In the last episode of 2024 Joanna Kay joins the show to explain the hydrogen industry to Australia and the opportunity for Australia, for business and supply chains. 

Joanna has a wonderful CV having worked in renewable energy around the world, and her depth of knowledge is on full display in this highly engaging and informative conversation. 

• To find out more about Joanna 
• To contact Joanna via LinkedIn
• To learn more about Smart Energy Council
• To access the HyResource list of Hydrogen Project in Australia 
• To listen to John Grimes (CEO Smart Council) on a previous Supply Circles 

Can hard-to-abate industries meet the decarbonisation targets of Australia? How will they do it? What can other businesses and industries learn from their decarb journey?

In this episode, our Infrastructure ‘guy’ Michael Kilgariff is back to talk about the Concrete, Cement and Aggregates industry and his new role as CEO of the industry association.

 In a typically unstructured yet insightful conversation, James and Michael talk about:

• The process of effective strategic planning
• The relationship between strategy and culture for breakfast
• The challenge of the circular economy
• The challenges for the concrete, cement and aggregates industry in achieving net zero.
• The role of power requirements and trucking requirements in achieving decarbonisation
• The role of policy in achieving the targets 
• And much more. 

An engaging conversation with a raft of insights, quotes and observations: an episode not to be missed 

• To learn more about CCAA (Concrete, Cement and Aggregates Australia) 
• To access CCA’s corporate strategy, click here.

Ai Group's resident expert on all things 'decarbonisation', the great Tennant Reed, joins us again for his yearly update on the annual upcoming U.N. global Climate Change conference called COP – the Conference of Parties.

COP 29 will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in a few weeks and, as always, Tennant will be there to represent Australian industry and to get the inside details for Ai Group members.

In this episode, Tennant gives us an update on the state of the decarbonisation of the Australian economy, including the current situation of climate warming targets. He then shares his experiences and insights based on his many trips to the annual COP around the world. He tells us what will (most likely) happen at this year’s conference, and what it all means for your business.

Tennant is well-known as a highly engaging conversationalist and he’s an Australian (and global) expert on the decarbonising economy. It’s a pleasure to have him on the show.

This is another fascinating and wide-ranging chat with a true specialist and respected expert, one certainly not to be missed. Enjoy.

• To learn more about Tennant’s trip to COP, follow him on LinkedIn or via the Ai Group website.
• To listen to his podcast 'Let Me Sum up'.
• To listen to previous Supply Circles episodes featuring Tennant and COP.

Kerryn joins the show for another fascinating chat on modern-day workplaces, the role of leaders and team members, and the changing workplace of people and technology.

It’s always a delight to have Kerryn share her unique insights and perspective on the modern workplace and on the challenges of managing and leading as everything changes around us.

This time, the two discuss the post-Covid era, the new entrants into the workforce, the new challenge of leaders and so much more.

Another fascinating and wide-ranging chat, not to be missed.

• To contact Kerryn and Change2020, click here to visit the website and learn more about Leadership and Culture, Change and Transformation, and Mergers and Acquisitions.
• To listen to Kerryn discuss ‘Thriving in times of Supply Chain ambiguity’ with James in a previous episode of Supply Circles.
• To listen to Kerryn discuss ‘Leaders need to rest and reset’, listen here.

“North Australia is Australia’s economic powerhouse”. So says today's guest, Dean Deighton, Head of Northern Australia for the Australian Industry Group. 

Dean is a passionate advocate for the business opportunities across the top of our country. In this episode James and Dean discuss the challenges, the opportunities, the sheer size of the region and the many large industries that exist and are emerging in the region.

Among other issues, they discuss: 

• The state of mining, the beef industry, tourism and other major industries in the North.
• The emergence of the region as ‘ground zero’ for the emerging Critical Mineral industry for the digitalised age.
• The resilience of business and industry in the north.
• The opportunities for buyers, suppliers, joint ventures, and others.
• Dean’s fascinating back story and why he is so passionate against the north.
• And why you can’t see Uluru from Darwin airport.

A fascinating and insightful chat. Not to be missed. 

Key links for North Australia:

• www.resources.qld.gov.au/mining-exploration/initiatives/critical-minerals/invest/why-invest-in-queensland/critical-minerals-strategy
• www.northaust.org.au
• www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/northern-australia-action-plan-2024-2029.pdf
• www.energyandclimate.qld.gov.au/energy/energy-jobs-plan
• www.defence.gov.au/about/strategic-planning/2024-national-defence-strategy-2024-integrated-investment-program

 To contact Dean, click here to connect on LinkedIn or email him at [email protected] 

Listen in to get an amazing insight into how one family has gone taken an idea from start-up to international business in just 10 years. Huds & Toke is a pet food company based on the Sunshine Coast, with a great story to tell.

Co-founder Russell Gibbons provides a masterclass on the keys to building vertically integrated businesses with complex omni-channels pathways to market. This is a must-listen episode for ALL business managers. It’s a great insight into taking an idea and a market opportunity to a successful business.

