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Dr Jens Goennemann
Australia’s Falling Complexity: The Canary in Our Capability Coal Mine
Australia’s economy appears strong on the surface – yet our ability to prosper is eroding. According to Harvard’s Economic Complexity Index, Australia now ranks 105th out of 144 nations, trailing behind countries with far fewer natural and human capital advantages. This score reflects complacency through an overreliance on commodities and a shrinking base of sophisticated, value-adding industries.
Economic complexity measures what a nation makes and exports – and right now, the signal is clear: Australia continues to lose ground. Dr Jens Goennemann will describe this as the “canary in the capability coal mine”, urging stakeholders to act before long-term competitiveness is further compromised.
Dr Goennemann will argue that Australia needs to be smarter by shifting from extracting to making if we want to enjoy lasting prosperity.
Key Takeaways
• Why economic complexity matters for the wealth of nations
• What Australia’s low ranking reveals about our industrial base
• How other nations have nurtured their capability to make things
• Distinguishing between actions that work and those that don’t
About Jen
Jens has been Managing Director since AMGC’s inception. He brings extensive experience from overseeing large manufacturing operations in Australia and Europe.
Jens served as Managing Director of Airbus Group Australia Pacific and Airbus Helicopters. Before his eight-year appointment to Australia, Jens spent six years in Germany with the former European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), today known as Airbus Group.
He was Head of the CEO’s office in Germany, and before that in charge of Soldier and Parafoil Systems within the Defence Division. Previously, Jens spent two years in Athens where he established and managed the Eurofighter Office of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace, one of the three founding partner companies of EADS. He began his career with Daimler-Benz AG in January 1996.
Other directorships and offices
Chairman of the Board / German Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce
Chairman of the Advisory Board / AW Bell
Former member of the Board / Innovative Manufacturing CRC
Former member of the Prime Minister’s National COVID-19 Coordination
Commission Manufacturing Taskforce and Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce
