Empowering SMEs for a decade of success

The ANZ Business Growth Program has been a transformative journey for many small to medium enterprises (SME) in Australia. Conceived in 2014 and a novel concept at the time, the ANZ Business Growth Program has been instrumental in teaching CEOs and their executive teams how to expand their businesses.

The ANZ Business Growth Program has had significant impact over the years, with participating companies contributing over $15 billion to the Australian economy and creating over 4,000 new jobs since attending; success that is a testament to the vision and dedication of its founders, sponsors, and participants.

Almost 400 ANZ customer companies have attended structured programs with hundreds more attending webinars and seminars. Of these, 87 companies went on to graduate from the prestigious nine-month ANZ Growth Modules.

Delivered by The Australian Centre for Business Growth, University of SA, the program has been led for the last decade by global growth expert Dr Jana Matthews as ANZ Chair in Business Growth, who late last year handed over the reins to experienced international executive and the Centre’s director Prof. Ryan Williams.

Over the past 10 years, the program consistently emphasised the importance of growth and the role of CEOs in making the right decisions to ensure their companies' success. It taught participants key concepts, such as understanding customer needs, recruiting and retaining the right people, having a clear plan and strategy, and assessing opportunities and risks.

The program has enabled companies to grow significantly, with many alumni companies growing rapidly during and following the program under the guidance of growth experts.

The growth experts

The program's alumni have stayed connected, and some have become growth experts at the Australian Centre for Business Growth themselves, contributing back to the program and the larger business community.

The program's success is evident in the stories shared by its alumni.

Munro Footwear Group, which started as a small, tightly held family business, now turn over more than $300 million and are looking at further growth opportunities.

Lee Munro, Director of Munro Footwear Group and Growth Expert, says doing the ANZ Business Growth Program in 2014/15 gave them the confidence to think so much bigger.

“The program encouraged us to look at the market and say, what's the opportunity for us? Why can't we be bigger and better than we currently are? I can tell you there's just no way we would have had that thought process without the business growth program,” says Lee.

He adds, “It's not easy to grow a business. The knowledge you gain and the connections you make with other CEOs and business owners through a program like this are invaluable.”

See a Munro Footwear Group (previously Styling Services) business growth case study here.

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Image via: https://munrofootweargroup.com.au/

Over in the Northen Territory, Darwin-based Humpty Doo Barramundi, has grown to become the largest Australian-owned fish farmer, employing 150 people and holding national contracts with major retailers and fine dining restaurants for their premium Australian salt water Barramundi.

Now in their 32nd year of operation, family business Humpty Doo Barramundi participated in the 2018/19 ANZ Business Growth Program. They are now 400 per cent bigger than when they participated in the program.

Dan Richards, CEO of Humpty Doo Barramundi says the program has been instrumental in helping them scale up and expand.

“We've moved from a small start-up operation to now being the largest Australian-owned fish farmer. We hold the national exclusive contracts for large companies such as Woolworths, Costco, PFD Foods and many more,” says Dan.

Dan says it’s been quite the business growth journey, and while they have achieved a lot, there is still more to be done.

“With the sale of the Tasmanian salmon industry to foreign multinationals, we’ve been working hard to grow our Australian-owned business locally. We’ve won awards for our sustainability work and for the work we have done with Indigenous Territorians – there's so much more we can do in those areas that inspires us.”

See a Humpty Doo Barramundi business growth case study here.

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Dan Richards, Humpty Doo Barramundi

The next decade of growth

Looking forward, ANZ Bank is partnering with the Australian Centre for Business Growth to offer selected customers access to Business Growth Online, a digital platform designed to help business leaders grow and scale effectively.

Professor Ryan Williams, Director of the Centre says, “Business Growth Online provides CEOs and executives with the insights, tools, and expert guidance they need to drive sustainable growth.”

“Subscribers can access on-demand videos, strategic tools, coaching calls, and masterclasses, making Business Growth Online a powerful resource for business leaders aiming to grow and scale successfully,” says Ryan.

“We’re enormously proud to have 10 years of success working in partnership with ANZ to help grow their customers’ companies and are thrilled to provide this innovative, new digital business growth platform to help grow and scale many more in the future.”

ANZ is underwriting a limited number of ANZ Platinum and Silver subscriptions for customers who can access them via their Relationship Manager. Platinum subscribers gain exclusive access to the ANZ Capstone CEO Event, an immersive face-to-face leadership experience hosted by the Centre.

Darren Sibson is Partnerships Manager at ANZ