CA Technologies (NASDAQ:CA) today announced the appointment of three new senior sales directors to support its new approach to market in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) based on four key industry verticals – Telecommunications and Media (Telco and Media), Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BSFI), Commercial and State Government (CSG)  and  Federal Government. In addition, a new vice president of Services for ANZ has been appointed to lead the growth and development of a strategic services business that enables CA Technologies propositions into each of these verticals.

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Christopher Tooher is currently General Manager for Bell Shakespeare Company.  He has a comprehensive career in the performing arts sector working in a variety of roles.  Prior to Bell Shakespeare, Christopher worked as a Producer at Sydney Opera House and Director/CEO of Illawarra Performing Arts Centre in Wollongong.  He is well respected in the arts industry and beyond, especially for his dedication and commitment to a number of Boards including Australian Dance Theatre, Legs on the Wall, Critical Path, Arts On Tour NSW, Performing Arts Touring Alliance and Australian Theatre Forum, as well as panels and committees for both the Australia Council for the Arts and Arts NSW.

Minister for Tourism, Major Events and the Arts, George Souris, congratulated Christopher Tooher on his appointment.  “It’s fantastic to have Christopher Tooher at Sydney Festival, bringing his experience from some of Australia’s pre-eminent arts companies,” Mr Souris said.

“Sydney Festival is one of Australia’s premier and most important arts events and I am confident that Christopher will make a valued contribution to the Festival team alongside Festival Director Lieven Bertels.  Together they will present as a formidable pair.”

Lord Mayor and Chair of Sydney Festival, Clover Moore MP said, “Christopher’s experience managing touring and performance programs will be extremely valuable in his new role as Executive Director of Sydney Festival.  This excellent decision rounds out the new leadership team’s strong international connections with deep local production knowledge.”

Christopher is thrilled about the new challenge, saying, “Sydney Festival is a preeminent cultural event on the Australian calendar.  Its position is unrivalled, showcasing the best of the world’s art in the country’s truly global city, celebrated in summer and cherished and loved by the community.  I look forward to working with Lieven and all the team in continuing to deliver a Festival that surprises, delights and exceeds the expectations of our audiences and community,” he said.

Festival Director Lieven Bertels welcomes Christopher enthusiastically, “I am excited by his appointment and look forward to be working with Chris across my three Festivals 2013-2015.  It is really wonderful to be able to complement our team with another leading Sydney arts professional, and this only weeks after the recruitment of Fiona Winning as our new Head of Programming.”

Sydney Festival is one of Australia’s best-loved annual events, attracting hundreds of thousands of people with its stunning array of free and ticketed performances in theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts and talks as well as its unrivalled program of free large-scale outdoor events.  In 2012, more than 580,000 people enjoyed the Festival, which boasted 399 performances of 122 events, including 11 world premieres, 15 Australian exclusives and 14 Australian premieres.

Sydney Festival 2013 is on 5-28 January.

Sydney Festival utilises the expertise of Braithwaite Steiner Pretty, Global Executive Search.

BSP Consultants: Julie Steiner & Tony Grierson

BSP Practice area: Arts and Culture

According to Paul Wappett, OUA CEO: “After an extensive search by Braithwaite Steiner Pretty, OUA is pleased that Professor Devlin has accepted the role and we look forward to working with her as of the 25th of June 2012.”

“Marcia is well known and respected for her high aspirations for educational institutions and for being passionate about social inclusion and access to education,” says Mr Wappett.

Professor Devlin is currently the Chair of Higher Education Research at Deakin University, and is the Director of Deakin’s Higher Education Research Group.

A true believer in lifelong learning, Professor Devlin holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne in improving university teaching and learning; a Masters by research from Macquarie University in university student learning; a Graduate Diploma in Applied Psychology from Swinburne University of Technology also focused on university student learning; a Diploma in Education from La Trobe University; and a Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University.

This appointment is one of many recent new additions at OUA as the business continues to experience exceptional growth both in terms of staff and students.

“As more and more Australians choose to study online, OUA is strengthening every aspect of the business and this includes building a leading, high calibre staff network. It’s about attracting leading individuals with the expertise, knowledge, capability and a sense of innovation to maintain our market leader positioning,” says Mr Wappett.

