APRIL 2025 BULLETIN

In the Ujvary household, like many homes across Australia, the dining table serves as more than a place to eat – it's where life unfolds.

Message from the Chief Executive

Welcome to the April bulletin. We have a packed edition to start the second quarter, showcasing remarkable achievements within our Scholars Network and highlighting exciting opportunities ahead.

Our Scholar in the Spotlight features George Ujvary, CEO of Olga's Fine Foods. George's story shows how leadership, family values and cultural heritage create lasting business success. From a Hindley St restaurant to national distribution, George's commitment to quality – "we don't take shortcuts because it carries my mum's name" – offers a powerful lesson for all family-run business leaders.

Our 2025 grants round is now open, with applications closing Friday, 30 May. This year, we're continuing to encourage female industry leaders to apply, as they remain underrepresented among applicants. The ILF has a proud history of supporting "repeat offenders" (in the best possible way!) – scholars who've benefited from one grant and returned for further development. This speaks volumes about the value these experiences deliver. If you know of exceptional candidates who may be eligible for an ILF grant – perhaps a colleague, industry peer, or rising star in your business – please direct them to our website or connect them with me for a confidential discussion. Your personal recommendations go a long way in helping us to identify emerging business greats.

February's William Buck Growth Series launch was a hit, with more than 65 scholars at the Strategy Development session. One scholar called it their "favourite yet from the ILF network" – exactly the impact we aim for. Looking ahead, don't miss the Generative & Agentic AI for Business session at Lot Fourteen on 11 April for practical AI insights. The William Buck CFO Summit on 14 May at Adelaide Oval features David Koch AM and Treasurer Stephen Mullighan. Use promo code "ILF-50" for a $50 discount on early-bird tickets (closing 6 April).

Our focus remains clear: developing SA's leadership capability and driving economic growth. The ILF Scholars Network continues as a catalyst for business success across our state, with more impact to come this year. I look forward to seeing many of you at upcoming events and receiving applications from both current scholars and new candidates.

In the meantime, good hunting.

Richard Barrett
Chief Executive, Industry Leaders Fund
Level 1, 45 Greenhill Road, Wayville SA 5034
M: 0417 283 633
E: richard.barrett@industryleaders.com.au

Scholar in the Spotlight

Dr George Ujvary,
CEO, Olga's Fine Foods
Lean Japan Tour, Shinka Management, 2014
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, University of Adelaide, 2014

In the Ujvary household, like many homes across Australia, the dining table serves as more than a place to eat – it's where life unfolds.

"The family table is central to family dynamics," George says. It's almost like the corporate boardroom, where families share their ideas, their dreams, their life plans."

For nearly five decades, Olga's Fine Foods has been part of this intimate equation, bringing families together through food. Named after George's mother, Olga, the company’s iconic beef chevapchichis began at their Hindley St restaurant in the 1970s. When take-home demand outpaced dining in, the family pivoted to manufacturing. From humble beginnings at the Central Markets, they now supply supermarkets nationwide from their Welland facility.

With a Master's in Gastronomy, George finds food an essential cultural connector.

"There are many ways you can share culture – through music, through language, through customs and through food. I'm half Hungarian and half Estonian. I don't speak those languages, but I can cook both cuisines to share my heritage."

Since becoming CEO in 2006, George has guided the company through half a century of generational shifts and changing market conditions – all the while maintaining its core values.

"One of my proudest moments was seeing my mother’s name on a pack of beef chevapchichis in Woolworths as a young boy," George reflects. To this day, I still remind staff that we don't take shortcuts because it carries my mum’s name."

Upcoming Events

William Buck CFO Summit

Date: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Location: Adelaide Oval

Join more than 200 CFOs, finance leaders and business executives across industry and tackle the latest challenges and trends at the William Buck CFO Summit – South Australia’s premier conference.

David Koch AM, leading finance and business commentator, The Honorable Stephen Mullighan MP, Treasurer of South Australia, and Adelaide Timbrell, Senior Economist at NAB, will be among the speakers at the 14 May summit hosted by award-winning journalist Jess Adamson.

Along with a CFO panel drawing on personal experiences and how they are navigating the road ahead, the program will cover the most pressing issues facing CFOs, finance leaders and business executives, including:

• business lessons from Port Adelaide’s comeback
• the state of South Australia
• turning ESG into a competitive advantage
• building a strategic technology roadmap
• getting a handle of AI
• the outlook for the Australian economy and what this means for SA businesses.

As an ILF scholar, William Buck is offering a $50 discount off your early-bird ticket with the promo code "ILF-50" (early-bird registrations close 6 April).

Generative & Agentic AI for Business

Date: Friday, 11 April 2025
Time: 9.30am-1.30pm (registration opens at 9.15am)
Location: Lot Fourteen, corner of North Terrace and Frome Road

Join the Ai Group for an informative presentation and discussion about adopting generative AI for competitive business advantage. This event is tailored for professionals and decisionmakers from businesses looking to explore practical applications of generative and agentic AI.

The session aims to demonstrate current AI capabilities, including opportunities and challenges for the responsible adoption of generative AI, foundation models, AI chat, agentic AI and causal AI. The format will enable live discussions and networking with Ai Group members about AI's potential to transform workplaces. Featured presenters include:

• Professor Anton van den Hengel, Chief Scientist, Australian Institute for Machine Learning at The University of Adelaide
• Marshall Cowan, CEO of Clevertar
• Jannat Maqbool, Program Director at ARM Hub AI Adopt Centre
• Professor Javen Shi, Professor of Computer Science, Australian Institute for Machine Learning at The University of Adelaide
• Dr Jamie Sherrah, Managing Director at Inject AI 

This special event is presented by AI Industry Connection, a forum launched by the National AI Centre with the support of Ai Group and the Department of Industry, Science & Resources. 

Recap: ILF x William Buck Growth Series

The first event in our William Buck Growth Series featured a strategy development session on 25 February hosted by Jamie McKeough, Executive Chair at William Buck SA.

The event included presentations from successful business leaders at the helm of iconic SA businesses, including Codan's CEO and Managing Director Alf Ianniello, and Anthony Kittel (ILF2010) and Chris Johnson from REDARC, who shared their personal experiences and perspectives on the development and implementation of a winning business strategy.

The verdict?

“I would rate this session as my favourite yet from the ILF network.”

“Hugely insightful.”

"Very high quality of content and speakers.”

“An excellent afternoon of quality presentations on strategy, giving inspiration and direction for 'young' scholars like me.”

Thanks to the more than 65 scholars who participated in making this such a valuable event, highlighting how businesses can stay ahead of competition, drive innovation and create sustainable success with the right strategy.

Scholars in the Media