Presidents Message

I am delighted to take on the role of President of the Geelong Business Club – A club that I have been fortunate to be a member of since 2013 and on the Committee since 2015. I am thrilled to be surrounded by a passionate and dedicated committee and I welcome our new committee members. All to be introduced in the coming months. Our primary focus will be to ensure our members remain engaged with the Club and each other in the coming year.

While we are in uncertain times, as business owners, we have adapted and continued on and so too will the Club. We have looked at our offering spanning no restrictions and Club Dinners at GMHBA stadium, partial restrictions where we will support our restaurants through intimate dinners (a member highlight last year), to online offerings in total lock-down. We see, now more than ever, it is vital to keep connected and support each other.

This month’s speaker is not to be missed as we host Joseph Healy, Founder of Judo Bank, in an online forum. Joseph is one of the biggest names in banking, and he will be joining us to share the Judo Bank story, and as an SME financier, provide insights into the health of SMEs in light of the pandemic.  Given Joseph’s interest in our business community and in delivering the event online, we offer an open invitation to guests interested in hearing about Judo Bank’s launch, growth story, and expansion into the Geelong region. We encourage you to extend this invitation to your business colleagues and invite them to tune in and take advantage of this opportunity to have a personal audience with one of Australia’s leading businessmen.

We have been working in the background to build value for our members, including updating the member portal. This will allow members to locate other members outside our monthly meetings through our website. You will need to opt-in for your details to be displayed. Please keep an eye out for an email in this regard.

Finally, you should have hopefully paid your annual Membership Fees. The Committee has agreed not to increase fees, and we have held the fee steady for some years, keeping yearly subscription to the Club at a very modest price.  I would ask if you could please pay GBC subscription by month’s end to retain your membership with the Club.

I look forward to seeing you online on the 13th at 5.30 pm. Grab a beverage, catch up with colleagues in a break-out room before we hear from Joseph.

President
Maree Herath