The Australia-Colombia Dialogue Podcast Cesar Alvarez, The Australia-Colombia Dialogue

In this episode, we had the honor of interviewing Tim Harcourt. Tim is an Australian economist who for many years has traveled to many countries around the world conducting research and analysis of the economic state and opportunities of each of these nations. His work has taken him to Colombia, a country he describes as "resilient" due to all the social challenges they’ve had to overcome through many decades. Tim also shares with us his impressions of Colombia and tells us his views on the unfolding of the economic relationship between Colombia and Australia; particularly, as both countries are experiencing political changes and are recovering from challenges imposed by the pandemic. Tim also tells us about his book and film series titled ‘The Airport Economist’. We also learned in this interview about himself and the motivations he had to enter the field of economics as well as his current work as Professor and Government advisor

In this episode, we spoke with Carolina Giraldo, Founder and Creator of Carolina Lifestyle who told us about her life, inspirations, and career, which includes her beginnings in the clothing industry, the processes and challenges she has faced, and the opportunities she has had encountered along the way, as well as current state of operations of the business. Carolina, like many immigrants, was presented with countless difficulties shortly after her arrival in Australia, however, Australia, a country she describes as ‘the land of opportunities’, provided her with the tools which combined with her interests, personality, and Colombian roots, allowed her to materialize one of her biggest projects: Carolina Lifestyle, a unique Australian brand which captures European lifestyle and Colombian craftsmanship. Carolina is an inspiration for women, immigrants, entrepreneurs, and many others. In this interview, she kindly provides us with tips on how to overcome challenges and make the best of our opportunities and she also guides us through one of her main strengths which she had gained and imported from Colombia: Her can-do attitude.

In this episode, we spoke with Eddie White, an Australian filmmaker and artist based in Bogota Colombia. Eddy talked us through his work and the main contents he likes to cover in his artistic expressions. We also spoke about his motivations to travel and then settle in Colombia. It is precisely in this country, where he has discovered new artistic insights that add new dynamics to his life and create countless opportunities for him. We also covered how his personality, his Australian roots, and his interest in arts have contributed to his adaptation and familiarisation with the Colombian community, allowing him to creatively inform his audience in Australia and Colombia about Colombia’s culture, therefore forming an increasingly large audience across both countries.

In this episode, we sat down with Natalia Piedrahita, Americas Regional Marketing Manager for the University of Queensland. We took this opportunity to talk about the progress that has been made since 2019 in the collaboration in the educational area between the Americas region and Australia with greater emphasis on Colombia for the purpose of this interview. We also talked about the challenges that emerged as a result of the pandemic and this year’s expectations for a new reactivation. Natalia also refers to the opportunities that Australia offers for students, and she talks about her role and that of her institution in this growing relationship between Australia and Colombia. She specifically looks at it from an educational perspective since through this, the dreams of many students who want to start an academic and professional life in Australia are supported.

In this episode, we sat down with Alvaro Carvajal, Export Sales Manager for Thales Australia, one of the largest and most recognized companies in the defense industry sector. Alvaro shares with us his lessons learned and his journey from Colombia to Australia, and how he managed to make it with a lot of sacrifices into one of the most important companies in the sector.

In this episode, we sat down for coffee and tea with Jason Stirbinskis, Managing director of Los Cerros LTD. We talked about his successes in Quinchía, Risaralda, and part of their work in the region, both in mining and for the community. Jason also spoke about his cultural, personal, and work experience and his contribution to creating an inclusive and diverse mining industry in Colombia. We also covered some of his team's challenges, the steps to overcome them, and future endeavors.