The Australian Made Campaign’s Chief Executive, Ian Harrison, has announced he is stepping down at the end of July.
This is after 14 years at the helm of the organisation responsible for promoting and administering the nation’s iconic green-and-gold ‘Australian Made, Australian Grown’ (AMAG) logo.
“After 14 years running this great organisation, it’s time to do a little less and give someone else a run,” Mr Harrison said. “We’ve come a long way over that time and I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve.
“Australia’s strong nation brand is a great asset for our business community and our economy, but the challenge is to always make that connection. That is exactly what the Aussie Made logo was created to do 32 years ago and, I am pleased to say, is doing so even more powerfully today.
“The logo is a well-known and trusted symbol for consumers the world over who are looking to buy genuine Aussie products.
“It’s been an honour to have been able to lead the Australian Made Campaign and I am thankful to the board for giving me that opportunity.
“Although stepping down as chief executive, I will, of course, remain an advocate for the AMAG logo and look forward to seeing it continue its great progress.”
According to Australian Made Campaign Ltd Chairman Glenn Cooper AM, the number of businesses registered to use the symbol has grown by 350 per cent to 2,700 and can be found on more than 20,000 products sold in Australia and around the world.
“This will increase significantly with its formal inclusion in the federal government’s new country-of-origin labelling scheme for foods sold in Australia, which becomes mandatory as of July 1,” he said.
“Ian has been a driving force behind the logo’s positioning as Australia’s global product symbol. It is used extensively in export markets and, to support this global presence, it’s now a registered trademark in the US, China, South Korea and Singapore, with registration in eight other Asian countries already underway.
“Under his leadership the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo has grown significantly in stature as a much-loved Australian icon, synonymous with the quality and integrity of locally made and grown goods worldwide – a truly global product symbol for our growers and manufacturers.”