Business SA is pleased to announce the appointment of four new board members to strengthen its operations, as it prepares to launch a new strategic plan in the coming weeks.

Appointed at Business SA’s Annual General Meeting last night, the new board members are KPMG SA Chairman of Partners Justin Jamieson; Detmold Group Executive General Manager, Sales, Sascha Detmold Cox; Global Intertrade Managing Director, Manuel Ortigosa; and former Australian Institute of Business Joint Chief Executive Joel Abraham.  

The four appointees will join the current board as it oversees the implementation of Business SA’s next strategic plan, which will strengthen its focus on responding to business needs in new and innovative ways.

“Business SA recognises that the business environment is dynamic and forever changing,” Business SA Chief Executive Martin Haese said.

“As South Australia’s peak business body, we recognise that to play our role in strengthening trade and commerce across our state and creating even greater value for our members and clients, we too must change, which are we doing by appointing four new board members.”

Business SA’s new board members will be replacing Nick Begakis AO, co-owner and chair of Bellis Fruit Bars, the Adelaide Central Markets Authority and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation; Geoff Rorhsheim, co-founder of the Silver Lining Consulting Group; and Loewn Steel, owner of Challenging Thinking and former chief executive of Kojo Group. The fourth new board member will fill a casual vacancy.

Board chair Nikki Govan thanked them for their years of service and dedication to furthering the interests of businesses across the state, across all industries and sectors.

She said the new board members came from varied backgrounds including business education, advisory and consultancy, family business management and international trade.

“As South Australia faces challenging economic times, our highly-credentialed new appointees will work with the great depth we already have on our board to help grow our value proposition for our members and to create a stronger business community throughout the state,” Ms Govan said.

“In appointing new board members, we have specifically sought new skills to equip Business SA to move towards the implementation of a new strategic plan, which we will release shortly, to chart our direction with fresh scrutiny and a clear path to help all industries across South Australia.”

Ms Govan said accepting a board position came with great responsibility, with the new appointees bringing their strong backgrounds in finance, governance and management, and a commitment to supporting non-profit organisations such as Business SA.

Business SA board appointee backgrounds:
 
Justin Jamieson
Justin has been a Partner at KPMG since 2008 and was appointed Chairman of Partners in South Australia in 2017. Justin also leads the KPMG's Northern Territory and Tasmanian practices. Justin has advised many of the state’s largest organisations including Adelaide Brighton Cement, Santos, SA Power Networks, Australian Rail Track Corporation and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. Justin has a strong interest in health and wellbeing and has previously led KPMG's People, Performance and Culture initiatives and the Health and Wellbeing program. Justin was the Australian Davos Connection Future Summit Australian Leadership Awardee for 2010.

Sascha Detmold Cox
Sascha Detmold Cox is an Executive Group General Manager and Director at the Detmold Group of Companies, a South Australian-owned global manufacturer specialising in paper and board packaging, employing more than 3,500 people. She is the eldest of the third generation of the Detmold family working in the business, which has recently celebrated its 70th anniversary. Sascha has previously served as a Bedford Group Foundation board member, on the Starlight Children’s Foundation Advisory Board (SA) and as a board member at Mind Australia.

Manuel Ortigosa
Manuel Ortigosa is the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Global Intertrade group of companies. Global Intertrade, established in 1994, is a diverse group of companies with major investments in property, property development, the wine industry and media. Spanning more than 30 years, Mr Ortigosa also spent three years as Executive Director of Investment Attraction and Major Projects in the Department of Trade and Economic Development. He has a diverse background in both the business sector and executive government positions. 

Joel Abraham
Joel was the joint chief executive of Australian Institute of Business between 2005 and 2018, during which he co-led AIB through the turnaround from a small family business to become the largest MBA provider and one of the largest private higher education institutions in Australia. While at AIB he increased revenues significantly, produced more than 10,000 MBA graduates, built industry-leading customer acquisition capability and a highly successful, transnational operation with distribution across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Joel is currently a Growth Expert at the Australian Centre for Business Growth at UniSA and now looking to help SMEs grow rapidly by leveraging his experience, expertise, contacts, and capital.
 
For further information or to arrange an interview please contact Verity Edwards on 0412 678 942.
21 November 2019

Photo courtesy of Advertiser Newspapers and Business SA member Stories Well Told’s Brenton Edwards (excludes Justin Jamieson).