APRIL BULLETIN

Catching criminals and making mascaras are all part of a day’s work for serial entrepreneur Tania Jolley.

CEO's Report

Last week ILF President Mark Canny announced that Richard Barrett has accepted an offer to be my successor. Having known Richard for some time, I am confident he is the right person to take the ILF into the future. Richard will commence the CEO role on 1 May and I will remain available to assist during the transition until 31 July. Tomorrow's showcase is the perfect opportunity for you, as ILF Scholars, to introduce yourselves to Richard and share your ideas for the future of the ILF. Speaking of the showcase, the finishing touches have been completed and I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow night.

Preparations for our annual information night next month are almost finalised. We have – for the first time – a representative flying from Oxford Said Business School, with a number of new training bodies possibly attending too. The new Zoho CRM implementation has progressed well during March. Scholars should see the first evidence in an invitation coming your way soon for a breakfast briefing on the green economy, presented by Professor Göran Roos.

Grant applications are being received at a similar rate to last year. Several are from consultants who are outstanding in their field, however eligibility for a grant is questionable. Consultants supporting SA businesses are considered for grant purposes to be enablers of wealth generation rather than wealth generators in their own right. The reason is that if these consultants win more business, it is likely other consultants will experience a contraction, but there are exceptions. For example, a consulting firm may be eligible if they can demonstrate the business is substantial in size, is headquartered in SA and brings business from interstate or overseas to generate local employment. 

Out and about

• I attended a Future Pathways of Learning seminar at Lumination. It provided an excellent insight into the hidden issues faced by school teachers every day.
• FBA arranged a ‘meet the family’ function hosted by the Knoll family at the market. Inspirational insights into a family that struggled in the early days, involved everyone regardless of age and relied on a reputation for being totally honest and focused on producing quality merchandise was the highlight. These came in a short speech by Franz, followed by Stefan and Alex being interviewed by Zoe Detmold (ILF2016). Brett Miller (ILF2019), SA Regional Director of FBA, opened proceedings and it was great to a see a number of Scholars in attendance including Penni Donato (ILF2019), who was also interviewed about her journey to the MD role at Allin Towbars.
• I addressed the CEO Institute syndicate 26 about the ILF.
• A look at the new La Loft Hotel was a highlight of a Tonsley Connections event. I caught up with ILF supporter Phil Ransome and potential applicants.
• I hosted a lunch addressed by Calvin Stead (ILF2018) and Matthew Stein (ILF2019) on the subject of businesses supporting farmers in Australia and beyond to feed the world. Calvin, MD of Kelly Tillage, and Matthew, GM and Vice-President of Trical Australia, expressed a clear understanding of their different but complimentary approaches to environmentally responsible farm management and crop production maximisation.   
• An ESG seminar by the Governance Institute provided a warmup for the ILF’s upcoming green economy seminar with Professor Göran Roos. The clear message is that ESG responsibility is being demanded by customers and employees while reporting on progress is being legislated by governments.
• Talent Recruitment, Retention and Developing Skills for the Workforce of the Future was the topic of a seminar by Piper Alderman. A suggestion to boost staff morale was to eliminate as many meetings as possible, and to cancel reports that may have been provided for a long time but are of no value.
• Lastly, I attended a CEDA State of the State luncheon with an impressive address by Peter Malinouskas. He laid out a plan for the economic development of SA and indicated he is determined to see a new university created from combining Adelaide and UniSA.

