NEWSFLASH AUGUST 2015 !!

NEWS & UPDATES on Swiss-Australian business

INVESTMENTS by Swiss companies in Australia

NEW MEMBERS welcome to SwissCham

EVENTS reviews & diary note

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CORPORATE PARTNERS 2015 !!!!

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COMPANY NEWS COFFEE BREAK WITH ANDY EISELE

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An Argentinian born, Swiss/Cuban's view of the local market !Having landed in Sydney three months ago to take up my new role as Head of Client Management P&C Australia & New Zealand at Swiss Re, I felt the urge to communicate with you my first impressions of the market. Being Swiss/Cuban by nationality, born in Argentina and having lived in every continent in the world (outside Antarctica) by age 39, I immediately noticed on my arrival to Australia that I am now living and working in a truly multi-cultural environment. This made me feel at ease and comfortable from the start. Furthermore, having worked at Swiss Re for more than 14 years in various functions and countries, I again realised that local team have an interesting diversity mix, which suits my professional liking. !First, in a mature re/insurance marketplace like Australia and New Zealand, products have become more commoditised as our industry has evolved and matured beyond many others when looking at global benchmarks. The need for true "differentiation" becomes essential to survive, which is key to our clients, brokers and for us as reinsurers when looking ahead at the future. Differentiation is a mindset that must be the core of all we do - distribution, product development, providing financial security, developing true and real client engagement and so on. !

Second, in a mature/developed market there is the "need for growth and innovation". All of us in the re/insurance industry must grow if our businesses will be sustainableWe can, and should, of course shrink depending on cycle behaviour, but this is normally a short-term play. However, in the long term we must seek profitable new areas of growth for our businesses (geographical, business scope, distribution channels, etc.), and this is not easy in today's times. Innovation and Innovators will make a difference in this game. The re/insurers who can innovate their products and services accordingly to capture their clients "true evolving needs" will be the leaders of tomorrow. !As an industry, we must put extra effort into ensuring that we all benefit from new growth and innovation plays - the winners of the future will get this game right now. When I see our portfolio and our clients' needs, and then think of growth, I immediately think of key areas of opportunity: nat cat, privatisation of CTP and workers compensation, new casualty lines such as cyber and emerging risk covers, usage of big data, exploring new innovative distribution platforms, and capital management. Swiss Re is here to assist in these areas.

COMPANY NEWS ANDY EISELE CONT.

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My third observation is the "importance of continuous engagement". Having worked in many parts of the world and seen the differences and similarities that markets/working cultures may or may not have, one part that was, and is, always key to me is to have an open dialogue on issues that move and affect business. I do believe that this market should be proud having the knowledge, experience, history, open competition rules and organisation that it carries, and it's up to us now to 'mature further in a healthy direction'. Swiss Re is ready to engage in this healthy dialogue with you, to ensure we can meet your differentiation and growth needs as they arise. !On a personal note, after my short time working in Sydney, at the time of writing this I have the pleasure of travelling back to Zurich for just over a week to bring my family here to Australia for the longer-run. My wife and two boys are excited to take this adventure with me and I do hope to show them this great side of the world. !Source: SwissRe Newsletter

COMPANY NEWS FROM MEMBERS !

Fracht goes to Spain !We are happy and excited to announce that FRACHT has opened a new office in Spain. !The office is located in the North of Spain - Basque Country, in the town of Bilbao, on the Atlantic Coast. !Northern Spain is known for its heavy industry sector (shipyards, steel construction, manufacturing plants for wind energy equipment etc), therefore FRACHT Bilbao will be focusing on project related activities in Spain and Portugal, but will also be involved in Containerized Cargo, Airfreight and European out of gauge & heavy lift trucking. !Connect Hearing !In case you missed it, Connect Hearing (part of the Swiss Sonova Group) moved its Australian HQ in June. Connect Hearing's Managing Director, Wolfgang Bennedik, in presence of Swiss Consul General, Ernst Steinmann, opened the new office on 16 June in an official ceremony. The new offices were designed by another SwissCham member Brand Dimension. Another nice example of how SwissCham members work together.

