Sinclair Journal, Banking & Finance Edition

	Wednesday, 24 August 2011, Edition 2 Contents Cressida's Corner Monthly Sporting Snippet News Bank A Word from Our Sponsors Market Update Hot Candidates Spotlight on a Sinclairian Banking and Finance Job Board Cressida's Corner Welcome to the second edition of Sinclair Journal – September 2011. Thank you for all the positive feedback we received on our first edition. We hope to make each month bigger and better. For this September edition I was fortunate enough to interview Eugénie Buckley, CEO Brisbane Roar and Helen Davis, Executive General Manager Suncorp. In our October issue we will spotlight another key industry banking figure, profile a Queensland sporting team and much more. Your feedback is more than welcome and we look forward to presenting this industry newsletter to you each month. Thanks Cressida Ward - Senior Recruitment Consultant cressidaw@sinclairconsulting.com.au Monthly Sporting Feature This month, Cressida was very lucky to spend some time with Eugénie Buckley the CEO of the Brisbane Roar and spoke at length with her about last season’s Grand Final win and what‘s planned for this season for the Roar. Eugénie Buckley LLM, LLB (Hons), B Com CEO – Brisbane Roar Eugénie Buckley is a sports lawyer with a recognised reputation in football administration that has been established over the past 15 years at the international, national and regional levels. Since her appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Brisbane Roar in March 2011, she has implemented important administrative structural changes. These have been crucial to establishing a secure base from which the club has been able to take advantage of the momentum from the Grand Final success. Eugénie can you tell us about what the last year has been like after the Roar’s amazing win? Winning the Grand Final was the culmination of an outstanding year on the field for the club. The atmosphere in the stadium throughout the entire match was electric and to witness a sea of orange at Suncorp Stadium was incredible. While the finish may have been nail biting, it was a fairy tale ending to the season. So what is the plan for the next season and the future of Brisbane Roar? The task we’re now working on, and will continue to work on, is capitalising on that excitement around the club. The next six months will be a critical time for the club as we work towards expanding our corporate clientele and membership base. We’ll also make our debut in the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League in February 2012, so part of our focus is on Asia and the opportunities it presents for business, government, communities and football. Again we’re looking to ensure we make the most of the exposure this competition will bring the club and the state from across the region. It’s been a tumultuous year for Queensland so far. What are your thoughts? Everyone in Queensland has been working hard to rebuild following the natural disasters which ravaged the state earlier this year. Queenslanders are a resilient bunch and Brisbane has been making great strides with the rebuilding process. Brisbane Roar would like to give away a PLATINUM double pass to their season opener – a Grand Final rematch v Central Coast Mariners on 8 October at Suncorp Stadium. Please click here to enter now. www.sinclairconsulting.com.au/node/52427 News Bank *Finance Feature* Cressida recently spent some time chatting with Helen Davis – Executive General Manager Banking HR – Suncorp Bank Helen can you tell us about the past year and what your thoughts are on all the events that have taken place? It has been an interesting start to the new financial year with world events again dominating. Fortunately, all of our Australian banks are among the safest in the world and a strong banking sector underpins economic stability. We are so fortunate here in Australia that, unlike many of our international peers, we have low unemployment, a range of strong industries, strong trade ties to the growth powerhouses of China and India, and we have room to move on interest rates which is an important tool for managing the economy. Countries with near-zero interest rates have few economic levers left to pull. Maybe you can tell us about how Suncorp has been placed during this time? The Suncorp Group is a top 25 ASX listed company and is well placed to manage through ongoing market volatility, as we have a strong credit rating and diversified earnings from our banking, insurance and wealth arms. The start of calendar year 2011 certainly provided some challenges as weather events and natural disasters took their toll on our customers and the communities where they live and operate. Suncorp was by no means immune from the Christchurch earthquake, Cyclone Yasi and flooding in Queensland, with customers, staff and branches affected. I’m proud to say that, despite this, Suncorp has remained focused on helping their customers and communities recover and rebuild, and continue to do so. In fact, support for the Suncorp brand has probably never been stronger given their responsiveness. What’s in store for Suncorp in the future? Suncorp Bank is Australia’s fifth largest listed bank and since the days of the AgBank in 1902, has remained committed to our rural and regional customers. Suncorp continues to invest in skills and knowledge in the industry and cultivate deep relationships and partnerships within our communities. We are growing our personal, SME and agribusiness portfolios and are committed to attracting high calibre professionals. I believe Suncorp’s people are friendly, professional, talented and innovative, and approach all things with a can-do attitude. Suncorp Bank offers a challenging and rewarding career path across a vast array of business areas including administration, finance, sales and service, project management, IT, strategy, marketing and communications. Visit their website at www.Suncorp.com.au to find out more. Sinclair Supports *Overcoming Adversity* Diagnosed with an incurable disease, Scott Sullivan vowed to defy it by making every day count.  ‘Imagine …’ Imagine being told you had three to five years to live. Imagine not being able to talk. Imagine not being able to swallow. Imagine being a dad with two beautiful children, Abbey and Charlie. ‘These days, turned out nothin’ like I had planned’, the song says. Scott Sullivan asked for no tears. ‘Control, well it’s slipping right through my hands.’ It was a simple message on Abbey’s Father’s Day letter: ‘I love my dad because he rides my bike with me and because he plays with me.’ Imagine watching your wife walk through the house and having the presence of mind to consider how lucky you are that you met, but only enough physical movement to show your gratefulness with a frantic blink. Imagine. In the centre of the room, Scott’s wife Sarah looks up at her husband on the speaker’s dais. He’s smiling. She smiles back at him. They could be the only two people in the room. In their bubble. She’s so proud of her husband. So incredibly happy for him. Scott Sullivan is a 39 year old professional who is vibrant, fun-loving and an energetic husband and father of two young children. On October 22 last year at 8.45 am he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) – a disease with no known cause, no known cure and no effective treatment. His life expectancy is three to five years. Scott is determined to use his diagnosis to help others so he has established the MND and ME Foundation to provide support and friendship to fellow MND sufferers. As well as raising money to fund research to find a cure, the main objective of the MND and ME Foundation is to assist people living with MND and their families to maintain their independence and quality of life for as long as possible. Scott’s in Finance – a Risk-Management Executive with Suncorp Bank. At work one day his fingers temporarily stopped functioning. He couldn’t pour a coffee. He laughed about it with his colleagues. 'Look at my stupid hands,’ he said. It took 30 minutes for a neurologist at the Mater in South Brisbane to determine Scott’s condition. Scott later appreciated his directness. ‘I believe you have Motor Neurone Disease [MND],’ the neurologist said. ‘There is no cure and your life expectancy is three to five years.’ Participate in the inaugural ‘Million Metres for MND’ Swim and you will be helping Scott to realise his dream. It’s also a great way to shed the extra winter kilos and increase your fitness before the summer holidays. The event is open to anyone who can swim between one and ten kilometres consecutively. This is not a race, but an endurance event – all swimmers participating in the event will collectively swim 1,000,000 metres. To read more about MND and ME and how you can support or participate in this fundraising event go to: www.mndandme.com.au/upcoming-events/million-metres-for-mnd/ Cressida and her brother-in-law Scott Garvin (Team – The Faves) are very excited to be participating in such a significant event. They are very keen to raise as much money as they can for the MND and ME Foundation. If you would like to support them in their swim go to: www.everydayhero.com.au/the_faves To make a generous donation of any sort or read more about Scott’s journey go to www.mndandme.net *Training* Simply enrol in any eligible Intellitrain training program between 1 August 2011 and 29 February 2012 to go into the draw to win a trip for two to Las Vegas worth $5,000 AUD. Market Update Patricia’s Monthly Finance Update - Wow what a tough month, although it was to be expected. The US government raised the debt ceiling and promised to cut spending but this wasn’t enough for rating agency S&P (Standard and Poors), downgrading the country’s credit rating from AAA to AA+. The market went into shock, it was hard for investors to watch the powerhouse that is the US fall from its pedestal - now fears have arisen that we are in for a double-dip recession. At our lowest, we hit the 3765 mark this month on the top 200 and had falls of up to 5% in one day. The market is reacting quickly and violently to the problems coming out of the US and European debt situation. The market is currently not trading on fundamentals but is trading on sentiment - obviously sentiment is low. In the past few weeks the market has started to stabilise – however, we do anticipate the volatility continuing as further news comes out of the markets. Our reporting season has had a mixture of results: resources performing well, Westpac reporting below guidance which was not expected and retail continues to be tough, the energy sector has had strong results with commodity prices high. Australian companies’ balance sheets are much stronger than what they were during the GFC so we do expect recovery to flow through, just at a slower rate. Looking for some assistance with your portfolio and would like to discuss your Investments, Super and Insurance? Call Patricia Doyle from RBS Morgans on 07 3334 4966, to be added to Patricia’s Morning Market e-mail, send your request to patricia.doyle@rbsmorgans.com Spotlight on Sinclairians – John Wright and Chris Kokkinos Welcome to John Wright – Manager, Commercial Accounting – Brisbane John is the Manager of our Brisbane Commercial Accounting Division and joins Sinclair Consulting with a strong background in end-to-end recruitment, business development, managing c-suite relationships and leading cross-functional recruitment teams. Beginning his career in 1999, John trained for several years in the UK with one of the world’s largest personnel companies prior to moving to Australia in 2003. Since then he has successfully partnered with many premium Australian organisations, building an impressive portfolio of clients. He prides himself on