AIIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Sheryle Moon, today announced that the Association will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), India’s leading ICT industry Association.

The joint commitment was initiated at the annual Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO) ICT Summit, which was held in Tokyo from 15-16 November. AIIA has represented Australia as a member of ASOCIO since its foundation in 1984.

The ICT Summit offers a platform for both government and industry to exchange information, develop closer relationships and above all, identify new business opportunities.

“Synergies between the Australian and Indian ICT industries already exist, and both AIIA and NASSCOM are keen to work together to capitalise on these,” Ms Moon says.

“We are looking to collaborate on the issues of skills and mobility of workers, most particularly how Australia can access India’s pool of skilled ICT workers both physically and virtually,” Ms Moon explains.

India’s English-language fluency, low labour costs and commitment to maintaining their human resource talent base with education investment makes it a natural fit for Australian companies looking to supplement their existing teams, Ms Moon says.

Under the proposed MoU, AIIA and NASSCOM will work together to exchange information, promote bilateral trade relationships, build alliances and facilitate joint ventures among member companies of the two organisations.

“The two associations will act as an interface between small and medium enterprises to develop mutually beneficial business relationships,” Ms Moon explains, adding that India has many entries to Europe that Australian companies may not otherwise access.

“India’s ICT industry is projected to be worth AUD$34 billion in 2008 – and AIIA will ensure that Australian companies have access to established linkages with this market,” Ms Moon concludes.

The Australian ICT industry has a vital role to play in enabling and underpinning economic growth, Western Australian parliamentarians were told last week.

On Monday 11 December, Telstra’s Chief Executive Officer, Sol Trujillo will be guest speaker at an AIIA luncheon in Brisbane.

Mr Trujillo will share Telstra's plan for Australia, including the recently-launched Next G network, Australia's fastest and largest mobile broadband network.

As Telstra CEO, Sol Trujillo is driving a multi-year transformation of Australia's leading telecommunications company into what he calls a ‘media comms’ company.

Each week, AIIA’s Bulletin will profile one of the members of our influential Board of Directors.