AACC NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER 2021

G'Day from AACC President,

Jackie Yuen

Dear AACC Members and Friends,

The beginning of September in the US signifies the unofficial end of summer and for those of us who live in San Francisco, we look forward to the warmest weather of the year. We also notice the daylight hours begin to shorten and a general awareness the world is continuing on its cycle to the next season. And yet, as the seasonal milestones recur – the start of a new school year, grapes harvested for the next wine vintage, NFL season kicks off, etc, – we recognize that we continue to live in a dynamic world and one that remains unpredictable – especially when it comes to fires and hurricanes and of course, the delta variant.

For the past 18 months, we here in California have lived with some of the most stringent conditions in an attempt to mitigate against the spread of Covid-19. While we have fared well relative to other states, likely due to our high vaccination rates, we cannot underestimate the need to continue with mitigation efforts, especially as the delta variant has demonstrated to those who are unvaccinated.

In mid-June, as many businesses re-opened, and schools started the new year with in-person teaching, we felt a sense of optimism that the worst was finally behind us. Life took on a semblance of normalcy – to gather with family and friends, expanded dining options and access to more services and entertainment. And then almost simultaneously, we saw the dramatic rise in Covid delta cases in Australia and the series of ‘lockdowns’ that have continued across the country and restricted state borders. Our family and friends now better understand how our lives were impacted in those early days of March of 2020 as they experience it now.

I recall in the early days of Covid, my expectations were that vaccines would be our way back to normal. Now it’s my belief that we will likely co-exist with Covid over the long term and that some changes may become permanent – e.g. hybrid office/remote schedules, masks for the highly vulnerable, and proof of vaccination for indoor venues and other large gatherings etc. I’d be interested to hear your views on this and its impact on your future.

Since indoor gatherings were no longer restricted in August, we were excited to host the AACC’s first in person social networking event in over a year and welcomed 40 guests to the W Hotel in downtown SF. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces as well as to welcome a few first time members and guests, It was quite the raucous gathering and many hugs, beers and cheers were shared. Our next one is scheduled for October 7, so we hope you can join us.

As I mentioned last time, the AACC will continue to advocate for Australians to gain access to the US Global Entry Program so please send us details of any experiences you’ve had when returning to SF where delays through US Immigration have had an adverse impacts on your family and businesses. The more information we can share with our Embassy means building a stronger case for consideration, so your input will be appreciated

As always, thank you to you, our members and friends, for your support of the AACC. Your continued membership and support is very much appreciated.

If you have any feedback or need assistance please contact me here or email Dawn.

With gratitude,

Jackie Yuen

AACC President

UPCOMING AACC EVENTS

We’re excited to co-present “Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra” at SF Dance Film Festival 2021! The documentary tells the story of how three young Aboriginal brothers turned a newly born dance company into a First Nations cultural powerhouse. “Firestarter” streams online from October 15-24, 2021. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit sfdancefilmfest.org/festival-films-2021

PURCHASE FIRESTARTER TICKETS

UPCOMING AACC MEMBER EVENTS

Arete Wealth Strategists Australia invites you to join us for their next webinar entitled "Retiring to Australia? Long Term Departure Planning Guide (Part 1)"

Date:

USA🇺🇸 Tuesday, Sep 21 at 5:30 PM PT / 8:30 PM ET

AUS🇦🇺 Wednesday, Sep 22 at 10:30 AM in Brisbane/Sydney/Melbourne

In this first part we will address the following topics:

Fundamentals of residency and covered expatriates
Locating your assets in your country of domicile
Creating a plan to transition assets - what asset to hold where?
When/how to transition your advisory team so you're getting the best advice

Be sure to register to be notified once the recording is available. You can find all our past webinars on their YouTube channel here.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

BENEFACTOR

MEMBER

New survey outlines network infrastructure challenges and priorities for video game companies

Telstra and Pulse Content Cloud recently surveyed 100 technology leaders at video game organizations to determine their top network infrastructure challenges, and to identify how telecom providers can help them adapt and grow for long-term success. Some of the findings fell completely in line with larger industry trends, while others showed some disconnects between end users and the companies providing the gaming experiences. These gaps present opportunities to educate all of us in the industry on what the market really needs. They also create business- and relationship-building opportunities for gaming organizations and telecom providers.

