June 2024 ALABC Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

Letter from the CEO
Industry News - A combination of news articles specifically curated for news relevant to the Latin American region.
New Members - Get in contact with our new member companies to create new business opportunities.
Upcoming Events - See what's upcoming in your city
Past Events - View event photos, hear about the latest activities and initiatives
Featured Members - Find out which companies are being featured this month

Letter from the Chief Executive Officer

Dear members, associates and friends of ALABC,

We have hit mid-way in the year, and we have lots to look forward to in the second half of the year.

With our new board in place and a refreshed program for the year being rolled out it is important to reflect on how we are doing as member-based organisation. Key to this is how we can embed continuous improvement in everything we do. In the next week members will be receiving a survey asking you to reflect on what sector or industry best represents you, activities you have participated in and where you see the most value in your membership. The survey should only take around 5 minutes of your time, but it will provide invaluable information to the ALABC Board so that we can strive for maximum member satisfaction.

An important part of our remit is education, and in this edition, you can find a number of excellent reports including the ‘Economic Outlook’ for Mexico and Uruguay and Doing Mining in Ecuador’. Also available to members is a comprehensive and accessible document prepared by the Legal Alliance of Law Firms representing firms across South and Central America, called ‘Legal Guide to Business 2024’. This report is covers, amongst other things, how to set up a company, taxation, immigration and labour laws. Please contact us via secretariat@alabc.com.au to get your copy.

Just a reminder, our Melbourne Gala Dinner and Business Excellence Awards will be taking place on the 7 August. Applications for this prestigious award are open until the 17 July, so if you are a member or non-member planning to apply please lodge your submission soon.

Saludos,

Kim Prior

Chief Executive Officer
ceo@alabc.com.au

ALABC Business Excellence Awards 2024 - Apply now!

Recognising excellence in trade and investment links between Australia and Latin America, the Business Excellence Awards have been celebrating outstanding companies, institutions and individuals since 2002. These awards have gained significant prominence and continue to honour those actively engaged and succeeding in doing business in the region.

Applicants are assessed on their performance against 5 key criteria in relation to business with or in Latin America.

The Awards will be formally assessed by the ALABC Awards Committee and presented at the ALABC Melbourne Annual Dinner and 35 Year Celebration, on 7 August 2024.

We welcome members and non-members of ALABC to apply!

For further information about the award benefits, application process and timeline, please read the fact sheet below. Applications will remain open for three weeks, closing on 17 July 2024.

ALL (Legal Alliance of Law Firms) Legal Guide to Doing Business in Latin America 2024

ALL is an international alliance of recognised and prestigious law firms, born from the linking of 4 important South American firms in 2018; all of them multidisciplinary character dedicated to the provision and prevention and corrective services at the corporate level.

This report, they provide a practical guide to help analyse key aspects and take into consideration before taking investment or business development decisions in different countries. For each country there are 4 specific topics: how to do business, tax regime, labor regime and immigration regime.

If you are an ALABC member, contact us to access this valuable resource.

ALABC Member Ausenco works with the Government of Uruguay for its green hydrogen initiative

As Uruguay gears up for its next phase of energy transition, this initiative aims to lay the groundwork for the country's strategy to export green hydrogen derivatives, and to contribute to its sustainable energy future.

MIEM and UNDP selected Ausenco, through a competitive process to provide technical inputs and recommendations on logistics, infrastructure and land use planning for the production and export of green methanol, green fertilisers and e-fuel.

ALABC at the Australia-Latam Emerging Leaders Dialogue

ALABC CEO, Kim Prior and Director Monica Mendez attended the Australia-Latam Emerging Leaders Dialogue in Melbourne a few weeks ago!

Our CEO was honoured to be invited as a guest speaker for this event.

Twenty delegates representing 10 countries came together to learn from experts, for the first youth Dialogue between the regions since 2019.

Sessions covered a number of key topics including geopolitics, education, sport, energy and resources, First Nations, and trade and investment.

AVL - Doing Mining in Ecuador: a guide for investing in the mining sector

See below for the AVL Abogados Mining in Ecuador guide

China widens South America trade highway

The $3.5-billion deepwater port, set to start operations late this year, will provide China with a direct gateway to the resource-rich region. Over the last 10 years, Beijing has unseated the United States as the largest trade partner for South America, devouring its soybeans, corn and copper.

Beijing and Lima hope Chancay will become a regional hub, both for copper exports from the Andean nation as well as soy from western Brazil, which currently travels through the Panama Canal or skirts the Atlantic before steaming to China.

"The Chancay mega-port aims to turn Peru into a strategic commercial and port hub between South America and Asia," Peru Trade Minister, Juan Mathews Salazar

BBVA Research Mexico Economic Outlook

Read the full Mexico Economic Outlook below

BBVA Research Uruguay Economic Outlook

Read the full Uruguay Economic Outlook below

Goldfern Consulting

With over 30 years experience in the mining industry, GoldFern Consulting provides strategic services to major, mid-tier and junior mining companies. GoldFern is a leading consultancy specializing in project management, strategic planning, study management, corporate support, contract management, project start-up & expansion, cross-cultural team development and a range of mining operational and corporate support functions. GoldFern has experience and ongoing involvement in Latin America.

