Craig has been working with small businesses for the last 24 years; buying and selling product around the world. Having worked extensively in developing countries, Craig uses his knowledge, experience and connections to assist businesses to grow in a global marketplace. Craig is currently the Growth Facilitator for the Entrepreneurs’ Program looking after Food/Agri and Advanced Manufacturing sectors in Gippsland, Victoria.
Catherine has long and broad experience in Human Resource Management across multiple industries and sectors including retail, local government, warehousing, distribution, logistics and most recently as Head of HR ANZ for a multinational IT software/hardware organisation.
Anil's whole career has been focused on helping business owners and managers to better understand how to grow and develop their businesses.As a trained accountant with a Masters of Management degree, Anil has held financial management and commercial management roles in large and small businesses both here and overseas. He has a wealth of experience across a wide range of industries and has been running his own business coaching and consulting firm since 2005.
Shirley has extensive experience in helping Australian businesses expand into international markets. Working in a diverse range of business types and industries at both strategic and operational levels, Shirley has developed, managed, and administered a range of strategic export business development & marketing programs aimed at assisting businesses achieve growth and export sustainability including understanding how to leverage Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and cross border initiatives such as E-commerce, online platforms, and marketplaces.
Tim is a chartered engineer with international experience on the world’s largest civil and military airframe programs. He specialises in building advanced, digital engineering and manufacturing capability that enables technology companies to be more innovative and agile.
My focus has always been to help his clients make smart business decisions aligned to the buying behaviour of their customers. This requires a level of problem solving that synthesises insights about your market, your business, your customers, you and your staff.
Each and every business I have worked with has had a unique set of circumstances requiring different solutions and my ethos has always been to help people where they are in the best way I can.
Relationship builder, team player, strategic thinker, good listener and hands-on are key words others use to describe me. I have regularly been an agent of change – establishing a start-up tourism business, rescuing a respected professional society from financial ruin, instituting better governance procedures at a TAFE Council, providing policy interpretation/advice for government, establishing a remote enterprise business centre and recruiting staff. I appreciate the importance of business planning – financial, operational, people – and understand what constitutes business success.
Mal has broad experience in business management and development within the SME sector, specifically in advanced manufacturing including business coaching and mentoring of business owners, profitable revenue growth through innovation and brand development as well as structured reduction in costs. He has extensive senior management experience including as a general manager and many senior technical roles. This has included human asset development, thus ensuring that all the employees have the necessary competencies to meet the strategic objectives of the company.
An experienced executive with operational authority and responsibility for four business units nationally and internationally. Provided guidance to group companies in Asia and India, had cost responsibility within Australia and profit responsibility for Africa. A management consultant for 10 years, providing advice for: general business productivity improvement, exporting, leadership and cultural development, Sales effectiveness.
Marisa is a director of Complete the Picture Consulting. Complete the Picture Consulting was established in 2009 and since that time has assisted organisations across a range of industries through the provision of high quality strategic, market and business research, planning, and evaluation consultancies that have delivered tangible value and outcomes. Marisa and her co-director, Mark have more than 60 years of combined expertise and experience. The result is a complementary and diverse set of skills, and a creative solution focused mindset that shapes the tailored services they provide to their clients.
Other services include Business and Marketing Research, Evaluation of Products, Services and Programs, Stakeholder Engagement, Socio-demographic analysis.
Ron has been a Lean practitioner and senior manager for over 20 years. With an engineering background and a skill for business turnarounds, Ron has leveraged the principles of Lean to transform the performance and culture of businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Grant Peden is a Business Facilitator with Ai Group delivering business improvement and industry development projects through AusIndustry’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme, where he is also a Growth Services Adviser working with high growth potential companies to help them grow and become globally competitive.
Hal is a business consultant with a background in manufacturing, primarily with family owned businesses. His career started with a cadetship with Fisher & Paykel. From there he has undertaken management roles involved in manufacturing and distribution companies, including being GM role at Beefeater BBQs. He has worked with SME clients in the service industries, manufacturing, agriculture and health sectors.
