Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group
Southern California relies on the global economy. The Chamber works to advance global trade in the region and help local businesses build international relationships and expand global reach.
The Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group provides the infrastructure and venue where members of the consular corps and trade offices can develop their own trade strategies and programs as they perform their professional responsibilities. To date over thirty countries are represented in the initiative.
|
|
|
|
| Chair Ian Frederick Trade Commissioner, Prochile West Coast-USA |
Vice Chair Aldila Tjahjasari Director of Indonesia Trade Promotion Center Los Angeles |
Vice Chair Marcella Smyth Ireland’s Consul General to the South Western United States |
INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
NEXT MEETING:
TBA
RECAP OF Feb. 23, 2023 MEETING
Exploring Opportunities in the Global Streaming & Entertainment Industry
Over 60 members of the Chamber’s Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group and industry leaders participated in a panel discussion focused on international co-production and filming, distribution, financing for international productions, IP and content. Our panel speakers included executives from DragonTree Media + Technologies, A&E Studios, Paramount, and StoryWarrior Media Capital, A&E Studios, Paramount, and StoryWarrior Media Capital.
RECAP OF DEC. 7 MEETING
Diplomatic Members Hold Strategic Roundtable
Nearly 30 members of the Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group participated in a private roundtable this week to establish program priorities for 2023 and discuss potential areas of collaboration. The session was led by Chair, H.E. H.E. Thandile Babalwa Sunduza, Consul General of South Africa. Over the past ten years, the membership of the group has grown from four initial countries to more than 45 members, positioning the Chamber as a commercial bridge between regional companies and many countries.
RECAP OF SEP. 14 MEETING
California's Food & Agriculture Sector Briefing
Members of the Chamber’s Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group convened to hear Rachelle Arizmendi from the California State Board of Food and Agriculture as she provides updates on the state’s agricultural landscape, current market trends, local & regional food systems, climate & water, and its impact on climate and trade partnerships. VIEW THE PRESENTATION
RECAP OF Jul. 8 MEETING:
Los Angeles and the Global Water Crisis
Members of the Chamber’s Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group gathered for its first in-person session in two years. The session focused on the global water crisis in the Los Angeles region. Keynote Speaker Martin Adams, General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, discussed the ongoing drought in our region, the current emergency measures in place for water conservation, as well as the prospects for global partnerships related to water technology, infrastructure and sustainable water resource management. VIEW THE PRESENTATION
RECAP of April 23 MEETING:
ECommerce Sector Briefing
Chamber Diplomatic members participated in a virtual briefing with Amazon focused on the e-Commerce sector. The program featured Eric Broussard, Vice President, International Seller Services, Amazon. As a leader of Amazon’s International Marketplace businesses in Europe, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Australia, Eric shared engagement strategies for foreign companies with large e-platform providers, recent supply chain innovations and global expansion strategies.
RECAP OF Nov. 17 MEETING:
Chamber Diplomat Group received Fintech Sector Briefing
Members of the Chamber’s Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group received an update on current trends focused on the Fintech space, including a sector overview and strategies to connect with VCs that are looking to set up offshore operations and/or interested in investing in foreign startups. . The discussion was led by 2021 Chair of the group Juan Luis Gimeno. VIEW THE PRESENTATION.
RECAP OF Oct. 27 MEETING:
Chamber Diplomat received an update on California's Green Bond Pledge Initiative
Members of the Chamber’s Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group gathered for a private briefing focused on California’s Green Bond Pledge initiative and how it can be used as a crucial tool to develop Smart Cities as well as strengthen the region’s infrastructure and potential international partnership opportunities. Speakers included State Treasurer Fiona Ma, representatives from the City of Los Angeles and the private sector. VIEW THE PRESENTATION.
RECAP OF Jul. 17 MEETING:
Chamber Diplomat Group receive briefing on L.A's Furniture Sector
Members of the Chamber’s Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group received an update on current trends in the region’s furniture industry sector earlier today. The virtual session included an industry overview, best marketing channels & target markets, recommended distribution methods, e-commerce strategies and effective ways to connect with furniture importers. The discussion was led by Chair of the group Amb. Marcia Loureiro, Consul general of Brazil and featured speakers representing Kathy Ireland Worldwide, California Furniture Manufacturers Association, Coaster and Design Public Group. VIEW THE PRESENTATION.
RECAP OF Feb. 13 MEETING:
Diplomat members receive briefing on L.A. fashion industry
Nearly forty members of the Chamber's Diplomatic and Commercial Officers Group received a briefing led by Isle Metchek, president of the California Fashion Association and Vincent Iacopella, EVP of Alba Wheels Up International, about current global trends in the region’s fashion industry. Topics included U.S. retail marketing channels, market entry options for foreign companies and the impact of the recent virus outbreak. “As it stands today, the virus has already resulted in significant delays in the supply chain and we are seeing projections of a long term economic impact of a 2.5% negative hit on global growth.” The Chamber continues to facilitate connections between local industry leaders and foreign diplomats to create growth opportunities. VIEW THE PRESENTATION. SEE THE PHOTOS.
