The short answer is, I am someone who genuinely gives a damn about improving human relationships – particularly relationships within and between human organisations; so that the culture of society at large improves and as a species we become more attuned to our role as “guardians” of this beautiful planet/ ecosystem called Earth.
I believe that the beginning of this journey to improving human relationships starts with teaching leaders – at all levels within the given organisation – how to “empower” and “enable” those who they lead. Conversely, yet in tandem, it also requires teaching leaders how to let go of their desire to “control” the lives of those who they lead. This fundamental (crucial) principle of empowerment/ enablement is the central pillar of “good governance”.
A lengthier understanding of who I am and the path that I have come down to date is as follows…
I am a Kiwi (New Zealand citizen) who graduated from Massey University (Palmerston North, New Zealand) in 1990 with a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree (Marketing major). I have worked in a diverse range of roles in the following industries/ sectors: meat, manufacturing, retail, property valuation, fashion and horticulture. My LinkedIn profile found here provides an extensive summary of my work background and achievements.
As a CEO I received performance ratings from directors in the range 85 – 95 % per Financial Year in relation to out-performance objectives that were set for me.
Have worked alongside some of the best business people in New Zealand…
I had the good fortune of stepping into my first senior management position in the 1990’s under the watchful and guiding eye of a fellow who later went on to be formally recognised by an independent study performed by Massey University as the No. 1 New Zealand based director. I learned a great deal from this perceptive clear-thinking and high achieving businessman, and remain grateful for his listening ear and wise counsel.
During 2016 I joined forces with Annah Stretton (well-known high achieving business woman and philanthropist who was a nominee for New Zealander of the Year for 2017, 2018 and 2019). This tenure as Annah’s Chief Operations Officer taught me a lot about how profits generated by trading concerns can be used to provide funding for worthy not-for-profit (NFP) causes; and largely through Annah’s passion for writing books to help others I became inspired to write my first book. Despite the Waikato not being a place that I could comfortably call home (I’m an East Coast, North Island lad at heart), I remain in awe of Annah’s drive, energy and determination to achieve – and her devotion to helping others use their strengths to realise their potential.
I have been fortunate to have worked with one of New Zealand’s leading marketing agencies – Farrimond Limited (www.farrimond.co.nz) – for over a decade. Based in Auckland, this agency boasts “A-Lister” clients such as: Coca Cola, Fosters, Jim Beam, Fonterra, Nivea…and many others. I mainly worked with the principals of this esteemed agency to develop marketing strategy, perform formal market research, construct annual Marketing Activity Schedules which had national application; and to produce various forms of marketing collateral (e.g. catalogues, print advertising, point of sale material, corporate livery, website content, etc). A testimonial (identified as ‘Testimonial #9’) prepared by one of the principals of Farrimond Ltd can be found in the Testimonials section of my company website.
Have provided business consulting services at a regional level…
Working as a Regional Business Advisor in the Hawkes Bay region (which comprises over 18,000 business units) during 2016, I was told by the CEO of the Hawkes Bay Chamber of Commerce that my work efforts/ outputs were having the greatest positive impact on the Hawkes Bay business community in the history of the Chamber of Commerce operating in Hawke’s Bay.
Upon leaving this business advisory role I wrote my first book to bring to the fore the common ailments/ causation factors that I had observed were holding Kiwi businesses back from experiencing growth and greater commercial prosperity. Upon sending a complimentary copy of this book to John Key (then the Prime Minister of New Zealand) and Steven Joyce (then the Minister of Finance) with a cover letter that strongly recommended that the Regional Business Partner programme incorporate a deliberate “consulting” dimension (concentrating on building business owner capability in a customised manner covering topics featured in this book – and beyond) in its delivery by Business Advisors, this programme value enhancement soon came into effect in at least the Hawke’s Bay region.
Have designed and developed first of kind in the world ecommerce platforms…
The large ecommerce platforms that I designed and oversaw the development of for the Australasian Showcase Jewellers group were regarded by American Express as the first of their kind in the world; given their multi-level transaction capability (i.e. the ability for both the parent company and individual franchisee business units across Australia and New Zealand to sell jewellery and related products online, concurrently). The IT company that transformed my design brief and technical drawings into the final programmed sites rated these platforms as the highest quality, most complicated and most innovative work they had helped bring to life in the whole of their 12 year trading history – a history which reflected the production of over 3,500 websites.
Upon previewing the emerging sites to a past Board Chairperson of the Showcase Jewellers group, this person remarked that he considered that these online sites represented the most valuable intellectual property that had been created in the company’s 30 year trading history.