Tim has spent more than 20 years in operational and general management roles and has extensive experience in both Project Management and Process Improvement.
Choon Kiat Ng has extensive experience in business valuation, business sales and business acquisition of privately held businesses in Australia. Clients benefit from his strategic insight, negotiation skills, access to local and overseas network of business buyers and sellers, and transaction experience when planning for business exit, divestment or acquisition
Geoff has over 30 years’ experience in financial and senior management roles with broad industry experience including precision engineering, automotive components, mining, health and contract manufacturing of therapeutics, cosmetics and industrial products.
John is the Managing Partner of nem, a national management consulting firm that specialises in the small to medium enterprise market. The firm comprises over 45 Partners who have chosen to consult after successful corporate careers or after transitioning from business ownership.
As a CFO On-Call Partner, Michael utilises his financial management, IT and process improvement knowledge to help businesses achieve growth and greatly improved business value.
Stirling Tavener is the founder of Anson Advisory, a business and agribusiness consultancy firm specialising in financial and business development services, assisting operators to analyse their existing business and improve management and financial performance for a wide range of businesses.
Dave is a seasoned digital marketing and SEO nerd, with a keen interest in disruptive technologies and innovative business models.
He is owner/MD of Newcastle-based digital/web agencies Vicinity Marketing and Redback Solutions and is also CMO at Camplify – the Airbnb for caravans and motorhomes in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Denise Hall confidentially appraises 200+ businesses per year on behalf of fellow Business Owners to kick start the sale process. This places her in the rare position of having looked under the hood of businesses in all industries, and of all shapes and sizes, ranging from 1 person to many people, from $10,000 to $10mil turnover. Therefore, having a strong handle on both saleability and indicative pricing in the current market place.
Dessirae Luther-Sproule runs her own Food Technology Consulting business which focuses on developing new food products, controlling food quality and safety and improving production efficiencies and costs.
A strategic and commercially focused marketer with a love for all things digital. Jacqui is the founder and MD of The Measured Marketer, a digital-first marketing consultancy based in Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
With almost 30 years’ experience in International Trade, Mark has both the practical and academic skills needed to teach exporters and importers about being street-wise when conducting their international trade and transport.
Pattens are Australia's best and most successful grants specialist with over 30 years’ experience and over 99% success rate.
Roger La Salle, and his company train people in innovation, marketing and the new emerging art of Opportunity Capture. The thinking methodology developed by Roger is referred to as "Matrix Thinking" and is the source of inspiration for his own innovations and for many of the companies with whom he has worked. In short this is a unique set of simple thinking tools that work. Matrix Thinking is now used in more than 29 countries.
Russell brings over 25 years of E-Commerce & Supply Chain, Systems Implementation and Supply Chain Improvement across the Transportation & Logistics sector. His specialist skills in IT, Business Improvement, E-fulfillment, E-Commerce design, development and market implementation have been the foundation of his success in leading transformations.
John Mason has worked the last 27 years building his own company and those of his 300 plus clients through thoughtful design and support of realistic management systems and certification.
Bob draws on almost four decades of diversified and practical experience in business development, operations and management to assist the growth and development of businesses ranging from new start-ups, sole traders, SMEs and large corporates.
Gerry has worked in manufacturing for over 40 years and consulted to SME’s for over 30 years.
Visionary leader with 10+ years of experience as an entrepreneur, executive and advisor. Jeremy thrives working with customers to augment human potential with technology to build super powered, happy teams.
Lucy Bingle is a LinkedIn Marketing Strategist, she provides expert LinkedIn consulting services and LinkedIn marketing training globally.
Nancy is a seasoned international trade strategist with a long political acumen.
David is a highly experienced professional providing a wide range of management, advice and assistance.
Paul has had a long career in senior management and directorship roles having led a broad range of strategic and operational functions focussed on sales, manufacturing, distribution and application of technical products into the commercial, industrial and residential building services sectors.
