The top end of town gathers for ‘corporate grand final’

1 week ago 3

It’s the night of the Business Council of Australia’s annual dinner – the “corporate grand final” according to social media (or at least one account which may or may not be managed by the business lobby group’s director of media).

But if that’s the case, what is the contest? Business versus politics?

Happily the atmosphere was more stadium corporate box than competitive arena at Sydney’s five-star Four Seasons. As always at such events, attendees look to the table placement to discern the business community’s hierarchy, and no detail is too small to be loaded with significance.

BCA president Geoff Culbert, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Bran Black, CEO of BCA, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney on Monday night.

Luckily, BCA chief executive Bran Black, the former lawyer who served as chief of staff to former NSW premiers Gladys Berejiklian and Dominic Perrottet, has had two years in the job now to skilfully Anna Wintour the heck out of the seating arrangements.

The PM, whose table was positioned squarely in the centre of the room, was seated next to BCA president Geoff Culbert and Telstra’s Vicki Brady. It must have felt a bit like groundhog day, having had them on his table at this very same dinner last year.

Professor Jennifer Westacott AC and Treasurer Jim Chalmers at the dinner.

Melanie Silva, managing director for Google in Australia and New Zealand, also scored a spot on the prime minister’s table. She may or may not have the pincer Albanese finds himself in, between the Trump administration’s ire at our News Media Bargaining code which forces tech giants to pay for news, and local news organisations’ enthusiasm for it.

The floor was not short of representation from some of the nation’s most influential newsrooms, with a “one editor per table” policy seemingly seeing the editors-in-chief of The Australian Michelle Gunn, the Australian Financial Review’s James Chessell, The Daily Telegraph’s Ben English, and managing director of Nine publishing Tory Maguire each placed on separate tables.

Guests supped on chicken or the beef (OK Wagyu tenderloin fillet with matchstick potatoes or free-range chicken breast with mole sauce) and slurped on Seppelt Great Western The Drives Sparkling, which retails at $22 a bottle. How proudly patriotic.

Karen Dobson, BCA, Lucy Nation, BP and Patrick Houlihan, Dulux CEO.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart, who busted comms exec James Radford out of Israel, as memorably covered by CBD, busted him into the Four Seasons in Sydney tonight as a Hancock Prospecting representative at the dinner, while neglecting to attend herself.

Antony Shaw, HSBC and Nuno Matos, ANZ CEO.

There always tends to be one chief executive feeling the heat. Four years ago, we noted how then-Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm played public debutant at the dinner, “like a nervous Featherington sister being presented at court in Bridgerton” after the corporate implosion that followed the mining company’s explosion of the 46,000-year-old Aboriginal rock shelters at Juukan Gorge.

This year eyes were drawn to new ANZ chief executive Nuno Matos, the ex-wealth and personal banking chief executive at HSBC who arrived in May and is poised to rain down a cost-cutting hellfire at the country’s fourth-largest bank. Anthony Miller, Westpac chief executive was there, but Commonwealth Bank boss Matt Comyn and NAB chief executive and corporate hospitality king Andrew Irvine were not.

Also there were Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Energy Minister Chris Bowen, Environment Minister Murray Watt, Trade Minister Don Farrell, Minister for Small Business Anne Aly and Assistant Minister for the Digital Economy Andrew Charlton. Flying the flag for the opposition was Shadow Treasurer Ted O’Brien. Business friendly independent Allegra Spender showed up for the teals.

Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian was also spotted, speaking with HSBC’s CEO Anthony Shaw over predrinks before entry. The banker could be heard thanking the diplomat for some recent hospitality, before the conversation abruptly ended as CBD walked past.

Fact-checker needed at NSW Liberal HQ

The NSW Liberals have a “long-term plan to Keep NSW Moving Forward”, but what might be more useful is a short-term plan to keep on top of basic election details.

The party famously missed a deadline to nominate about 150 candidates for council elections, meaning eight local government areas went to elections last year without a single Liberal candidate on their ballot paper.

On September 13, there’s a key byelection coming up in Kiama, south of Sydney, to replace Gareth Ward, a former Liberal turned independent who quit parliament – reluctantly – after being found convicted of sexual assault.

Liberal candidate Serena Copley is running for Kiama

The Liberals’ candidate is Serena Copley, a long-time local and former Shoalhaven councillor. Her chances of reclaiming the seat are low, but are not helped by the Liberals’ voting information on their own website, which is telling voters that on September 13, they should head to polling booths in the northern beach town of Port Macquarie.

Bandt to tackle climate emergency – but not until January

Stop the clocks! Ex-Greens leader Adam Bandt has a new gig. AB is joining the Australian Conservation Foundation as chief executive, which should come as a surprise to no-one, particularly regular readers of CBD, where we flagged this as an outcome back in oh, July.

“We undertook a rigorous search for ACF’s next CEO, spanning many countries and including screening more than 300 candidates,” said ACF chair Ros Harvey.

This seems even more drawn out than the AFL’s search to find a successor to chief executive Gillon McLachlan, which involved a similar world-wide search only to appoint someone down the corridor.

“Adam was unanimously supported by our Board as the right person to lead ACF into its next chapter,” Harvey continued, adding that Bandt – who, the release pointed out that he will no longer play a role with The Greens – possessed not just “vision”, but also “bravery” and “experience” to tackle the climate emergency.

But not just yet. Bandt will take up the gig in January. Until then, Kelly O’Shanassy, who has led the ACF for 11 years, remains in the chair.

“I think it is a strange appointment,” noted one commentator. “The only people who hate him more than the Tories do is Labor. What is the point of hiring him as an advocate?” Good question.

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