Robert Wang retires from AWTA
Well known personality in the world wool industry, Robert Wang, is retiring from his position as China manager at AWTA. Robert has played a vital role in China and Australian wool industry relationship. Anyone who has attended a Nanjing Wool Textile Association conference or IWTO Congress will have witnessed Robert’s hard work and communications skills at play.
I have known Robert for many years and am grateful to him for his friendship. I am also grateful to him for his help and advice around our Chinese language magazine, wool2yarn china and the role he played in progressing our early relationships in China.
In his farewell announcement below Michael Jackson AWTA’s managing director, pays tribute to Robert :
‘Robert has been involved in the wool industry for over 30 years, starting with the Australian Wool Corporation (AWC) in its International Market Development Division with Barry White. In the early 1990’s, China was becoming a major importer of Australian wool and needed significant technical assistance to use wool to its best advantage. Robert, while at the AWC, played a key role in building relationships with the Chinese wool trade, running training and development missions (Robert was a regular visitor to AWTA Melbourne laboratory with these groups) and building bridges between two countries and two cultures.
Robert worked at AWC (which became AWRAP) until 2000 when he moved to a new role as the China Manager for consultancy firm ACIL Tasman. Here, he continued his involvement with Australian wool and agricultural projects alongside his then boss David Trebeck. Robert also undertook consulting work for AWTA in this role.
In 2004, Robert re-joined the wool industry directly, taking on the role of AWI’s Chief Representative in China, based in Shanghai.
In 2006, Robert left AWI and became a consultant to AWTA. He became a full-time AWTA employee in a newly created role of China Manager in 2008, and Robert has held this role ever since. In this role, he has been involved in translating AWTA testing information into Chinese, assisting to resolve testing questions and disputes and has been intimately involved in the training and education of several generations of Chinese wool industry players, including in the TEAM-3 and Topmark projects to assist Chinese processors improve their use of Australia wool. He has also been a key person in the establishment of JinAo Testing in Nanjing as well as the Australia-China Working Group, which has helped to build industry relations between both countries and oversees the Model Wool Contract that Robert helped to establish. He has also been involved internationally, helping to bring China into IWTO, assisting, explaining, and supporting Chinese delegates at IWTO conferences.
It is fair to say that Robert’s impact on the Australia and Chinese wool industries has been profound and we are unlikely to find someone who has the intimate knowledge of the wool industries in both countries and the cultural understanding to really interpret what someone is asking (and to swear when needed!). Thankfully, Robert has agreed post-retirement to continue to undertake some consultancy work for AWTA so he will not be a complete loss to the industry.
Finally, Robert has successfully chaperoned those AWTA managers who have visited China. Due to his efforts, we have developed important business relationships, enjoyed our time in a sometimes challenging environment and come home safely.
Please congratulate Robert on this marvellous career and we will find suitable time to celebrate in the near future.
Xie xie ni, Robert. Ganbei!
Regards
Michael Jackson
MANAGING DIRECTOR