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Demonstrating its support for diversity and inclusion, CACC Corporate Sponsor MinterEllison held a boardroom briefing in Melbourne, entitled Leadership Diversity – from token to turning point. Distinguished guests included visiting CEO of Business Council of Canada, Goldy Hyder, both High Commissioners from Australia & Canada and various senior Australian & Canadian executives across all business sectors. CACC Director, Lesley Gillespie OAM, welcomed the President and CEO of Export Development Canada (EDC), Mairead Lavery as guest speaker to share her perspective on the topic as a business leader driving change. “As a young girl, I really remember thinking there wasn’t anything I couldn’t do if I worked for it. I really did see the world as a place of possibility,” she said. Despite being raised by a working-class family, and being female, Ms Lavery was determined to go to university, get a good job and make her mark on the world. Having grown up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, she knows all too well the consequences of not having an inclusive community. “Growing up in Belfast, I learnt the value of neighbours and community; it was a place where you could rely on your neighbours to help you do something and that really speaks to community and to diversity and inclusion. Those values have stayed with me and those lessons and values helped me make the decision to join EDC.” “EDC is a place where we really strive to have diversity and inclusion – diversity of thought, diversity of our employees, and we truly want our employees to reflect the diversity of our customers.” Ms Lavery said she was incredibly proud to be the first female CEO in the organisation’s 75-year history and was working hard to ensure better gender diversity across the organisation. “We have gender diversity at all levels across...

The newly appointed High Commissioner for Canada, His Excellency Mark Glauser was excited to be back in Australia, a place he remembers fondly from his younger years. Hosted by the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce, the High Commissioner met with CACC members, sponsors and partners in Melbourne, hosted at PwC offices. [caption id="attachment_4259" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 16 2019:CACC members reception at PWC on the 16th of December 2019 in Melbourne Australia. (Image/Martin Philbey)[/caption] He last visited Australia in 1987 as a backpacker, where he recalls attending a Billy Joel concert. Many things have changed in the 32 years since he last came down under. He said if you had asked him in 1987 who the big three powerhouses were, he would have said Ford, GM and Chrysler. But if you asked him today, he would say it is Facebook, Amazon and Google. “There are industries that are thriving today that didn’t exist in 1987,” Mr Glauser said. “In 2030 there are going to be companies that will be major influencers that don’t exist today, and maybe even industries that don’t exist today.” “This creates opportunities for businesses in Australia and Canada to capitalise on.” “You have to be agile enough to make the most of these opportunities. Smaller companies tend to be better at that than bigger companies.” Mr Glauser said he wanted to work with businesses to develop partnerships and maximise these business opportunities. “There is no better place to take advantage of these opportunities than through the Canada-Australia business partnership. I am delighted to be here to help make that happen and to walk that journey with you.” [caption id="attachment_4260" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] PICTURED (from left to right): Marc-Andre Hawkes, Consul & Senior Trade Commissioner - Canadian Consulate, Sydney, Melissa Wharton, CEO - CACC, H.E. Mark...

The benefits of collaboration between Australian and Canadian universities was the focus of a recent breakfast, organised by the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Queens College, at the University of Melbourne.   The breakfast featured President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Victoria, Jamie Cassels QC, discussing the importance of collaboration with Australians. Professor Cassels, and his delegation, recently finished a tour of Australia focused on developing partnerships with universities, governments, and industry. The breakfast was part of the CACC’s ongoing efforts (https://cacc.com.au/news/what-the-nhl-can-teach-australians-about-diversity/) to improve connections between Canada and Australia across all economic sectors, including higher education. Canadian universities are key partners for Australian Universities. For example, Monash University (my school) has a strong relationship with the University of British Columbia, and the University of New South Wales works closely with the University of Toronto.   “Australia and Canada have two of the best university systems in the world and have similar foundations,” said Stewart Gill OAM, Master of Queens College. Professor Gill has been a long-time champion of efforts to improve collaboration between the two countries, and was recently appointed as Ambassador to Australia for the Association of Commonwealth Universities.   “There is much to be gained in terms of fostering student mobility and research projects particularly in areas of common interest in peace and reconciliation, gender issues and climate change,” Prof Gill continued. “There is also much to be learned through sharing best practice, creating new joint programs and sharing curricula through Australian-Canadian partnerships and forums in which institutional knowledge and resources can be shared and multiplied.” Attendees at the breakfast, representing most of the major universities in Melbourne, heard about University of Victoria’s particular expertise in research on aboriginal and indigenous cultures (https://www.uvic.ca/research/learnabout/home/strengths/indigenous/index.php). Researchers are working with Indigenous communities and organisations in Canada...

