Keynote Presentation

In 1893 Charles (Chas) Clarkson took the brave and courageous step of setting up the first Clarkson outlet – a shop fitting and signage business in London’s Charing Cross that he started with his brother, Aldo. At the turn of the 20th century, Chas brought his family to Sydney where he set up his signage and ticket writing shop at 125 William Street.
In the 1960s Chas Clarkson revolutionised how customers shopped in store with help yourself displays. Their new shop windows in the 1970s changed the way retailers displayed their products. Then in the early 90s, when demand declined for traditional retail ticket items, they created the Chas Clarkson Christmas concepts division. The rest as they say is history.

Chas Clarkson create magical and memorable experiences that help bring joy to Australian families at the most special time – installing hundreds of Santa experiences, thousands of Christmas trees and millions of lights in every color of the rainbow. Over 60% of all major shopping destinations in Australia have a Chas Clarkson experience. The Christmas tree in the QVB? That’s theirs too.
Join 4th generation siblings, Tim Clarkson, Mike Clarkson and Sally Clarkson as they share: what defines them as a business – forming the foundation of everything they do; how they stay ahead in a competitive market that is driven by innovation; and how the fourth generation define their own success within the legacy of the business.

In 1885, Arnold Wittner had a one-way ticket from his hometown in Romania to the USA to join his brother, presumably to start a family business.

After accidentally boarding the wrong boat and four months at sea, Arnold arrived in Australia. Soon after he bought a horse and cart and began trading consignment lots. However, in 1912 Arnold acquired a mixed consignment lot which he sold – all but the £100 worth of wrongly sized and out-of-style shoes, which he gave to 17-year-old son HJ.

Arnold leased the shop for HJ in Leads Street Footscray and said, ”Now you’re in the shoe business son.”

In the 107 years since, and with the family name above the door, Wittner has become synonymous with quality and style.

But the family’s motivations have changed. To pursue their planned exit from the business, Wittner is restructuring and is taking on a capital partner to expand the Wittner brand across the globe.

Join Michael as he shares: the key pivot points which have led to the growing success of the brand; the importance of having a flexible advisory board to navigate major changes, and what he has learnt about managing risks, costs and personal guarantees.

It took twenty years, five failed businesses and three unsuccessful careers to build the overnight success that is $100m global online wine startup Vinomofo.

Vinomofo started life back in 2007 in the garage of brothers-in-law and fellow wine geeks, Justin Dry and Andre Eikmeier, who just wanted to do something cool for wine lovers and producers.

Growing increasingly concerned with the way the world was headed, André knew he could either keep complaining about it at dinner parties, or he could try to do something about it.

In 2018, André founded Good Empire, a global community platform for projects that unite and empower people to live more connected, sustainable, and impactful lives.

André shares a very real and raw account of the failures, triumphs and hard and vital lessons that have shaped his business ventures and him as an entrepreneur. This is the real truth – the fears – the impact of being an entrepreneur on friends and family – the soul-searching.

Andre will share how to create a sustainable, enduring human culture, that is not afraid to fail; the Human Business Manifesto – a model for changing the culture of business for good; and a new perspective on life that just may be the secret to happiness.

Coopers is a brewing family. It’s in their blood. Their passion for brewing has kept the family together and helped the business through economic recessions, wars, government imposts, changing tastes, pandemics and the occasional hostile takeover bid.

After dedicating over 150 years to the art of brewing, Coopers is an icon.

With the incumbent generation in their 50’s and 60’s, it’s time to plan for the next transition.

Australia’s leading family of brewers has restructured its senior management to enable the 5th generation to transfer from commercial to custodial roles while the upcoming 6th generation find their feet. The role of non-family executives will be key to this process.

Join Melanie and her niece Louise as they share: how the business is transitioning from the 5th to the 6th generation, the measures they have put in place to future-proof the business, and what it feels like to be the custodians of the Coopers legacy.

Faraway is found beyond the city boundaries. It’s a place where sheep graze in scrubby bluebush hills and where the McBride family began its pastoral dynasty more than one hundred years ago.

AJ & PA McBride is one of the country’s largest wool producers, running in excess of 250,000 merino sheep across ten properties in South Australia and Victoria, and covering more than 1.4 million hectares.
Celebrating 100 years in business and into its 6th generation, there are very few family members working in the business, but all 106 shareholders of the AJ and PA McBride company are descendants of Albert McBride, who bought the group’s first Faraway Hill sheep station near Burra in South Australia’s Mid North in 1902.

From Faraway Hill to the modern multi-million dollar livestock enterprise of Telopea Downs, this family company has remained committed to the fortunes of the fleece.

Join Keith McBride and Nathan Wessling as they discuss: how the diversification of income streams and locations has protected the company from falling prices in different commodities and unpredictable climatic conditions; how they retain and promote positive shareholder engagement; and their goal to become the largest wool producer in Australia.

Janine Allis is not your everyday success story. In her 20s, she travelled the world working as a nanny in France and working for the rock icon David Bowie on his yacht.

Returning to Australia, Janine met and married ‘the one’ and they founded Boost Juice in 2000. With a vision to “do retailing differently”, Boost Juice delivers a unique customer experience based on the “love life” philosophy and getting more fruit and vegetables in people’s diet, which they are achieving, with over 2 million smoothies or juices sold every month.

Taking Boost Juice from an idea to an international Australian iconic brand with four kids in tow has not been an easy path. Along that journey there have been successes, failures, huge highs and equally huge lows, but the most important things are the mistakes made and lessons learnt along the way.

And as if that wasn’t enough! Janine is also Executive Director at Retail Zoo, which includes the brands Salsa’s Fresh Mex, CIBO Espresso and Betty’s Burgers & CONCRETE CO, employing almost 7000 people across a total of 600 stores.