Scholar in Focus: Phil Sims (ILF2021) CEO Robern Menz

2017 – Advanced Management and Leadership program - Oxford University, England. 

Robern Menz is a house of iconic Australian treat brands including FruChocs, Violet Crumble, Crown Mints and Polly Waffle. Heritage brands that are fun and provide comfort and sweet memories across generations. Robern Menz ‘ purpose is to further build brand expansion domestically and to capture the significant growth potentially in export markets.

Phil Sim's Top 3 Learnings from ILF study:

1. ‘Value Creation’ is the cornerstone that guides decision making in our business. Strategy is the art of creating superior value and as such there is a heavier emphasis on taking a step back to look more strategically at the business to rigorously define and redefine direction. Gaining new knowledge is an important process in this. Robern Menz has moved to a heightened level of communicating the business’ strategy and the narrative throughout the organisation. Choosing the right actions to create value for the business by picking winners and de-focusing on actions that don’t create value is a key success factor. 

Read full article here>

From the CEO Geoff Vogt:

I thought July was busy, but it now seems like it was the calm before the August storm!

New Scholar interviews were completed, Award recommendations decided, board approval obtained, brochure pictures taken, scholar contracts drafted and signed, awards ceremony invitation lists finalised, and invitations drafted and sent and so on. It is an exciting time of the ILF year.

By the time you read my report you will already have seen the article from Phil Sims (ILF2017), CEO of Robern Menz. If you have not done so, please go back and have a look. His is a fascinating story and the multigeneration Robern Menz business has many useful lessons.

You should have received your invitation to attend the Awards Ceremony on 27 September. If not please check your spam filter for an email from Greenvelope. If you have seen it you will know the Awards are being presented this year by the Premier and the MC is former Chief Entrepreneur, Jim Whalley. We have a new donation and award to announce and it is shaping up to be another milestone event in the history of the ILF.

RSVP’s are due this Friday 10 September and late acceptances cannot be guaranteed a place due to COVID attendance limitations.

To ensure your seat is reserved or to ensure we are able to allocate it to another guest please RSVP now.

The Cyber training event, thanks to major Sponsor, LogicPlus, and support Sponsor, HelpSystems, was a big hit with those who attended. Plenty of simple low cost options to combat the bad guys were revealed. Read Glenn Toogood’s (ILF2018) summary for more.

See details about an inspirational cocktail function on October 26 with SA’s own Young Australian of the Year, Isobel Marshall and save the date.

Our best wishes go to the ten Scholars from seven businesses which are finalists for big awards at the Defence Teaming Centre annual member awards night on 20 October.

Articles I found interesting this month include:

·        Exponential leap in computer power - Quantum computing on  a chip.  To put this into context this breakthrough has been likened to the moment during the 1960s in traditional computing when computers shrunk from being room-sized to being sat on top of a desk. Think how that changed the world. Think what could be next?

·        The future of work will require companies to rethink the way they operate, from the Australian Business Review. This very short article predicts new ways of working post pandemic will create winners and losers and provides insights into winning ways.  

·        Brand Strategy- avoid pitfalls. If you agree that Brand is important to your business this two pager lists three important brand mistakes that you will want to avoid, and a lot more. 

·        Wine is better than beer for your heart. Based on research from the University of Adelaide and aligning with my preferences it was a must read for me. Hopefully you will enjoy it as well.

·        Vaccine incentives or mandates: Protecting your workforce from COVID-19. What will you do? It is a murky fast evolving area and this very recent article from the Australian Governance Institute provides the best guide I have seen to date.

As usual there has been plenty of action in the media with success stories from ILF Scholar businesses and photos of the Cyber event held at LogicPlus round out the contents for this month. 

Read more of the September CEO Report here>

SAVE THE DATE: Young Australian of the Year Isobel Marshall cocktail event, October 26, 5.30-7.30pm.

Be inspired by South Australia’s own Isobel Marshall, a social entrepreneur and the 2021 Young Australian of the Year, at a cocktail function sponsored by William Buck. 

Her business success with TABOO is a story of vision, passion, caring for others, hard work and drive.  The business emerged from SA and she has tried to source her products locally to support our economy. After conversations with Zoe Detmold and the head of the Kimberly Clark paper mill at Millicent, it became clear there are no women’s sanitary products made here in Australia. Sourcing product was just one of the many challenges Isobel and her partner had to overcome to launch their enterprise.

At just 18 years of age, Isobel Marshall co-founded TABOO with school friend Eloise Hall, to help women around the world by breaking down stigma around menstruation and providing greater access to hygiene products.

Isobel, and business partner Eloise, crowdfunded $56,000 to launch their range of products in August 2019. TABOO sells high quality, ethically sourced, organic cotton pads and tampons to an Australian market, with 100 per cent of net profits going to One Girls – a charity providing education programs for girls and women in Sierra Leone and Uganda. 

Locally, Isobel and TABOO have partnered with Vinnies Women’s crisis centres, providing free access to pads and tampons for women who require emergency accommodation in South Australia. Recognising period poverty is not just a big city issue, they also support the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council.

Isobel has taken a year off her University studies to fulfill the responsibilities that come with her role as Young Australian of the Year. She will resume next year as a full-time student at the University of Adelaide, where she is studying a Bachelor of Medicine (MBBS) and a Bachelor of Surgery.

Invitations will be issued during September.

Cyber Security Breakfast event summary:

The ILF Scholars Network Cyber Security Breakfast provided ILF scholars and technical guests with a unique insight in the emerging threat world of Cyber Security, kicking off with an in depth summary of the current cyber threats.

Regional Director APAC Help Systems, Kym Welsby (ILF 2015), who has over 20 years’ experience in the Cyber Security sector, provided an invaluable insight into what 'good cyber' looks like in today’s digital ecosystem.  Building strong foundations based upon leadership, protecting the organisations "Crown Jewels" and developing a knowledge based cultural awareness of cyber risk and threats, Kym astutely emphasised that good cyber culture must start at the top with a focus on tightening security to eliminating weaknesses within email systems and enhancing user awareness to reduce the risk of a cyber-attack. 

Read full report here>

DTC member awards nominees:

Congratulations to the following Scholars whose businesses have been announced as finalists in the DTC Defence Industry Awards:

David Hart (ILF2014); Dematec Automation -  Teaming Award

Eddie Lane (ILF2013) and Michael Riese (ILF2013); Cold Logic - Teaming Award

Scott Begbie (ILF2016); APC Technologies-   Teaming Award

Oscar Fiorinotto (ILF2017); Supashock -  Teaming Award

Anthony Kittel (ILF2010), Ben Marsh (ILF2013), and Tom Cross (ILF2020); Redarc Defence Systems - Growing or Emerging

Jim Grose (ILF2016); Axiom Precision Manufacturing -   Growing or Emerging

Stephen Faulkner (ILF2018); PMB Defence -   Resilient and Adaptive

Scott Begbie (ILF2016); APC Technologies -   Resilient and Adaptive

We wish you all every success for the announcement on 20 October.

September Readings:

Exponential leap in computer power - Quantum computing on  a chip

The control chip achieves quantum advantage using a fraction of the space necessary in previous hardware. The sensational breakthrough is equivalent to the moment during the 1960s in traditional computing when computers shrunk from being room-sized to being sat on top of a desk.  Read here>

This article is from the Electronics Industry Development Adelaide monthly newsletter,  compiled by Scholar Donald Kay (ILF2019), that contains interesting updates on the world’s technology advances.

The August newsletter can be viewed here>   

Scholars in the Media:

Social Photos: ILFSN Cyber Security Breakfast, 25 August 2021