New Years Reception

Headquarters Austria, a partner of the CdH, welcomed more than 140 guests at the famous Hotel Sacher.

In her opening address, Ms Brigitte Jank, president of the Viennese Chamber of Commerce, pointed out the relevance of Vienna as a headquarters location and the political and financial framework as relevant to companies in Austria.

Some 300 international companies - including 28 Fortune 500 firms -  have set up their Eastern European headquarters in Austria. Prominent companies across the business spectrum, ranging from Eli Lilly, Siemens, Henkel and FedEx, have expressed their confidence in Austria as a business location for targeting the CEE region. Approximately 40 CEE-related international institutions are based in Austria.  A secure base to venture from, especially in times of crisis, is a big advantage for securing a long-term business relationship.

Another competitive advantage for regional headquarters, Ms Jank mentioned, is the moderate level of taxation (25 percent corporate tax rate for limited liability companies and no wealth or trade tax at all), and the group taxation scheme for holding companies which serves as a role model in Europe. For regional headquarters, this system serves as the basis for greater competitiveness within the group and reduces the risk in expanding to new markets.

Moreover, President Jank laid emphasis on the Chamber of Commerce being the biggest partner for education in Austria. The economic chamber organisation actively disseminates knowledge related to every facet of the economy. 

Afterwards, Leo Hauska, president of the platform Headquarters Austria gave an overview of the next activities of the platform, Headquarters Austria,like a study of the networking of headquarters, which will also be the basis for  the upcoming European Headquarters Congress in March 2014.

HQ Austria is an independent, non-party organisation, supported by the Chamber of Commerce and ABA-Invest in Austria, with the aim of solving headquarters-related problems. It supports the setting up and managing of a headquarters and advocates common interests. In cooperation with other organisations and experts, HQ Austria contributes to dialogue on prevailing questions and developments relevant to regional and global headquarters.