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NEWS & UPDATES !

SWISS BANKING !The Swiss post office's banking operation, Post Finance, is cancelling the credit cards of all clients living abroad, whether they are Swiss nationals or foreign. The decision is said to be required by money laundering and tax evasion regulations. In particular Swiss living abroad have been experiencing difficulties opening and maintaining bank accounts in Switzerland. A survey by OSA (Organisation of Swiss Abroad) to get an overview of all the policies applied by financial institutions with regard to customers living outside Switzerland. A table showing the results is available on the OSA's website: www.aso.ch > Consultation > Living Abroad > banks.

FREE TRADE AGREEMENT TOOL !Export Council of Australia (ECA) launches online Free Trade Agreement Tool. AIBS 2015 data confirms that there is a lack of understanding of Free Trade Agreements by Australian exporters. !The ECA thinks more can be done to raise awareness and improve the practical understanding of FTAs in the business community and is working to fill that gap. !In conjunction with ANZ Bank, the ECA has created an FTA Tool, which is designed to help Australian exporters navigate the basics of Australia's FTAs and simplify the use of the 10 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) signed between Australia and other nations. !Online: http://ftatool.com.au/

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INVESTMENTS IN AUSTRALIA !

!!!For the first time, China was the largest source of proposed foreign investment in Australia, mainly driven by a large increase in residential real estate approvals. The other major sources of proposed investment were the United States, Canada, Malaysia, and Singapore. Malaysia and Singapore replaced Switzerland and the United Kingdom in the top five sources of investment. !!!!Source: Foreign Investment Review Board

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Investment Approvals by country 2013-14

Country No. of approvals

China 14,716

USA 350

Canada 225

Malaysia 1,542

Singapore 975

Netherlands 66

Japan 148

Hong Kong 619

Switzerland 49

Spain 24

Top 10 Investment Approvals by value

China

USA

Canada

Malaysia

Singapore

Netherlands

Japan

Hong Kong

Switzerland

Spain

in AU$ mio.

$0 $7,500 $15,000 $22,500 $30,000

Approved investment from Switzerland (in $mio)

Sector/Year 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

No. of approvals 49 51 49

Agriculture, forestry & fishing $ 65 - -

Finance & Insurance $ 3,300 - $ 74

Manufacturing $ 425 $ 12 $ 2,864

Mineral exploration & development

$ 852 $ 15,763 $ 528

Real estate $ 523 $ 346 $ 697

Services $ 905 $ 2,266 $ 785

Total $ 6,004 $ 18,387 $ 4,947

Ranking 7 2 9

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS !!!!!!!

BERLITZ has been teaching the world to communicate for over 130 years. With over 550 training centres in 75 countries, including 9 centres in Switzerland, Berlitz is the first choice for 400 of the Fortune 500 firms when training their employees and executives. We have been successful in helping millions of people to learn new language skills, develop advanced communication skills, improve cross-cultural awareness and understanding, and provide global leadership courses for individuals and companies as they seek new opportunities in the global market. !In Australia, Berlitz has experienced instructors based nationwide, providing training to locals and expatriates arriving in Australia, including their families with specialised programs to help them integrate into the community. Our unique offering of private 1-to-1 courses, small corporate groups, along with a fully flexible schedule means that every customer is able to improve their skills quickly with a course that is tailored precisely to their needs. Our most popular courses include Australian English, Business English, Networking in English, Presentation skills, and IELTS Preparation, along with various foreign languages. This is why Berlitz has been so successful. www.berlitz.com.au !!

