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South Australian Business Mission interacts with members of the Chamber (27-10-2009)
(From L to R): Mr. C. Sarat Chandran, Director of the Chamber; Mr. Brian Hayes QC, National Chairman, Australia India Business Council; Ms. Penny Gale, General Manager, Business SA; Mr. A.K. Tareen, Senior Trade Commissioner, Government of South Australia, Chennai; and Ms. Sally McIntosh, Director, ARCS Care Alliance.
A Business Mission from South Australia consisting of 14-members, sponsored by Business South Australia (Business SA) and Australia India Business Council (AIBC) visited India from 24th October to 1st November 2009. The Mission visited Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi.
At Chennai, the Chamber organized two interactive sessions on 27th October. The first session was a Migration and Investment Conference where the members of the Mission from the migration, education and recruitment agencies had a lively networking session with a number of companies from similar business in Southern India.
The Conference was followed by a Seminar on “Doing Business with South Australia”. While addressing at the Seminar, Mr. Brian Hayes, Special Envoy to India for the Government of South Australia & National Chairman, Australia India Business Council, said that “The business environment in Australia is picking up after the economic slowdown. Business forecast has been revised and it is showing higher growth. South Australia has advanced further economically”. He also added that the spate of attacks on Indian students in some Australian cities since May 2009 did not have any impact on business in South Australia.
Mr. A.K. Tareen, Senior Trade Commissioner - India, Government of South Australia, said that South Australia’s exports to India increased from A$ 181 million to A$ 272 million during 2008-09. He outlined 10 reasons for Indian businessmen to invest in South Australia; innovation, business, investment, tourism, education, lifestyle, migration, cricket, sister-state agreement, and the South Australian Government’s Representative Office in India. He also noted that “Over 5000 Indian students have chosen South Australia for various graduate, post graduate and vocational training courses which is a growth of 80 per cent over last year”.
Ms. Penny Gale, GM – Policy, Programs and International Business, Business SA, introduced the members of the Mission and then observed that Business SA has a major focus on India and the present Mission should significantly expand the understanding of the business opportunities in the country.
Earlier, Mr. C. Sarat Chandran, Director of the Chamber, in his Welcome Address, said that South Australian economic success and its growing visibility in India and the world are essentially due to three factors: One, its Premier, Mike Rann, has a deep commitment to take the State to the world and has a strategic vision of his own. Secondly, Australian Industry in general and SA Industry in particular are niche players. And thirdly, South Australian business realizes that International Trade is very different today from what it was 10 or 15 years ago. He also identified three broad areas of opportunities – water, skilled migration and Indian food – where Tamil Nadu and South Australia can benefit from each other.
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Meeting with Mr. David Twine, Regional Director of Austrade (11-09-2009)
Mr. David Twine, Regional Director - Pacific, ASEAN and South Asia, Australian Trade Commission, addressing the members of the Chamber. Seated (R to L): Mr. N.V. Srinivasan, the International Legal Consultant; Mr. C. Sarat Chandran, Director; and Mr. P. Gopalakrishna, Secretary of the Chamber.
“Once the feasibility report comes out with its recommendations, the two governments would enter into negotiations for concluding a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Australia which would give a boost to bilateral trade and investment”, said, Mr. David Twine, Regional Director of Pacific, ASEAN and South Asia at Australian Trade Commission at the interactive meeting organized by the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce on the topic “India, Australia and ASEAN – The Emerging New Trading Bloc” on September 11, 2009 at Hotel Connemara, Chennai.
With the epicenter of global economy shifting towards Asia-Pacific, he called upon India to join in partnership with Australia to forge strong ties with the 10-member ASEAN bloc for a win-win situation. “Despite the global downturn, the economies of Australia and India have proved to be resilient with the flexibility to adapt themselves to the financial crisis,” he said.
David Twine welcomed India’s recent initiative of holding a WTO ministerial in New Delhi and was hopeful that the forthcoming G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh, US, would forge a consensus on the finalization of Doha Round of trade talks. India’s strength was in the rich diversity of resources, talent pool and culture and its Look East policy should enable it to forge strong ties with ASEAN bloc and Australia. He warned against protectionism and said that focus should be on promoting free trade and investment to create job opportunities. He called upon Indian companies to benefit from the technology expertise of Australia in green buildings, financial services, mining sector, food and beverages and in advanced manufacturing process.
Earlier, Mr. C. Sarat Chandran, Director of the Chamber, in his welcome address, said, “the union of India, Australia and AEAN markets makes strong economic sense. India’s strength is its huge market of one billion people out of which 500 million are below 25 years of age and the young carry a compelling vision of 21st century”.
Mr. N.V. Srinivsan, the international legal consultant, while proposing the vote of thanks, expressed the hope that the FTA under negotiations between India and Australia will be concluded soon and thus opening up new business opportunities between the two countries.
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Evolving Trends in Indo-Australian Business Relations (06-07-2009)
The Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce organized a meeting with Mr. Peter O’Byrne, Chief Executive Officer, Austrade, Sydney, 6th July 2009, at Chennai. He spoke on “Evolving Trends in Indo-Australian Business Relations”.
In his address, Mr. Peter O’Byrne said the changing consumer trends in India and its focus to expand infrastructure would open up new opportunities for Aussie companies to set up operations in the subcontinent. He said Australia was a trade exposed country with its economy resilient enough to make a strong come back.
Mr. Peter O’Byrne (middle), Chief Executive Officer, Austrade, Sydney, interacting with members of the Chamber. Others (R to L): Mr. Shane Freeman, (Managing Director, ANZ India, Bangalore), Chairman, Sub-committee of the Chamber for Australian Companies in India and Mr. C. Sarat Chandran, Director of the Chamber.
Mr. O’ Byrne, expressed that once the joint feasibility study comes out with its detailed report by the end of 2009, both India and Australia would enter into final phase of negotiations to enter into Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which would boost trade and commercialties between the two countries. He said that his country was keen to integrate its economy with Asian markets and in this process, it has shared interests with India. ‘As India looks towards East to sustain its growth, Australian economy is keen to integrate itself with Asian economies’, he added.
Despite recession, there was plenty of room to be optimistic as India was well-placed due to its strong internal growth to make Asia-Pacific region as the lead driver of global economy and Australian government was keen to promote bilateral ties and two-way investments between two countries, he said.
Earlier, Mr. C. Sarat Chandran, Director of the Chamber, in his Welcome Address, said that Austrade is a unique institution with a huge network across the world and its activities are essentially research based in all respects for promote of trade relations with all countries. He pointed out while Indian professionals and services have made an impact in Australia, Indian merchandise has not. ‘We still have not succeeded in creating a strong brand to make an impact in the Australian market’, he said. Also, he said one of India’s weakest links was not in the quality of products, but in packaging, labeling, compliance with quarantine norms and in time-bound deliveries. Australia’s leading edge technologies and global access along with India’s skilled manpower and cost effective manufacturing facilities can be a formidable combination to reach out to the whole of Asia Pacific and beyond. Such synergies should help the two-way trade go up from the present 13 billion dollars to about 20 billion dollars in the next 3 or 4 years, he added.
Mr. Shane Freeman, (Managing Director, ANZ India, Bangalore) Chairman, Sub-committee of the Chamber for Australian Companies in India, in his Concluding Remarks, said that his company was banking on its India operations which have highly qualified and young workforce to steer growth in future. He said that the Chamber has been playing an important role in promoting trade and investment relations between India and Australia.
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Workshop on "Cost Effective Packaging and Forwarding in the Present Economic Crisis" (24-04-2009)
The Chamber’s Workshop on “Cost Effective Packaging and Forwarding in the Present Economic Crisis” held on 24th April 2009 at Hotel Residency Towers, Chennai, received overwhelming response with a participation of over 60 delegates from the manufacturing and export industries from Southern India.
Making the lead presentation, Dr. H.B.N. Murthy, the International Packaging Consultant, said that three factors have revolutionized packaging since the 1950s; the advent of electronic media, the expansion of supermarkets, and the emergence of plastics.
