19 July 2019

Overview of the 2019 TEFMA Directors' Forum 

 

Dear Members,

 

This year’s Directors' Forum was held at the University of Canberra and our thanks goes out to John Owens and Glenn Mowbray for the provision of a great venue.

We were fortunate to be able to recognise two of TEFMA’s latest Business Partners; Roof & Building Service who specialise in providing water penetration solutions who sponsored the Forum satchels as well as the daytime catering, and Operational Intelligence for sponsoring the Business Partners networking session following the Forum.

 

The Forum was well attended with 39 delegates including; members, Business Partners and speakers.  Some members travelled great distances to attend the Forum including; Corrie Cook, Peter Fehl, Dean Macaulay and Chris Stevens from NZ, Vito Forte and Trevor Humphreys from WA and a special mention goes to William McGuinness from Charles Darwin University in the NT.

 

The theme of this year’s Directors' Forum was fitting, ‘30 Fabulous Years – Planning for the Next Generation’.  This tied in at a time where we celebrate TEFMA’s 30th anniversary.  

 

Since the AGM went on-line the Directors' Forum has become the only opportunity the Board have to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the sector and TEFMA directly with our key stakeholder group. With that in mind the Forum programme was developed to assist the Board to facilitate a conversation with its members to help establish the strategic direction for TEFMA well into the future.

 

Our new strategy highlights the need to seek out meaningful strategic partnerships that can help shape and sustain TEFMA’s future. The first speakers reflected that objective, with Chris Whelan from Universities NZ and Mike Teece from Universities Australia, providing us with an insight into how TEFMA can have a more prominent role in supporting our VC’s and DVC’s Corporate in their interaction with Government around property and asset related issues.

 

Vicki Williams, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Finance & Infrastructure at the University of Canberra spoke to the topic of ‘The Educated Life’.  We then heard from Nick Alsop on the Green Building Council of Australia’s agenda to enhance its model and tools to advance sustainability outcomes in the Tertiary Education Sector.

 

In line with TEFMA’s desire to improve our benchmarking capabilities, Ben Eastment from VOICE Projects delivered a presentation on why understanding our client’s satisfaction with our services is so critical to TEFMA and the sector. Wayne Millar highlighted the potential for TEFMA to broker a consolidated approach for members to facilitate a Client Satisfaction survey.

Outcome: The Board will circulate a paper to members to determine the level of Member interest in pursuing this matter further.  

 

Peter Fehl from the University of Auckland spoke to the construction and operational restraints that have been facing the New Zealand sector for several years.

 

It what is a significant occasion for TEFMA, we welcomed Steve Taylor from GJK who, with Glenn Mowbray, announced that GJK were entering into an exciting new agreement to become TEFMA’s Premier Education Programme sponsor for the next two years. Along with support for TEFMA’s professional development programs the agreement provides for the launch of a regional events program to bring together members and business partners in a new series of focus sessions based around the needs of our regional members.  TEFMA is very excited to see where this long-term partnership will take us and we thank Steve for his leadership in bringing this opportunity to the table, and Glenn for his unwavering commitment to TEFMA. 

 

To help establish our new strategic priorities the Members participated in an on-line survey to ensure their view was included in TEFMA’s future strategic focus areas. The following graph provides a summary of the results that reflects the Members view on the order of priority the Board should follow in relation to the identified strategic focus areas.

Garry Bradley and Wayne Millar provided an outline of two great opportunities that have been generously put forward by TEFMA’s Strategic Partner AUDE. This offer includes a place for a TEFMA member to attend the AUDE Summer School for Aspiring Estate Directors/Deputy Directors as well as an opportunity for a senior TEFMA member to play a part in the delivery of the Summer School programme.

Outcome: Due to the significant interest in these opportunities the Board will circulate further details on this as soon as they come to hand

 

Glenn Mowbray outlined some options for the future direction of what now is known as the TEMC which we have successfully delivered under a long term partnership with ATEM.

Outcome: The Board is to work through some of the issues with the existing partnership, and if these matters are resolved then TEFMA will enter into a further extension of the Agreement with ATEM and continue to grow the TEMC as our premier annual event.

 

Following afternoon tea there was a ‘Closed Session’ for members only and TEFMA’s President Garry Bradley lead us through an overview of TEFMA’s new draft Strategic Plan which had been discussed during the Board meeting the previous day.

 

Garry also outlined several structural changes that may come forward for consideration during the AGM including splitting the Secretary/Treasurer role as well as changing the President’s term of service from one year to two years.

Outcome: The Board to prepare a paper for consideration of the Institutional Members at the AGM.

 

Forum Dinner

Another opportunity to network over dinner didn’t go to waste, everyone who attended  appeared to enjoy the occasion immensely. A big thank you goes out to our longtime supporter of the Directors' Forum dinner, Multiplex, and it was great to catch-up and swap car stories with Graham Cottam.  

 

TEFMA’s Charity Partner - BrashA-T

In-lieu of speaker gifts, a donation was agaun made to TEFMA’s charity partner, BrashA-T, to go towards funding research into a very rare children’s neurodegenerative condition called Ataxia-Telangiectasia or A-T for short.

 

Wayne Millar 

President Elect

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