The short-list of finalists for this year’s BDM of the year award has been revealed.
Carly Bradshaw – Business Development and Operations Manager, Australian Dust Control
Carly Bradshaw is responsible for the design and functioning of the entire business and has created the systems that sustain and operate the company, providing Australian Dust Control with the framework to source and service new business.
Specifically, Bradshaw has created multiple one-off and ongoing sales campaigns, which the company execute to generate fresh leads and maintain existing client relationships.
In her latest campaign, Bradshaw created a dynamic list of current clients, combined with new exciting leads she has found. Once the list was compiled and crosschecked to make sure all contact details and lead sources were correct, Bradshaw scheduled a sales and marketing meeting. In this meeting she ran through the new campaign making sure colleagues understood the nature of the relationship with each potential new lead and their respective industry so that the marketing strategy was tailored for success. The next step was to create a unique marketing package designed to target the given industry and engage them in the company’s relevant products.
In addition to the design and creation of campaigns and client management to generate new business, Bradshaw has produced Australian Dust Control's branding material, from business cards to brochures, giving the company a strong and unique presence in the market. Bradshaw also organises charity events and donations such as the company’s volunteering day at Bear Cottage, ensuring that ADC is building a socially sensitive brand.
Carrie Hartford – Senior Engineer, Jenike & Johanson
In January 2012, Carrie Hartford moved her husband and three children from California USA to Perth to establish a new engineering office and lab facility for Jenike & Johanson (J&J). J&J is a specialised bulk material engineering firm with expertise in powder and bulk materials storage, handling, conveying, and processing. Hartford arrived in Perth to an empty office and warehouse. Soon the office and lab were filled with state of the art solids flow characterisation equipment. For the first time in history, Western Australia became home to one of the few world-class centres for bulk solids characterisation. The extensive growth in Australian mining now had access to these engineering properties as well as sound engineering recommendations based on these properties.
Within the first month of operation, clients were sending samples for analysis and requesting design support. Revenue increased in 2013 by 230 per cent from the first year of operation. In 2014, revenue grew again by 24 per cent. Hartford started off with one lab technician and by the time she moved back at the end of 2014, she had tripled her engineering and lab staff. In 2014, she relocated the office and lab to enable the operation to double. The Perth office is functioning smoothly and continuing to grow with Hartford as the head of business development. Her attention to detail and personal commitment to the business has served her clients well. A vast majority of their work comes from repeat customers and client referrals.
Emma Cook – Business Development Manager, Agility Project Logistics
Emma Cook has implemented a strategy of aggressive targeting of focused markets through in depth research of perspective clients business drivers, and facilitated the introduction of a solution-based sales approach, enabling clients to focus on increasing their market share.
Cook successfully grew an internal culture of total customer commitment and Australasian Business Development Manager at Agility Project Logistics, Ross O'Dwyer, said Cook’s consistent approach on always adding value and expressing the client's success in the market has led to some great project wins.
Cook implemented a “back to basics” campaign, which led to 15 quality appointments weekly off the back of thorough research of client's market space and aspirations as an organisation and a thorough understanding of competitor's strengths and weaknesses.
Benefits to the company were immediately apparent through 45 per cent increased revenue and an internal sense of clear purpose and creation of team spirit with the BD team.
Sandra Taylor – Tender Manager I&R East, Lend Lease
Since joining Lend Lease in October 2013, Sandra Taylor has developed and implemented a robust strategy for bids and tenders that is used across the business to support new business growth.
The bid/no framework is a decision matrix in the pre-contracts process that has the needs and drivers of clients at its core. It is designed to identify critical gaps to produce a development strategy that best fits the clients' needs and to identify opportunities to increase our knowledge and understanding of the client before bidding. The framework has cemented a client-driven focus within the team and solidifies team expertise and knowledge, allowing it to be transferred successfully to drive new business growth.
The bid/no bid framework is supported by a collaborative, team-based approach to pre-tenders. In addition to designated team procedures and enhanced structure in the decision-making process, Taylor has driven a thriving team culture that is based on open dialogue and team work.
The bid/no bid framework has increased the Industrial & Resources pipeline from $500 million to over $1.3 billion of tangible pre-contract opportunities in the past two years under constrained market conditions. Tender submission quality and evaluation processes have increased as a result of Taylor's leadership; and she has developed and initiated processes and systems for work winning, tender evaluation, quality and submission.
The bid win rate is trending upward to 46 per cent (by count) and 23 per cent (by value).
Nicolette Hinson – General Manager Business Development and Strategy, Elgas
Nicolette Hinson has made a significant contribution to growing Elgas' business since she became General Manager for Business Development and Strategy in 2011. She is the key driver of business development and is responsible for identifying and developing new business opportunities for commercialisation. Nicolette has consistently achieved growth in new focus areas through her excellent technical ability, solid commercial understanding and leadership.
Under Hinson's leadership, Elgas has significantly grown its liquefied natural gas (LNG) stationary energy business with revenues increasing some 2500 per cent since 2011. Hinson drove the signing of two major customers and expanded the sales personnel team to grow the LNG business in Queensland and New South Wales. She has worked across both Elgas and BOC to support the development of the customer offerings for this new market and played a vital role in preparing market-based information that supported the investment of BOC's new LNG production facility in Queensland.
Hinson also developed an initiative to generate new business for Stargas, an Elgas brand that offers compressed industrial and hospitality gases and LPG to small and medium sized businesses. This included the development of a business case for the implementation of a new Stargas operation site in Brisbane to strengthen Stargas' position and capability in the region. This recommendation was approved by the business with the new site opened in 2013. It has helped Elgas win new industrial and LPG accounts in the SME Business area.