The CEO Magazine - Digital Edition - ANZ April 2020

INSPIRING THE BUSINESS WORLD

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JOHN DAUNT’S

MISSION TO SAVE

BARNES & NOBLE

THE POWER

OF PURPOSE

HOW IT IMPACTS

PERFORMANCE


TRILLION-

DOLLAR

WOMEN

WHY FEMALE

CFOs MAKE

FINANCIAL

SENSE

NEW TIME

PRINCIPLES

FOR THE LEADERS

OF TOMORROW

EXCLUSIVE

ARMANI vs

GOLIATH

THE MAN BEHIND THE MYTH

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ISSN 2201-876X

31

9 772201 876005 >

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Cover image:

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* Cover stories

INSPIRE

20 NEWS

A round-up of inspiring news from around the globe

26 ARMANI VS GOLIATH

The man behind the myth

30 SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND

Zena and Tarick K’dor are changing the way their guests

choose jewellery, one unique experience at a time

34 PAPERBACK HERO

James Daunt’s mission to save Barnes & Noble

38 FOMO OR JOMO?

By giving in to FOMO, we waste not just huge amounts of

emotional energy, but time too. Should we embrace JOMO?

42 TONY GEORGE

The King’s School provides the ultimate training ground for

Australia’s next generation of CEOs, says its Headmaster

50 CRAIG NIEMANN

The City of Greater Bendigo’s CEO employs the values

of community, hard work and giving back

54 THE POWER OF PURPOSE

How it impacts performance

56 THE SOCIAL CEO

A look at where and how today’s C-suite present themselves

online, and why it’s important to be connected

58 MAKE OR BREAK: THE FIRST 100 DAYS

Getting a fast start is essential for a new CEO, although it

can be a tricky path to navigate. Here are some tips to help

62 RON CALVERT

There’s something different about Gold Coast Health.

And according to its CEO, it all boils down to culture

66 EDWARD STAUGHTON

From small business to world player, Staughton Group is

aiming big while keeping a family feel, thanks to this MD

70 JO-ANNE HEWITT

The CEO of Achieve Australia believes social inclusion

is the right of everyone, including people with disability

74 DAVID MAHER

As the head of Catholic Healthcare, this MD is committed

to providing Australia’s elderly with love and support

IN EVERY ISSUE

13 EDITOR’S LETTER

14 PUBLISHING PANEL

17 CONTRIBUTORS

8 | theceomagazine.com

INNOVATE

80 NEWS

The latest events in global innovation

82 FASHION REVOLUTION

Innovation in sustainable textiles, new AI and 3D design, and

wellness wearables, are set to transform the fashion industry

86 JASON SCHULMAN

The world of sports is competitive, but ISC Sport Group’s

CEO and MD clothes the players with honesty and passion

90 MAKING AN IMPRINT

Brett Hagler shares his story on how he founded an NFP that

prints 3D homes for those living in poverty or disaster zones

94 COLIN STIRLING

Flinders University’s President and VC has moved the

organisation on to a streamlined and responsive trajectory

114

INVEST

104 NEWS

Catch up on what’s happening in the world of investment

106 TRILLION-DOLLAR WOMEN

Why female CFOs make financial sense

108 NEW TIME PRINCIPLES

For the leaders of tomorrow

86

112 ARI GALPER

Unlock The Game’s Founder and CEO is helping sales teams

shift their focus, attitude and languaging for greater success

114 LEEANNE TURNER

As the head of MTAA Super, this CEO is focused on helping

people prepare for their future after work

120 MARK RIPPON

The automotive industry is always evolving, and the CEO of

Rapid Tune recognises the importance of staying up to date

126 ROWAN MCMONNIES

After switching from the legal industry to agriculture, the MD

of Australian Eggs says the move has been a rewarding one

130 NEEL CHAND

Penrith RSL’s CEO is attracting a new generation of

members, while ensuring its foundations aren’t forgotten

134 NIGEL MALCOLM

The CEO of Fleetcare has long understood the alchemy

in engaging clients, the result being 30 years of success

138 SCOTT WHITEMAN

Riverina Oils & Bio Energy’s CEO is introducing innovation

and quality to make a splash in markets around the world

theceomagazine.com | 9

C ontents

INDULGE

144 NEWS

Enjoy some time out with these great ways to indulge

150 HIP TO BE SQUARE

Round cases are the dominant watch shape so it’s easy to forget

that striking elegance can come in various forms for the wrist

154 BEHIND THE SCENES OF

THE NEW BOND MOVIE

We go to Matera for the filming of No Time to Die – the James Bond

movie that could be a defining moment in cinematic history

162 DRIVING FORCE

In vintage car collecting, dividends aren’t calculated on financial

gain, but out of the passion and pleasure that ownership brings

166 MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR STOPOVER

Singapore is a beautiful, clean, friendly and bizarre little country, with

so much culture to discover. We share everything you need to know

170 TALL-SHIP TALES

With 42 sails billowing overhead and sailors nimbly shimmying up

60-metre-high masts, Royal Clipper skims down Italy’s boot

174 BEAT BURNOUT IN 24 HOURS

Can a day at The Lanesborough really shift your mindset? The

London hotel’s Bodhimaya program promises to do exactly that

176 THE LAST WORD

Earth Day will have its 50th anniversary on 22 April; one of its pillars

is education on climate change – these facts and figures might help

154

166


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OVERSEAS MODEL SHOWN

Luxury means different things to

different people. For some it’s

indulging in the timeless fashion

of instinctive style maven Armani

– who is about to enter his sixth

decade of designing in a ‘smart

but not too formal, fashionable but not edgy’ way.

The founder of this eponymous fashion house has

achieved what most brand managers would sell their

grandmother for: global recognition for a quality, timeless,

aspirational product. No need to add ‘Giorgio’ when

you’re the man who invented red-carpet dressing as we

know it and whose craftsmanship has clothed too many

stars of stage, screen, political podiums and boardrooms

to count. Impressive on so many levels when considering

that among the old-school designers of his ilk, he’s about

the last man standing when it comes to remaining

independent. Most of his competitors have sold out to

LVMH or Kering, but not Armani – not yet, at least.

“I am happy to be David to the Goliaths,” he says. You

can read more about Armani’s battle to remain true to

his vision on page 26.

For others, luxury might be the decadent bespoke

jewellery created by Sydney gem specialists House

of K’dor (p30), or investing in a stylish chronograph

(p150) or a passion such as vintage cars (p162) or

life-changing travel (p170).

Other concepts of indulgence involve spending

quality time doing the things that you love, that fill

your cup and make you a better person whether

at work or play. Stepping away from the rat race

occasionally, to experience the joy of missing out

(read FOMO or JOMO on page 38) can be restorative

and create space to think. For me, it’s about balance.

Travel is my luxury; books are my necessity.

But to many around the world, luxury is having

access to running water, a roof overhead, food and

warmth – things that we are lucky enough to take

for granted, for the most part, across Australia and New

Zealand. Learning about Brett Hagler’s not-for-profit

business is something that warms my heart (and blows

my mind). At the tender age of 25, US entrepreneur

Hagler found that making money and self-promotion

his top priorities did not fulfil him, so he set off in

a new direction: helping others. Be inspired by New

Story, creating 3D printed homes for people living in

extreme poverty and disaster zones (p90).

I hope this issue inspires you to consider the

balance in your life – working hard in the C-suite,

making time for yourself and giving back.

See you next month.

Sanchia Pegley

Managing Editor

TALK TO ME... @TheCEOMagazineGlobal @TheCEOMagazineG company/the-ceo-magazine @theceomagazineglobal



Content Director

SUSAN ARMSTRONG

Managing Editors SANCHIA PEGLEY

JODIE DARLINGTON, RUTH DEVINE, SKYE HOKLAS

Assistant Editors STEPHEN CROWE

OLIVER FEATHERSTON, HO YUN KUAN

Chief Subeditor KARINA PIDDINGTON

Senior Subeditor AMANDA SHAW Subeditor ROSE DAISLEY

Staff Writers JULIE COOPER, INSPIRING JACOB THE GOLDBERG, BUSINESS WENDY WORLD KAY, ASHTON KOBLER,

CHRISSIE MCCLATCHIE, ANASTASIA PRIKHODKO, LISA SCHOFIELD, NIKKI STEFANOFF

Digital Content Editors MIKE HUYNH, EMILY PIDGEON Senior Content Producer IAN HORSWILL

Digital Content Producer HOLLY JOHNSON

Art Director LILIANA TRINCA

Graphic Designers FLEUR ANSON, JAMES SCARDINO, MATT TAN, KEELAN WITTON

Motion Graphic Designer DA-HEON KIM

Head of Digital SEBASTIEN HEBERT

Digital Marketing Assistant STEPHANIE COWLING

IT Systems Admin ELIUS CHOWDHURY Lead Developer ROHAN MEHTA

Global Sales & Marketing Director – Luxury LACHLANN MACDONALD

PR & Communications – Luxury EMILY EWENS

Head of Sales & Media STEVE SUMMERS – steve.summers@theceomagazine.com

Team Manager JAMES WALMSLEY

Senior Media Managers SAM DELLAVEDOVA, KAREN GUNN, KELLY ROOK, ROBERT SCHOCH, MARIA STRANGIO

Media Managers MADALYN DEANE, MILES DOBNEY, KYRAN DOUGLASS, SAMUEL LOMBARDO, SAM LORIMER,

ALEJANDRO MARTINEZ, ETHAN MCLAUGHLIN, ALEXANDRA SAVILLE, SCOTT WHYTE

Operations Assistant MEGAN COTTON

Production Coordinator KYLIE WU Office Manager CHLOE MCCRUDDEN

Accounts CRAIG BOUNDS – accounts@theceomagazine.com

Head of People and Performance REBECCA PAGE

People Advisor MARCELA MEDINA

ENQUIRIES: info@theceomagazine.com

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Founder & CEO CHRIS DUTTON

Co-Founder & Executive Director ANNA DUTTON

Global Sales Director – Support DAVID JEPSON

Operations Director CIARA EVANS

Executive Assistant MELANIE MARTIN

All copy appearing in The CEO Magazine is copyright. Reproduction in whole or part is not permitted without written permission. Any financial advice published in

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nor any of its employees hold any responsibility for any losses and or injury incurred (if any) by acting on information provided in this magazine. All opinions expressed are

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BUSINESS NEWS EXECUTIVE INTERVIEWS OPINION LIFESTYLE EVENTS SHOP

RELAX AND UNWIND

THE BURNOUT SOLUTION

Can therapeutic fasting really cure stress? Check in to Germany’s

renowned Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinic to find out.

FERRARI MUSEUM TICKET

SALES HIT TOP SPEED

Ferrari’s two museums are attracting

more fans than ever with interactive

displays and participation events.

BAUME & MERCIER

VS SMARTWATCHES

The centuries-old Swiss company is

challenging tech-savvy game-changers

with its classic mechanical chronographs.

BOUTIQUE NZ HOTEL

FIT FOR ROYALTY

Inspired by royalty, rich in history and

heritage, the Hotel Grand Windsor is the

jewel in Auckland’s boutique hotel crown.

theceomagazine.com


APRIL

CONTRIBUTORS

JOHN ARLIDGE

Last good book, podcast or film? Chernobyl.

It’s a brilliantly observed and acted drama but

also a documentary because it exposes so many

things that were covered up at the time. I had no

idea the Russians were just days away from

destroying most of western Europe.

Dream job as a child?

Liverpool striker. Bill Shankly was right.

Football is not a matter of life and death.

It’s much more important than that.

What would you tell your younger self?

Work hard. Expect nothing. Celebrate.

When do your best ideas come?

Talking to people. No-one ever

had a good idea on email.

Bravest thing you’ve ever done? Going

freelance – 20 years ago. I’m still standing.

Dream car? Maserati 3500 GTi

(refitted with an electric engine).

HELEN HAWKES

First proper job? Working for a local paper

covering everything from police and council

rounds to lost pets.

Best habit? My regular tai chi class to

reduce stress. My tendency to triple

check everything.

Word you overuse? “Interesting”.

Never fails to make you laugh? Political

satire, and my seven-year-old Labrador,

a complete goofball.

MAGGY OEHLBECK

Last good book? Paper Emperors –

a fascinating history of Australia’s

newspaper barons since colonisation.

What was your dream job as a child?

Life upon the wicked stage.


0300 hours.

The bravest thing you’ve ever done?

As a young white woman, joining a Civil

Rights March in support of integration in

America’s Deep South.

BETH WALLACE

Describe yourself in three words?

Bibliophile, cinephile, logophile.

Last good book, podcast or film?

Little Women. I’ve watched every

adaptation many (many) times.

What was your dream job as a child?

World-famous ice skater.

What would you tell your younger

self? Don’t bother wearing heels.


At night, in the shower… the usual places.

Dream car or job or holiday? I’d love to

spend a few months travelling around

South America.

STEPHEN CORBY

Describe your professional self in three

words? Maniacally word obsessed.

Last good book? Boy Swallows Universe

by my very good friend Trent Dalton.

Dream job as a child? Journalist.

When do your best ideas come? When

I’m banging my head against a computer

screen in desperation.

Bravest thing you’ve ever done?

Running with the bulls in Pamplona,

for a story, not for fun.


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REF2642-0120-1.3

Inspire ABOUT

INSPIRING GREATNESS IS ALL

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

The power

of purpose.

ACHIEVE PEAK

PERFORMANCE WITH

MEANINGFUL WORK, p54

Headmaster Tony George explains how The King’s School is Where Leaders are Made (p42) and why his boys are

tomorrow’s big business; find out why it’s important to be The Social CEO (p56) and where the C-Suite get followers,

and new CEOs rejoice; Make or Break: The First 100 Days (p58) has tips for hitting the ground at a sprint.


Inspire News

Silver screen

INSPO

Movies can be motivating, as well as

entertaining. Check out some of our favourite

quotes to throw around the boardroom:

• “Don’t tell me I can’t do it; don’t tell

me it can’t be done!” – The Aviator

• “The loudest one in the room is the

weakest one in the room.”

– American Gangster

• “Big things have small beginnings, sir.”

– Lawrence of Arabia

• “The key to this business is personal

relationships.” – Jerry Maguire

• “There’s nothing cheap about loyalty.”

– Up in the Air

Plus, a learning from the least expected:

“Two little mice fell into a bucket of cream.

The first mouse quickly gave up and

drowned. But the second mouse wouldn’t

quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he

churned that cream into butter and crawled

out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that

second mouse.” – Catch Me if You Can

TIMES ARE

A CHANGIN’

In the first Deloitte Insights 2020 ‘Global Marketing

Trends’ report, the consumer pulsing survey revealed

that more than 80 per cent of consumers would be

willing to pay more if a brand raised its prices to be

more environmentally and socially responsible or to

pay higher wages to its employees.


MENTALLY WELL

A UK-based fashion designer, 22-year-old Kyle Stanger,

has launched a label called Boys Get Sad Too to promote

awareness and start conversations about male mental

health. Ten per cent of the company’s profits go to the

charity CALM. Boys Get Sad Too has been identified by

fashion powerhouse ASOS as a company “to watch” with

the importance of Stanger’s work publicly acknowledged by

the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. “We took all our worst

days and used them to make a difference,” says Stanger.

Compiled by Lisa Schofield

“YOUR MOST

UNHAPPY

CUSTOMERS

ARE YOUR

GREATEST

SOURCE OF

LEARNING.”

– Bill Gates,

Co-Founder of Microsoft

TALKING

THE TALK

Put down the books, move away from the

keyboard and pick up the headphones – time to

get inspired by these business-focused TedX Talks.

1

2

5 ways to create stronger

connections: Entrepreneur Robert

Reffkin shares top tips for building

authentic workplace connections.

How to make faster decisions:

Investor Patrick McGinnis shares the

danger of ‘FOBO’ – fear of better

options – and shows how to

overcome indecision.

ONE FOR THE ’GRAM

Since its creation in 2010, Instagram has catapulted into our

collective lives with every Insta-worthy filtered moment shared,

careers launched (hello, influencers) and oodles of time wasted.

Award-winning technology reporter Sarah Frier’s No Filter: The

Inside Story of Instagram explains how

Co-Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike

Krieger created a platform that would

hook the public on visual storytelling

and create an entire industry of digital

influencers. The book brings readers

inside the decision to sell the company

to Facebook, with exclusive access to

the founders, executives, employees

and the influencers themselves.

3

4

5

How humans and AI can work

together to create better business:

So what is AI and how can it work

alongside humans? Business

technologist Sylvain Duranton

discusses how.

How burnout makes us less

creative: Digital anthropologist

Rahaf Harfoush explains why we

need to redesign our workday

around creativity.

Why gender-based marketing is

bad for business: Marketing expert

Gaby Barrios shows how companies

can find better ways to reach

customers and grow their brands.


Inspire News

REPUTATION

MATTERS

With the speed at which news is shared on social media,

nothing is a secret for very long. While our personal reputation

may have risked the odd dent or two, corporate reputations

are increasingly at stake as well.

According to Weber Shandwick’s study, The State of

Corporate Reputation in 2020: Everything Matters Now,

corporate reputation is an invaluable asset with a significant

impact on a company’s bottom line. On average, global

executives in the study attributed 63% of their company’s

market value to its overall reputation although 76% of

executives believe that corporate reputation problems can

be prevented.

From quality of employees and products to financial

performance and organisational culture, everything matters. And

a dent to a corporate reputation can hurt more than just pride.

ACTIVATE MOVEMENT,

ACTIVATE ACTION

Following on from their sustainability-inspired refillable

glass bottles collaboration of 2019, acclaimed fashion

designer Virgil Abloh and Evian have teamed up again.

‘Activate Movement’ is a unique, environmentally

friendly initiative announced at New York Fashion Week

2020. Two refillable Soma glass bottles have been

released to showcase sustainable design with an

exclusive glass bottle featuring an infinite loop of

droplets to show how small actions can create change.

An ‘Activate Movement Program’ complements

the launch, offering a €50,000 (A$80,700) grant to

sustainability-focused design and innovation projects.

BIGGEST philanthropic gifts

Younger billionaires are making philanthropy a more

hands-on process, donating their time and skills and

being more involved in their charitable giving, rather than

waiting until retirement like their older counterparts.

Regardless, 2019 was a year of record-setting for

billionaire philanthropists, showing that big givers have

big hearts and that their generous donations have the

potential to make a substantial difference.

• IT tech titan Azim Premji gave his A$11.3 billion

stake in his company Wipro to his charitable

foundation.

• Warren Buffett gifted A$5.3 billion to a variety

of foundations.

• Fruit and nut billionaires Stewart and Lynda

Resnick pledged A$1.1 billion to climate change

research at the California Institute of Technology.

• Credit card billionaire T Denny Sanford donated

A$519 million to the National University in San

Diego for adult learners and specialised education.


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Cover story | INSPIRE

AA RMANI

WITH ANOTHER MAJOR

FASHION AWARD UNDER

HIS BELT, GIORGIO ARMANI,

NOW 85, IS WORKING

HARDER THAN EVER TO

BURNISH HIS BRAND – AND

SECURE AN INDEPENDENT

FUTURE. JOHN ARLIDGE

TALKS TO THIS MOST

INFLUENTIAL OF DESIGNERS.

MAIN IMAGE JULIAN BROAD, CONTOUR RA

vs

GOLIATH

Cate Blanchett was there. So were

Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Naomi

Campbell, Naomi Watts, Kylie Minogue

and Rihanna. They and many hundreds more

filled the Royal Albert Hall in London last

December to make a fuss of a man whose

style can be best summed up as “I hate fuss”.

Giorgio Armani didn’t mind, of course.

He more than earned his Outstanding

Achievement accolade at The Fashion

Awards 2019. He is the CEO, founder,

chairman, creative director, chief designer

and owner of a global brand Bloomberg

estimates is worth US$6 billion – and the

last of a generation of super-designers, still

designing multiple collections under his own

name, almost half a century after he started.


INSPIRE | Cover story

A

A R M A N I I N V E N T E D

R E D - C A R P E T D R E S S I N G

A S W E K N O W I T .

IN THE EARLY 1980S, HE BECAME THE FIRST

DESIGNER TO DECAMP TO LOS ANGELES

FOR OSCARS WEEK TO DRESS THE LIKES OF

ROBERT DE NIRO, SAMUEL L JACKSON AND

MICHELLE PFEIFFER. SOON, ALMOST EVERY

CELEBRITY WANTED TO WEAR ARMANI.

Whether you like his clothes or not, one thing not even

his harshest critics can deny is that he is the most influential

designer of the modern era because, more than anyone else,

he has taken the fear out of fashion and democratised it.

In the 1970s, he became the first designer to rip – literally

– the stuffing out of tailoring by introducing looser-fitting but

still flattering clothes. His signature look is elegant, drapey

gowns, slouchy trousers and cardigan jackets in safe colours,

usually navy, greige, sand and taupe. This ‘smart but not too

formal, fashionable but not edgy’ style has created a working

wardrobe for a generation of women. Blame him for pant

suits. It has also made men – not just David Beckham –

comfortable with the idea of buying and wearing fashion

for the first time. Lawyers wear Armani too.

To market all his wares, Armani invented red-carpet

dressing as we know it. In the early 1980s, he became the

first designer to decamp to Los Angeles for Oscars week

to dress the likes of Robert De Niro, Samuel L Jackson and

Michelle Pfeiffer. Soon, almost every celebrity wanted to wear

Armani. He went on to leverage his Hollywood connections

to get into the movies themselves, creating wardrobes for

American Gigolo, The Untouchables, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction

and The Wolf of Wall Street.

At 85, you might think he would be slowing down but

he confesses “work is my life”, so he’s still going strong.

He’s revamping his boutiques, starting on Rodeo Drive in

Los Angeles. This year, he will also start creating 19 Armani/

Casa apartments on Madison Avenue above his Manhattan

flagship store; 260 luxury units have just been completed in

a 60-storey oceanfront tower in Miami.

In spite of declining sales for many fashion brands in

established markets, Armani thinks new bricks and mortar

stores, such as the revamped Beverly Hills flagship, are

important because “we still need to express the universe

of the brand in a tactile way and that’s hard to do online.

Stores introduce people to the nuances of brands. Without

that, selling a €2,400 suit online is very hard.”

The new US investment comes after a rocky period for

the firm. In 2016, Armani declared a five per cent decline in

profits. Revenues dipped seven per cent in 2017 year-on-year

at current exchange rates to €2.35 million (A$3.88 million)

and gross operating profit fell 5.4 per cent to €438 million

(A$438 million). Armani himself admitted in a 2018 statement

that he didn’t expect the company to return to growth before

this year.

While rejuvenating flagships, he has been closing

smaller stores – he won’t say how many – and merging and

consolidating lines. Armani pioneered brand diversification,

splitting his label into almost a dozen mini-labels, but recent

“shifts in purchasing behaviours” have made it necessary

“to edit and trim down”. By “shifts in purchasing behaviours”

he means the rise of online fashion retail, where having five

sub-brands with different price points can confuse customers,

and the decline of department stores, in which all Armani

brands have traditionally had a large presence. He has folded

his mid-price Armani Collezioni and cheap chic Armani Jeans

labels into his youthful Emporio Armani sub-brand. That

leaves Emporio, A|X Armani Exchange, his diffusion line,

and Giorgio Armani, his high-end line. By narrowing down

to “three reference brands, the business will be better able

to realise its potential”, he says.

Other market trends are generating fresh challenges for

‘Il Signor Beige’. Social media-friendly designs, spearheaded

by Gucci’s extravagant aesthetics under designer Alessandro


A/ G AND INDIVIDUALITY. I AM HAPPY TO BE DAVID TO THE GOLIATHS.”

A R M A N I vs G O L I A T H

“MY COMPANY IS DRIVEN BY A DISTINCTIVE, PERSONAL VISION. THAT’S

THE ITALIAN WAY – THE VALUE WE PLACE ON CHARACTER, PERSONALITY

Michele, are tempting young luxury shoppers away from his

timeless, subtle tailoring. But he insists he won’t change

his aesthetic for the Instagram generation. “I’m not affected

by the fickleness of passing fads,” he smiles. “Consistency

is my main strength.” Although he and the Armani brand

are active on Instagram, he insists his approach to social

media differs from his rivals. He rejects using youthful

social media influencers in favour of “working with actors

and actresses whose personal aesthetic and personality

are in tune with that of Armani. For influencers to have

genuine influence, people need to believe that their opinions

are authentic and this can only happen if there’s a respectful

relationship with a brand.”

Armani also rejects producing multiple splashy new

collections throughout the year for different market segments.

With pre-collection collections and mid-season revisions, to

add to Cruise and Resort, before you even get to the usual

Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer collections, there is

already “too much fashion and of very little quality”, he

frowns. “The current situation is unsustainable. We have to

slow down. Designer brands cannot operate like fast fashion.”

He uses the word unsustainable in an environmental sense,

not just a creative one. “We need to be more responsible,

producing less but better, in a more ethical way. My style

is timeless; my items last and are, as such, sustainable.

I want to work even more in that direction.”

Thanks to few vices – he scarcely drinks and has never

smoked – and lots of exercise, Armani is as fit as any 85-yearold

on the planet. But, much though he hates it, he knows he

must begin making plans for the future. “I feel as energetic

and committed to my work as ever, but I’m a realist.” One

thing he will not do is sell his company. “I’ve had many offers

over the years and still get many of them, but independence,

being in control of all my decisions, is essential for me.”

Instead, he has set up a foundation, comprising key

lieutenants, to steer the company forward once he is no

longer at the helm. “It will ensure the group is stable and

consistent with the principles that have always inspired my

work. The family is deeply involved. I have written instructions

for everything and am sure my heirs will do the best.”

The Armani brand is big business, alright, but can it really

remain independent for much longer? In the past 20 years,

most of his competitors have sold out to LVMH or Kering.

Versace, another formerly family-owned Italian mainstay,

has now been snapped up by Michael Kors. Even though

he cautions that the recent restructuring “will take some time

to settle and revenues will decline slightly”, Armani insists,

“I can prosper solo. The conglomerates are corporations

where personality can get swallowed up. My company is

driven by a distinctive, personal vision. That’s the Italian

way – the value we place on character, personality and

individuality. I am happy to be David to the Goliaths.”


INSPIRE | Jewellery gems

SHINE BRIGHT

like a

DIAMOND

ZENA AND TARICK K’DOR WANT TO CHANGE

THE WAY THEIR GUESTS EXPERIENCE JEWELLERY,

AND THEY’RE DOING IT ONE UNFORGETTABLE,

MONEY-CAN’T-BUY EXPERIENCE AT A TIME.

WORDS SUSAN ARMSTRONG • IMAGES SCOTT EHLER

Zena K’dor greets me at the door of her

Double Bay boutique, a glass of bubbly in

hand. She’s dressed in a full-length black

tulle skirt, a silk camisole and Tom Ford

stilettos, with a bold red lip and brilliant diamonds

twinkling from her lobes, at her throat and on her

fingers. “Welcome to our home,” she declares

warmly. “Would you like Champagne or a cocktail?”

I check my phone as my heart starts to pound.

Did I get my day wrong? Is she on her way to a

black-tie event? Have I arrived at the worst possible

time? Not only would it appear I’m right on time,

but I’m made to feel instantly right at home thanks

to this hostess with the mostess whose sparkling

style and glittering personality outshines any

brilliant gem that’s currently on display beneath the

large glass cases dotted around the room.

At the centre of it all, in every sense of the word,

sits Tarick K’dor, owner, fine jeweller and husband

of Zena. He’s as calm as she is excitable, as

understated as she is energetic, the yin to her yang:

like ‘complementary forces that form a dynamic

system in which the whole is greater than the

assembled parts’ (thanks Wikipedia). It’s

heartwarming and awe-inspiring.

“You know, when people ask what I love most

about my job, I can honestly say it’s working

side-by-side with my husband,” Zena explains.



“WE’RE NOW

WORKING

WITH

EXCEPTIONAL

STONES – THE

LIKES OF

WHICH I ONLY

DREAMED OF

WORKING

WITH WHEN

I FIRST

STARTED

OUT.”

“It goes beyond creating jewellery or events. We’re

building a platform together for our children

because that’s what life is all about.

“Don’t get me wrong – we’ve had our

challenges and our ups and downs,” she continues.

“The Universe, or whatever you believe in, will test

you to see how much you want something – it’s all

about persistence, patience and passion. Luckily

we’re both dedicated, determined and incredibly

passionate about what we do.”

And that’s one thing that can’t be denied: the

passion these two have for the family business that

they’ve built. A business that started 20 years ago

in Tarick’s mother’s garage.

“About a year into my apprenticeship as a

jeweller, I took on some private clients, so decided

to set up a workshop at home,” explains Tarick.

“A year later, I quit my full-time job, and I took

a lease out on an office in the CBD and started

manufacturing – I was the only guy in my TAFE

class who didn’t have a boss.

“It just grew from there. After a couple of years,

I had an opportunity to open a store, and then

another – we went from one to four stores. Then

Zena joined the business, and we decided to take

it in a different direction, which has led us to where

we are now.”

That new direction involves creating a perfectly

tailored experience for House of K’dor’s clients

or ‘guests’ as they like to call them. “I wanted to

change the way our guests experienced jewellery,”

says Zena. “It’s about creating a piece that ties in

with who you are rather than trying to fit the ring

with the person. We’re not mass production, we

want to create a bespoke experience because

we’re all unique. I believe everyone’s got their own

light and when they wear our jewellery, they shine

the brightest.”

It’s hard not to shine when you own a K’dor

piece. Ranging from A$590 right up to the hundreds

of thousands, from brilliant-cut diamonds to rare

emeralds and sapphires, all gems are ethically

sourced and hand-selected by Tarick.

What’s his favourite stone at the moment?

“I would say it’s the seven-carat cushion-cut –

it’s a very special stone, quite rare. To be honest,

I wasn’t really looking for it, but when it came up,

I knew I had to buy it. I couldn’t let the opportunity

pass and thank God we were in a position to

purchase it. I said to Zena, ‘I’m happy to look at this

every day and if we don’t sell it, our kids will’.”

And what about buying gems for investment?

Any tips he can share?

“Look for stones that are very rare, that only one

or two people in the world own,” Tarick advises.

“That’s where real value and investment comes in.

Whether it be pink or white diamonds – even rubies

and sapphires – everything precious is the way to

go; they need to be exceptional. The nice thing

about diamonds is they don’t have many holding

costs. Property has substantial holding costs, as do

cars and wine, but diamonds don’t, other than

maybe a safe. And they don’t change either. The

way a diamond is today is the way it’ll be in a

million years because it’s already a million years

old. That’s what makes working with them special.”

