Advisor Insights: Real Business, Real People

As a vivid advocate and advisor for digital healthcare, Werner Böing is a leader that personifies attributes and experiences to create successful technology and data-enabled new business models. A thirty-plus year background across multiple industries has seen Werner be involved in all stages and facets of business, from an automotive think-tank (his first foray into the advisory world), to serving as an executive and board member for global market leaders in FMCG, biotech, and medtech. Werner's passion for people has encouraged him to use his experience and network through his advisory practice Evisory to support startups and boards co-shaping the digital future in healthcare and beyond. In this Advisor Insights interview with Advisory Board Centre's General Manager of Engagement Penny Ellenger, Werner encourages the notion of being self-aware and self-critical to enable continual development and understand your "funnel of relevance" - that is, what people should be seeking your expertise for - and nurture it from the start.

Anouk De Blieck is a highly experienced senior leader and advisor with over 30 years of experience in the technology, payments, and banking sectors, having worked with companies such as Citibank, ANZ, Visa, and SoftServe. With a passion for radical change management, advancing women in business, and improving the global HR community's ability to innovate, Anouk now manages a board portfolio career and believes that companies need access to external collective wisdom to navigate the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) global environment successfully. In her Advisor Insights interview, Anouk discusses the challenges organisations face in the VUCA environment and how advisory boards can help them navigate uncertainties and complexities.

Paul Davies is an experienced advisory professional with a background in financial services. He recently worked with a construction company looking to expand into South Australia, implementing a process to evaluate the company's goals and utilising best practice frameworks to identify the ideal criteria for advisory board experts so that appointing was straightforward. The process helped to give the company more confidence in decision-making and that their board was going to be successful. In this Advisor Insights episode, Paul emphasises the importance of going through a structured process with companies when setting up an advisory board, even if they already have a defined set of goals.

With an eclectic professional portfolio of more than twenty-five years working across multiple dimensions of sport from grassroots to elite, Richard McInnes has held numerous roles within professional sports, and since 2019 has been CEO of Water Polo Australia. As the pandemic started to unfold in 2020, Richard and many other national sporting CEOs were grappling with situations that had never previously been encountered on such a scale, and not knowing how long it would last. Joining fellow industry leaders to form a support group, the set-up evolved quickly to be formal, with Richard becoming Chair in mid-2020. Two years on, what is now a peer advisory board aptly named 'The National Sports Collective', the group meets monthly and has become incredibly diverse with members from thirty national sports, including disabilities and all abilities. In this Advisor Insights interview, Richard discusses how the board continues to evolve with best practice principles, and the significant role it will play in the future of Australian sport.

London-based customer marketing guru Dean Lindsay is laser-focused on putting customers' stories at the forefront of an organisation's loyalty, retention, and growth strategies - and with great success. Having first forayed into customer service twelve years ago, Dean's passion for listening to the customer to ensure a business is on the right path has evolved from creating loyalty campaigns to leading organisations' complete marketing strategies. In this Advisor Insights interview with Advisory Board Centre's Founder and CEO, Louise Broekman, Dean discusses how his enthusiasm to stay on the pulse of improving business performance has seen customer advisory boards become a crucial element to his profession. With several boards under his belt now for various organisations, Dean has mastered how to maintain the independence of members and a fit-for-purpose focus, which is akin to our own best practice methodology.

Working in the aged care sector as an executive for more than twenty-five years, Cynthia Payne founded Anchor Excellence in 2018 to fulfil her aspiration to give back and create a legacy of improved capability and outcomes for businesses. In four short years, her business has become a national provider of professional services, supporting leaders at governing, executive and management levels. With the 2021 completion of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality & Safety and the subsequent reform agenda, Anchor Excellence has gained particular notoriety in compliance. In this Advisor Insights interview with Advisory Board Centre's Director of Talent, Brendan Logue, Cynthia discusses the shifting (and very welcome) change within the aged care sector, and how her long-term experience with advisory boards has empowered her and her business to be a pillar of support for the journey of positive transformation ahead.

