Business Strategies for the Indo-Pacific Era

Please join the Hon. Jason Clare MP, Federal Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment, Mr Andrew Parker, Executive General Manager International Services, Australia Post, and other senior business and industry leaders for a breakfast event focused on the opportunities for Western Australia to trade and invest in the burgeoning markets of the Indo-Pacific. This event, co-convened by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia (CCIWA), the Perth USAsia Centre and the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA), will help large and small businesses develop a comprehensive strategy to be part of the unprecedented economic rise of ASEAN, India and the wider Indo-Pacific region.

Given Western Australia’s geographical proximity to Asia and its competitive advantage in quality production, technology and services, the State must capture the opportunities of record middle-class growth to its north. Indonesia is predicted to be the fourth largest economy in the world over the coming decades and India the second.  New opportunities exist in WA’s powerhouse industries of mining and energy, but also in the growth industries of healthcare, education, professional services, technology and agribusiness. Given that regulatory and cross-cultural challenges do face businesses engaging emerging Indo-Pacific markets, a comprehensive strategy is required. Joining Jason Clare and Andrew Parker will be CCIWA’s Chief Economist Mr Rick Newnham, Managing Director of B2 Rainmakers Bonnie Lin, Dr Jemma Green, Co-Founder & Chair of Power Ledger, Perth USAsia Centre CEO Professor Gordon Flake, and further speakers to be announced.

To buy a ticket click here

About the speakers:

Hon Jason Clare MP, Shadow Minister for Trade & Investment

Jason was born and raised in Western Sydney where he attended Cabramatta Public School and Canley Vale High School before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales. Before entering Parliament he worked as a senior adviser to NSW Premier Bob Carr and as an executive at Transurban, one of Australia's top 100 companies. In November 2007, Jason was elected as the Federal Member for Blaxland. In June 2009, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Employment. In September 2010, he was appointed Minister for Defence Materiel. In December 2011, he was appointed Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice. Following the 2013 election, Jason was appointed Shadow Minister for Communications. In July 2016, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment as well as Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia.

Andrew Parker, Executive General Manager International Services, Australia Post

Andrew is Executive General Manager International Services at Australia Post, seconded from Price Waterhouse Coopers. Andrew is a partner at PwC and led the Australian Firm’s Asia Practice. He joined Price Waterhouse in 1985, became a partner in 1999 and spent 12 years in PwC’s London, Moscow and Jakarta offices. He has had a long association with Asia having lived and worked in Indonesia and was the leader of PwC’s Asian telecoms industry team until 2012, a role he held for nearly 10 years. He is a Director of China Matters, and the Australia Indonesia Centre at Monash University, an Executive Committee Member of the Australia Japan Business Cooperation Committee and a member of the Advisory Board of the Asia Society. He is a regular commentator in the media and presenter at forums on Australian trade and investment in Asia; and was the lead author of PwC’s landmark report on Australia’s lack of business investment in Asia titled “Passing us by.”

Gordon Flake, Moderator, CEO, Perth USAsia Centre

L. Gordon Flake is the founding CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre. Having built an internationally recognised profile in Washington DC through his think-tank expertise and leadership, Professor Flake relocated to Perth to establish the Centre and to build a broader world-class Indo-Pacific strategic community. Prior to joining the Centre, he was the Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, a Senior Fellow and Associate Director of the Program on Conflict Resolution at The Atlantic Council of the United States and prior to that Director for Research and Academic Affairs at the Korea Economic Institute of America. Professor Flake is one of Australia’s leading authorities on North Korea having spent nearly three decades focused on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asian politics. He has previously served on the on the Advisory Council on the Korea Economic Institute of America.

Rick Newnham, Chief Economist, Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA

Rick Newnham is passionate about making Western Australia a world leading place to live and do business. He joined the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCI) as Chief Economist in January 2017. Prior to joining CCI Rick worked as an Economist for Shell around the world, including postings in Australia (Brisbane and Perth), the UK (Aberdeen) and the Middle East (Dubai). Rick is recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Global Shaper, he is an Ambassador for Australia Day and a State Advisory Council member of CEDA - The Committee for Economic Development Australia. Rick has a keen interest in innovation and policy that will advance Western Australia’s position in the global economy. Through the economic policy, start-up and trade communities Rick stays connected to the economies of the Middle East and Asia, where his experience and interests most overlap.

Bonnie Lin, Managing Director, B2 Rainmakers

Bonnie Lin brings 20 years of international business expertise, helping organisations accelerate growth and value creation through talent, capital and contacts. A Silicon Valley native, her portfolio of experience includes senior roles in B2B marketing, supply chain, lean manufacturing in China and the US and running a government-funded business accelerator. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Bonnie’s core strengths are business development, change leadership and strategic alliances. She has advised over 60 startup founders and small business owners, of which 12 included fundraising, grants and debt financing. A Vancouver Forty Under 40 winner, Bonnie was a regular media commentator, speaker and contributor to entrepreneurship and innovation publications and articles in the US. Bonnie served on the boards of the US District Export Council, the Pacific Northwest Defence Coalition and advises the Directors of Business Women Australia. She was a member of the Seattle chapter of Keiretsu Forum angel investors, advocates for Perth startups through PROJECT X, Innovation Bay and Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce and contributes to 100 Women and Meridian Global Foundation. Bonnie holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley and a MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Jemma Green, Co-Founder & Chair, Power Ledger

Jemma, as the Chair of Power Ledger, provides the strategic external relations, risk management and leadership development for the company. Jemma has more than 15 years’ experience in finance and risk advisory having worked for 11 years in investment banking in London. Whilst there, she completed a Masters degree and two postgraduate diplomas from Cambridge University. Jemma is a research fellow at Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute, whose doctoral research into “Citizen Utilities” has produced unique insights into the challenges and opportunities for the deployment of roof-top solar PV and battery storage within multi-unit developments and the application of the blockchain. Jemma is experienced in the challenges of sustainable cities, through her previous role as an independent Councillor of the City of Perth. She is also the Chair of Climate-KIC Australia, a founder of the Global Blockchain Business Council and a contributor to Forbes on blockchain disruption.