John Downes, Strategic Mentor, Advisory Board Chair & Speaker

Summary:

Based on 30+ years of corporate finance and management consulting experience in Australia, England and the United States of America, John helps business owners and CEO’s set their direction, plan how to get there and then walk beside them to help achieve their goals and stay true to their visions and aspirations. His ultimate professional pleasure and fulfillment is their growth and achievement.

Specialties:

Strategy development and implementation support for:

-> Businesses growing in the $5m – $150m turnover range

-> Professional Services Practices up to $15m turnover

Experience:

acorro. supporting success

Founder / Strategic Mentor at acorro – advising CEOs & business owners on strategy & implementation.

2009 – Present.

AusIndustry Entrepreneurs’ Programme 

CEO Masterclass Founder and Delivery Partner – supporting EP CEOs to develop the skills to set their strategy and implement it, and to develop enduring supportive professional networks.

2019 – Present.

The Institute of Management Consultants Australia

Federal Vice-President, Membership sub-committee Chair, National Symposium Chair, Vic/Tas Chapter President.

2019 – Present.

IMC is recognised as the professional institute representing the management consulting profession and its members in Australia. Its Mission is to promote excellence and standards in the management consulting profession and to improve the knowledge and skill of management consultants.

Camberwell Girls Grammar School

President and Secretary of the Parents & Friends Association.

2012 – 2020.

John supported the school to develop its Parent & Community Engagement Strategy and its friend-raising and fund-raising activities.

Herald Sun

The Pitch – Business Owner Strategic Mentor.

2013 – 2019.

The Pitch was a monthly full page in the Business Section that described an up and coming small business and profiled the owner as written by editor Claire Heaney. Vivian, Bruce and I reviewed over 60 businesses and provided our mentoring insights of how the business owner could improve the successes of the business. It’s one of the ways I enjoyed giving back.

The CEO Institute

Expert Speaker and former Syndicate Fellow.

2008 – Present.

Presenting CEO technical briefings including:

• Business Strategy and Implementation
• Business Succession Planning
• Managing in Volatile Times and Growth Platforms.

Access Hardware

Chairman – Strategy Advisory Board (non executive).

2012 – 2018

Facilitated strategy development and driving implementation to achieve outstanding results.

Interlloy Pty. Ltd.

Chairman – Strategy Advisory Board.

2010 – 2012

Chaired board meetings with a keen oversight of the Growth and Succession Strategy implementation

Business Development Company

Founder, Owner and Growth Advisory Director.

2009 – 2011

The Business Development Company was a start-up launched and rapidly grew to 28 senior strategy, operations improvement, franchising and leasing professionals located in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Perth and Auckland. We focus on helping to guide and to support owners to maximise their Business Value in a very hands-on and tangible way. It is well-positioned to assist businesses looking to set their strategies for growth, prepare their deployment roadmaps, define the right mode of growth (franchise, organic &/ or acquisition), develop the systems/processes/infrastructure to build from, and then identify the right locations, negotiate the property deals, design and install the fit-out and, to recruit the new management or business owners – all the while monitoring and growing profitable performance.

Deloitte Private and Deloitte Consulting

Strategy and Operations Improvement Consulting Partner.

1986 – 2009 (Melbourne, London, Canberra, Chicago, Melbourne)

Leader of Deloitte Private Consulting Practice

Previously focusing on reengineering and business case development for large transformation projects

Australian Technology Showcase

Patron. 2004 – 2009

ATS assesses and supports the development and commercialisation of world leading innovative technology developed in Australia. It showcases hundreds of technologies across a wide variety of industry and business applications.

Education:

London Business School, Exec MBA Studies, Customer funded growth (2018 – 2019)

Box Hill Institute, Advanced Diploma in Competitive Manufacturing (2016 – 2017)

Institute of Management Consultants in Australia, Certified Management Consultant, Fellow, ISO 20700:2017 Guidelines for Management Consulting Services (2019-2020)

Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, Fellow of ICAA (1986-1989)

RMIT University, Graduate Certificate in Marketing, Business to Business. Business to

Consumer (1990 – 1991)

Monash University, Bachelor, Economics, Politics, Information Technology (1980 – 1985).