This is week two in the ‘hot seat’, and I am pleased to have already met many of our members. It was perfectly timed for the South Australian Business Chamber to host over 700 of you last Friday at the Adelaide Oval.
As the new CEO of Australia’s oldest chamber of commerce and industry, the responsibility of this role is not lost on me. I have been asked to take a moment of your time to introduce myself and how I arrived to be at South Australian Business Chamber.
Work life has taken me from Adelaide, to Melbourne, to London and eventually to McLaren Vale. I have worked across the financial services, FMCG and wine sectors with family businesses, SMEs and multinationals and, most recently, was at the helm of Wirra Wirra Vineyards for 15 years. I have a Bachelor of Business degree, an MBA in International Business, and in 2014 spent time at Harvard Business School on a scholarship proved by the South Australian Industry Leaders Fund, so I guess my cards have been marked for some time.
I sit on the board of the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, where I also Chair the Botanic Gardens Foundation, as well as the board of the Centennial Park Authority and have sat on various Government and industry Boards at a regional, State and Federal level.
In my spare time, I am a frustrated but loyal Adelaide Crows supporter, a cricket tragic, music buff, and a very ordinary guitar player.
Hopefully, that will be the last time I will have to write about myself. I’d much rather be talking about what we are doing for our members and sharing your success stories.
The opportunity to take on a purpose-driven role at the South Australian Business Chamber and work with a team that is committed to helping businesses achieve their dreams, were big drivers for me in taking on this role. While it is very early days and I am still in “listen and learn” mode, I’m already clear on one thing. We exist for and because of our members, and our activities will be based around one simple criteria – do they add value to you and the broader SA Business community.
Having lived and worked interstate and overseas, I am convinced that SA business punches well above its weight. That doesn’t mean we have it easier, in fact we often have to work harder to break through. We innovate, we dream big and we take our chances. At the South Australian Business Chamber we have a role to play to work with business and government to create an environment where local operators are given every opportunity. To clear the runway of obstacles and ensure you are well-armed with the knowledge and skills it takes to succeed.
I look forward to working for and with you to make SA the number one place to do business in the country.