The CACC was proud to welcome the Australian High Commissioner to Canada, Her Excellency Natasha Smith, to boardroom briefings in Sydney and Melbourne to discuss the bilateral relationship between Australia and Canada, especially trade and investment.  She highlighted the key features of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and its benefits for Australian and Canadian businesses. Her Excellency said the connection between the two countries was strong and deep.  The first ever Canadian Trade Commissioner arrived in Sydney in 1895, and 2020 would mark 80 years of having High Commissioners in both countries. PICTURED: H.E. Natasha Smith with Mike McGrath, Managing Partner CMO for PwC. The bilateral trade and investment relationship is also strong and enduring.  But despite this, the CPTPP was the first full free trade agreement struck between the two counties. “The CPTPP is the ‘gold standard’ of trade agreements,” she said. Quoting Jim Carr, the Canadian Minister of International Trade Diversification, Her Excellency described the trade agreement as a bridge that governments build and then it was up to individual businesses to use the bridge. She said the CPTPP opened up new opportunities for businesses across the 11 countries that were part of the agreement. “The agreement provides significant tariff reductions and eliminations that will benefit Australian businesses. Beef is a key example, within five years all tariffs on Australian beef into Canada will be eliminated and wine tariffs have already disappeared with ratification.” Her Excellency said one of the biggest advantages to the agreement was the freer flow of people between the countries to support business growth, through temporary entry commitments. PICTURED: Jack Cowin - CACC Patron, Angela Bogdan - Consul General of Canada to Australia, H.E. Natasha Smith, Minh Dao - Co-Chair CACC Events Committee and Doug Carmichael - CACC President. “I personally...

The refrain of ‘O Canada’ was sung out by Canadians and Australians alike as the Melbourne community of the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce (CACC) marked Canada Day. The CACC’s Melbourne Committee celebrated the occasion with a night of fun and frivolity, including a Canadian trivia quiz that got everybody into the spirit. There were plenty of new faces and a sense of shared enthusiasm among the crowd. Major raffle ticket prizes, including tickets to the Melbourne production of the hit Broadway musical Come From Away and a return airfare to Vancouver with Air Canada made the evening particularly special for attendees. Come From Away tells the remarkable true story of Gander, Newfoundland, a small town in Canada that opened its doors to thousands of aircraft passengers who were stranded as a result of the incidents of 9/11. Martin Croft, Associate Director of the Melbourne production, described it as a show like no other. “It is a story about something wonderful that happened out of such an awful tragedy,” he said. “It is about humanity and bonding people together and reaching out to others in a time of Crisis.” Lynn Hewitt was the lucky raffle winner of tickets to Come From Away. “I had wanted to see the show so badly and I am so happy that I will now be able to see it,” she said. Air Canada provided a return airfare from Melbourne to Vancouver as part of the raffle draw. Sarah Constable, from Air Canada, said there were some natural synergies between the airline and the CACC. “We both help to bring Canadians and Australians closer together,” she said. “We both connect Canadians living in Australia connect with their far away home and foster growth and expansion between the two countries.” “Air Canada is proud to be...

O Canada, we threw a great party in honour of thee! It was a capacity crowd at the CACC’s Sydney Canada Day celebration on July 1st where attendees enjoyed an evening of networking, vying for incredible prizes and sipping on some tasty Niagara-on-the-Lake wine. And while we didn’t have any Mounties in attendance, we did have a couple of Moose onesies! It doesn’t get much more Canadian than that, eh? The festivities were kicked off with opening remarks by CACC CEO, Melissa Wharton, and by esteemed guest, Angela Bogdan, Consul-General of Canada in Australia. Bogdan’s remarks highlighting Canada’s reputation for inclusion and diversity where echoed by Martin Croft, Associate Director, discussing the Canadian musical sensation, Come From Away—that is having its Australian premiere in Melbourne in July. Come From Away is not only representative of Canadian theatrical talent that has had great success on the world stage but its story is the true embodiment of what some would refer to as “a Canadian sensibility” and the country’s legacy of helping those in need during an international crisis. PICTURED: Angela Bogdan, Consul General of Canada, Australia Thanks to our generous donors and congrats to our lucky winners of tickets to three amazing Canadian performances: Come From Away, Cirque du Soleil’s Kurious, and Just for Laughs. Other guests were rewarded for demonstrating their Canadiana trivia prowess with a myriad of Canadian delights (including a coveted bag of All Dressed chips!). PICTURED: Martin Croft, Associate Director - Come From Away Special thanks to our Canada Day event sponsor, Air Canada, who provided the ultimate door prize—a return flight on Air Canada between Sydney and Canada—won by Leah Tulloch, from CACC corporate sponsor Altus Group. PICTURED: Sarah Constable, Air Canada, Leah Tulloch, Altus Group and Doug Carmichael, CACC President. It was a fun evening...

From Dumbledore to Yoda, mentors are a part of our culture. So much so that they are some of the best-known film and television characters. They are responsible for guiding the hero through their journey or putting them on a path of self-discovery. One might find themselves wondering, do I have a mentor in my life? Who would I consider a mentor? What is a mentor? Typically speaking a mentor relationship is voluntary on both sides but can occasionally result from a relationship between a manager and their team. The idea behind the concept of mentoring is somewhat charitable with the more successful, senior member of the duo passing on information they have learned to someone who will benefit from their experience. Likewise, a mentee has the opportunity to collaborate with the mentor and contribute a different perspective. Mentoring is more than just giving advice to someone. It is about motivating and empowering the mentee to be able to identify and achieve their own goals. As a mentee, you can hope to change and achieve your goals more quickly and effectively than working alone. Additionally, you will gain access to a broader network, which can benefit yourself and others. It is essentially a chain of passing on information and best practices. This allows the benefits to be more widely spread. It’s about sharing knowledge, skills and life experience. So become a Luke Skywalker today and sign up. To participate in CACC’s Mentoring Pilot Program, powered by Thread, please email your expression of interest to mentoring@cacc.com.au – please state in subject line if you are a Mentor or Mentee.