Last year, you may recall that I wrote about the importance of moving beyond selling resources- the foundation of our economic relations with China to date - to take advantage of vast opportunities to provide services to the growing middle classes.

It’s fair to say entrepreneurs and small to medium businesses had little chance of getting in on the mining boom, but the next wave of trade offers great opportunities for innovative private companies to succeed in this new frontier.  Yet success will depend of our ability to build stronger cultural ties. China may have been happy to buy commodities from faceless corporations but services will be a different story. Genuine local relationships will be crucial, so Australian businesses that are serious about targeting Chinese markets will need to improve their language and cultural knowledge of the country to build effective and fruitful business relationships.

A great example of an organisation that works hard to build those ties is Orient Express Travel Group. CEO Tom Manwaring and his team of 60 staff provide specialist travel services into Anglo-Asian markets. With a workforce that is 90% multilingual, it’s no surprise their tagline is ‘We speak your language.’

Tom has made it his mission to build a workforce that mirrors his customer base and encourages meaningful cultural engagement. He believes it’s all about having genuine empathy towards one another because it teaches everybody to be a little more humble as they go about their business. 

Tom’s approach certainly ensures plenty of fun at the office.  The company begins the festive season with traditional Western Christmas and New Year celebrations, moves onto Australia Day events which are enjoyed by many new Australians in the team, then headlong into Chinese New Year festivities, where all employees wear red and have their desks blessed as part of the ritual Dragon Dance.

While the travel industry may seem like a more natural place to find cultural tolerance and diversity, it’s exactly this sort of mind-set that needs to be developed by all businesses who want to be part of the economic miracle on our doorstep.

Doug Mitchell