Mentoring

After over 40 years in the workforce I'd genuinely like to pay it forward and to help mentor the next generation of business leaders. I've been so fortunate in my career to have received guidance and counselling from many people. So if you think I can help you or your business in any way, please contact me.

Consulting and interim executive roles

I left full time employment in March 2019, and I welcome enquiries for consulting, project and interim executive engagements. If you have an opportunity that could use my skill set, let’s talk.

Please use the details on the contact form below to initiate the discussion. In the first instance let’s talk by phone or Skype, correspond by email, or meet informally in Brisbane or on the Sunshine Coast.

If there’s a good fit and the opportunity is significant, I’ll travel anywhere in the world at my cost to finalise arrangements.

Employment

I’m not seeking full time employment but again, if the opportunity is significant I can be convinced.

Directorships

I am more than happy to consider Board opportunities for not-for profits, commercial enterprises and government entities. These attributes may be relevant:

• Skills, knowledge and experience. My professional experience has emphasised business-to-business operations, with divisional and P&L responsibilities at senior and executive levels.

• Business strategy and business development. I have started and operated my own business. I have established regional operations in Australia and New Zealand for Silicon Valley companies. I have reinvigorated ailing organisations, and I have restructured others to trhive in the 21st century. My strategic and business development successes are proven and core to my skillset.

• Stakeholder relationships. A common element of my current and recent roles is to manage the often conflicting expectations of stakeholders in the business. I recognise the value of formal and informal links with community groups, Government, suppliers, service providers, customers, and the market generally.

• Analyse and assess. Through my work I have developed an excellent understanding of the subtleties of financial statements. I have the ability to gauge business performance against agreed objectives, and to recognise situations where legislative compliance or risk management may need review.

Make contact

Please use the details on the contact page below for any enquiries. Thanks for reading!

Hello!

Thank you for visiting my website!

Most recently, I held the position of Regional Vice President with Uttam group (Noida, India). I was based in Singapore and responsible for Uttam's presence in South East Asia and Oceania.

Previous to Uttam I was Chief Executive of the Sugar Research Institute (Brisbane, Queensland).

With formal degrees in Engineering and Management, I have worked in a diverse variety of industries ranging from heavy engineering (CSR) through to internet technology (Inktomi). I am a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and was previously affiliated with two other professional organisations - the Institute of Engineers Australia (IEAust), and the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists (ISSCT).

Why I do this

I am attracted to the concept, and challenge, of reusing things. Things such as products, service offerings, business models and maybe, even individuals.

Reuse happens when undifferentiated things are refreshed, reworked, combined, tweaked and implemented into something new. In doing this reuse creates value, because those previously unremarkable things aren’t left under-utilised on a shelf somewhere. Instead, they are useful, marketable and saleable because they’ve been molded into something special and perhaps even unique.

This is what I did at SRI, and it’s something I've done previously for other innovative businesses. It's challenging and fulfilling to successfully create and operate a business based on this concept.

How I approach my work

Firstly, and most importantly, I adopt an abundance mindset. Because I believe that there’s plenty of everything to go around, for those who dare to look for it. As a business manager I champion strategies that increase revenue through innovation and sales proficiency, over those that impose cost control. This manifests as simple but proven business models that emphasise client interaction, demand generation and fulfillment.

Each important career move I have made, has at its core been driven by the opportunity learn new skills in new roles.

At Uttam I was able to work overseas with a family-owned company. At SRI I operated under the guidance of an experienced Board of Directors. In both roles I learned and achieved a great deal and for this, I am both fortunate and grateful.

Early in Gary Vaynerchuk’s 2016 book "#AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur's Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness”, he reveals to readers the list of his eight core business philosophies.

Then Ray Dalio, in his 2017 book "Principles", remarks that "it's very rare for people to write their principles down and share them."

Gary and Ray's words inspired me to write down the principles that resonated with me personally and to rephrase them in a way that suited my thinking. I also added a few more which influence the way I approach both business and life.

Here they are …

Value

• Always bring value; value precedes payment every time.
• Bring 51% of the value to every relationship.
• Favour lifetime value over short term gain.
• Value people over things; people are dynamic, things are not.

Business

• Maximise top-line revenue; it buys longevity.
• Growth for its own sake is a bad idea.
• Be fluid with how, when and where you make your money.
• Attack your business before your competitors do.

Motivation

• Smart work supplements hard work; it doesn’t replace it.
• Know your reasons for doing everything.
• Controversy is more remarkable than caution.
• Persist until it doesn’t make sense anymore.

Relationships

• Always be courteous, even to rude people.
• Patience always pays off.
• Know your few true friends.
• Pay attention to small things; often, they're not small.

I’d like to say I live all of these each day but I don’t, at least not yet. They are however values and principles to which I have a lifelong commitment to mastering and embedding in my psyche.