWITCH 2015 enabled the Blackmores Team to learn in a collaborative environment, thus building relationships across diff erent industry sectors… We look forward to participating in SWITCH 2016 to take us to the next level !”- Nicole Steven, Head of Business Development, Blackmores

Would you like to send a team? If you are part of an industry leading organisation, please contact our Festival Director, Edwina Floch, to fi nd out more: [email protected] Or join SWITCH FESTIVAL on LinkedIn and Facebook.

AmCham is pleased to announce that we are forming a strategic partner-ship with SWITCH FESTIVAL, a boutique innovation event that will take place 20 - 21st July at UTS Business School in Ultimo.


New Zealand

In 2015 AmCham New Zealand celebrat-ed our 50th anniversary at a gala awards dinner with over 500 people including Prime Minster John Key and US Ambas-sador Mark Gilbert. We were delighted that AmCham Australia Chairman Mau-reen Dougherty and a number of other AmCham Australia members were able to join us on the night.

One of the other highlights of 2015 was an inaugural joint board meeting be-tween AmCham Australia and AmCham New Zealand, held in Sydney, to discuss common areas of interest and collabora-tion. Our thanks to Maureen Dougherty, Boeing and Geoff Culbert, GE, for hosting events on our behalf. We were delighted that US Ambassador to New Zealand Mark Gilbert was able to join us.

Following the success of this visit, we have invited the AmCham Australia board and members to come to New Zea-land in October for further discussions and briefings by government.

Last month Auckland hosted the signing of the TPP and AmCham held an event for Ambassador Michael Froman, USTR, to speak to members on TPP and trade. Barbara Weisel, USTR, TPP Lead Nego-

tiator and Matt Matthews, Deputy As-sistant Secretary and Senior Official for APEC, US State Department were also at the event which allowed our members to discuss TPP in more detail and gain fur-ther insights into the negotiations.

In New Zealand the next stage of TPP is the Select Committee process and we are working with our members to write a sub-mission to government by 11 March.

We are currently undertaking the 2016 an-nual Survey of US companies operating in NZ and are seeking their feedback on is-sues of doing business in NZ, their business growth expectations and their investment outlook. This survey assists us to provide feedback to both US and NZ governments.

In mid-May the second Auckland, Los Angeles, Guangzhou Tripartite Summit is taking place in Auckland. We are ex-pecting LA Mayor Eric Garcetti to bring a strong LA delegation with the key themes of the Summit being - Entertainment and Digital; High-Value Foods; Advanced Materials; Smart Data; and Design.

We will be back in Washington DC in June as part of the APCAC Washington Doorknock to lobby Congress on issues

from the region and TPP. This year’s Doorknock coincides with the SelectU-SA Summit and we are expecting a good sized New Zealand delegation to attend the Summit.

The 2016 annual AmCham-DHL Ex-press Success and Innovation Awards for companies doing business with the USA will be launched in late March with the awards dinner being held in August.

The key award categories are:• Importer of the Year

from the USA • Exporter of the Year from

NZ to the USA – under NZ$1m • Exporter of the Year from NZ

to the USA – NZ$1m to NZ$10m• Exporter of the Year from NZ to

the USA – over NZ$10m• The Eric & Kathy Hertz Award for

Citizen Diplomacy• Investor of the Year to or

from the USA

We encourage any US company doing business in NZ or investing in NZ to enter these awards.

For more information about Am-Cham New Zealand see our website: www.amcham.co.nz or contact Mike Hearn, Executive Director, email: [email protected]

AmCham New Zealand


State Round Up

NSW

APCAC Washington Doorknock 201621-24 JuneWashington D.C.

Each year, APCAC sends a delegation com-prising business leaders and AmCham staff members to Washington D.C. to meet with officials from the Federal Gov-ernment in order to discuss policy issues affecting American business in Asia. The annual APCAC Washington Doorknock gives American Chamber representatives from across the Asia-Pacific a chance to reinforce their connections in Washington and share regional knowledge.

NEXT: Network for Future Leaders28 AprilSydney

Unconventional LeadersOur panel will explore what an uncon-ventional leader is and how they them-selves are innovating the business world.

