Greg Wallis - President
Greg has a combination of public and private sector executive experience in Latin America, particularly Brazil, that is matched by few practitioners in Australia.In the public sphere, he served for 10 years as Australia’s Consul-General and Senior Trade Commissioner in Sao Paulo, as well as for four years in Bangkok, Thailand.
In the private sector, Greg held an executive position with Philips Electronics in Brazil, in addition to similar roles with technology companies in Canada, the USA and Australia. He now runs his own international business advisory, the Caravela Group, with a focus on Brazil. Recently, together with his business partner, he conducted the first Australian Wine Fair in Brazil and is now finalizing agreements for Australian wineries new to the market. He is also assisting companies with market entry to Brazil in other industrial sectors. |
Rodrigo de Luca - Vice President & Director (QLD)
Rodrigo is a partner at Stark Capital Partners since 2016 and responsible for managing investor relations and equity partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region. With over a decade’s experience as a corporate executive in Oil & Gas and Agribusiness, Rodrigo has played instrumental roles in the Project Management of major facility redevelopments, internationalizations and international trading. As a private investor, he has developed Brazilian Agribusiness’ interests internationally and domestically.
With extensive experience in facilitating mergers and acquisitions, Rodrigo has worked with corporates and private investors in Australia, Brazil, China and the USA. As the vice-president of the Australia-Brazil Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), Rodrigo has extended his skills to assist development between the Asia-Pacific region and Brazil. |
Cristina Talacko - Vice President ABCC (NSW)
Cristina Talacko is a Brazilian-Australian entrepreneur and environmental advocate with a diverse career in business, law, and sustainability.
Cristina was President of the ABCC from 2003 to 2013, Vice Chair NSW of the Australia Latin America Business Council (ALABC), and Board director of the Council on Australia Latin America Relations (COALAR). She is the founder of SalDoce Fine Foods, a company that produces allergen-sensitive foods, which has expanded to export its products to over 20 countries. The company won the NSW Export Awards in 2016, 2018 and 2020. Cristina is also a passionate advocate for environmental causes and female empowerment. She serves on several executive boards, including Beyond Zero Emissions and Viridios Capital. She is currently the CEO of the Coalition for Conservation (C4C), where she works to promote sensible energy and environmental policies in Australia and overseas. Her background includes a Bachelor of Law (LLB) from the University of London and a Graduate Diploma in Corporate Law and Governance from the University of Sydney. Cristina is involved in multiple philanthropic and advisory roles, including being a benefactor of the Art Gallery of NSW and the charity One Meal - It Makes a Difference. She has also completed an executive leadership program at the Harvard Kennedy School. She was vested with the Order of Rio Branco from the Brazilian government in recognition of her work enhancing Australia-Brazil relations and supporting business and community initiatives. |
Thomas Skinner - Director (NSW, based in Brazil)
Tom is an executive for Macquarie Group based in São Paulo, Brazil. He originates and executes investment opportunities in the Brazilian infrastructure sector for Macquarie’s funds, having been involved in transactions in the transportation, energy and sanitation sectors. In addition to his role pursuing new investments Tom also helps manage existing portfolio company investments and sits on the Board of Corredor Logística e Infraestrutura S.A. (CLI), Brazil’s largest independent agricultural commodity export terminals business. He is also a member of the Conduct, Risk, Audit and Sustainability Committee of Solví Essencis Ambiental S.A., one of Latin America’s largest vertically integrated waste management businesses. Tom has been based in São Paulo for over 10 years and prior to that worked for Macquarie in Australia. He has a Bachelor of Laws / Bachelor of Business (Finance major) from the University of Technology Sydney. Tom is married to a Brazilian national and has two young children with dual Australian and Brazilian citizenship.
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Paul Trotter - Director (QLD)
Paul Trotter is a multidisciplinary professional with expertise spanning architecture, education, design, and illustration. Based in Australia, Paul has dedicated his career to fostering creativity and innovation across various fields.
As an Adjunct Professor and Studio Leader for the QUT Master of Architecture program, Paul has been instrumental in guiding final-year design students through complex architectural challenges. His commitment to shaping the next generation of architects reflects his deep passion for education and design excellence. Beyond academia, Paul serves as a Graphic Illustrator for SCODY Sportswear, where he combines his artistic talents with a focus on functional, visually striking designs. His creative pursuits also extend to projects like A Diary for Day Dreamers, showcasing his versatility and artistic vision. An active member of the sailing community, Paul is the Commodore of the Careel Cruising Yacht Association, reflecting his dedication to leadership and collaboration both on and off the water. |
Kamille Dietrich - Secretary & Director (NSW)
Kamille Dietrich is a skilled professional specializing in project management and international business development. Based in Sydney, she brings extensive experience in building strategic partnerships and driving results across diverse industries.
Before moving to Australia, Kamille honed her expertise in Brazil, working with leading organizations to deliver innovative projects and foster growth. Her global perspective and cultural fluency enable her to navigate international markets and unlock new business opportunities. Passionate about empowering teams, Kamille is committed to creating meaningful impact and fostering collaboration within the international business community. |
Nicole McLean - Director (VIC)
Nicole McLean is a highly accomplished professional with extensive expertise in environmental management and sustainability. Based in Melbourne, Nicole has built a distinguished career focused on driving impactful strategies that address environmental challenges and foster sustainable practices.