Education Roundtable

Date: 31 July

Time: 12:00 - 2:00PM AEST

Location: Brisbane

Australia's once booming $40+ billion education industry is currently under significant strain. As the Australian government struggles to balance internal economic demands and cost of living pressures, policy changes relating to international students and visas have formed part of the government's arsenal to combat these issues.

Multiple policy changes, high visa refusal rates, high cost of living for students, reputational damage, loss of market share, reduced places available, high cost associated with visa applications and lack of transparency are just some of the concerns raised by multiple stakeholders across the education sector. There currently appears to be a disconnect between the 'open for business' messaging being promoted in the Latin American region and Australia's immigration rules and education goals.

With a lack of quality information available and long term consequences across the sector unknown, ALABC is calling for expressions of interest to participate in a 'LATAM Education Roundtable - How to navigate the choppy seas across the Pacific' in the following areas:

Go8 universities
Regional universities
ELICOS providers
VET providers
Student placement services
Immigration agents/law firms
State 'Study'
Student accommodation providers
DFAT
DHA
Austrade
Chambers of Commerce
Industry representative groups

We look forward to your participation in this important conversation on the direction of one of our most important transpacific economic relationships.

Members only event

Webinar on Nearshoring in Mexico, Opportunities for Australian Companies

ALABC is proud to partner with the US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce to host a webinar on Nearshoring in Mexico on 21 August.

Speakers:

His Excellency Ernesto Cespedes, Ambassador of Mexico in Australia
Albert Zapanta, President and CEO, US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Pedro Montejo, President INDEX (National Association of the Maquiladora Industry) Baja California
Craig Ford, Australian Trade and Investment Commissioner, Mexico
Kim Prior, CEO of the Australia-Latin America Business Council
Aram Hodoyan, President and CEO, OTL On Time Logistics

Date: 21 August

Time: 9:00 AEST

Location: online

Melbourne Annual Dinner: ALABC 35 Year Anniversary

Date: 7 August 2024

Time: 6:00 - 10:00pm

Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1-5 Spencer St Melbourne VIC 3000

Join us in Melbourne to celebrate ALABC's 35th anniversary of supporting trade and investment between Australia and Latin America!

Supported by our Gold Sponsor Duratray International and Event Partner Global Victoria, this event provides a unique environment for members and guests to engage with industry leaders and government officials, share insights and stay updated on the latest trends in the Latin American market. We are thrilled to announce the presentation of the Latin American Business Excellence Awards at this year's event, celebrating three exceptional organisations for their outstanding achievements in the Latin American business landscape.

McLanahan Corporation

Founded in 1835, McLanahan has provided equipment solutions for industries that help build our world and power our lives for nearly 190 years. A sixth-generation, family-owned manufacturer of wet and dry processing equipment for the aggregate, mining and agricultural sectors, McLanahan counts operations in Australia and Chile amongst its global office locations.

These locations provide materials processing companies with sales, engineering and customer service support for the life of their equipment. Teams from around the world work together to ensure that customers receive a solution to meet their unique processing requirements.

For more information, visit www.mclanahan.com or contact sales@mclanahan.com.

28 June - Webinar: Update on the Ecuadorian Mining Landscape

ALABC and the Embassy of Ecuador in Australia proudly hosted a webinar last week, providing an update on the Ecuadorian Mining Landscape.

It was an honour to have the Vice Minister of Mining Ecuador, Diego Patricio Ocampo Lascano present to participants, along with the Ambassador of Ecuador in Australia, H.E. Arturo Cabrera, Carolina Orozco, President of the Board, Mining Chamber of Ecuador, Patrick Duffy, Managing Director of Sunstone Metals and Pablo Jimenez Ayora, Executive Vice President, Chamber of Industries and Production Ecuador.

If you missed this webinar and are interested in hearing the presentations, you can watch the recording below.

Watch the recording >>

24 June - Opportunities in the Cuban Biotechnology Sector

On 24 June, ALABC and our member Raydel supported a delegation from BioCubaFarma, the primary conglomerate of Biopharmaceutical Companies in Cuba.

Senior executives from BioCubaFarma attended alongside Ambassador of Cuba to Australia, H.E. Tanieris Dieguez. Guests heard from four presenters on the experiences and opportunities with doing business in Cuba. Thank you to our event partner and member Queensland University of Technology for hosting and supporting this event.

Please view the information below and consider joining the Australia-Latin America Business Council using the online form.

Benefits of Membership

Generate new opportunities
Make valuable connections
Receive up to date market insights
Gain access to experts
Be supported in your business challenges

How to join: Please review our fees and benefits below and then submit your application here.

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