Eddie Grobler Division President, Australasia, MasterCard Asia Pacific

Paul Cholakos Executive General Manager Technical Services, Oil Search

Solange Cunin Founder Quberider & #13 Top ANZ Females in Tech


State Round Up

VICVictoria has a great events calendar for May; Andy Penn, CEO of Telstra will give a major presentation in Melbourne (19th May), this will be his first address to Am-Cham members since taking over from David Thodey. We have two impressive women presenting in May, Karen Stocks the Managing Director of Twitter Austra-lia (4th May) and Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, CEO & Managing Director of the Mirvac Group (11th May). The month is rounded out with a presentation by Rod Simms, Chairman of the ACCC (20th May).

June is also shaping up well with a board-room discussion on Retail trends lead by James Stewart from Azurium (1st June) and a presentation by Andrew Cole, Man-aging Director & CEO of OZ Minerals (9th June).

WAThe WA economy is facing its toughest period in more than a decade, with grow-ing fears and there are no new major proj-ects to prop up the State.

As WA has nothing set to replace big-tick-et building projects, a period of contrac-tion lies ahead. This is the first time in the history of WA that there is a slowdown in Oil & Gas as at the same time as Mining.

Trade MissionsEach year AmCham WA organises 2 fully escorted and all inclusive Trade Missions to overseas conferences and exhibitions.

Our first delegation was in 1999 and these Trade Missions are highly regarded as a successful way to do business both here and overseas.

In 2016 Our Trade Missions Visit Houston and Vegas:

In May, we organise our 18th visit to the annual Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston.

Founded in 1969, OTC is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and techni-cal knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters.

In September, our delegation returns to MINExpo in Vegas, which is held every 4 years.

MINExpo International is the world’s larg-est and most comprehensive industry trade show, showcasing the latest and greatest mining equipment, products and technolo-gy. Thousands of contacts from all over the world – in one place over 3 days.

The AmCham Trade Missions:• Increase exposure both in

Australia and overseas for companies participating

• Showcase the latest technologies• Provide Global Head Office

personal introductions• Facilitate site visits at major

U.S. companies• Build strong business

relationships between delegates

EyeLevelFew people in business question the importance of thought leadership and sharing knowledge to aid in reputation building and business development. What has become increasingly difficult is finding an effective way to differen-tiate and distribute engaging content. AmCham has partnered with EyeLev-el to provide our members with a truly unique opportunity that answers both these objectives.

EyeLevel is a format that showcases a keynote video presentation on a topic of strategic importance to a particular business or industry. Five panellists of our members’ choosing are videoed, responding independently to five ques-tions on that topic. Viewers can choose which question they are interested in and whose response they wish to view in an interactive online environment.

GE have recently created an EyeLevel pre-sentation in partnership with AmCham on the topic “Innovate or be Replaced”. Hear from thought leaders including:

Geoff Culbert President and CEO, GE Australia

Nick Wilson Managing Director, Hewlett-Packard, South Pacific

David Gallagher Chairman and Managing Director, Pfizer

Kate Burleigh Managing Director, Intel, Australia and New Zealand

Robbert Rietbroek Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo, Australia and New Zealand


Premium members

2016 New Members include:AIS International Group

BTS Australasia

Committee for Geelong

Crowther Blayne Media

Culture Map

Donna Benstead & Accos

Egencia

Hegele Logistics

Jet Couriers

Kronos Australia

M Squared & Associates

QIC Limited

Real Business Group

Research Laboratory Services

Stephenson Mansell Group

The Ascott Limited

The University of Sydney

United Way Australia

Xylem Water Solutions

SOLVING THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST HEALTH CHALLENGES TAKES ALL OF US.

AbbVie starts with research and innovation to develop and deliver new treatments to manage

Our global pharmaceutical company builds our pipeline to provide solutions in therapeutic areas served by our proven expertise.

To make new solutions available to patients,

governments, and advocacy groups.

When we work together, the result is a remarkable impact on patients’ lives and the healthcare systems which serve them.

Learn more at abbvie.com.au

AbbVie Pty Ltd. Mascot NSW 2020. March 2016. AU-CORC-2016-1

Documents

AmCham - Access Autumn 2016