Family legend has it that, when my Aunty Jo asked me, aged 5, what I wanted to be when I grew up, I raised my chin and replied proudly “I want to be a business woman”.
I can hear you asking “What kind of 5 year old says that?”, and I can assure you it actually makes perfect sense. My father was a very successful business owner and, as a child, I observed the inner workings of his office and dreamed of wearing a nice suit and carrying files.
I started my working life young
I began my working life at the age of 14, cleaning the chicken rotisserie, washing down the sandwich bar, restocking the milk fridge and mopping the floor of the local general store a few times a week.
I used to receive my pay in a brown pay packet envelope with coins a-jingling. Such an exciting sound for a kid because most of those coins went straight back into the till in exchange for a mixed bag of lollies!
By age 15, I was waiting tables in a local seafood restaurant, unable to serve drinks as I was too young for an RSA licence. I waitered my way through high school at local venues and then undertook 5-star hospitality training, working at a luxury hotel in the CBD to provide ‘fun money’ during my university studies.
Hospitality and tourism were key themes
I was drawn to hospitality and my entrepreneurial career began in 1999, as owner of a restaurant in Victoria’s Yarra Valley wine region. At the time I was working full time at a winery down the road and I managed the back office admin of the business after hours and on weekends.
Anyone who has worked in hospitality will know it’s a hard slog and by 2002, I needed a change. This led me to Entertainment Publications where I spent 9 years and was mentored and supported through a series of promotions. I credit much of my knowledge to my experiences over that period. I learned how to run a successful business, what it takes to be a successful manager and leader, and the elements needed to create an effective team culture.
My introduction to technology
In 2007, I established a new operational division within the company and successfully launched its new e-commerce accommodation sales channel. I developed a keen interest in technology and (for better or worse) the confidence to quit my secure, well-paid job four years later and jump into the unknown and fraught world of the tech start-up!
Our little start-up’s innovative business model won kudos at the Anthill Magazine Cool Company Awards being named one of Australia’s ‘Coolest’ businesses in 2011. This innovation attracted a merger offer and I became COO with the task of implementing this innovative strategy into the existing business. Having succeeded in doing so within a year, the company was ready to pitch as a pre-IPO.
Unfortunately, the Board decided in-house legal skills were needed to navigate that next phase and, being a bootstrapped enterprise, there wasn’t room for both of us. I’d committed my heart and soul to the operation (and a trailer-load of cash) but them’s the breaks, that’s business, right?
An unexpected pivot into governance
Dusting off my singed edges, I pivoted to pursue an interest in governance at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Here, I led the delivery of governance and secretariat services to 33 national, regional and state regulatory boards and committees. In this role, I learned an enormous amount about how effective (and ineffective) boards and committees operate. I also learned what the hallmarks of a good Chair and a good Board Member were.
My governance career was launched when I became Secretary for the Ducati Owners Club of Victoria in 2014. My first item of business was to get the new Constitution drafted and adopted, to comply with the new Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012. I succeeded and you can read more about my Constitutional endeavours in my Desmoto archives.
Later that year I joined the Yarra Ranges Tourism Board. There were a few legacy reputation issues as well as funding roadblocks to contend with and the Board had to work hard to overcome these. But with fresh talent around the Board table and a new CEO in place, this tiny organisation began punching way above its weight. We achieved consistent growth in visitation and restored industry confidence.
We also won a Bronze Award at the RACV Victorian Tourism Awards 2016 in the Destination Marketing category for its Find Your Self campaign!
Going back to school
Craving to leap-frog my career back into private enterprise, I undertook my Senior Executive MBA. What an extraordinary experience that was! It’s a residential program run by Melbourne Business School and three of the eight week-long residencies were overseas.
We spent a week in Jakarta, Indonesia, learning about doing business in ASEAN countries and developing a branding strategy for one of the country’s largest telco providers. Then we learned all about Industry 4.0 and competing in European markets while visiting WHU in Vallendar, Germany.
But the piece-de-resistance was the module at Haas School of Business in California, USA, where we studied building strategic innovation capability. During this week we delved into the elements of innovation and did a couple of road trips of San Fran and Silicon Valley, visiting legendary technology innovation businesses such as Facebook, frog Design, Xerox PARC and JLABS (Johnson&Johnson‘s innovation lab).
My MBA led me to Hub Australia and with strategic oversight of HR and Technology, I was in my element. When Hub was recognised as a Great Place To Work, ranked 15th on Australia’s 50 Best Places To Work list (under 100 employees) in August 2019, I felt like the proudest mum!
Where will my next adventure take me?
This diverse background, traversing tech startups, health regulation, tourism and hospitality puts me smack-bang at the intersection of technology and the services industry. And my eclectic path has given me unique insights into how organisations can adopt emerging technologies to grow and acquire competitive advantage.
So, what’s next? Well, the one good thing about this whole Covid palaver is that it’s given me the bandwidth to think deeply about that question. And the enlightenment I have achieved is this: I am going to find a way to use these unique insights, gained throughout my unconventional career path, to bring a new perspective and help shape the future of Australia’s technology economy.
My plan is to approach this from two angles: Firstly, by securing an executive role that puts me at the forefront of technology and innovation in Australia. And, secondly, by joining a government or technology industry advisory committee which influences public and corporate policy around ethical, legal, regulatory and standards issues.
I look forward to relating my successes in future posts! Send me a note via the Contact me page or connect with me on LinkedIn if you’d like me to keep you posted.