FORMER Queenland Resources Council (QRC) chief executive Michael Roche -- who could count initiatives in boosting Indigenous community involvement in the resources sector and outreach for new career paths for young people and women in the industry among his successes -- passed away in Brisbane on July 30.

Mr Roche had been unexpectedly diagnosed with an illness just three weeks earlier. Since leaving the CEO role with the QRC in 2016, Mr Roche has continued to serve on charitable boards and foundations and he has been acting in an advisory role on the resources industry for legal firm McCullough Robertson in Queensland.

His busy career included board roles with disability services group Multicap, industry superannuation fund Mine Super and the WorkCover Risk and Audit Committee. 

Mr Roche's successor at QRC, former Federal Minister Ian Macfarlane said, "On behalf of the Queensland resources industry and the more than 316,000 men and women who work in it, I pay tribute to the late Michael Roche for his tireless commitment and passion for the resources sector.

"Michael served as the chief executive of the Queensland Resources Council for 11 years before stepping down in 2016.

"Michael was a fearless leader and vocal advocate for the sector who championed new ideas that changed the industry forever," Mr Macfarlane said.

"He led the organisation through one of the most severe downturns in recent history with determination and professionalism. Michael was a founding member of the Queensland Exploration Council and an honourary life member of the QRC. Michael also played a significant role in shaping the state of Queensland through his very senior roles in government.

"On behalf of the QRC, I extend our sincere condolences to Michael’s wife, Jenny, their children and their extended family."

www.qrc.org.au

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A RED FERRARI, red lipstick, red shoes, red-hot fashion and ready dancers combined in Brisbane recently to raise funds for the vital Women’s Legal Service (WLS) organisation helping women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

One of WLS’s biggest initiatives is its helpline – a free service provided by Queensland lawyers who work voluntarily to provide free legal and welfare assistance to Queensland women and children at risk from domestic violence.

The problem is, according to Hanworth House director Marisa Vecchio, “for every call answered, another goes unanswered”.

“As ambassador for Women’s Legal Service Queensland for over four years, I am incredibly proud of the important role that WLS plays in assisting women and children who are impacted by domestic violence,” Ms Vecchio said. 

“Thank you to Ferrari Driven Women which, on International Womens Day (IWD) on March 8 dedicated their fashion to assisting this great cause.”

Part of the funding of this helpline is the Dancing CEOs – each year Brisbane’s leading CEOs swap the boardroom for the Brisbane City Hall dance floor in front of 1,000 guests to support the prevention of domestic violence.

Michelle Delamont, a doctor at Wesley Breast Clinic, is one of this year’s Dancing CEOs and attended the IWD Ferrari Driven Women’s Event – and now she is fundraising a targeted $15,000 through the Dancing CEOs website for the WLS cause, with over $11,000 raised so far.

Almost $7000 of that has been raised by the Dancing Daiquiris group and the Ferrari raffle at the IWD event.

“The IWD Ferrari Driven Women’s Event was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the drive and motivation of Brisbane women, not only in their careers and personal lives but in additionally reaching out to benefit causes which improve the communities in which they live,” Ms Vecchio said. 

“We are so grateful for the support shown by Ferrari Brisbane Showroom and PDPR Marketing and Creative who hosted the Ferrari Driven Women event with attendees donating up to $1,650 to support this wonderful cause.”

https://wlsq.org.au/

https://dancing-ceos-2019.everydayhero.com/au/michelle-delamont-dancing-ceos

TECHNOLOGYONE, Australia’s largest enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, has appointed Clifford Rosenberg as an independent, non-executive director.

TechnologyOne executive chairman, Adrian Di Marco said, “TechnologyOne has previously discussed our board renewal process and our plans to increase the size of our board with the addition of four new independent directors by 2019.

“We added Dr Jane Andrews in 2016 and Sharon Doyle in 2018 and today we added our third independent director, Clifford Rosenberg.

“The addition of Cliff expands our board to now have a majority of independent non-executive directors, as part of our ongoing commitment to the board renewal process. 

“Cliff brings extensive experience leading innovation and change through executive and directorial roles in ASX-listed companies in the rapidly changing fields of technology and online media,” Mr Di Marco said.

As the former managing director of Linkedin for Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia, Mr Rosenberg started the Australian office in 2009 and oversaw the expansion of Linkedin in Australia from 1 million members in 2009 to more than 8 million members in 2017.

Previously, he was managing director at Yahoo! Australia and New Zealand, and prior to that role he was the founder and managing director of iTouch Australia NZ, where he grew the Australian office to one of the largest mobile content and application providers in Australia.