For the past three decades, Los Angeles-based Mohamed Amer has become a revered strategic communicator and leader within multiple fields. With most of his career so far taking place with software juggernaut, SAP, he served as a corporate executive, where he later worked his way up to the Global Head of Strategic Communications and Vice President. Since moving to an advisory portfolio career, Mohamed has gone on to aid organisations in their digital strategy, simultaneously educating governance and director boards of the necessity of this snowballing market evolution. In this Advisor Insights interview with Advisory Board Centre's General Manager, Penny Ellenger, Mohamed expands on the necessity of possessing a flexible strategy and how advisory boards and organisational leaders need to have unanimous expectations. While advisory boards remain independent of the organisation, the meeting of minds between the two is reflective of best practice, the bread and butter of advisory board conduct.

Serving in a variety of roles, Mike Richardson has amassed an impressive arsenal of skills over his 40-year career so far. From engineer to program manager, to VP then CEO, Mike is no stranger to organisational structure and strategy. In his portfolio career where he has served on the likes of both governance and advisory boards for the past 20 years. Fulfilling many roles within board groups, Mike has been a Chair to several, aiding businesses in the navigation of their enterprise strategy. It's within these board roles that he learned the value of possessing, as he calls it, an 'agile mindset'. In this Advisor Insights interview with ABC Director of Talent Brendan Logue, Mike explains the value of possessing this mindset for business strategy, and how it correlates to a higher level of value for an organisation.

With more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Andrew Hadley has amassed a seasoned portfolio in strategy development and execution, operations, business development, and marketing. As CEO of Western Australian based P&N Bank since 2014, Andrew is at the forefront of a customer-owned "bank for everyone", with an admirable value proposition of enriching the lives of its members and communities. In 2019, P&N Bank merged with fellow Western Australian bank bcu in late 2019 to establish a unique multi-brand customer-owned banking model that respects brand heritage and supports local decision making and autonomy, while optimising the Group's size and scale. One of the opportunities Andrew and his team saw during this period was to create a "unique governance arrangement", whereby they put in place brand advisory councils to assist the respective brand general managers. In this Advisor Insights interview, Andrew explains in detail how "a fresh set of eyes" and representing the voice of the customer through his advisory councils ensured the merger of the two companies, whilst maintaining heritage and identity through separate brands, was a positive and transformative success. At the end of the day, Andrew feels the only way forward in situations of complete business transformation, such as a merger and acquisitions, is to be purpose-driven and take the opportunity for feedback, and an advisory board setting can provide just that.

Having lead the Asia-Pacific arm of public relations giant Ogilvy for the last thirty years, Certified Chair™ Scott Kronick's career portfolio boasts experience and achievements most could only dream of. Scott's career in China has seen Ogilvy emerge as the biggest international public relations firm in the critical market. After stepping back from a seven-year role as CEO at Ogilvy in 2021, he now plays a senior advisory role to the firm in Asia. In this Advisor Insights interview, Scott shares his extensive career experience in the public relations space, and how it's intersected and emboldened his foray further into the advisory space. He values greatly the importance of obtaining an outside perspective through an advisory board for business owners who have "tunnel vision" on what they need to do. Having an "on the ground perspective" ensures the right market insight, with advisors knowing what to do and what to look out for.

With over 23 years of experience in senior management and consulting, it's no wonder Certified Chair™ Sandra Poon has developed a "secret superpower" of having the coveted ability to understand an organisation's landscape quickly and identify ways to make it better. As a strategy advisor, transformation specialist and experienced facilitator, Sandra is passionate about sharing her experience having worked with large corporations right through to start-ups in strategy design, implementation and operations. In this Advisor Insights interview, Sandra shares sage advice on the fact that understanding when to provide insight (and when to stop) is a "constant learning and self-evaluation process". Developing personal strengths and opportunities allows advisors to "give the right advice that's valued at the time they need it" and not overwhelm at the wrong time. Sandra believes there is an art to recognising what a business needs, which can only be developed through experience on boards.

Imagine how much further you could drive your organisation if leadership roles were clearly delineated and both board and executive suite played an active role, yet stayed aligned to a common goal...This is governance through a new lens. As Director for her company Governance by Design, the last six years have seen Sonya Beyers develop bespoke governance solutions from the ground up – consulting, engaging stakeholders, facilitating and co-creating a governance framework of which businesses take full ownership. With the mantra that it is far better to influence than direct, and listen to understand, rather than respond, Sonya has helped organisations to push against the trend, learn collaboratively and implement a measurable governance process. One look at Sonya Beyers LinkedIn and you would be forgiven for thinking how does she do it all. Director, Advisor, Consultant, Facilitator, Non-Executive Director...the list goes on. Sonya does it all, and very well might we add, and still has time to have a chat with Louise Broekman for our Advisor Insights series.