Beyond business

• Being the month of family birthdays, on 11 March we held a combined birthday at home for daughter Allison and myself. Grandson Noah introduced us to his new girlfriend and granddaughter Jill brought a friend who happens to be a boy, but insists they're not boyfriend and girlfriend. We adults did our best to console youngest granddaughter Vivienne, who didn't have a friend and felt left out.  A week later we celebrated Lisa’s birthday; fortunately we were again blessed with wonderful weather and Vivienne brought a school friend this time.
• I hosted a group of friends to Sturt Footy Club’s annual blue jeans fundraiser at the Arkaba. The highlight was watching Peterborough boy turned Canberra-based Financial Review political editor Phil Coorey interviewed by 5AA’s David Penberthy. In his footy news update, Penberthy said it was expected the Crows would likely still be searching for a new HQ in 20 years, while Port’s new HQ was progressing with all sorts of new innovations for fans, such as indoor toilets and cutlery!
• We attended an Adelaide Symphony Orchestra ‘Fantastic Journeys’ concert at Adelaide Town Hall. It was an enchanting evening with the highlight being Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. The piece is based on the story of a middle eastern monarch, Shahryar, who on discovering that his first wife was unfaithful to him, resolved to marry a new virgin every day and to have her beheaded the next morning before she could dishonour him. Eventually the vizier could find no more virgins of noble blood and, against her father's wishes, Scheherazade volunteered to marry the king. She was clever enough to survive for 1001 nights by which time Shahryar had fallen in love and decided to spare her. Find out how here.
• Allison caught Covid but recovered quickly thanks to Lisa’s Peruvian cure – a concoction made by boiling gum leaves, onion, garlic, ginger and cloves with a dash of honey. It seems to work every time.
• In my other business life, I chaired three meetings of the Brownhill Keswick Creek Stormwater Authority. The Authority recently completed the highly-acclaimed wetland at the southern end of Victoria Park and a large detention pond around Tree Climb. It is now doubling the flow capacity of lower Brownhill Creek in stages, starting from the airport and working gradually upstream. I also attended a planning day for KeyInvest, a friendly society which offers investment bonds, funeral bonds and is increasing focusing on offering short-term construction loans. It was an excellent day reflecting high quality leadership by the new CEO, Craig Brooke, in consultation with the chair and strong planning by the executive team. Lastly, I chaired an advisory board meeting for UHY Sothertons, a boutique accounting firm. 

My life in the Army

In the last instalment I had transferred to the inactive reserve.

Several years later we had moved to Adelaide, the family had expanded to four children, two boys and two girls, and we were missing the financial injection of my quarterly army pay cheques so I enquired about re-joining. My records had disappeared but fortunately the person in charge was Brigadier Oscar Wayland (who I reported to in my early years at the Adelaide University Regiment) and he made sure my application was processed. Another example of ‘it’s not what you know but who’. In the infantry we were expected to know the calibres of weapons and their cyclic rates of fire. I did not trust my memory after the long break and, as an accountant, felt I would be better suited to the Army Pay Corps (RAAPC). I joined 4 Pay Unit and copped a lot a flak from my infantry mates; ‘it never rains in the office’, or ‘I'd like to see how you'd use your calculator to defend against the enemy’. What I discovered was that the RAAPC was actually among the first elements injected into an operation because soldiers need to be able to buy supplies from the locals and the RAAPC provided and accounted for the cash. Similarly, they are the last to leave and this meant the most decorated officer in the Army at that time was Major John Spencer, a Pay Corps officer based in SA. This was the perfect rejoinder to all the infantry put downs. John tells a fascinating story about setting up the Australian peacekeeping force in Cambodia after the Pol Pot regime fell.   

There were many other differences between the infantry and RAAPC. In the infantry we learned how to navigate on foot by using maps and a compass. In the daytime we would match the ground to the contours in the map in fine detail. At night we would line the compass up against an object on the skyline, often a star, and march toward it and repeat the process each 30 minutes. On one occasion at MUR our section leader sighted his ‘star’ and followed it up a small spur to the top of the hill and back down the next spur, finishing back where we started instead of on the other side of the hill. He was asked how that happened and he pointed to his star which turned out to be a slow-moving satellite! In the RAAPC we had to move rapidly in vehicles, matching map to ground at a much higher level and faster pace. We practiced this by running what were effectively car rallies in Army Land Rovers through the Fleurieu Peninsula and elsewhere. In the late 80s one of our vehicles arrived first on the scene of a civilian car rollover at the edge of a steep narrow dirt road above the Victory Hotel. They called base control by two-way radio and we phoned 000. The soldiers at the scene hurried down the steep slope and found the driver unconscious with ‘grey stuff’ leaking from his skull. Several weeks later they visited the driver in hospital and were delighted when he said he was fine, thanks to their quick action.  