It’s very clear Tarick has a deep love and

appreciation for what he does, now more than ever.

“You know we’re now working with lots of

exceptional stones – the likes of which I only

dreamed about working with when I first started

out,” he continues. “We’re also producing the best

we’ve ever produced and we’re only getting better.

I absolutely love the thrill of the hunt, sourcing a

rare gem, learning about its story, then designing

around it, the production of it and then, of course,

there’s the delivery...”

“It’s the delivery that’s the most special part

for me,” explains Zena. “Because that’s when you

get to see the sheer joy of what you’ve just created.

I really believe the diamond finds you – you don’t

find it. It’s how you feel when you wear the piece,

the butterflies you get. Forget the financial

investment with jewellery, it’s an emotional

transaction. You’re connecting with that piece and

creating a moment. We feel so blessed that we get

the opportunity to celebrate every single day with

our guests who have become part of our family.”

And celebrate in style they do. From their lavish

Arabian fairytale 20-year anniversary event earlier

this year to their highly anticipated ‘Party in the

desert’ (at the time of going to press, Zena, Tarick

and the team are jetting off to the UAE with a

selection of guests for a series of diamond events),

this couple doesn’t do things by halves.


Jewellery gems | INSPIRE

“If you want to be the best in your industry,

you need to live and breathe it,” says Zena. “Our

lives revolve around House of K’dor, and we’re

constantly challenging ourselves. That’s what it’s all

about: pushing and learning and being the best we

can possibly be. Tarick always says to me, ‘If you

want to be the best, you’ve got to give the best’.”

“We have that saying on the wall in our

workshop – it’s a saying we live by,” says Tarick.

Someone said that to me once and it just stuck in

my head and I constantly repeat it to my kids, to

my jewellers and to myself.”

It’s this sense of focus that’s makes the K’dors

so remarkable. And the fact they are so united in

said focus. Not that it’s always been that way...

“We’ve been tested over the years for sure,”

Tarick admits. “Working together full-time was

super-challenging – last year was our first year

where we weren’t separated by stores; we were

side-by-side every day. It was initially hard getting

on the same page and accepting each other’s roles.

I needed to let Zena do what she needed to, and

Zena needed to let me take care of what I needed

to. It was challenging but this year we really found

our feet and now we’re thriving in our roles.”

“I think our cultural background plays a role

in this too,” reveals Zena. “You know, I was a

stay-at-home mum with three kids and initially I had

no business being in his business. I didn’t even visit

the store back then. Now, I’m immersed in it and so

in love with what I do. I think working together

successfully is about giving each other space and

having that trust so we’re able to fully focus on what

we’re doing. This is our purpose – I can’t see myself

doing anything else.”

I have to agree. When Zena talks about her

purpose and her vision, you can’t help but get swept

up in it, and brands like Lamborghini (she’s on their

Female Advisory Board), and Etihad (who they’ve

just signed a partnership with), would concur.

“Being authentic is incredibly important to us;

it’s at the heart of everything we do,” says Tarick.

“In order for people to be in involved in your journey,

to trust you and to follow you, you need to be

authentic and true to yourself and to your brand.

I think we do that very well.”

“When I look at the international brands that

we have chosen to align with, they share the same

values, worth ethics and synergy,” says Zena.

“That is very important for us. We want to be able to

create, with our partners, the most unforgettable,

money-can’t-buy experiences. We honestly cannot

wait for the next chapter.”

Strangely enough, neither can I.

“THIS IS

OUR

PURPOSE

– I CAN’T

SEE

MYSELF

DOING

ANYTHING

ELSE.”


James Daunt

CHAPTER

THREE

JAMES DAUNT PROVED BRITISH

BOOKSHOPS HAVE A FUTURE –

FIRST BY LAUNCHING INDEPENDENT

DAUNT BOOKS, THEN BY SAVING

THE WATERSTONES CHAIN. CAN HE

GO ON TO RESCUE THE WORLD’S

BIGGEST BOOKSELLER, AMERICA’S

BARNES & NOBLE?

WORDS JOHN ARLIDGE


Booklovers | INSPIRE

CHAPTER 1:

DAUNT BOOKS

James Daunt is a man in a hurry. When I meet him

at 8am at the back door of Barnes & Noble’s

5,760-square-metre flagship store in New York’s

Union Square, he has spilled his coffee down the front of

his cornflower blue shirt. “Breakfast on the go,” he smiles,

trying and failing to cover the stain with his navy blazer as

he hurries into the store. The new boss does not have a

moment to waste.

Since Borders went bust almost a decade ago,

Barnes & Noble has had the US chain bookstore market to

itself, but the company has still not been able to fend off the

ravages of Amazon. The Seattle giant now accounts for

almost 50 per cent of book sales in America, compared with

Barnes & Noble’s 20 per cent – and that’s falling. More than

100 of Barnes & Noble’s US stores have closed over the past

decade, taking the total to just over 600. Sales are falling by

five to eight per cent a year, sending its market value plunging

by more than A$1.5 billion over the past six years.

Daunt’s job is to reverse the slide in 18 months – or he

and the company will be out of business. “We need to get

back to a 10-per-cent-ish margin so we can make enough

money to reinvest in our stores,” he tells me.

Looking around Barnes & Noble’s most important store,

the task looks hopeless. The carpet in Union Square is

threadbare and the veneer on the shelves is chipped and

cracked. The books on display are a jumble sale of the good,

the bad and the hopelessly irrelevant. Daunt’s eye alights on

a copy of the Guinness Book of Records at the entrance.

“You’re in the largest, best-known bookstore in the greatest

city in America and that is the first thing you see when you

walk in,” he snorts with derision. The cafe on the top floor is

like a bad motorway service station, with back-breaking

chairs and coffee that is as beige and bland as the wallpaper.

And, for reasons no-one can explain, the store sells dolls.

But the 56-year-old former JP Morgan banker likes a

challenge – and proving people wrong. When he left the City

of London to set up independent Daunt Books in Marylebone

in 1990, it was during the heyday of chain bookstores, such

as WHSmith and Waterstones, which was then owned by

entertainment behemoth HMV. Daunt proved there was still

a market for a more personal, more curated experience and

went on to open five more Daunt stores in London.

When Amazon launched and chain bookstores began

to founder, HMV sold Waterstones to Russian billionaire

Alexander Mamut in 2011. Mamut headhunted Daunt to be

its new CEO. Detractors scoffed anew. How could a minnow,

‘Jimmy six shops’, save a beached whale? But with the

financial backing of Mamut, Daunt returned Waterstones


CHAPTER 2:

WATERSTONES

to profitability in just four years. It now earns a 10 per cent

margin on sales of roughly A$695 million a year.

Barnes & Noble is a much bigger challenge. It is the

largest chain store in the largest global market and it is in

deeper trouble than Waterstones was when Daunt took over

there. That’s partly because the competition from Amazon is

greater. As well as its enormous online presence, the retail

and tech behemoth has 19 bricks-and-mortar bookstores

across the US, and plans to open more. What’s more, Daunt

will be stretched by having to commute between New York

and London – he’s retaining his role as CEO of Waterstones.

But he reckons he has the business manual to fix things –

because he wrote it and has already used it to great success.

It’s the one he used to pull Waterstones back from the brink.

Barnes & Noble is suffering from the same malaise as

Waterstones when he took it over, he says. It has the same

one-style-fits-all approach, selling the same books in an

identical way in all its stores, no matter whether they are in

a mall in Kansas or Union Square. “That totally ignores local

cultural tastes and expectations,” he says in his soft English

tones befitting the son of a diplomat.

Daunt put the local back into Waterstones by empowering

existing staff to choose the books they thought would work in

their town. “We made each store like an independent

bookshop unique to its location,” he says. In future, each

individual Barnes & Noble will be able to do the same. Staff

will pick their own recommendations, bestsellers, book of the

month and book of the year “entirely as they see fit”. The


Booklovers | INSPIRE

CHAPTER 3:

BARNES & NOBLE

approach galvanised staff at Waterstones and Daunt is

confident it will be the same in the US. “The staff have got

what it takes.”

He’ll know he has succeeded when a US store manager

does what one Waterstones manager did. She celebrated

her freedom by removing all the books and fixtures HMV had

ordered her to use and put them in a giant pile with a sign

on top, saying: “Shit from head office”.

Daunt has a second string to his turnaround bow. He

intends to scrap the traditional model of book retailing in the

US whereby publishers pay a fee to retailers to dictate which

books they stock and where and how they are displayed

“because it makes it impossible to create an independent,

local feel”. Daunt believes he can persuade publishers to

trust him and his local teams to choose which books to stock

and promote – while still paying for promotion. “I need to

work out a system where they pay to put Fleishman Is in

Trouble, a very metropolitan novel, at the entrance to the

New York store, but Fix Her Up by romance author Tessa

Bailey in the Deep South.”

It will be tricky. Publishers like the certainty of knowing

how and where their books will be promoted, and many

retailers like the guaranteed cash. But publishers are at least

prepared to listen. Brian Murray, President and CEO of

HarperCollins, says he is “open to hearing what James has to

say and how he plans to implement it”.

Daunt has acquired some powerful backers. Oren Teicher,

CEO of the American Booksellers Association, is “rooting for

him to succeed”. Market trends might also – at last – be

turning in his favour. Sales of books in all forms, including

ebooks, are rising, or at least have stopped falling.

Independent bookshops are thriving in the US, latest figures

from the American Booksellers Association show. There are

2,524 across the US today, up from 1,651 in 2009.

So far, so positive. But America is the graveyard of British

retailers. For every Virgin, there’s a Tesco. The UK

supermarket chain’s bosses blew A$2 billion trying to crack

the world’s biggest grocery market. Can Daunt really be

confident that his “Briddish” model will work? “Yes, because

I’m not trying to impose a new thing. We’re not going to put in

a new format.” That’s a reference to Tesco that thought it had

found a niche for a small-sized, easy service, fresh produce

chain in the crowded supermarket sector for its Fresh & Easy

chain. It hadn’t. “There is an existing bookstore model that

will come back if we do some simple things well.” And, with

that, he’s off to find a new shirt and another coffee.



Fear of missing out | INSPIRE

FOMO

or JOMO?

BY GIVING IN TO FOMO,

WE WASTE NOT JUST

HUGE AMOUNTS OF

EMOTIONAL ENERGY,

BUT TIME TOO.

WORDS AMANTHA IMBER

Recently I was in a video conference with around

20 other attendees. It was run by the organisers of

a fast-growth technology company’s global summit.

All attendees had been selected to present at the summit and

the call’s purpose was to learn about presentation strategies.

At this point, I need to confess something: The organisers

had actually told me I didn’t need to attend this meeting, as

it was only for first-time speakers. Despite this, something

compelled me to hop on the call, for fear that I might miss

some gem of wisdom.

The meeting was booked for two hours and, at the

20-minute mark, I decided to surreptitiously drop off the call.

I had realised, even as an organisational psychologist who is

well versed in FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), I had given in to

its siren song. And I needed to reclaim the rest of the one

hour and 40 minutes I could potentially lose.

FOMO is rife in most offices. We expect to be copied in

every email that might possibly relate to our projects or our

team, we accept meeting invitations that we don’t really need

to attend, and we unhappily glance at the huge number of

‘likes’ everyone else’s LinkedIn posts seem to attract.

By missing out on a call, email or meeting, we worry that

we won’t gain that critical piece of information needed to

make our project a success. We worry we will miss that

moment to shine in our boss’s eyes. And by giving in to

FOMO, we waste not just enormous amounts of emotional

energy, but time, too.

According to Social Comparison Theory, we are hardwired

to compare ourselves with others. But when it comes to

FOMO, the specific type of comparison we make is an

‘upward comparison’, where our target is someone who is

seemingly doing much better than us. By contrast, our career

is always going to be doomed to failure.

FOMO leads to all sorts of problems. It leads to living your

life by someone else’s standards. Does it matter that your

colleague received over 300 ‘likes’ on their blog post?

In the grand scheme of things, not at all. FOMO increases

our anxiety level.


Research from the University of Toledo found a strong

relationship between FOMO, anxiety and depression in those

who use their smartphone excessively. Assistant Professor

Darlene McLaughlin, from the Texas A&M Health Science

Center College of Medicine, states that FOMO instils anxiety

and depression and can lead to a mental health diagnosis.

And FOMO decreases our self-esteem. Research led

by Professor Andrew K Przybylski at the University of Essex

found that FOMO was associated with lower mood and life

satisfaction. And in research conducted into time spent on

Facebook, spending more time on Facebook each week led

to people believing that others were happier and had better

lives than themselves.

Because we are constantly making upward comparisons

with those who seem to have their lives and careers together,

we can’t help but look bad in comparison.

A few months ago, I interviewed WordPress Co-Founder

and Automattic Founder Matt Mullenweg on my podcast

‘How I Work’ about his working habits. He commented that

on some days he feels very unproductive. I couldn’t help but

wonder who he was comparing himself against? If Mullenweg

feels unproductive, what hope is there for the rest of us?

But FOMO won’t magically disappear just because you

are aware of it. We need to deliberately turn our FOMO into

JOMO – the Joy Of Missing Out.

A big reason why we experience FOMO is because we

are out of touch with what truly motivates us. Instead, we

evaluate our lives based on the benchmarks and expectations

set by others. To turn FOMO into JOMO, we need to get

reacquainted with what deeply motivates us (that is, foster

intrinsic motivation). When we are intrinsically motivated,

we naturally tune out the outside world because we are

immersed in the task at hand.

STRATEGIES TO BOLSTER

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION:

WORK ON AN APPROPRIATELY

CHALLENGING PROJECT

When we find ourselves working on a project at work that

is either too hard or too easy, our attention wanders. And

it often wanders to our social media feed or some other

distraction that feeds our FOMO. However, when we find

the ‘Goldilocks’ project – that is neither too easy or too hard

and is the perfect fit for our skill level, it becomes effortless

to stay focused.

Working on a project that fits within your challenge sweet

spot increases intrinsic motivation. We derive a sense of

purpose through wanting to conquer the challenge. Because

this type of work gets us into “flow”, we are 100 per cent

focused on ourselves and not on others.

FOCUS ON YOUR

UNIQUE STRENGTHS

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Professor

Adam Grant is well known for being a giver. Indeed, he wrote

the book on it. When I interviewed Grant on ‘How I Work’,

he spoke of how he aligns his approach to giving with his

strengths. Grant identified two of his strengths, one of which

is knowledge sharing.


Fear of missing out | INSPIRE

“There’s almost nothing that brightens my inbox more

than somebody reaching out and saying, ‘I had this question

about something related to work psychology. Has anybody

ever studied X?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, there’s a chance to take all

that esoteric information that I’m collecting from academic

journals and share it with somebody who might be curious

about it or who can apply it in some way’.”

The second strength he identified is making mutually

beneficial connections. “By virtue of the kind of work that

I do, I get to interact with lots of different industries and kinds

of people. It’s just really fun to connect the dots between

two people who could help each other, or who could create

something meaningful together.”

Psychology Professor Hadassah Littman-Ovadia and

Professor Michael Steger found that when people recognise

their own strengths, they report feeling that their life has a

clearer sense of purpose – a key driver of intrinsic motivation.

When we recognise our strengths, we feel more confident in

our ability to pursue what truly matters to us.

In a study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology,

the researchers asked participants to dedicate 15 minutes

to writing about their best possible self and then spend

time thinking about what their life would look like if everything

unfolded as they desired. In contrast, a control group spent

15 minutes writing about a typical day in their life and then

imagining what their future would look like. In comparison

to the control group, those who imagined their best possible

self reported feeling significantly more optimistic. When we

form vivid images of ourselves and our future, related

consequences feel more likely.

FOSTER CONNECTIONS IRL

According to self-determination theory, feeling connected to

others is an important facilitator of intrinsic motivation. And not

surprisingly, research also shows that people who feel lonely

experience FOMO more acutely. As such, increasing our own

connectedness through prioritising face-to-face gatherings

helps us focus on our own life, rather than that of others.

Carolyn Creswell, Founder and CEO of Carman’s Kitchen,

a muesli business turning over A$100 million (US$68.8 million)

annually, places huge importance on face-to-face connections

in the workplace. At Carman’s Kitchen HQ, there is a ban on

eating lunch at your desk. Instead, at 12.30pm every day, all

staff stop work to eat lunch together at a big communal table,

with meals prepared by an in-house chef. Staff do puzzles

together, have a laugh, and then return to their desks.

If you don’t have time to take a lunch break and connect

with your colleagues, researchers from Iowa State University

uncovered a way to promote connection in just 12 minutes.

Psychology Professor Douglas Gentile and his colleagues

asked students to engage in 12 minutes of loving-kindness

meditation, whereby they asked students to walk around a

building on campus and whenever they saw a person, think

to themselves, “I wish for this person to be happy”.

Compared with other interventions, such as a standard

mindfulness meditation, loving-kindness meditation increased

happiness, empathy and feelings of connection. So rather

than feel jealous of others because we are missing out, we

need to flip that and think about wishing happiness towards

other people.

MAKE DOWNWARD COMPARISONS

Mark Twain’s wisdom of comparison being the death of joy

is actually only half-true. It ignores the second type of

comparison humans can make – ‘downward comparisons’.

Downward social comparisons occur when we compare

ourselves with others who are less fortunate, which leads to

us feeling better about ourselves. For example, research into

downward comparison theory found that when job seekers

compare themselves against a less qualified applicant, they

feel better about their own qualifications. And in turn, their

self-esteem increased. Making downward comparisons has

also been shown to increase satisfaction with your life.

Rather than falling into the upward comparison trap

triggered by FOMO, deliberately engage in downward

comparisons to help improve your self-esteem and

motivation. For example, rather than worrying about the

meeting you opted to miss this morning, focus on how much

more work you are getting done compared with your less

fortunate colleagues who have chosen to attend the meeting.

As I look ahead in my calendar to meetings I have coming

up in the next few weeks, I can see a few more group video

calls approaching to prepare for this global summit. Rather

than hedge my bets and attend half-heartedly in case I miss

out on something, I am going to delete them all from my diary

and bask in the joy of missing out.


INSPIRE | Interview

Where

leaders

are made

HEADMASTER TONY GEORGE EXPLAINS

WHY THE KING’S SCHOOL IS DEDICATED

TO PROVIDING THE ULTIMATE TRAINING

GROUND FOR AUSTRALIA’S NEXT

GENERATION OF CEOS.

WORDS JODIE DARLINGTON • IMAGES THE KING’S SCHOOL

When The King’s School opened

its doors in the Sydney suburb

of Parramatta in February

1832, there were just three boys

in attendance. Despite this

rather inauspicious opening,

numbers quickly grew and by the end of the year there

were nearly 100 students. From day one, the School

prided itself on offering not only academic excellence,

but also character development. This was a place where

boys would develop into quality young men with

integrity and Christian values, who would eventually

become Australia’s next generation of leaders.

Nearly 200 years on, King’s is Australia’s oldest

independent school and possibly its best known.

With more than 2,000 students across its three

campuses, the School has grown considerably since

its early days, but still remains true to its founder’s

ambitions. Headmaster Tony George acknowledges

that one of the most challenging aspects of his job

is ensuring the School continues to honour its rich

history, while also providing an education that meets

the needs of students in the 21st century.

“When you’re working in the for-profit

environment, if you need to change, then you

change,” Tony says. “But in schools, you have a


INSPIRE | Interview

history and a tradition that informs the identity of that

school and you need to respect, celebrate and honour it as

you move into the future. So there is that tension between

staying true to yourself and your identity, while at the same

time being sufficiently agile to respond to different trends

and movements within the educational market space, which

is moving very, very quickly.

“To give you some perspective, I’ve got Old Boys who

were at the School 50 years or more ago, and I’ve got boys

at the School now who will still be around in 50 years’ time.

So, I’m dealing with a customer base that spans a century;

50 years into the past and 50 years into the future. What the

School was 50 years ago needs to resonate with what the

School will be in 50 years’ time. I can’t think of any other

industry or product line that has that kind of challenge.”

While academics is certainly an important aspect of

King’s, Tony points out that fundamentally the School has

always been focused on developing Christian character

and integrity.

“If you think of the conundrum, are great leaders born

or made? Regardless of whether they’re born or not, at

King’s they’re certainly made. We think about King’s as

where leaders are made. It’s not the knowledge and skills

that make them, that’s just their toolbox. It’s what they do

with that toolbox,” he explains. “The difference between

a CEO and a great CEO is not their toolbox; what makes


the difference is their character. Now, character is not

something you can pick up in a university course; character

is what’s forged within the community of a residential

school like King’s.

“Even though our students might not be CEOs for

another 10, 20, 30 or 40 years, what we need to do is

make sure that this character and integrity fully takes

hold now, so that when they then go off to university

and do their studies, they’re taking on the toolboxes that

will then complement their character and integrity as

leaders in business, government, community organisations

and so on. That’s what we’ve always done and that’s what

we’re always going to do.

“So, my challenge at King’s is, how do I provide an

environment in which the future leaders and CEOs of

our country can grow and be formed?”

BEYOND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Although King’s is not a selective school, it is committed

to academic excellence. In fact, it has been recognised as

one of Australia’s highest achieving non-selective schools,

regularly ranking among New South Wales’ Top 50 schools

in the HSC results. However, Tony believes academics is

not the main reason that parents choose to send their

children to King’s.

“There’s no doubt families want a good academic

education for their child, but I find they don’t tend to

choose the school based on the academics, because in many

respects that’s expected. It’s a bit like a five-star safety

ANCAP rating on your car, you expect it. If the car doesn’t

have the rating, you’ll go and buy some other car. It’s on

your checklist, but you want more than that,” he reasons.

“So, when parents are looking at sending their son to

King’s, I say to them, ‘Look, if all you want is an academic

education for your child, please take them somewhere else.

Because, yes, they will get a great academic education here,

but they’ll get so much more. They will be young men

of vision, character and integrity, ready to take on the

issues of our world in whatever environment or context

they find themselves.’”

According to Tony, some of the major problems we are

facing in this century, such as famine, climate change and

pollution, are much more than scientific problems. He argues

that science is a useful tool for addressing these global issues,

but fundamentally, they are human problems that will be

solved by people. “So, you need to have a certain quality of

person, a certain quality of leader or CEO, who is prepared

to step out and make a significant impact for the good of

the global society, through their ability to influence, inspire

and motivate people around them,” he asserts.

WHAT THE SCHOOL WAS 50

YEARS AGO NEEDS TO RESONATE

WITH WHAT THE SCHOOL WILL

BE IN 50 YEARS’ TIME.

LEARNING THROUGH FAILURE

One of the other messages that Tony conveys to prospective

parents is that attending King’s is certainly not for the

faint-hearted. “If you’re a parent who wants to wrap your

kid up in cotton wool, don’t bring him here,” he chuckles.

“This is an adventure and it’s a bit like an educational resort.

It’s laid on thick for the boys, from what they’re learning in

the classrooms, to the Cadet Corps and Duke of Edinburgh,

to sports, performing arts and leadership development.”

Tony jokes that the students are kept so busy with the

extensive co-curricular program that they have no time to

get up to mischief. “Boys and spare time don’t really go

well together,” he laughs. “They’re quick to come up with

a lot of ideas, not many of them good.” The structured

environment at King’s not only keeps the boys out of

trouble, but also helps to develop discipline and resilience.

One of the most unique aspects of studying at King’s

is the military identity instilled in the students through

participation in the Cadet Corps. One of Australia’s oldest

and largest cadet programs, it’s a compulsory activity for

Years 9 and 10 and is optional for those in Year 11 and

Year 12. More than 500 boys participate in the military-style

training program each year, allowing them to experience

discipline, teamwork and character-building exercises. The

annual Cadet Camp further tests and challenges students

through a variety of outdoor education experiences. “Our

boys don’t just put on their cadet uniform as a co-curricular

activity, they actually live it,” Tony enthuses.

The School’s strategy is defined by three essential pillars:

academic excellence, character development and Christian

community. “These are the three main distinctives that

feed into or develop our boys to be global thought leaders,”

Tony says. “One is obviously academic excellence, because

you need to have a good quality of mind to be able to lead

well, but that’s not sufficient; it’s essential to also have good

character. The third element is that of community. Our

community provides a context of belonging, mateship,

camaraderie and attachment that’s very important for one’s

security. Now, from that base you then move out into


INSPIRE | Interview

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

A CEO AND A GREAT

CEO IS NOT THEIR

TOOLBOX; WHAT MAKES

THE DIFFERENCE IS

THEIR CHARACTER.

developing character.” The way we learn, Tony explains,

is not through success, but through failure. “An example

of this is that you don’t see babies sitting back watching

YouTube videos on how to learn to walk and then saying,

‘Right, I think I’ve got it now, here we go,’ and then

walking. First, we need to trip and fall before eventually

we get the hang of it,” he points out.

Tony believes the same principle applies to developing

character. “We believe that the boys need to fail well, fail fast

and fail often. Where can they fail without anybody having

to die; without it having to be catastrophic? The answer is

in things like sport, outdoor education and performing arts.

I don’t mean that the failure is about losing a game of sport,

but you might drop the ball, miss the pass or miss the tackle.

You’ve let your mates down at that point and you have to

deal with the fact that you’re not perfect. You’ve got to pick

yourself up and strive on through it,” he says.

“This is where outdoor education and cadets is really

important, because they’re contexts in which the boys lead

the boys. If you fail in class, then you’ve let your teacher

down, but if you fail on expedition, you’ve let your mates

down. So not only does it teach them outdoor education

skills, but it plays a significant role in the development of

character and integrity.”

Tony adds that this means the boys become responsible

for their own actions rather than blaming others and they

also learn to make decisions when they need to be made.

“You don’t want a CEO who gets caught up in analysis

paralysis or a CEO who is quick to blame other people

and point the finger elsewhere. You also don’t want a CEO

who’s going to laud it over others and bully others. You

really want a CEO who is able to work with others, inspire,

enthuse and motivate them to be able to commit themselves

for the common good and actually get the best out of them

as a team,” he says.

“That’s the advantage of something like cadets. It’s

ordered and structured and it provides a great environment

of safety, so that our boys are looked after and cared for, but

at the same time it provides a context in which they really

do need to push themselves and almost step beyond their

limits. If you can’t face your own limits and understand your

own limits, then please don’t lead someone else. You’ll take

them over a cliff.”

FOR THE GOOD OF SOCIETY

From the moment King’s opened its doors, the School’s

purpose has been about far more than simply educating

its students. “The education in The King’s School is not for

the exclusive benefit of those upon whom it is bestowed,

but for that of the entire community,” Archdeacon William

Grant Broughton declared upon the School’s opening in

1832. Despite the fact that nearly two centuries have gone

by since those powerful words were uttered, Tony says

the sentiment still remains relevant to the School today.

“It’s a delightful quote and it really runs deep in the

DNA of the place,” he smiles.

“It’s symbolised in our uniform, because our boys

wear the oldest military uniform worn in Australia.

It’s a very distinctive uniform. Some people look at

the uniform and regard as a bit antiquated, or even

potentially misogynistic and patriarchal. The point

I make to our boys is that there are other schools that

have almost business-like suits, which are more about

prestige and entitlement, whereas our uniform symbolises

one who lives under authority and is prepared to live

their life in service for others.”

While some people associate the military with wars and

world domination, Tony believes that couldn’t be further

from the truth. He distinctly remembers a conversation he

had several years ago with Lieutenant General Rick Burr,

Australia’s Chief of Army. “Rick and I were sitting in a

canoe on the Zambezi River in Zambia and he said to me,

‘The Australian Army is fundamentally about providing relief,

rescue, service and support to the world. It’s about logistics.

A lot of people think it might be about firing a rifle, but

what we spend most of our time doing is moving lines of

service for the world,’” Tony recalls.

“That’s such a lovely reframing of the uniform; the King’s

uniform was to symbolise that every boy at the School was

to live in the King’s service; to plead the cause of the widow

and the fatherless and those who were in need. So I don’t

think there could be a better uniform than the one our

boys wear. Every day, when they get up and put it on,

they’re reminded that they’re prepared to live their lives

with guidance and for the benefit of others. They would

even lay down their lives if need be, as sadly hundreds of

our boys have done in various conflicts around the world.”


ONE SCHOOL,

THREE CAMPUSES

The King’s School is divided into

three campuses. Catering for boys in

Pre-Kindergarten to Year 6, the Preparatory

School is located within the School’s 320-acre

Parramatta property encompassing lakes,

lawns, gardens and woodland. The Senior

School, for boys in Year 7 to Year 12, is also

situated within the expansive Parramatta

parklands. Meanwhile, Tudor House is a

co-educational school in the New South Wales

Southern Highlands catering for children in

Pre-Kindergarten to Year 6.

BROTHERS IN ARMS

Several decades ago, the term ‘boarding school’ had negative

connotations, with fed-up parents making idle threats about

sending their misbehaving children away from home. But

Tony insists times have changed. “If we go back to last

century, boarding school was perceived as living in the

shearers’ quarters and being punished, sent away from

home,” he laughs. “It’s now quite the opposite; the facilities,

care and support at King’s is just outstanding.”

Of the 1,500 boys who attend the Senior School,

about 380 are boarders. These students are cared for by

50 staff members who live on campus with their families.

This creates a genuine family environment, with boarders,

staff, babies and dogs all living happily together. “It’s quite

a village, and that village really sets the tone of the place,”

Tony says. “My wife and I live on site and we still have

two kids at home and three dogs. The whole place is just

alive 24/7. We’ve got more sporting fixtures on a Saturday

than you find on Fox Sports.”


INSPIRE | Interview

OUR BOYS DON’T JUST PUT

ON THEIR CADET UNIFORM AS

A CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITY,

THEY ACTUALLY LIVE IT.

Prior to taking on the role as the 20th Headmaster

of King’s, Tony and his family were living in Perth, where

he was Principal of St Stephen’s School. Tony’s youngest

son moved to Sydney several months before the rest of the

family and became a boarder at King’s. “When we moved

on site, he continued to board because he wanted to be

in with his mates,” Tony recalls. “It gave us a good insight

as parents as to what the boarding community is like, and

it’s a delightful place.”

