Australia Philippines Business Council

What Australia Philippines Business Council does

The Australia Philippines Business Council (APBC) is a national, non-profit business council founded in April 1975 and headquartered at Tower 2, Darling Park, Level 16, 201 Sussex Street, Sydney, Australia. The organization is the private-sector entity recognized by both the Australian and Philippine governments for facilitating bilateral trade and investment, serving corporate executives, SME operators, government entities, and investors seeking opportunities between the two countries. APBC generates revenue through three streams: recurring membership fees (undisclosed pricing), one-off event registration fees ranging from $30 for networking nights to $1,500 for major conferences such as 'Copper to the World 2025', and episodic grants and corporate sponsorships (e.g., the DFAT Australia-ASEAN Council grant for the 'A Taste of the Philippines' video series).

APBC's core products are its membership program and a calendar of events, including regular networking nights across NSW, VIC, QLD, and WA, the Australia-Philippines Resources Forum, the APBC Agri Roundtable, and inbound/outbound trade missions such as the Australia Southeast Asia Business Exchange (SEABX). The organization also produces content products, notably the 12-part 'A Taste of the Philippines' YouTube series funded by the Australia-ASEAN Council grant. The underlying technology is a standard website CMS for member communications and event management; APBC does not build or sell technology products.

The organization is governed by a Board of Directors led by President Rafael Toda, Company Secretary Allan Mortel, Treasurer George Votava, and state-based Vice Presidents, with 18 total employees. Strategic partners include Austrade, the South Australian Government, Austmine, ANU Philippines Institute, and Philippine government departments (DENR, Department of Agriculture). Notable members and sponsors span mining (Ausenco, Blackstone Minerals), media (ABS-CBN Global), aviation (Philippine Airlines), professional services (Pitcher Partners, Mills Oakley), and energy (Perdaman). APBC marked its 50th anniversary in 2025 with a commemorative eBook.

Name

Australia Philippines Business Council

Legal name

Australia Philippines Business Council

Website

https://apbc.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Australia Philippines Business Council (APBC) is a national non-profit founded in 1975 that facilitates trade and investment between Australia and the Philippines through corporate and SME memberships, networking events, trade missions, and government partnerships across NSW, VIC, QLD, and WA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade and Investment Facilitation Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK), Government & Public Sector Conferences (MPAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Bilateral trade facilitation
• Business networking events
• Trade mission services
• Membership business council
• Cross-border investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The primary revenue stream comes from membership fees paid by corporate executives, SME operators, and businesses seeking to establish connections and business opportunities between Australia and the Philippines.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue generated from paid events such as networking nights, forums, and business roundtables. Fees vary by event type (e.g., $30 for certain networking events, $1500 for major conferences like Copper to the World 2025).
3. Sponsorship and Grants: The organization receives grants such as the Australia-ASEAN Council (DFAT) Grant for specific initiatives like the 'A Taste of the Philippines' video series, and generates sponsorship revenue from corporate partners supporting events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Australia Philippines Business Council (APBC) is a national non-profit membership organization that facilitates trade and investment between Australia and the Philippines. It provides a paid membership program, organizes networking events, business forums, and trade missions, and routes business inquiries to relevant government agencies in both countries. The organization also produces content initiatives such as the 'A Taste of the Philippines' video series to promote bilateral business and tourism links.

Product overview

The Australia Philippines Business Council (APBC) is a national non-profit organization founded in April 1975 that serves as a business membership council facilitating trade and investment between Australia and the Philippines. APBC offers membership programs providing access to business networks, organizes networking events and forums (including the APBC Networking Night series, Agri Roundtable, and Resources Forum), facilitates participation in inbound and outbound trade missions, and produces content initiatives such as the 'A Taste of the Philippines' video series. The organization does not offer technology products or SaaS platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 years of bilateral business facilitation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Philippines-Australia Business Council (PABC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2025The Philippines-Australia Business Council is a counterpart organization in the Philippines that collaborates with APBC on bilateral business initiatives, joint forums, and trade missions between the two countries.
• Austrade (Australian Trade and Investment Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2025Government trade body that partners with APBC on trade missions, business exchange programs like SEABX, and investment facilitation between Australia and the Philippines.
• Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2025Philippine government department that partners with APBC for resources forums and sustainable mining initiatives, with Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga serving as keynote speaker.
• AusencosupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAustralian engineering and advisory firm specializing in mining that sponsors APBC events and participates in resources forums.
• M ResourcessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMining resources company sponsoring APBC events and contributing to sustainable mining discussions.
• Blackstone Minerals LimitedsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMining company participating in APBC resources forums on sustainable mining opportunities in the Philippines.
• AustminecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian Mining Technology Association that partners with APBC on mining forums, trade missions, and copper conferences like 'Copper to the World 2025'.
• Department of Agriculture (Philippines)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilippine government department collaborating with APBC on AgriFuture roundtables and agricultural value chain innovation initiatives.
• ANU Philippines InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian National University's specialized Philippines institute that collaborates with APBC on research, discussions, and collaborative opportunities related to Philippines-Australia relations.
• South Australian GovernmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for 'Copper to the World 2025' conference alongside Austmine and APBC, hosting at Adelaide Convention Centre.
• Australia Southeast Asia Business Exchange (SEABX)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrade-led business exchange program for which APBC facilitated participation of Australian technology companies in a mission to the Philippines focusing on innovation and digital transformation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee: Bilateral business body for Australia-Japan commercial relations with a long-standing, event and mission-driven model. Analogous peer for organizational structure and member-services approach.
• Australia-ASEAN Business Council: Broader regional business council promoting Australia-ASEAN trade. Comparable as a membership-based council facilitating bilateral business, but covers ASEAN as a whole rather than a single country.
• Australia-Indonesia Business Council (AIBC): A comparable bilateral business council structure promoting Australia-Indonesia trade, with similar chapter model and government recognition. Highly analogous nonprofit peer operating in the same ANZ-ASEAN corridor.
• Australia-China Business Council (ACBC): One of the longest-established bilateral business councils in Australia, with a national chapter network and government recognition. Closest analog in scale and operating model within the broader bilateral-council landscape.
• Philippines-Australia Business Council (PABC): The Philippine-side counterpart organization, formal mutual partner of APBC, jointly running bilateral forums and trade missions. Direct mirror peer in mission, governance, and event-driven model.
• British-Australian Business Council: Another bilateral business council operating a member-driven, event-based model to facilitate cross-border commercial engagement. Comparable in nonprofit structure and trade-mission programming.

Broad incumbents

• Austrade (Australian Trade and Investment Commission): Government agency providing official trade and investment facilitation services globally. APBC partners with Austrade but Austrade is the broader public-sector incumbent with overlapping trade-mission and market-intelligence functions.
• Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI): The peak national chamber representing Australian business broadly. Serves overlapping advocacy and trade-facilitation functions but at a multi-sector, multi-country level rather than a bilateral niche.
• Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI): Regional chamber-of-commerce umbrella covering APAC business councils. Operates in adjacent space to APBC by aggregating and convening bilateral business councils across Asia-Pacific.

Regional players

• Australia-ASEAN Council (DFAT): Australian government grants program that funds APBC-style projects to deepen ASEAN engagement. Funding counterpart and policy-shaping entity rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@australiaphilippinesbc/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/APBusinessCouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australia-philippines-business-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australia Philippines Business Council