BENEFACTOR

MEMBER

Swyft announces strategic investment by FEMSA Ventures

Swyft Inc. announced a seven-digit strategic investment from FEMSA’s Fomento Económico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. corporate venture fund.

The partnership between Swyft, a Silicon Valley-based software and robotics company, and FEMSA, the largest convenience store operator and food and beverage distributor in Latin America, is expected to facilitate future deployment of Swyft’s software and robotics technology.

CORPORATE

MEMBER

On 1 September 2021, Shaun McAlpine will join Investment NSW, the New South Wales (NSW) Government’s trade and investment agency, as a Director for Trade and Investment.

At more than half-a-trillion dollars, NSW is Australia’s largest state economy, accounting for around a third of the nation’s economic output and home to nearly a third of Australians.

Investment NSW makes life easier for the private sector by consolidating the State’s trade and investment attraction activities into one place. We’re about marketing Sydney and NSW on the world stage – making it a place for tourism, events, business investment, international study and global talent to locate and expand. 

We’re also about making it easier to engage with government – including by acting as a concierge for business, universities and other institutions and partnering with other parts of the public service and our international network to bring the best of what the NSW Government has to offer to create valuable partnerships. 

Shaun is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and his trade and investment portfolio includes a range of sectors including tech, health, clean economy, advanced manufacturing, defence and agri-food.

He will provide investment advice to North American companies looking to expand into the APAC region, as well as trade and export advice to NSW companies looking to expand into the United States and Canada.

Prior to joining Investment NSW, Shaun was a San Francisco-based Investment Director for the Australian state of Victoria. He was responsible for driving investment outcomes for the state from North America across key investment sectors including tech, energy and decarbonisation.

Earlier Shaun was a Senior Executive for Scottish Development International (SDI), the economic development arm of the Scottish Government. Shaun spent 8 years working for SDI, across Boston, New York, and Silicon Valley, responsible for working to grow the footprints of both Fortune 500 and high-tech start-ups in Scotland. Shaun also spent time working with Scottish exporters across key sectors to access the North American market.

Born in Scotland, Shaun moved to the United States as a teenager with his family and returned to Scotland for university. He holds a Master of the Arts with Honours Distinction in International Business from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and spent an international year abroad at the University of Miami, FL.

Shaun can be reached at shaun.mcalpine@sydneyaustralia.com

COMMUNITY PARTNER

MEMBER

Aussie Recruit hosts monthly virtual events on U.S. Immigration / E-3 visas for Australians.

Their recent August event recording is now available, featuring how to get an E-3 visa now, and how to navigate the new Australian travel exemption rule for overseas residents. Keep an eye out for their September virtual event, soon to be posted to their upcoming events.

Everyday, Aussie Recruit is working to connect Australians with job opportunities in the US (E-3 friendly companies) or helping returning expats with job opportunities in Australia. If you're interested in working together on hiring talented Australians in the US, or Australia, please reach out to Amy Meyer (amy@aussierecruitsf.com).

AUSSIE INNOVATION UPDATE

CORPORATE

MEMBER

CSIRO and Goanna AG partner to maximize irrigation water use

Goanna Ag delivering CSIRO’s Waterwise IP smart analytics, is a great example of Australian agritech innovation making ground-breaking changes through scientific research collaboration with industry. GoannaAg announced a collaborative venture with Bayer that will provide cotton growers with extended access the GoField PLUS technology (which integrates CSIRO's Waterwise smart analytics) to help the farmers improve water use efficiency.