Situated on 320 acres of beautiful parkland complete

with lakes, lawns, gardens and woodland, the vast campus

provides a safe environment in which the boys are free to

play, run and explore. “I describe it as a boys’ adventure

playground,” Tony says. “You’ve got a gym where you

can bulk up, a swimming pool or you can play footy

with your mates. There’s also the music school if you’re

into performing arts. And there’s a restaurant where the

food is just there on-call whenever you need it. It’s really

quite extraordinary.”

While Year 7 students are grouped together in one

boarding house as part of an induction program, the other

houses are all vertical, with students from Year 8 to Year 12

grouped together. “The boys like it that way,” Tony says. “It’s

like living with your brothers; there are older brothers and

younger brothers. We place a lot of emphasis on that notion

of community within the School.”

Within the boarding houses there is a sense that mateship

and lifelong friendships are formed with strong loyalties to

the School. The day boys don’t miss out on this camaraderie

though, as they are placed in their own dedicated houses.

“It’s very much a residential experience, even if you’re a day

boy,” Tony enthuses. “It’s not like any other day school; the

way in which the boys are committed to their particular

houses is very Hogwartian.”

Tony explains the atmosphere is very much like a seaside

holiday town. The residents, he says, create the character of

the place, while the holidaymakers bring the energy. “At

King’s, it’s our boarding community that really sets the tone

and the culture of the place, and then our day families and

day boys come here and they bring the energy,” he says,

adding that the dining experience also helps to create

a communal atmosphere.

“It’s not just about feeding the boys; it’s very much

a cultural experience, with every boy sitting down with

each other and the staff, every lunchtime, and talking with

one another. That is a unique aspect of this school that

you won’t find anywhere else. We deliver 1,600 meals

in an hour every day, in order to provide that common

eating experience for the boys.”

Tony adds that he is incredibly proud of the diversity

within The King’s School – with the community reflecting

the rich and wonderful diversity of North West Sydney

in which it is located.

“It’s something that I love about our school – that our

student demographic reflects the Australian demographic,”

he comments. “When you look across our playground

and across our entire school, we’ve got boys from every

nationality learning and playing alongside each other.”

THE ART OF GROWING PEOPLE

When asked what he enjoys most about his role as

Headmaster, Tony breaks into a wide grin. “Oh, that’s

easy, the boys!” he exclaims. “Boys are boys no matter

where they are. They’re cheeky and they’re excited, they’re

at the beginning of life, they’re making plans, they’re

making decisions, they’re cracking jokes, they’re having

a lend of you.”

Although Tony certainly has a great rapport with his

students, he hasn’t always worked in the education sector.

After starting out his career as a science teacher, Tony left

to pursue a career in business management. After a decade,

he found himself “drawn back into the meaningful art of

growing people” and has worked in educational leadership

ever since. “My philosophy of education is not merely about

MY PHILOSOPHY OF

EDUCATION IS NOT MERELY

ABOUT THE TRADITION OF

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS,

BUT MORE ABOUT HOW

WE GROW PEOPLE, AND

THAT’S COMPLEX.


the tradition of knowledge and skills, but more about how

we grow people, and that’s complex,” he adds.

In the independent schools’ sector, Tony says there

are three spheres of influence: education, theology and

management. “So, you need a rather interesting toolbox,”

he quips. One of the biggest challenges Tony faces in his

role is managing the expectations of multiple stakeholders.

“When I was operating in the profit space, everything

was aligned nicely around maximising shareholder value,

so that’s pretty straightforward. The not-for-profit or the

for-purpose space has a lot more layers to it, because

you’re creating environments of meaning, purpose and

significance for so many different people in so many

different ways. It’s far more complex than any business

I’ve ever run or any organisation I’ve worked in, but that’s

the delight of it,” he says.

As Tony looks to the future, he’s excited by the potential

that King’s has to become a school of global significance.

“That’s something that we’re really focusing on, given that

we’re in the global century and being in the global century

means that we need to be globally minded,” he says.

Within the next few decades, technological advances

in air travel promise to drastically shorten flying times. This

presents a huge opportunity for a school such as King’s.

“We’re being told that in a decade or so there will

be planes that will get from Sydney to London in four

hours. This means that boys in Shanghai or Beijing could

effectively travel to King’s as weekly boarders,” he says.

“When I think of the student of the future, there might be

a family in the subcontinent who wants their son educated

at King’s in Australia before doing further study in North

America to look after the family’s affairs in Africa. It’s going

to be a very different kind of world, but the degree of travel

and movement is going to be much easier.”

Ultimately, Tony believes King’s is in a position to create

leaders that will make a significant impact on a global scale.

“The 320 acres that we have here in Parramatta is a unique

geographic footprint. We need to position this as the training

ground for future leaders. These are the fields that will give

rise to the leaders and CEOs of not just Australia’s future,

but the world’s future,” he says.

“Who are the people that are going to feature on

the front cover of The CEO Magazine in years to come?

Well, it’s those whose character is being forged in our

schools today. So, we all need to commit to the formation,

growth, development and encouragement of people of

character and integrity in school. It’s not just knowledge

and skills that are important, but also wisdom, discernment,

judgement and character.”

King’s was instrumental

in the development of rugby

union in Australia, playing in the

first interschool game against

Newington College in 1870.

Since then, 28 former students

have played for the Wallabies.


INSPIRE | Interview

Driven by

community

SPIRIT

CRAIG NIEMANN GREW

UP ON A DAIRY FARM

JUST OUTSIDE OF

BENDIGO, AND AS CEO

OF THE CITY OF GREATER

BENDIGO, HE’S PROUD

OF HIS UPBRINGING;

THIS IS WHERE HE

LEARNED THE MEANING

OF COMMUNITY, HARD

WORK AND A PASSION

FOR GIVING BACK.

WORDS ANASTASIA PRIKHODKO

IMAGES JUSTIN AND JIM – PHOTOGRAPHERS

Even though Craig Niemann has always had

a love for numbers, he preferred being active

over studying at university. His enthusiasm to

be involved in the community and create change

was a clear path into the local government sector.

When he moved away from his family’s dairy

farm and landed a job as a junior clerk at the Borough of

Eaglehawk in 1993, it was the stepping stone that eventually

gave Craig the confidence to take a major leap into executive

leadership. In 1997, he entered the role of CEO of Loddon

Shire, a local government area in Victoria, Australia.

It was eight years later, when his children were starting

high school, that Craig decided to move to Bendigo, a

goldrush boom town in regional Victoria. It proved to be

a good move for Craig, who has been the City of Greater

Bendigo’s CEO for the past 12 years.

Craig is passionate about working with the local

community. “It’s in my DNA,” he says, adding that his parents

were both strongly involved in the community. It’s no wonder,

then, that the importance of giving back and improving the

lives of others is so ingrained in him.



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Interview | INSPIRE

“WE’RE HERE FOR THE

GREATER GOOD AND TO

MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.”

Feeling that he is able to make a valued contribution

to the people in the community, Craig and his team are

dedicated to providing civic services that engage the public.

“My day-to-day can be so varied – the different topics

we talk about, planning for the future, responding to daily

needs and delivering on the expectations of people in the

community,” he explains. “That’s where satisfaction comes

from – helping people. I’m a people person.”

A noticeable transformation in Bendigo is the building

of a new hospital. The government-funded A$630 million

project – the largest regional hospital development in

Victoria – is a Public–Private Partnership between the

Victorian Government and Exemplar Health, and is intended

to transform health care in Bendigo.

“It’s a digital hospital,” Craig explains. “It uses smart

technology to manage patient records as well as deliver an

exceptional level of patient care. It provides critical services

like cancer treatment, meaning both local patients and those

in the wider region don’t need to travel to Melbourne. It

has put world-class health care on our doorstep.”

With many other projects in the pipeline and the

daily Qantas direct flights between Sydney and Bendigo,

the council is working to create the “world’s most liveable

community”. Craig says that Bendigo’s population is

expected to grow to 200,000 by 2050, which is almost

double today’s figure.

“There is a great amount of economic activity that needs

to take place in that time,” he explains. “The city is playing

its role in identifying future industrial land, creating the

infrastructure to help people move to and from work and

to be attractive for business and industry.”

The other goal is to improve its sustainability strategy.

The council is currently working on changing habits,

reducing emissions, planting more trees and creating more

canopy cover.

“I like working in an organisation where we want to

be the best,” says Craig, while reflecting on his position as

a leader. “I’m a collaborative leader. I am someone who

wants to see people succeed and do well. I get satisfaction

“Well-educated professionals are critical to a region’s ability to succeed. Their

higher education and skills help to deliver vital services to our communities, with

flow-on benefits including higher incomes, greater investment and development

of new business opportunities.” – Robert Stephenson FRSA FCPA MAICD,

Head of Campus, Bendigo, La Trobe University

out of watching people grow and work hard to deliver

their best. I also talk about being one entity; we’re not

different units or parts.”

As well as being forward-thinking and strategically

planning for the future, successful leadership is also about

diversity and inclusion. “It’s great to have people who think,

work and contribute differently. They all play a part in a

team environment to deliver the best outcome,” Craig says.

His role as CEO undoubtedly comes with its challenges

– many of them to do with people’s perceptions of local

government. Craig says some people talk about local

government in a not-so-positive way, which he says builds

resilience. Despite some positive feedback he receives, Craig

adds that “a couple of comments from time to time can be

quite challenging and hurtful”.

Craig often reminds himself that “there is a degree of

resilience and understanding that you can’t be everything

to everyone. We’re here for the greater good and to make

a big difference. We can’t satisfy everyone all of the time,”

he says. “Our efforts are about making it good for everyone

in the best possible way we can.”

Authentic leadership is a priority for Craig. He says

people should not try to be anything but themselves.

“You genuinely need to be who you are. People respect

and appreciate that there’s a genuine person who’s trying

to be their best.”


PURPOSE ISN’T EXCLUSIVE TO

NOT-FOR-PROFITS; WITH A

FEW SIMPLE STRATEGIES, ANY

ORGANISATION CAN HELP

EMPLOYEES FIND MEANING IN

THEIR WORK AND PERFORM

AT THEIR PEAK.

WORDS BETH WALLACE

PURPOSE

THE POWER OF


Mission driven | INSPIRE

With more than a quarter of the world’s workers

actively seeking new roles, it’s little wonder that

employers are pulling out all the stops to retain

quality talent. Gym memberships, paid parental leave and

flexible or remote working options are no longer ‘nice-to-haves’

but basic expectations of employees who know their worth.

Yet a growing body of research suggests there’s a far

simpler (and more effective) way to reduce attrition. “In the

past, we would talk about job satisfaction; today we talk

about purpose and meaning,” says Dr Lindsay McMillan,

Managing Director of Australian workplace research firm

Reventure. “Given that we’re at work more than any other

part of our life, people are very conscious that it creates

some sense of intrinsic value and worth inside them.”

In 2016, McMillan led a review of the Australian workforce,

which found that 72 per cent of employees were looking

for purpose and meaning in their work – with younger

respondents, in particular, deeming it a top priority. “We’ve got

this incredible churn factor within work today,” says McMillan.

“If millennials and younger generations feel they’re not getting

value out of their work personally, they’ll just leave.”

MEANINGFUL WORK

Numerous studies support these findings. One survey by

WorkHuman revealed the number-one reason employees

remained with their company was that they found the work

meaningful. In another by Calling Brands, respondents

claimed that, aside from pay and benefits, ‘deeper purpose’

is the most significant factor when considering a new job.

Purpose-focused companies don’t just appeal to

employees; according to Deloitte research, ‘mission-driven’

organisations have 30 per cent higher levels of innovation

and tend to be first or second in their market segment.

Meanwhile, a BetterUp study estimates that raising an

employee’s experience from average to highly meaningful

generates an extra US$9,078 in labour output per year.

There’s also evidence to suggest that a sense of purpose

influences wellbeing – improving various health indicators,

such as stress, adaptive coping and self-care. While such

outcomes are beneficial to workers at any level of an

organisation, they’re indispensable to leaders, says executive

coach and co-author of the ‘Global Leadership Wellbeing

Survey’, Audrey McGibbon. “When leaders are satisfied

and happy, it correlates not only with enhanced personal

performance, but also enhanced business performance,”

she explains. “High levels of meaning and purpose in their

roles can help them withstand a lot of stress factors: long

hours, sacrificed sleep and exercise… it is all so much more

tolerable in the short- to medium-term when they feel what

they’re doing is important.”

WORK THAT MATTERS

Not-for-profits and other socially driven brands may have

something of a free kick in the purpose stakes, but McMillan

believes any business can follow suit as long as employees

are able to identify the impact of – and are recognised for –

their efforts. “There’s something deep within us all whereby

we’re created to feel that we have something valuable to

contribute,” he says. “Workers generally require something

that grounds them; that gives them a sense of their role

adding meaning to the bigger narrative of the organisation.”

The most effective way to satisfy this intrinsically human

need, McMillan continues, is to develop an environment that

embraces social connection and positive reinforcement. “The

new generation of CEO needs to take the time to walk among

their people and genuinely and authentically tell them the

value and contribution that they make,” he says. “We have to

recapture some of the value of what it means to be human.”

THE RIGHT CULTURE

At Xero, the global small business platform, team members

are frequently reminded of the role they play in the brand’s

overarching mission – that is, to make life better for people

in small business. This comes about, in large part, through

regular interactions between employees and customers;

a strategy that forges a “community of champions”, says

Rachael Powell, Xero’s Chief Customer, People and Marketing

Officer, while simultaneously allowing team members to

witness the impact of their work. “You’ve got this beautiful

human ripple effect that starts with our purpose at the

core, and then resonates out to our own people, then to

our accountants and bookkeepers, and then out to the

small business community,” she says. “We’re working

collectively to raise the profile of the success of the small

business economy.”

Employee recognition is likewise deeply ingrained

within Xero’s culture. As part of the Xero Praise program,

staff distribute ‘values cards’ to co-workers to thank or

congratulate them for specific accomplishments. Success is

rewarded with gifts, accolades at the annual Global Praise

Awards, and opportunities to develop skills and experiences.

As Powell explains: “It is part of our culture to be human and

call out people for jobs well done – when they’re living our

values, or going above and beyond.”

Hiring talent that are passionate about small business

and letting them play to their strengths is also critical. “If you

focus on strengths, you’re going to get more out of people

and they’re going to be happier at what they do,” says Powell.

McGibbon agrees, adding that other workplaces could

benefit from a similar approach to strength spotting and job

crafting. “From the very top to the very bottom of the

organisation, people can identify their energy drainers and

redesign their role so that it plays to their strengths and allows

them to feel fully utilised,” she says.

“We also encourage people to ask themselves whether

the work they’re doing feels valuable, whether it’s interesting

and whether they feel it’s making a difference,” McGibbon

continues. “In this crazy world, it’s important to press the

pause button for long enough to consider the extent to which

the job you’re doing holds meaning.”


The SOCIAL

CEO

IT WOULD PROBABLY BE FAIR TO SAY THAT, FOR MOST CEOS, SOCIAL

MEDIA IS SOMETHING THEIR KIDS DO. EMMA WOOLLACOTT LOOKS

AT WHERE AND HOW TODAY’S C-SUITE PRESENT THEMSELVES ONLINE.

According to a recent survey from business advisory

firm Brunswick Group, fewer than half of all S&P 500

and FTSE 350 CEOs have a social media presence,

and only a quarter have posted anything over the past year.

Those that do, though, can find that it brings clear

benefits. According to the survey, a social media-savvy CEO

is popular with employees; the top 50 connected leaders, it

found, have a five per cent higher Glassdoor rating, with their

companies being rated three per cent higher too.

“As the head of the organisation, the CEO shapes the

perception people have of it. Their face is the most prominent

and visible to all; if well-regarded, their organisation’s

reputation is enhanced, as is their ability to attract and retain

the best talent,” says Martin Falch, CEO and co-founder

of 360Leaders, a specialist tech recruitment firm that helps

build boards and management teams.

In times of crisis, personal communications from a

company leader can also go a long way towards restoring

public confidence. According to Brunswick, nine out of

10 finance leaders think it’s vital when a company is being

publicly criticised or is hit by a disaster.

And there can be more personal advantages too, says

Nancy Elgadi, Digital Director at Right Angles, a reputation

consultancy specialising in CEOs and celebrities.

“It is essential for CEOs to have an active presence on

social media, not only to act as an ambassador for their


Actively online | INSPIRE

business, but also to strengthen their own personal brand and

raise their profile as a thought leader within their industry,”

she says.

Using interesting content such as video can increase

engagement, and posting strong opinions and soundbites can

see them picked up by the press. However, it’s best to make

it clear that the account isn’t the right place for complaints.

“Not being on social media as a CEO may make you look

as though you’re shying away from the public, and are not

being transparent with them,” says Elgadi. “But if you do

have social media, you may become the subject of more

complaints than you’ll ever be able to service.”

With so many social media channels to choose from, it’s

important to focus on the right ones. While Instagram may

be suitable for a fashion company, say, it may not be the best

choice for an accountancy firm.

The Brunswick survey found that LinkedIn is the most

popular platform for corporate leaders, with 44 per cent of

CEOs having some sort of presence. Twitter is second choice

with 15 per cent. But of the top 50 connected leaders, 62 per

cent are present on more than one platform.

All this, though, takes time – something that CEOs may

have precious little of. So should they actually be creating

posts themselves?

Some say not.

“In my particular case, and due to the particularities of our

business, investing time in this would not be as profitable as

for other companies,” says Andreu Fernandez, CEO of men’s

tailors Hockerty.

“That’s why I prefer to work with my teams and develop

projects and leave the social media marketing actions to the

marketing departments.”

However, most social media experts, such as Tamara

Littleton, founder and CEO of The Social Element, believe that

it’s best if CEOs can find time to post themselves. This keeps

communication authentic and open, and helps to build trust

over the long-term.

She adds: “Of course, CEOs need to ensure that they

don’t post anything that could negatively impact the business;

they have to remain mindful of the weight of their words.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, for example, probably hasn’t done

himself or his company any favours. In 2018, he tweeted that

he was considering taking Tesla private, claiming funding was

secured; the misinformation saw him forced out as chairman

and the company fined. Around the same time, he tweeted

highly offensive claims about a British diver who helped

rescue children trapped in a Thai cave.

“A CEO’s social media posts have the power to affect the

share price and reputation of the business,” says Littleton,

“so I would always recommend pausing before hitting that

post button.”

The TOP 10

connected leaders

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Doug McMillon, Walmart

Connected score: 828.7

LinkedIn: 56.5K

Facebook: 97.8K

Instagram: 28.8K

Brent Saunders, Allergan


LinkedIn: 29K

Twitter: 9.6K

Instagram: 426.9K

Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo


LinkedIn: 22K

Twitter: 2.2K

Facebook: 879

Adena Friedman, Nasdaq


LinkedIn: 532.5K

Twitter: 10.8K

Instagram: 2K

Dan Schulman, PayPal


LinkedIn: 102.9K

Twitter: 10.4K

Facebook: 76.9K

Hans Vestberg, Verizon Communications


LinkedIn: 6.8K

Twitter: 16.6K

Instagram: 9.9K

Ben van Beurden,

Royal Dutch Shell


LinkedIn: 19.2K

Twitter: 1.3K

Mary Barra, General Motors


LinkedIn: 1.2M

Twitter: 46K

Lynn Good, Duke Energy


LinkedIn: 137.6

Ed Bastian, Delta Air Lines


LinkedIn: 44.2K

‘Connected Leadership’ report 2019 by Brunswick Group


MAKE

or

BREAK:

THE

FIRST

GETTING A FAST START

IS ESSENTIAL FOR A NEW

CEO, ALTHOUGH IT CAN

BE A TRICKY PATH TO

NAVIGATE. JESSICA

MUDDITT ASKS LEADERS

TO SHARE THEIR

WINNING STRATEGIES.

100 DAYS

No period of time is more crucial for a new leader to

set themselves up for success than the first 100 days.

It is a concept that is well understood in global politics

– and in business too, it is apt.

Mess it up and you will quickly be shown the door, says

the CEO of consulting firm Vantage Performance, Michael

Fingland. Over the past 14 years, he has worked with more

than 200 CEOs in setting priorities for their first 100 days.

He divides his clients into two broad categories: the

‘turnaround CEO’ and those at companies that are profitable

but struggling to scale up.

A turnaround CEO is installed in the midst of economic

downtown, industry-wide disruption or some other crisis.

The focus for the first 100 days should be on stabilising the

business and returning it to profit.

“It’s a very hands-on, intense period – you’re racing

against the clock to avoid the business collapsing,” he says.

In a stable business environment, fast-tracking growth

and stakeholder management should be the top priorities.

In both scenarios, the first 100 days are a period of

intense pressure. As the director of Bates Communications,

Scott Weighart, says, “In your first 100 days as CEO, you’re

living life in a fishbowl.”

“It’s a time of incredible scrutiny,” agrees Fingland.

“Everyone is looking to you to come up with a plan and staff

may be incredibly nervous because they’ve got their jobs

and mortgages to worry about.”

Indeed, when carrying out a strategic review, a new

CEO must quickly assess the senior leadership team and

possibly make some difficult decisions. Are the right people

in the right roles, and for the particular stage of business?

Are there detractors? As Fingland says, “You’re always

going to have those in management who resist change no

matter what. Or those who frustrate initiatives if it wasn’t

their idea.”

BE FLEXIBLE FROM DAY ONE

Chris Noone became the CEO of car subscription service

Collaborate in 2014. He had been a CEO before, though not

at an ASX-listed company. He says that keeping an open

mind was vital to quickly building rapport with stakeholders.

“I always have fairly strong views when coming into a

company,” he says. “People need to know that you have

ideas and insights – you won’t get the job without those – but

in the first 100 days, you need to be open to changing your

beliefs as you learn more about the business and the rationale

behind previous strategies.”

Noone says that hindsight is always 20:20 when looking

back on one’s first 100 days: the most important thing is to

act decisively and trust your judgement.


Setting priorities | INSPIRE


INSPIRE | Setting priorities

“It’s a matter of doing things quickly and as well as

possible, but you have to accept that you’re dealing with

imperfect information. If you wait around for perfect

information, you’ll never get anywhere.”

SETTING YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE

While it may be impractical to learn the name of every

employee, an attitude of ‘my way or the highway’ will likely

backfire nowadays, says Fingland.

“The style of CEO from the 90s doesn’t work anymore.

You can’t rule by fear – especially with millennials coming

into the workforce. You’ve got to take people with you.”

Noone recommends taking a somewhat relaxed approach

to getting to know all the new faces. “You’ve got to get out

there, make yourself known and create opportunities for

conversations. Quite often, if you do something too formal,

you’ll get formal responses and not the nuggets you’re

looking for.”

He saw opportunities to break the ice in everyday

situations at the office. “Usually the first exposure of staff to a

new CEO is seeing them in the lift. I think it’s the perfect place

to do PR. If you engage with someone, that person will get

out and think, ‘This guy seems okay’, and tell 10 people. The

message goes around that you don’t see yourself as sitting

on a pedestal.”

And while it can be tempting to put in excessively long

hours as a way of getting up to speed and setting

expectations around work ethic, it isn’t wise to do so,

Fingland says. “There’s a lot of brain science around this for

strategic leaders. If you’re consistently burning the midnight

oil, your productivity drops to about 60 per cent. So it’s a

false economy. Your brain needs some recovery time to be

an effective CEO.”

Noone agrees, saying, “I don’t think that just because

you’re sitting at your desk and it’s night-time that people are

going to respect you. Certainly, you need to lead by example.

But leading by example might be leaving a bit earlier some

days, or spending all your time in the field.”

PUTTING IN THE MILES

As the new CEO of SiteMinder, a guest acquisition platform

for hotels, Sankar Narayan knew that personally visiting every

regional office was paramount to his success.

“I’ve had several roles as COO and CFO over the last

15 years, so I was used to public scrutiny on the operating

metrics. What was new for me as a CEO was being

responsible on the people side; for ensuring that the team

around the world was well aligned.”

Furthermore, while SiteMinder’s headquarters are in

Sydney, 80 per cent of its revenue comes from outside

Australia. So in 2018, Narayan immediately set off on a

gruelling travel schedule that took in Bangkok, Galway,

London and Dallas, where he met senior leadership teams

and held manager-free lunches with his 800 staff.

“I spent two months travelling so that I could understand

my team’s pain points and what excites them. I tried to really

put myself in their shoes and get a feel for how the business

operates, as opposed to reading reports.”

However, in startups and smaller companies, a long

listening tour could become a liability, says Carolyn Jenkins.

She took on her first CEO role in 2018 at Texas-based Khorus

Software, which helps CEOs manage strategic company goals.

“As a first-time CEO, my company hired a CEO coach.

He encouraged me to read on-boarding best practices, all

of which said to listen, listen, listen. Don’t change much or

anything at all. I suspect while that may be sound advice for

mid-market and enterprise companies, the advice should

be different in the startup world. I didn’t need 100 days of

listening: not because I am brilliant, but because smaller

companies just have fewer moving parts.”


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INSPIRE | Interview

A HEALTHY

culture

THERE’S SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT GOLD COAST

HEALTH, AND ACCORDING TO ITS CEO, RON CALVERT,

IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO CULTURE.

WORDS JULIE COOPER • IMAGES ANDREW PORFYRI

A

complete and total makeover was just the medicine Gold Coast Health would

need to step up its game and stand out in the public healthcare arena. So that’s

exactly what it got. In 2013, Gold Coast Health moved from the old Gold

Coast Hospital at Southport into a A$1.8 billion, state-of-the-art masterpiece

to keep up with the area’s explosive population growth. And the results of this

move have been nothing short of astounding.

“Everyone who comes to this hospital says there’s something different about it

compared to other hospitals they encounter,” says Gold Coast Health’s CEO Ron Calvert.

“Gold Coast University Hospital and Robina Hospital are very high quality, and our staff

takes great pride in working in such pristine buildings. I think that was the trigger for a

change in attitude.”



Ron believes the culture of the organisation is

leaps and bounds from what it was when he signed

on as CEO in 2012. Moving into a tremendous

building created a huge shift in behaviour, fostering

a culture of oneness, where everyone bands together

over one shared goal: to provide topnotch patient

care. “Our belief is that when the culture is strong

and the situation is complicated, people will try

to do the right thing. That’s the result of a healthy

culture,” he says.

And the health of this culture isn’t left to chance.

Gold Coast Health regularly injects engagement

techniques and other well-thought-out initiatives

across the organisation to keep things running

smoothly. “We try to equip our people. We use

improvement science a lot,” Ron says. “Everything

we do is driven by evidence and data. We believe

you can only improve what you can measure.”

For that reason, every two years the organisation

sends out a ‘Going for Gold’ survey to its staff. It’s

a 40-minute survey that helps them not only achieve

magnet accreditation, but also keep a check on the

internal pulse of the organisation. The last survey

had a remarkable 67 per cent completion rate.

“We’ve made great strides as an

organisation. So many people

here do such a good job. I’m

really proud to work here.”

Delivering the best possible

cancer care to communities

across the world.

Because where you live, should

not determine if you live.

icongroup.global

Interview | INSPIRE

“More than 6,000 people completed the survey,

and of all those respondents, 65 per cent agreed with

the statement, ‘Gold Coast Health is a truly great

place to work’,” he shares.

“It’s one of the things that has been most pleasing

about the journey we’ve been on. And, in our next

survey in February with a bigger workforce, I’d like

to get a bigger response rate. I’d also like to get more

than 65 per cent of our staff telling us it’s a great

place to work.”

It’s not unlikely for Ron to get his wish.

Even Newsweek recognised the phenomenal work

Gold Coast Health is doing. In the publication’s

‘World’s Best Hospitals 2019’ survey, Gold Coast

University Hospital was named the sixth best hospital

in Australia and Robina Hospital came in at 32.

“We want to build on that and carry on enhancing

the reputation of this organisation,” Ron says.

One way he plans to do this is by continuing

to invest in the culture. Gold Coast Health regularly

hosts company-wide programs and initiatives like

Thank You Week, the Values Awards and The

Improvers event.

“There are thank-you walls throughout the

hospital where people take time to thank each other

for all they do,” he says. “And every quarter we have

our Values Awards, when the staff members nominate

individual members who exemplify our values. The

winners are then invited to our Golden Gala Awards

night, which is a black-tie event. Last year, tickets sold

out in three minutes and a thousand people came.”

At The Improvers event, different departments

come together to showcase their innovative spirit.

They’re given 60 seconds in front of the Health

Minister to pitch their ideas for enhancing patient

care. After a round of questions, a winner is selected

and the winning idea is funded. There is also a

People’s Choice Award for the several hundred staff

in the audience and staff joining via a live stream.

“We involve our staff in planning for the future,”

Ron says. “There are areas of the hospital where

the staff have more freedom and independence to

manage their operations. Provided they hit their

‘granditudes’, they basically have the freedom to

decide their own future. We’ve found the more we

do as an organisation, the prouder our employees

get. It’s a nice, self-fulfilling circle.”

On theme with its future-forward focus, Gold

Coast Health is now prepped and ready to take on

the looming digital revolution that’s set to sweep

the healthcare world over the next decade.

“We recently invested A$40 million into an

integrated electronic medical record,” Ron says.

“We wanted the software to support decision-making,

flag allergies, suggest alternative drugs and ensure the

next stage in the patient journey is done the right

way to guarantee high-reliability care,” he shares.

“We put a whole digital look to the entire patient

program ahead of us.”

According to Ron, artificial intelligence is also

set to sweep the global healthcare scene. There are

currently artificial intelligence programs that have the

ability to constantly monitor a patient’s physiological

state from multiple different measuring devices. It’s a

groundbreaking achievement, he says, especially when

it comes to sepsis.

“Sepsis has a very high mortality rate,” he says.

“If you have sepsis, it’s really bad news and hard to

treat. With this artificial intelligence, we can predict

the onset of sepsis up to 24 hours before it happens.

No human being can do that.”

But Ron knows all about the impossible. When

he signed on to manage Gold Coast Health roughly

eight years ago, he performed a rather superhuman

“We recently invested

A$40 million into

an integrated

electronic medical

record.”

task himself. Back then, the organisation was

relatively small. Fast-forward to today, and it’s

almost unrecognisable. Under Ron’s leadership,

Gold Coast Health has seen a rapid expansion

of services and what was once a A$760 million

turnover, is now about A$1.6 billion.

“It’s a huge amount of money to be importing

every year, an average increase of more than

A$100 million per year. And yet, demand for health

care from the Gold Coast population continues

to grow at an even greater rate than the financial

growth – it’s a hugely booming area. We’ve made

great strides as an organisation. So many people

here do such a good job. I’m really proud to

work here.”