his hard work, commitment, honesty and loyalty – continually focused on achieving the right outcome for both his clients and candidates. John also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology from Dundee University. This provides an excellent insight into people, culture, attitudes and general people management issues. As an experienced specialist in accountancy recruitment, John excels in managing a broad spectrum of vacancies, from Payables to Financial Controller level. John Wright – Manager, Commercial Accounting Sinclair Consulting Ph (07) 3229 5822 / 0430 584 912 johnw@sinclairconsulting.com.au Welcome to Chris Kokkinos – Banking and Finance Consultant – Melbourne Hi everyone, my name is Chris Kokkinos and I joined Sinclair Consulting in 2011, having previously worked in recruitment for four years. I commenced my career in the recruitment industry in 2007, specialising in the Accounting and Finance sector. I then made the switch to internal recruitment, managing the end-to-end process for a privately owned Financial Services organisation. My areas of specialty lie within the Banking and Finance Industry, covering front line through to senior management roles across Retail Banking, Business + Commercial Banking, Private Banking, Asset Finance, Property Finance and Credit Risk. My strengths are that I pride myself in finding the right person for the role, and my ability to establish long lasting business relationships with both candidates and clients. I believe that my commercial experience, coupled with my in-house recruitment experience will ensure that my clients always receive the highest level of service by my working with you to achieve the best possible outcome. Chris Kokkinos – Banking and Finance Recruitment Consultant Sinclair Consulting Ph (03) 9620 7900 chrisk@sinclairconsulting.com.au Hot Sinclair Candidates Financial Planner - High calibre candidate! This candidate has an Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning, CFP Qualified and holds a Bachelor of International Business. He has 6 + years extensive experience within financial planning working for a small boutique and a multi-national finance organisation. Highly professional in both communication and appearance and a strong and eager personality. He is experienced in and comfortable with managing an existing client base as well as building new business. $70K plus Open to location - Greater Brisbane/Sunshine Coast/Toowoomba. To find out more about this candidate please contact Cressida Ward on email cressidaw@sinclairconsulting.com.au or phone 07 3229 5822 Assistant Accountant - Part Qualified CA, 3 years with top 4 chartered firm – looking for assistant accounting role with commercial company – young, sharp, corporate appearance – strong attention to detail and deadline focus – great communication and interpersonal skills. To find out more please contact John Wright on email johnw@sinclairconsulting.com.au or phone 07 3229 5822 Senior Audit Accountant - Qualified QA Accountant with 10 years experience. Worked toward productivity targets of up to 90% with her areas of specialty including Audit and SMSF. Great asset to the team with a high charge out rate. Available now. Seeking a salary of $110K-$120K plus super, ideally in a CBD or Southside location. To find out more about this candidate please contact David Donaldson on email davidd@sinclairconsulting.com.au or phone 07 3229 5822 Cressida's Banking and Finance Jobs Finance Broker – Rockhampton Job No 40293/CW Finance Broker – Brisbane Job No 40002/CW Financial Planner – Townsville Job No 39893/CW Financial Planner – Toowoomba Job No 39898/CW Financial Planner – Hervey Bay Job No 40543/CW Financial Planner – Gold Coast Job No 39896/CW Financial Adviser – Various Brisbane Locations Job No 40683/CW Financial Adviser – Gold Coast Location Job No – 40685/CW Financial Adviser – Toowoomba Location Job No – 40684/CW Broker – Brisbane Job No 39511/CW Client Services – Insurance – Brisbane Job No 40527/CW Paraplanner – Brisbane Northern Suburbs Job No 40235/CW Paraplanner – Brisbane CBD Job No 40531/CW Banking Opportunities – Emerald Job No 40276/CW Senior Agribusiness Manager – Rockhampton Job No 40195/CW Branch Manager – Cairns Job No 40018/CW Agribusiness Senior Manager Job No 40031/CW Luke's Banking and Finance Jobs Senior Client Manager Job No - 39957/LC Asset Manager Job No 40670/LC Senior Relationship Manager Job No 40251/LC Agribusiness Banking Manager – Mackay – Job No 40583/LC Townsville Agribusiness Manager – Townsville Job No 40584/LC Agribusiness Banking Officer - Rockhampton Job No 39401/LC Senior Agribusiness Banking Manager - Rockhampton Job No 39096/LC Agribusiness Manager – Townsville Job No 40669/LC Business Development Manager – Brisbane Job No 40576/LC Regional Manager / Dealer Account Manager – Brisbane Job No - 40528/LC Become a Sinclairian! The Queensland Banking and Finance division of Sinclair Consulting are flat out at the moment and are looking for an experienced Consultant or Trainee with banking and finance experience. Joining a team of experienced consultants, this person will thrive on working in a fast paced environment with excellent rewards on offer. If you are interested in discussing please call Cressida or Luke on 07 3229 5822 Cressida would like to extend a big thank you to George Heydon (Digital Marketing Manager) and Jade Harvey (Corporate Services) for all their assistance in presenting this Sinclair Journal.

Disclaimer: These materials are intended to provide a general guide only and do not constitute commercial advice. While care has been taken in the preparation of these materials, they should not be relied upon as a substitute for commercial advice about specific circumstances. Sinclair Consulting does not warrant or represent that these materials are sufficiently complete, detailed or accurate, or fit for any particular purpose.