Marcelo Salas – President
Mr.Salas, currently holds the position of Business Development Manager for Tersainox Australia, member of Vapor Industrial Group of Companies on of the largest industrial groups in Chile. Tersainox is the company within the group that specializes in stainless steel equipment. He assumed as President of the Australia-Chile Chamber of Commerce in March 2010. He is also the Vice Chair of NSW for the Australia-Latin America Business Council (ALABC).
Since October 2004 until January 2010, Mr. Salas held the position of Senior Trade Commissioner for Australia and the Pacific Islands. Marcelo was involved in all the negotiation rounds of the FTA between Australia and Chile. Prior to moving to Australia, Marcelo was Deputy Director of the Chilean Trade Promotion Organization (ProChile) in Santiago, responsible for Trade Information Services - Chief Information General Manager. He also held the position as Trade Commissioner of Chile in New York from 1996 to 2001 and in Sydney from 1987 to 1994.
Between these two postings, Mr. Salas worked in ProChile Santiago in the first Country Image Campaign of Chile as International Marketing Manager. During this period, Marcelo gained considerable experience working as a client for international PR and Advertising agencies in the United States, Spain, UK, Japan, Singapore and Chile and reporting to Chilean International Marketing Board. Marcelo commenced his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile in 1984, where he held the position of Head of the Asia Pacific Department, within the Bilateral Economic Division until 1986, when he was appointed Manager of the International Trade Fairs Department of ProChile.
Marcelo Salas holds a Commercial Engineer degree from the Catholic University of Valparaiso. He also has post graduate studies in International Trade Negotiations (Catholic University of Chile), International Marketing (University of Santiago), E-Business (University of Chile) and Sales and Marketing Strategies for the Electronic Commerce Environment (University of California, Berkeley). msalas@chilechamber.com
Peter Konnaris - Hon. Treasurer
The Principal of Konnaris CPA, an accounting and business consultant firm, since 1982. Peter holds a Bachelor Degree in Business Studies from the University of Technology, Sydney , a Certified Practising Accountant with CPA Australia and a Registered Tax Agent.
Mr. Konnaris, is a former acting President of the Australia-Chile Chamber of Commerce between 2001 and 2006, and a member of the chamber since 1992. During this period he has participated in the organisation of four trade delegations to Chile in conjunction with Austrade and Prochile. He was a former Director of the Australia Latin American Business Council between 2007 and 2008.
As a former member of the taxation liaison committee for The Australian Taxation Office,Peter was consulted on various implementations of new tax laws and systems. He is involved in the organisation of ongoing educational programs for accountants with CPA Australia and regularly prepares seminars on various management topics including: property investments, superannuation, retail management, employee motivation and several others.
Peter has traveled extensively throughout Santiago and Southern Chile and studied legal work practices and taxation infrastructures, retail and tourism industries. pkonnaris@chilechamber.com
Miguel Belmar – Vice-president VIC
Miguel Belmar is a Barrister practicing at the Victorian Bar in Melbourne. He previously worked as a solicitor for a national litigation law firm.
In 2009 Miguel was invited to participate in the Australian Latin American Leadership Program that was supported by the Council on Australian and Latin American Relations (COALAR). A goal of the program was to identify future leaders in the growing relationship between Australia and Latin America.
Although born in Chile, Miguel has spent the majority of his life in Australia and holds degrees in Law and Politics from Monash University. In his professional capacity he specialises in representing clients in legal disputes involving town planning and environmental law as well general commercial matters.
Miguel has a particular interest in the role that educational exchanges can play in building links between Australia and Chile. He brings to any discussion of the growing relationship between Australia and Chile a deep knowledge of the culture and traditions of both countries. mbelmar@chilechamber.com
Carlos Moncada – Vice-president WA
Mauricio Avila – Vice-president QLD
Mauricio began his career in the travel and tourism industry in Australia back in 1983. He first started arranging group travel between Australia and Japan and later on was given the responsibility of the Latin American markets.
He then began to interpret, translate as well as arrange and coordinate group travel into Chile and South America. He has travelled extensively and is very passionate about developing the relationships between Australia and Chile.
He has been a member of the Australian Institute of Management (QLD) since 1998. Mauricio is married with four children and based in Brisbane, Queensland. mavila@chilechamber.com
Maria Galatsanos – Vice-president SA
Mauricio Novoa - Director
Mauricio is a designer and academic with more than 28 years of professional experience in a broad range of fields; from product to industrial, architecture, advertising, communications and marketing (2D, 3D and 4D time based, events and moving image).