Interview | INSPIRE

Part of

the

family

FROM SMALL BUSINESS TO WORLD PLAYER,

PET FOOD MANUFACTURER STAUGHTON

GROUP IS AIMING BIG WHILE KEEPING

ITS FAMILY FEEL, THANKS TO MANAGING

DIRECTOR EDWARD STAUGHTON.

WORDS ANASTASIA PRIKHODKO • IMAGES MARK JESSER

Edward Staughton was raised on a farm in the

small town of Jingellic in the South West Slopes

region of New South Wales.

“We had many animals growing up,” he

shares, adding that “even the donkey was

welcome inside”. Edward reflects on his

upbringing as being one where animals were always part

of the Staughton family. The connection to them and their

wellbeing never faded, which was ultimately what led his

father to start the pet food manufacturing business that holds

the family name.

Fast forward to 2020 and Staughton Group is expanding,

automating and implementing adjustments to support its

growth in the global market. Edward says several changes

include the recruitment of its management team, onboarding

systems and processes, and how it’s driving business strategy.

“Through our growth phase, it became clear that when

we evolved from a small family business, we had to define

our culture to make it sustainable and enable it to thrive,”

Edward says. “We went through a process that included

everything from engaging employees at different levels to

outlining our core values as a business.”

This time of transition built the Staughton Group story.

Edward, who has been Managing Director since 2008, says

the heritage narrative is now prevalent across all parts of the

business – from recruitment to induction – right across all

communications and performance reviews. “We want to

embed those core values that drive the business and keep

that family atmosphere of a nimble, dynamic and innovative

culture,” he explains.

After finishing a degree in commerce and IT at Bond

University in Queensland, Edward took a job with


INSPIRE | Interview

Credit Suisse, where he had the opportunity to work in

Sydney, as well as Milan and Zurich. In 2008, upon his

return to Australia, Edward realised he needed a change.

It was also at this point that he recognised a rising interest

in the physical manufacturing and production side of

business, rather than just the financial. “That was when we

packed up our life in Sydney and moved back to Albury

to get involved with the family business,” he says.

“I went from being a small cog in a big wheel in the

finance game, having one specific task to do, to coming into

a business with 45 employees, a lot of scope, opportunity

and flexibility,” he says. Overnight he had to become an

expert in IT, HR, operations, logistics and production.

“It was an exciting entrepreneurial phase of being a ‘Jack

of all trades’ across the industry, and an opportunity to

take projects and develop them independently.”

Under Edward’s leadership, Staughton Group has

continued its growth and ventured into foreign markets.

The business now exports to the US, Canada and several

countries across Asia, including Japan, Singapore, Korea and

“Working closely with such an innovative and fast-growing company is extremely

rewarding. With constant improvements and changes in the business, we are

challenged to provide innovative solutions to both commercial and technical

aspects of a range of business transactions and strategies.” – David Morris,

Managing Partner – Business Advisory, Findex

Taiwan. “We’re in the middle of a major rollout through the

US,” he says. “And we ship our raw ingredients to the UK,

Germany and Denmark.” The company is also planning on

exporting raw ingredients to Thailand. All of this is possible

due to the business’s long-term investment and credibility.

“We’re not making quick-win, short-term decisions;

we’ve been good at forming partnership relationships, rather

than transactional ones,” Edward explains. “Instead of a

transactional short-term trade, we want to form long-term

partnerships and be a scalable business with integrity.”

These relationships include the likes of VK Logic, a local

electrical engineering and fabrication business that has

partnered with Staughton Group to build its innovative

manufacturing solutions, and Findex, which provides

financial advisory and accounting services. Throughout its

development process, the business worked closely with

Staffpower, an employment agency in New South Wales.

Staughton Group has also been focusing on innovation

across product development, packaging, market and business

strategy. “We’ve been in a fortunate situation to develop our

automation in the materials handling side,” Edward enthuses.

One example is the entire dehydration method for

Balanced Life, a holistic range of pet foods and treats that

uses an 85 per cent solar-derived drying process.

“This makes it the most environmentally friendly pet

food in the world,” Edward says. “We’re bringing new

formats and doing it with a sustainable approach and doing

it in an environment that has paddock-to-plate traceability.”

Edward loves a challenge. He also enjoys bringing new

ideas to the market, be it in price, process or efficiency.

“Instead of the adage, ‘If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it,’ we have

the view of, ‘If it can be done better, then fix it, even if it’s

working.’” He adds, “We have a strong ‘can-do’ attitude.”

Recognising public anxiety over pet food safety incidents,

Edward has been campaigning to bring in more regulation.

“We have differentiated and prided ourselves on investing in

quality control and systems,” he explains. “That’s not

necessarily the case for everyone in the industry, and when

there’s no regulation and legislation, then it’s not a level

playing field. That allows bad actors to cut corners and that’s

not good for the long-term viability of the industry.

“My interest is in making this the strongest, trusted, most

robust industry, especially when you are protecting people’s

family, and these days, pets are family.”

“A great client of ours, Staughton Group has made us feel a part of its past and

ongoing success. The team’s open and honest communication with our staff set

the foundations for the strong and respectful working relationship we have today.”

– Jarrod Hodgkin, Account Manager, Staffpower

“My interest is in

making this the

strongest, trusted,

most robust industry.”

“You just

have to

CARE.”

FOR JO-ANNE HEWITT, CEO OF

ACHIEVE AUSTRALIA, SOCIAL

INCLUSION IS THE RIGHT OF

EVERYONE, INCLUDING PEOPLE

WITH DISABILITY.

WORDS LISA SCHOFIELD • IMAGES SCOTT EHLER

For those with a disability, the opportunity to live a valued and

meaningful life is all that matters to Jo-Anne Hewitt. And as

CEO of disability support provider Achieve Australia, she’s in

the perfect place to help make this happen.

Founded in 1952, Achieve Australia has been providing

accommodation and expert support services to people with

disabilities in Greater Sydney and the Northern Rivers region of NSW

for over 67 years. “We talk in terms of ‘my home, my life, my career, my

wellbeing’ – our services are based on all those things needed to make a

good life,” Jo-Anne says. “People with disabilities are no different. Achieve

is supporting them to live their best lives in whatever way we can.”


Interview | INSPIRE


INSPIRE | Interview

“THE END GOAL IS TO CHANGE THE WAY AUSTRALIAN

SOCIETY DEALS WITH PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY.”

Achieve is a for-purpose community organisation and an

NDIS registered provider with 1,100 staff and volunteers.

Based in Sydney, it provides support to service hubs

throughout the region.

Welcomed as CEO in 2019, Jo-Anne has a 42-year

background in the disability sector with executive roles in

The Benevolent Society, Cerebral Palsy Alliance and Uniting

Care Disability. “I’ve certainly seen a lot of change, both in

terms of the sector itself and how we support people with

a disability,” she points out.

With the company’s passion for social inclusion and

building extraordinary lives for people with disability, it’s

easy to see why Jo-Anne feels so at home in her new role.

“People with a disability are often pigeonholed into

limited choices,” she suggests. “Social inclusion is ensuring

people are connected to, and are a part of, the community

of their choosing. It’s about being able to choose who you

socialise with, live with and work with, and receiving

support to do this.”

Achieve provides a range of options for the individual

needs of people with disabilities and the way they live

their lives. “We were one of the first organisations to adopt

a person-centred approach,” says Jo-Anne proudly. Personcentred

practices ensure the focus is on the individual and

the contribution they can make to society. The person with

a disability is at the centre of decisions that relate to their

life and their own best interests.

Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

is delivering a consistent and universal person-centred

approach to those who need it.

“NDIS is very much about enabling choice and control,”

Jo-Anne suggests. “The implementation of the NDIS,

although still very much a work in progress, has created so

much difference in the way people with disabilities and their

families live their lives, compared with even five years ago.

People can be more discerning about how they use their

funding and which service providers they use. There’s more

opportunity to be flexible.”

At N-Able IT we believe that technology goes beyond the hardware, software and services you use. Rather, it’s about the people, processes and platforms

that support it. That’s why we’ve been so successful in helping the not-for-profit sector get the most out of their IT systems for the past 10 years. We

understand the challenges they face and, by aligning our technology with their business goals, we help them to thrive now and in the future.

Partner with N-Able IT today to learn how a purpose-driven technology strategy can improve your business outcomes.

PO Box 570, Willoughby, NSW, 2068 info@n-ableit.com.au

02 8075 0888

www.n-ableit.com.au

“We’ve had a great relationship with the National

Disability Insurance Agency,” she adds. “We work with the

agency at a local level to ensure our service users get what

they need and at a higher level around policy, strategy and

providing a voice for those with a disability.”

Achieve is also a member of Alliance20, a sector-wide

advocacy group of Australia’s 20 largest and influential

disability service providers. “We work closely with the

Minister for NDIS and the CEO of the National Disability

Insurance Agency (NDIA) to make sure we’re sharing and

receiving information from the perspective of both the

service providers and the service participants,” Jo-Anne says.

“The end goal is to change the way Australian society deals

with people with a disability. The notion of funding people

according to their own needs and aspirations and enabling

them to live the way they want in the community with the

support they need, is an amazing step forward.”

The people factor has played an important role in

Achieve Australia’s success. Professionals from all walks of

life are drawn to the disability sector. Jo-Anne suggests that

anyone can work in the sector with the right training or

skills for the role, but it’s their passion to positively affect

the lives of people with a disability that makes the difference.

“Everybody is here for the same purpose, and that’s

ultimately for the outcomes for people with disabilities,” she

“Since 2017, we have shared a journey with Achieve: a period of growth and

transition for both parties. It has been an incredible opportunity and partnership.

We believe our alignment of values and experience in the sector has been key to

our collective success.” – David Woo, Managing Director, N-Able IT

says. “You don’t have to be special – you just have to care.

In your heart you need to have the right attitude and want

to help people to live good lives. We’re just ordinary people

who see that people with disabilities matter.”

Achieve offers employment initiatives for people with

disabilities and engagement opportunities with the local

community through volunteer work. AchievAble Enterprises

is a pack-and-send service, providing meaningful

employment and employment skills to those with a disability.

The Sewing Basket is a small social enterprise with support

from local volunteers who have an interest in supporting the

organisation and its purpose. “These initiatives provide so

much more than employment, they create a community

connection,” Jo-Anne adds.

“Likewise, it’s been important to form strategic

partnerships with companies that have the same values as

us and understand what we’re trying to achieve. Working in

partnerships with companies like N-Able IT, who provide

all our IT support, means we don’t need to be the experts

in every field and we can focus on supporting people with

disabilities,” says Jo-Anne. “We’re looking for organisations

that live and breathe what they do.

“As CEO, I am clear on my vision for the organisation

and why I’m here. Our values base and customer focus help

me make decisions and engage with my staff and the people

I support. I want to contribute not just to the organisation

but also to the whole sector and the community supporting

disability going forward.

“While the disability and not-for-profit sector is a mainly

female workforce, it’s been a long time coming to have

women represented at a senior executive and CEO level,”

she adds. “Often, women don’t necessarily see themselves in

these roles, yet we have stronger engagement with our

workforce because it’s largely female.”

“What excites me most is the opportunity to lead our

Achieve team so we can together support those people with

a disability to live their best lives. This is what matters.”



Interview | INSPIRE

Returning

the

love

AS THE HEAD OF CATHOLIC HEALTHCARE,

DAVID MAHER IS COMMITTED TO

PROVIDING AUSTRALIA’S ELDERLY THE

LOVE AND SUPPORT THEY DESERVE.

WORDS WENDY KAY • IMAGES SCOTT EHLER

David Maher is a quietly spoken, thoughtful leader;

more low-key than flashy, more practical than

impossible. That’s not to say the Managing Director

of Catholic Healthcare doesn’t harbour ambition.

Indeed, he’s entirely focused on the future. It’s just

that his goals centre more around the people he

cares for, rather than any personal agenda – a fact made evident

when asked about his bucket list.

“I want to give back to our elderly. They built this society

we live in, yet many people in aged care do not receive a visitor,”

David explains. “I want to ensure that they get all the love and

support they deserve.”

The not-for-profit, independent Catholic Healthcare operates

10 retirement villages in New South Wales and 40 aged-care

homes throughout New South Wales and south-east Queensland,

with a number of those specifically designed to cater to those

people at risk of becoming homeless.


INSPIRE | Interview

Catholic Healthcare also delivers in-home and

community services such as health and wellbeing programs,

personal care, light housework, gardening services and

dementia support, and specialised programs focused on

supporting clients experiencing hoarding and squalor.

While the average age of Catholic Healthcare clients

in aged care is 80, anyone can access services from the age

of 65, and with Australia’s aged population increasing, the

organisation is growing fast. From the end of this year,

a new aged care home will open every four to six months,

doubling Catholic Healthcare’s A$1 billion investment over

the next decade. David stresses that it’s a case of growth to

meet need, rather than growth for growth’s sake.

“That’s what we’re about: building the aged care of

tomorrow one day at a time,” he explains. “Our promise is

to enrich lives so every client can experience the best life

possible during their life’s journey, whether they are 65 and

completely active, or in the later stages of palliative care.

We’re reviewing and changing things quite a lot so we can

support the care desires and decisions of each individual.”

Over the past couple of years, Catholic Healthcare has

collaborated with Australia’s largest retirement living provider,

Lendlease, to provide residential care homes, amenities and

homecare services across Lendlease villages. It’s an integrated

Your places

our care

Delivering successful accreditation and

housekeeping services to the aged care

industry for over 50 years!

Talk to the team today

1800 857 737 • facilitiesfirst.com.au

National Integrated Facility Services

service that provides aged-care services for people who need

it and means clients can retire knowing they can transition

into aged care and be looked after.

“We build residential aged care homes in Lendlease

retirement villages with about six sites in New South Wales

and three in Victoria. We also offer aged-care services to the

surrounding community.”

David began his career as a management consultant

with Price Waterhouse before moving across to health care,

working for various organisations in Australia and the UK

before joining Catholic Healthcare 18 years ago to head up

the hospitals in the group. At the same time, the organisation

was becoming aware of the desperate need for more

aged-care services and by 2011, when David was appointed

Managing Director, aged care was the primary focus.

David says the fundamental tenet of the organisation is

that everyone is welcome, no matter what their beliefs, with

staff being no exception. He believes the crucial key to

Catholic Healthcare’s holistic care is the commitment of its

4,000 employees, supported by 1,000 volunteers, but admits

that finding the right people to work in the industry is an

ongoing struggle.

“The value Catholic Healthcare places in relationships is invigorating, aligning

perfectly with the service excellence we aim for. Open communication at all levels

has led to a degree of transparency that allows us to continue to develop our

core businesses together.” – Christopher Joyce, General Manager – Commercial

Cleaning, FMS, Health and Aged Care, Facilities First Australia

“There is a large and growing need for caregivers to

support our elderly, but it’s an industry that needs people

who are not only capable, but also care deeply for older

Australians. We need to innovate in the way we retain and

attract people. I revere our frontline staff for the care and

dedication they provide. They’re clever, passionate people

and they are what really drives me. But we need to offer

more support, education and training so they continue to be

good caregivers and they see it as a worthwhile career path.”

David says operating within the paradigms of aged care

can also be a challenge, forcing him to rely heavily on solid

partnerships to ensure services run smoothly, such as

Facilities First. For many years, Catholic Healthcare has

enjoyed a strong relationship with the company, an

organisation David trusts implicitly to use cleaning specialists

to ensure high standards are met.

“My biggest challenge is finding solutions to do more,

to enrich the lives of our clients using the resources we

have. How we can do things differently to add to the life

experience of the people we are caring for. So building

a partnership based on loyalty and trust is important.”

David says the contribution from volunteers visiting and

caring for lonely clients is also vital. Expanding on the

concept of bringing the outside world in, he’s drawing on

local communities to brighten up the days of clients,

particularly those who may not have family support.

“We have one home where we have a cafe and a branch

of the local library used by the general community. The cafe

overlooks a park that has a children’s play area, so our

residents can go there and join in, or if they can’t get out

they can see it all happening from their window.”

David is a current Councillor on the Aged and

Community Services Association of NSW, a member of the

Aged Care Advisory Committee into Residential Aged Care

Funding, and a member of the Australian College of Health

Service Executives.

As the father of three teenagers, weekends are usually

taken up with family time, including his own indulgence of

playing soccer every week during winter. It’s yet another

way David leads by example, preferring to ‘show’ the way

rather than ‘talk too much’.

He also subscribes heavily to the KISS (keep it simple,

stupid) principle, admitting that while enriching the lives of

the elderly can be complex, it requires a straightforward

perspective; you just have to care from the heart.

“It’s very much a people business. We are striving to

ensure people in our care live with dignity and find personal

fulfilment in their lives as they age,” he reflects. “It’s also

a social endeavour. We’re honouring the contribution our

elderly have made to society, by caring for them. That’s what

keeps me here.”


Nominated 2019

Franchisor of the Year

APPROVED

TYRE

CENTRE

Innovate

SHOWCASING

INNOVATORS

AND CHANGE MAKERS TO

EXPLORE THE LANDSCAPE OF

TODAY’S EVER-EVOLVING WORLD

3D printed homes

could be the answer for

those in dire need.

MAKING AN IMPRINT, p90

High-tech solutions and devices are making over one of the biggest global consumer markets in Fashion revolution (p82),

it’s Fair game (p86) in the world of sports apparel for ISC Sport Group CEO and Managing Director Jason Schulman, and

in Learning on balance (p94) President and Vice-Chancellor Colin Stirling streamlines Flinders University.


Innovate News

Toyota’s

GRANDEST

design

Woven City is the chosen name for Toyota’s prototype city of the future, which the car manufacturer plans to build at the foot of

Japan’s Mount Fuji. A select group of 2,000 residents and researchers will call this fully sustainable 70-hectare site (powered by

hydrogen fuel cells) home. Across daily life, technology in domains such as autonomy, robotics, smart homes, personal mobility

and AI will be developed and tested in this ‘living laboratory’, as the company refers to it. “With people, buildings and vehicles all

connected and communicating with each other through data and sensors, we will be able to test connected AI technology, in both

the virtual and the physical realms, maximising its potential,” Akio Toyoda, President, Toyota Motor Corporation comments.

Ground is set to be broken in early 2021.

IMPOSSIBLY POSSIBLE

At CES 2020, the showcase of the latest and greatest in consumer technology

held every January in Las Vegas, Impossible Foods had everyone talking with

its Impossible Pork launch. Like its sibling, the Impossible Burger, this plantbased

pork alternative is said to look and taste like the real deal yet is made

from sustainable ingredients; in this case, soy.

“My biggest sources

of inspiration for

new business ideas

are the things that

frustrate me – I

know if something

is annoying me,

then there is

usually a problem

to solve or a better

way of doing

something.”

– Sir Richard Branson


MINUTES

with GIOVANNI

ALESSI ANGHINI

Chief Innovation & Technology

5Officer, Camper & Nicholsons

New wave of GREEN JETSKIS

Inspired by the belief that adrenaline-pumping sports shouldn’t come

at a sacrifice to the environment, Taiga Motors has already given us

the world’s first electric snowmobile. But the countdown is on to the

(Northern Hemisphere) summer 2020 launch of the Canadian brand’s

latest innovation: the Orca electric watercraft. With a sleek monochrome

design that evokes its majestic marine namesake, this green jetski can hit

top speeds of 104km/h, is equipped with GPS, LTE, wi-fi and bluetooth,

and has a two-hour range. A limited run of 500 is available to pre-order,

with prices starting at around A$35,000.

Compiled by Stephen Crowe and Chrissie McClatchie

Born into one of the leading design families

in the world, Giovanni Alessi Anghini has

spent his career in luxury and design. Having

launched nowboat.com in 2015, he became

CITO at leading yacht brokerage Camper &

Nicholsons (C&N) last year.

An unfamiliar title

“I’m one of the first CITOs in yachting, if not

the first. It’s a very traditional industry. C&N is

looking beyond the next quarter to the next

decade and is the first company to invest in

and create an internal team of developers.”

Innovation can take many forms

“Technology is the main tool I am using as

we look to digitalise the processes and

procedures around our relationships with

owners, charterers, brokers and crew. For

every stakeholder that we touch, our objective

is to empower them.”

An industry like no other

“Yachting is such a unique market in that,

when it comes to the players involved and

the nature of the assets we manage, there

are few parallels. I love to take inspiration

from industries and companies that are

completely different, however, such as

Facebook with Libra.”

A sense of home

“I’m fourth-generation Alessi and, in this

industry, I feel like I’ve finally found my

place at the crossroads between design,

human sciences, engineering, technology

and business.”


FASHION

REVOLUTION

INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES,

NEW AI AND 3D DESIGN, AND WELLNESS

WEARABLES ARE SET TO RADICALLY

TRANSFORM THE FASHION INDUSTRY.

WORDS HELEN HAWKES • IMAGES BOLT THREADS & LAURIE ROBINSON

It was only a matter of time before high-tech solutions and

devices revolutionised one of the biggest consumer

markets in the world.

With wearables embedded in clothes that can monitor

heat, cold or UV, to man-made, biodegradable fabrics, and

made-to-order clothes enabled by AI and 3D design

technologies, the US$2.4 trillion global industry is undergoing

a massive makeover, says Beth McGroarty, research director

of the Global Wellness Institute. Behind it, she believes, is a

move towards more conscious consumerism.

Also fuelling new investment opportunities is our

continuing love affair with tech, as well as a desire for

convenience and personalised clothing solutions.


Material makeover | INNOVATE


INNOVATE | Material makeover

SMART ATTIRE

An era of ‘active wellness clothing’ that is connected,

intelligent and healing is rising; think “anti-bacterial clothes

and items that can heal or moisturise your body,” according

to McGroarty. “Ralph Lauren’s PoloTech shirt monitors heart

rate, stress and energy output; SUPA makes smart, heart rate

monitoring bras; Wearable X makes connected yoga pants

that vibrate to guide users through yoga postures and

sequences,” she lists.

Currently 6.9 million units of smart clothing are being

shipped worldwide, according to research company Gartner.

It forecasts a rise to 19.91 million in 2022.

There are clothes that control air flow around the body

from Swiss tech-sports brand Odlo, and clothes that help our

bodies rejuvenate like Under Armour’s Athlete Recovery

Sleepwear, created with superstar quarterback Tom Brady,

which reflects infrared healing energy.

Besides using technology for wellness applications,

companies are increasingly working to allow consumer

preferences to guide every aspect of design and production,

reports CB Insights.

Virtusize, a company that uses AI to enable online

shoppers to buy their correct size, either by measuring the

clothes in their closet or by comparing specific brands and

styles, counts Balenciaga among its clients, the insights

reveal. Other inroads into this area, although admittedly one

that failed, include Zozo, from one of Japan’s leading

ecommerce sites. The company would send a free Zozosuit

interwoven with 300 sensors that capture in 3D a customer’s

exact measurements and enable them to order bespoke

clothes through an app. The fit, however, was hit and miss.

MemoMi Labs’ Memory Mirror uses augmented reality

to allow shoppers in outlets owned by Louis Vuitton Moët

Hennessy to try on clothes virtually, and founder and CEO

Salvador Nissi Vilcovsky says the company is working with

almost every luxury group in the world.

CAPTURING GREEN DOLLARS

Spurred on by customer concern about climate change and

hipster start-ups that are delivering sustainable, vegan and

other on-trend products, luxury fashion houses are also using

technology to deliver greener solutions.

Fashion behemoth Chanel is working with Boston-based

Evolved by Nature to develop a natural, silk-based alternative

to toxic chemicals used in many textiles. “Semisynthetic and

cellulosic fibres, such as modal, rayon, Tencel, lyocell and

cupro, that involve ‘man-making’ but break down more easily,

are the fabrics of the future alongside natural fibres such as

linen or hemp,” McGroarty explains.

Italy’s iconic high fashion label Prada now sells a bag

constructed from a new form of nylon that uses plastic

waste collected from oceans and fishing nets and textile

fibre waste. “Our ultimate goal will be to convert all Prada

virgin nylon into Re-Nylon by the end of 2021,” states

“Companies will need

to combine compelling

experiences and services

with tasteful designs and

digital business models

to build and maintain

an emotional connection

with their customers.”

Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group’s head of marketing

and communication.

Hugo Boss’ “innovative, sustainable, product solutions”

include Boss Men’s shoes constructed of Pinnate, a material

made from pineapple leaf fibres.

Stella McCartney has worked with Bolt Threads, a

materials innovation company that uses cutting-edge

technology and biology to develop new textiles and materials

that raise the bar for sustainability. “Both McCartney and

Gucci are partnering with activists such as Parley for the

Oceans, which sources materials from companies that turn

ocean garbage into amazing materials, such as econyl,”

informs McGroarty.

REIMAGINING THE FUTURE

In his white paper Fashion 4.0 – Digital Innovation in the

Fashion Industry, Oliver Behr, of the European School of

Management and Technology, muses: “Our refrigerator can

order milk from a food supplier and when we leave our

workplace, the smart home heating system starts to prepare

a pleasant temperature in our apartment. The Internet of

Things (IoT), an infrastructure of everyday devices that can

connect and interact with each other, penetrates more and

more areas of our life.”

“But the future of intelligent clothing is not just about

combining fashion and technological capabilities,” says Behr.

“Rather, it is about combining respective capabilities in a

meaningful way to create something valuable for the

customer in a holistic way.

“Companies will need to combine compelling experiences

and services with tasteful designs and digital business

models to build and maintain an emotional connection with

their customers.”

The future of fashion, believes McGroarty, is re-thinking

each touchpoint in the cycle, from how brands design and

make our clothes to how we buy, care for, experience and

dispose of them.




Interview | INNOVATE

Fair

GAME

THE WORLD OF SPORTS IS COMPETITIVE,

BUT ISC SPORT GROUP CEO AND

MANAGING DIRECTOR JASON SCHULMAN

CLOTHES THE PLAYERS WITH HONESTY

AND PASSION.

WORDS ASHTON KOBLER • IMAGES SCOTT EHLER

As a strength conditioning coach, Jason Schulman

had always enjoyed the business side of sports,

and with most of his friends being in the

corporate world, he thought he would end

up there one day. “It just happened to play

out, and an opportunity came up at ISC Sport,”

he recalls. “But I think it was always what I wanted to do

– get more involved with the business side of sports.”

ISC Sport is a clothing manufacturer that provides

custom apparel for elite and amateur sporting teams,

corporates and the education sector. Jason admits that

the industry is dealing with challenges at the moment,

particularly with the use of technology around producing

garments and the increased use of the internet.

“It’s very much a global game now in the sporting

industry,” he says. “To continue being one of the big players

here, it comes down to how we play to our strengths and

what we do in the world because, in this global environment,

you’re competing with everyone at all times.”


INNOVATE | Interview

Jason’s vision is to realign the company’s focus to its

strengths and deliver those to the market. “Our strength

is having a reliable supply chain, and good quality gear

and design,” he says. “I think the vision for the business

is making sure that the quality of the gear that we produce,

the supply chain we use and the customer service we

offer is the best. We must make sure that we are the

gold standard in the supply chain of service and quality,

and that people unashamedly want to come with us.”

Most of the suppliers that ISC Sport works with have

been long-term relationships. The company values open

communication with its staff and suppliers.

“It’s about leaders and the staff having passion about

what we do and when working with suppliers, we want to

“OUR STRENGTH IS

HAVING A RELIABLE

SUPPLY CHAIN, AND

GOOD QUALITY

GEAR AND DESIGN.”

Jason explains that no matter where a company is in

the world, it can easily send order enquiries to places like

China or Pakistan to get garments printed and sent to them

without ever having seen them or done anything. Because

of this, the barriers to entry for new businesses are reduced.

“It may be easier, but I think to do it well, you need to

play to your strengths,” he states. “If anything, what I’ve

seen in more recent times is that there are many more

players, and everyone is trying to do it, but that doesn’t

necessarily mean doing it well.”

Having a clear view of where the business is going keeps

Jason motivated. As with every company, there are obstacles.

But Jason believes having the long-term in mind helps

you get through the difficult times. “We’re going through

changes at the moment because we’re redirecting the

business,” he explains. “But knowing where it is going

helps you through these times and keeps you on track.”

pass on this passion to them,” Jason explains. “It’s important

they understand that we want to offer high quality gear,

why we value their relationship, and that they send their

deliveries on time.”

Jason believes that honesty in everything the company

does is what makes supplier relationships last. “If you

have integrity and honesty with your suppliers and you

communicate everything that happens, you can build

long-term relationships,” he assures. “That’s what we focus

on with our suppliers, and we manage to have partnerships

for 15–20 years. Our relationships with them make a huge

difference to the company.”

The company cultivates good relationships not only with

its suppliers but also with the governing bodies that it works

with, such as the NRL and the AFL.

“We appreciate those relationships, and we work well

and closely with them,” he says. “While they’re changing

the environment, we bring a huge amount of value. We

will continue to work with them and continue to offer

that real value to the market as a service.”


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INNOVATE | Tech for good

“I REALISED THAT NO MATTER HOW TALENTED A KID IS,

HOW INTELLIGENT, HOW MUCH CREATIVITY THEY HAVE...

IF THEY DON’T HAVE THE BASIC NEEDS LIKE FOOD, WATER

AND SHELTER, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.” – BRETT HAGLER, FOUNDER, NEW STORY


BRETT HAGLER IS NOT LIKE

THE OTHERS. THE YOUNG

ENTREPRENEUR IS THE

FOUNDER OF NEW STORY, AN

NFP PIONEERING THE LATEST

IN 3D PRINTED HOMES FOR

THOSE LIVING LIFE IN EXTREME

POVERTY OR DISASTER ZONES.

WORDS MIKE HUYNH • MAIN IMAGE JOSHUA PEREZ

Girls. Gold. Glory. It’s not the typical inspiration

you’d expect from a Forbes 30 Under 30 winner,

but the “Three Gs” is exactly what Brett Hagler

was pursuing during his early 20s before things took an

unexpected turn.

In 2013, after some divine intervention, the cancer

survivor found himself in Haiti, post the 2010 earthquake

– an experience that would expose him to some of the

100,000-plus shattered lives and inspire him to become

one of this generation’s most ambitious philanthropists.

By the age of 25, Atlanta-born Hagler retired from

the rat race and launched New Story, a not-for-profit

organisation pioneering a radical solution for ending

global homelessness. The answer? 3D printed houses

for those who can’t afford a roof over their heads.