During this period I attended an exercise at Curtin Airbase near Derby in WA. Curtin is a bare base which means it has runways but no facilities except for a small civilian terminal serving Derby and the surrounding area. When I arrived it was a tent city with American and Australian war planes and 10/27 Battalion from Adelaide tasked to defend these assets from ground attack. The infantry was on a wartime footing living in little tents hidden in the scrub, eating food from tins and surviving in very basic conditions,. Meanwhile, the Air Force provided its pilots with air-conditioned huts, an outdoor cinema and a mess hall with chef-prepared banquets and self-serve ice cream machines!

Quite soon I was promoted to the rank of major and appointed Officer Commanding 4 Pay. Shortly after that I was approached to transfer back to the infantry as Officer Commanding Support Company at 10/27 Battalion.

Geoff Vogt

Scholar in the Spotlight

Tania Jolley
Co-Founder, DNA Security Solutions
Founder, Lashes of Change
Influence and Negotiation Strategies Program
Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2019

Catching criminals and making mascaras are all part of a day’s work for serial entrepreneur Tania Jolley. As the co-founder of DNA Security Solutions and founder of Lashes of Change, Ms Jolley is the ultimate example of finding answers to solve both serious and pesky problems.

LAW AND ORDER

With a Bachelor of Arts majoring in psychology from Flinders University, Ms Jolley completed a Bachelor of Management in the late 90s at Uni SA to explore the commerce mindset. Her first foray into the business world came at the tender age of 27, when she became the first female operator to take over a failing Tint a Car franchise. Fast forward three years and she built the business back up again and sold it with a 300% ROI.

After a brief hiatus working in the hospitality industry, which she thoroughly enjoyed, she went back into business and joined her partner at his existing business Technotronics.  Ms Jolley found ways to add value and grow this business by introducing different offerings. While working on a project with SA Police (SAPOL), the duo was asked to create a solution for one of SAPOL's biggest issues. This solution became DNA Security Solutions – the answer to the prayer for SAPOL and a silver lining for high-end jewellery manufacturers, bottle shops, gaming rooms and petrol stations.

“In 2004 we started working with SAPOL – they wanted a solution to forensically identify a criminal at a crime scene so they had the irrefutable evidence to prosecute them, ” Ms Jolley says.

“At the time there was an escalation of armed robberies and a spate of active gangs, including the Gang of 49,” she says.

“Police knew exactly who the perpetrators were but lacked the forensic ability to place them at the crime scene at the time of the crime, so it became a real game of cat and mouse.”

Unable to find an existing suitable solution after a worldwide hunt, the pair decided they needed to create one; the patented technology involves spraying a non-toxic, water-based solution embedded with a synthetic DNA fingerprint and ultraviolet ink onto criminals as they leave the crime scene, which can later be seen under black light when police catch up with the suspects and if need be, further analysed against crime scene samples.

Ms Jolley says the deterrent effect that this technology has created is the most stunning result, with a consistent elimination of crime for more than 98% of DNA Guardians customers across Australia and New Zealand.

“Considering we are working with some of the most attractive businesses to criminals and very soft targets, this is an outstanding result.”

Aside from the spray itself, Neighbourhood Watch-esque signage strategically positioned at the front of business premises is the main reason for a 98% success rate of deterring criminals through the fear of being caught, she says.

Upcoming Events

Scholars Network Food and Wine Showcase

Are you attending our annual showcase event tomorrow? Expect a night of networking over fine food and wine while learning more about the diverse Scholar companies within our network. You'll walk away with new connections, a better understanding of the ILF, and the chance to win some amazing prizes!

When:  Tomorrow (5 April), 6pm-8pm
Where: Lumination, 35-37 Stirling Street, Thebarton
Sponsor: William Buck

Limited tickets still available, email Suzi if you'd like to attend.

