Google Qualified Companies

Today we received an email from Google about changes to the Google Adwords Professionals Qualification.

Found Agency was the first Australian company to receive this qualification, with one of our staffers among the first 10 people worldwide to pass the Adwords Pro exam (another staffer made the top 100 - cheers for the special gift Google). For some time Google has run a secondary scheme allowing only USA-based companies to become accredited Google Advertising Professional Companies (the Company qualification is a separate accreditation to the Individual recognition).

From today Google extended the scheme to allow companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to become an Adwords Qualified Company - but still excluded companies in Asia, South America and Australia from participating in the scheme. Which frankly, leaves me feeling a little bemused.

My question is: If companies based in Nigeria, Romania and the Palestinian Territory can be accepted as Adwords Qualified companies why can’t firms in Australia, Japan or French Polynesia also qualify?

I can’t see the rationale - in fact no-one in the industry that I’ve spoken to knows the reason. If you work at Google, please - enlighten me.