Rising from hands-on design to reach creative direction and management roles, he has had the opportunity to look after a varied portfolio of Blue Chip and SME clients both in Australia and abroad. Some highlights in design and production for American, Asian, Australian and European companies are in technological innovation (i.e. electronic, construction and building, medical and scientific), durable and fast moving consumer goods (i.e. commercial and domestic appliances, white goods, food, tools, packaging), online and e-learning solutions (i.e. web design, e-commerce, cms, flexible learning, GUI, HCI, visualization and simulation).
As an UWS School of Engineering academic for the last six years, he draws on his professional experience with special interest on new emerging technologies and their development including their influence on society and culture, design and designers agency on social and cultural change, design thinking and innovation, design for the other 90%, human environments, cognition, user centered design, experience design and sustainability.
He is a PhD Candidate at UWS Centre for Cultural Research (Cultural Economy and Globalization) and also holds a Masters in Design from University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Previously he obtained a Bachelor Degree in Visual Arts (First Class Honours) from Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. mnovoa@chilechamber.com
Gustavo Torres - Director
Gustavo has over fifteen years of professional experience in the Real Estate and Finance Business in Chile and Australia, holding certificates in both countries. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science, a Degree in Marketing and Business Development from Macarthur University in Sydney.
Since 1995-Commercial Development Manager for Sweet Home Properties, company dedicated to provide investment opportunities in Chile, representing Banco Estado for the private and commercial international property loans.
Gustavo is also the Founder, Director of Auschile trade Business Consultants, company dedicated to help exhibit the quality of mining products and services Australian and Chilean business and individuals have to offer the international market. In addition we are also focused on helping international mining companies connect to the Australian and Chilean market. gtorres@chilechamber.com
Lyn Forsyth – Director
Lyn holds a BA in Economics, UNSW, an Interdisciplinary MA in Economics and Politics, UNSW, and postgraduate qualifications from the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA) and the Australian Direct Marketing Association Australia (ADMA).
Lyn is a strategic services marketer with 3 decades experience in the public and private sectors in senior positions both in Australia and internationally. Lyn also founded in 1993 and is Director of FSMS=Forsyth Sales and Marketing Solutions, a strategic marketing consultancy, specialising in the higher education sector: student recruitment, academic exchange and collaborative research projects, consulting to over 30 Research Centres in association with the major universities in Australia and worldwide including Chile, Argentina and Brazil .The other main arm of FSMS is the global NFP sector, consulting to a wide range of industry Associations on strategic marketing, promotions/PR, fundraising, membership analysis and development.
Lyn is also advisor on Federal and State Government Advisory Panels: 2009-2014 Australian Federal Public Service Commission, (ASPC) Learning and Development Panel and 2009-2014 South Australian Government Justice Department, Learning and Development Panel.
Lyn has a personal and professional passion for the development of bilateral trade between Australia and Latin America, particularly with Chile and over the last decade served on many bilateral committees, including for Mercosul and consulted to Latin American governments, plus served on the COALAR (Centre for Australia Latin American Relations) Education Sub - Committee for policy development, and as the Vice-President, Australia - Brazil Chamber of Commerce and as Director, Australia-Argentina Chamber of Commerce. lforsyth@chilechamber.com
Robert Busch – Director
Robert is General Manager of Arauco Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the ARAUCO Group, one of the world’s leading forest companies with plantations and operations in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
He has been more than 17 years with the ARAUCO Group, involved in diverse areas like Projects, Operations and for more than 10 years in the commercial area, responsible for the export sales and marketing of the Panel Division to Asia, Europe, North America, Middle East, South Africa and Oceania. In 2009 he was appointed to establish ARAUCO’s sales office in Sydney to expand the company’s Panel, Timber and Wood products business throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Robert Busch has a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from PUC - Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. rbusch@chilechamber.com
Barbara Romero-Cespedes – Director
Barbara has been actively involved in the Australia-Chile Chamber of Commerce since early 2011. She previously worked for Harvest Capital Partners, an Australian boutique corporate advisory firm focused on agricultural investments. Before that she lived and worked in Asia for three years.
Barbara’s qualifications include an Honours Degree in Agricultural Science from Saint Thomas University, Santiago, Chile and she is currently studying a Master’s of Applied Finance. She is fluent in Spanish, English and Portuguese.
Barbara is passionate about the growth and development of the cultural and economic relationship between Chile and Australia. bromeroc@chilechamber.com