Helping turn a niche miner into the world’s largest fully integrated garnet mining, processing and distribution company has earned Torsten Ketelsen the major prize at the recent annual International Business Council awards.
Helping turn a niche miner into the world’s largest fully integrated garnet mining, processing and distribution company has earned Torsten Ketelsen the major prize at the recent annual International Business Council awards.
The awards recognise outstanding achievers from Western Australia who have contributed to international business during the past year.
GMA Garnet is the world’s most popular blast cleaning and waterjet cutting abrasive, with a global market share of more than 50 per cent.
Mr Ketelsen started with the group in 1988, handling the international marketing and product development of GMA Garnet, starting out doing technical demonstrations in the shipyards of Dubai and Bahrain.
The ‘president’s award of distinction’ was won by Clive Langley, who developed the Neptune System for underwater welding that delivers low cost underwater welding repairs comparable to dry weld standards.
The process does not require dry-docking or the use of hyperbaric chambers, and it provides significant time and cost improvements over conventional offshore, oil and gas, and marine maintenance techniques.
The Neptune System, and its skills and knowledge base, has been exported throughout the world.
Heather Smaellie was awarded the ‘home operated business’ award for her work in two areas in the education sector.
Ms Smaellie’s Ultimate Studies Australia promotes WA education in 10 languages worldwide. It is an education agent providing a service for international students to help them find the right course, and place students in language schools, colleges, TAFE or universities.
The second business is Perth Demi Pair, which is an au pair agency that provides a service for girls from other countries wanting to study in Perth and supplement their school fees and living costs through au pair work.
The ‘new business’ award was won by Lisa Browne for her venture, The Loans Café International.
It offers a specialised lending and investment service for migrants to WA, as well as new businesses investing in the state. The Loans Café also operates an offshoot business called The Establishment Australia Pty Ltd, which is aimed at promoting foreign investment in WA from South Africa.
It aims to attract approximately $100 million in foreign investment to WA by the end of 2006.
The International Business Council is a local organisation established in 1995 to act as an umbrella body and bilateral centre for the various different chambers of commerce represented in WA.
These include the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia, Australian Dutch Business Association, Irish Australian Business Council and the Australian-Malaysia Business Council. The council works to advance international trade, and it does this by working with government to provide a conduit between government and industry.
The awards program has been running since 1996, and this year four awards were presented encompassing different areas of industry, with a focus on encouraging new enterprise.
The 11th annual awards were held at Government House earlier this month and presented by Deputy Premier Eric Ripper.