November already – this year has flown! We have the big Hall of Fame Gala Dinner coming up on the 19th (have your booked your seats yet?), and then an End of Year Celebration in Canberra on the 3rd of December. And we already have much of our program for 2016 – but I won’t spoil that surprise just yet…

FBA is a busy organisation and there is a lot of renewal and rejuvenation happening constantly. There are currently 2 working groups looking at the state and national Awards programs and also the Adviser Accreditation process. Such programs need to be evaluated constantly to ensure that they remain valuable and viable and we are indebted to the volunteers on our Board and Committees who contribute their time, knowledge and experience to review and advise on our programs.

In NSW and the ACT, we are currently seeking nominations from within our membership for people who would be willing to serve on our Committee to help guide and advise us as to the activities that are of greatest importance to our membership and the industry issues that we need to be addressing in order to best serve you. We need input from all sectors – generations, age groups and industries, so if you are considering nominating and would like to discuss it – please give me a call anytime.

FBA NSW and ACT have partnered with HLB Mann Judd to bring a new educational program to the sector. The Family Evolution program is a series of 6 x 3hour sessions where multiple members of a family business come together to explore their family business journey. Having attended to the first session of the inaugural program, I can assure you that this program feels as if it is going to be of great benefit to participants, engaging thinking in all aspects of the business from its origin to beyond what we can possibly imagine as the future for the business. The learning from other participants is also a significant benefit to of participation. For further information you can call Tony Kabrovski at HLB Mann Judd on 9020 4109.

Last month, a few members and I met in Sydney with Dr Craig Latham, Deputy Commissioner for Small Business from Canberra. This office will become the Office of the Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman in March 2016 – well, Dr Latham is holding discussions around the country to gather as much information as possible to ensure that they are fully appraised of the Family Enterprise component of the new role. This office will be an important achievement it the recognition of the contribution that family business makes to our economy and I commend then for the work that is being done in this area.

Until later, 

Wendy Foster
NSW and ACT Manager
Family Business Australia