With the signoff of our strategic plan for FY18, we have been busy developing and implementing a series of new initiatives that I believe will drive FBA forward.

The first initiative was to prepare FBA for growth and to ensure that we have a sales focused culture i.e. I needed to have the right resources, working on the right tasks, at the right value. As such we have seen a number of structural changes with the introduction of our National Membership & Forum Group Manager, Lisa Snare and our National Events and Sponsorship Manager Danielle Ricato. These additional staff members will help to alleviate a number of tasks currently performed by our State Mangers, freeing them to focus on adding value to our current members and driving new member acquisition. 

In addition to this, these changes have allowed our National Product Manager, Anne-Marie McNally to focus on our suite of educational offerings, we recently went out to tender for the development of an exciting new NxG Future Leaders Program as well as ensuring our current programs are relevant, current in modern day thinking and meets the needs of the family business sector. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in this area to be announced in the coming months.

One key objective is to ensure we are committed to helping more family owned Australian businesses succeed through the support of their business needs and by promoting the significance of their membership.

Whilst being in business with your family creates unique circumstances, family businesses themselves are far from unique. They account for around 70% of all businesses in Australia. Your membership of Family Business Australia improves your success pathway and contributes to Australia’s future. As a not for profit body, we put every available cent back into supporting our members.

When we work together, we all benefit – very soon we will be launching a new campaign and your support behind it will help us do that.

The supermarket shelves and online marketplaces are more cluttered than ever. Consumers want to make the right choice. The Family Owned Australian Business Emblem makes it easy for them to do that.

That’s why now is the right time to increase consumer awareness of the great things that the Family Owned Australian Business emblem represents. Through this Campaign we aim to:

• Raise awareness of the Family Owned Australian Business (FOAB) emblem and what it means
• Educate consumers on the importance of choosing FOAB products and services
• Make choosing a FOAB product or service the preferred choice
• Drive customer preference for FOAB products and services
• Ensure the FOAB emblem and its meaning are top of mind for consumers

The more consumers understand what the Family Owned Australian Business emblem means, the more they will choose products or services from our members who display it.

Key family businesses will appear in the campaign and I would welcome you to reach out to me if you would like to find out more about getting involved, because by contributing to this campaign, you will be helping increase consumer awareness of our joint efforts to make a difference to Australian communities.

If you don’t already use the FOAB emblem of your package/website/shop fronts/business cards etc, I encourage to contact our membership department and request the application form to use the emblem – it’s Free! 

The second major initiative will see the implementation of a new Marketplace Platform that will position FBA as the leading provider of support services in the family business sector. Our aim is to increase the value offered to existing members, to increase family business membership, to strengthen the value proposition to the SME market and to provide a unique experience that will allow easy engagement of Family Businesses with expert accredited advisers.

In addition to this, my goal is to ensure that we have credibility with Accreditation, a new, upgraded Accreditation process will soon be offered which will provide more effective results for both Advisers and family businesses. We are partnering with world-class researchers at a major University to administer our written and practical tiered accreditation process that will achieve:

• A peak body respected across multiple industries
• A robust and skills-based accreditation process
• NEW Adviser Marketplace Platform – an effective conduit between Family Businesses and expert advisers
• Assurance that Family Business Australia’s Accredited Advisers are acknowledged as the leading support services in their field

Our new accreditation pathway will be more thorough, yet faster and more efficient, giving our advisers the ability to achieve accreditation quickly and start benefiting from the vast network of family businesses across Australia.

This is a very exciting program and one that I believe will position our Advisers as ‘best of breed’ in the Family Business Sector, that will provide family business with greater confidence in the knowledge and skills of FBA Accredited Advisers and that will provide a platform to access adviser expertise which provides better information for decision making.

In the coming weeks, we will be trialling the Marketplace platform with both our Accredited Advisers and our Family Business Members to ensure we have a robust system in place before our National Marketing Manager,  Nicole Oswell has the very large task of launching a new advertising program to market the platform to the family business sector.

One task that a CEO has is to manage and look after its brand. To me, it is very important that we only surround ourselves with the very best when it comes to supporting families in business, organisations that supports what we do and complements and adds to our value proposition. On that note, I would like to reaffirm our long standing relationship with KPMG that has been extended for a further three year period and that our partnership with KPMG will be of Platinum status of which there is only one. Platinum is the highest sponsorship level available and will elevate KPMG above all other relationships.

KPMG make significant contributions to the success of their family business clients that inspires confidence and empowers change. Their knowledge & experience helps develop sustainable Family Business models, based on shared global insights and foresight whilst ensuring the execution of strategies.

In addition to the KPMG announcement, I am also pleased to reaffirm the new National Gold Sponsorship with EWM Group. EWM Group was founded in 2005, was the 1^st independent multi-family office in Australia and the 1^st Multi-family office in Qld.  EWM Group is headquartered in Brisbane, with clients throughout Australia and overseas and is a specialist adviser to affluent individuals and families, family business, not-for profit organisations and traditional owner groups.  They specialise in the areas of Family office services and advice, family governance and coaching, wealth protection and philanthropy. EWM Group brings with them the opportunity to our Accredited Advisers to seek additional training in relation to Family Office and this will further enhance FBA’s new Market Place Platform (to be launched in the coming months) where Family Businesses can seek out and engage expert accredited advisers for help and assistance.

I would also like to remind our members about the upcoming National Conference to be held on Hamilton Island. We have a full agenda that covers many topics that I’m sure will add value to your family and your businesses. I encourage you to get along and I look forward to seeing you there.

We have a very busy period ahead of us and I look forward to engaging in conversations with yourselves and seeking your feedback in the coming months.