“Online education is experiencing a vast amount of growth and OUA has been there every step of the way. The ability to access tertiary education at a time, place and pace the suits each individual has an extraordinary appeal, which in 2011 attracted over 55,000 students to OUA.

“This speaks volumes about the shifting needs and attitudes about education, and even more so about the type of person that is the student of today, and crucially the student of tomorrow.

“Age, educational experience and other commitments are no longer barriers to education – OUA’s online community is made up of working professionals, stay-at-home mums, mature age students and young school leavers – residing in cities and in rural and regional Australia. Online education is truly ubiquitous and our student cohort is the ultimate example of this,” says Mr Wappett.

“Online education is here to stay and only organisations that are willing to challenge long held assumptions about the education industry and the typical student, those that continue to question, listen, analyse and innovate, will truly prosper in this sector,” says Mr Wappett.

BSP Consultant: Tony Grierson

BSP Practice area: Higher Education

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Matthew Westwood/ The Australian 20 March 2012

Maybe the planets are in alignment or Shiva is doing his cosmic dance over the nation’s main cultural organisations. During the past three years there has been a steady turnover of artistic and executive leaders, across all art forms. The group of people running arts companies today — from theatres to state art galleries — is very different from that of the previous decade.

All the capital city arts festivals, many of the film festivals and most of the theatre and opera companies have changed directors. By year’s end, half of the state symphony orchestras will have named new conductors. Queensland arts organisations are having an almost total shakeout, with new directors at the ballet, opera, theatre and eventually — given recent events — the art gallery.

The search for state gallery directors in NSW and Victoria, played out during the past six months, resembled nothing so much as high-stakes poker.

Once the Art Gallery of NSW had nabbed Michael Brand — he was also, reportedly, a candidate for the National Gallery of Victoria, although he will not confirm this — all eyes were on Queensland Art Gallery’s Tony Ellwood. Would he tear up his newly signed contract and return to the genteel bosom of the NGV? You bet.

Jobs such as these are not filled via positions vacant ads. Much prestige is attached to a successful appointment, sometimes announced by a premier or arts minister. The process is sensitive, almost impenetrably discreet and increasingly sophisticated, with arts groups using the kind of executive search firms used in the corporate world. The trend points to the professionalism demanded of cultural leaders and hints at the attributes that future leaders need.

For search firms — many are local branches of international consultancies — doing the work on behalf of a high-profile cultural organisation carries kudos.

Businesswoman Katie Lahey, a former member of the Australia Council’s Major Performing Arts Board, is now managing director for Australia and New Zealand at executive search company Korn/Ferry. One of its clients is Sydney Theatre Company.

“It’s a fantastic role for us to have been given, the privilege of finding a replacement for (artistic directors) Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton,” says Lahey in Korn/Ferry’s hushed Sydney office. “It’s out there in the public arena; people know that we’re looking; we’re gathering names for the board.”

Other firms include Egon Zehnder, acting for the NGV and the Melbourne Festival, where Josephine Ridge was named creative director. Former media executive Ian Smith at Heidrick & Struggles helped bring Brand home from North America.

Braithwaite Steiner Pretty has helped place international directors David Sefton and Lieven Bertels at, respectively, the Adelaide and Sydney festivals. And Russell Reynolds Associates has been charged with finding a new chief for the Sydney Opera House.

Arts organisations are using executive search because the work is specialised; and finding an artistic director (or a multi-skilled chief executive) is not something they do every day. And the work can be done confidentially at one remove, away from the gossip that swirls around such appointments.

Opera Australia chief executive Adrian Collette says the company went to Anthony Armstrong at Russell Reynolds when it was looking for an artistic director, a position filled by Lyndon Terracini in 2009. Going through executive search, he says, avoids the awkwardness of a chief executive or board director approaching a potential candidate themselves.

“I might have people in mind, as I did, about who might be a really interesting artistic director,” Collette says. “But if I make the approach, it’s like you, as a CEO, are encouraging people to apply for the job. That’s not how it should be.”

The search fee may be one-third of the appointee’s first-year pay: for example, $100,000 on a $300,000 salary. But firms recognise that many arts organisations are not-for-profits without commercial budgets or corporate salaries. Some may work for reduced rates, as part of a sponsorship arrangement, or pro bono, as Russell Reynolds did for the Terracini appointment.

