Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Australia, Askar Kuttykadam (with residence in Singapore), conducted a working visit to Australia, El.kz cites MFA.
In Sydney, the largest city and the economic hub of Australia, Ambassador Kuttykadam held meetings with representatives from major companies engaged in large-scale projects in Kazakhstan. Among those he met were Michael Dickerson, CEO of GK Hyperscale (involved in the construction of a hyperscale green data center); Angela Walker, Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific region and Central Asia at Fortescue Group (focused on implementing green technologies in Kazakhstan’s metallurgy sector); Sean Gregory, Managing Director of Sarytogan Graphite (working on the development of a graphite deposit in the Karaganda region); and Jamie Myers, Board Member of C29 Metals (overseeing the development of the Ulytau uranium deposit in the Zhambyl region). Additionally, Kuttykadam met with prominent Australian politician and businessman Warwick Smith to discuss strategic avenues for trade, economic, and investment cooperation between Astana and Canberra.
The highlight of the program in Sydney was the Ambassador’s participation in the International Mining and Resources Conference and Exhibition (IMARC 2024) – the largest industry forum on the Green Continent. During this event, he held discussions with Robert Tzebski, Director of International Business Development at the Australian Mining Industry Association AUSTMINE, and Susan Cavati, Director of Green Economy and Agriculture at the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (AUSTRADE).
Key topics of international and regional politics, bilateral political and economic cooperation, and collaboration within international organizations were at the forefront of discussions between the Kazakh diplomat and senior officials from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in the federal capital, Canberra. The Ambassador engaged in fruitful conversations with Michelle Chan, Deputy Secretary (South and Southeast Asia) at DFAT; Natalie Cohen, Acting Deputy Secretary (Development, Multilateral Cooperation, Europe); and Lucien Manton, Assistant Secretary and Head of the Southern and Central Asia Division at DFAT, all conducted in a spirit of mutual understanding and trust.
The visit concluded with a trip to Melbourne – Australia’s second-largest city and a key economic, cultural, and educational center of the Green Continent. In Melbourne, the Ambassador Kuttykadam met with Andrew Fernihough, Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan in Melbourne and Victoria; Will Heatherington, Head of Corporate Affairs at the Australian sovereign wealth fund Future Fund; Sanjiv Gandhi, CEO of Orica (one of the leading global suppliers of solutions for mining and infrastructure projects); and Andrew Mendelavitz, Director of the pharmaceutical company Pharmachal Health Group.
Overall, Ambassador Kuttykadam’s working visit facilitated alignment of interests with representatives of Australian agencies and business sectors, identified new partnership opportunities, coordinated solutions to pressing issues, and laid the groundwork for future bilateral contacts and activities.