Austrade media release
25 February 2010
In the lead up to International Women's Day 2010 (8 March), Austrade is holding its popular Women in Global Business seminars in capital cities around the country.
The seminars encourage women to make connections and build strong, sustainable international businesses.
According to Austrade’s Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner for Singapore, Kirsten Sayers, creating a network for your business is key to its success.
“The importance of building a strong and useful network for international business cannot be underestimated; for many women, these seminars represent a first step in their construction of that network.
“By sharing success stories, advice and insights, women are encouraged to take their business success to the next level.
“ABS figures reveal over the past 10 years, the number of women running their own business has increased by nearly 20 per cent compared to a 6 per cent increase for men.
“Research has shown that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) run by women are generally less likely to export than SMEs run by men; this presents an opportunity to grow Australia’s international business links by encouraging more women to think global,” said Ms Sayers.
Last year, more than 700 participants from business, government and industry benefited from the Women in Global Business sessions.
The seminars aim to ensure attendees are aware of and have access to the full range of Austrade services.
Austrade is proud to co-host the event series with Westpac. The Women in Global Business program complements the range of assistance and support networks provided by business and industry, and state and federal government bodies.
The seminar series runs from 1-11 March and will travel to Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth.
Speaker proflies
Kirsten Sayers, ASEAN Investment Commissioner
Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Austrade Singapore
Last year, Kirsten led the Australian delegation to the APEC Womens Leaders’ Network Meeting. She has previously held diplomatic and commercial appointments in Paris, Bangkok and Taipei, and senior positions in the private and public sectors in Australia. Before joining Austrade, Kirsten was a commercial solicitor specialising in Asian and international trade law. Kirsten speaks French, Mandarin, Norwegian, Swedish and Vietnamese to various degrees.
Liu Bing, Trade Commissioner, Austrade Guangzhou, China
Since joining Austrade in 2001, Bing has held the roles of Senior Business Development Manager and Senior Investment Director in Beijing, and is currently the Trade Commissioner in Guangzhou. Over the last 9 years, Bing has developed a detailed understanding of business operations for Australian companies in China. Bing also has broad industry experience, having worked with companies in mining, building and construction, agribusiness, ICT, education and training, biotech and clean technologies. She is currently the team leader for the China ICT Health and Biotechnology team.
Ines Fernandini, Senior Business Development Manager, Austrade Lima
Inés has worked for Austrade for almost 7 years, and is based in Peru. She is responsible for driving growth strategies for the mining and energy industries and supporting Australian companies seeking to export or invest. Previously Inés was responsible for the education sector and was instrumental in building the Peruvian education market for Australia from 40 students per year to more than 1,500. In June 2009, Ines represented the Australian Government at a Women in Business APEC meeting.
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