Policy Advisor
Karavis & Associates
Total years of experience :50 years, 11 Months
Researching Early School Leaving for Nationals and Non-Nationals (Migrants) across the European Community, with a special focus on Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus.
Tony Blair Associates works with governments on the path of reform providing advice and support on key areas of governance, modernisation and implementation.
Tony Blair Associates is entirely separate from the Foundations which are independent charitable entities accountable to their own boards and trustees and subject to applicable charity regulations.
Trusted advisor to family owned business groups on matters related to governance and strategic performance of their business and family interests.
- Advisor within Department of Corporate Planning and Development on issues related to Strategic Planning and Performance Management at both the Corporate and SBU level.
- Supported the development and implementation of a Balanced Scorecard Strategy Management plan at the Corporate level initially (with the next step being cascading to and alignment with the SBU's within Ashghal).
- Drove the new approach to corporate recruiting using Linked-In to staff new Office of Strategy Management.
- Driving the development of RFP's related to both the acquisition of strategy execution and performance management software and the identification of consulting partners to support a significant organisational transformation initiative.
- Responsible for operational direction of MBA courses and executive development programs at AIMSA. This included marketing, student admissions, program direction, faculty management, and student management of MBA program.
- Participated in the successful re-accreditation of AIMSA MBA program with the tertiary education regulation authorities in South Australia.
- Developed and presented strategic challenges and directions paper presented to the Board of AIMSA and Academic Board of the Graduate School of Business; including competitive evaluation of opportunities for market segmentation, geographic expansion, course delivery innovations, and professional management qualifications.
- Developed and implemented an SBU-level operational performance management reporting methodology with targets based upon activity-driver cost-revenue modelling.
- Provided advice to global strategy consulting firm on strategic issues facing RTA and developing Balanced Scorecard Strategy Maps.
- Supervised and directed Balanced Scorecard KPI definitions, data-collection and scorecard reporting to RTA Corporate and SBU's.
- Worked on special projects: selection and implementation of BI performance management software, strategic and operational benchmarking, outsourcing contract performance reporting.
- Strategy management and executive development practice.
- Clients in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Hong Kong and China.
- Typical engagements included:
...... business process reengineering of government department,
...... design and development of a graduate school of business,
...... senior executive development program (strategy and leadership),
...... internet strategy for downstream oil retailer/wholesaler,
...... industry briefs and sales strategy for major telecom,
...... performance improvement for real estate investment trust.
- Responsible for strategic direction and operational management of portfolio of Mt. Eliza MBA Programs (Executive MBA, Corporate MBA and IPMI-Monash MBA). Operations were profitable within 12 months.
- Developed and launched the Mt. Eliza Executive MBA which grew to over 350 enrolled candidates in 2.5 years and had its first graduates within 18 months. Expansion to Asia-Paific was in progress.
- Negotiated and launched the joint-venture with IPMI (Indonesia's 1st rank graduate school of business) in 1995, including the IPMI-Monash MBA and executive development centre.
- Developed and taught the Competitive Strategy in Asia-Pacific executive development program in 1995 and continued teaching this program until 1999.
- Member of the Strategic Services Practice management team for Australia, the global Organisational Strategy practice and the Asia-Pacific consumer products and oil & Gas industry groups.
- Responsible for recruitment and training of strategy consulting talent for the Australian practice between 1990 and 1993.
- Led significant consulting engagements (>A$1.5 million) for clients including Kmart Australia, Lever Brothers Thailand and BP Australia & New Zealand.
- Practice faculty for in-house strategy training programs in Australia, Geneva and St. Charles (U.S.A.).
- Team member on two engagements: supplier partnering implications of Canada-US Free Trade Agreement for a Canadian brewing company and Toronto market-entry strategy for national natural gas pipeline authority,
- Pro-bono work for Toronto Dance Theatre on marketing and fund-raising. (Later joined Board of Directors).
- Taught capstone courses (full year) in Business Policy (Strategy & General Management) and semester (half-year) courses in International Business Strategy.
- Conducted post-graduate seminars on Strategic Management for research masters and doctoral candidates.
- Supervised compulsory group field-research projects for MBA and HBA final year students.
- Completed Special Fields in Business Policy (Strategy and General Management), incorporating two years of doctoral seminars in business administration and research methods followed by successful defence of a research thesis proposal.