ILF Applicant Info Night

Interested in applying for an ILF grant or know someone who might? If the answer's yes, please join us for the ILF Applicant Info Night on 2 May. Past ILF recipients will be on hand to allow you to speak one-on-one with Scholars from a similar industry. ILF CEO Geoff Vogt and honorary board members will also be available to answer any questions. Our guest speakers (detailed below) are Stephen Moss and Edwards Carlson, while the MC for the evening is Michaela Webster (ILF2021), Transformation and ESG Projects, G’Day Group.

When: Tuesday, 2 May, 6pm-8pm
Where: Lumination, 35-37 Stirling Street, Thebarton

ILF Breakfast Training With Professor Göran Roos

ILF Scholars are invited to join internationally-renowned innovator and strategist Professor Göran Roos to learn more about how to adapt their business model to meet the demands of the Green Economy. The new standards being set by the European Union will have to be met by exporters to Europe and, in turn, by suppliers of inputs to those exporters. Your customer may not be in Europe but if they export a portion of the output there they will need to comply, which means you'll need to comply. The EU is a first adopter, but others will likely follow. Professor Roos will explain why SA manufacturers must act now to ensure they comply with changing requirements of national and global supply chains.

Professor Roos is in town to conduct the Business Model Innovation for the Green Economy program for local businesses on behalf of the Federal Department for Industry, Innovation and Science. Geoff Vogt attended an information session at the Ai Group in February and was blown away by the information Professor Roos provided about all manner of things relevant to environmental initiatives and their implications for manufacturing, transport and international trade.

Thanks to generous sponsors William Buck, the event is free for Scholars. 

When: Wednesday, 10 May, 7.30am-9am (breakfast at 7am)
Where: William Buck, 6/211 Victoria Square, Adelaide

Save the Dates*

• 16 June: Business Value Maximisation – half day training
• 18 August: How businesses succeed in difficult, uncertain times
• 25 September, 5.30pm to 8.30pm: ILF Awards Ceremony
• 23 October: Investing in uncertain times
• 20 November, 5.30pm: Mentoring launch
• 11 December, 6pm to 8pm: ILFSN Christmas party

*All dates listed above are to be confirmed.

2023 Veterans SA Career & Business Mentoring Program

Applications for the 2023 Veterans SA Career & Business Mentoring Program are now open. Participants can choose from two streams; Career and Skills Development; or Entrepreneurship and Business Development, with both offering opportunities to learn from experienced SA business leaders and expand their professional networks.

This year, the eligibility criteria for mentee participants includes anyone who is or has served in the ADF as well as their partners. Applications are also open for program mentors who are keen to share their knowledge and expertise to support participants to unlock their full potential.

Facilitated by strategy and business coach Christine Molitor (ILF2017), the program will run from June to November, with applications closing 11 May.

Business in Brief

AI chatbots, and what they mean for you

AI chatbots are a fundamental piece of this decade’s technological infrastructure. That's the word from The Governance Institute of Australia, which explains some of the risks and benefits to businesses. Whilst boardrooms will have to tackle ethical questions, liability implications and accountability and transparency issues, the Institute says integrating AI chatbots into your board activity should lead to quicker, more reliable audit information.

Read the Governance Institute of Australia article.

Chatting all things ChatGPT

ChatGPT version 4 was released in mid March,  just four months after it first came onto the scene. This three-page article by specialist insurance provider CFC explains the latest upgrade and the benefits and risks of using AI chatbots, whilst detailing how current insurance policies might respond to the risks.

Read the CFC article.

Implications of the SVB collapse

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) will mean less debt capital support for start-ups, even those who thought they had guaranteed loans locked in, consequently putting more pressure on the venture capital equity markets. This article from Inside P&C provides a detailed analysis and is a must-read for investors and business owners who rely on venture capital funding.

Read the Inside P&C article.

Carbon offsetting v carbon insetting

Are companies purchasing carbon credits only when they have exhausted all other possibilities to decrease their emissions? Or are carbon credits merely a financial product for corporate greenwashing? These are among questions raised in this article I by IMD (we've highlighted a few key points for skimming).

Read the I by IMD article.

Scholars in the Media