GREG GRIFFITH
Chief Executive Officer
Family Business Australia
AuSAE Member: 2017
What We Do
Family Business Australia (FBA) works strategically with all Family Business stakeholders to lead the delivery of unique & innovative services, creating professional pathways and connecting the family business community.
FBA has a strong program of educational offerings, from our Family Business Essentials Course, Planning for Succession Course right through to our most renowned Family Business Directors Course. We will soon be releasing a residential program aimed to provide a platform for growth in strategy and leadership development for the Nxt Generation working in a family business.
In all states (QLD, VIC, NSW, SA and WA) FBA develop seminars, workshops and networking events. Family business members share their stories for the benefit of others, they describe for example how they have developed family agreements that govern both the business and the family’s role. Presentations are about solutions they have found and how external advisers have helped them see things more objectively in order to grow.
Members of FBA needing access to Accredited Advisers will now have access to them via a new market place platform www.fambizadviser.org.au where the search functionally matches family business issues with the right adviser to help them with their problem. FBA also offers Forum groups which are confidential peer support discussion groups which are on offer around the country.
FBA encourages and facilitates research into family business issues and run the Australian Family Business of the Year awards and have a Hall of Fame which recognises the economic and social contribution of families in business.
Lastly, FBA is launching a campaign to make a difference to raise awareness of the Family Owned Australia Business emblem. This campaign is to educate consumers on the importance of choosing products and service from our member’s vs non family businesses.
Number of Members
FBA has 2,000 family business members and 300 advisers.
Staff Size
11 full-time and 4 part-time.
Years in Association Management
This is my first foray into association management and I joined FBA in October 2016.
How I Got Into Association Management
My working life had been prominently with membership based organisations that are community focused. I haven’t purposely done this, it must be something I have just been drawn to without realising it.
What I Like About My Job
Family Businesses represent 70% of all businesses in Australia, employing 50% of the workforce. FBA members cover nearly every industry sector and we are represented by family businesses of all sizes; from small mum and dad businesses to some of the largest privately owned businesses in Australia. What I find fascinating is the issues facing families in the business are very similar regardless of the size of the business, which means our members are very passionate. It’s sort of like been involved in a football club, in that we have a common denominator that binds our members together.
So to answer the question, it’s the people, all of the people including the staff that make this job so enjoyable.
My Biggest Challenge
Like most associations, our challenge is to ensure we are adding value to our members and in turn growing FBA’s membership.
Since I have started, I have continually heard that FBA is the best kept secret in Australia, my job in conjunction with the National Board, the staff, our 50+ volunteer State Committee members and our 20 Forum Facilitators is to blow the lid of the secret and promote what we do to the wider family business sector.
What I am most proud of at our Association
I am most proud of our wiliness to change, both internally and externally. In a 12 month period we have introduced so many new things to ensure FBA is a relevant association to the family business sector and whilst change is never easy, the team of FBA have embraced the directional shifts in operations and we are now starting to reap from the fruits of our labour.
Favourite AuSAE Event
I have now attended a number of AuSAE events, the format that I have enjoyed the most is the CEO luncheons where I have met many individuals representing other associations with the same key drivers and it’s always good to listen to other people’s perspective of things.
What I Want to Learn from other AuSAE Members
In the events I have attended with AusAE, we all have similar problems, I would like to learn from other who have succeeded to meet the demands of the members and the Board, when resources both financially and human are finite. ow they engage with their members to learn about the key industry issues (as distinct from the everyday business problems).
How AuSAE Has Helped Me
AusAE have helped me in conducting a constitutional review of FBA. This review has allowed FBA to benchmark itself against industry standards and ultimately successfully put forward to members a new constitution that better reflects modern day thinking.
It’s been great to meet people from a range of different organisations and find that we all face similar issues – learning from different sectors is valuable.
For more information about Family Business Australia, visit www.fambiz.org.au.
