Connecting Australia and Italy Through Business, Innovation and Partnership
Institutional Affiliates
The Australia Italy Business Association (AIBA) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to fostering bilateral ties, facilitating strategic collaboration across industries, and driving forward sustainable growth and innovation.
Leading Support
Corporate & Medium Enterprise Support
Knowledge Network
About us
Connecting Stakeholders, Building Opportunities
AIBA is a non-profit association, operating as a reference point between Australian and Italian businesses, institutions, and professionals. Through strategic partnerships, high-level roundtables, and curated networking opportunities, AIBA empowers members to explore new markets, overcome challenges and expand their global impact
Focus area
Exploring Key Areas of Impact
AIBA’s focus areas reflect its mission to support bilateral growth across strategic sectors. Our work highlights emerging opportunities in sustainability, innovation, infrastructure and talent mobility.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure sector continues to drive forward Australia’s economic development. Diverse opportunities across transportation, energy, water and social infrastructure present long-term prospects for investment.
Energy and Resources
Large scale investment opportunities and partnerships exist with a focus on solar, wind, storage and transmission, critical minerals and hydrogen. FDI and partnerships between Australia and Italy allow for the creation of energy markets that are competitive, globally integrated and resilient.
Sport
Australia is set to host multiple international sporting events over the next decade, including the Brisbane Olympic Games in 2032. Megatrends such as digital technologies, sustainability and inclusivity and new infrastructure demands will continue to carve out commercial opportunities.
Financial Services
Financial institutions play a vital role in supporting foreign direct investment. Both Australian and Italian institutions are present in the respective markets, providing industry with essential support and driving forward global competitiveness and innovation.
Property Development
Essential infrastructure for the digital economy as well as industrial and commercial development will continue to support both the Italian and Australian economies. Going- forward investment is likely to focus on energy use, sustainable use of resources, and design innovations.
Connecting Markets, Building Opportunities
AIBA operates as a reference point between Australian and Italian businesses, institutions, and professionals. Through strategic partnerships, high-level roundtables, and curated networking opportunities, AIBA empowers members to explore new markets, overcome challenges and expand their global impact.
Connecting Markets, Building Opportunities
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Board members
Leadership & Governance
Our Board includes senior representatives from government, academia, and business. They provide strategic guidance, foster bilateral cooperation, and support AIBA’s mission to drive impactful partnerships between Australia and Italy.
Patron
H.E Julianne Cowley
Ms Julianne Cowley is Ambassador of Australia to Italy, San Marino and Albania and Ambassador-designate to Libya, and Permanent Representative of Australia to the UN Agencies in Rome (FAO, WFP).
Prior to this she was Assistant Secretary, Pacific Development in the Office of the Pacific in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. From 2018-2021, Ms Cowley was Consul-General in Ho Chi Minh City. She has served as Assistant Secretary Health Policy where she established the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security. Ms Cowley was previously Assistant Secretary Staff Welfare Branch and, in the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), was Assistant Director-General for People, Policy and Planning. Ms Cowley is a founding board member of Pacific Women Lead and the Asia Pacific Leader’s Malaria Alliance and has undertaken development work in Northern Thailand. She holds a Master of Business Administration, Graduate Diploma of Education, Bachelor of Communication and Associate Diploma in Music.
President
Taylee Lewis
Taylee is the Co-Founder and President of the Australia Italy Business Association. She has held positions in both Australia and Italy as a corporate affairs consultant, most recently as Head
of Corporate Affairs (Europe) for advisory firm Cornerstone
Group. She is a regular guest lecturer on the institutional
environment for business at chambers of commerce, industrial
associations and universities, including Bergamo University in
Northern Italy. Taylee started her career as a business journalist in
Sydney. She holds a Global MBA from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid
(IE University), graduating at the top of her class with Dean’s list honours; Master of
International Relations (Griffith University) and a Bachelor of
Media (Communications and Journalism) from the University of New South Wales.
Vice President
Diana Brock
Diana Brock is the Co- Founder and Vice President of the Australia Italy Business Association. She is an experienced international business professional based in Milan for 35 years.
