CEOs swap experiences

By ADAM GIFFORD

An Australian company which provides forums for chief executives to get together and discuss business problems is considering opening a branch in Auckland.

The CEO Institute has almost 600 members in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Chief executive Andrew Dalziel, says it was started in Melbourne in 1992 by a traditional management consultancy, specialising in human relations, of which he was a partner.

"We often spoke to CEOs, particularly of manufacturing companies, about what we could deliver for staff. It occurred to us many of the CEOs were isolated or lonely," Mr Dalziel says.

"Many people out there, particularly in the industrial and manufacturing belts, got to work early, stayed in their bunker all day, worked late and were generally isolated from what was happening outside.

"Our concept was to create syndicates of 15 CEOs of non-competing companies who would meet for a half day each month to share ideas and experiences in a confidential environment."

The idea took off in Melbourne, eventually leading Mr Dalziel and his associates to sell off the management consultancy and concentrate on the institute.

The company decides who goes into which syndicate, finds people - typically retired business people - to facilitate the forums, finds speakers and pulls together the agendas.

To join, members must run a company or division of a company with a turnover greater than $A2 million. Syndicates are streamed into smaller companies, companies between $A10 million and $A100 million, and $A100 million-plus enterprises.

Membership costs between $A3500 and $A12,000 a year, depending on services used by the syndicates.

"It gives people a chance to validate current practices, throw ideas round, share experiences and [ideas on] how to tackle issues like industrial relations or new government regulations. Because of the expertise in every group and the fact they come from non-competing businesses, inevitably someone would have prior experience in the issue raised," Mr Dalziel says.

At the forums, members give quick updates on their companies, hear presentations from speakers such as economists or e-commerce experts on topics nominated by members, and finish with an open forum where any issue can be discussed.

"With the increasing rapidity of change and lack of certainty in business, people can't keep pace with what's happening by themselves. We act as a filter," Mr Dalziel says.

He says any move into Auckland will be done through someone who understands the local market.

The forums are proving a boon to New Zealand managers moving into the Australian market.

Ian Larsen, the Australian branch manager of systems integrator Cogita Business Services, says he joined to develop contacts and extend his exposure to the broader business community in Australia.

"As an Australian-based director of a New Zealand company, I have business and management problems that I really can't discuss with anyone else in the organisation in Australia. I can take these issues to my syndicate meetings and obtain constructive input from my peers, who are fellow CEOs and have to confront the same problems," Mr Larsen says.



"Many people out there, particularly in the industrial and manufacturing belts, got to work early, stayed in their bunker all day, worked late and were generally isolated from what was happening outside.

"Our concept was to create syndicates of 15 CEOs of non-competing companies who would meet for a half day each month to share ideas and experiences in a confidential environment."

The idea took off in Melbourne, eventually leading Mr Dalziel and his associates to sell off the management consultancy and concentrate on the institute.

The company decides who goes into which syndicate, finds people - typically retired business people - to facilitate the forums, finds speakers and pulls together the agendas.

To join, members must run a company or division of a company with a turnover greater than $A2 million. Syndicates are streamed into smaller companies, companies between $A10 million and $A100 million, and $A100 million-plus enterprises.

Membership costs between $A3500 and $A12,000 a year, depending on services used by the syndicates.

"It gives people a chance to validate current practices, throw ideas round, share experiences and [ideas on] how to tackle issues like industrial relations or new government regulations. Because of the expertise in every group and the fact they come from non-competing businesses, inevitably someone would have prior experience in the issue raised," Mr Dalziel says.

At the forums, members give quick updates on their companies, hear presentations from speakers such as economists or e-commerce experts on topics nominated by members, and finish with an open forum where any issue can be discussed.

"With the increasing rapidity of change and lack of certainty in business, people can't keep pace with what's happening by themselves. We act as a filter," Mr Dalziel says.

He says any move into Auckland will be done through someone who understands the local market.

The forums are proving a boon to New Zealand managers moving into the Australian market.

Ian Larsen, the Australian branch manager of systems integrator Cogita Business Services, says he joined to develop contacts and extend his exposure to the broader business community in Australia.

"As an Australian-based director of a New Zealand company, I have business and management problems that I really can't discuss with anyone else in the organisation in Australia. I can take these issues to my syndicate meetings and obtain constructive input from my peers, who are fellow CEOs and have to confront the same problems," Mr Larsen says.

CEO Institute web site