AAMEG ANNOUNCES DOUG HORAK AS INTERIM CEO
By AAMEG | 19 June 2017
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AAMEG is delighted to announce the appointment of Doug Horak as interim CEO, effective 19 June 2017.
Doug has been a key advisor and ‘friend’ of the AAMEG leadership team since 2011, and will take over from Trish O’Reilly, who led AAMEG with distinction for the past 6 years, deepening engagement with our members and Australian/African stakeholders.
The appointment of Doug in this interim role, is a natural transition and not far removed from his role as Vice President of the Australia Africa Business Council of Western Australia, where he will continue to facilitate the development of commercial trade relationships with Australian/African companies.
Announcing Doug’s appointment, ex CEO Trish O’Reilly said, “Doug is an obvious successor and comes with a true passion for developing Australian African relationships. His commitment to the resources sector is far reaching and has been demonstrated through his long history with AAMEG and his roles with the Africa Dream Foundation, WA Mining Club and Deloitte. We will benefit greatly from Doug’s commercial and financial focus, to ensure we continue to offer value to our members.”
Commenting on his appointment, Doug Horak said, “While undoubtedly the end of an era, this transition represents a clear opportunity for me to introduce fresh thinking to AAMEG’s business growth strategy. The organisation is in fit shape and I have a solid foundation and good industry knowledge from which to leverage. My immediate focus is on ensuring continuity of operations and I am looking forward to speaking with each of our members individually over the coming months.”
Trish will continue to be a valuable resource, supporter and friend of AAMEG and we would again like to recognise her tireless efforts. To reflect, a few key achievements below showcase the significant impact Trish has had on our organisation and business community:
- A key instigator of the current Senate Inquiry into Australia’s trade and investment relationships with the countries of Africa
- Established and upheld key relationships with the Australian Federal Members of Parliament and DFAT – this lead to Federal Government representation at Indaba 2017, the first time in 3 years
- Created strong working relationships with the Australian Heads of Mission across Africa – resulting in the DAP (Direct Aid Projects)
- Being a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and ensuring AAMEG’s representation in the UN Global Compact Australia Network
- Developing Associate Membership of AAMEG for African Governments – this allows free dialogue bi-annually on key industry/Government issues
- Developing a partnership with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) – resulting in a research project exploring how Australian industry in Africa counter extremism
Doug’s appointment marks the commencement of a new member engagement strategy and marketing plan to grow funding and support retention. We encourage all industry participants to TAKE THE SURVEY – an initiative designed to ensure we bring relevant advocacy, insights and connections to potential and existing members.
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