1
98 QANTAS FEBRUARY 2014 FEBRUARY 2014 QANTAS 99 East Asian growth markets, David Landers, says the sector is integral to Mongolia’s economy and comprises 20 per cent of its gross domestic product. Its geographical position, between China and Russia, makes it an attractive trade partner for Australia. “Mongolia aspires to become a great mining nation,” Landers says. “Within the context of this third-neighbour policy, Australia has really positioned itself to the Mongolian government as a credible partner.” Aside from Rio Tinto’s Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mega mine in the southern Gobi desert (part-owned by the Mongolian government), a raft of Australian junior mining firms is active in the market, including Aspire Mining, Modun Resources, Terra Energy and Xanadu Mines, plus mining equipment and tech services companies. Other Australian companies in Mongolia include professional services providers, agribusiness and education. CHINA food & beverage manufacturing A recent Austrade and Australia Unlimited market report reveals Australia exports approximately 30 per cent of its goods to China. In 2011-12, two-way trade in goods and services exceeded $127b. Aside from the obvious players (mineral/resources companies, financial services), Australia is represented in sectors such as automotive, building materials, consumer products (personal care, fashion), education, environmental technologies, green building, infrastructure and construction. One of the biggest performers is the food and beverage sector, where processed food exports have almost doubled in value since 2007 – from $794m to $1.5b. Austrade’s Landers says: “There are primary agricultural opportunities into all of Asia, but red meat is performing well in China, Indonesia and the Philippines, wine is selling well, and we have an opportunity with the perceived quality and safety of our seafood.” And we can’t produce enough dairy products to satisfy Chinese demand. INDIA Green buildings India’s economic growth is driving demand in the real estate and construction sector, which was expected to generate 7.6 million jobs in 2013, increasing to 17 million by 2025, according to a report by global property consultant CBRE. Mumbai, the NCR (National Capital Region around New Delhi) and Bengaluru account for 46 per cent of total office-space demand. Robin Mellon, chief operating officer of the Green Building Council Australia, works closely with the Indian and World Green Building Councils. “Australia has 18 climate zones across the country,” he says. “We have to develop location-specific solutions from tropical, humid, cyclone-prone areas in Far North Queensland, down to Hobart where you get massive diurnal temperature changes.” Australian planners can apply such skills to address similar climate issues in India. As well as Australians working for Indian companies, firms such as SMEC, Worley Parsons, The Sanderson Group and Leighton Holdings are established in India, with a long-term approach to investing in green building. “It is about building long relationships and reputation. It fits with sustainability,” says Mellon. UAE Construction & development Australia’s commercial profile in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is significant, with more than 350 Australian companies based there. Craig Holding, Australian Business Council of Dubai chairman, says approximately 15,000 Australians work in the UAE, with the highest concentration in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. There are many SMEs across real estate, marketing and law, and job opportunities in media (Australian Steve Smith is chief operating officer of the Arabian Radio Network). However, Australia is best represented in construction, with Leighton Holdings, Brookfield Multiplex and LJ Hooker having a large presence. After instability following the GFC, an EC Harris International Focus report predicts the UAE construction market will return to near full capacity. Holding says Dubai’s successful bid for the 2020 World Expo could promote high growth projections, while Serafina Maiorano, CEO of Australian global network Advance, says the 2022 FIFA World Cup in nearby Qatar will also draw thousands. SPECIAL REPORT AUSTRALIANS ABROAD NEW YORK finance & media Wall Street continues to lure bankers hungry for the Big Apple. Australia’s Macquarie Bank has a growing presence in New York, but most workers in the US financial capital typically join the “bulge bracket” – the largest and most profitable multinational investment banks, such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citi and Morgan Stanley, the global financial services behemoth steered by Melbourne-born James Gorman. The introduction of the E3 working visa in 2005 has also made the US popular with young professionals – the media landscape in New York is now rife with Australians working in marketing, journalism and advertising. Last year, international digital creative agency Huge Inc hired 15 Australians in its NYC office. Meanwhile, unofficial Aussie ringleader David Droga last year sold a stake in his New York agency, Droga5, to Hollywood’s William Morris Endeavor Entertainment for an estimated $US115m ($128m). SILICON V ALLEY tech start-ups Australian tech-heads continue to plug into California’s Silicon Valley start-ups and launch their own From Mongolia to the Silicon Valley, green buildings to red meat, Australian expertise is aiding business right around the globe. ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM WORDS HANNAH TATTERSALL AUSTRALIANS ARE ROVERS, venturing far and wide, seeking a glimpse of the wider world and shaking off that unavoidable FOMO (fear of missing out) that living Down Under can instil. Government agencies estimate more than a million Australians – five per cent of the population – live abroad. The Australian diaspora also applies to many business sectors. More than ever, we are jet-setting jobseekers, hunting opportunities in media, mining, financial services and food manufacturing as far afield as Mongolia and Mozambique. companies there. Sydney’s Bardia Housman made BRW’s Young Rich list for 2013 with $30m in wealth after six years in San Francisco. Housman developed Australia’s first free email service (start.com) as well as BusinessCatalyst, a hosting platform for web designers bought by Adobe in 2009. Brisbane trio Richard Slatter, Stephen Phillips and Michael Doherty sold their music program We Are Hunted to Twitter last year. Australian Andy McKeon, global customer marketing lead at Facebook, says there’s an unofficial brains trust – the “Aussie mafia” – who assist each other with connections. AFRICA mining & resources Australian investment in Africa is thriving, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, particularly in the resources sector where there are now more than 200 Australian mining companies operating more than 700 projects. Ian Kortlang, a former Australian diplomat in Africa who now serves on the Australia Africa Business Council, says commodities such as gold in West Africa, coal and iron ore in Mozambique, and uranium in Namibia and Malawi are driving the push. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s diplomatic efforts to get African votes for a UN Security Council seat also played a role. “Pick a country, pick a metal,” says Kortlang. “Aussie miners are playing in all those places.” MONGOLIA mining Like Africa, Mongolia has a wealth of resources spanning coal, copper, gold, silver, iron ore, molybdenum (used in steel production) and tungsten. Austrade’s general manager of