Agenda, Speaker Bios, Alba Wheels Up International Inc. Presentation
RECAP OF Dec. 2 MEETING:
Diplomatic Members Hold Strategic Roundtable
Nearly 30 members of the Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group participated in a private roundtable this week to establish program priorities for 2020 and discuss potential areas of collaboration. The session was led by Chair, Amb. Marcia Loureiro, Consul General of Brazil. Over the past nine years, the membership of the group has grown from four initial countries to more than 45 members, positioning the Chamber as a commercial bridge between regional companies and many countries. SEE PHOTOS.
RECAP OF Oct. 4 MEETING:
Chamber member diplomats receive AI Industry Sector Briefing
Members of the Chamber’s Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group met with Dr. Paul McLachlan, Principal Data Scientist with Ericsson Global Artificial Intelligence Accelerator last week to receive an update on general trends in the AI and 5G sector in California. Technological advancement in mobile and cloud computing has resulted in a projected "8x growth in smartphone traffic by 2020", among other increases. California is uniquely positioned to answer public demand for heightened interconnectivity by engaging its technological companies and encouraging collaboration to create efficiencies and scale. More than 40 countries are represented in the Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group, which provides the infrastructure and venue where members of the consular corps and trade offices can develop their own trade strategies and programs as they perform their professional responsibilities. SEE PHOTOS
RECAP OF Jul.23 MEETING:
Diplomats visit Grifols for So Cal Bio Science Sector briefing
Members of the Chamber’s Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group received a briefing on the Southern California Bio Science sector, organized in partnership with Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCalBio) and Chamber member Grifols, a leading global healthcare company. The greater LA area is home to 1,000 Bio Science firms and employs 90,000. The session included expert overviews of bioscience hubs in the region by executives from key pharma companies, who also discussed growth prospects/trends and opportunities for international collaboration. Ahmed Enany, president of SoCalBio, noted, “Going global is not an option [for bio science firms], it is a necessity even for emerging companies”. SEE THE PHOTOS.
Agenda, Bios, SoCalBio Presentation, CrossLinkBio, Inc. Presentation, Alfred Mann Foundation Presentation
RECAP OF March 6 MEETING:
Chamber Diplomat Group meets with California State Board of Food and Agriculture
Members of the Chamber’s Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group met with senior representatives from the California State Board of Food and Agriculture this week to learn about the state’s agriculture sector, international strategies department and best practices for agricultural exports and imports. Speakers included Josh Eddy, executive director of the CA State Board, Dr. Amrith Gunasekara, Science Advisor to Secretary Ross at the California Department of Food and Agriculture and Brooks Ohlson, director of the Sacramento Regional Center for International Trade Development. California is the top performing agricultural producer in the nation and exported over $20 billion of products in 2017, 63.8% of all US ag exports. The state strives to continue building international collaboration in areas of climate change and ag technology.
RECAP OF Nov. 15 MEETING:
On Nov. 15, California Energy Commission and the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown briefed members of the Chamber's Diplomatic and Commercial Officers Group on California environmental regulations with a focus on new initiatives surrounding renewable energy and environmental protections. The members were also given an overview of the Global Climate Action Summit and any international partnerships and actions that resulted from the Summit.
Agenda, Bios, Global Climate Action Summit Presentation, California Energy Commission Presentation
RECAP OF Sept. 19 MEETING:
On Sept.19, members of the Chamber’s Diplomatic & Commercial Officers Group were briefed by SpaceX on general trends of the aerospace industry in CA, current international partnerships that SpaceX has cultivated and potential partnership opportunities.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS:
| Date | Sessions |
| 2020 |
|
| 11/17/20 |
California Fintech Sector Briefing |
| 10/27/20 |
California's Green Bond Pledge Initiative |
| 07/17/20 |
California Furniture Sector Briefing |
| 02/13/20 |
California Fashion Briefing Agenda, Speaker Bios, Alba Wheels Up International Inc. Presentation |
MEETINGS ARCHIVE READ MORE ▾
CURRENT MEMBERS
* List last updated 02/01/22
INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Consulate General of the Republic of Kenya
Consulate General of Sri Lanka
Invitation for Bids (IFB) for Maintenance of Adequate Tug Fleet in the Port of Colombo
Invitation for Bids for the Supply of State Pharmaceuticals
Procurement Notices of State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka
- Market Opportunities for Sri Lankan Products & Services
- Opportunities for Imports & Exports from the National Chamber of Sri Lanka
- SA Connect
- Port City Presentation at the CCC
Consulate General of Ethiopia
Government of Mauritius
- Anyone willing to participate in Public Procurement in Mauritius must register on the e-procurement portal.
- The address for registration is: https://eproc.publicprocurement.govmu.org
- After registration, the bidder will have access to all advertised biddings and may participate in those which are open to international bidders.
- Contact details are provided in the bidding documents for any request for clarification or assistance (including by new bidders).
Gyeongnam Representative Office in LA
Consulate of Paraguay
Consulate General of Brazil in Los Angeles