Minister for Transport and Infrastructure of NSW Government Andrew James Constance opened the Australia-ASEAN Business Insights Dinner hosted by the Australia-ASEAN Business Advisory Council and King & Wood Mallesons Law Firm. ASEAN BAC Philippines chair and Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion sat as one of the panelists for the ASEAN-Australia Business and Investment Insights. He is joined by Richard Henfrey (CEO of Blackmores), Martin Tricaud (CEO of HSBC), Brad Chan (CEO of Banna Property Group and Founder of Haymarket HQ) and Tan Sri Dr Munir Majid (president of ASEAN Business Club, chairman of CB ASEAN Research Institute, chairman of Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad and chairman of ASEAN BAC Malaysia).

Australia is the first dialogue partner of ASEAN when it comes to economic, trade, security and other development areas. Currently led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Australia continues to be an ally of the region, most especially in the area of micro and small entrepreneurs development.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s wife Lucy Turnbull hosted the Women in Business Breakfast forum. She was also joined by the wife of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Ho Ching. A panel discussion followed joined by Alan Joyce AC (CEO of Qantas), Susan Jenkin (CEO of Ironbank Citrus and Ironbank Lao), Shinta Widjaja Kamdani (owner and CEO of Sintesa) and Pathana Panyathip (owner and co-founder of Panyathip International School).

Just recently, I flew to Sydney, Australia to join several engagements. On our agenda in Sydney was to launch the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN) in partnership with Australia-ASEAN Business Council. This has been my continuing advocacy and the legacy project of the council during my 2017 ASEAN Business Advisory Council chairmanship.

Together with co-council members, we promoted AMEN in the following meetings: ASEAN-Australia Business Insights Dinner in King & Wood Mallesons, Australian Business Leaders’ Exchange with ASEAN Business Advisory Council in Intercontinental Hotel, and lastly in the ASEAN-Australia Entrepreneurs Business Forum held in Sydney Startup Hub.

The 2nd ASEAN-Australia Entrepreneurs Business Forum Panel on Mentorship for Entrepreneurs was joined by Joey Concepcion, Mark Gutowski (CEO of QUT Creative Enterprises Australia), Melissa Ran (program manager Global Founders of UNSW Founders Program), Lauren Montino (community and events manager of Haymarket HQ) and Peter McKenna (managing director of Venturenauts). The panel moderated by Eleanor Mak (president of
Australia-ASEAN Business Council) centered on the opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups in ASEAN and Australia.

I was also invited to attend the Women in Business breakfast hosted by Lucy Turnbull, wife of Prime Minister Turnbull. Aside from that, I also attended the CEO Forum of Prime Minister Turnbull, which was attended by select business leaders from ASEAN and Australia. Other CEOs from the Philippines who joined were Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Tessie Sy-Coson, Lance Gokongwei and Enrique Razon.

From all the engagements, I also met Dr. Robert Kahn, one of the fathers of the internet who invented TCP/IP protocols used in online communication. I invited him to come to the Philippines and, if possible, join the digital conference that we are organizing.

We look forward to a stronger partnership and linkage between ASEAN and Australian entrepreneurs. Together, we can create a more sustainable environment for our MSMEs.