Family Business Australia - South Australia

Kent Aughey - Ashington Investment Management (Chairman and National Board Member)

Kent has been a passionate member of FBA for many years and is delighted to now be leading the SA Chapter through its next phase, following sustained growth and development over the past two years despite difficult economic times. 

After many years working for his father in various businesses covering property, hospitality, agribusiness, financial markets and retail, Kent has a hands-on insight to the challenges and opportunities facing family business entrepreneurs in South Australia.

Kent is the founder and Managing Director of Ashington Investment Management, a Family Office providing financial, investment and wealth management services to his family group. 

He also manages the family’s 60 hectare grazing property in the Barossa.

Having been in that situation himself, Kent is a keen supporter of Next Gen education.

Alister Haigh - Haigh's Chocolates

It has been 90 years since Alister Haigh's great grandfather, Alfred, first set up shop in the Beehive building in Adelaide in 1915.

Alister, with his brother Simon, is the fourth generation to work in Haigh's Chocolates and they are very proud to continue the tradition.

Haigh's Chocolates has a modern factory complex producing more than 250 products, supporting an expanding network of 12 retail stores in Adelaide , Melbourne and most recently in Sydney.

Alister has been an active member of FBA in South Australia for over ten years.

Chris Johnston - Kerewong Pty Ltd (National Education Subcommittee and Chairman Major Events Committee)

Although Chris grew up in a complex family business environment, his tertiary education took him down a divergent path.  Having graduated with an ordinary degree in Ag. Science, he spent a further 5 years at the Waite Institute working on the behaviour of termites in damaging plastics, graduating with a Master’s Degree in 1976.

 Following graduation he spent 9 months at the family wine business, Pirramimma, at McLaren Vale before moving to his in-laws’ cattle breeding business near Ashbourne.  There he experienced at least two important family business issues: the ‘gorilla’ (male in-law) in a family business and participating in a pro-active ownership restructure.  His in-laws recognised that splitting the family assets between their two daughters – and implementing the transfer during their lifetime – was the most sensible way forward.  And they got on and did it!  Chris and his wife sold the Ashbourne property in 2001 when it became clear that neither of their children aspired to a career there. Although Chris left Pirramimma as an employee early in 1977, he maintained a close association with his immediate family’s business interests through its investment entity, Kerewong Pty Ltd.  Kerewong was founded by his father and owned his shares in J & AG Johnston Ltd, the original family firm based at Oakbank, AC Johnston Pty Ltd (Pirramimma), a grazing property at Avenue Range in the South East and a portfolio of listed investments.  

Chris became a non-executive director of J & AG Johnston in 1982 and was appointed chairman in 1990.  J & AG Johnston has 60 (mainly family) shareholders and was subject to a hostile takeover bid in 1998.  Chris became a non-executive director of AC Johnston in 1992 and participated in two significant ownership restructures of that firm, the last and most significant in 2008.

Dr. Jill Thomas (National Education Subcommittee)

After a career in Human Resources Management and Training & Development in both the private sector and higher education, Jill has developed a keen interest in family owned businesses.  Her PhD studies were in the area of leadership and family business and she is also exploring issues relevant to boards and governance of the SME family business.

Jill has developed an elective on Family Business for post-graduate management programs, published chapters in texts about family business issues and presented papers at numerous national and international family business conferences.  She teaches the Leadership course in the MBA programs of the University of Adelaide both here and offshore in Hong Kong and Singapore and also teaches in the Business School’s Executive Education programs.

Jill is a member of FBA’s National Education Committee, the State Executive Committee and the Family Business Subcommittee to the Business Development Council.

Craig Willson (National Board member)

Craig was born and raised in Whyalla and joined the family business “The Whyalla News” newspaper and printery in December 1963. He spent 28 years in the family media business starting by sweeping the floors through production, sales and marketing, football writing, to sales manager, general manager and finally Managing Director. During this time the business grew from one newspaper to ten papers, two radio stations, three printing works and five magazines and employed over 200 people spread from Cleve to Victor Harbour. In 1985 the business was listed on the stock exchange as SA Regional Media Ltd.

He moved to Langhorne Creek in 1986 and commenced making some wine and planting a small acreage of vineyard. On leaving the media industry in 1994 Craig decided to continue developing planting, finally reaching 300 acres of vines, opened a cellar door and launched a new family business – Bremerton Wines - which currently sells in all states of Australia and exports to 14 countries. It is now very much a family business with daughters Rebecca as chief winemaker and Lucy as marketing manager and son in law Tom Keelan as vineyard manager. Craig retired as Managing Director in September 2008.