Especially in this line of work, contacts are everything. Experienced consultants know their patch — who’s who and what they do — or thoroughly research the field of potential candidates, often drawing on international networks. Consultants prefer to keep a low profile and say they have no influence over the result: appointment decisions are the work of company boards. But their discreet charm should not be underestimated. They may hand-pick applicants for the selection panel, groom them, even sit in the interviews as they attempt to find the “perfect fit” for their client.

Last year, Queensland Ballet engaged Braithwaite Steiner Pretty in its search for a successor to artistic director Francois Klaus. It also advertised the position, and 44 applications came from across the world. Last month the company named Li Cunxin, “Mao’s Last Dancer”, bringing the former Australian Ballet principal back to a dance career after 15 years as a stockbroker.

The news-making appointment wouldn’t have happened without the gentle prompting of Tony Grierson, a consultant in BSP’s North Sydney office.

“His approach made me think a lot more about it,” says Li, who has had offers from international companies before now.

“I had made a career transfer from dance to finance and I was content in what I was doing. If I was not approached, I would probably have left without pursuing this opportunity.”

Similarly, when Grierson was working on behalf of the Adelaide Festival, he tracked down Sefton — one of world’s most astute festival directors — through Sefton’s artist wife’s gallery in Los Angeles. Sefton knew about Adelaide but hadn’t been looking for another festival job.

High-profile appointments such as these attract publicity. But Grierson — who has also helped place jazz trumpeter James Morrison at the Queensland Music Festival — says arts companies should avoid making celebrity appointments for their own sake.

“We would advise against a client who says, ‘We want a big international appointment because it’s going to add lustre,’ ” he says.

“That would be nice, but there’s certainly other things that are key. The lustre may be there, but there has to be everything else behind it.”

So who gets the job? Increasingly, arts executives have to be skilful leaders across a range of disciplines. Company boards want to know their chief executive is managing risk and that their artistic director is exciting audiences. Governments want economic and social impact. Sponsors want prominence; donors need attention.

“The stakeholder base for these really big jobs is enormous,” says Lahey, formerly chief executive of the Business Council of Australia.

“In some corporate roles — say, chief financial officer for a merchant bank — there’s not the same public interest, there’s not the community involvement. So often these arts roles don’t pay as much as in the corporate world, but they are just as complex, if not more so.”

Because Australian arts organisations tend to be small with flat management structures, they don’t always have ready leaders in the wings. Often, ambitious arts professionals have to leave one company to advance to a more senior position at another. Lahey advises them to gain as much experience, across as many aspects of the business, as they can.

But the path to artistic director or chief executive is not always the straight, narrow one. Consider those cultural leaders who have made their careers via the Australian Ballet. Former executive director Richard Evans went to the Sydney Opera House, then to Sydney BridgeClimb; his former deputy, Patrick McIntyre, is general manager at STC. Ridge will soon start work as creative director of the Melbourne Festival, after nine years as executive director of the Sydney Festival.

But perhaps Li has made the most astonishing leaps of all, from communist China to international ballet star, author, stockbroker, film fundraiser and, now, artistic director: another chapter in his brilliant career.

The Trust is a not-for-profit body with a large volunteer base which runs mathematics and informatics enrichment for schools, including the long-standing Australian Mathematics Competition and the Mathematics and Informatics Olympiads.

Mr Greg Taylor AO, Chairman of the Board of the Trust said Mr Clapper had been selected from an international field, reflecting the many skills he possesses to lead the organisation into the future. “He is very highly regarded for his personal and administrative skills as an experienced School Principal with a lifelong interest in mathematics, holding a Master’s Degree from Oxford University. He has been a member of the Problems Committees of the Australian Mathematics Competition for many years, and is now Chair of the Committees”, he added.

“The University of Canberra is proud of its association with the Australian Mathematics Trust,” Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker said. “The Trust shares our commitment to education and it plays an important role in unleashing enthusiasm for mathematics in young minds. We look forward to welcoming Mike Clapper as adjunct professor of the University of Canberra and benefiting from his expertise.”

The appointment will become effective when Professor Peter Taylor retires at the end of 2012 after 18 years in the position.

Mr Clapper is currently Executive Principal of Gippsland Grammar and the nearby St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School and was previously Principal of Hunter Valley Grammar School.

BSP Sector: Higher Education

Consultant: Dr. Jim Sait

“I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Professor John Beynon as the new Executive Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences. Professor Beynon will take over the position from Professor Peter Dowd who has led the Faculty since July 2004 and retires this July.