- Case-Teaching skills development including attendance at two case-study methods (design and delivery) courses and supervised case teaching in Business Policy course.
- Case-writing skills development including attendance at case-writing seminar and writing of two case studies on MNC subsidiaries in Canada.
- Market-entry study of the Southern U.S. Cement Market, covering all seaboard states from Texas through to Florida.
- Productivity Analysis and Turn-around Strategy for Saudi and Greek joint-venture cement plant located in Carribean region.
- Market size study for baby-food exports joint venture from Greece for the Middle East and North Africa markets.
- Joint-venture supplier visits and feasibility study for export of fresh food products from Crete to the Netherlands.
- Responsible for financial accounts, contract administration, payroll, office, housing and logistics matters related to contract with Ministry of Energy.
- Planned and Supervised the safe evacuation of all expatriate staff (including families resident in Iran) during the revolutionary turmoil.
- Planned and facilitated the successful retrieval and exit of aircraft supplies and computer equipment from Iran to Australia.
- Developed master logistics schedule for containerised transport of meat products from Australia New Zealand to Iran/Gulf region.
- Developed cost-accounting and tracking system for meat-products to support contract price negotiations between IMO and AustIran.
- Developed commodity price and volume forecasting system for sheep and lamb production in Australia and new Zealand.
- Member of team that developed shell-freezing of carcasses and containerised transport of meat products in Australia.
- Established subsidiary office in Tehran.
- Developed coarse grains, oilseeds and wheat commodity production forecasting system for Australia.
- Team member establishing a commodity contracts administration system capable of handling accumulation programs, contract trades and trading position reporting.
- Wrote the first corporate strategic plan for the Australian subsidiary and coordinated reporting with New York head-office.
- Taught distance education courses in Organisation Theory and Introduction to Business Management.
- Conducted research on Input-Output (Leontief) model of the Australian Agribusiness Economy (using national input-output tables).
- Developed Monte-Carlo simulation model of warehousing and supply management using Fortran on IBM mainframe computer.
- Conducted market research on retail market for frozen sheep meat and live sheep imports in Iran.
- Analysed and reported on national agricultural development priorities and strategy for Iran, especially on white / red meat production and implications for wheat trading.
Note: This company was the forerunner to AustIran Pty Ltd, a joint venture between the Agricultural Development Bank of Iran and the agribusiness interests of John Darling in Australia.
- Completed intensive 12 month post-graduate program in general management modelled on Harvard M.B.A. program. Three x 1.5 hour classes per day, five and a half days per week.
- Electives in Agribusiness Management and Interpersonal Behaviour and Values.
- Conducted field-research on Wine and Grape Industry in Iran, a case study of Pakdis Corporation and U.N. Industrial Development Organisation.
- Assisted in brand management activities, including evaluation of marketing research, conducting customer panel discussions, advertising schedules, promotion evaluations, development of photo shoe catalogue.
- Assisted Group Marketing Manager on development of francise stores concept for both independent retailers and store-within-a-store concept for large national retailers.
- Analysed brand and competitor market penetration studies for selected retail locations across Australia. Also examined multi-brand consumer and lifestyle positioning research.
NOTE: ABD (Dissertation not submitted) - Successfully completed two years academic coursework (Special Fields) in Business Policy. Also successfully defended thesis proposal. - Summer work included case-writing on Canadian subsidiaries of Foreign Multinationals. - Research case-studies completed on the strategic resource allocation process (i.e. the relationship between strategic planning and capital budgeting) in diversified Canadian corporations. - Shell Canada and Ontario Plan Scholarships.
- Master of Business Administration program established with the academic assistance of Harvard Business School in Iran in 1970 and modelled on the HBS program. - Qualification was assessed by Australian Qualifications Authority as being equivalent to Australian MBA program in 1975. - Field Research study on Pakdis Corporation; a major agribusiness firm established with the assistance of UNIDO. - Foreign Student Scholarship (fees plus accommodation plus stipend)
- Completed three-year Bachelor of Economics degree with a major in Mathematical Economics and courses in sociology, computer science and economic statistics. - Elected Treasurer of ANU Student's Association (1971/72) at a time when compulsory student union fees were collected to fund student services (sports, cultural, social & welfare activities). - Commonwealth Government Scholarship; early entry to A.N.U.