Roger Phare has served as a Director, Executive, Non-Executive and Advisory Board member for multiple organisations, with marketing and sales his primary driver. As a Founder and Director of Pathfinders Associates, Roger assists IT and professional service organisations in seeing the way to controlled, profitable, sustainable and successful growth. Roger's market-driven approach has seen him work in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, helping organisations to understand their strengths in order to establish and execute a plan for success. With covering all aspects from organisational leadership, sales and marketing management, strategic planning, business process improvement and solution sales within fast-paced leading-edge technology environments, it's no wonder Roger is a highly sought after professional. In this Advisor Insights with Louise Broekman, Roger shares his belief that the most successful Advisors are patient and flexible, they listen - not tell! He believes in the importance of utilising a resource network as he has found within the diverse Advisory Board Centre community. Listen to Roger's experience in the Advisory Board sector and how it has shaped his career.

With experience as a Chair and Advisor on more boards than most, Gary Bennett is a one-of-a-kind of business professional and if he offers you insight into his experience, you'd be wise not to turn it down! An international insurance veteran with more than 39 years in the industry, Gary has established, led, built, grown, re-built and strengthened financial services, insurance, pension and health companies in many countries including Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, India, Taiwan, China, USA, Indonesia and South Africa. Having transitioned from full-time Executive positions to concentrate on his portfolio of governance, Advisory and investment roles, Gary draws on his incredibly vast experience to provide support, strategic advice, leadership development, investment and counsel to boards around the world. His ability to adapt rapidly to new cultures, countries and companies has seen his reputation, respect and strong results become a hallmark of his career.

After nearly 40 years as a business owner, professional advisor and lawyer, David has supported SME businesses in a range of industries. He knows first hand the joys and frustrations of business, having had a family business with his brothers which included growth, expansion, investment and exit. In addition to his professional legal service clients, David's portfolio of work also includes Advisory and Governance Boards. In this Advisor Insights conversation, David shares his story including his tips on how Advisory Boards can support business owners. The Advisory Board Centre is the professional body for the Advisory sector. Collectively, we raise the standard of the global advisory sector- driving value for professionals and the organisations they serve. We provide a complimentary Advisor Concierge service to organisations seeking high-quality Advisors and Certified Chairs for independent Advisory Boards. Learn more: www.advisoryboardcentre.com.au

Certified Chair™ Peter Murphy is regarded as one of the foremost Executive recruiters in Australia with over 25 years in professional talent identification. He has completed numerous Board, C-Suite and Executive assignments for ASX listed and privately-owned corporations, government departments and owned corporations, and small to medium-sized enterprises throughout his career. As joint-owners of boutique business C3 Talent, Peter and his business partner Kelly Howard (also a Certified Chair™), have built their focus to be on ‘creating value through talent'. With talent being one of the three pillars of business, alongside strategy and finance, Peter has a genuine passion for ensuring the necessary rigour is applied to make an informed, quality decision to get the right person for the right career. Not long ago, Peter and Kelly felt there was an opportunity to develop C3 Talent beyond its scope at the time – they were good at their work, they planned well, however they realised they needed help turning said plans into reality. Having completed the Certified Chair™ course themselves, they knew they needed similar expertise for their business and set out to find the right Chair. In this Advisor Insights with Louise Broekman, Peter shares how choosing fellow Certified Chair™ Sean Steele to become their Chair has proven to be an excellent decision, as the business has flourished with focus. Peter likens having an Advisory Board to having an ‘external conscience' as the scheduled and regular meetings have enabled a greater commitment to change by understanding his business is on a journey. He believes the greatest mindset when engaging an Advisory Board is to be open to being challenged, otherwise, an Advisory Board cannot have the impact that's required or desired.

Director of Raedan AI, Sharyn Csanki is a data management executive coach who joined the Advisory Board Centre as a Certified Chair™ after having an enlightening and successful experience with utilising an Advisor for her own company and eventually creating an Advisory Board using our Advisor Concierge service. After coming across a revolutionary type of artificial intelligence a few years ago, Sharyn and her business partner engaged an Advisor in order to set her business on the right path and grow. It was not light work, however, ultimately it was the right decision and the business bloomed. Sharyn found so much value in the Advisory Board structure that she pursued the Certified Chair Executive Program™ so that she can provide the same support and drive to other businesses. Sharyn's professional life has centered on learning to listen, understanding instinct and how the right question at the right time changes lives. As a Director of two businesses and an executive coach, Sharyn works with the dynamics between people and systems, leaving nothing for granted. She knows the essence of her trade so well and she is thrilled she gets to share it. In this Advisor Insight with Louise Broekman, Sharyn shares the experience and outcome of having an Advisory Board help shape the future of her business and why it has shaped her professional career.

