By John Redmond
The Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AustCham) held its inaugural Business Awards gala dinner, the social event of the year for the Korean and Australian business communities, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul last Thursday Oct.28. The high-profile event was attended by over 250 VIPs from the Korean and international business communities to celebrate the continuing growth of the Australia-Korea business partnership.
Following a formal welcoming from H.E. Sam Gerovich, Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Korea, and Deputy Minister for Trade and Investment Kim Kyung-sik, Ministry of Knowledge Economy, four highly contested industry awards and two special awards were presented to companies for their significant contributions to strengthening the commercial ties between Korea and Australia.
“Sixteen very well qualified companies were in the running for the competitive awards,” Sean Rodrigues, Chairman of AustCham, announced. “In the prominent Business of the Year and Investment of the Year categories, the judges selected Daewoo International for its long-term investment in energy resources and the exploration of new resources in Australia.”
In regards to Cochlear Korea, recipient of the Trade Excellence Award, Mr. Rodrigues added, “Cochlear has been in Korea over 10 years and it offers unique hearing implants for over 3,700 hearing-impaired individuals in Korea.”
As for the other awards, Kobeak Foods won Best SME in recognition of its leadership in Australian beef imports and Pure Commerce Korea won Best Service Company for its success in promoting innovative payment solutions in Korea.
The winners of the above five competitive awards were picked by an independent panel of judges with special expertise in Korea and Australia.
Culminating a magnificent evening, AustCham also awarded POSCO the Chairman’s Award in acknowledgment of its 40-year commitment to sourcing raw materials, especially coal and iron ore, from Australia. Furthermore, the Macquarie Group of Companies, Korea, received the 10-Year Achievement Award for its contribution to the development of Korea’s financial services industry and for its strong presence in the Korean market.
The awards were sponsored by a range of leading companies including ANZ Bank, A. T. Kearney, Chevron, KPMG, Macquarie Group of Companies, Korea and POSCO.
Attendees of the prestigious black-tie event enjoyed the soothing sounds of Suade, a famous Australian a cappella group, and a superb four-course meal accompanied by fine Australian wines.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea consists of 127 corporate and 245 individual members, and has been in existence in its current form since 2008. The original Australian Business Group in Korea (ABGIK) was created in 1990. AustCham’s primary mission is to support members, Australian businesses in Korea and Korean businesses interested in the Australia-Korea commercial relationship and be an effective source for information, networks and advocacy. AustCham’s chairman is Sean Rodrigues, who is also country representative of Woodside Petroleum, and its executive director is Jennifer Kim.
Australia and Korea have designated 2011 as the official Year of Friendship in recognition of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
For further enquiries contact Jennifer Kim at 010-3281-3229, email austchamkorea@gmail.com or visit www.austchamkorea.org