Simon Gorman is the new President of the Australia Pacific Islands Business Council. As Managing Director and a major shareholder of the Reeves Envico Group comprising CCB Envico and Reeves International, he has vast experience working in the Pacific Islands region.
Reeves Envico has for almost forty years carried out infrastructure works across the Pacific region with active infrastructure projects in Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Micronesia, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Fiji and PNG. Its current Pacific initiatives include complex water infrastructure projects as well as large civil and Built environment infrastructure projects.
Simon penned this note for your newsletter soon after he was elected APIBC President in November 2023.
I’m honoured to be elected as the new president of the APIBC. The input of the immediate past present Ian Clarke OBE has been significant and is much appreciated. I will be relying on his wise counsel and the ongoing contribution of previous and ongoing committee members going forward.
The Pacific region is in an exciting and challenging period. The increased step up in attention from Australia, the US and China is providing increased opportunities for Australian and Pacific Businesses to work together to contribute to the economies of the region.
The attendance of high level Pacific delegates and interest in the Blue Pacific Infrastructure conference hosted and organised by the APIBC in September of this year demonstrated how business and governments across the region can come together to discuss and act upon the large issues faced by the region including climate change. This conference also exemplified the support of the Australian Government being provided to Australian business to reach out and pursue growth strategies across the Pacific.
At the recent AGM, a large program of activities to bring together many of the Pacific chambers and our own council were set down. This program provides opportunities for our Council members to be hosted and to work practically with chambers, government bodies, and businesses across the Pacific to enhance trade and I will enjoy participating in these activities.
I am particularly interested to see how we as a Business Council can use our influence and the deep skills of our members across many business sectors including Tourism, Energy, Food and Agriculture and Infrastructure to assist the challenges faced by Pacific Nations. Our Committee represents major manufacturers, infrastructure specialists, Information technology providers, Tourism bodies and Food and Goods suppliers. They capture hundreds of years of hard business experience which can be I believe utilised to work and assist our members.
