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ROBERT WELLER
Director
BSc (Hons), MBA, FAICD, CM
GARY ISAACS
Associate
Post Graduate Dip. Program Evaluation
Dip. Photograph, Design & Advertising
ROBERT WELLER
Director
BSc (Hons), MBA, FAICD, CMC
Experienced international industrial sales and marketing executive
GARY ISAACS
Associate
Post Graduate Dip. Program Evaluation
Dip. Photograph, Design & Advertising
Serial Entrepeneur
ADAM PERKINS
Associate
B.Sc. (Hons), Grad Dip Law (Intl Prop)
Former R&D Director
JOHN O'CALLAGHAN
Associate
Diploma Applied Chemistry; Diploma Management
Former R&T Executive
SUE SMITH
Associate
SME Defence CEO
Former Executive Officer of the Australian Industry & Defence Network (AIDN)
KRISHNA BASWA
Associate
Bachelor of Engineering(Mechanical); Master of Business Administration; Prince 2 Project Management & Lean (TPS)
ROBERT JONGEBREUR
Associate
BSc. (Mech Eng.) MBA (Cranfield)
ROBERT WELLER
Director
BSc (Hons), MBA, FAICD, CM
Robert Weller B Sc (Hons) MBA has extensive experience in sales, marketing, management and consulting to industries such as manufacturing, oil & gas, petroleum & petrochemicals, agriculture, food, steel making, mineral processing, power stations and recycling. He has been professionally involved in the construction, operations and maintenance of these types of processing plants.
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He has gained this experience from assignments with National Starch and Chemical (ICI (U.K.) & Unilever) Orica, and Nalco Chemical Company. These have taken place in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and China.
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He has prepared and implemented a large number of strategic plans for multinational Corporations and has a strong background in commercialising innovation. Robert was directly involved in the commercialisation of over 20 new products deployed into highly capital-intensive industries. Robert is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants and a Fellow of the Australian institute of Company Directors. He has been National President of the Graduate Management Association of Australia and a member of the Victorian Government’s Services Export Advisory Committee.
GARY ISAACS
Associate
Post Graduate Dip. Program Evaluation
Dip. Photograph, Design & Advertising
Gary Isaacs has experience in publishing, advertising, animation, magazines, business development, Internet application development and consulting.
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Gary is a qualified Program Evaluator. Program evaluation is a systematic method for collecting, analysing, and using information to answer questions about projects, policies and programs. Stakeholders often want to know whether the programs they are funding, implementing, voting for, receiving or objecting to are producing the intended effect. Important considerations often include how much the program costs per participant, how the program could be improved, and whether there are better alternatives. Evaluators help to answer these questions.
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He has worked for Australian Consolidated Press, styling and photographing countless books and magazine projects. Gary has also worked on animated TV series the Flintstones, Scooby Doo, TV commercials and rock videos as a production manager and art director.
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His consulting experience includes projects in the TAFE sector completed for the Victorian Government and TAFE Colleges. He has also researched and written funding proposals for manufacturers in electronics, food, chemicals and plastic moulding.
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Gary has held positions on Advisory Boards for the Victorian Government, Local Government and Deakin University. Gary was founding Chairman of CollabIT for three years. He was a committee member, for eight years, of the AIIA (Australian Information Industry Association) a national ICT industry body representing the interests of Australian companies and lobbying Government.
In 2007, Gary was awarded the Australian Business Arts Foundation award for a collaborative project with Swinburne University which required the Netagi team to develop a website and system for the National Institute of Circus Arts.
ADAM PERKINS
Associate
B.Sc. (Hons),
Grad Dip Law (Intl Prop)
Adam specialises in business and technology commercialisation for the FMCG and Agribusiness sectors.
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Adam is an executive with 25 years’ experience in the FMCG Food,Professional Services, NFP- Foreign Aid and Consulting sectors. He has worked locally and internationally in South East Asia, North America & Africa for the following organizations:
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- Watermark Intellectual Property: (Australia)
- AVI / Australian Government: (Africa)
- Cadbury - Kraft: (Australia / New Zealand)
- H.J Heinz Australia: (Australia / New Zealand)
- Masterfoods: (South East Asia / Canada / North America)
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In previous roles Adam has managed divisions of up to 50 staff with budgets in excess of $6.0 million. A former R&D / Technical executive in companies, Mars, Heinz and Cadbury / Kraft, his subject matter strengths cut across almost all food processing and packaging innovation, quality and regulatory affairs.
Adam has been a member of Australia’s peak food body, the AFGC.
He has been engaged as an expert witness on a food related patent dispute.
Adam has overseen company use of the R&D tax concession program as well as successfully securing a major Federal Government innovation grant.
He has worked as a consultant for law firm FoodLegal on variety of technical and practice management issues.
JOHN O'CALLAGHAN
Associate
Diploma Applied Chemistry;
Diploma Management
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John O’Callaghan has had extensive experience in the areas of Innovation and R&D having managed the Research and Development function for Amcor for many years. This culminated in the role of GM of the Research & Technology Centre for Amcor which included a rebuild of the Research centre at Alphington. In this role he provided support for Innovation and Product Development activities to Amcor businesses across Australia and New Zealand and was part of the Global Innovation team that drove the Innovation agenda across Amcor businesses in Europe, USA, Asia and Australasia.
