This series brings to you conversations with stakeholders dedicated to the India-Australia bilateral space. In this episode, I speak to Petula Thomas, CEO of the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce, a premier platform for trade promotion between India and Australia and the only organization in the country promoting bilateral trade and investment between the two countries. Joining the Chamber as a Deputy Director in 2018, and now serving as the CEO, Petula’s role is to enable doing business for the 500+ members of the chamber. She advises Australian enterprises & SMEs to help them set up their business in India while at the same time also helps Indian startups & small & medium enterprises build long term commercial relationships with Australian companies.

The backdrop to this episode was truly historic & timely. On the eve of our conversation, the Australian Parliament had ratified the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) with India, popularly called the Ind Aus ECTA, thereby paving the way for implementing the deal as early as January 1, 2023. Our wide-ranging conversation dealt with the Chamber’s role in furthering India-Australia trade & investment opportunities, her engagements with various Union & state-level officials in India, the key sectors of significance for both the countrys’ businesses and some interesting responses to our popular ‘Strongly Agree to Disagree’ segment!

IACC Report on Tech & Innovation (2021)

Attribution:
The Bridge Project (2022), "Down Under in Chennai: A Conversation with Petula Thomas, CEO, Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce", 01 Dec, 2022, URL: https://www.buzzsprout.com/921337/11790175

Research Credits:Carl

Music Credits:Inspired by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired
Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Write to us at carl.jaison@thebridgeproject.in with your feedback!
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