Seminar on International Engagement in the Asian Century
On 20 August 2015, Associations Forum joined forces with Business Events Sydney to present a seminar at Dockside, Darling Harbour, Sydney on “International Engagment in the Asian Century”.
Keynote speaker, Lee White, Chief Executive Officer, Chartered Accountants ANZ, and facilitator John Peacock, General Manager, Associations Forum, were joined by panellists Christine Trimmer, Executive Director, World Obesity Federation; Dr Shirlena Soh, Director Operations, Human Genome Organisation; and Mary Ward-Callan, Managing Director Technical Activities, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Technology Management Council.
The Chinese proverb “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago” set the tone for discussions revolving around the imperative of building trust when it comes to taking advantage of the enormous opportunities opening up in Asia, which is home to more people than the rest of the world combined. Lee White’s home grown case study about the joining of Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia with the equivalent body in New Zealand led into an insightful panel discussion on the three key trends affecting all businesses globally: the rapid development of technology; globalisation; and changing demographics.
In facilitating the discussion, John Peacock observed that, although the legislation is different and the culture is different, the need in Asia is the same and associations should look closely at expanding their reach into Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and, increasingly, India.
Associations Forum has a rapidly increasing presence in Asia and is available for consultation with associations on how they may best approach Asian engagement. Contact Kathy Nguyen on (02) 99048200 or kathy@associations.net.au
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