Podcast host James Scotland does a fascinating deep dive into the business with Russell. They discuss:

• The market opportunity, and the owner’s clear-eyed ability to verbalise the target market segment: both domestically and in the U.S.
• An insight into the global pet food market and how Huds & Toke adds value to the target sector.
• Innovative ways to create and build a brand that accurately reflects the values of the business – including a creative and surprising approach to deciding on a company name (it’s a magical and heart-warming story).
• How to make a husband-and-wife team work as a strong management team, and how to make building a business a lifestyle.
• The decision protocols around the selection of channels to market that suit the business and adds value (including an amazing story of Krispy Kreme dog treats).
• How not to be blinded by ‘dazzling lights’ and ‘big opportunities’ that aren’t as good as they initially seem.
• The keys to creating a vertically integrated business from regional Australia.
• The constant challenge of cashflow, including an excellent approach to using debt collection as a way to create strong relationships with customers.
• The challenge of sustainable product packaging.
• And much much more.

A wonderful masterclass of business management today. Not to be missed.

For more on Huds & Toke, click here.

Today episode is an engaging café style chat with two supply chain specialists: Host James Scotland sits down with his old mate Andy Brightmore for a wandering and endearing chat on all things supply chain.

Listen in to hear the two have another of their usual fun and unstructured wanderings through the issues of business and life today.

Topics covered this time include:

• Why is Andy no longer considered one of the ‘youngest and the brightest’? (It’s a sad story)
• Andy’s fascinating multi-industry, multi-national, multi-discipline supply chain career.
• Andy and James’ learnings of supply chain management from the covid and post-covid years.
• The importance of relationships, resilience, and good people in building sustainable supply chains.
• The emerging challenge of a world economy that seems to be turning once again.
• The generational differences and what it means for markets and supply chains (is there one?)
• And much more.

If you love a good chat, if supply chain and business improvements interest you, this episode is for you.

Bio
Andy Brightmore has had an amazing career- from his early days within the Toyota world class manufacturing environment through to being part of highly innovative and creative successful procurement teams at Novar, a fascinating role with leading business process outsourcer Xchanging, then with global consulting leader KPMG and finally a senior role with the world's largest food and support services organisation, Andy is a leading proponent of Procurement and Supply Chain.

He has a career long passion for transforming businesses by driving dramatic cost, margin, revenue and capability improvement.

Click here to connect on LinkedIn

Everyone’s favourite CEO returns to the podcast to talk us through the current issue facing the Australian economy, and what impact could they have on business operations.

Innes delivers a masterclass in macro-economics covering such as issues as:

• The upcoming Federal election: when will it be held and who will win.
• The latest on the significant changes to Workplace Relations laws, why Ai Group is running an extensive marketing campaign to highlight the issues and what businesses need to do to not get caught out.
• Why the conduct of the CFMEU is unacceptable, why Ai Group’s has strongly called for the construction part of the union to be deregistered. And what this means for businesses in other sector.
• Why the new ‘Safeguarding Australian Military Secretes’ Act is having an immediate and worrisome impact on business resulting in unexpected (and unacceptable) consequences. Innes calls this ‘complete over -reach by government).
• The impact of ongoing inflation and why this is creating an economy operating at different speeds and with different success.
• The impact of geopolitics and other global activity on the economy and the uncertainty this is causing businesses in Australian and around the world.
• What’s going on with Australian Ports and why efficiency and productivity needs to be increased.
• Why there is not ‘magic bullet’ to solving the challenges of the Australian economy, especially in terms of Digitalisation and Decarbonisation.
• And much more more.

This is a MUST-LISTEN episode, especially for businesspeople keen to get deep insights intothe challenges facing Australia.. and what to do about it.

In this episode, host James Scotland ask Adam Blake: ‘How do we, in Australia, build resilient and sustainable supply chains in and from Australia’.

Blundstone Australia is a 150-year, family-owned, Hobart-based, globally-successful boot and apparel manufacturer. The company sells over 3 million pairs of boots annually to multiple markets in over 70 countries. It has a well-structured brand story and complex supply chain across the world.

James and Adam address many meaty topics in this wide-ranging and insightful conversations including:

• Achieving successful rapid international growth using innovative business design and organisational structures.
• Breaking all the rules to achieve stunning global reach and success from a traditional Tasmanian manufacturing business.
• Redesigning the business to become truly consumer-centric.
• Managing seasonal global demand, highly-variable supply requirements and ‘lumpy’ cash flow challenges.
• The excitement of ever-increasing Black Friday 4-day online sales, and why not to visit the Distribution Centre.
• The lessons of ESG, the digitalisation of the business, implementing new ERP systems, managing global pandemics and riding the roller coaster of constant rapid growth.
• The future of the business and the challenges ahead.
• Sponsoring V8 supercars and the Hobart Stadium.
• And much more...

Adam is a leading global supply chain and brand design specialist, and an engaging and insightful conversationist. This is an episode not to be missed.

In this episode, Jim Wilson mounts a passionate and cogent argument for the global shipping industry, especially in support of the industry’s performance during the Covid years.

James and Jim discuss the current issues of the industry and look to the future. Issues discussed include:

• Recent and future expectations of container pricing
• The issues for shipping in the Red Sea, the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal
• How the global container industry works
• The issues with Port operations around the world, and how Australia port compare to similar operations around the world

The two also have an extended conversation regarding the active decarbonisation of the shipping industry, and how the industry is leading the way.

A fascinating conversation full of insights and information on this critical industry to the Australian economy. Well worth a listen.

To learn more about Shipping Australia, click here.