Professor Beynon will lead the Faculty into the next phase of its development as it seeks to expand its diverse research portfolio and build on its recent growth.

Professor Beynon is highly regarded for his capacity to build partnerships in both academic and industry settings.  His vision and sense of collaboration aligns perfectly with the University of Adelaide’s commitment to delivering an outstanding student experience in a research-rich environment.

He has wide-ranging international experience and has made a significant contribution to the enhancement of relevant learning outcomes in Engineering within Australia and responding to the changing needs of today’s students.

Professor Beynon is currently President, Australian Council of Engineering Deans and Principal Investigator, Australian Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing (AusAMRC). He has been Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne since 2005.”

BSP Sector: Higher Education

Consultant: Dr. Jim Sait

The first BSP Quarterly Business Review was held in Singapore on 12 April. The subject discussed was “Doing Business in India”. Following a whitepaper on this topic, written by Zubin Shroff, the BSP India Managing Director, there has been a great deal of interest through our online forum, discussing the content of the paper. The QBR was an opportunity for the regional leaders of global technology companies to share their experiences on doing business in India.

Taking part were VP’s from American Express, Datacard, Itron, NorthgateArinso, Open Text, Polycom, SAP, Symantec, TIBCO Software. They all contributed to a very engaged and active discussion. What was refreshing was the no-holds-barred approach taken by the guests who were keen to take the issues head on.

Zubin presented a short slide deck that he used to bring up the big issues as he facilitated the discussion and also shared his deep knowledge of the business landscape in India for IT vendors.

So, were there any useful takeaways?

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL FEEDBACK

 Click here for the presentation

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You may find this useful. Below some great feedback from our experienced clients to the latest whitepaper India:

“Very nice piece of work and spot on. I was in Pune a few weeks ago J – so true are the words so true…”

“This is a good whitepaper, it reflects the realities and thanks for sharing the same.”

“Thanks for sharing. Zubin captures India situation very well and apt.  There are so many compare India and China but can’t pin-point the difference. I would summarise the giant countries this way. India and China are both very large market but not a monolithic market. They have many different segments within the market like all countries. However, their segments are significantly more diverse and more fragmented – making it difficult to gain economy of scale. The differences in the segments are due to demographics, economics and governments. Businesses can deal with different segments due to demographics and economics with more control and certainty with their planning. Governments uncertainty and consistency factors are more difficult (in fact, impossible) to manage. This government uncertainty and consistency in China (due to stronger central govt) is significantly less than India – and that’s the crucial difference between the two markets. The other corporate sin in India is that most (all?) foreign companies are impatient with results especially compare to China hence kept making changes in people, strategies and products. In short, they always deal problem number 1 again when they re-organise.”

“Good white paper. Captures the India reality quite well.”

“Thanks for this writeup. One of the key decisions is about who should lead the India business. Companies have tried various options from expats who have experience in China or other similar contexts, to Indians who have been with the company for a long time in other geographies. Would be interesting to analyze the success and failure of these strategies.”

“I read the article and it strikes a chord. Thank you for sharing it. Trust all is well.”

“A good and well researched paper. I guess BSP goes beyond the general work of most other Tech Search companies.”

“Thanks for sharing. Some points that resonate in here, having spent the last 18months building a business in India. Interesting how many companies don’t consider the 5 P’s outlined when they think about India.”

“Interesting read! Very true!”

“A very well written document on potentials and challenges faced in Indian market. Actually, it say it all. Thank you for sharing this document. It is important for vendors to understand India as a market and not just rush to make gold unless they really understand what they are getting into.“

“I shared this paper immediately with some of my US colleagues who would happily find every single of the pot holes mentioned in the report and who believe every single cliché about India too…. Key point for me is the part about ‘value selling’ in India – which simply does not work – and the point around what Western technology companies want to sell (value=bells&whistles=margin) vs what the Indian customers want to have (simple but robust technology at the lowest possible cost) and what they are willing to pay for it.”

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The Start-up Tax in India: “It’s like dropping a bomb in a city to kill criminals.”

[Indian Angel Network co-founder, Saurabh Srivastava]….

Read full article here

More: FINANCE BILL, 2012

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Is it Different, Difficult or Both?

