Talking Business With Alan Kohler

Helen is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of the Shared Value Project. She engages with the organisations key stakeholders and members to promote and influence the development of shared value in Australia and Asia Pacific. Helen has been instrumental in the establishment of the organisation from its conception, and has played a critical role in driving adoption and implementation of shared value strategies among leading companies in Australia. The current environment where social organisations face greater demand and less funding from the government, businesses need to take a shared value approach. Shared value, a business strategy introduced in 2011, proposes a way for businesses to enhance competitiveness while simultaneously advancing the economic and social conditions in the communities in which it operates. Australia is faced with significant social and community challenges that the government alone cannot resolve. As a result, there is a growing expectation from the public

Didier Elzinga is the CEO and Co-founder of Culture Amp - the world's leading employee feedback platform. Launched in 2011, it’s one of Australia's fastest growing technology startups and has helped companies around the world harness the power of employee feedback to drive positive change. With offices in Melbourne, San Francisco, New York and London, Didier is proudly growing Culture Amp into a Culture First company.

Kinesis is an Australian company that builds technology that makes data reveal what it’s been hiding – by drawing together diverse data sets and adding a layer of knowledge and analysis that is powerful and artful, to connect dots that couldn’t otherwise be seen. The company is working with councils, universities and businesses across Australia. He discusses the federal election ‘poll-fail’ & why we’re getting data so wrong in the ‘big data’ era. How politics is stuck in a bygone era of spin and rhetoric, failing to address issues with actionable data. How this can change, what data sets are available to politics, businesses and more, and how they can effectively analyse them.

Mans is Head of ESG Research at Ausbil Investment Management Limited following nearly five years as Senior ESG Research Analyst at AMP Capital. He has worked as a financial analyst as well as an ESG specialist covering Australian, New Zealand and Scandinavian equities across a wide range of sectors and sustainability issues. He discusses current emerging ESG issues  & is particularly passionate about the issue of Modern Slavery & how does it / could it impact businesses here – and investors.

Matthew is a Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors & is  a consultant in the finance and property sectors. 25 years experience in institutional banking, corporate finance and property finance law. His Chief Operating Officer role for Kanebridge Ltd, is focussing on developing Kanebridge Lifestyle Service into the leading premium Build to Rent operator in Australia. Discusses the Build-to-rent housing model which is relatively new in Australia but has been well established in the US and UK for several decades. As a result, it has created a challenge for the many companies wanting to establish their business in this space in the local market.

Prof. Biercuk is a quantum physicist, innovator, and Director of the Quantum Control Laboratory at the University of Sydney. His group is working to develop a new generation of advanced technologies powered by the phenomena in quantum physics - Quantum Tech. As an expert in quantum physics and quantum technology Michael is also the founder and CEO of Q-CTRL, a quantum technology company. Q-CTRL is supported entirely by venture capital and operates from the campus of the University of Sydney. Earlier this year he spoke at SXSW on Investing in Game-Changing Deep Tech and has since had several articles published on the same, exploring the connection between research, deep tech and commercialisation.

Sam started Broadband solutions with $1000 and a second hand router and a big vision for what the internet could do at a time when internet was very new.  He held important meetings in borrowed boardrooms as he and his business partner couldn’t afford a fancy office and were embarrassed to show these big companies where they really worked. The BBS business has a turnover of about $30 million per year with less than 30 staff. Broadband Solutions is continuously evolving its product offer and creating unique, proprietary software to offer its clients. Stepping down as CEO in March 2018 has allowed Sam to focus on the international expansion side of the business as well as investigating and creating new technologies within the business. 

Shares his insight as a mortgage broker into the property market downturn & the Justice Hayne recommendations post the royal commission. He also discusses the potential impact to competition as a result, government reactions both sides, industry plans reactions & the ‘Mates Rates’ mortgage broking business model that provides rebates of trailing commissions to make it a fairer outcome for their clients.

