Sakib Awan appointed Business Champion East Timor

At the ASEAN50 Special Summit in Melbourne, Chair and Founder of East Timor Trading, Mr Sakib Awan, is appointed Business Champion East Timor by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

‘I thank Prime Minister Albanese for this great honour.’ Says Mr Awan of his appointment,

‘I am wholeheartedly committed to doing what I can to help promote Australian business engagement in Timor-Leste. I see my role as Business Champion to speak widely about how much Timor-Leste has to offer Australian business – and how much Australian businesses have to offer Timor-Leste and the Timorese people. This is an extremely exciting announcement, and I am honoured and humbled to be chosen.’

The Champions initiative arose from a report by Nicholas Moore AO for the Australian Government titled: Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040. As a report in today’s Australian Financial Review, “Top CEOs named as business champions for South-East Asia”, says about the appointment: “The business champions, whose role is to ensure ‘government and business work in tandem to deepen regional economic engagement’ … is one of five of Mr Moore’s recommendations being adopted at the Melbourne summit.”

This is a significant day for Timor-Leste and its place in the region and particularly bodes well for Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN, given the announcement was made at the Melbourne ASEAN50 Special Summit. It is also a proud day for East Timor Trading and a testament to the esteemed position Mr Awan has in the regional business world.

Photos:

Mr Sakib Awan, Nur Rahman (Brunei), Australian Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers, Louise Adams (Vietnam), Charles Olsson, (Laos), Prime Minister Albanese.

Mr Awan meeting with Vice Prime Minister H.E. Mr Francisco Lay at the ASEAN50 Summit.