AACC NEWSLETTER

JULY 2022

G'Day from AACC President,

Jackie Yuen

Dear Members and Friends,

Now that we’re mid-way through 2022, I hope everyone is enjoying the summer and taking some vacation time.

While it’s typically a time to wind down a bit, the AACC is as busy as ever…..

We have been working through some strategic changes recently where we’ve formally expanded to the Pacific Northwest, establishing a new chapter in Seattle. Former SF AACC members were instrumental in this, especially Doron Karatz and Lisa Titheridge-McDonough and we’re excited to welcome the group to the AACC family. Along with our friends at the AACC-Texas we are looking forward to more collaboration and joint events to come.

Last month we welcomed Paul Roos, former AFL player and legendary coach, to our Aussie Club group. Paul shared his insights about leadership and culture and how communications can impact individual and team performance. It was a very engaging session and our group received some practical advice to consider for themselves and their teams.

I’m excited to be working with the Penfolds wine team to host a Master Class for the AACC on November 2. We’ll present some of the new releases from the Penfolds 2022 Collection plus some other gems. Check back for details and be sure to save the date!

We’ve also begun planning for our next annual Australia Gala, which will be our 41st celebration. When I reflect on that, it’s remarkable that I’ve been involved for the past 20 years and am proud to see the AACC evolve from a social club to a more prominent business organization. Along the way, an amazing number of members and friends have bonded over our shared love of Australia and even those who have moved away from the Bay Area, have left an indelible mark. Our success is absolutely the result of the unwavering support and dedication of Dawn Lillington, our Board, our Sponsors and all of our Members. I’m grateful to be a part of this wonderful community and look forward to its continued growth.

Thank you, as always, to you, our Members and friends for all of your support.

Cheers,

Jackie Yuen

The Australian Consulate General in San Francisco and the Austrade office continues to see increasing numbers of Australian’s coming through San Francisco. Applications for new passports and renewals reflects the increased travel between the US and Australia. And because of the high demand for passports onshore as well as staff shortages there, it’s taking up to eight weeks for passports to be turned around. As a result, the consular and passports team at the Consulate is issuing a record number of Emergency Passports to enable Australians to travel.

United Airlines invited me to a small gate celebration at SFO on June 2, to mark the recommencement of direct flights between Melbourne and San Francisco. Not long after, UA announced it would recommence direct flights between SFO and Brisbane from October. Qantas says it is also reintroducing its SFO/SYD flights from October. The Australian Financial Review ran an article extolling the virtues of entering the US, from Australia via SFO saying it’s a much easier and attractive entry point for travellers. Who are we to disagree?

Austrade also welcomed back real people to its SF Landing Pad in February. The Landing Pad is available to AU tech-enabled scale-ups to help them be successful in tackling the world’s most valuable consumer market. With the change of Australian government at the May election (and I hope everyone who voted in person at the Consulate bought a “Democracy Sausage”, with proceeds going to the Golden Gate AFL Club) we are already seeing a steady stream of Ministers coming to the US. The PM is expected in September, to attend the UN General Assembly, amongst other engagements, including taking up President Biden’s offer to catch up, after meeting at the Quad meeting on the PM’s first day in office.

I look forward to seeing all of you at an upcoming Sundowner Drinks or other AACC event.

Nick Nichles

UPCOMING AACC EVENTS

JOIN THE AUSSIE CLUB!

The Aussie Club is a special AACC membership and is open to senior business executives with an interest in Australian business and culture.

We would like to invite new members to join this dynamic program of round-table discussions, panel discussions and speaker series.

Our gatherings are on a small and intimate basis to promote engaging dialogue and create stronger connections. If you would to discover more, we'd like to hear from you.

EXPLORE MEMBERSHIP

WELCOME OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBER

Welcome Scott McIntyre

Scott McIntyre is a leader in the service and delivery organization for Telstra’s Enterprise segment supporting the company’s top tier enterprise and technology customers in the Americas region. Leveraging a diverse background in the technology sector, Scott has held multiple leadership positions in Telstra across the service and operational portfolio where he continues to show his passion for improving the customer experience of Telstra’s diverse mix of international customers.