Rob Sherlock is an Advisory Board Certified Chair with global advertising experience. After nearly 40 years in a fast-moving and often fickle industry, how do you stay current and continue to add value? For Rob, it's all about avid self-innovation and a fascination about 'what's next'. In this Advisor Insights conversation with Louise Broekman, Advisory Board Centre Founder and CEO, Rob shares his 30+ year journey in global advertising, and how becoming an Advisory Board Chair "ruined his retirement" by allowing to continue to deliver on his passion, purpose and potential with a healthy dose of fun along the way. Rob's insights deliver serious business impact while valuing the connections with the people within the organisations he serves.

Jane Beaumont is a seasoned CEO, with deep experience in the professional services sector. Her previous roles have seen her lead a CA$300M publicly listed group comprising of 23 companies across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. As an Advisor to professional services businesses, Jane has developed a strong understanding of the practical support Executives and Boards need to support navigating and achieving their strategic priorities.

After 25 years in the financial services sector, Wes Hall was intrigued why people didn't seem to care enough about their superannuation and securing the financial future. So he decided to do something about it and Tomorrow Super was born. Even with deep experience across four continents, Wes found as a Founder and CEO he wanted to be supported and challenged as he sought to redefine how Australian's manage their super. In this Advisor Insights Series hosted by Advisory Board Centre Founder and CEO Louise Broekman, Wes shares his experience with implementing an Advisory Board for Tomorrow Super.

Stuart is an experienced director, moving through executive positions culminating in his role as Managing Director of an ASX-listed disruptive digital technology which he co-founded. Stuart has since taken on non-executive roles both as a director and an independent advisor, primarily in high growth technologies in the new economy. As a board member of the Climate Change Authority, Stuart is deeply involved in climate policy and energy policy, including meeting Australia's 2030 Paris commitments and the proposed National Energy Guarantee. This exposes him to a broad range of sustainable technologies, from smart infrastructure to AG-tech. In this Advisor Insights Series, Stuart shares his insights into the Advisory Board sector for disruptive and high growth companies.

Patrick Lilwall is a change agent, helping large organisations in the commercial and not for profit sector navigate the changes required to stay relevant, competitive and valuable to their customers. Patrick's portfolio includes strategic consulting, advisory and governance. In this Advisor Insights interview with Louise Broekman, Founder and CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, Patrick shares his experience supporting the Executive Team and Governance Board of a large organisation with a corporatised Advisory Board. The Advisory Board Centre is the professional body for the Advisory sector. Collectively, we raise the standard of the global advisory sector- driving value for professionals and the organisations they serve.

Melanie Grevis-James, is an experienced marketing strategist and business owner. As Managing Director of Our Planet Marketing, Melanie supports businesses to align the company's focus on providing sustainable marketing plans and advice for small businesses and the tourism industry. In this Advisor Insights series with Louise Broekman, CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, Melanie shares her experience and motivations in appointing a Certified Chair to support her in the growth and strategic direction of her business. The Advisory Board Centre is the professional body for the advisory sector. Collectively, we raise the standard of the global advisory sector- driving value for professionals and the organisations they serve.

Mark Wray is a highly respected Chair & Director, with 30 years of CEO and CFO Experience for public and private companies across Australia, Asia and North America. As a Certified Chair, Mark has developed a carefully curated portfolio of companies that he supports to define and execute on their strategic vision. In this Advisor Insights conversation with Louise Broekman, CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, Mark shares his story and top tips for businesses and advisors wanting to get the most out of their Advisory structure.

Phil Aris is an experienced CEO and Managing Director (ASX) specialising in the Professional Services and Emerging Technology sectors working with businesses that have a passion and commitment to quality, sustainable growth and innovation. As a Certified Chair, Phil has built a carefully curated portfolio of advisory board engagements based on supporting founders to achieve their business goals. In this Advisor Insights conversation with Louise Broekman, CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, Phil shares his views on the importance of building rapport and trust in relationships with business owners and tips for advisors to add value to businesses. The Advisory Board Centre is the professional body for the advisory sector. Collectively, we raise the standard of the global advisory sector- driving value for professionals and the organisations they serve.