India seems to be a recurring theme in discussion with clients about their headline issues. Zubin Shroff, the leader of BSP’s India business has been at the centre of helping some of our customers to fix their India issues. The whitepaper shares his experience and may provide you with some valuable insights.

Click here to read full report

What do you think about doing business India – let us know

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Flinders University has attracted a leading academic manager from Scotland to play a key role in the University’s strategic and operational planning, Flinders’ Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Barber, announced today.

Professor Barber said Ms Gill Troup, who has been Deputy Principal (Strategy and Performance) at University of the West of Scotland for the past four years, has been appointed Vice-President (Strategy and Planning) at Flinders University.

“I am delighted that we have attracted a candidate of Gill Troup’s standing and experience to this important leadership position,” Professor Barber said.

“In this role, Ms Troup will provide expert analysis and advice to the University and make a valuable contribution to the management and strategic direction of the University’s planning and institutional performance, governance and policy development, and government relations,” he said.

“Ms Troup’s experience as a university senior executive and policy adviser ensures that she will be well placed to make a significant contribution during a period of change and challenge ahead for the higher education sector.

“I look forward to welcoming Ms Troup to Flinders when she takes up this position in May.”

 Ms Troup said “Flinders is a University with a great past and an exciting future so I am pleased to be joining it at this important time”.

“I look forward to working with colleagues to take forward our priorities and hope that my experience of higher education policy and practice in the UK and Europe will make a positive contribution,” Ms Troup said.

BSP Sector: Higher Education

Consultant: Jane Harlen

A copy of his announcement is below:

Professor Harding is a leading expert in biological and medicinal chemistry, and an Australian Research Council Advisory Committee member.

As the outstanding candidate in a strong field, Professor Harding will lead ANU research and act as the focal point for the University for both researchers and funding organisations.  She will join ANU in mid 2012.

Professor Harding is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at UNSW, where her role includes specific responsibility for improving research performance, as well as attracting and retaining outstanding academic staff. Experience in these areas will prove invaluable at ANU.

Professor Harding has had a distinguished career in academia. Following the completion of her PhD in 1987, roles have included serving as the inaugural Dean of Graduate Research at UNSW, establishing UNSW’s Graduate Research School and holding the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Strategy).

Professor Harding is a Professor of Chemistry. She has been awarded the Royal Australian Chemical Institute Rennie and Biota Medals, and has held Australian Academy of Science Fellowships in France, UK and USA. She has been a member of the ARC College of Experts (Physics, Chemistry and Geosciences), ARC Federation Fellowship selection panel and has served as Chair of the ARC International Linkage and ARC Scrutiny Committees. Her current research interests are antifreeze proteins and ligand-DNA interactions.

BSP Consultant: Julie Steiner

Research: Hilarie Dunn

BSP Practice Area: Higher Education

Kim Cull is a lawyer by training and currently Chief Governance and Planning Officer and Legal Counsel at the University of New England in Armidale, NSW. She is a member of UNE’s senior executive and has been actively engaged in UNE’s strategic adjustments to its modes of education delivery in a digital world. She has also been closely engaged with strategic adaptation of UNE to the federal government’s tertiary sector reform agenda.

Ms Cull also has solid credentials in policy development, advocacy and representation and is familiar with political processes. She has been Chief of Staff to the Director General of the Premier’s Department of NSW and Chief of Staff to the NSW Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water. As President of the NSW Law Society in 2002 she led negotiations with the NSW Government on a range of significant issues affecting the legal profession.

Ms Cull’s multi-faceted experience in helping take ideas on the complex journey of policy development through to legislation will bring new depth to AHISA’s engagement with the national education agenda.

As well as serving with the NSW Law Society, Ms Cull was a director of the Law Council of Australia for several years. She has a deep appreciation of what is required to support members of a professional association.

A key element of Ms Cull’s work throughout her career has been in developing alliances and partnerships. These skills and capacities dovetail very neatly with AHISA’s way of working, that is, to build strategic alliances and partnerships based on respectful relationships.

The education landscape is changing rapidly and educational leaders must expect to engage more closely with government if they are to influence the shape of that landscape. AHISA is fortunate to be able to draw on Ms Cull’s expertise as we provide collegial support for our members in achieving excellence in school leadership and act as their national voice.

Andrew Barr | AHISA National Chair

BSP Consultant: Jane Harlen

BSP Practice Area: Schools