“I definitely didn’t grow up thinking this is what

I was going to do in my 20s,” the 30-year-old says

today. “I bought into the false equation that material

things were going to bring me fulfilment in my early

days and, it turns out, when you make money and

self-promotion your top priorities, it doesn’t. It was

the path to emptiness.”

Fostering a desire to live a more selfless and

generous life, Hagler’s first realisation was how limited

the capabilities of current charities were. If he was

going to make New Story successful, he needed to

revolutionise the dated philanthropic model and look

at the fundamental requisites for sustaining a better life

for the poor in the long-term.

“I realised that no matter how talented a kid is, how

intelligent, how much creativity they have... if they don’t

have the basic needs like food, water and shelter, nothing

else matters – you’re just trying to survive.”


INNOVATE | Tech for good

Image: Joe Gonzales

With the technological advancements available in 2020,

Hagler doesn’t believe that struggling communities should

have to live this way.

REVOLUTION FOR

EXTREME POVERTY

Fostering a next-generation social impact organisation

demands cutting-edge technology and this is why New Story

partnered with ICON, a tech-based construction startup that

was the first in the US to secure a building permit to create

a 3D printed home in Austin, Texas, back in 2018.

Leveraging ICON’s expertise alongside ÉCHALE, a

not-for-profit partner in Mexico, New Story was able to

3D print a complete house in a total of 24 hours across

several days in one of the most remote parts of Mexico.

The region was specifically chosen for its regular seismic

activity. “A significant number of people that need shelter

and are in extreme poverty live in isolated urban areas that

are prone to things like earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and

unpredictable power supply,” says Hagler.

“We needed to prove that the homes could be used

in the hardest environments where people actually lived.”

This also meant that the homes – complete with two

bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and bathroom – could be

engineered above the standard safety requirements to ensure

they’d last generations for families who needed it most.

PRICE TAG

While Hagler is reluctant to reveal the exact cost of each 3D

printed home, he does admit that it’s currently priced around

the same as a traditionally built home in Mexico.

“Because it’s so still early in the process, we’re not saying

the exact price yet. When you do it for the first time, you’re

still testing things and wasting some materials, or you make a

mistake. Therefore, it’s hard to give an exact price right now.

“From here though it’s only going to get better, faster and

cheaper over time.”

Hagler is convinced that 3D printed homes will be the

future of affordable community housing, especially when

compared to traditional house building practices, which have

plateaued in terms of capped pricing and the time in which

they’re completed.

“It’s already driven down. That’s the beauty of robotic

construction – it’s newer and faster.”

Hagler also believes these homes have the potential to be

scalable and profitable beyond his own philanthropic realm.

“We wouldn’t go down that route, however, our partner

at ICON can absolutely do that. What we want to do longterm

is to bring this innovation to families that need it most.

Usually a big distributor of that is our governments.

Governments will partner with us to buy these 3D printing

machines and make them part of their social housing program

and budgets.”


Image: Joshua Perez

“The customs agents wouldn’t know what to do because

something like this has never entered Mexico. It was with

customs for three months, which is a big delay to our

schedule. There’s no category for it, there’s a lot of proprietary

material. It’s just a massive challenge.”

Image: Joshua Perez

Beyond these basic homes, the Vulcan II 3D printers are

capable of producing double-storey homes – and testing

continues to map out further design possibilities.

3D CHALLENGES

The logistics involved with 3D printing an entire community,

let alone a house, doesn’t come without its setbacks.

“When you’re working on one of the largest problems in

the world, traditional or linear methods won’t get us anywhere

close to the sizeable dent we want to create,” says Hagler.

One of the most notable challenges for New Story was

underestimating the difficulty in applying the 3D printing

process in a non-controlled environment such as Mexico.

“Designing a machine that you can drive into an area in

a developing country, roll it off and essentially lay a foundation

and press print isn’t easy. Varying weather conditions, no

reliable energy, clean water and storm season all made it

so much harder.”

Choosing to work in a seismic zone also meant that

ICON had to design the machines and materials to withstand

earthquakes and hurricanes.

“And that’s hard because no-one’s done structural

engineering testing for a 3D printed wall before,” explains

the entrepreneur.

And then there’s the actual security headache of

transporting the 3D printer across the US border on a truck.

MILLENNIAL MYTH

As he fires off responses over the phone from the back

of a cab 12,000 kilometres away, Hagler doesn’t seem like

the type of millennial who laments hard work. In fact, against

the usual stereotypes, he might even live for it.

“I don’t want to say it’s all hard work. I’ve always

considered myself a bit of an underdog, so that really helped

my first five years. From zero to where we are today, a lot of

times there are the long hours, but more than anything it’s a

double-edged sword.

“Depending on your life situation, running a successful

charity might not be the greatest thing in the world, but I was

so obsessed with being focused on the task that almost all

my energy and time went into that.

“Most importantly I knew what the team and I were

building; I saw the opportunity and I saw the chance we

had to take to make the most of our momentum from the

early days. And I got to work and did not get distracted by

trivial things.”

Hagler does note one advantage of getting his hands dirty

at such a young age. Starting out that early in your life cycle

usually gives you more energy and motivation to be focused.

“If you can prove a new way of doing something, you

shouldn’t keep it to yourself. You should open-source it

and have other department and government views that you

can pivot.”

Proving the millennial myth wrong also seems to be

something at which Hagler is proficient.




LEARNING

ON BALANCE

PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR

COLIN STIRLING HAS MOVED

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY ON TO

A STREAMLINED, RESPONSIVE

TRAJECTORY FOR THE

21ST CENTURY.

WORDS STEPHEN CROWE • IMAGES DANIEL PURVIS

Whether it was the view outside

his window in Manchester

or the Perth weather forecast

is not really that important,

as these things go, but they

certainly were an influence,

as Colin tells it. He was, he says, in a reflective mood

when he was made an offer too good to refuse, so he

packed up his family to pursue a career on the other

side of the world. It was, in retrospect, the right move,

he confirms.

“I got a call one day asking if I was interested in

the idea of a job in Perth, and I have to confess that

part of the motivation was looking out my window

at the Manchester weather and then the weather

charts in Perth, and I have to say there was a certain

attractiveness to the Australian climate. But, in

fairness, the other incentive was I’d got involved in

the leadership at Manchester Uni as vice-president,

but still doing my regular professor’s job,” he recalls.

“I was doing them both and I realised that I ought

to make a decision and do one or the other as well

as I possibly could. An option came up at Curtin

University just as I was thinking those thoughts,

and it looked like a really interesting opportunity,

so I couldn’t resist.”

Colin and his young family made the move to

Perth, where he took on the role of Deputy Vice-

Chancellor Academic at Curtin University in 2011.


Then in 2015, they moved again to South Australia when

Colin accepted the role of President and Vice-Chancellor

of Flinders University in Adelaide.

Colin has built a stellar academic career. He gained

a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the

University of Edinburgh, then completed a PhD in genetics

at the University of Glasgow. He held a NATO Research

Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, before

accepting an appointment at the University of Manchester

in 1990. From 1998–2011, he was Professor of Genetics

at Manchester, and took on managerial positions including

Education Dean in the Faculty of Life Sciences, Associate

Vice President e-learning, and Vice President for Teaching

and Learning.

“I was an academic for a very long time,” he says,

looking back. “I was a professor of genetics at Manchester,

where I was lucky enough to benefit from the many

opportunities that came my way in both research and

teaching, and then I moved to what my colleagues would

describe as the ‘dark side’ when I took a role in university

leadership. I’ve reflected on the reasons why I did this and

realised that I’d got bored sitting around with my colleagues

complaining about how the place was so badly run. I

therefore decided that I had to either put up or shut up.

So I got involved and found that I enjoyed the strategic

challenges, and thus began my second career.”

SMOOTHING THE COURSE

His decision to take on the role at Flinders University in

2015 was based on his view that Flinders was filled with

potential, Colin says, because it was an institution that had

“relaxed a little. It was an absolute powerhouse back in the

80s and 90s, and I saw a huge amount of potential that was

just waiting to be mobilised again, and I couldn’t resist.”

Colin came to the conclusion that Flinders University

was struggling partly because of its academic structure, and

so launched a major program to streamline its operations.

While this program was met with some resistance, it was

completed in early 2019, and has remodelled the academic

format to simplify the study paths open to students.

“Universities are notoriously bureaucratic organisations,

and get blocked up. It’s like a calcification, or a fossilisation



AT A GLANCE

COLIN STIRLING’S AWARDS

1988–1990

NATO Research Fellowship

1993–1998

Jenner Research Fellowship from the Lister

Institute of Preventative Medicine

1997

Fleming Prize Lecture from the

Microbiology Society

1998

Balfour Prize from the

Genetical Society

2005

University of Manchester Distinguished

Achievement Medal, Researcher of the Year

2006–2011

Royal Society Wolfson Research Fellowship

process,” he suggests. “The systems and processes get

embedded and nobody can quite remember why things are

done as they are. This requires a transformational cultural

shift and a simplified structure can help. We removed an

unnecessary layer of bureaucracy by condensing two layers

of academic units into one. The new structure comprises

six colleges that each bring together a new combination of

academic disciplines that were previously isolated in siloes.

“It sounds trivially simple, but the importance of

breaking down siloes cannot be overstated. By putting

disciplines together in one unit we’ve removed the budgetary

boundaries between them and encouraged people to

collaborate with one another more easily. For example, we’ve

combined the disciplines of education, psychology and social

“THE

IMPORTANCE OF

BREAKING DOWN

SILOES CANNOT

BE OVERSTATED.”

work. There’s no similar combination of those disciplines

in any university that I know of, but those three inherently

related disciplines now have researchers working together to

develop interdisciplinary solutions to complex problems. It’s

a win–win for the university in research and in teaching.”

Colin is encouraged that Flinders University is becoming

a more agile organisation as a consequence of relatively

simple structural changes, and has observed a change in

the mindset of its staff. “Rather than just looking internally,

they are actually looking outward and interdisciplinarity

is absolutely the key to solving complex problems. That’s

nurturing an appetite for collaborative work, and we’re

now seeing those different colleges and their staff looking

between the colleges to find other interdisciplinary

opportunities. It’s very important to us,” he points out.

“The principle was that students now have access to

interdisciplinary teaching – in other words, greater levels

of expertise in related areas that can then enhance their

educational experience. That means that students have

a wider range of options and more expertise available to

them, and that’s also a win–win.”

The result is the university can create new programs

more rapidly than before to respond to growing needs.

It’s no more evident than in South Australia’s need for new

skillsets with the development of the defence industry, with

naval shipbuilding requirements for submarines and frigates.

Upskilling the workforce is required for those projects to

succeed, and to meet the longer term needs of Australian

industry. He also wants to meet the needs of students so

they have greater potential to be successful in their future

careers, whatever they are.

“We want to develop graduates with the skills needed

to succeed in tomorrow’s workplace, not in yesterday’s

workplace. And that means ever more contemporary

education. It’s a real challenge but, of course, it’s an exciting

one, and it’s one that we’re rising to.”


In his eight years in Australian academe, Colin has

observed the increasingly international nature of tertiary

education, and Australia’s reliance on it both economically

and as an enabler for its youth. Australia performs well,

he says, but is capable of doing more.

“We need, as a nation, to make sure that our young

people are educated sufficiently to be competitive in an

increasingly globalised workforce. I think that’s what’s

important. Our graduates need to be able to compete in

an international workforce in the future. In 2018, Australian

universities produced around 370,000 graduates, but this

compares to more than eight million graduating every year

in China. That’s more than the population of Hong Kong

every year. Indeed, China now has a higher 24-year-old

participation rate than Australia.

“So it’s not just a scale issue; yes, their population is

much larger, but they have a higher percentage of young

people being skilled up for the future workforce. I want my

kids and all Australian kids to get the same opportunities.

It’s good for them, but it’s also good for the economic

future of the country.”

Colin finds significant personal reward in his managerial

role, although it has a different outcome to his earlier roles

as a teacher and researcher. It boils down to making a

difference, he says.

“I’d realised over time that one of my most deeply

rooted values is to make a difference, and my academic

career satisfied that. In research, one makes a difference

through new discoveries that add to human knowledge. In

teaching, one can make a difference to people’s lives through



“WE NEED, AS

A NATION, TO

MAKE SURE THAT

OUR YOUNG

PEOPLE ARE

EDUCATED

SUFFICIENTLY TO

BE COMPETITIVE

IN WHAT IS AN

INCREASINGLY

GLOBALISED

WORKFORCE.”

their education, hopefully inspiring them to go on to greater

things. As a leader, I now seek to make a difference by

enabling other people, creating the environment in which

their research and teaching can flourish, and that’s a far

greater impact overall than I could ever have achieved as

an individual academic. I do find that very rewarding.”

Flinders University is ranked internationally at 271,

which, Colin is quick to point out, is the highest the

university has ever achieved. He adds that this ranking

puts the university in the top 1.1 per cent of universities

worldwide. With increasing revenue and higher student

numbers – currently at about 27,000 – the university is

growing in both size and prestige.

“We’re on the cusp of the top one per cent globally,

and very comfortably inside the top two per cent. That’s

an important measure of success, and demonstrates that

we’re on the right strategic path. But you can’t do anything

without money, and so crucially we’ve grown revenues by

20 per cent in the past few years, and have broken the half

billion dollars a year mark,” he beams.

International student education is a phenomenal success

story in Australia, worth about A$37.6 billion a year as an

export industry.

“That’s a top two or three industry in the country,

depending on the iron ore price,” says Colin, whose

expertise in international education saw him appointed

as a Non-Executive Director of the IDP Ltd, an ASX200

company dedicated to international student placements

and high-stakes English language testing. IDP’s current

A$4.8 billion market capitalisation has grown significantly

in recent years, and reflects the increasing global importance

of university education.

Flinders’ international student numbers account for about

13 per cent of its student population, which is currently

lower than the typical 20 per cent at many other Australian

universities. So Colin is confident Flinders University has

room to grow.

He considers international students an integral part of

the university’s population, as they bring with them cultural,

academic and social benefits beyond measure.

“We often read stories in the press that suggest that this

is all just a financial transaction somehow, that it’s all just

being done for the money. Not true. I met a group of our

international students just last week to congratulate them

on some awards they’d won and, I have to say, it was

inspirational. This was a group of students from all over the

world, so articulate, all with a fascinating story to tell about

themselves, but they all absolutely love Flinders University

and they love Adelaide, South Australia and Australia. They

will go home, where they will become the best ambassadors

this country could ever have. This is absolutely soft

diplomacy at its very best,” he enthuses.

BUILDING A VILLAGE

Flinders University was recently dealt a winning hand

with the announcement of a joint federal and state

government initiative to build a railway station with

A$141 million of government funds, to be located next

to the university, attracting more students to live at the

university as its strategic plan comes to fruition with Flinders

Village, a major development around the new station.

The Village, a A$1.5 billion development at the

university’s Bedford Park campus, will reportedly create the

largest integrated health and education precinct in South

Australia. It will contain student accommodation, a health

research facility and private hospital, transitional health

accommodation, a hotel, and amenities such as retail facilities.

The first stage of the project, the health research

building, will have a focus on mental health and infectious

diseases. Accommodation will be provided for rural and

regional patients and their families while they visit the

medical centre and private hospital, and student residential

spaces will be increased to accommodate more regional

and international students who choose to live at the

campus. The project will also deliver retail space for shops,

restaurants, cafes and bars, sports facilities for locals, and

extra car parking for people visiting the village.


INNOVATE | Interview

In addition to its own investment in the village, the

university will be inviting public and private partners to

contribute to developing Flinders Village.

“The village is a plan we’ve developed to leverage an

investment in the train connection that’s coming to the

university,” explains Colin. “What we’re going to do is

develop a combination of things around the train station,

including student

accommodation, but also

research and teaching

facilities, some mixed-use

facilities, and some

commercial, retail and

lifestyle venues. The idea is

to create a vibrant hub for

students who are living on

campus – something that

gives them a lifestyle

opportunity when they’re

not at the university as such.

“But it’s also an

integration of the university

with our community more

broadly, because this is a

place that will be open to

the public and to the local

hospital. It’ll bring the

community and the

university closer together. I think it’s going to be very

exciting in building the university’s place here in southern

Adelaide,” he explains.

“We are a university built in the 1960s, and as was

often the case, both in Australia and elsewhere in the

UK and Canada, universities built then tended to be built

as campuses just outside the edge of town – a sort of

semi-rural and isolated campus environment.

“And of course, in the 50 years since, most of the cities

have grown towards the universities, but the integration

hasn’t necessarily taken place. I think it’s important to make

our university community accessible to, and part of, the local

community. It simply grows vibrancy around the campus

and gives that sense of place, that sense of atmosphere that

people thrive on these days.”

Flinders Village will, according to independent research,

attract perhaps 5,000 more international students to Adelaide,

improve accommodation with an extra 3,000 student beds

and boost South Australia’s annual education export earnings

by about A$125 million. During its development, more than

10,000 construction ‘job years’ will be created.

The university has some form in developing new

facilities. It has in recent years developed an innovation

“THEY WILL GO HOME,

AND THEY ARE GOING

TO BE THE BEST

AMBASSADORS

THIS COUNTRY COULD

EVER HAVE. THIS

IS ABSOLUTELY

SOFT DIPLOMACY

AT ITS VERY BEST.”

campus at Tonsley, about a kilometre from the main campus.

The site is the former Mitsubishi car plant, which closed in

the mid-2000s when the company vacated the Australian

vehicle manufacturing industry. The university has built an

engineering science facility, which has attracted numerous

companies, a collection of startups and SMEs, and now

several multinational corporations.

“Our researchers and

students are working side

by side now with various

innovative companies,” Colin

says. “It’s creating a real buzz

and a vibrant atmosphere.

And I’m told there are now

more people working at the

Tonsley site than when

Mitsubishi was building cars

there. It’s a terrific success,

and the university is

absolutely at the heart of that

regeneration and that success.

“We’re developing in

a number of areas. One

key area for us is advanced

manufacturing. This

has implications and

opportunities effectively

right through manufacturing.

“This is Industry 4.0, advanced materials, nanoscale

materials, medical devices, and we’re working with those

in areas such as the defence industries, potentially in future

with the new space agency that’s going to be based here in

Adelaide, and a lot in the medical devices field.

“We’ve got some world-class medical device research and

development going on here that is helping to create and

build high-tech businesses in South Australia that are tapping

into a multibillion-dollar global industry. They are really

important areas that all feed into the modern world of

manufacturing and create opportunities for the workforce

of the future.”

This advanced manufacturing expertise is important to

Australia because of the many small- and medium-sized

enterprises in Adelaide – and Australia – and engaging with

them to embrace Industry 4.0 technologies in their own

businesses can only lead to greater things for them and the

country as a whole.

The collaboration is going well, says Colin, and it means

that those SMEs will then be able to connect into global

supply chains. That is, he considers, such a huge opportunity,

and one that Flinders University is very keen to help to

capitalise on.


THE EDUCATION IMPERATIVE

Through these initiatives Flinders University is able to stand

on its own feet to an extent, but federal funding maintains

the university’s equilibrium. That funding is an invaluable

investment in the future, says Colin.

“Education is expensive, and universities are generously

funded by the Australian taxpayer and through student fees.

We must never forget this, and it is important that we spend

our money wisely and squeeze every bit of value in every

single dollar.

“That said, as a nation we need to see that education is

crucial to our future. We should view it less as a burdensome

cost and much more clearly as an essential investment,

because without that investment in our education system

nationally – and I mean at all levels, in primary school,

secondary school, TAFE, universities – our nation simply

cannot be competitive into the future.”

Colin finds academic life in Australia more informal

than in his homeland, and enjoys that aspect enormously,

especially at Flinders University.

“What do I love about Flinders University? It happened

to me twice today as I went out to buy my sandwich on

campus. People just wave, smile and say, ‘Hi, Colin, how are

you doing today?’ I love that Aussie informality. If I were still

in the UK it would be, ‘Good afternoon, Vice-Chancellor,’

and I’d probably even have to wear a tie.”

Of course, it hasn’t all been plain sailing, and Colin has

taken some flak from a union opposed to his modernisation

agenda. He is pretty sanguine about this and accepts it as

part of the job. “You’ve got to do the right thing and not

necessarily always the popular thing.”

The Stirling family are now Australian citizens, and

have happily adapted to the Australian lifestyle. His children

even have Aussie accents, he says, counterbalancing his own

softened Scottish burr.

“In the winter, I complain about the South Australian

weather because I find it a bit cold. People always say to

me, ‘But Colin, you’re from Scotland; how can you find it

cold?’ And my answer is always, ‘I left for a reason’. I think

I would find it hard to go back to Northern summers, never

mind the winters. We love the lifestyle here. I love the

Australian people. We’ve really integrated.

“The countryside around Adelaide in the hills is

beautiful, the wine regions are magnificent, and the beaches

are amazing. Adelaide really is a marvellous place to live and

I’d recommend it to anyone.

“Being Scottish, I was born with a golf club in my

hands, but I don’t have much time for golf just now because

I prefer to spend my free time helping out with the kids,”

he explains. “But I’m looking forward to getting them

interested in golf, because then I could do two of my

favourite things together!”


Invest

FUTUREPROOFING YOUR

BUSINESS BY DELIVERING

IN-DEPTH AND INSPIRING

INVESTMENT ADVICE

“It’s about

a can-do

attitude and

going the

extra mile.”

NIGEL MALCOLM,

FLEETCARE, p134

In On the clock (p108), Blake Beattie explores how leaders can find better ways to manage their time, MTAA Super CEO

Leeanne Turner says “My challenge is to bring us together as one”(p114) as she manages an expanding

member base and staff, and Penrith RSL CEO Neel Chand is staying true to the club’s roots in Major league (p130).


Invest News

WEF POINTS

TO GDP RISK

Loss of biodiversity, ecosystem collapse

and extinctions could threaten more than

half of global GDP, and disrupt markets

and supply chains, says the World

Economic Forum (WEF) and PwC in a

report entitled ‘Nature Risk Rising: Why

the Crisis Engulfing Nature Matters for

Business and the Economy’.

They consider that up to US$44 trillion

(A$65 trillion) of economic value

generation might be threatened by the

loss of diversity and nature. The biggest

losers being construction and agriculture,

they said.

Managing Director of the WEF board

Dominic Waughray said, “Nature loss is a

fat-tail risk like the 2008 asset-price

bubble; it cannot be seen with a linear

world view, but once triggered can have

far greater than average implications.

This has significant ramifications for

businesses both in the short and long

term, and requires a reset of how

businesses perceive, assess and

mitigate nature risks.”

Its report says if businesses migrate

towards a more positive natureresponsive

economy, including activities

such as sustainable aquaculture,

reforestation, sustainable agriculture and

plant-based meat, business opportunities

amounting to US$4.5 trillion (A$6.7 trillion)

could be generated annually by 2030.

“By investing in a more nature-positive

way of doing business, we can mitigate

significant economic and societal shocks

in the coming future. To this end, there

is a need for new mechanisms of publicprivate

collaboration and non-traditional

flows of finance to reverse nature loss

and secure a net-zero-emissions world

by 2050,” he said.

Industries that stand to lose if

they don’t adapt include travel, real

estate, mining, transport, aviation

and manufacturing.

Compiled by Stephen Crowe

MIXED REACTION

TO ESG PLEDGE

Last year the US Business Roundtable released a declaration on

environmental, social and governance (ESG) that shareholders were

just one group among numerous stakeholders to which companies

should pay attention. Other stakeholders included customers, workers,

suppliers and communities.

It attracted a broad range of reactions, including suspicion from

some commentators and cynicism from others.

Academic head of Oxford’s Saïd Business School Colin Mayer

commented that he encouraged companies to compete not just in

“terms of corporate profits but in terms of corporate purpose”.

Author of the book The Trillion Dollar Shift Marga Hoek suggested

that the roundtable statement might assist in generating debate, but

“it won’t have any effect because it’s such a low bar and is so vague”.

Co-Founder of Generation Investment Management with former

US vice-president Al Gore, David Blood, commented, “You could

feel smug about where we are in ESG issues and sustainability. But

as ideas mainstream – particularly a complicated idea like ESG –

suddenly you could find yourself dumbed down to the lowest common

denominator and get mediocre insights.”

Company owners and executives have reported being inundated

with invitations and requests to agree and sign on with checklists,

principles and benchmarks to move their companies in a more positive

direction towards ESG.

EASTER BLOW OUT

An estimated US$18.1 billion

(A$26.9 billion) will be spent on

Easter-related products this year,

with 91 million chocolate bunnies

sold in the US – 59% of people will

eat the ears first (and only 4% eat

the tail first). The world’s most

expensive chocolate bunny was a

whopping US$49,000 (A$72,900)

with two diamond solitaires for eyes

(and 548,000 calories). But it’s not

all about the chocolate – Easter is

also the most popular church day

of the year.


CONFLICTING 2020:

Blackrock

Global investment advisory firm Blackrock has predicted that in

2020, “rising inequality and a surge in populism have implications

for taxes and regulation”, while trade friction, especially between

the US and China, along with the trend to deglobalisation, are

hampering growth and lifting inflation. With interest rates so low,

the effectiveness of monetary

policy is faltering, and hindering

growth opportunities.

Sustainability issues,

especially the impact of factors

such as climate change on

production, are affecting asset

prices, because investors are

waking to its potentially

devastating consequences.

But globally, the company

predicts that growth should creep

up a little in 2020, reducing the

risk of recession slightly.

EUROS MOVE TO UK

The UK could well remain the centre of European

financial services after Brexit, as over 1,400 EU-based

firms have applied to open offices and operate in the

UK. Many of these companies didn’t previously have

offices there so they are offsetting the number of UK

firms now opening offices in Europe following Brexit.

Among the firms looking to the UK, many are based

in France (170), Ireland (228) and Germany (149).

HIGHEST VALUED

PUBLIC COMPANIES

When Alphabet ticked over the magic trillion-dollar valuation in

public trading recently, it joined a small group of high rollers with

four-comma valuations. Let us introduce the highest-value public

companies in the world – you’ve got to dream big, folks!

• Saudi Aramco – US$1.84 trillion (A$2.73 trillion)

• Apple – US$1.39 trillion (A$2.06 trillion)

• Microsoft – US$1.27 trillion (A$1.88 trillion)

• Alphabet – US$1 trillion (A$1.48 trillion)

• And almost there… Amazon – US$921 billion (A$1.36 trillion)


FIXING THE

‘BROKEN

RUNG’

WITH BILLIONS IN EXTRA PROFITS

AT STAKE, HOW CAN BUSINESSES,

AND WOMEN THEMSELVES, HELP BUILD

A FUNCTIONING LADDER ALL THE WAY

TO THE TOP FINANCIAL SPOT?

WORDS LISA SMYTH

When trying to recall well-known female

CFOs most people immediately jump

to CFO-turned-CEO of PepsiCo, Indra

Nooyi. Or maybe you have heard of Amy Hood,

the powerhouse CFO of Microsoft, who has been

credited with the company’s 300 per cent surge

in stock price since 2013. And, hopefully, you

are familiar with Coles Group’s Leah Weckert

The CEO Magazine’s 2019 CFO of the Year,

who steered the company to a A$1.5 billion

profit in 2018.

But, it’s no surprise if the names of famous

female CFOs don’t easily roll off the tongue

– women held only 12.2 per cent of CFO roles

globally in 2018. This is despite the fact that in

October 2019 a study released by S&P Global

Market Intelligence revealed that, on average,

companies saw a six per cent increase in profits

and an eight per cent better stock return within

the first 24 months of appointing a female CFO.

This amounted to an incredible A$2.6 trillion of

additional cumulative profits. With numbers like

these, why are there still so few women in

CFO positions?

According to Lean In’s ‘Women in the

Workplace 2019’ report the biggest obstacle

women face in the workplace is not the ‘glass

ceiling’, but the first step up to manager, or the


Female CFOs | INVEST

‘broken rung’. More women are getting stuck

at entry level and fewer women are becoming

managers, resulting in significantly fewer women

available to advance to higher levels. So, how

can the ‘broken rung’ be fixed?

VISIBILITY AND FLEXIBILITY

In many countries, women represent nearly half of

the financial services industry, so there’s no lack

of aspiring female talent. “Junior recruitment has

really improved over time in terms of diversity

and women are well represented at entry level,”

explains UK-based Constance Minc, CFO of the

global software enterprise company, IFS.

“The bigger problem is with retention. While

things have changed a lot in recent years, women

need to feel that taking time off to have a family,

for example, is an accepted norm. It’s easier to

aspire to something that others have done before.

I would love to see our industry conversing

more openly about what is possible, and more

authentically about what it is really like, for

example, to balance a senior finance role and

a family,” encourages Minc.

According to the S&P study, companies that

hired a female CFO had twice as many female

directors, and the board tended to increase in

diversity in the two years after a female CFO

was hired.

“Women in visible leadership roles tends to

attract a wider pool of talent that includes females

›› ACCORDING TO THE MSCI

All Country World Index (ACWI)

30.8 per cent of Singaporean companies

have a female CFO, compared with the

global average of 12.5 per cent.

›› ACCORDING TO RESEARCH from

The University of Alabama, companies with

female CFOs have a lower likelihood of

misreporting key data in financial statements

than firms with male CFOs.

and ethnic minorities,” notes Agnes Lim, CFO

Asia Pacific of real estate services company

JLL. “Here at JLL, we allow flexible working

arrangements for our staff and this helps to keep

female employees, especially young mothers, in

the workforce for a longer period of time.”

GROWING IN CONFIDENCE

“We definitely need to actively grow the pipeline

of female talent, but I think we also need to look

at the other aspect, which would be that women

actually need to aspire to be in these senior roles,”

says Jennifer Whooley, CFO of Stride Property

and Investore Property, and winner of the 2018 EY

CFO of the Year in New Zealand, the first woman

to take out the title. “I think women need to back

themselves and have the confidence to step up

and take on new challenges.”

Nicole Gorton, Director of Robert Half Australia,

a specialist recruitment agency, adamantly agrees.

Her advice to female CFO candidates? “Take

a risk and put up your hand. Don’t hesitate to

ask for new projects even if you’re not sure that

you are ready. Take the lead on something you

haven’t done before and develop skills that revolve

around communication, adaptability and

stakeholder management.”

