Movements, promotions and new appointments in the Australia China Business Community.

Dominic Trindade (pictured top left) is Australia’s new Consul-General in Guangzhou. Mr Trindade is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and has previously served overseas as Australia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the WTO in Geneva, Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore and Second Secretary in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He has been a Legal Adviser to the Department on international, trade and domestic law and has also worked on trade policy and negotiations. Mr Trindade has Arts (Asian Studies) and Law degrees from the University of Melbourne, a Graduate Diploma in Foreign Affairs and Trade from the Australian National University and has been admitted to practice as a lawyer. He also speaks Chinese.

Mr Trindade replaces Ms Jill Collins (pictured left) who has held the position since 2012. Ms Collins is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and has previously served in Beijing, Shanghai and the Australian Office in Taipei. Ms Collins returns to Canberra to take up a management role in consular operations.

Nicholas Coyle is AustCham Beijing’s new General Manager. Since moving to China in 2009, Mr Coyle has performed a number of roles including the first foreigner to lecture in economics at the prestigious Southwest University in Chongqing and was part of the academic faculty at the Shanghai Normal University. More recently he set up and operated his own business partnership in human resources and recruitment based in Shanghai. Since joining AustCham Beijing, Mr Coyle, in the capacity of acting General Manager, has assisted the board with making crucial changes, developing a close rapport with the staff and members.

Westpac has announced the appointments of several new senior executives to its Hong Kong branch – a key centre for Westpac in Asia – as part of efforts to further strengthen the bank’s Asia capabilities. The major appointments to the Hong Kong team include Alex Tam as Head of Corporate & Institutional Banking for Hong Kong and Steven Yu as Head of Trade Sales for North Asia.

Alex Tam joins Westpac from HSBC and will lead the corporate and institutional banking team for Westpac in Hong Kong. Steven Yu joins Westpac from Deutsche Bank and will have overall responsibility for Trade Sales in North Asia, including Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.

Westpac’s Head of Greater China, Andrew Whitford (pictured left), will also move from Shanghai to assume responsibility for the Hong Kong branch in addition to his existing responsibilities. Martin Goodacre was also relocated from Singapore to Hong Kong last year, to take up the new role of Head of Financial Markets, Hong Kong.

John McBryde has been appointed the new Director of BIBS and CEO of the Beanstalk Education Group. Mr McBryde has 24 years of experience as Director/Head of School in four international schools in Asia including nine years as Director of the Western Academy of Beijing during its growth and development phase during 1998-2007, where the school grew from 400 to 1500 students.

During his time in China he was also co-founder of ACAMIS and served as both Chairman and Treasurer of the ACAMIS Board. He has also served on the EARCOS Board. Mr McBryde has extensive experience in IB Programs and also school accreditation, serving regularly as a visiting team chair.

Mr Francis Wong (pictured left) has been awarded an OAM for services to business and to the community. Mr Wong serves on numerous boards, is the Chairman of the Council for International Trade & Commerce in South Australia (CITCSA) and is a valued advisor for the Hong Kong Australia Business Association’s South Australian Chapter. Mr Wong has been praised for his valuable contribution to the State of South Australia in the areas of tourism, trade and promoting all things South Australian. Born in Brunei, the eldest of 12 children, Mr Wong migrated to Australia to broaden his horizons. He was drawn to Adelaide for the city’s open spaces and arts culture, and has “never looked back.” ■

*If you or your organisation have a human resources related announcement to make, or you know of people on the move, please send details to sophiel@chinaconnections.com.au.