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In more recent times he has been part of the KPMG R&D team where he has used his considerable experience and background in the R&D area to assist businesses in identifying eligible R&D and to ensure they take maximum advantage of the Government R&D Tax Concession program. His focus has particularly been in the manufacturing area with an emphasis on the Food and Packaging industries. He has also had experience with a range of companies across sectors including Medical, IT, Forestry, Transport and Finance.
SUE SMITH
Associate
SME Defence CEO
Executive Officer of both the Australian Industry & Defence Network (AIDN)
A highly experienced Association Manager with extensive SME related experience working for SME Defence, the Australian Industry & Defence Network Inc, KEL Aerospace a small engineering firm, and the Department of Foreign Affairs
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Currently:
SME Defence is a Victorian centric network of over 450 companies for the exchange of information and advice on defence industry opportunities.
Previously:
Australian Industry & Defence Network National & Victoria Executive Officer August 1999 – December 2016
As the Executive Officer of both the Australian Industry & Defence Network (AIDN) Nationally and Victoria; I grew the association over 17 years to be recognised as the peak defence industry association in Australia representing small to medium enterprises. My key contributions included:
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Major value creation for AIDN-Vic members by researching and production of digests of current government tenders, monthly newsletter and circulating of up to minute information in relation to the defence industry.
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Providing extensive support to AIDN members through networking events, newsletters, facilitating BtoB connections and clusters, coordinating trade missions and advocacy.
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Driving membership growth in AIDN-Vic from 65 to over 265-member companies.
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Securing grants to enhance and expand AIDN’s capacity.
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Creating initiatives to support of skilling SMEs in the defence arena.
Other
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Participant in the Defence and Industry Study Course (DISC) -2002
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Chair and Director of Australian Aerospace & Defence Innovation Ltd
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Member of the Federal Australian Aerospace Industry Forum.
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SME representative on the Ai Group Defence Council from 2009-2015.
KRISHNA BASWA
Associate
Bachelor of Engineering(Mechanical); Master of Business Administration; Prince 2 Project Management & Lean (TPS)
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Krishna is a Consultant and has 10 years of consulting experience. Krishna comes from a middle level executive operations position and has his roots in the automotive industry, with 15 years corporate experience across this sector. His strengths include consulting clients in Process Methodologies (TQM, Lean and Six Sigma), Business Process Improvements, Quantitative Process Management and Systems thinking, Leading senior stakeholders and in the use of analytical tools. In addition, he has exposure to project management tools and strategic planning.
Recent Engagements
• Advanced Product Quality Planning in the auto industry.
• Development and implementation of Product Development Toolkits (PFMEA, FMEA, Reliability Systems, DOE)
• Process and change management and operational improvement in the Agri Business Sector.
• Reengineered core processes with estimated cost reductions of $1, 5 m in the Agri Business Sector.
• Supply Chain Development in the auto industry.
• Technology strategy, strategic planning, advanced engineering and operational management.
• Co – authored a Global Coal Strategic report to a mining client.
Key Roles
Consultant – Krishna has led a business improvement and unit cost reduction initiative.
Coach & Trainer – Krishna has rolled out FMEAs across five manufacturing plants in the auto industry
Industry Experience
Automotive, General Manufacturing & Agri Business.
ROBERT JONGEBREUR
Associate
BSc. (Mech Eng.) MBA (Cranfield)
Robert commenced his career with BHP/John Lysaghts and qualified as a mechanical engineer. He is experienced in engineering, agricultural businesses, corporate strategy, finance and venture capital. He has worked for GKN Group Management Services (UK’s largest engineering group), Molins Ltd., PT Tatar Anya, Citicorp Australia Ltd, Grindlays Australia Ltd and Business Loans and Equity Capital Ltd. Robert has been the founder and Managing Director of Australian Venture Capital Ltd, & Business Capital Ltd.
Robert gained extensive training in engineering, finance, corporate strategy and venture capital from the above as well as 3i UK, a world leader in private equity and venture capital.
Robert has worked as Robert Jongebreur & Associates, then Australian Business Advisers Pty Ltd assisting companies with the development of successful business strategies, commercialising R&D and arranging venture capital.
Robert and Robert Weller have worked together in raising over $10 million in funding.
He is skilled in business structuring, reviewing business opportunities, developing marketing strategies and strategies for raising finance. He has worked in a number of industries (manufacture, agriculture, finance) in Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and the UK.
Robert gained an MBA from Cranfield, UK.
Previously, Robert had been a member of the Rotary Club of Melbourne and was a committee member of “Welfare of the Young” committee. He was also a founding member of the Australia – Sri Lanka Business Council.
Robert regularly sat on panels assessing business plans for the La Trobe University and RMIT University Business plan competitions. He was also a panellist at the Swinburne University School of Entrepreneurship Master’s program, opportunity evaluation panel.
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