Dear FACCI Members,

This week FACCI QLD will have the honour of welcoming His Excellency Stéphane Romatet, Ambassador of France to Australia, for a special presentation followed by an exclusive networking evening. We would like to thank our Patron member, Ernst & Young, for their generosity in hosting the event. If you wish to register, a few seats are still available, so please click HERE if you haven't yet booked.

This month I have also the pleasure of welcoming a new Corporate Member to our Queensland Chapter, Néodyme Australia, which is currently setting up its head-quarters in Brisbane. A subsidiary of Néodyme France, Néodyme Australia will soon provide a wide range of services in Industrial Risk Management, Environment, Occupational Health and Safety and Management solutions within engineering, consulting, auditing and training supports.

April will bring an event featuring Bernard Loez, Executive Manager Industrial Projects for Thiess Construction, as our guest speaker. This mini-seminar will be a great opportunity to deepen your understanding of the fundamental differences between French and Australian business environments.

Finally, please note that our Annual Report 2013 will be available very soon and that an electronic copy will be send out to all our members in April.

We hope to see you all very soon.

Kind regards,

Brian Lorigan
President

LAST CHANCE TO BOOK!

A few seats are still available for 'Say Oui to France', a special briefing by H.E. Stéphane Romatet, Ambassador of France to Australia on Wednesday 2 April, 6.00pm.

Come and join His Excellency Mr Romatet for an update on the latest governmental measures to restore competitiveness, facilitate foreign investment and increase France's attractiveness. H.E. Mr Romatet will also share his insight into the political and economic relationships between France and Australia, and the outlook for bilateral relations over the year to come.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session and a networking cocktail reception kindly offered by our Corporate Member Ernst & Young.

To register click HERE.

YP&I NEXT EVENT

Lost in translation?  You sometime wonder what went wrong and what would be the most efficient way to make yourself understood by your colleagues?

If this sounds all too familiar to you, you will benefit from this presentation by Bernard Loez – Executive Manager Industrial Projects for Thiess Construction. Bernard has successfully worked most of his life for global companies in English-speaking environments. Over the years, he has come to understand the necessity to deeply understand his business partners' cultures in order to adapt successfully.

Come and join us to share Bernard's experience at the Melbourne Hotel in the heart of West End, the most multicultural and vibrant area of Brisbane, on Thursday 10 April, from 5.30pm.

More info and RSVP.

YP&I LAST EVENT

More than 60 people came and joined us for casual drinks at the occasion of our last Young Professionals and Individuals Tchin-Tchin at Elixir Rooftop Bar!

Click here to check out our Photo Album on Facebook and do not forget to like our page to get updates on FACCI QLD events.

Get involved, become a member,
FACCI QLD needs all of us to create a strong French-Australian network!

Click here to join as a YP member!

General Manager at QGC, a BG Group company, Brian has been a member of the State Council for the last 2 years, with a focus on the Patron and Corporate sector. He joined the Chamber, wanting to return something to the French community, having completed a Diplome des Grandes Ecoles de Commerce through the Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Paris. Faithful to his origins, he is also the immediate past Chairman of the Lansdowne Club in Queensland, an Irish business group.

Read the full interview HERE.

The Embassy of France and the Government of New Caledonia in partnership with Campus France Australia present the 2014 University video competition.

The competition is open to all Australian and International students between 18 to 30 years of age currently enrolled in an Australian university.

Students are invited to submit short clips on what “Made in France” represents to them in a globalised world, based on the example of “Made in Australia”. Topics could include innovation, culture, modern design, emerging destinations, student-life, economy, technology, business… More broadly, students are invited to reflect on France’s areas of excellence in 2014.

Submit you entry before 7 July 2014, 5pm and win a return airfare to France or New Caledonia.

For more information: http://www.ambafrance-au.org/University-Video-Competition-Made.

As a Patron or Corporate member of the Chamber, you can benefit from a special discount, respectively a 10% and 5% on all the Alliance Française's French classes in 2014.

In April, you can either take a short holiday workshop or choose to sign up for the whole following term starting Monday 28 April. Holiday workshops run for 5 or 10 hours and focus on specific language skills or on some cultural aspect. The Advanced Beginners classes for instance will concentrate on pronunciation and speaking skills while the Intermediate students will greatly benefit from speaking and vocabulary workshops. Advanced students will enjoy workshops tailored to their needs such as Langue et Culture, Langue et Littérature or DELF B2 preparation class.

For Term 2 the offer of classes in even wider and adapted to various levels of commitment. From Regular Courses, once a week for 10 weeks, to Semi-Intensive Courses twice a week for 5 weeks, or Intensive Courses every weekday for 2 weeks, you certainly will find an option that suits your agenda.

Do not wait to register! Early Bird Special 10% discount applies before the 23/04/14.
 

Closing date for the 2014 Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Awards for Business is fast approaching (this Friday, 4th April).

Help recognise the contributions of Brisbane’s multicultural business people and submit your nomination for Business Person of the Year, Young Business Person of the Year or Entrepreneur of the Year by Friday 4 April 2014. Nominees must be born overseas or have at least one natural parent born overseas to be eligible.

This year’s awards will be presented on 30 May at the Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Business Dinner to be held in City Hall.  This highly anticipated event will be celebrating the creativity, innovation and resilience of the multicultural business community.

To nominate or to find out more about the 2014 Lord Mayor’s Awards for Business visit the Brisbane City Council website.

For enquiries or assistance with your application contact the International Relations and Multicultural Affairs Unit by email or phone 07 3403 8888.