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY WORLDWIDE !The KNF Group was founded 1946 in Freiburg, Germany, and is still family-owned. !It develops, produces and distributes high-quality diaphragm pumps and systems for gases, vapours and liquids in Switzerland (KNF Flodos in Sursee, KNF Micro in Reiden), Germany, France and in the US. !KNF’s innovative diaphragm pumps are available as integrated pumps for OEMs, as well as for process applications and laboratory use. We are able to react to every customer requirement through our ingenious flexible modular system and tailor made solutions. !The independent KNF Group has a workforce of 700 employees employed at 16 companies with five ISO 9001 certified production facilities around the world. !WE ARE WHERE OUR CUSTOMERS ARE !Wherever our customers need us around the world, KNF is directly accessible and ready to meet their specific application requirements. Our customers benefit from our close-knit network of sales centres in over 20 locations on four continents, each providing professional service and competent advice

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that draws on the expertise of the entire global group. !We also have many carefully selected representatives and distributors in other countries to ensure rapid local service and support. Our newly established Regional Office Australia/New Zealand in Melbourne serves the Austral-Pacific region. !AT THE HEART OF NUMEROUS HIGH-TECH APPLICATIONS !Our diaphragm gas and liquid pumps and systems are used in numerous demanding applications. These extend from medical equipment to instruments for environmental engineering and analytics, and from printing equipment to semiconductors and new technologies such as fuel cells. The catalogue of industry segments we serve and applications we support is expanding day by day. !OEM PUMPS !Our customised OEM pumps are used as vital components in systems for a broad range of high-tech industries where reliability and quality are essential. The industries we serve include: Agriculture, Automotive, Chemicals, Emission measuring, Environmental and Analytical engineering, Food, Fuel cells, Inkjet printing, Medical and Safety engineering, Semiconductors and Vacuum technology. !LABORATORY EQUIPMENT !KNF lab pumps, systems and rotary evaporators are used for a wide variety of bench-top laboratory applications where accuracy and chemical resistance are required. Our range of transfer and dosing pumps as well as our new rotary evaporator systems are utilised the Life Sciences, !

!Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Petro-chemical Analysis. !PROCESS PUMPS !In plant and process engineering, KNF pumps are particularly valued for their ability to transfer and dose aggressive media in demanding environments. Application segments include chemical and process engineering, hot combustion gas measurement, petrochemical process monitoring and plant exhaust gas measurement. !STEFAN REILING, Regional Manager AU/NZ, KNF Group, stefan.reiling@knf.com.au www.knf.com.au !

Dear SwissCham Members, !As someone who has a deep history and love for Switzerland, and as a new Board Member of SwissCham, I am delighted to share the news of Fastvisa, a next generation immigration and relocation advisory firm. We specialise in assisting European corporates and small enterprises to obtain their employees’ Visa fast and relocate their human capital so they can outperform the competition and achieve their business goals. !We are more than a Visa processor, we are Your Migration Partner. !Fast. Reliable. Personal. !

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We believe that the immigration profession is ripe for disruption, and we are focussed on a new client-centric model that will transform the industry, which is founded on: !• Partnership: Fastvisa focuses on developing deep, results driven, personal and trusted relationships with organisations and individuals seeking a similar high touch, non-transactional relationship. We recognise that this requires best in class delivery, bespoke processes, IP and services designed on a case by case basis. We listen. We have been in our client’s shoes. We have been migrants ourselves, have been through the process, are multilingual and attuned to the issues associated with migration and relocation. • Results: Fastvisa was created with one singular objective – to deliver a faster, more reliable, more personal immigration experience designed to meet our clients’ unique needs. Our consultants conversion rates are exceptionally high, and internal processing on our side is executed in circa half the time of the industry norm. • Technology and innovation: We have developed a number of market leading processes and embraced cutting edge, cloud-based technologies that will enable us to better serve our clients. These provide outstanding efficiencies and enable our consultants and clients to access all relevant case information anywhere, at any time. • Experience: We have assembled a unique team of some of the industry’s leading migration consultants to deliver results for our clients, fast. • Global reach: We are connected internationally via our strategic partners and can offer bespoke solutions in both immigration and relocation. !We are very excited about our new platform and look forward to catching up with you to