Scott has over 25 years’ experience working with Telstra’s customers across Asia, Australia and the Americas with 10 of those years spent working for the Telstra Americas’ organization in San Francisco and now in Washington D.C. Scott is Australian, originally from regional NSW (Wagga Wagga), and still has strong ties to the region. Scott loves Australian sport, particularly cricket and rugby, and when he’s not working you can often find him cycling through Washington and Northern Virginia taking in the many monuments and historical sites in the area.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

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Energy partnership to strengthen research collaboration between Australia and US

A new agreement between Australia and the United States will see greater international research collaboration in areas related to renewable energy, electricity grids, hydrogen and plastic waste.

Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a leader in clean energy research, development, and deployment.

The agreement was signed at the Sydney Energy Forum today by CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall and NREL Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Technology and Chief Research Officer Dr Peter Green.

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Withers’ San Francisco office has a new home

On May 31, 2022, our San Francisco office relocated to a new office in the historic Jackson Square area of the Financial District, one of the few finely preserved creative commercial districts in San Francisco and just a few blocks from our previous location. Our new office is specifically designed as a flexible and collaborative work space with more room for our growing team. The office houses ample meeting spaces, including a client lounge and outdoor deck, and we hope that you will be able to visit us in our new location.

Please save our new address: Withers Bergman LLP, 909 Montgomery Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94133. All of our other contact details will remain the same, including our main office phone number:

Our office webpage reflects the new location details including map, transport and parking directions. You can also find our team directory there. For more information about our San Francisco office move and our growth in California, please click the button below.

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Global Positioning Services (GPS)

The international law firm Withers has launched Global Positioning Services (GPS), a campaign focused on helping successful people live and work around the world. Our

short video explores the challenges of relocation and how the right advice can take away that burden. Our legal services include dealing with visa or passport requirements for you, your family and key employees; handing sensitive matters around relocation of children on divorce; structuring your assets and looking after your tax and estate planning affairs; dealing with contracts with employers and employees; helping you to buy or rent a home and managing assets left behind.

For more information, contact partner Marsha Dungog in our Withers San Francisco office at +1 415 872 3206.

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Steve Mundt appointed to Head of E+T Sales

Congratulations are in order for Steve Mundt being appointed as Telstra’s VP of Enterprise and Technology Sales. After years of hard work and proven leadership, Steve welcomes this exciting new challenge and opportunity to further support global enterprises in the telecommunication and technology space. Help share this great news with your connections.

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How Telstra is exceeding customer expectations in the digital world

This latest blog is now live featuring Telstra’s unmatched Service Experience, authored by Eric Dalessio, VP of Customer Service. At Telstra, we’re here to match and exceed our customers speed to market and ambitions. Our service is a real differentiator for us, have a read and help share.

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Telstra family grows with Digicel acquisition

The long-awaited announcement is here! We officially welcome the Digicel Pacific teams to Telstra International. This acquisition boosts our presence in the region furthering our leadership in the South Pacific. Check out the Telstra exchange article and share.

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Tech & Comms Horizon Scanning Summer 2022

Bird & Bird released their Tech & Comms Horizon Scanning Summer 2022 publication. This update looks at the global trends influencing the HR and employment law agenda, including new working models, global mobility, ESG, data privacy and business protection, with a special feature on the metaverse and its potential implications for employers. The report includes a country-by-country guide to upcoming legal changes across EMEA and Asia-Pacific, with practical guidance and a 'traffic light' code to help organisations prioritise key issues. Read more below.

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Women in Tech powered

by Bird & Bird

Bird & Bird launched with a podcast series showcasing conversations with legal leaders who are pioneering in the tech sector. We hear about their personal journeys, their motivations to start a career in the tech industry, the skills a legal leader needs to make a real impact in tech, and some of the key barriers and challenges for lawyers from unrepresented groups. Listen to our podcast here, including an interview with Emma Johnston, VP and Head of Legal for Asia Pacific at DXC Technology, leading the DXC Legal Australia and New Zealand team.

LISTEN HERE