Blog

Craig Drummonds brief is to lead investment house Goldman Sachs JBWere to No.1 in the Australian market. It's a CEO role that sees him act as strategist, salesman and firefighter. By Jennifer Alexander

When New York-based investment banking giant Goldman Sachs and Australian stockbroker JBWere formed a joint venture (GSJBW) in 2003, the pundits weren't surprised. The 160-year-old Melbourne establishment was the last all-Australian firm to hold out against the tide of mergers with British, European and American investment banks.

For small-cap companies and SMEs pursuing growth, the need to recruit the right CEO is imperative and requires a multifaceted approach. By Peter Tulau

Meet Bob Jones, chairman of a national professional industry association. In 2006, Jones faced a dilemma. Having enjoyed the stability of a long-serving CEO, he had come to the realisation that the business was no longer as commercially astute as it needed to be. Membership was waning, product offerings were no longer leading-edge, and as a result the credibility of the business was diminishing.

Business's top performers are turning to productivity coaches in order to stay at the top of their game, and they're finding out that healthy minds and healthy bodies can mean peak performance. By Darren Baguley

When Vodafone marketing team members Rob Treharne and Marc Fine got hairy for Movember 2006, it ignited a passion to do something really special for Movember 2007.

Angel investors are one source when seeking capital. Darren Baguley looks at this potential pool of funds and how to manage the dynamics of the new relationship that ensues.

All companies start with someone having an idea. In the case of online auctioneer OZtion, it all began when programmer Kelvin Yip started tinkering with a code, and in 2004, he had come up with a truly groundbreaking website technology.

Martine Letts, Deputy Director at the Lowy Institute for International Policy, has a background that provides a unique perspective in her role within a policy think tank. By Jennifer Alexander

Martine Letts has had a career spanning foreign affairs, a time as Ambassador to Argentina, and four years leading the Australian Red Cross. Now Deputy Director at the Lowy Institute, Letts talks about the Institute's goals, the challenges of her role and leadership.

Q: Could you describe your current role?

Good knowledge management ensures continued access to employees' know-how, even when they move on. Mark Story investigates how one organisation‘s systems mean they no longer rely solely on what‘s in the heads of individual staff. Providing the information and tools to staff to do the best possible job – successful knowledge transfer – would be a breeze if nobody ever changed jobs. The trouble, in a period of high staff churn, is that the holding and transferring of all-important knowledge remains a dark art.

Rather than any single cause, it is becoming clearer that the reasons why women continue to be poorly represented at high levels is the sum of many obstacles. By Jocelyn Biddle

It is no secret that when it comes to the upper echelons of senior management within Australia, women remain few and far between.

The outplacement industry has developed since the wave of downsizings in the '80s and '90s. Edwin Trevor-Roberts seeks to dispel a few myths about the practice.

Greg Bourne has brought a longstanding passion for nature with the skills learned from a multinational background to his role as head of WWF in Australia. By Jennifer Alexander

WWF-Australia's goal is to bring harmony to man and nature. Greg Bourne, Chief Executive Officer, is a passionate individual who is bringing a hard-nosed reality to the challenges of helping to improve business practices, bottom lines and reputations.

Today's challenge for all levels of business to embrace the new sustainability world order is ignored at their peril. This includes developing leading solutions against those far-sighted competitors taking us into a new age. By Deborah Tarrant