Rosenberg said the board appointment was an exceptional opportunity to contribute to an iconic ASX-listed SaaS company, such as TechnologyOne. 

“TechnologyOne goes from strength to strength, climbing the ranks of the ASX200 with a valuation of more than $2.3 billion whilst rapidly scaling its global SaaS business,” Mr Rosenberg said.

“I am delighted to join the TechnologyOne board during this exciting time for the SaaS business and look forward to working with Mr Di Marco and his team in making a substantial contribution to its sustained growth,” he said.

Mr Rosenberg has more than seven years’ experience on the boards of publicly listed companies. His directorships include Afterpay Touch Group (ASX: APT), Nearmap (ASX: NEA), and A2B Australia Limited (ASX:A2B).

He was also a non-executive director with Dimmi – an online reservations company bought by Tripadvisor.com in May 2015. He holds a Bachelor of Business Science (Hons) from the University of Cape Town and a Masters of Science (Hons) from the Universitat Ben Gurion Ba-Negev.

Mr Di Marco said, “TechnologyOne continues its commitment to taking a measured and progressive approach to the board renewal process, scouting outstanding calibre candidates like Cliff, to preserve our high-performance culture.

“We plan to announce our fourth independent director later this calendar year”.

www.technologyonecorp.com

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EXPRESSIONS AUSTRALIA founder Emma McNeilly took home the 2018 Business Excellence Award at The AusMumpreneur Awards in Melbourne recently.

Ms McNeilly started as a one-woman operation, working with a handful of schools and now, Expressions has grown into a national brand and trusted name in the fundraising industry. 

“Expressions is Australia’s most loved tea towel fundraising company,” Ms McNeilly said. “We began in 1999 as a one-woman operation and have grown into a thriving business of working women who are proud to help raise funds for community organisations across Australia.”

To date Expressions has worked on more than 18,500 community fundraising projects, helping raise millions of dollars for schools and community groups in every corner of Australia. The products bring an easy, creative and sugar-free solution to vital school and community fundraising.

“We have close to three million tea towels, aprons and bags in kitchens and keepsake boxes in every corner of Australia and around the world,” Ms McNeilly said. “Over 1300 schools and childcare centres trust us each year with their precious artwork, ranging from large city schools to tiny remote communities.

“To accomplish this, I employ a team of five people to manage different aspects of the business, we have embraced the effective use of digital and online technologies which allows us to work together nationally between Sydney, Margaret River in WA, Tasmania and Burleigh Heads in South East Queensland.

“Expressions provides a win for everyone involved at every stage of the process. Funds raised, proud children, delighted clients and a healthy business. The tea towels are celebratory and inclusive, and the business has a genuine feel good factor.

“The sentimentality of children being surrounded by their friends and favourite teachers creates a warm and fuzzy for all, they have become a tradition for so many of our clients,” she said.

“We really focus on customer service, and I understand from first-hand experience how precious volunteers’ hours are. Fundraising plays a vital role for grass roots communities, so we strive to ensure our projects are easy to run, everything is supplied, and in turn everybody loves them.

“We have thousands of glowing testimonials. A testament to our service is a near perfect Net Promoter score. Half of our annual workload is repeat bookings and hundreds of coordinators and organisations have worked with us over many years.

“Our practical products make a lasting memento and the designs encompass a real sense of community, so they sell well for our clients.”

AusMumpreneur Network co-founder. Peace Mitchell said, “We are delighted that Emma has won this award, she has created an outstanding business and is an inspirational role model and ambassador for mums in business everywhere.” 

Emma McNeilly has worked in fundraising for over 20 years and has served as a volunteer on many committees for 15 years. She has a rich understanding of the very important and far reaching world of vital community fundraising from both sides of the fence.

Ms McNeilly is now taking that wealth of experience and has formed a niche communications agency - Progeny Communications - which brings brands together with Australia's most powerful consumer: mums.

“Mothers are making the purchasing decisions for most of Australia's households and we are connecting with them, where they are – right at the heart of grassroots communities,” Ms McNeilly said.

www.expressions.com.au

Emma McNeilly’s tips for SMEs

 
-    Put the customer at the forefront of all your business decisions, put yourself in their shoes and plan from there.
-    Document all your procedures so it’s easy to train, then hire people that are better at something than you are and let them do their job.
-    It’s okay to ask for help – the key to balance (for me) was learning to let go and embracing the art of delegation.
-    In the business or at home, outsource if you can, hire a cleaner, engage a bookkeeper, whatever works. There’s lots of talented people out there, so when and if you can, share the load.

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