Americas

Our Trade and Investment Office in Houston, Texas, opened in early 2020. The Americas region is overseen by Stuart Nutting, Regional Director – Americas, who is currently based in New York. He is supported by:

  • Ms Regina Johnson, Deputy Director – Americas, located in the Houston office
  • John Elink-Shurrman, Trade and Investment Director, based in Washington, D.C.
  • Ryan Lipkin, Trade and Investment Director, based in San Francisco.

The Americas Trade and Investment Office provides opportunities to collaborate with South Australian exporters, importers, and distributors, as well as potential investors.

Overview


The Americas consists of the United States, Canada and South America.

Australia has considerable market access advantages under the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) which came into effect in 2005.

Canada is an attractive, stable economy, due to its proximity to the United States and Mexico. The country’s major industries include manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, construction and finance.

Sector opportunities


For wine companies in South Australia, the United States is an attractive market, but it can be a challenging market to enter due to competition and having a complex and highly regulated distribution system. The premium wine segment has opportunities for South Australian winemakers and the Houston trade and investment office can provide support to those looking to expand into the Americas. 

South Australian exporters to the US can add value to food processing supply chains as well as research and development in food and agribusiness, through agtech, big data, food processing and aquaculture.

Companies providing more accessible, efficient and cheaper medtech can drive exports into the US market across ehealth, remote care, personalised medicine, portable diagnostics and 3D printing.

Related news and insights

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About our team

Stuart Nutting

Regional Director Americas - New York

With a background in public capital markets, Stuart moved to New York in 1994 working for UBS for more than 20 years. He has significant international capital markets experience, relationships and networks. Previously, he has worked in Sydney, London and New York and has a global mindset.

Contact

+1 203 252 0479 Stuart.Nutting@austrade.gov.au

Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), 150 East 42nd St, New York, NY 10017 USA

Regina Johnson

Deputy Director Americas - Houston

Regina has extensive experience in a cross-section of industries, including technology, telecommunications and construction. Based in Houston, Regina is responsible for facilitating business introductions, generating leads and business matching to help companies expand into the South Australia or US markets.

Contact

+1 202 873 4128 Regina.Johnson@austrade.gov.au

Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), 3009 Post Oak Blvd, Suite 1310, Houston TX 77056 USA

John Elink-Schuurman

Trade and Investment Director – Washington

John has extensive experience in managing foreign direct investment generation and US market entry initiatives across the defence and space sectors and will support South Australia’s ambitions to be a leader in the AUKUS agreement, seeking opportunities to grow investment for the state’s Hydrogen Jobs Plan and working closely with the Defence and Space sectors and Defence SA.

Contact

+1 202 985 8537 John.Elink-Schuurman@austrade.gov.au

Embassy of Australia 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20036

Ryan Lipkin

Business Development Manager – San Francisco

Ryan has extensive experience building and managing strategic partnerships within the food tech, ecommerce, logistics and fleet management sectors, driving revenue growth and executing strategic partnerships. A hands-on role facilitating and securing trade, export and foreign direct investment opportunities from the Americas into South Australia, Ryan will support South Australian businesses and customers looking to expand within the Americas region.

Contact

+1 (510) 332-5649 Ryan.Lipkin@austrade.gov.au

575 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105