Vietnam business delegation to Australia

Vietnam Organic Farmers Impress Australian Buyers.

This week the Export Council of Australia and Mekong Organics hosted 20 Vietnam organic food producers in Sydney.

During a morning roundtable discussion, the Vietnam delegation championed a range of organic food products – from tea and rice to mushrooms and shrimp.

They showcased their products, highlighting the quality of their product offerings, including their benefits to health and environmental sustainability.

In a panel discussion, successful Australian entrepreneurs shared their insights into doing business in Australia.

They stressed the importance of telling a compelling story about their business and product, and the need to build strong relationships with distributors or local representatives in Australia.

This event is a practical demonstration of the deepening trade and investment relationship between Vietnam and Australia.

It is an ideal follow-up to the recent signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement by the Prime Ministers of the two countries.

If you’re looking to do business with or in Vietnam, call us and we can facilitate the right connections.

NSW Investment’s ASEAN Export Capability Building Workshop

This week we were pleased to have ECA’s Chair Dianne Tipping moderate an engaging panel discussion as part of NSW Investment’s ASEAN Export Capability Building Workshop.

Karla Lampe, Director of International Engagement & Market Development opened the event and Andrew Parker, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for ASEAN shared market insights such as the importance of understanding the differences between markets within ASEAN (including researching growth trajectories).

The panel discussion with NSW exporters shared valuable tips with the next wave of potential exporters to ASEAN. We heard about the decisions they faced when selecting the right market entry method, labelling and packaging considerations, and the importance of building and maintaining relationships in person and the doors this can open. They also noted the time it can take to build traction – patience is key.

Thank you to the expert panellists:

• Alf De La Harpe, General Manager and Director, Durst Industries (Australia) Pty Ltd
• Avit Bhindi, CEO & Founder, JIVA PRODUCTS
• Samea Maakrun, Founder & MD, Sasy n Savy Pty Ltd – Skincare manufacturer – sasynsavy.com
• Steve Hoy, CEO, Enosi
• Dean Curotta, General Manager, PharmaCare Laboratorie

We appreciated the participation of so many NSW businesses and look forward to supporting future exporters to enter ASEAN markets.

International Women’s Day 2024 Discussion

To celebrate International Women’s Day, the ECA held an online discussion this week with women entrepreneurs in international trade.

The discussion highlighted the importance of:

• Connections and networks – it can be a challenging and lonely journey as an entrepreneur, so find the right “cheer squad” and mentors – people you can bounce ideas off and people who support you in ways that others don’t. Ensure you are “nurturing connections” – network and meet new people, and also maintain relationships with your existing network. By connecting with people from other cultures and industries, you can be inspired to adopt new approaches in your way of working, including a more collaborative mindset.
• Having a compelling story – your storytelling should include issues that resonate with your stakeholders, including partners and buyers. This may be your commitment to environmental sustainability, or the provenance of your product, or the people you impact. Understand your “why” and articulate this clearly. Collaboration opportunities can take place when stakeholders notice your brand and share your values.
• Bringing others with you on the journey – as you succeed and move forward, bring along others in the community – including other women. Share your gains and benefits with those in your networks. Providing opportunities for flexible employment that enables a better work and home balance can go a long way.

These are foundations that will then address other challenges such as access to finance and finding buyers.

We wish to thank our wonderful panel who generously shared their experience, including common challenges and advice for women in business:

• (Moderator) Ms Angela Wright, Senior Manager (Trade and International Development), Export Council of Australia (Australia)
• Ms Dianne Tipping, Chair, Export Council of Australia; Founder and Managing Director, Excon International Pty Ltd (Australia)
• Ms Fiona McKenzie, CEO, My Fit Pro(Australia)
• Ms Jenny W., Director, CFOutsource (Australia)
• Ms Liandra Gaykamangu, Founder, Liandra Swim (Australia)
• Ms Octaviana Rombe, Founder, kopi ketjil (Indonesia)
• Ms Hobisoa Francia RASOANAIVO Rasoanaivo, Owner and Business Development, RARIALA (Madagascar)
• Ms Charindra Wijemanne, Co-Founder & CTO, Maturify (Sri Lanka)

We look forward to continuing our engagement with women entrepreneurs internationally.

Future of manufacturing in Australia Roundtable Discussion

Australia’s manufacturing sector employs one in every 16 Australian workers. Australia’s commitment to expanding our manufacturing capabilities can enhance our economic complexity and global innovation and competitiveness.

As a practical contribution to this objective, we (ECA and BDO) recently held a roundtable discussion in Sydney on the future of manufacturing in Australia.

A special thanks to Ryan Pollett, Daniel Coote and the specialist team at BDO Sydney who hosted the discussion which highlighted key points to consider for future success including:

• The importance of incorporating environmental considerations in processes and operations, in order to meet investor and consumer expectations, as well as meeting market access and regulatory requirements;
• The increasing competition between markets through industrial policies and/or subsidies offered by various world governments;
• Manufacturing locations are also being influenced by geopolitics in the region, including managing of supply chain risks in anticipation of potential crises.

Other issues flagged included mergers and acquisitions, and the costs associated with shipping and labour inputs.

ECA Chair Dianne Tipping moderated the discussion and wishes to thank participants for their excellent contribution, including:

• Brian Young – Manager – AES Environmental
• Paula Obeid-Green – Senior Director – Resmed
• Jeff Cottee – Sales and Marketing – Cottee Group Pty Ltd
• Mathew Mornington-West – Chief Operating Officer – Audinate
• Cass Spies – CEO – Twisted Healthy Treats
• Su Zhang – CEO – StarCombo
• Lynn Yeh – CEO – Homart Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd
• Benjamin Liu – Global Sales Manager – Homart Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd
• Michael Zaki – Global Development Manager – Commex Commodities
• Alf De La Harpe– CEO and Founder – Durst Industries (Australia) Pty Ltd

If you would like to know more on the topics discussed please do not hesitate to reach out on info@export.org.au.

ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne

As a bloc, ASEAN (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Viet Nam) is projected to be the 4th largest economy in the world by 2030. It would therefore make sense for Australia to explore the considerable commercial prospects among our near neighbours.

At the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, which celebrates 50 years of partnership between Australia and ASEAN, discussions highlighted the efforts on both sides to enhance the relationship. Notable initiatives raised included support for agricultural traceability, advancement of First Nations exports, and promotion of environment sustainability. The ECA was there at the Summit echoing the need for improved trade and investment in the region, and helping strengthen connections between business and government.