The PNG Advantage Summit

The 2015 Papua New Guinea Advantage Investment Summit was held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 27th and 28th August 2015. This is the fifth year for the Summit, with this year’s Summit held two weeks prior to the 40th Anniversary of PNG’s Independence. This summit is the only PNG focused business event to be held in Australia this year.

The program featured high calibre speakers, including Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, the Hon. Peter O’Neill MP, Kramer Ausenco’s CEO, Frank Kramer, as well as many other high profile speakers from PNG and around the world. 

Day One of the Summit focused on investment opportunities across the economy, whilst Day Two focused entirely on infrastructure and transport. The event used a variety of session formats such as moderated panel discussions, question-and-answer sessions and short case studies. The event also included a trade expo.

As well as having a booth at the trade expo, Kramer Ausenco was honoured to have Frank Kramer as a member of the panel on the first day (27th August) at 12pm. The title of the panel discussion: “Making PNG more productive: the business opportunities”,

Topic overview: A lot of companies recruited heavily during the PNG LNG construction phase to cater for the increased demand, then shed staff once the construction period was over. However, smart companies have looked beyond this boom/bust approach to review their overall productivity, and have taken steps to achieve efficiencies that will serve their bottom line in times of both boom and bust. The heads of some leading PNG businesses talk about how they have driven productivity in their own businesses, and what opportunities will spring from this improved productivity.

Participants: Syd Yates (CEO, Kina Group), Mahesh Patel (Chairman, CPL Group), Stan Joyce (Managing Director, S P Brewery), Frank Kramer (CEO, Kramer Ausenco)

Moderator: Andrew Wilkins (Business Advantage International)