PARTNERING WITH AUSTRALIA FOR MENTORSHIP
Au s tralia is the first dialogue partner of ASEAN when it comes to economic, trade, security and other development areas. Currently led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Australia continues to be an ally of the region, most especially in the area of micro and small entrepreneurs development.
Just recently, I flew to Sydney, Australia to join several engagements. On our agenda in Sydney was to launch the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN) in partnership with Australia-ASEAN Business Council. This has been my continuing advocacy and the legacy project of the council during my 2017 ASEAN Business Advisory Council chairmanship.
Together with co-council members, we promoted AMEN in the following meetings: ASEAN-Australia Business Insights Dinner in King & Wood Mallesons, Australian Business Leaders’ Exchange with ASEAN Business Advisory Council in Intercontinental Hotel, and lastly in the ASEAN-Australia Entrepreneurs Business Forum held in Sydney Startup Hub.
I was also invited to attend the Women in Business breakfast hosted by Lucy Turnbull, wife of Prime Minister Turnbull. Aside from that, I also attended the CEO Forum of Prime Minister Turnbull, which was attended by select business leaders from ASEAN and Australia. Other CEOs from the Philippines who joined were Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Tessie Sy-Coson, Lance Gokongwei and Enrique Razon.
From all the engagements, I also met Dr. Robert Kahn, one of the fathers of the internet who invented TCP/IP protocols used in online communication. I invited him to come to the Philippines and, if possible, join the digital conference that we are organizing.
We look forward to a stronger partnership and linkage between ASEAN and Australian entrepreneurs. Together, we can create a more sustainable environment for our MSMEs.