Developing confidence in a broader skillset

is critical, given that the CFO role has changed so

significantly in the past 10 years. Once a purely

accounting or compliance role, the CFO is now

expected to act as a strategic business partner

to the CEO. In fact, in 2015 Whooley led on the

rebrand of Stride Property, including the

development of the key values and behaviours

that defined the business. “That was definitely

something out of the norm for a CFO,” she says.

“In the last few years, I’ve led on marketing,

communications and human resources, and I’ve

also been responsible for finance, compliance

and investor relations.”

So, should women looking to ascend to the

CFO role be doing anything different to stand

out from their male counterparts? “I actively

encourage my female colleagues to know that

they do not have to be like men to be successful,”

describes Minc. “The beauty and strength of

a diverse workforce is the range of opinions

and experiences it brings to working styles

and day-to-day operations. Power comes from

being yourself.”


INVEST | Management principles


LEADERS OF TOMORROW NEED BETTER WAYS TO MANAGE

THEIR TIME. BLAKE BEATTIE HAS ASSEMBLED THE SEVEN

PRINCIPLES TO DO JUST THAT.

The best way to manage time has been in debate

since the ancient Egyptians first used sundials in

1500BC. Each day we are gifted 86,400 seconds,

but are we aware of where all our time goes and

how efficient and effective we are with it? For most, the

time patterns we ran with over the past few years will be

repeated in the years to come.

Yet, great time management is a game-changer.

It can mean the difference between a stressed out,

underperforming executive and one that not only gets

the right things done in a timely fashion, but also has time

to invest where it counts.

It is tougher than ever before for leaders to take control

of their time and utilise it in the best way possible. In part,

this is caused by greater digital distraction, shorter attention

spans, increased contactability and blurred lines between

work and home life. So what are the new time principles for

the leaders of tomorrow?

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

Granted, on the surface this seems like nothing new. Stephen

Covey and many others have been preaching the value of

this concept for many years. Being crystal clear on the

highest priority outcomes is immensely valuable when

managing time well. However, it is worth taking this principle

one step further. Many leaders are not clear on what great

outcomes look like across multiple time periods (each day,

week, month, quarter and year). From experience, leaders

will have clarity on outcomes in one or more of these time

periods, but rarely all of them. How will you know if today

was a successful day? And do teams even know what a

winning day or week looks like?


MAP IT

A good GPS navigation system helps you get from A to B

using the fastest route possible. Spending a few minutes

mapping key actions to prioritise outcomes is a no-brainer

for effective leaders. If you want to take it one step further,

add a time dimension to the intended actions. Map out how

long you believe work will take and monitor the return on

time (ROT) for your efforts. Some great lessons can surface

as you become clearer on where your time goes and which

tasks deliver the greatest return over time.

THE TRICKY THING FOR

LEADERS IS TO STICK

TO THE TIME BLOCKS

DESPITE THE PRESSURES

OF OTHER TIME DEMANDS

THAT SURFACE.

THE POWER HOUR

Condensing time is a great way to get clear on what’s

important. It stems from the Pareto principle that supports

the notion that 80 per cent of achievements occur in 20 per

cent of the time available. Imagine that you only had one

hour available for work in a day. I know, sounds crazy right?

Surely not much can be achieved in such a short time frame.

On the contrary, it encourages leaders to focus on the critical

stuff and helps them answer key questions including:

What are the must-do items that will contribute to the

priority goals of the business?

What is the best use of my time given my role?

What items should be delegated, delayed or deleted?

These are some great questions that are asked too

infrequently. The best leaders embark on the right actions,

at the right time, in the most effective and efficient way.

If leaders complete their power hour early in the day then

it helps build momentum.

USE TECHNOLOGY FOR

GREATER EFFICIENCY

Technological change is happening faster than you can

say “the iPhone will never gain any significant market

share”. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer may regret

that comment but the lesson remains. Technology is

changing and will continue to change exponentially

whether we like it or not. The challenge is to find

technology that helps leaders lead better. This

includes using technology to better manage our

time and stay focused on what matters most, as

well as reducing digital distraction.


Management principles | INVEST

THE ONE THING

Ask simply, “If I had today over, what one thing would I have

done differently to achieve more?”, then commit to making

that improvement tomorrow. A few minutes of reflection each

day can make all the difference to realigning work practices

with business priorities and championing a continuous

improvement mindset.

TIME BLOCKING

There is tremendous value in blocking out time in advance

for each day, week, month or year for important areas.

Without time set aside, diaries can be quickly filled by urgent

but not necessarily strategically important tasks. As an

example, longer term, strategic thinking is one area that may

get underplayed without time being set aside. The tricky

thing for leaders is to stick to the time blocks despite the

pressures of other time demands that surface.

ACTIVITY DOES NOT

EQUAL PRODUCTIVITY.

THERE IS NO USE IN

BEING PRODUCTIVE IN

SOMETHING THAT ISN’T

THAT IMPORTANT.

REMOVE DISTRACTIONS

The amount of potential distractions for leaders has

increased exponentially over the past few years. From

pop-up alerts on digital devices and the proliferation of

emails to the rise of open-plan offices, leaders need to

navigate some distraction-heavy terrain. According to a

recent study by the University of California, it takes an

average of 23 minutes to get back on task after being

distracted. Therefore, the post-distraction period in many

cases is way more damaging than the distraction itself! Using

the do not disturb or flight modes on your phone is one way

to limit distractions (if your role allows it).

Busyness for many leaders is worn like a badge of

honour. We have all heard the catchcry, “I’m just so busy

at the moment” or “I just haven’t had time”, as though

it’s a good thing. But, of course, it may not be a good

thing. After all, activity does not equal productivity.

There is no use in being productive in something

that isn’t that important.

We only have limited time in work and in life; it

makes sense to spend it wisely. By utilising some

of the principles above, you won’t just become a

better time manager, you will become a better

leader and inspire others to do the same.


INVEST | Unlock the game

SHIFT your

THINKING

FOUNDER AND CEO OF UNLOCK THE GAME

ARI GALPER IS HELPING SALES TEAMS CHANGE

THE SALES GAME BY SHIFTING THEIR FOCUS,

ATTITUDE AND LANGUAGING.

WORDS ASHTON KOBLER • IMAGE UNLOCK THE GAME

Many companies are still using ineffective

traditional sales techniques according to

the Founder and CEO of Unlock The

Game, Ari Galper. As he explains, potential

clients no longer want to feel they are

being sold to, persuaded or pursued and,

in his new book, Unlock The Sales Game, he shares new

trust-based selling strategies to transform a business’s sales

culture to achieve more effective results.

“CEOs need to take a hard look at their sales process

to not only focus on how many sales they are making,

but also to focus on why they are losing many of their

most lucrative sales opportunities,” he explains. “They need

to begin shifting the mindset of their sales teams away from

being solution-focused to being intensely problem-focused,

so their potential clients feel their core issues are deeply

understood, creating an unbreakable bond of trust. Never

offer your solution until you have diagnosed the potential

client’s problems at such a deep level that they actually

ask you for help.”

Ari believes companies should hold back from offering

their services too early in the sales process. “Don’t jump in

and say, ‘Oh, we can help you with that.’ That’s way too

early in the trust building process,” he explains. “Here’s

the thing, they don’t care about how you solve their

problem, they care about whether you’re the one to solve

it. They’re deciding whether to trust you every second

of the conversation. Many sales teams don’t realise this.

Salespeople can’t wait to talk about their solutions, slipping

into sales pitch mode, without any self-awareness that deep

trust has not yet been created – this is the moment most

sales are lost.”

Like the elephant in the room, people will happily listen

to your sales pitch, even though they decided to go with your

competitor. “As the CEO of the business, if you don’t address

the core issue of your salespeople offering their solutions too

early in the sales process, your team will continue to play

the chasing and numbers game, wondering why they aren’t

hitting their sales goals,” Ari points out. “Time and time

again, I hear from CEOs who are frustrated with their sales

teams, because they aren’t converting enough leads into sales.

Our in-deal coaching process helps salespeople at all levels to

recover deals they are chasing. It makes them aware of their

own subconscious behaviours getting in their way.”

Trust-based languaging is a critical part of Ari’s sales

approach. He’s developed his own unique words and

phrases that replace traditional sales languaging. “For

instance, rather than saying to someone, ‘Would you be

interested in this?’, you’d say, ‘Would you be open to

considering this?’,” he explains. “The word ‘open’ doesn’t

force them into a yes or no. It allows the person to tell their

truth, and that’s the goal: to get to the truth with people so

you can decide whether it’s worth your time or not to

invest in the relationship.”

Ari notes that many executives and salespeople are so

focused on their personal objective of making the sale, they


aren’t able to do a deep dive into the world of their

potential client, breaking the trust-building process.

“Salespeople can’t wait to talk about their solutions,”

he states. “They love what they do, so they can’t wait to

tell people about it. The problem is, if someone doesn’t

know you well, they think that all you care about is

selling your services because you’re not able to connect

with them at a deep level of authenticity and trust. My

advice is to fall out of love with your solution and fall

in love with the problems that your ideal clients are

experiencing, so they feel you understand them at a level

that would impress them.”

When Ari consults with CEOs, he works with their

sales teams to be diagnostic, with empathy and warmth, like

a family doctor. “If you jump in too early and say, ‘We can

definitely help you with that,’ then the potential client will,

in most cases, say, ‘I’ll think about it’, which is the kiss of

death in selling.

“In the new economy, the sale is no longer made at

the end of the sales process, it’s made at the beginning,

almost at ‘hello’. That’s a big shift for CEOs who have

only been exposed to traditional selling from their past.”

This article is part two of a three-part series with Ari Galper.

In our May issue, we look at the importance of humility

and integrity throughout the sales process. If you’d like a

complimentary copy of Ari’s book, Unlock The Sales Game,

visit TrustBasedSelling.com.au


INVEST | Interview

“

MY

CHALLENGE

IS TO BRING

US TOGETHER

AS ONE.

AS HEAD OF MTAA SUPER, LEEANNE

TURNER LOVES HELPING PEOPLE PREPARE

FOR THEIR FUTURE AFTER WORK. JUST

DON’T MENTION THE WORD RETIREMENT.

What you see is what you

get with Leeanne Turner.

And what you get is a

great, earthy, honest chat

ambling along in multiple

directions, from business

to relationships, from finance to kids.

Make no mistake, there’s no doubting her

focus as head of the Motor Trades Association

of Australia Superannuation Fund (MTAA Super).

WORDS WENDY KAY • IMAGES IRENE DOWDY

”

She freely admits to being a workaholic, but this

is a leader who really cares about people, in

particular her family of MTAA Super members.

That 200,000-strong family is about to

expand in October when MTAA Super,

headquartered in Canberra, merges with Tasplan,

a multi-industry super fund based in Hobart.

The merged entity will provide for 335,000

members with the employee count more than

doubling to over 200.



Interview | INVEST

“I TAKE ON BOARD

EVERYONE’S VIEWS,

BUT AT THE END OF

THE DAY, I’M PAID TO

MAKE DECISIONS.”

“It’s definitely a bigger family to look after,” Leeanne

reflects. “My challenge is to bring us together as one.”

The merger, a first for MTAA Super, is yet another

chapter to add to Leeanne’s three decades of experience in

the superannuation industry, 13 of them with MTAA Super,

the past nine as CEO. She’s clearly still very passionate about

her work, considering it a social service to look after people

during the next phase of their lives. Just don’t mention the

word retirement.

“I’m the lucky one, having enjoyed roles across the

breadth of the industry in the public sector before moving

to an industry fund,” she says. “It’s been terrific, but I don’t

like the word retirement. It conjures up grey and dull

feelings, whereas that time in our lives should be anything

but that. We’re living longer, so we not only have to look

after our physical health, but also our financial health, to

give us the freedom to do what we want. And that requires

planning. We don’t get a second bite at this.”

Leeanne has that easygoing, personable nature, making

it comfortable for colleagues to share opinions and ideas.

However, while she agrees she’s very collaborative, she’s

averse to being bombarded by different views and the

pressure to make on-the-spot decisions. That’s when she

seeks quiet time to process.

“The shower! There’s me, myself and I under the shower.

So that works,” she says. “Equally at the gym. As an introvert,

I recognise that I need some time with my own thoughts to

process and work through issues to make the best decision.

“My role is to bring our strategic and business plans to

life. Clearly, one person can’t do everything; an organisation

is only as good as the people it has, and I’m blessed to have

fantastic people working for me. They’re very professional,

“Leeanne Turner and the MTAA Super team have worked tirelessly to achieve the

best outcome for their members. NAB Asset Servicing is proud to support MTAA

Super and looks forward to continuing its partnership following the merger with

Tasplan.” – John Comito, Executive General Manager, NAB Asset Servicing

each with their own various areas of expertise and we aim

to hum like any good orchestra should. I’m the conductor

of that, not the instrumental specialist.

“I take on board everyone’s views, but at the end of

the day, I’m paid to make decisions. Decisions that are

not always loved by everyone. Sometimes, it’s a matter

of calming the troops and bringing everyone along with

me. But that’s what my role is. Somewhere along the line,

the buck stops with me.”

While a name is yet to be determined for the merged

entity, a task Leeanne admits is a “big piece of collaborative

work”, enormous effort has been poured into pulling

together employees from both companies. Steadfastly refusing

to enable any ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality, Leeanne started

introducing the concept of one organisation, two campuses,

as early as December last year to mitigate fear of a dominant

party and ensure a seamless process. That means frequent

trips back and forth between Hobart and Canberra.

“I need to lobby for a direct-route flight because, at

the moment, we have to go via Melbourne or Sydney,”

she muses. “But, the only way to build relationships and

get to know each other is to meet face to face and that

means spending time in both Canberra and Tasmania.

“Many people have asked how this merger will

work because we look so different. MTAA Super,

a typical single-industry fund, has never been involved

in a merger, while Tasplan, a multi-industry fund, has

completed some fantastic mergers.

Leeanne says it will work because they both share

so many common values. “While we’re both very

committed to our members, keeping fees low and

securing strong returns, our work cultures are also

very similar,” she explains. “Both companies are built on


INVEST | Interview

“IF YOU ENGAGE WITH

YOUNG PEOPLE IN A WAY

THAT PIQUES THEIR

INTEREST AND

INVIGORATES THEM, YOU

GET FANTASTIC RESULTS.”

honesty and integrity, with teams prepared to dig in and

do some really hard work. We’re already on the same page.

Now we have to come together and be one. That’s the

difference between a merger and a takeover.”

Two-thirds of MTAA Super’s members still work in

the motor trade, with many of them belonging to the fund

since it was established in 1989 and many regional members

running small businesses. It’s a market MTAA Super has

always coveted and protected.

“While we welcome and love anybody who wants

to join us, the regional space has always been particularly

important to us, as it is to Tasplan, and that support will

certainly continue,” she says.

“We have that same loyalty in partnership with the

National Australia Bank [NAB] and MetLife, our group

life insurer,” Leeanne adds. “NAB is MTAA Super’s master

custodian, has been for more than 20 years, and the fantastic

thing is that it is also the master custodian of Tasplan. NAB

is very good at what it does and shares our values, so we

know exactly who we’re dealing with.

“It’s the same with MetLife, who’ve also been with MTAA

Super for many years and came on board with Tasplan last

July. These partnerships are built on trust and trust takes

time, and having the support of these service providers

will make life so much easier during our transition.”

As the mother of three sons, the eldest 30, followed

by 27-year-old twins, all of whom have little interest in

super, Leeanne has a keen interest in encouraging young

people to plan for their financial future. She agrees last

year’s findings from the Royal Commission into Misconduct

in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services

Industry were damning, including the nine recommendations

targeting superannuation, but believes the report shone

a much needed spotlight on the industry.

“It went from a sleepy subject people didn’t talk much

about to front page news that everyone was talking about,”

she explains. “Sure, there’s still complacency, but super is

a concept that naturally engenders apathy because of its

long-term nature. But I think young people get a bit of

a bad rap for being disengaged because the ones I meet

working in the motor trades blow me away with their

dedication and drive. If you engage with young people

in a way that piques their interest and invigorates them,

you get fantastic results.”

Meanwhile, Leeanne attributes her father to developing

her own strong work ethic, following advice he shared many

years ago. He told her that if she always put work first, work

would look after her. However, it is advice, she admits, she’s

had to modify a little to incorporate a partner into her life.

Particularly when that man, Garry, moved from across the

world to be with her.

“Yes, sometimes, I have to be reminded that I don’t

have to work 24/7,” she says, laughing. “Even when I get

cross because I just want to finish something off, Garry

will tell me, ‘No, shut it down.’ But that’s definitely been

a positive, encouraging me to travel more and do different

things. After all, we only get one crack at this and I hope

that when my time is up, I’ll leave this world going,

‘Wow, that was a great ride!’”

“MetLife has worked in partnership with MTAA Super to help improve members’

experiences with insurance inside super, including streamlining processes for

applications and claims, and better education to ensure they make an informed

choice about their cover options.” – Chesne Stafford, Chief Customer and

Marketing Officer, MetLife Australia


Advertorial

Engaging super members on

insurance in the post PMIF world

One of the best sources of rich information that we can

obtain is listening to the unfiltered, real and authentic

comments from superannuation fund members. This type

of feedback can be a sharp reminder that, while we

embrace and are often consumed by the industry we

work in, superannuation and insurance aren’t top of mind

for most people.

Cutting through to the important topics of superannuation

or insurance is difficult and that’s why MetLife undertakes

regular research to understand fund members’ awareness,

attitudes and understanding of their insurance inside

their super.

Our research indicates that only 1 in 2 super fund members

claim to know what insurance cover they have inside their

super. Beyond initial awareness, the findings suggest a

greater focus is needed on educating members about the

importance of modifying their insurance, with 39 per cent of

members unaware they could modify the level of cover they

had inside their super.

With the legislation around insurance constantly changing,

we’ve dug deeper into the research to understand the

expected behaviours of the younger generation relating

to Protect Your Super (PYS) and Putting Members’

Interest First (PMIF).

When the learnings from the PYS and PMIF research were

integrated with the findings from the Insurance Inside Super

research, we were able to compile key behavioural insights,

together with videos and verbatims, and a toolkit on how

best to communicate PMIF changes to members.

But the engagement and communication shouldn’t stop

after PMIF commences on 1 April. During our discovery,

much of the feedback from fund members centred around

the need to be reminded about the choices they have.

There was a clear sentiment that with a topic as complicated

as life insurance, regular engagement is required. And

ultimately that’s what we should aspire to – members

making an active choice that suits their personal situation,

particularly young members who will be asked to opt-in for

the protection that comes with life insurance.

MetLife will continue to undertake thought leadership

research and develop strategies to help funds better engage

with their members post the PMIF implementation to make

sure they understand the value of super and insurance, and

importantly, allow them to make an informed choice. All in

all, our fund clients represent over two million

superannuation fund members and that’s not a responsibility

we take lightly.

If you need support with engaging members on their

insurance options, MetLife is here to help. Please contact

your Relationship Manager or visit our website to find

out more.

metlife.com.au

INVEST | Interview


“IT’S AN

EVER-

CHANGING

BUSINESS

SYSTEM.”

THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IS ALWAYS EVOLVING, AND

THE CEO OF RAPID TUNE, MARK RIPPON, RECOGNISES THE

IMPORTANCE OF STAYING UPDATED TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS.

WORDS ASHTON KOBLER • IMAGES ELKE MEITZEL


INVEST | Interview

“WE’LL GROW

NATIONALLY WHILE

MAINTAINING

THE QUALITY OF

OUR SYSTEM.”

When Mark Rippon was in school,

he spent extracurricular and

weekend hours working part-time

in mechanical workshops. Growing

up in a family that has been in the

automotive industry “for generations”, the work came

naturally to him. Then, after finishing school, he took

on an apprenticeship and eventually worked his way

up to franchise owner. “I owned my franchise, and

I grew that to multi-franchise ownership,” he reflects.

“At that point, I thought, ‘I’m going to go out on my

own and develop an amazing automotive business

system and show them how it’s done.”

Having been in the industry for so long, Mark

was familiar with each aspect of the business,

which helped him to establish his own independent

workshop, Rapid Tune, in 2003. Over the next

five years, he developed the business system and

franchised it in 2008.

“I placed a lot of focus on having a quality

business system,” Mark says. “We are always evolving

the business and its marketing strategies. Advertising

in the digital media sector has been one of the

most significant changes to small business marketing.

Sometimes I feel like I’ve seen it all, but the

automotive industry will always have a new surprise

for me just around the next corner.”

Rapid Tune will pay particular attention to

continued growth and development of its products

and services over the next year. “We’ve planned for

further national expansion without compromising

the quality of our franchise network,” Mark explains.

“It is imperative that Rapid Tune fosters excellent

relationships with our business owners and continues

to cultivate our amazing culture. Balancing these

values in 2020 while expanding the chain, installing

new POS systems and keeping up to date with

automotive technology will certainly keep us busy,

but that’s the way I like it.

“Developing the marketing strategies was a big

part of our 2019 vision, which saw the development

of Rapid Tune’s ‘We’ll keep you moving’ slogan and

TV campaign launched by Channel 7. Mapping these

together has worked well. It’s great to see our brand

gaining so much traction, but we will keep building

the brand across Melbourne and Brisbane this year.”

Keeping up with changes in the automotive

industry isn’t easy. With technology continually

evolving, Mark explains that there are always new

products and services to research and incorporate.


“The greatest change that regularly occurs in

the automotive industry is, and always has been,

vehicle innovation technology,” he says. “There are

always new products and services that we need to

research, implement new equipment and provide

training to our technicians for. This is an important

part of ensuring the correct servicing and

maintenance of our customers’ modern vehicles.

It’s an ever-changing business system.”

Rapid Tune prides itself on its unique culture.

It promotes unity within the group and encourages

everyone to support each other and be passionate

about the brand.

“It sounds a little corny, but we put a lot of effort

into this culture,” Mark explains. “When you attend

a Rapid Tune meeting or event you instantly feel the

friendly cohesion and supportive nature of the group;

it’s an unmistakable feeling. This positive environment

could be the reason Rapid Tune has outperformed

industry standards year after year.”

The company is selective about who joins and stays

in the network. Rapid Tune prefers quality business

owners over quantity – members rarely lose their

passion for the brand or the automotive industry.

“Many of our franchisees come from within our

network, so it’s been a self-generating process,” explains

Mark. “Granting approval to a prospective franchisee

is always an amazing experience, but if the applicant’s

expectations are unrealistic or not in line with the

Rapid Tune model, the sweetness can turn sour rather

quickly. We know that good communication equals

good relationships.”

Mark doesn’t want to expand the company for

the sake of expansion. He wants to continue to

maintain the same high-quality standards it has had

for years. “Brand recognition across the Melbourne

and Brisbane markets will be a huge focus in 2020,”

he says. “We’ll grow nationally while maintaining the

quality of our system. We’ll also continue developing

our products and services.”


INVEST | Interview

Integrity is critical to Mark, and he believes

that a company should stand by its products.

“As a franchisor, if a supplier or consultant isn’t

the right match for the group another alternative

will be sourced, as this would not be of benefit to

the franchise network,” he explains. “What I mean

by integrity is not selling hand over fist. We must

build the brand’s strength by way of honesty, product

knowledge and consumer trust.”

Mark says that his team is motivated and eager to

provide support to the franchise network and business

owners. “We run many social events throughout the

year, and receive full attendance,” he boasts. “We run

achievement awards for sales, customer service and

increasing our database to create fun and healthy

competition. We also organise an annual conference.

We call it a conference, but it ends up being more

like a family holiday.”

As a franchisor, Mark has placed much focus

on having a quality business system and notes that

brand consistency has been one of the most

significant changes the company has made. “We are

always evolving the business system, including our

marketing strategies. We have evolved into TV, social

media, using SEO and SEM contact with our

customers, and automated database harvesting.”

The company must also abide by the franchise

code of conduct and stay compliant. “Each year

the franchise code requires franchisors to update

disclosure documents and provide detailed marketing

reports to the franchise network.” Mark explains.

“We like to stay transparent and meet all of those

requirements because I think that’s very important

in the franchising industry today, and we provide all

the feedback and information to our franchisees.”

Rapid Tune is a member of the Franchise

Council of Australia, and Mark believes peak bodies

like these do great work within the franchising

industry. He encourages other franchise owners

to make the most of these partnerships and focus

on the deeper meaning behind franchising.

“I find it a relief that old-school franchising

techniques are being stamped out, allowing the

“Mark is a modern leader driving a terrific business in Rapid Tune. He

represents many values that align with the Burson Auto Parts business,

such as caring about what we do, working collaboratively and focusing

on getting the job done – the right way.” – Craig Magill, Executive

General Manager, Burson Auto Parts

franchise industry to recover its

reputation,” he explains. “The true

intention of franchising is to

provide a business model, marketing

assistance, brand presence, group

support and mentorship, helping

people to overcome their fears

and enjoy their dreams of business

ownership. There’s nothing wrong

with being transparent and

showing people that your franchise

network and industry experience

can honestly help them get a start

in business and put them on the

path to success.”

Mark believes that, as

a franchisor, if you genuinely

care about the individuals in the

company, and you are trying to

help make them successful, the

franchise network will recognise

this and will be more receptive to

the advice given from the support

team and the vision of the brand.

“The reality is, I need to be

able to dispense our knowledge and

advice effectively to the franchise network. This is

why culture and relationship building is so crucial

to a franchise; if communications break down,

nobody benefits.”

Mark works closely with the Australian

Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), which

represents the entire aftermarket repair industry on

many fronts, and has been instrumental in high-level

industry legislation issues, the latest being compulsory

data sharing and right of repairer campaigns.

In October 2019, the Australian government

announced a mandatory data sharing law. According

to the AAAA, the law “ensures independent

workshops have access to all motor vehicle service

and repair information at a fair price”, to encourage

fair competition for small businesses and consumers.

The CEO of the AAAA, Stuart Charity, released

a statement that said, “This is an incredible result for

our members, who came to us with their concerns,

put competitive rivalries aside and fought alongside

us to have the law changed for their customers,

their businesses and the wider industry. It is also

an important win for consumers.”

Mark explains: “Manufacturers’ vehicle data

sharing had been common practice in the US and

European markets for quite a while. It was certainly

time for the Australian market to catch up. Thanks

to the efforts of the AAAA, this has been achieved

in Australia. I’ve been an advocate for technological

advances in modern vehicles.

“These innovations require further advances

in training and the installation of very expensive

software and equipment. However, they also open

up additional service and maintenance opportunities

for our service centres.”

The AAAA also recently opened an Auto

Innovation Centre, which increases the capabilities

of Australian businesses and aids in the development

of new automotive aftermarket products for local

and export markets.

“With new features like adaptive cruise control,

lane departure warnings and automatic emergency

braking (AEB) operated via radars, cameras and

actuators, the correct equipment, training and data

is paramount to the successful service, maintenance

and calibration of modern vehicles,” Mark says.

“Fully electric and self-drive vehicles are a glimpse

into the future of our business. It’s a very exciting

time to be a part of Rapid Tune and the

automotive industry.”


Interview | INVEST

HATCHING

NEW

PLANS

AFTER 20 YEARS IN THE LEGAL INDUSTRY, ROWAN MCMONNIES

BOLDLY MADE A CAREER CHANGE INTO THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR.

NOW, AS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF AUSTRALIAN EGGS, HIS

“CLEAR DECISION” HAS PROVED ENORMOUSLY REWARDING.

A

change from law firm partner to management

was a move towards Rowan McMonnies’

natural strength in people skills. “Being able

to engage with people and get the best out

of them has always been enjoyable and

productive,” the Managing Director of

Australian Eggs says.

Under Rowan’s leadership, the Australian egg sector,

once feathered with concerns for the farmer, the industry

and the wellbeing of animals, is on an upward trajectory.

When Rowan first joined the sector, he saw the egg

business as not only a challenge but also as an opportunity

to place the farmer back in focus.

WORDS ANASTASIA PRIKHODKO IMAGES AUSTRALIAN EGGS

Rowan’s interest in agriculture was sparked early. As

a child, he would visit his grandfather’s wheat and sheep

farm in Grong Grong, a small town in the Riverina region

of New South Wales. “Something happens to a young boy

when you put him on a tractor or a motorbike,” Rowan says.

“It crystallised the wonder of the bush and the agriculture

sector. I got caught up in that romance and forever had

a great interest in all things practical and functional,” he

says, adding that visiting the farm was an influential part

of his upbringing and identity.

Now with the tractors and motorbikes behind him, it’s

the people and culture that drive Rowan. “When I’m talking

to a farmer, even though I was raised in the city, it feels


INVEST | Interview

“WE CAN’T DO THIS IN

ISOLATION. WE CAN

ONLY DO IT THROUGH

ENGAGEMENT WITH

THE COMMUNITY.”

natural,” he says. “It brings a level of enjoyment to your

professional life that you don’t get in other contexts.”

This connection to the community is also how Rowan

leads. He explains that his leadership comes down to genuine

passion and interest in the role.

“I don’t know how I would approach it if I were

operating in an industry I didn’t enjoy,” he says. “I’ve sought

to bring people into the organisation who share that genuine

interest. I call them the right kind of people. They see things

and want to improve them.”

Empowering employees is of utmost importance to Rowan,

who believes that people need the freedom to operate and be

trusted. “It’s also about ensuring that external forces are not

stomping on productive activity or switching strategies every

five seconds,” Rowan explains. “These things are classic in

dysfunctional organisations. They don’t work. It’s about

guarding against them and ensuring that your people are

in the best possible position to do the best work.”

When Rowan entered the egg sector he could see it

was under close scrutiny due to several conjectures. These

matters included the definition of free range, welfare

concerns over cage egg production and compliance issues

for the organisation. “That challenging context allowed us

to drive positive change for both the organisation and the

industry,” Rowan says, also explaining that when he entered

his role three years ago he had no set toolkit or a range of

winning strategies. “I thought – that doesn’t look like it’s

going very well. Maybe I could do better.”

Rowan explains, “Life has a funny way of punishing

you for such thoughts. The early period was a genuine

challenge, full of significant review and change.”

With a new leader in the management team and a

different board, the company started to shift. The initial focus

of revision was internal. It was also about ensuring the key

focus was on the farmers. “We pressed refresh,” Rowan says.

“There were team changes and we brought in new talent.”

The development, which took around eight to nine months,

Petar Pirovic Senior came to Australia aged just 16, fleeing post-war chaos

in Croatia. Initially, he had to work to pay off his passage, after which

he slowly managed to bring the rest of the family to Australia.

The Pirovic family then started a modest egg farming business in 1965.

