Chairman of the board Dr Jens Goennemann

The German-Australian Chamber is delighted to have Dr Jens Goennemann join as new Chairman of the board from February 2020. In his day job, Jens is Managing Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre Ltd (AMGC). AMGC is central to connecting Australia’s manufacturing industry with global best practices such as Industry 4.0 developments.

During recent events, Jens was invited to join the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission (NCCC) established by the Prime Minister on 25 March. As part of the NCCC’s remit, Jens participated in the Manufacturing Taskforce led by Andrew Liveris which has now submitted clear recommendations on a strategic path forward for Australian manufacturing.

In conjunction, the flexibility and resilience of Australian manufacturing was put to the test throughout the pandemic. In particular, was the creation of a new domestic supply chain to produce 2,000 invasive medical ventilators. AMGC was instrumental in bringing together a consortium of manufacturers who are working together as part of the nation’s response. Jens joined AMGC, an organisation with almost 2000 industry companies and research institution members, as its inaugural Managing Director in 2016. He brings extensive experience from overseeing large manufacturing operations in Australia and Europe. Jens came to Australia to serve as Managing Director of Airbus Group Australia Pacific and Airbus Helicopters for eight years. Previously, he worked for the former European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), today known as Airbus Group. His roles included the Head of the CEO’s Office and a two-year role in Athens to head the Eurofighter Office. He originally began his career with DaimlerBenz AG in 1996.

Jens has a unique hobby as an avid skydiver, earning him multiple national skydiving titles in Germany and Australia as well as a world’s best in 2014 which still stands. Jens has a PhD and Masters degree in Economics from the University of Hamburg and a Bachelor of Business from Hamburg School of Business Administration. He is a senior member of the Executive Committee for Industry 4.0 Advanced Manufacturing Forum, a Board Member of the Innovative Manufacturing CRC, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

In regards to the German-Australian Chamber, Jens is looking forward to making it an even more influential centrepiece in the bilateral economic relationship in collaboration with our new Executive Director Christoph von Spesshardt, the other Board members as well as the Chamber members and staff.

Written by Dr Michael Zettinig German-Australian Chamber