She lead KPMG Advisory’s International Business Practice; was a consultant to SDA Bocconi in international market entry and capability development and merger and acquisition integration. Diana importantly has represented several Australian companies sourcing from and selling into the Italian market. Her sector experience in utilities, digital, high technology and wool. Diana has a BSc (ANU) and a Research Master in Industrial Economics (Monash) where she was sponsored by Australia Wool International to research the wool sector value chain in Europe.
Honorary Board Member
Rachel White
Rachel was appointed Consul-General Milan and Trade and Investment Commissioner for Italy, Israel, and Czech Republic in July 2024. She has previously served
as Trade Commissioner for the
Government of Canada at the Consulate-General of Canada in
Sydney. In addition to advancing the bilateral trade and investment
relationship between Australia and Canada, Rachel was responsible
for the effective delivery of consular services and operationalising
Canada’s immigration programs. Prior to relocating to Milan, Rachel
held various roles with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade)
in Australia, with responsibility for advancing Australia’s commercial interests
through trade promotion strategies and attracting and facilitating foreign direct
investment from the Americas.
Board Member
Franco Bruni
President of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) and Co-Head of the Observatory on Europe and Global Governance. Professor Emeritus at Bocconi University and a
current Fellow of the university’s Institute for European
Policymaking. He has been a visiting Professor at the University of
NSW and has a keen interest in Australia and the development of
stronger EU- Australia relations. He is the Vice President of the
UniCredit Foundation and a member of advisory boards and working groups of the
World Bank and the EU Commission for Financial Services.
Board Member & Secretary
Fiona de Jong
A leading figure in the international sporting community, she served as CEO and Director of Sport at the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and holds board positions with
Surfing Australia, the
Australian Sports Diplomacy Advisory Council and the National
Sports Tribunal. She leads the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)
European Training Centre in Gavirate, Italy, overseeing the
Australian Sports Commission’s operations in Europe ahead of the
Paris 2024 and Milano/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games. Fiona was previously Head of
Australia’s Nation Brand and Chief Marketing Officer at the Australian Trade and
Investment Commission (Austrade), leading Australia’s international global brand
initiative to encourage investment and tourism. LLB (Hons), BIT, AMP (Harvard).
Board Member
Andrea De Gaspari
Andrea is the Head of the International Network Office within the Institutional Affairs and External Communication Division at Intesa Sanpaolo.
The Office coordinates and promotes institutional relations with the aim of supporting and developing the bank’s internationalization process.
Andrea’s previous roles at Intesa Sanpaolo include Senior Manager in the International Directorate of the IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division, Area Manager for Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and Head of Foreign Network Development for Public Finance.
He holds a PhD in Business Law (University of Naples Federico II) and a degree in Economics and Commerce (Sapienza University of Rome).
Board Member
Stefano Fierro
Country Head for Italy at Goodman. Responsible for investment and development projects in industrial, logistics and data centre sectors. Stefano previously
served Goodman as senior technical development and asset manager. Before joining Goodman, he gained extensive experience in real estate, infrastructure and project management fields. MBA (ESCP, Paris), Master in Project Management (Politecnico, Milan), BAs in Structural and Management Engineering (Federico II, University of Naples).
Board Member
Giuseppe Artizzu
Giuseppe is the Chief Executive Officer of NHOA SA and NHOA Energy. He worked for ten years with Lehman Brothers in London, Milan and Rome, responsible for the utilities sector
in Southern Europe and corporate finance activities in the European renewable energy field.
Giuseppe is a regular contributor on energy matters for the Huffington Post and contributor
to sector journals Qualenergia, Staffetta Quotidiana and Quotidiano Energia.
He graduated cum laudae in Economy & Finance at the University of Bologna.
Treasurer & Board Member
Monica Rota
Dottore commercialista e Partner di Nexus Avvocati e Commercialisti, dove coordina la divisione internazionalizzazione dello studio.
Ricopre incarichi di sindaco e revisore legale in società operanti in diversi settori. Esperta consulente fiscale per enti non profit e di utilità sociale, Monica supporta efficacemente la sostenibilità finanziaria a lungo termine di AIBA.
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