Clive is an accomplished innovation manager, with more than 25 years of engineering, research and development and business management experience.
Hazel is a creative plant scientist & food industry consultant, with 30 years’ experience, especially in innovation, natural flavours and fragrances, colours and bio-actives.
John is an expert in developing and executing business strategies to improve efficiency in the operational and financial management of businesses.
Gabor’s role is to facilitate the growth aspirations of small to medium size businesses to build new competencies and capabilities, increase resilience and improve profitability through innovate business models.
An entrepreneurial business builder and highly experienced Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer who has worked in both the multinational and start- up environments in a diverse range of industry sectors including global pharmaceutical, ASX listed biotechnology, medical technology, industrial, water and innovation in Australia, North America, Europe and Asia.
Mike has strong management experience at both operations and general management level, proven experience in strategy development and execution at general manager and managing director level coupled with strategic mentoring skills as a director in the SME sector.
Michael has expertise in brand strategy, developing and communicating a vision and simplifying business to improve productivity.
For the last decade, Kerry Fitzgibbon has been working with businesses all over the world, helping them implement the very latest Facebook marketing strategies.
Craig West is a strategic accountant who has over 20 years' experience advising business owners. His background as a CPA in public practice has provided invaluable experience in the key issues of concern to business owners.
Michael had mechanical trade and production engineering roles in Australia, Belgium and USA then productivity, industrial engineering; Manager HR, OH&S and quality improvement systems.
As a Growth Facilitator delivering the Australian Government's Entrepreneurs' Programme, Andrew engages with Australian firms to help them boost their productivity and performance.
As an Adviser / Facilitator, Vineet helps businesses also to expand markets, take advantage of Gov. incentives, grants and assistance, running networking groups for alliance and collaboration across the SMEs.
Nicola is an energetic, result-driven Growth and Change Facilitator, Business Analyst and end-to-end Project Manager.
Raj’s key areas of strength are change management, including development of strategic manufacturing footprints and rationalization, restructuring and turnaround of underperforming operations.
Vlado Baban has supported start-ups, small enterprise, and mature organisations to establish a clear 3yr plan, and to engage functional leaders to execute tactical action plan.
Omania Terry is highly skilled at supporting businesses to save money, time and energy by ‘getting the right things right’.
James is an experienced business consultant, business manager, project manager and entrepreneur.
Greg has over 20 years of experience across a range of industries including multinational food and beverage manufacturing and retail.
Nicola has extensive experience in the Agrifood, ICT, Education and NRM sectors in Australia and across the globe.
Nat helps organisations to identify solutions to meet their needs using contemporary, agile and lean ways of working, guiding organisations strategy and aligning to execution using technology as an enabler.
Darren is a management consultant, engineer, educator and company director who specialises in helping organisations to adapt, improve and grow.
Nicola is Head of Strategy of a multi-faceted, strategy-led agency, Feeney Marketing, their clients are from diverse industries and they provide highly practical and effective marketing guidance and implementation.
The primary benefit of working with Eileen is her dynamic team in Korea with strong import and export networks in both consumer and industrial products and services.
Lachlan, co-founder of Grant Help, one of Australia's fastest growing government grant consultancy firm. Grant Help is comprised of a team of multi-disciplinary professionals with over 50 years of experience in writing, assessing, submitting, and auditing government grants. Serving our customers across Export Market Development Grant, R&D, Modern Manufacturing Initiative and Female Founder programs.
Extensive experience in working with SMEs as a business adviser to achieve growth and improve profitability. Able to facilitate the process of assisting to overcome challenges and pain points that an organisation is experiencing. Assist management to identify the key issues to overcome to progress and achieve their strategic objectives, become more closely aligned with target markets and develop strategies to successfully take advantage of identified new opportunities.
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The Workplace Advice Line is Ai Group’s national telephone advisory service for all your on the spot workplace related questions.
Call the Workplace Advice Line
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