Tui created Koh Living along with best friend and business partner Nyree Hibberd to bring connection and meaning to others through inspiring giftware. “Having no meaning in life can lead to addictions and destructive patterns,” says Tui. “I found that Koh Living’s core mission has given me purpose and allowed me to give up addiction and thrive.” Strong personal connections are incredibly important to both Tui and Nyree. Tui grew up in a disconnected household filled with alcohol abuse. Nyree also experienced a challenging childhood. Both women rallied against the challenges and suffering they faced to forge a better future for themselves and their families. “We both gave up alcohol together, and came out together. It tested our friendship, but we managed to save ourselves in the end. Now we are indestructible business partners because of the adversity we have overcome.”

Anna is a female pioneer of sustainability, having worked globally in investment banks, as policy advisor to government, and as current CEO of ClimateWorks Australia, a not-for-profit working with the government to create a low carbon economy. As a recent addition to the Board of Impact Investment Group, Anna will be looking at how capital can be invested sustainably. Her outlook is that meaningful climate action must come from investing capital differently to now. Impact Investment Group provides wholesale investors opportunities in commercial real estate, renewable energy infrastructure and venture capital.

‘Provenir’ is an award-winning ag-tech disruptor that aims to eliminate live cattle transport prior to processing. Its on-farm processing technology is designed to improve animal welfare, progress sustainable farming practices, and guarantee full traceability, provenance and exceptional meat quality. Currently every cut of Australian beef is processed in a static abattoir. The consolidation of abattoirs in recent times has required livestock to be transported over longer distances to the processors. The effect of live transport can reduce yield, increase animal stress and consequently have a negative effect meat quality.  Chris discusses Provenir's story and motivation and the values that drive the Company and its design for high animal welfare and sustainable farming practices.

Jim Foran is founder and CEO of PVStop International Pty Ltd, a company that is pioneering renewable energy and new technology safety. Jim has over 20 years experience in senior sales, marketing and operational roles with some of the world’s largest brands, lectured on renewable energy safety in 14 countries and holds qualifications in both business and fire engineering. Jim is passionate about renewable energy and improving firefighter safety. PVStop is the only solution (globally) that safely isolates the power produced by solar panels. The product  eliminates the risk of high voltage DC electrocution by acting as a “liquid tarpaulin” shutting down the solar PV system in seconds. This problem poses a significant safety risk recognised by fire and emergency services agencies around the world. In professional terms this risk is known as the “DC Danger Zone” and up until now, there has been no practical solution to this globally recognised problem.

Gavin Scholes' career encompasses an extensive background in business, with a special knack for marketing and business innovation. In 2004, through hard work and dedication, and lobbying the Australian Government for standardised telephone keypads, Gavin was able to realise his dream of pioneering the ‘PhoneWord’ industry in Australia under the flag of 1300AUSTRALIA, eventually partnering with Telstra to cement total control of the market. Two years ago Gavin bought back Telstra’s majority 85% share of the business (refer attached Fin Review article) and is now quickly growing 1300AUSTRALIA into more than just a PhoneWord business; a move underlined through its acquisition and rapid growth of the CallN platform CallN has already become a powerful challenger brand in the call recording and AI based business intelligence space, operating in 11 countries, with major operations in the Asia-Pacific and USA.

Earlytrade is an Australian fintech pioneering early payment of invoices from large corporate's to their suppliers, they recently announced the newly formed venture fund Shearwater Growth Equity has become shareholders in the business. Shearwater, whose founding partners sit on the board of ASX-listed technology giant WiseTech Global, have invested AUD2.5 million out of the total capital raised for their stake in the business.  The Earlytrade platform enables corporate's, and their suppliers to collaborate transparently to negotiate invoice terms in return for early payment. The new funding paves the way for Earlytrade to enhance its innovative early payments platform and further expand its enterprise clients and existing network of 27,000+ suppliers.  He discusses how Technology is changing the way businesses in Australia and NZ are paying each other to free up some of the $76 billion that is regularly ‘trapped’ in a slow and inefficient late-payment process.

