The Committee for Geelong today announces its International Speaker Series: Winning from Second initiative with the Commonwealth Bank as the Lead Research Partner. The International Speaker Series (ISS) aims to work proactively on Geelong's global engagement.

Joshua Mitchell, Area Manager - South West Region, Commonwealth Bank said, "We are a proud member of the Committee for Geelong. The work that the Committee is doing on an international scale is incredibly beneficial to Geelong and our region, and we are pleased to support them on the International Speaker Series: Winning from Second." 

The ISS stems from the collaboration between the Commonwealth Bank and the Committee for Geelong in 2016 on the International Second City Research Study Tour. The research culminated in the Winning from Second report, aimed at providing independent, evidenced based research to underpin the future vision for Victoria's second largest city. 

"During the Committee's international study tour of second cities we met with city leaders and their communities to better understand how they developed their city's new identity and facilitated sustainable growth," Rebecca Casson said.

The ISS provides an opportunity for the Geelong community to hear firsthand about global visions of reinvention from highly experienced international speakers.  

"There are some key learnings that can be applied to Geelong and we look forward to welcoming our international guests to further explore these opportunities."

This year's ISS further builds on the success of the Committee's International Speaker Series: USA Chapter. Through this series of events held last year, the Geelong community gained access to a range of inspiring American speakers including Maurice Jones, Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Commonwealth of Virginia, Dr Glenn Dubois, Chancellor Virginia Community Colleges, H. Edward Mann, Presidential Appointee and Dean Amhaus, CEO, The Water Council, Milwaukee.

"The Committee is proud to have the Commonwealth Bank as Lead Partner, and we look forward to collaborating with them on this speaker series to the benefit of Geelong," Rebecca Casson said.