Dr. Murthy observed that Indian products could see better profits if they employed more attractive and functional packaging. They could also cut their costs if they took more care in choosing the packaging materials being used for goods-in-transit. He also made an extensive presentation on “Potential Cost Containment Strategies on Packaging and Distribution Management” and “Reduction of Usage of Wood as well as Elimination of Wood for Packaging”.
Dr. H.B.N. Murthy (second from left), the International Packaging Consultant, interacting with the audience with samples of different packaging materials, along with Mr. Nikhil Joshi, SNIC India, Bangalore. Mr. C. Sarat Chandran, Director of the Chamber, is also seen.
Mr. Manoj Paul, Country Manager (India & South Asia), Heat and Control (South Asia) Pvt. Ltd, Chennai, made a case study on the company, a reputed Australian brand in food processing and packaging equipment systems. He said that while many countries process about 80 per cent of their own products before export, India processes only 2 per cent. Plus, if producers could utilize cold storage units, they would not have to trash 30 per cent of fruits and vegetables that currently go waste if they are not sold promptly.
In his presentation on “Containerisation and its impact on Exports”, Mr. Ennarasu Karunesan, Director & Chief Executive Officer, Chennai Container Terminal Pvt. Ltd, Chennai, pointed out that the last decade has seen Indian containerization shipping grow dramatically to be amongst the country’s last growing segments in terms of overseas shipping and inland logistics market and with export/import trade poised to touch over 700 billion dollars from the current figure of 270 billion dollars, over the next three years, the need for containerization has strengthened to leverage the booming trade.
Mr. G.B. Reddy, Joint Director, Indian Institute of Packaging, Chennai, made a presentation on “Testing and Evaluation of Packaging Materials”.
Mr. Benoy Tharakan, District manager, Expeditors International (India) Pvt. Ltd, Chennai, in his presentation on “Security in the Supply Chain” observed that theft and pilferage are major challenges in cargo movement and gave a number of effective solutions like “D” Containers, Opaque Shrink Wrapping, Metal Binding and Security Tapes.
In a joint presentation by Dr. H.B.N. Murthy; Mr. Nikhil Joshi, SNIC India, Bangalore; and Mr. Praveen Crasta, L Square Eco Products (Pvt.) Ltd, Bangalore, a number of cost effective measures and solutions were discussed like Total Distribution Cost Analysis, Air Cargo Consolidation, and Distribution Audit and also made a comparative cost analysis between sea cargo and air cargo. A total cost distribution analysis to account for the hidden inventory costs would help exporters decide whether it is better to send by sea, air or go for a mix of both, said Mr. Joshi. Mr. Crasta explained the advantages of the paper based Honey Coomb for packaging.
Mr. C. Sarat Chandran, Director of the Chamber, in his welcome address, stressed the need for cost effective and attractive packaging to attract consumers and promote exports in the highly competitive international market Mr. P. Gopalakrishna, Secretary of the Chamber proposed a hearty vote of thanks.
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Annual Day of the Chamber (23-03-2009)
H.E. Mr. John McCarthy (second from left), Australian High Commissioner, receiving a memento from Mr. K.M. Mammen, President of the Chamber. Mr. C. Sarat Chandran (extreme left), Director and Mr. P. Gopalakrishna, Secretary of the Chamber, are also seen.
Australian investments in India will significantly go up, particularly in mining, banking and financial sectors, if Indian economy is further liberalized, said H.E. Mr. John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner, while addressing a well attended gathering on the occasion of the 19th Annual Day of the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce, held on 23rd March 2009 at Chennai. He added that despite the economic downturn, Australia has a deep commitment for improving bilateral ties by strengthening its resources in India.
The High Commissioner also spoke on the growing knowledge relationships between the two nations. The number of Indian students in Australia is now 93,000. The Indian expatriate community in Australia is now over quarter millions. “India should take advantage of these human resources to realize the full potential of the bilateral ties”, stated the High Commissioner.
He commended the role of the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce in promoting the relations between the two countries and observed that the Chamber should also help in building up institution to institution linkages between the two countries.
Mr. K.M. Mammen, President of the Chamber, in his welcome address, stated that “India imports 6 billion dollars worth of gold from Australia and the country has enormous skills and crafts and cost arbitrage to convert a part of this to world class jewellery and add value to both the nations”. He also mentioned that Australia has a number of innovative technologies which India can use to its advantage.