share some more insights as to how we can help you. !Until then, please feel free to call if we can assist in any way on +61 1300 190 773 or e mail us at info@fastvisa.com.au. !Warmest regards, Stefano Solferini M.B.A. Bsc (Hons) Chairman !FastVisa Pty Ltd Ground floor, 35 Clarence Street (c/o Berlitz), Sydney NSW 2000 +61 1300 190 773 (Direct) +61 0408 117 800 (Mobile) ss@fastvisa.com.au www.gofastvisa.com www.facebook.com/GoFastVisa Skype: fastvisaaustralia !!Also joined have: !Liistro, Anywhere Travel, USM & Rail Europe. More information to follow soon.

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EVENTS REVIEW !

EUROMIX 17 JUNE @ ZUMTOBEL, SYDNEY, 18 JUNE @ LUDLOW BAR, MELBOURNE !As per tradition, over 70 guests from most European chambers attended both EuroMix luncheons in Sydney & Melbourne. !"HOW RESPONSIVE ARE YOU?" SEMINAR 6 AUGUST @ WORLD TRADE CENTRE, MELBOURNE !New SwissCham member Deka Studio presented their latest insights on website development. !

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EVENTS REVIEW !

GLOBAL TRADE AGENDA LUNCH with Pascal Lamy, former Director-General of the WTO 17 AUGUST @ NSW PARLIAMENT, SYDNEY !Mr Lamy and the panel discussed the shifting landscape of global trade, in particular touching on the decrease in cost of doing business abroad, protectionism (despite some negative measures since the GFC), non-tariff measures, and the increasing importance of services. In this regard, establishing platforms for common regulatory systems and standards is vitally important for global trade. !

The benefits of open trade are not often seen or accepted by the wider community, but an open, liberal trade network is important for the development of Australia’s economy and the global economy as a whole. Opening trade creates growth, productivity and efficiency, but at the

cost of a relocation of jobs from the old economy to the new as a result of the shift from goods to services. !!

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EVENTS DIARY NOTE !!!!

AN EVENING WITH RENEE FLEMING (CONCERT) 5 SEPTEMBER 2015, HAMER HALL, MELBOURNE !!BOARD ROOM LUNCH BRIEFING 15 SEPTEMBER 2015, KING & WOOD MALLESONS, SYDNEY !!ART EXHIBITION & NETWORKING COCKTAILS WITH THE SPANISH CHAMBER "LA CAMARA" 1ST OCTOBER 2015, SYDNEY !!CEO DINNER 6 OCTOBER 2015, V-ZUG, MELBOURNE !!EMPLOYMENT MIGRATION SEMINAR 8 OCTOBER 2015, TRESSCOX, SYDNEY !!EUROMIX 3 14 OCTOBER @ USM, REDFERN, SYDNEY 15 OCTOBER @ V-ZUG, EAST KEW, MELBOURNE !!CRUISE WITH THE EUROPEANS 12 NOVEMBER, SYDNEY HARBOUR !!SWISS AMBASSADOR CUP 2015 & 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 23RD NOVEMBER, ROYAL MELBOURNE !!To register through our website www.swisscham.com.au.

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�13ZU22454 - V1 09/14

This is a general description of insurance services and does not represent or alter any insurance policy. Such services are provided to qualified customers by affiliated companies of the Zurich Insurance Group Ltd, as in the US, Zurich American Insurance Company, 1400 American Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60196, in Canada, Zurich Insurance Company Ltd, 400 University Ave., Toronto, ON M5G 1S9, and outside the US and Canada, Zurich Insurance plc, Ballsbridge Park, Dublin 4, Ireland (and its EU branches), Zurich Insurance Company Ltd, Mythenquai 2, 8002 Zurich, Zurich Australian Insurance Limited, ABN 13 000 296 640, AFS Licence No232507, 5 Blue St., North Sydney, NSW 2060.

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