Doug has been blessed with the very best life he could ever have wished for. Married to an amazing person and gifted with two incredible sons. He’s enjoyed some of the greatest joys that life has to offer. At a young age, he achieved great heights in the corporate world, then, not by choice, found himself in the entrepreneurial fast and furious, must-make-it-happen lane, achieving the unimaginable, hitting a wall, achieving the unimaginable again, hitting a wall again, and then again. In the blink of an eye his life was shattered, and he was the closest thing to broken he had ever known. The last 7 years have been the must-survive years, finding some bounce, finding purpose.

Attendees will:

1. Get an insight into what it means to Think Strategically, Plan Magically, and Implement to Win.
2. Get an insight into how to be creative, what approach and tools to use, and how it’s possible to create something amazing from a ‘Thought-Bubble’.
3. Get an insight into what, in business, can go wrong, how to deal with it, and how to bounce back.
4. Get an insight into what can go wrong in life, and how to copy, survive, and bounce.

🎙️About the Speaker

Born in the small town of Bulawayo, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), I migrated to South Africa at the age of 14, and then again in 2008 to Perth, Western Australia. I am blessed with the most wonderful wife, two sons, and our beloved dog, Archie.

“I’ve been blessed with the very best that life has to offer, and been devastated by the very, very worst that life has to dish out – I know what it feels like to fly high, and be brought to my knees, totally crushed”.

My 38-year working life, not career, has been an enormously exciting, challenging, and fulfilling journey. A journey of three parts – Corporate Executive, Entrepreneur, Advisor & Coach.

Part One – The Corporate Man:

• Trained as a professional investment manager, company & economics analyst.
• Group Strategist of a listed Life Insurance Group.
• Managing Director of Largest Retail Bank in South Africa’s Retail Investment Arm – Leading a team of 309 people, 150 million expense budget, 1.8bn annual sale budget, 21bn in FUM.

Part Two – The Entrepreneur:

• Formed an alliance with the 3rd largest Global Investment Management Group – Managed 380bn Fund Under Management (FUM).
• Secured a 5-Year 50 million retainer.
• Full rights to their global brand.
• Invited 20 key people to join me.
• Formed ~ 6 additional key strategic alliances.
• Established significant distribution via 600 Independent Financial Advisor.
• Created numerous hybrid investment products.
• Took in 600 million in FUM over 3-years.
• Bought 380 Hectors on the beach from on a handshake for 35 million.
• Raised 60 million in a given 6-month option period.
• Developed the entire 1.2bn 330 home secure estate from ‘thought-bubble’ to fruition.
• Started Mini-Financial Services Group (With invaluable business partner).
• Accounting/Tax, Financial Planning/Investment, Corporate finance/Advice.
• Grew from 10 client account to 1500 client accounts over ~ 5-6 years.

Part Three – The Advisor:

• After our family disaster, and so much more, I felt I needed to change tack, at least for a while, find myself and rediscover my joy and purpose in life. Strangely enough, I’ve found reaching out to others, and trying to help people in need, be they homeless people, or businesspeople that could [possibly] benefit from what I had to offer gave me considerable joy and a strong sense of purpose.
• Today I work primarily with Small-to-Medium Family-Owned businesses, Leaders, Bold & Innovative Entrepreneurs, and Individuals needing a sounding wall, someone carrying many battle-scars, and substantial and varied experience. These individuals are either Leaderships, Managements, employees, or people that need to chat to a ‘Corporate Doctor’, as one would their personal therapist.

“These are the main chapters in the story of my working life. I would be lying if I said they were plain sailing or worked out exactly as I would have liked them to – that’s simply not how life typically goes. I’ve enjoyed considerable success along the way, achieved the unachievable, gained more knowledge than all the leading management and Law schools together could have taught me, and discovered so much about myself and humanity in the process.

Whilst working over the last 38-years I’ve squeezed in 15-years of Part-Time study to complete:

• MBA completed at the University of Western Australia:
• Graduated with distinction > 80% average.
• Achieved the DUX award for Strategic Negotiation.
• Thesis on Family-Owned Business
• Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD)
• Postgraduate Higher Diploma in Corporate Law
• Honours Bachelor of Commerce – BCom (Hons)
• Bachelor of Commerce – BCom