He served for 17 years as a director of the Royal Automobile Association of SA and was founding chair of the Langhorne Creek Water Company, the Langhorne Creek Wine Club, the Langhorne Creek Wine Industry Council and the Langhorne Creek Winemakers Association. In 2008 he was appointed as an independent director to Family Business Australia.

Mr. Philip Sims - Robern Menz (Mfg) Pty Ltd

Robern Menz (Mfg) Pty Ltd was established in 1908 and manufactures and market brands including Menz Confectionery (Fruchocs, Crown Mints), Robern Fruit Snacks and Medlow Confectionery. As a 4th generation family business which commenced with Philip's great grandfather, Philip has been exposed to the family business from a young age however officially joined the business in 1992 after completion of a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of South Australia in 1989 and following 3 years experience working for the multinational hair care company Schwarzkopf as NSW Sales Manager. Further qualifications include Export/Import Certificate (Australian Export Institute 1994) and Graduate Certificate in Management (Adelaide University 2001).

Philip became Chief Executive Officer of Robern Menz in 2001and is also a director of the company.

Philip has been on various executive committees including the ‘South Australian Dried Fruit Association’ and the 'South Australian Food Exporters Association (Food Adelaide)’.

Elected onto the SA Chapter's Executive Committee in 2004, Philip is currently Chairman of and FBA's representative on the South Australian Governments Business Development Council.

Lowen Partridge

Lowen is the principal of Peartree Marketing, a consultancy that specialises in brand development, marketing and communication. Her experience in family business began when advising family owned wine companies with their marketing and forming an appreciation that ownership and family elements need careful consideration when dealing with the business issues.

Lowen facilitates family meetings where agreed strategies and protocols are developed for a number of family business aspects including family councils and family charters. Following a substantial career in television journalism she moved into marketing and communication in 1985. She established her own business, Peartree Marketing, in 1996.

Lowen holds a Degree in Education from Flinders University, an MBA and a Graduate Diploma in Wine Marketing from the University of South Australia and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Rebekah McCaul

Rebekah is Marketing Manager for Alexandrina Cheese Company which is owned and operated by the McCaul family at Mt jagged, eight kilometres south of Mt Compass on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Rebekah works in three business units - dairy, wholesale and retail. Her role involves planning, developing, implementing and delivering a range of marketing activities to promote and enhance the brand. She has been given the opportunity to co-manage the growing wholesale business, and co--managing the award-winning retail and tourism attraction which opens 362 days per year.   

She is renowned for her work in the speciality cheese industry, her brand building and her passion in awakening the Alexandrina retail and tourism team, encouraging them to strive for best practice, especially in customer service.  Her aim is to direct the vertically integrated farming system into the next generation with sound family business structures. However, she most enjoys wearing her wet-weather gear in cold, wet and muddy Mt Jagged and spending each morning milking the herd of 80 individually named, gorgeous doe eyed Jersey cows.

Mr. J. Raymond Michell (Patron)

He entered the family business in 1950, having completed secondary school at Prince Alfred College , Adelaide . He progressed through the business from wool buyer to wool production manager - director of wool production and primary production operations – non executive director – non executive chairman - now retired!

After completing what is now called the University of South Australia Management Diploma , he undertook numerous other management and family business studies both within and outside Australia. For many years he has been a member of the Institute of Company Directors and for a brief period was a member it's SA board . For several years on the board of and treasurer of the Institute of Management of S.A.

He has been a director of Michell NBD Ltd – merchant bankers, Tandou Ltd – diversified primary industry company. Director/chair of BEA Motors Pty Ltd Mercedes Benz passenger car dealership and until recently an underwriting member of Lloyds of London insurance market spanning 25 years.

After 48 years service with his family business, Raymond resigned in 1988 , became a board member and later president of the SA Employers Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc., (now Business SA). He was joint Chair of the employer sponsored “SA Business Vision 2010”(now VIVA-SA).

Some 10 years ago, he formed Family Business Services SA Inc., which later became the SA Chapter of Family Business Australia.

In 2004 he was awarded an ‘AM', for service to the community, principally for his efforts in promoting an understanding of the dynamics of Family Business in Australia.