Mr. C. Sarat Chandran, Director of the Chamber, giving a perspective on the current Indo-Australian business trends, remarked that Australia has a vibrant SME sector of 1.3 million small businesses which are now looking outward for opportunities. Over 1500 Australian companies are presently doing business with India. “This is India’s opportunity”, Mr. Sarat Chandran added.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Shane Freeman, (Managing Director, ANZ India), Chairman, Sub Committee of the Chamber for Australian Companies, said the focus should be on sustainable growth, which should have the broadest context at a time when economic downturn was making a deep impact.
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Australian Varsity's scholarship offer for Indian students (05-03-2009)
Mr. Dharmarajan, Associate Dean of South Asia Research Initiatives and Professor in the Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences at the University of Western Australia (UWA), Perth, addressing the audience.
At a meeting jointly hosted by the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce and the Western Australian Trade Office in India, Mr. Dharmarajan Associate Dean of South Asia Research Initiatives and Professor in the Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences at the University of Western Australia (UWA), Perth, highlighted the higher education opportunities available for Indian students looking to pursue a master’s of Ph.D. degree elsewhere.
Now, the UWA is offering to waive the tuition fees and living expenses ($25,000 per year) for 50 of the brightest and most promising applicants from India through the International Research Fees which covers the tuition fees only.
“This year is the best time to apply”, he said “It’s definitely cheaper for students from India to go to Australia than the U.S.”
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Business Mission to Australia (February 07-14, 2009)
Delegation Team in Australia
The 15-member Business Mission from the Chamber returned to Chennai after completing a week long Mission from February 07-14, 2009. The Delegation visited Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney and participated in a number of seminars, business matching and networking events and interacted with 80-90 Australian companies seeking business ties with India.
“In spite of a worldwide downturn, Australia continues to face skill shortage and escalating costs particularly in the manufacturing sector. This is forcing several Australian manufacturing units like TJM Group (automobile components), Geofabrics Australasia Pty Ltd (geo textiles), and Australian Agricultural Machinery (agri-business) to explore possibilities of setting up their operations in India. Major IT services companies like IPP Technologies, based in Sydney, are also planning software development centres in Chennai”, said, Mr. C. Sarat Chandran, Director of the Chamber, who led the delegation.
In Melbourne, the Delegation had a series of busy engagements – a presentation by Invest Victoria, a dinner-cum-networking session hosted by Australia India Business Council (Victoria), an interactive session at ANZ, a breakfast seminar organised by Deacons (the well known law firm) and a networking session at Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI). At Adelaide, the Chamber signed an MoU with Australia India Business Council (AIBC), the apex body of Indian business community in Australia, that will enlarge the scope of business engagements between the two countries. The MoU was signed in the presence of His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR, Governor of South Australia, who spoke on the occasion on the growing focus of South Australia in doing business with India. A very successful business matching programme was also organised jointly by AIBC-South Australia and Business SA with participation of over 25-30 Australian companies. At Sydney, the Delegation had again another crowded schedule. A presentation on Westpac Banking Corporation on its growing presence in India, a widely attended networking session organised by AIBC NSW Chapter, an interactive session jointly organised by Atkinson Vinden (well known law firm) and Hitchcock & Associates (international immigration consultants); and an interactive session hosted by the Australia Asia Young Leaders Program (AAYLP).
The Chamber expresses its thanks to Mr. Brian Hayes, National Chairman, AIBC; Mr. Harish Rao, President, Ms. Wendy Farrel, Executive Officer, AIBC-Victoria; Mr. Ken Meek, President, AIBC-South Australia; Ms. Penny Gale, General Manager – Policy and International Business, Business SA; Mr. Dipen Rughani, President, Mr. Sorab M. Daver, Vice-President, and Ms. Sam Dutt, AIBC-NSW.
Members of the Mission uniformly felt that the week long visit and the large number of interactive sessions and business matching efforts have helped them to establish contacts with increasing number of Australian companies with a focus on India and to understand the Australian business environment in general.
Members of the Mission
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