Initially, the business supplied locals and a small number of local stores.

As keen consumers of their own product, producing high-quality eggs

was a priority.

Petar’s four sons and his brother Milorad Pirovic’s two sons took over the

business in the early 1980s, expanding and refining the operation, with

respect for the family’s past.

The family passion for quality lives on today with a third generation of

Pirovics now producing the highest quality eggs for Australian consumers.

Pirovic Family Farms values integrity and hard work, and its philosophy is

to produce the best quality eggs for the Australian Market, with the highest

standards of animal welfare, at a competitive price.

The Pirovic family has been producing fresh eggs daily for the past 54 years

and will continue to proudly produce and supply fresh eggs to Australian

families for years to come.

“Our mission is to use the latest technology available in our industry, providing higher

standards of welfare for our birds, hygiene, quality and service to our customers”.

PROUDLY

PRODUCING

THE

AUSSIE

EGG

SINCE

1965

involved “cultural change both within the organisation and

in the industry”.

The company wanted to demonstrate that there is

a better way. Rowan confirms that since Australian Eggs’

transition, there has been a significant change in how

the egg industry addresses problems.

“We created a sustainability framework. We partnered

with the CSIRO to conduct broadscale community

research to understand the community better and to

find a factual foothold on those issues because of the way

the media passes issues around,” he says. “It’s one bubble

talking to another, and it’s not productive. Everyone’s got

an opinion. No one’s right or wrong. Using social science

as a tool to chart a course to identify what’s going on,

we found to be powerful.”

Transparency in the industry is another point

Rowan brings up, which could provide further unity

and assistance. “I would encourage the whole sector to be

more open,” he says. “Farmers do it tough. At times they

are isolated, and are the subject of decisions that impact

them directly, for which they don’t feel they’ve had

“Pirovic Family Farms has a good working relationship with Rowan and his

team at Australian Eggs. Since 2016, they have focused on changes in the

egg industry so farmers can develop a positive direction going forward, and

develop our industry into the future.” – Franko Pirovic, Managing Director,

Pirovic Family Farms

sufficient consultation.” He adds, “As a matter of human

nature, that can lead to defensiveness and a sense that we

know the answer and others don’t understand.”

Having those open pathways of communication and

further openness is essential to the future of the agriculture

sector. “We need to ensure we don’t get trapped in our

bubble and are not deciding on issues ourselves,” Rowan

says. Connectivity is significant here – it’s how the industry

will remain sustainable.

“All points are connected. Our sector exists to contribute

to the Australian community. That’s its role and function,”

Rowan stresses. “We can’t do this in isolation. We can only

do it through engagement with the community.”

What of the future for Australia’s agricultural sector?

“We are in the midst of a severe drought. Every

agrarian supply chain is impacted, including the egg

industry. It’s hard to be optimistic, but there’s great cause

to be hopeful. The sector has demonstrated great resilience

and the ability to grow consistently,” Rowan says.

“Certainly, outside of drought years, we can make

an enormous contribution to the Australian community.

I see exports being a big part of the future, and ambitious

targets have been set to grow the egg sector significantly.

One goal everyone is working towards is to develop the

agriculture industry to A$100 billion by 2030. I can see

that being achievable.”



Interview | INVEST

MAJOR

LEAGUE

WHILE CEO NEEL CHAND IS ATTRACTING

A NEW GENERATION OF MEMBERS AT

PENRITH RSL, HE’S ALSO MAKING SURE THE

CLUB’S FOUNDATIONS ARE NOT FORGOTTEN.

WORDS WENDY KAY IMAGES THOMAS BIDDLE

There’s no doubt Neel Chand has

a remarkable instinct for business.

A seasoned CFO with an impressive

corporate background, he has a

reputation for getting things done.

But the Penrith RSL CEO is also

a leader who understands people. Really understands

them. While he knows full well that a vital part of

his role is to develop and nurture strong relationships

with club members, you get the feeling he takes it one

step further, almost like he’s answerable to them. All

38,000 of them. And part of that responsibility is to

feed them properly.

To explain, the club has a well-known, all-you-caneat

Star Buffet, an institution in Sydney’s west, which

seats up to 650 and offers a seemingly endless variety

of delicious international cuisine, including seafood,

carvery and sushi stations, and even a Chinese barbecue

complete with hanging roasted ducks. For Neel,

however, no matter how much his members may enjoy

crab legs, nori rolls and Peking duck, there are some

staples that cannot be ignored. “You can offer the best

in international cuisine, but you cannot run an Aussie

club without offering chicken schnitzel, a great roast,

bangers and mash, and fish and chips,” he insists. “That

will never change.”

Some things are changing at Penrith RSL, however,

with the challenge creating a balance between providing

simple basic meals and maintaining traditions that

older members hold close to their hearts, while also

introducing concepts to attract a new, more familyfriendly

generation.

It’s a charge Neel has taken in his stride with

membership doubling since he headed the club a decade

ago – no mean feat when you consider that in 2010

Penrith RSL was on its knees, revenue was low,

membership was falling, and there was even talk of

closing the establishment altogether.


INVEST | Interview

“HAVING WORKED

FOR THE PACKERS,

I QUICKLY LEARNED

THAT THERE

WAS NO MARGIN

FOR ERROR.”

At the time, Neel was CFO of Australia’s largest RSL

at Rooty Hill, a club so huge it once demanded its own

postcode. He was in an excellent place, so why move?

“It was a lot to give up,” Neel remembers. “But when

I had a look around the Penrith club, all I saw was potential.

There were so many opportunities to grow and I knew

I could take it a lot further.”

The first thing Neel did was to build a multi-level

carpark. The next was to expand the business, which meant

making the club more family friendly. He outsourced all

the food operations, including introducing Star Buffet, and

offered other affordable dining options. He also invested

in the gaming floor, seeking layout designs from experts

who’d worked in Las Vegas and Macau. In just one year,

membership grew by 40 per cent.

“It took me by surprise,” Neel muses. “But RSL clubs

are different from what they were 20 years ago and we’re

always talking to members, holding focus groups, asking

them what they need. We basically gave the community

what it needed and everything turned around. We’re now

one of the fastest growing clubs in New South Wales,

breaking record after record.”

Three years ago, the club opened Monkey Mania,

a 1,700-square-metre children’s play area featuring a jumping

castle, foam ball arena, slides and climbing structures. Future

plans include expanding the club to include three more

restaurants, refurbishing the buffet and adding a 600-seat

function room.

Neel, a chartered accountant with an MBA in

International Business and Marketing, began his career

after university as an audit supervisor with PwC Australia,

before moving on to CFO roles at the Coleman Company

and the Sydney SuperDome (now called Qudos Bank

“Neel Chand’s professionalism, management style and

clear vision for the continuing development of Penrith

RSL is impressive. He has a particular skill in being

able to work collaboratively with professionals from

varying disciplines, including Alleanza Architecture,

to fulfil Club aspirations.”

Charles Glanville, Architect

Arena), then leased by Kerry Packer’s Publishing and

Broadcasting Ltd.

“Having worked for the Packers, I quickly learned

that there was no margin for error,” Neel says. “In 2004,

the Sydney SuperDome was the number two venue

in the world in terms of gross ticket sales [after Madison

Square Garden in New York], so that venue will always

be special for me – a one-off thing I did that I won’t get

back in my life.

“I was working for the Packer family when I was

informed about Rooty Hill. The club wanted someone

with a corporate background to be CFO. Initially I thought

no… until I went and had a look. It was the biggest club

I’d ever seen. I changed my mind, applied and got the job.

That’s when I fell in love with the club industry.”

Neel says he’s still very numbers-driven – after all, it’s

his job to get a return on the multimillion-dollar investment

he’s made to improve and expand Penrith RSL, and he

admits he’s very hands-on. He laughs when asked whether

he walks through the club every day.

“Every day? I’m walking through every hour! I’m always

around talking to staff, chatting to members. But all our

staff are very member-driven. We notice and we care. For

example, we had one regular who suddenly stopped coming.

We called the police, who went to his house, discovered he

was very sick and took him to hospital. There are some

members who come here every day because they have

nowhere else to go and no one to talk to. We are their

extended family.”

That “family” is a team Neel never takes for granted,

attributing his strong sense of commitment to a very tough

taskmaster he worked with years ago, who gave him sound

advice about leadership. “This guy gave me hell, absolute

hell,” he remembers. “But one day, when I went to see him,

he turned to me and said, ‘Mate, you’re only as good as your

team’, and that stuck with me. So I make sure I don’t take

shortcuts; I choose my team very carefully.”

Another lesson Neel quickly learned when he joined

the RSL organisation was its enduring commitment to the

community and the crucial role it plays in honouring

Australia’s servicemen and women, past and present. Under

his watch, Penrith RSL has been honoured with the RSL

Spirit of ANZAC Award, and the Special Judges Award

at the ClubsNSW Clubs & Community Awards for its

contribution to the centenary of ANZAC.

“There’s a reason why the RSL started and I’m very

passionate about this history and we will always honour that.

While we look to the future and see what we can offer to

future generations, we must always remember those who

served and who have made up the fabric of this club.”


INVEST | Interview

IT’S ABOUT A CAN-DO

ATTITUDE

AND GOING THE

EXTRA

MILE.

FLEETCARE CEO NIGEL MALCOLM HAS LONG UNDERSTOOD THE

ALCHEMY IN ENGAGING CLIENTS, WITH THE RESULT BEING

THE CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS IN BUSINESS.

WORDS STEPHEN CROWE IMAGES JASPER SALCEDA

There can be rich rewards for those who have the

chutzpah to dream big, make plans and then

stick to their agenda through thick and thin.

Just ask Nigel Malcolm, who saw an

opportunity in managing company vehicle

fleets, acted on his instincts and made the

commitment to see it through. As a result his company,

Fleetcare, recently notched up three decades in business.

“The celebrations were fantastic,” Nigel says

enthusiastically. “It’s a true milestone for any business to

achieve 30 years in a competitive environment, but I always

knew I’d be doing this for a long time. This was a passion

of mine. This is not just about running a business per se –

this is about actually delivering something different, and

we’re still excited about that.”

Nigel established Fleetcare at a time when a deep

recession hammered the Australian economy, the average

overdraft was about 20 per cent and interest rates rose

regularly. Not for the squeamish, starting out in such a

business environment.

But, he recalls, his few competitors were traditional hire

companies that only offered leasing packages to clients who

were actually looking for much more.

“I saw a window of opportunity to provide a unique

solution to businesses, actually managing their fleets, doing

proper asset management and reducing their fleet operating

costs,” he says. “Companies were paying more than they

should and doing all the work themselves. So when

I started Fleetcare, I looked at the entire life cycle of the

vehicle to determine how we could offer a much better

service for them.”

His instincts have certainly been proved correct after

30 successful years. He boils it down to an elemental tenet

that has guided the company through all that time.


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Interview | INVEST

“ENJOY WHAT YOU’RE

DOING, BECAUSE IF

YOU DON’T ENJOY

IT, YOU SHOULDN’T

BE DOING IT.”

“It’s about delivering great customer service,” Nigel

points out. “We have a lot of return business – we have

a lot of very sticky employees and a lot of very sticky

clients. It’s about being consistent, about offering specific

solutions to businesses and not asking them to fit in the

box. It’s about a can-do attitude and going the extra mile.

That’s what I built the business on, and nothing’s changed

from that in any way whatsoever.”

A lot has happened in that 30 years, and not least in

technology. When Nigel started Fleetcare, the internet didn’t

exist, emails hadn’t arrived, and telematics hadn’t either.

Vehicles have also evolved since those early days, making

Fleetcare’s role a more complex and demanding one, but

also more holistic.

“Today, businesses are much more savvy today about

concentrating on their core strengths,” he explains. “When

I started, we had to convince businesses to outsource their

fleet and have somebody looking after it for them. Now it’s

almost a given that they give it to an expert to handle.”

Fleetcare has used emerging technology to advantage by

developing its own software platform to provide full analytics,

with bespoke programs to free up their employees.

“We are probably the only firm of this kind in Australia

that runs its own software,” Nigel says. “We have an IT

development team and data scientists on board, so our

technology front is really massive. We’re not reporting

transactions, we’re doing predictive analytics for what our

customers do. The technology lets us look at the car and

know what it is doing on the road right at this moment. We

can report what’s going on to our customers in moments.”

Fleetcare is now prepared for another wave of disruption

that will soon hit every business running a vehicle fleet – the

introduction of electric- and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

“This is a dramatic change in the market for all of us,

and our role is to give our customers solutions to maximise

opportunities from some big challenges,” he says. “The price

of an electric vehicle is much higher – how do we get the

best out of that? How can our customers be seen as

environmentally friendly without bleeding to death in costs?”

This is where the alchemy of engaging employees lies,

Nigel says, so they seek innovative answers to complex

questions. They want, and need, an environment in which

they can thrive, and that means giving them room to grow.

“We actually have quite a flat structure and everybody

here is empowered to make a decision,” he explains.

“Everybody’s responsible for what goes right and also what

goes wrong. If something does go wrong, we throw a team

at it to gain an understanding, but our focus is to sort the

customer out, sort the issue out, get everything running

smoothly and then do the forensics behind it.”

Nigel’s three decades of business experience has taught

him some tough lessons, but he has a basic rule for budding

entrepreneurs. “Don’t lose sight of why you started, and

enjoy what you’re doing, because if you don’t enjoy it, you

shouldn’t be doing it.”

Nigel certainly does, even after all this time.

“I’m so lucky. I go to work every day doing what I love.

I’ve got a business that I love. I’ve got a wonderful group of

people – I just can’t tell you how good they are. Personal

satisfaction – it ticks every box. I’m motivated, we achieve

great things, our customers enjoy it, our suppliers enjoy it.

And I get an insight into some great Australian companies

and how they operate.”

It seems his entrepreneurial spirit is just as strong as it

was 30 years ago.


THE

CUSTOMER

GETS

SIGNIFICANT

VALUE.


Interview | INVEST

STARTING AS CFO AT A CANOLA

OIL STARTUP WITH AN UNCERTAIN

FUTURE, SCOTT WHITEMAN NOW

LEADS RIVERINA OILS & BIO ENERGY

AS CEO, INTRODUCING INNOVATION

AND QUALITY TO MAKE A SPLASH IN

MARKETS AROUND THE WORLD.

WORDS OLIVER FEATHERSTON • IMAGES ELKE MEITZEL

For a small, local Australian company to

go from nothing to the number two

industry position in the US, all within

six years, is not to be sniffed at. But that’s

exactly what Riverina Oils & Bio Energy

has achieved, all from its fully integrated

facility in Wagga Wagga. The canola oil producer

started operations in 2013, founded by entrepreneur

DD Saxena. The company was faced with unconvinced

investors and economic difficulties at first. Indeed,

CEO Scott Whiteman says the company’s survival was

initially quite precarious. Nevertheless, he joined the

company as CFO, and helped guide Riverina Oils to

its present success.

“There was doubt over whether Riverina Oils

would eventuate because there were some planning

and timing issues,” Scott says. “It was put to me that

I could work for this company that was going to

construct a new plant in Australia, using all-new

technology in the integrated plants, and it was in the

growing region so that you didn’t need to transport

the canola crops very far. It seemed like a breath of

fresh air, and an exciting challenge.”

Before then, Scott had been with Cargill, another

canola oil producer, but of a more traditional,

established kind; Scott says most canola-crushing

assets in Australia were up to 50 years old at the time.

Riverina Oils started as the inverse – the archetypal


INVEST | Interview

new, smaller player, capable of adapting to the market

with agility. Having run Cargill’s Specialty Canola

division for a year and a half, Riverina Oils

represented a different experience for Scott, and

its unique place in the industry means it has been

able to achieve international success.

“We saw an opportunity in the US,” Scott recalls.

“The US market was craving non-genetically

modified canola oil, because the Canadian crop is

95 per cent genetically modified. We saw that there

was an opportunity to do that from Australia because

it’s the reverse here – 95 per cent non-GM. We were

the first in Australia to get accreditation from the

Non-GMO Project, and the first to export refined

oil to the US.

“We now undertake 25 per cent of our

production in the US, and that’s only growing.

We’ve got a subsidiary set up over there, with offices

in Toronto, Canada and California. It’s the same

industry, but with a small-business approach to it.

Not that we’re a small business here. We’ve got

A$170 million in turnover, but the size of the

company means it can approach this industry in

a nimble and exploratory fashion.”

The company is expanding its reach globally. In

the next three years, Scott hopes to double US sales

through building up that operation. In India, Riverina

Oils is working to not just introduce its brand, but

the concept of canola oil itself – it’s not commonly

used there. Scott says they have a good foothold, and

hope to expand their market share soon.

After his tenure as CFO and right-hand man

to DD Saxena, Scott was promoted to CEO in

mid-2016, while the founder moved his focus to

Riverina Oils’ olive production business. Having

learned the ropes under DD’s guidance, Scott took

over on a sole basis in July 2018. Learning from the

entrepreneur taught him to step up and define the

company vision, but equally he places a huge value

on autonomy – hiring the right people, giving them

sufficient training and then the freedom to succeed.

“Certainly, my role requires that I be totally

trustful in my lieutenants, and they are all doing an

amazing job, and importantly, enjoying it,” he says.

“A fair portion of my day is spent making sure

people enjoy their work. There’s a 25 per cent bonus

that you get from people who enjoy what they do,

so making sure everything’s in equilibrium, and that

We are a family-owned and

managed business operating

in Wagga Wagga and servicing

regional NSW for the last

15 years.

We offer contract maintenance

supported by a large capacity

workshop with a focus on

building quality relationships

and supporting regional

manufacturing.

PROUDLY SUPPORTING RIVERINA OILS & BIO ENERGY

A: 8 Lockyer St, Wagga Wagga,

NSW 2650, Australia

P: (02) 6921 7283

E: admin@bryanteng.com.au

people enjoy their work and have the flexibility to

deal with their personal lives. It’s having that capacity

for autonomy in taking projects and driving them

forward that has been a key to the transition.

“I went to see Star Wars: Return of the Jedi at the

convention centre, with music performed by the

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and I’ve got to say

I feel a bit like the conductor there. Everybody else is

doing the work, but it’s my job to make sure we’re

focusing on the right priorities, and that people have

the skills and the opportunity to enjoy what they’re

doing, to get it done the best they can.”

That unifying vision will be essential as Riverina

Oils pursues its ambitious plans for expansion and

innovation. The oil producer is running numerous

domestic and international projects, pursuing

innovation and expansion in diverse areas. In its

Wagga Wagga plant, Riverina Oils employs a new

process with lower heat, which results in a more

nutritious oil with a longer frying life. Riverina Oils

now boasts a direct line to a nearby solar plant, and

is also trying to substitute natural gas use with a

biomass boiler. It may be a nimble, less traditional

canola oil producer, as Scott describes, but its

ambition is far from limited.

Riverina Oils’ efforts in innovation are paying

dividends to partners too. Scott recounts a glowing

review from a Chinese partner, whose win of a

tender to provide meals for 150,000 students was

credited, at least in part, to the quality of the canola

“Bryant Engineering has enjoyed working with Riverina Oils & Bio Energy

over the past six years. We appreciate its commitment to regional New

South Wales and we are excited with the direction Scott is taking the

business. We look forward to the future.” – Andrew Bryant, Managing

Director, Bryant Engineering

“A FAIR PORTION

OF MY DAY IS

SPENT MAKING

SURE PEOPLE

ENJOY THEIR

WORK.”

oil they used. Domestically, Riverina Oils has

partnered with Wagga Wagga icon Ron Crouch

Transport to provide a new frying oil solution for

pubs, clubs and restaurants in the Riverina, and

perhaps well beyond.

For Scott, such efforts are all about passing the

benefits down the supply chain, thanks to innovative,

efficient and high-quality processes. “Our future is

driving that value to our customer,” he asserts. “We

spend a bit more time on the process, so that our

product is a premium product at a premium price.

The customer gets significant value.”


Over the Top Golf, Queenstown

businessevents.newzealand.com

Relax on the side of a mountain or sail across the harbour on an America’s Cup yacht.

New Zealand offers a huge variety of exhilarating activities set in stunning natural beauty all within

easy reach of world class accommodation and venues. Inspiration is right on your doorstep.

Book your next conference in New Zealand.

businessevents.newzealand.com

Indulge ULTIMATE

FROM INDULGENT PRIVATE

ISLANDS TO THE WORLD’S MOST

EXCLUSIVE CARS, WE’RE THE

LEADER IN LUXURY

Splendour on

the high seas.

TALL-SHIP TALES, p170

We go Behind the scenes of the new Bond movie (p154) that is set to redefine the franchise; though vintage

cars have proven lucrative for collectors in the past, it’s the pleasures of ownership that are their true Driving force (p162),

and discover How to beat burnout in 24 hours (p174) at London’s prestigious Lanesborough Club & Spa.


Indulge News

And the

DIAMOND

goes to…

The second-largest diamond of all

time – the largest found in the past

century – has a new, unexpected

owner. Louis Vuitton, known better for

its handbags than for precious stones,

purchased the 1,758-carat Sewelo

diamond earlier this year. While the

exact price is unknown, it’s confirmed

to be in the millions, and follows

parent company LVMH’s US$16.2

billion (A$24 billion) purchase of

Tiffany & Co. last year; it’s clear the

luxury goods maker is making inroads

to the high jewellery market.

Interestingly, the exact quality of the

diamond is unknown; still covered in

carbon, the Sewelo may have any

number of imperfections, making

Louis Vuitton’s purchase a risky one.

Compiled by Oliver Featherston

Your next

DESTINATION

Seto Inland Sea lies between three of Japan’s islands, and its coastline is

one of the nation’s most popular destinations. But rather than holidaying

on its shores, why not stay on the sea itself? Enter guntû, a floating hotel

designed by award-winning architect Yasushi Horibe. Technically speaking,

guntû is a boat rather than a hotel, but manages to bridge the gap between

the two with its 19 roomy cabins, each with a private terrace and sea

views. As well as enjoying luxury amenities typical to sophisticated hotels,

guests can also join in traditional tea ceremonies, with island visits and

other off-ship activities during the two- to four-day cruise.

LUXURY LIVING AROUND THE WORLD

Julius Baer Group has ranked the most expensive cities around the world for

high-end living, focusing on the cost of everything from jewellery and watches

to property, lawyers and personal trainers.

1. Hong Kong: For fine dining, lawyers, property and business-class flights,

Hong Kong is top of the list, making it pricey to live the ultra-luxe lifestyle

here. But there’s good news – fine wine and whiskey are cheaper here than

the global average.

2. Shanghai: As the financial hub of China, Shanghai attracts a lot of luxury

living, but high taxes and import duties make the finer things more expensive.

Mainland China accounts for a third of the world’s luxury consumers, and

the government is trying to encourage higher domestic sales in the market.

3. Tokyo: Japan’s capital is a little more affordable than regional neighbours,

but unfortunately doesn’t have many advantages compared to the other cities

on the list. The country does, however, have the second largest luxury goods

market after the US.


HIT THE SLOPES

IN STYLE

In celebration of its 100-year anniversary, luxury car

powerhouse Bentley has partnered with high-performance

brand Bomber Ski to release a limited edition ski

collection – Bomber for Bentley. Featuring 24-karat

gold-plated diamond insets and Bentley branding, the

Limited Edition Centenary Ski is priced at US$3,750

(A$5,573) with only 100 sets available. The Black Diamond

Edition features a sleek gloss black finish with the

distinctive Bentley diamond motif. Priced at US$2,750

(A$4,087), just 200 sets have been released.

With US Olympic gold medallist and world champion

alpine skier Bode Miller co-owner and global brand face

for Bomber Ski, the skis performance on the slopes is

sure to match their style.

Images © guntû

Luxury

is the ease

of a t-shirt

in a very

expensive

dress.

– Karl Lagerfeld

NOT QUITE NOODLES

One of Spain’s most expensive

foodstuffs is an eyebrow-raiser for

the uninitiated. In appearance,

they’re not far removed from

noodles, but angulas are

actually baby eels. The curious

delicacy is astoundingly

expensive, going for up to

€1,000 (A$1,622) a kilo or more

– the first 1.25kg batch of angulas

in 2016 went for €5,500 (A$8,920).

Strangest of all, angulas have almost no

taste, and despite this, the traditional recipe

calls for an overpowering fry-up of garlic, hot peppers and

olive oil, effectively drowning out any chance of detecting

the angulas’ flavour. Some say the appeal is the texture –

soft, slippery, with a slight crunch – though others suggest

it’s down to the status-affirming price tag.


Exist to Create

BANG & OLUFSEN MELBOURNE — CHADSTONE

1341 DANDENONG ROAD, B120 LOWER GROUND

MALVERN EAST, VICTORIA 3154

TEL: +61 3 9563 2245 | EMAIL: CHADSTONE@BEOSTORE.COM

BANG & OLUFSEN SYDNEY — WESTFIELD BONDI JUNCTION

5007/500 OXFORD STREET, NSW 2022

TEL: +61 2 9369 3695 | EMAIL: BONDIJUNCTION@BEOSTORE.COM

ALSO AVAILABLE AT PREMIUM SOUND, TIVOLI, AUDIO HUB,

S YDNEY H IFI AND SELECTED BANG & OLUFSEN RETAILERS

BEOSOUND STAGE

Introducing a beautifully crafted soundbar that adds rich

and authentic Bang & Olufsen sound to your TV experience.

bang-olufsen.com

HIP

to be

SQUARE

THERE’S NO CONTEST IN THE REALM OF

LUXURY WATCHES. ROUND CASES ARE

THE DOMINANT SHAPE, SO IT’S EASY TO

FORGET THAT STRIKING ELEGANCE FOR

THE WRIST CAN COME IN VARIOUS FORMS.

WORDS MIKE HUYNH

Time to face it: it’s hip to be square and the

same applies to the face of your timepiece.

Whether gently curving or strikingly angular,

square shapes are vastly underrated in the modern

watchmaking game. Wrap the perfect one around

your wrist and you’ll stand out for all the right

reasons. More than just a watch, they’re captivating

talking points for your life’s greatest journeys.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN

HARMONY SPLIT SECONDS

The Vacheron Constantin name has been around

since 1755, so when the Swiss luxury watchmaker’s

260th anniversary arrived in 2015, it needed to

create a piece worthy of the milestone. Enter the

Vacheron Constantin Harmony Ultra-Thin Grande

Complication Chronograph, an ultra-exclusive

timepiece limited to just 10 pieces worldwide.

The 42mm platinum-cased watch features

an in-house crafted Calibre 3500 movement with

473 parts and 47 jewels that can be viewed from

the sapphire glass caseback. A white dial intricately

displays the hours, minutes, power reserve, split

seconds and 60-minute counter functions alongside

a 51-hour power reserve.

Price: US$369,200 (A$588,996)


Six to watch | INDULGE

RICHARD MILLE

RM 17-01

MANUAL WINDING

TOURBILLON

Worn by some of the world’s most

prolific sports stars and celebrities,

Richard Mille is renowned for creating

technically compelling timepieces that

spark conversation.

The RM 17-01 is no different thanks to its

innovative case which is made entirely from

Carbon TPT, Richard Mille’s carbon composite

material that presents a beautiful matte weave

structure under light. The watch’s bezel, caseback

and 48.15mm x 40.1mm case are all crafted from

Carbon TPT, which allows for an ultra-light

timepiece without sacrificing functions such as the

hours and minute hands, 70-hour power reserve

indicator or function selector indicator at 3 o’clock.

Price: US$493,000 (A$746,000)


INDULGE | Six to watch

BELL & ROSS

BR-X1 R.S.19

Bell & Ross’ partnership with

the Renault Formula One team

continues to deliver some of the

most technically advanced and

unique-looking watches today.

The BR-X1 R.S.1.9 is one of its

most coveted pieces limited to just

20 examples worldwide. It features

a polished square titanium case and

brings the essence of Formula One

technology to the wrist. The innermechanics

are on full display here

with the hand-wound flying tourbillon

boasting 282 components and 35

jewels alongside functions like hours,

minutes, chronograph counters and a

power reserve indicator, all presented

on a skeleton dial.

Price: A$270,000

DRIVE DE CARTIER FLYING TOURBILLON

The Drive de Cartier moniker first debuted in 2016 and was quickly

recognised for its signature cushion-shaped case. It was a bold

new design from the French luxury house that evoked beauty and

masculinity, bolstered by in-house movements.

The pinnacle of the collection is the Drive de Cartier Flying

Tourbillon, an exceptional work of wearable art that takes the

contemporary lines of the new model and merges it with artisan

watchmaking dating back more than 200 years. The watch’s

centrepiece is the flying tourbillon complication consisting of 142 parts

including 19 jewels. Other details include an 18K rose gold case,

sapphire caseback, white galvanised guilloché dial, silvered openwork

satin-finish grid, black Roman numerals and blued-steel hands.

Price: A$130,000


JAEGER-LECOULTRE REVERSO

TRIBUTE TOURBILLON

Uniqueness comes in many forms and one true standout is

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Tribute Tourbillon. Pairing an elaborate

flying tourbillon complication with the watchmaker’s iconic

Duoface concept is an experiment in engineering sophistication.

The single watch features two distinct dials with two separate

time zones. This duo concept pioneered by the Swiss watchmaker

in 1994 allows the wearer to flip the case to toggle between the

zones and watch designs.

This special model is limited to just 50 units and features

the Maison’s new manual winding calibre, the Jaeger-LeCoultre

Calibre 847, encased in a 45.5mm x 27.4mm platinum case.

Price: US$123,000 (A$186,142)

PATEK PHILIPPE

NAUTILUS 5719/10G

Patek Philippe is arguably the most respected name

in Swiss watchmaking today and one of its flagship

models, hailing from 1976, is the Nautilus. Defined by

a rounded octagonal shape and horizontally embossed

dial, the luxury sports watch has seen a resurgence in

recent years and the crowning jewel of that line is

the 5719/10G.

Worn by some of the world’s most recognised

celebrities, the watch features a 40mm 18K white gold

case and matching white gold bracelet. Including its

striking dial, the watch wears a total of 1,343 individual

diamonds to take luxury to the next level.

Price: US$453,600 (A$686,456)



BEHIND THE SCENES OF

Insider action | INDULGE

WE GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF

NO TIME TO DIE – THE JAMES

BOND MOVIE THAT COULD BE A

DEFINING MOMENT IN CINEMATIC

HISTORY. BOND IS ABOUT TO DIE.