Jo Willoughby is on a mission to help organisations stay relevant and competitive by realising their future state in the age of disruption. Drawing on her experience across sectors including industry, public and private, Jo works shoulder-to-shoulder with CEO's to help them navigate opportunity and unpack complex problems to realise growth in their businesses. In addition to being a Strategic Advisor and Non-Executive Director, Jo is also a Certified Advisory Board Chair. In this Advisor Insights conversation with Louise Broekman, CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, Jo shares her perspective on why supporting Owners and CEOs is a privilege, the transformative power of vulnerability for leaders and how Advisors can create a positive impact with the organisations they serve.

Helen Pryse Lloyd is Founder & CEO of Living Made Easy, a customer-focused, independent provider of exceptional at home care services to their patrons in the comfort of their own homes. With four locations servicing hundreds of patrons across Queensland and New South Wales, Helen's business provides high quality, caring services designed to support people to feel happy and safe in their homes. Growing the business in a complex and highly regulated operating environment, Helen wanted the right kind of Advisory support to focus on their people, culture, processes and smart growth. Helen has established an Advisory Board with an independent Chair to tap into the experience, insights and knowledge for this next phase of the business. In this Advisor Insights conversation with Louise Broekman, CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, Helen shares her story including her tips on how Advisory Boards can support business owners.

As the Co-Founder and CEO of ITCOM, Damien led the organisation through phenomenal growth (97% growth in 7 years) making it a 3-time BRW Fast 100 private company member. In 2007 and 2008 consecutively, ITCOM was the 2nd fastest-growing private company in Australia, making the list again in 2013. Very early on, Damien and his Co-Founder recognised they needed support to navigate the rapid growth and support them as executives. Implementing an advisory board was a critical decision and one that Damien credits for supporting the ongoing success of the business and his own development as an executive. In this Advisor Insights conversation with Louise Broekman, CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, Damien shares his story including his tips on how advisory boards can support business owners.

Ken Goldberg's professional career includes sales, marketing and leadership roles. He's worked for family businesses, private equity held businesses, early-stage, high growth and also in the corporate environment - primarily in the tech sector. Ken channels this experience into Modus Management, a specialised advisory and management consultancy for aspiring business owners and leaders seeking to enhance growth and maximise their vision. Within his portfolio of work, Ken provides consulting, a 1:1 'board of advice' and formalised advisory board support as a Certified Chair. In this Advisor Insights conversation with Louise Broekman, Founder and CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, Ken provides a window into how he supports business owners as an advisory board Chair. He also provides his top tips for business owners and Advisors to gain the most value out of their advisory board structure.

Chris Eldridge is Director and Co-Founder of 4impact, a mid-sized technology company servicing some of Australia's biggest brands. Chris shares his business journey which includes growth, ambition, transition and ultimately succession. For the last several years, he has had the support of an Advisory Board to provide strategic advice and guidance as Chris and his team navigate "what's next" for the business. Chris also lends his experience and advice to support other entrepreneurs as an Advisor on their Advisory Boards. Chris gives insights as a business owner in conversation with Louise Broekman, Founder and CEO of the Advisory Board Centre.

You may consider Ben Carter's path to be that of a non-traditional Entrepreneur, given that he started his career with a Graduate Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Fast forward to 2011 and he was negotiating a buyout of an existing business and securing a $20m project in the jungles of PNG. VAE Group has now grown to over 300 staff in 3 countries. To help navigate and maximise growth opportunities, Ben and his Executive team have utilised the support of a formalised Advisory Board. Ben shares his insights as a business owner in conversation with Louise Broekman, Founder and CEO of the Advisory Board Centre.

Some might say that Brendan Power is a born and bred entrepreneur. Growing up, his father, Bernard Power was always building and growing businesses. Over the last 25 years, Brendan has also built and successfully exited 11 businesses. Along the way he has invested in his own professional development- earning a business degree, MBA, Graduate of AICD and as an active participant in the Advisory Board community. More recently, Brendan has supported other entrepreneurs and business owners as an Advisor on formalised Advisory Boards. Louise Broekman, Founder and CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, recently spoke with Brendan to learn his top tips for business owners and Advisors to support high quality, best practice Advisory Boards.