Have facilitated the merging of companies…
In 2010, upon drafting the Plain English version of what eventually became an executable Legal Deed to formalise the merging of Gemtime N.Z. Ltd shareholders into the Showcase Jewellers structure, the Sydney based DibbsBarker solicitor who reviewed this Merger Agreement that I had prepared considered that it was the most detailed Merger Agreement that he had evaluated. To understand the calibre of this solicitor, I was advised that at that time his charge-out rate for client engagements was AUD$1,000 per hour.
Have developed leading legal compliance documentation…
As the Legal Compliance & Production Manager for Chestergrove Orchards for the fifth consecutive year, I am responsible for stepping this export-orientated orchard and pack house operation through its annual GlobalGAP (Global Good Agricultural Practice) and GRASP (GlobalGAP Risk Assessment on Social Practice) certification/ audit process. These certifications have become prerequisites in order for export-orientated orchards to export their harvested fruit; and distributors of N.Z. grown fruit based in other countries are now requiring orchard owners to provide evidence of having attained these certifications before they accept any shipments into their respective countries.
The auditor (from SGS, an Independent Verification Agency which works in conjunction with New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries) shared his view that the comprehensive documentation presented reflected some of the highest quality and most thorough and innovative documentation that they had seen in the New Zealand horticulture industry – said to be on par with Zespri (which is regarded by some as being 5 years ahead of the pip fruit sector in terms of systemisation and process control). For the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 harvest seasons, the auditor awarded a 100 % compliance rating in respect of both GlobalGAP and GRASP certification for Chestergrove.
I have started the conversation with the said auditor around the justification for New Zealand primary industries growers to receive a premium return (i.e. comparative advantage) in relation to their produce which has been cultivated under MPI certification such as GlobalGAP; relative to primary producers in other countries which fail to comply with such standards at the same or similar high level of compliance. This conversation will be furthered at a central government level, recognising that high level negotiations on international trade take place between central government representatives of “seller (grower)” and “buyer (consumer)” countries.
Have experience at helping develop companies of a wide range of scale…
My skill set and natural abilities to facilitate people getting along well together in order to achieve common objectives has led to the positive shaping and commendable forward momentum of companies that range in scale from around $3.5m annual revenue to around $500m annual revenue. Within national franchises I have worked with individual business units (individual franchisees) reflective of annual revenue achievements below $400K also.
My senior management skill set and experience spans these dimensions…
- Strategic and operational planning and implementation
- Governance refinement
- Business development
- Leadership
- Information technology design and development
- Market research
- Business intelligence system design and analysis of resulting reports
- Data capture, collection, analysis, management and reporting
- Training programme design, development and management
- Preparation and refinement of operating procedures
- Financial management – P & L, Balance Sheet, Marketing Budgets
- Marketing campaign design and implementation
- Stakeholder engagement (establishment of new relationships and nurturing of existing relationships)
- Change instigation and management
- Human resource management – including management and professional development of subordinate positions, and compliance
- Preparation and/ or evaluation of legal documentation
- Business culture development – based on principles of collaboration, cooperation, inclusivity and similar
- Merger rationalisation and facilitation
Through fulfilling CEO, General Manager and other similar roles for the majority of my working life to date, I have developed considerable knowledge, skills and experience in the commercial world; and most importantly have come to deeply understand what the Critical Success Factors (CSF’s) are that are common to most businesses irrespective of their scale, customer value proposition (product/ service offering) or industry association…factors which many businesses seemingly simply don’t understand or do understand yet don’t assign enough importance or value to when setting strategic or operational plans.
Humanities approach to building commercial capability in others…
Most importantly, I approach the shaping of organisations from a humanities perspective using practical, first-hand experience-based knowledge and skills, and this is an orientation that I now teach others (e.g. as a lecturer at the Eastern Institute of Technology) whenever I receive the opportunity to do so.
I am concerned about the apparent gap in “real world commercial understanding” that seems to exist in the case of many business owners, between acquired academic knowledge and the practical skills/ knowledge/ capability that need to be an inherent part of a business owner’s DNA if their business is to survive and thrive.
I hope that through the books that I write and the various roles that I fulfill, I will continue to make a positive difference to the survival and success rate of businesses – most particularly those which are of a SME (Small Medium Enterprise) scale – in New Zealand and in other parts of the world.
I am the author of the books titled “Real World Proven Best Business Practices”:
- Bridging the Gap Between Academic Teachings and Real World Business Success
- Building and Managing a Successful Franchise
The second publication – which focuses on building and managing a franchise – has been written, yet due to other commitments taking precedence I am yet to publish this second book. I hope to do so within the next 2 – 3 years.