The Italian Chamber of Commerce's 42nd Gala Dinner, held on Saturday November 5 in the lounge of the White Bay Passengers Cruise Terminal, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the organisation, established in Sydney in 1922 by a group of compatriots to maintain contacts with the motherland and develop business relations between Italy and Australia. The Sydney Chamber is one of the oldest in the world, and the first in the Asia-Pacific region.
The event, dedicated to Italian business excellence in Australia, celebrated tricolour know-how and Made in Italy as driving and determining forces in the Australian economy, and during the evening the successes of some companies that won the ICCI Business Excellence Awards were recognised.
The evening was graced by the presence of more than 600 people, including distinguished representatives from the spheres of politics, business and culture.
The guest list included Italy's Ambassador, Paolo Crudele, Consul General of Italy in Sydney, Andrea De Felip, Minister for Multiculturalism and the Elderly, Mark Coure, Minister for Customer Services, Victor Dominello, Hon., Lou Amato, MP for Drummoyne, John Sidoti, MP for Fairfield, Guy Zangari, Hon., and Chris Rath, Hon.
Also present were John Ajaka, European Union Ambassador to Australia, Gabriele Visentin, and representative of Sistema Italia in Australia, Paola De Faveri, commissioner of the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade. Further, Emanuele Attanasio of the Italian National Tourist Board, and the new director of the Italian Cultural Institute Paolo Barlera also attended the event.
Welcoming the guests, CEO and Secretary General of the ICCI, Rachele Grassi, recalled how on its 100th anniversary, the Chamber of Commerce can look back with pride on its achievements, which have transformed it into a successful entity for the development of trade relations between Italy and Australia.
"Being part of the network of 84 Chambers located in 61 countries with a total of 20,000 members and 300,000 business contacts, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Sydney lives an international life every day, and is an incredible platform for promotion and development."
In his speech, ICCI President Fabio Grassia recalled that this year the Chamber has increased its presence in the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia by offering quality services to its clients and sponsors.
"Thanks to its long-lasting relationship with Italian institutions and organisations, the Chamber is at the forefront of business in Australia and Italy, and is active in various sectors, from F&B to innovation to space, offering a vast number of services related to both trade and investment in both directions,” Grassia pointed out.
"However, we would not be here if it were not for Maffio Rossi, a visionary businessman, a pioneer in his field, born in 1885 in Sondrio, near Lake Como, who migrated to Australia with a suitcase full of dreams for himself and his family, the president continued.
"Rossi immediately started importing Italian products, at the same time becoming the largest importer of marble,” Grassia recalled.
“He was also the first to import the Borsalino hat, made famous by Humphrey Bogart, Al Pacino and Frank Sinatra. In 1922 he was elected the first founding president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Australia. For this role in promoting Italian business relations, he was made an Order of the Crown of Italy.”
Italian Ambassador Paolo Crudele went on to point out that, “the celebration of the 100th year of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Sydney is a special occasion, a time-space that tells a lot about the historical presence of the Italian community, an admirable, hard-working community, and one fully integrated into the political and economic fabric of the country, an invaluable asset for Australia-Italy relations.”
Representing Premier Dominic Perrottet, Multiculturalism Minister Mark Coure recalled that “Italy and New South Wales have a history with much in common, full of very fruitful events. The more than 300,000 residents of Italian origin have played a substantial part in the state's emigration history,” he said.
"Italian immigrants and their descendants have done vital work in shaping New South Wales, making a remarkable contribution in every aspect of society, and I would like to take this opportunity to emphasise how maintaining Italian traditions is a very important thing.”
Coure then thanked all the participants for their commitment to preserving Italian culture for future generations of Australians.
At this year's Business Excellence Awards, the Intesa Sanpaolo branch in Sydney, which opened two years ago, won in the Large Enterprise Category for its work in local infrastructure projects, introducing financing facilities from Europe not previously seen in Australia. Operating since 2016 in this country, Chematek's subsidiary was instead awarded in the Medium Enterprise category. Achieving ambitious goals in recent years, the company seeks to maintain growth by structuring global teams that span Italy and Australia, and has geared its marketing spend predominantly online, in a customer-centric approach. Marana Forni has been selected for the Small Business category for its strategic approach to the Australian market that has seen an investment in an all-round service, focusing on its curation and selection of premium brands and quality products for the hospitality industry, reaping a small but highly specialised success.
The evening, presented by TV presenter Janice Petersen, celebrated the past, present and future of the organisation, gathering and showcasing the stories of some of the Italian families and companies operating in Australia, thus offering a fascinating insight into a pillar of modern society: Italian business culture.