Before settling in Australia, she gained invaluable experience working in leadership roles across various organizations, where she was instrumental in developing and implementing environmental initiatives that achieved measurable results. Her work spans sectors such as conservation, resource management, and sustainable development. Nicole has a proven ability to deliver innovative solutions, engage diverse stakeholders, and build collaborative partnerships that drive positive environmental outcomes. Nicole is also actively involved in community outreach and advocacy, leveraging her expertise to inspire and guide organizations towards achieving their sustainability goals. She is passionate about creating a lasting impact through education, policy development, and hands-on environmental initiatives. |
Chaiene Deiro - Director (VIC)
Chaiene is a Brazilian journalist who has been residing in Melbourne since 2019. Prior to her move to Australia, she garnered extensive experience in the marketing sector, working for global companies. After this, she opened her own business in Brazil specialising in communication strategies, generating innovative ideas to enhance influence, foster engagement, and deliver tangible results both online and offline across various industries. Currently, she has joined the marketing team at AGCO Company, overseeing two brands: Fendt and Valtra in Australia and New Zealand.
Chaiene is the VIC Director for the ABCC (Australian-Brazil Chamber of Commerce). |
Antonio Lovisi - Director (QLD)
Antonio has 30 years’ experience in international trade and investment, business development, corporate finance, project management and management consulting.
He gained a unique global working experience in Australia, Canada, Brazil, the UK, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain in various roles across a diverse range of priorities sectors such as energy, mining, engineering, construction, consumer electronics, and Internet. In his current role at Trade and Investment Queensland, Antonio is a subject matter expert in the renewable energy sector, facilitating foreign direct investment to Queensland and supporting Queensland exporters to grow their business overseas in this sector. Antonio specialises in helping organisations enter and scale up in new markets by identifying business opportunities and by fostering strong relationships across the private and government sectors. Antonio is a Civil Engineer with an MBA in International Business. He is highly focused and passionate about driving the transition to a clean energy future. |
Christopher Ellis -Director (NSW)
Chris Ellis is the Country Manager for Oceania at LATAM Airlines, South America’s largest and most sustainable airline. With over 20 years of experience in the aviation and travel industries across Oceania and South America, Chris is a well respected and prominent figure in the sector and the marketing industry at large.
Throughout his career, he has held leadership positions within the travel industry at renowned local and international companies including Qatar Airways, Helloworld and Sabre. This background has equipped him with a deep understanding of sales, marketing, account management and business development, enabling him to manage, guide and inspire teams to craft and successfully implement high-impact strategies that enhance brands’ market presence, meet KPIs and adapt to market conditions. Since joining LATAM six years ago, Chris has played a pivotal role in driving the airline’s strategic initiatives and commercial success across the Oceania region, including the re-launch of the Sydney and Melbourne – Santiago direct flights. Now, leading a team of professionals to support new route launches, training and marketing, he is passionate about fostering effective partnerships and is committed to delivering exceptional services and results. Chris believes in creating a safe and enjoyable environment where employees are motivated and strong lasting relationships can be fostered with trust, accountability and creativity at the core. |
Victor Cavalcante - Director (WA)
Highly accomplished global business leader, commercially astute executive with more than 25 years of significant achievements leading sophisticated operations and commercial functions across diverse industries, including aerospace, oil & gas, mining, energy and food industries.
Having lived in the Americas, France, United Kingdom, Singapore, China and Australia, Victor has developed strong cultural awareness and understands how it can impact on business success. As a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), Victor is an active board member and advisor with a high level of self-awareness, integrity and ethical expectations. He embraces robust corporate governance and risk management as enablers for delivering corporate goals. Victor Cavalcante is the Western Australia Director for the Australia Brazil Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). |
Paula Cope - Treasurer & Director (QLD)
She is the director and founder of Cope Accountants and has over 10 years experience as an Accountant in Australia.
Her bachelor is in Business Administration and has finished her Master in Accounting at CQU Australia in 2008. She is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and Registered Tax Agent. She has helped thousands of clients with their individual tax needs and also the business clients to start and growing their business. All the knowledge and experience gained along the way has helped her build the confidence to give the best advice to her clients in regards to business and tax services. Giving the best quality service is her goal as her clients always come first. As a business owner herself, she understand the issues that confront business owners. Her focus is truly understand her client’s business and work with them to achieve the best outcome in regards to growing their revenue, profit and business value. She is passionate about the success of her clients. |
Valeria Noleto - CEO
“Brazilian born, but living in Australia since 2006, Valeria has extensive international experience running her own travel and relationship marketing business. She is passionate about travel and international opportunities having also lived in the USA, UK and Ireland.
She has a Bachelor degree in Public Relations, a Certificate of Proficiency in English from Cambridge University and studied English as a Foreign Language at the Harvard Extension of School in Boston, Massachusetts. She also has a Diploma in Public Relations from the London School of PR. Valeria has travelled extensively throughout Europe and has worked in Ireland for the Irish Group Kepak as an interpreter and travel manager. In Australia, Valeria has had a number of travel, events and administration roles and she has completed a Diploma in Business, Travel & Tourism with the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) where she has worked with both the Escape Travel and Flights Centre brands. Currently, she manages her own business (Personifi Travel) as a member of the FCTG Travel Partners. “ |
Simon Tarmo - Director (WA)
Simon works with the Western Australian Government in the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), in a TradeStart Advisor role that is also connected to the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade). This role is focused on supporting Australian exporters working with food and beverages, agribusiness and agrifood-tech.
Simon previously worked as the Publishing Director for leading B2B media company Aspermont Limited, responsible for a range of agriculture, energy and mining industry publications. From 2007-2017, Simon lived in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and in 2012 established the Brazilian operations for Aspermont, launching Brazil´s premier daily news service for the mining industry (Notícias de Mineração Brasil) and related products and services. Previously, Simon worked with the Australian Trade Commission in Belo Horizonte. He speaks fluent Portuguese and has a strong network of contacts throughout both Brazil and Australia. |