As you will be aware the Founding CEO of The Chamber, Catherine Woo, is in Australia on maternity leave. Catherine and her family are enjoying the family time and being home and have now made the decision to not return to London in a hurry, and so Catherine has resigned from her role as CEO of The Chamber.
In Catherine’s absence we have been very fortunate to have Joanne Holland as Executive Director and she has done a wonderful job continuing the fabulous work of Catherine. The Board of The Chamber at the Meeting on 27 April have agreed for Joanne Holland to become CEO with immediate effect.
Catherine joined Australia Business (now the Australia-UK Chamber) as CEO in August 2016. Coincidentally the Brexit vote was on 28 June 2016, and this of course gave opportunity for renewed Australia-UK trade relations. Catherine has the superb skills and ability to influence and enact the Board’s decision to convert to the Australia-UK Chamber of Commerce. Most importantly she constructed the approach to the planned Free Trade Agreement supporting Chamber Members and broad industry to get the right result and assisting the Australia and UK Governments towards the best possible outcome. Catherine has been a superb leader and committed driver of results and a great support and friend to her Team and to me and the Board and Members. In my view her name is firmly in the top order of the history of Australia’s commercial presence in the UK!
Catherine will step down immediately as CEO and remain on maternity leave with the title of Senior Founding Director until 21 August 22 which will be the formal ending to her employment.
I would like to thank Catherine, both personally and also from the Board and Members for her successes, we all share in, and for her great friendship. I know all join with me to wish her every good fortune in the life ahead and look forward to see her again in the UK or Australia in the future!
I would like to thank Joanne most fully for her great work to date and congratulate her for becoming CEO. We work very well together, and I know The Chamber will now continue its great history of invention and creation of superb opportunities for Members, and for the evolution of growing Australia and UK commercial collaboration.
Dick Porter, Chair