WORDS STEPHEN CORBY

No Time to Die is set to redefine the longstanding

James Bond franchise: we go behind the scenes

for some insider action.

We’re on the cramped balcony of a tumbledown Italian

terraced house, 15 metres up, a knee-tremblingly vertiginous

view over a classic piazza (think churches, sandstone

pavements, nonnas on wooden chairs).

A posse of burly men in Eurotrash apparel are surrounding

a silver 1960s Aston Martin DB5. They’re pointing machine

guns. Bullets – look away now, vintage-car lovers – are

spraying the Aston’s priceless body and windows. The wall

of noise – the explosions, the crackles – is crucifying, even

with the earplugs we’ve been advised to wear during takes.

If 007 is about to be wiped out, so is our hearing.


Of course, Bond doesn’t die. He never dies. (And for this

25th Bond movie, the clue is in the title.) He just reincarnates

every decade or so, rising from the ashes with a younger

face, sharper suits, better weapons. Which, in this case,

happens to be a pair of Gatling guns that emerge from the

DB5’s headlamps while Bond performs a deadly donut,

sending his adversaries scuttling for cover.

For one day only, we’ve been granted rare access to

the set of the forthcoming Bond movie. You know, the one

Daniel Craig swore he’d never do – famously saying he’d

rather “slash his wrists” – until MGM turned his eyes into

dollar signs with a reputed eight-figure incentive.

Craig and the rest of the ‘first unit’ (acting and dialogue)

are due to arrive here in the ancient city of Matera, southern

Italy, the following week. As guests of Aston Martin, our

mission is to watch how the ‘second unit’ (action) piece

together the famed Bond car-chase scenes; the stunts, the

skids, the obligatory maiming of innocent newspaper stands.

“A great Bond chase scene is about coming up with

something unusual… like donuts with mini-guns coming

out of the headlights,” laughs Chris Corbould OBE, Special

Effects Supervisor and veteran of 15 Bonds.

“There are so many car-chase scenes out there, Fast &

Furious and all that, but we’ve got an iconic car and an iconic

hero driving it, so we’re ahead from the start.”

On the morning of our arrival in Matera, details of the

movie’s plot are sketchy at best (at the time of writing, it’s

loosely known that 007 comes out of retirement to rescue

a kidnapped scientist, setting him on a collision course with

a tech-savvy terrorist – played by Rami Malek of Mr. Robot

and Bohemian Rhapsody acclaim). The sense of secrecy is

palpable – ditto the sulphury whiff of gunpowder residue –

as we’re ushered past a security cordon 500 metres away

from the set, through the pretty, narrow streets, and up to

our vantage point above the piazza.

To plug possible plot leaks, Eon Productions, the British

company that produces the Bond series, has rented every

apartment around the square, and somehow persuaded

locals to sign NDAs, but that hasn’t stopped videos of the

car scenes flowing onto social media. We’re politely warned

not to point our phones towards the action.

What we and the handful of other journalists on the

precarious viewing balcony are privy to is the day’s shoot

schedule: nail the scene currently unfolding beneath our feet,

where Bond is trapped by villains in his Aston Martin, and

then perform one of the movie’s signature car stunts: driving

the DB5 through streets designed before cars existed, before

‘drifting’ into the piazza at around 145km/h.

“This is my fifth Bond and by far the most challenging city

to work in,” says stunt coordinator Lee Morrison, who designs


Insider action | INDULGE

the car chases, and regularly body doubles for Daniel Craig.

“The road surfaces in Matera – flint, marble, limestone,

sandstone – are from different parts of Italy, and there’s a fine

layer of dust over everything. We wash down the roads and

treat them with Coca-Cola…” Hold up. You treat the roads

with Coca-Cola? “It’s a trick that’s been used for years in the

film industry. It gives the vehicles the traction they need to

perform at high speeds.”

Around US$135,000-worth of the fizzy drink was bought

solely for this purpose; no wonder the production budget is

rumoured to be around US$2 million per day.

That’s one of the fascinating aspects of being an on-set

voyeur: observing the ingenious sleights of hand employed

by the 300-plus crew in order to pull off the slick, swaggering

blockbuster that is a modern-day Bond franchise.

Today’s scene is a case in point. When No Time to Die

drops on 2 April 2020, you’ll watch from your cinema seat

as the Aston Martin pivots seamlessly through 360 degrees,

the edits chopping between vehicle point-of-view shots and

in-car cuts of Daniel Craig at the steering wheel. What you

won’t see is the DB5 looking like a cross between a car and

a kitchen reno, festooned with scaffolding and ropes to hold

the huge IMAX camera that will capture said POV footage.

There’s no driver; the Aston’s circle is only achievable

because four beefy men are physically moving it, using

the poles as leverage. Hidden to the side of the set, crew

members are firing ‘squibs’ (pellets of gunpowder) onto the

Aston’s bodywork to create bullet-spark effects. The source

of the set’s deafening noise is not ammunition, but explosive

rigs strategically mounted around the piazza’s perimeter.

Through the prism of modern film technology, it looks

acutely analogue.

But in some senses, that’s the essence of 21st century

Bond. As digital effects continue to colonise Hollywood, the

production team tries to steer clear of CGI wherever possible

– erring towards the gritty authenticity of the Bourne series

rather than the outlandishness of the Fast & Furious universe.

“I fight endlessly to do everything for real,” says Chris

Corbould. “It brings something extra to the table.”

That’s why the villains’ machine guns in No Time to Die

are real, decommissioned weapons, not plastic replicas

(a metre-deep crate of which are guarded off-set by men

who look like they bodyguard bodyguards).

And that’s why Aston’s special-projects division was

commissioned to build, from scratch, eight DB5s especially

for the movie, all completely driveable, all tweaked

mechanically to perform different tasks in different scenes.

And if anyone fancies their chances of taking out 007,

know this: the Astons are 100 per cent bulletproof. Like the

man himself, you just can’t kill them.


Gulfstream Authorized Sales Representative: Gary Svensen, +61 3 9863 9550

Gulfstream Regional Vice President: Jason Akovenko, +65 6572 7777

Driving

IN THE WORLD OF VINTAGE CAR COLLECTING, DIVIDENDS

AREN’T CALCULATED ON FINANCIAL GAIN. INSTEAD, THOSE

WHO INVEST IN THIS ASSET CLASS DO SO OUT OF PASSION

AND FOR THE PLEASURES THAT OWNERSHIP BRINGS.

WORDS CHRISSIE MCCLATCHIE


Vintage collectables | INDULGE

force

After years of post-global financial crisis double-digit growth,

including an incredible 45 per cent in 2013, classic cars are an

asset class in steady reverse; in the year leading up to June 2019,

prices dropped some five per cent, according to the Knight Frank Luxury

Investment Index (KFLII) Classic Car Special Q2 2019. In comparison,

rare whisky, the top performer, grew 23 per cent.


INDULGE | Vintage collectables

If Dietrich Hatlapa is worried about the depreciating

market, however, he’s hiding it well. “There are obviously

some years when the market is stronger, and others when

it is weaker,” reasons the Founder of the Historic Automobile

Group International (HAGI), an independent investment and

research advisory firm that provides the data referenced by

Knight Frank. “At the moment, the market is going through

what I would call a correction.”

There’s an easy explanation for why he doesn’t sound

panicked. For those who collect cars, there’s something

greater than financial return which drives them. “The

dividends are the pleasures of ownership,” he says.

After all, once you open that single malt whisky or First

Growth Bordeaux in your portfolio, you’ve wiped clean its

value. Whereas, when it comes to vintage automobiles,

a car eligible to compete in an event like the biennial Monaco

Historic Grand Prix may, in fact, command a higher price.

Collectable cars don’t just sit in a garage gathering dust.

Unlike every other asset class tracked by the KFLII, cars can

be used, enjoyed and even modified without voiding the

collectable status.

“Of course, there will always be people who have a very

large garage where they park their cars and never touch

them,” he says. “But they are rare cases. Most collectors

are enthusiasts who enjoy driving their cars and working on

them.” Along with participation in social events such as

Britain’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (also known as the

‘largest motoring garden party in the world’), this is where the

return on investment lies. And, while last decade’s cash-rich

speculative investors have moved on to other asset classes

– likely triggering the current market depreciation as they

departed – Hatlapa says it’s the true aficionados who are now

keeping the market ticking.

People such as Fred Simeone, an 83-year old retired

North American neurosurgeon who, in the second edition

of its The Key yearbook, the Classic Car Trust (CCT) named

the top collector in the world for 2019. One of only two ever

made, his 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900A Mille Miglia Spider

“THE DIVIDENDS ARE THE

PLEASURES OF OWNERSHIP.”


is considered his greatest piece and, like the rest of his

garage, is on display at his Simeone Foundation Automotive

Museum in Philadelphia.

In ranking the top 100 collectors around the world, the

CCT, a Liechtenstein-based association, also calculated that

combined, the value of their car collection is US$10 billion

(A$14.9 billion). Real enthusiasts are still prepared to pay big

bucks for the best cars: last year a 1994 McLaren F1 ‘LM

Spec’ sold at Sotheby’s for US$19.8 million (A$29.5 million),

the largest sale of the year according to the KFLII. While

many sales are concluded via private treaty, what we are

privy to places a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO in pole position for

the highest price achieved at auction: US$48.4 million

(A$72 million) in 2018.

“Ferrari is a very high-profile marque because it has won

so many races with so many race cars,” Hatlapa says. As of

September 2019, the famous prancing horse accounted for

57 per cent of all cars sold at auction for over US$5 million

(A$7.4 million), leaving Porsche (10 per cent) and Mercedes-

Benz (nine per cent) racing to keep up with it.

The passion for vintage cars is something often handed

down through generations. But, with the average age of

The Key’s Top 100 Collectors 71, many are grappling with

one question in particular: how to ignite this passion in the

younger generation? And, while there’s no denying that

no dream garage is ever the same, there does seem to be

general accord when it comes to the answer: by giving them

the keys to drive these classic vehicles.

COLLECTABLE CARS:

WHERE TO BEGIN

Passion is a prerequisite for this asset class, according

to Hatlapa. “If you have no passion for cars, and if

you’re only in it for the financial return, then we would

probably recommend you look elsewhere,” he says.

Test the waters: “First, feel out your pulse as an

enthusiast. Attend a classic car event. Classic car clubs

can be very helpful and are almost everywhere.”

Seek independent advice: “This is something

we strongly recommend. While there are some really

good people in the trade, they obviously have a vested

interest in getting rid of their inventory. The car clubs,

however, are independent – as are their members.”

Praise, indeed: “If you have found something

you like at a dealer, it’s money well spent to ask an

independent appraiser to look at the car, unless you’re

technically minded and you know what you’re doing.”


INDULGE | Singapore sling


MAKING THE

MOST OF YOUR

STOPOVER

SINGAPORE IS A BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN,

FRIENDLY AND BIZARRE LITTLE COUNTRY,

WITH SO MUCH CULTURE TO DISCOVER;

AND YET MOST OF US JUST TOUCH DOWN

FOR A FEW HOURS IN TRANSIT BETWEEN

PLANES. WHY NOT CHANGE THAT?

WORDS ROB PEGLEY


INDULGE | Singapore sling

2

1. Chinatown hawker market

2. Marina Bay Sands’ rooftop pool

3. Singapore Zoo

4. Umbrella Trees

5. Orchard Mall on Orchard Road

Previous page: Singapore Marina Bay

1

Fifty three. That’s the number of times I’ve been to

Singapore. Roughly. And on one of those trips

I actually left the airport. Isn’t that true for most of

us on our holidays or business trips? In fact, I’ve

actually stayed twice now. The first time was for around

36 hours about 20 years ago, when I managed to cram

in Raffles, Sentosa Island and Orchard Road shops with

a toddler in tow. I guess I felt I’d covered everything.

More recently, I stayed for 10 days in a residential area of

the country and got to live like a regular Singaporean. Eating

at the cheap hawker centre nearby, dealing with a steady,

humid 32°C day and night, and leaving the front door

unlocked at all times. Seeing a different side of the city/island/

country/all-of-the-above, and falling in love with the place.

With a little planning, you too could add a new dimension

to your business trip and disappear into a different world.

If you have deep pockets, stay the night at the Marina Bay

Sands hotel. At US$8 billion, it’s the most expensively built

resort in the world, but with 2,500 rooms you can stay for

about US$350. The rooftop pool is like nothing you’ve ever

seen, so go for a selfie if you can’t afford a stay. Yes, it’s

touristy, but it’s one that’s definitely worth a visit.

Balance this accommodation and save money on dining

out by heading off the beaten track to one of the hawker

centres: they’re like an indoor food market, with stands that

can look cheap and nasty. They are cheap – US$3-a-dishcheap

– but the food is amazing. They span the city, but one

in Chinatown has more than 260 stalls alone. Avoid the frog

porridge if you’re not keen (although it’s surprisingly good),

as there are plenty of Westernised Asian dishes.

3

4


11 things for travellers to

know about Singapore

1

2

Close

3

Smoking

4

People

5

Talking

6

Singaporeans

7

Airbnb

8

Changi

9

The

10

11

You can’t buy chewing gum. It’s not illegal to

chew it, but you’ll have to take your own with

you. Don’t sell it to anyone though – that could

be a US$68,000 fine or jail time. You can get

nicotine gum if you visit a doctor.

the curtains if you’re walking around naked

– you can be hit with pornographic laws if you’re

spotted. Be careful when jumping in the shower.

in public can lead to big fines, although

there are small designated smoking areas in the

City Centre. Littering, spitting and feeding pigeons

can also lead to big fines.

sometimes drink coffee from a bag, rather

like the blood bags you see in hospitals. It looks

weird but, let’s face it, sometimes coffee is every

bit as important as your blood supply.

of coffee, Starbucks is the safest bet,

and they are everywhere.

walk fast – it’s a real thing!

Apparently, the average speed is greater than most

world cities, at over 6km/h.

is risky – not strictly illegal, but there are

definitely laws against short-term rentals. So book

at your own peril.

Airport has a cinema – at both Terminals 2

and 3. If you can’t get enough movies on the plane

then watch one before you take off.

garbage truck comes every day and many

suburban streets have their own cleaner. Most

people also leave their front doors unlocked, as

crime is minimal.

You can be fined around US$100 for not flushing

a public toilet after using it.

Uber is called Grab, and you need a different app

for it. There is also Grab Eats and both are really

cheap in comparison to the Uber versions.

5

I even had possibly the best steak of my life at an

unassuming little corner market in Katong, a small suburb

20 minutes’ ride from Orchard Road.

Make sure you go to the beach too. It’s refreshing but

eerie. If you go in the early morning to East Coast beach, as

the sun is coming up through Singapore’s haze, the horizon

shines with neon. It’s actually a huge line of container ships

that sit in the harbour – they become more visible as it gets

light. The beach is littered with coconuts from the many palm

trees, and it’s an unworldly mix of tropical and industrial.

At night head to Singapore Zoo and jump aboard the

Safari Tram for a crazy ride through nature at a reasonable

price. If you do it halfway home from a gruelling business trip,

you’ll thank yourself for such a life-affirming and perspectivesetting

glimpse at the world. Gardens by the Bay is also

a wonder of nature that will seriously make you question

your place in the world.

If you need a mainstream holiday break, then hit a beach

club – they’re plentiful.

For something different, head to the The Live Turtle &

Tortoise Museum. Or go to Bukit Brown Cemetery or visit

the Umbrella Trees. Go to The Cat Cafe. Head to one of the

63 offshore Islands. Get on Google and check out these and

many other strange sights.

Or just go to Raffles for High Tea and Orchard Road for

shopping. They’re really very good.

The point is, do something. Singapore is an amazing place

and to only see a small portion of Changi is such a waste.

Indulge yourself, indulge your senses. Life is short – take

a day to explore a whole new world. You’ll thank yourself.


Tall-ship


tales

WITH 42 SAILS BILLOWING

OVERHEAD AND SAILORS

NIMBLY SHIMMYING UP

60-METRE-HIGH MASTS,

ROYAL CLIPPER SKIMS

DOWN ITALY’S BOOT.

WORDS AND IMAGES MAGGY OEHLBECK

Sail away | INDULGE

Once out of Civitavecchia Port of Rome, Royal Clipper’s

captain stands astride the helm, gazes skyward,

issues his command and the sailors execute his

orders without a fumble. We watch fascinated as 5,050

square metres of sail cloth unfurls, ballooning softly with the

nor’-easter that will carry us southwards. A soaring chorus of

Vangelis’s theme music from 1492: Conquest of Paradise

rises to a crescendo. I challenge anyone who denies a rush

of emotion – part awe, part romance – when seeing the sails

burst into bloom like a sea of giant magnolias. I am not alone.

It is writ large on the rapturous faces of fellow passengers.

Still in a state of high excitement, fuelled by welcomeaboard

Champagne, we note our 225 fellow travellers are

a cross-section of European, British, North American and a

few Antipodeans. The age range is mid-20s to 65-plus, mostly

couples, a scattering of solos and some early teens. The ties

that bind are a love of tall ships, and Royal Clipper is the

world’s largest five-masted square-rigged sailing ship.

There are only 50 tall ships in the world sailing today,

Captain Sergey Utitsyn tells me. And we have the privilege

of being on one of them. With 42 sails billowing overhead,

and sailors nimbly shimmying up 60-metre-high masts, we

are skimming down Italy’s boot, chasing volcanos – Vesuvius,

Etna and Stromboli. Or at least visiting ports where you can

view their might and magnificence.

Our barque skims across the sapphire waters of the

Tyrrhenian Sea like a dragonfly lightly touching down at a

procession of ports once the province of ancient mariners –

Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans – as we sail the storied Amalfi

Coast to Sicily and the Aeolian Islands.

Our first port, Sorrento, is the perfect hub for excursions

to Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri and Ravello. Perched on a

cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples dominated by brooding

Vesuvius, Sorrento takes its name from Homer’s reference to

the sirens – seductive bird women who lured sailors into a

deadly trap with their songs.

We choose Herculaneum (Ercolano) and remonstrate with

Vesuvius who hasn’t erupted since 1944. Ercolano astonishes

with its state of preservation. Smaller, wealthier and more

residential than Pompeii, it drowned in a sea of mud, which

hardened to soft stone. Excavations revealed exquisite

mosaics, frescos and even furniture and clothing.


INDULGE | Sail away

LIFE ON BOARD

There is no fixed seating in the two-tiered dining room.

Dinner is a la carte, breakfast and lunch are buffet.

After-dinner entertainment is non-existent but doesn’t

seem to matter. The camaraderie of like-minded fellow

travellers suffices. Or select a chaise and gaze at the

stars through the moon-pale sails on the upper deck.

There are 114 cabins including two owners’ suites, a

piano lounge and library. Polished wood, brass and

nautical paintings create a clubby ambience. We are

suitably satisfied with our double outside cabin with

porthole, marble bathroom and shower bigger than

we anticipated. We had visions of range-dodging

beams and stowing gear wherever. Instead, there is

ample drawer and hanging space. Facilities include

three swimming pools and marina platform aft,

which operates water sports when conditions permit.

Royal Clipper (Star Clippers) is well suited for fit,

cosmopolitan 30- to 75-year-olds.

setting, entrancing streetscape, gift boxes of sculpted

marzipan, traditional puppets depicting Sicily’s turbulent

history and, most of all, the glorious third century BCE

Greco-Roman theatre. Poised between Mt Etna and the

sea, it is pure theatre – astonishing beauty, drama and

exceptional acoustics.

Then the skies open. It’s not Etna – the Mamma – blowing

her stack but huge thunderclouds overhead. What to do?

Seek shelter at the splendid Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo

and watch Etna playing peekaboo between cloud-scapes.

Escaping a drenching we bolt back to the ship.

Our last port Lipari, largest of the Aeolian islands, is

a volcanic archipelago between Sicily and Southern Italy.

I choose a panoramic bus trip and am entranced by the

coastal spectacle. A tasting of local Malvasia wine and

Nacatulli cookies stuffed with almonds, cinnamon and

mandarin prove ambrosial.

The Greek Theatre,

Taormina, Sicily

We don’t sail until late so there’s time to flit across to

Capri for some hedonism Caprese-style. We take the cable

car up to the Piazzetta, a celebrity watering-hole for the

glitterati and the literati. You could peruse the glamour

precinct or explore further afield to Anacapri for lovely linens,

limoncello and the local signature fragrance. Perhaps visit

author Axel Munthe’s Villa San Michele, or descend and join

the queues for the Blue Grotto.

Greedy for more, the next morning we tackle the

UNESCO-listed Costiera Amalfitana (Amalfi Coast) and its

dolce vita lifestyles. Sophia Loren’s white, clifftop villa is

flagged by our guide as we glide past. The coast’s voluptuous

beauty, cleft by plunging limestone chasms, secret grotte,

terraces of fragrant orange, lemon and olive groves, vines,

amid white, pastel and select vivid-colour painted buildings,

tumbling bougainvillea and affectionately grotesque ceramics

provokes breathless overload. So does climbing cobbled

steps. This is Positano. Back by boat to Amalfi, I climb

un-cobbled steps and seek serenity among the cloisters

of the magnificent cathedral.

Through the Strait of Messina to Giardini Naxos awaits

the gateway to Taormina, which lies in the shadow of the

smoking, often snow-capped Mount Etna – Europe’s highest

volcano. If I have a favourite port, this is it for its spectacular

After our farewell dinner, despite the parade of the flaming

Bombes Alaska, the sound and light show is not over. Royal

Clipper heaves to off Stromboli – a 924-metre-high lava

mountain that plunges 2,000 metres below sea level. After

Etna, it is Europe’s most active volcano. We gather on deck.

The sea is bible black. At precisely 23.13 hours, Stromboli

blows its top, belching crimson sciara (red hot lava) into the

night sky – a fitting finale to a fabulous cruise.

Star Clippers sails the Western Mediterranean from mid-April to the end

of October including seven-night round-trip voyages from Civitavecchia

to the Amalfi Coast and Sicily.


INDULGE | To the rescue

HOW TO BEAT

BURNOUT IN

24 hours

CAN ONE DAY AT THE

LANESBOROUGH CLUB &

SPA REALLY SHIFT YOUR

MINDSET? THE LONDON

HOTEL’S BODHIMAYA

PROGRAM PROMISES

TO DO EXACTLY THAT.

WORDS ROSALEEN MCMEEL

One of London’s most prestigious hotels, The

Lanesborough has a new wellness program,

Bodhimaya, which promises to reduce stress and

shift your mindset.

Can this really be achieved in one day?

In May 2019, the World Health Organization updated its

classification of burnout from “a state of vital exhaustion”

to a syndrome “resulting from chronic workplace stress that

has not been successfully managed”.

Those who have experienced it will know it can creep up

unexpectedly. You find yourself working a bit later, checking

emails in bed, taking calls on weekends and feeling more

irritable and less connected with your personal life. Bit by

bit, everyday workplace stress and anxiety gradually

undermine one’s mental and physical health. Cue The

Lanesborough Club & Spa’s newest residency to the rescue.

The exclusive London lifestyle club has teamed up with

Bodhimaya’s award-winning wellness experts to offer

retreats specialising in stress and burnout, as well as a

range of new programs including overnight retreats and

bespoke one-to-one wellbeing experiences.

The central London location of Hyde Park makes these

retreats ideal for high-flying executives who need a quick

fix-up close to home, while guests from out of town can

opt for a night or two of luxury staying at the iconic

Lanesborough Hotel.

The world-class wellness and fitness members’ club,

which is spread over about 1,672 square metres, offers an

integrated approach to wellbeing that has been developed

by leaders in their respective fields. Located in the heart of

London, between Knightsbridge, Mayfair and Belgravia, the

club and spa has sumptuous interiors, which reflect the

elegant architecture of the grand Regency-period building

that houses the landmark hotel.

EACH RETREAT IS BESPOKE

AND TAILORED TO SUIT

INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.

It’s modern yet still quintessentially British. It was

conceived by interior design studio 1508 London, and

features opulent materials such as marble, silk wallpaper,

leather upholstery and peacock-blue satin. The spa features

cutting-edge technology while social spaces include a

restaurant with private dining room and an opulent spa

lounge with dedicated spa butlers on hand to provide a

personalised client journey and concierge service.

The retreat itself combines Bodhimaya’s knowledge and

expertise of personalised nutrition, authentic meditation and

body movement run by founder, Cornelius O’Shaughnessy,


Restaurant and bar

Double treatment room

Restaurant

an experienced meditation, stress management and Eastern

philosophy expert. With over two decades’ experience, he

offers a highly effective approach to the mind, which focuses

on helping people explore and resolve personal issues, find

clarity, manage stress and increase their confidence.

Each retreat is bespoke, so activities are tailored to suit

every guest’s individual needs. Following the results of a

lengthy (and, at times, intrusive) questionnaire, data is

gathered and a personalised program is devised.

“We’ve been dealing with burnout as far back as 2011,

even though it was only declared an official health condition

last year.” Says Cornelius, who also runs retreats in West

Sussex and the Harley Street Clinic. While clients come from

all over the globe, many are C-suite professionals with

demanding jobs and lifestyles. “People burning the candle at

both ends, either because they have to or they choose to.

“We’re known for getting clients from A to B with as little

upheaval as possible. We’re firm believers in making sure

the intervention suits the person’s lifestyle. There’s no use

telling a CEO to take a walk for an hour every day. That’s

never going to happen. We negotiate and help them to get

into a place where they’re happier with the changes. These

people are time poor. They don’t have two weeks to go to

some exotic destination, but they do have two days to come

into London and sit here while we destress them a little and

find out what’s going on with them.”

My retreat includes a personal training session,

a consultation with a nutritionist, delicious lunch, Pilates,

a 60-minute massage, meditation session and reflexology.

While I didn’t arrive burned out, I’ve been that soldier.

I bought the T-shirt and matching baseball cap, for good

measure. Thinking back on that time, I wish I’d had access

to this program then. It helps you to immediately destress

and recalibrate the mind, before leaving you with the tools to

take back into your busy life.

The day’s retreat left me feeling cocooned in luxury, my

body challenged in all the right ways and my takeaways

included invaluable insights into my diet and nutrition.

However, it was the meditation session that left the biggest

impact. On returning home, Cornelius sent on a recording of

his guided session, so I’ve been able to practise. Within a

few short weeks, I feel calmer and more focused.

“You can get someone to kickstart themselves, but it’s all

about how the person follows up with their program, so it’s

about aftercare,” Cornelius advises. “We put them on a

sustainable program that is tailored to them, that’s how you

get transformation. Especially with the mind, you can really

have quite an impact on someone even in 24 or 48 hours in

terms of how they’re dealing with things in their life. The

nutrition side of things takes longer. If you go home and are

drinking half a bottle of wine a night, it unravels. That’s why

the mind aspect is so important.”


The Last Word

Earth Day will have its 50th anniversary on 22 April 2020; one of its pillars

is education on climate change – hopefully these facts and figures help…

“WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON MAGNIFICENTLY CLEAN AND HEALTHY AIR AND NOT DISTRACTED

BY THE EXPENSIVE HOAX THAT IS GLOBAL WARMING!” – DONALD TRUMP ON TWITTER, 2013.

CHINA, INDIA

AND THE US

ACCOUNT FOR MORE THAN HALF OF TOTAL

GLOBAL EMISSIONS; THE BOTTOM 100 COUNTRIES

MAKE UP ONLY 3.5%. THE TOP 10 EMITTERS (ADD THE

EU, RUSSIA, JAPAN, BRAZIL, INDONESIA, CANADA, MEXICO)

ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY THREE-QUARTERS

OF GLOBAL EMISSIONS.

11 YEARS IS ALL WE HAVE LEFT TO TAKE ACTION

BEFORE THE PLANET IS IRREVERSIBLY DAMAGED

BY CLIMATE CHANGE, ACCORDING TO THE 2019

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

“WE ARE THE LAST GENERATION

THAT CAN PREVENT IRREPARABLE

DAMAGE TO OUR PLANET,”

– MARÍA FERNANDA ESPINOSA GARCÉS,

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT.

5 WARMEST YEARS

THE FIVE WARMEST YEARS ON RECORD OCCURRED IN THE

PAST FIVE YEARS, WITH 2019 THE SECOND WARMEST AND

2010-2019 BEING THE WARMEST DECADE ON RECORD, THE

EUROPEAN UNION’S CLIMATE CHANGE SERVICE REPORTS.

TROPICAL

FORESTS

ARE DISAPPEARING

AT THE RATE OF 30

FOOTBALL PITCHES PER

MINUTE, ACCORDING

TO RESEARCH FROM

THE WORLD RESOURCES

INSTITUTE. PRIMARILY

THIS DEFORESTATION

IS TO MAKE WAY FOR

CATTLE FARMING AND

PALM OIL PRODUCTION.

MICROSOFT

HAS BEEN CARBON NEUTRAL

SINCE 2012 AND IN 2018 IT

PLEDGED US$50 MILLION FOR

A NEW PROGRAM CALLED AI

FOR EARTH, USING ARTIFICIAL

INTELLIGENCE TO HELP TACKLE

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.

COMPANIES

PLEDGING CHANGE

THIS YEAR, STARBUCKS IS

PHASING OUT PLASTIC STRAWS

ACROSS ALL ITS STORES. WHILE

SIEMENS AIMS TO BE CARBON

NEUTRAL BY 2030, ADIDAS,

NIKE, LEVI’S AND G-STAR

ARE ALL NOW PRODUCING

CLOTHING MADE FROM

RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES.

FOUR COUNTRIES

HAVE OVER 95% RENEWABLE

ENERGY: ICELAND (100%),

PARAGUAY (100%), COSTA RICA

(99%) AND NORWAY (98.5%).

CLOSING IN ARE AUSTRIA ON 80%

AND BRAZIL ON 75%.

“IF YOU REALLY THINK THAT THE ENVIRONMENT

IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN THE ECONOMY, TRY

HOLDING YOUR BREATH WHILE YOU COUNT

YOUR MONEY.” – GUY MCPHERSON, PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF

NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT, AND ECOLOGY AND

EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA.

100 COMPANIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR 71% OF

GLOBAL EMISSIONS ACCORDING TO THE CDP CARBON

MAJORS REPORT. CHINESE COAL ACCOUNTS

FOR OVER 14% ALONE!

Compiled by Rob Pegley


BLANC DE BLANCS

Reconnect.

39° 35’ 0.478” S 71° 32’ 23.564” W

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere

montblanc.com

The CEO Magazine - Digital Edition - ANZ April 2020

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