Tom Larter served in the Australian Regular Army from 2004-2017 as an Infantry Officer and Leader. Now, he's ANZ CEO at the organisation, helping military veterans, and other underutilised groups, transition to a new workplace and plug skills gaps across Australia. 'WithYouWithMe' is an education and employment start-up which helps solve underemployment and get individuals into the right job. Launched in 2015, the organisation had one mission which was to remove veteran employment issues in Australia and challenge the traditional recruitment model. 'WithYouWithMe' is dedicated to helping underutilised groups become competitive talent in the job market - from veterans to working mums. With innovative tech solutions and industry-leading training, they are solving underemployment across the globe by focusing on the ‘Future of the Worker’, not just the ‘Future of Work’. 

Merryl commenced with Tabcorp in October 1990 and has held numerous positions across a range of discipline areas including human resources, training and development, communications and sales. She holds a Masters of Business Administration (Executive) and a Bachelor of Arts, and has attended the Senior Executive Program at the London Business School. She is a Member of AICD.(Aust Institute of Company Directors) The Tatts/Tabcorp Merryl Dooley has played an enormous role transforming the workforce following one of Australia’s largest corporate mergers – the $11b Tatts Group and Tabcorp merger. Merryl discusses  the human story behind the scenes that helps give these mergers the best chances of success.. What has been required to ensure minimal disruption to business. Why a people first culture is fundamental to putting a merger on the right footing. Appointing the right leadership team and doing it quickly - the importance of appointing a full leadership team within the first 100 days. The chal

With a passion for digital and a mind for innovation, Kath Blackham has been at the forefront of tech solutions for over 18 years. Her experience spans market research at TNS and RedSheriff, Product  Management  at  SEEKand  REA  before  starting  her  own  full  service  digital  agency  in 2010   called   DeependMelbourne  Pty  Ltd,   which   grew   to   be   one   of   Australia’s   largest independent  digital  experience  and  design  agencies.  Kath  has  championed  local  initiatives (Code Like a Girl),andhas been an Australian voice for digital around the globe (SoDA). In 2017, Kath helped spearhead the creation of Australia’s first enterprise-level voice experience (VX) agency VERSA. Most recently, Kath led the merging of Deepend Melbourne and VERSA to create a VX an

Roll-it Super  is Passionate about helping employers financially empower their employees. Roll-it Super is a technology start-up billed as Australia’s first independent, employee choice-of fund information platform. The company is lead by CEO Mark MacLeod, who started the company after losing $50,000 of his own super when his employer put him in an underperforming default fund without his knowledge. It comes as a recent Productivity Commission report found low income employees in under-performing default super funds retire with $635,000 fewer savings than their counterparts in high-performing funds.

Lindy is the 2018 CEO Today (UK) Healthcare Award Winner, a Telstra Business Woman of the Year nominee and a globally accredited medical tourism professional. Meditrav is an innovative Australian business that connects medical travellers across the world with high quality, affordable, and accredited health providers, hospitals, and clinics in Australia and overseas. It meets a need created by a booming medical tourism industry, which is projected to grow from US$56.333 billion in 2018 to US$136.591 billion in 2023. Meditrav has already developed a strong market presence in China for patients seeking to travel to Australia and across Asia for health assessments and diagnostics, high value wellness programs, and IVF. It also assists Australians seeking to undertake medical, wellness and dental treatments in high quality centres overseas in countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand, where the costs are significantly cheaper.

Sue Barrett is the founder and CEO of Barrett, the pragmatic and innovative business advisory and education firm specialising in sales, the online sales education and resource platform and the Selling Better Movement. She is a selling better strategist and advisor, sales philosopher and speaker, sales trainer and coach, writer and activist. Barrett develops sales strategies, standards and education that help people and businesses sell better.