CEO Check-in
December 2023 Session
Steve LapidgeAndrew: Well, hello and welcome to this final Food Waste Matters update for 2023. I’m Andrew Robertson and joining me today is CEO of the organisation formerly known as Fight Food Waste Limited, Steve Lapidge. It’s always great to hear from you Steve, so I’ll hand it over to you to fill us in on your activities in November.Steve: Great, thanks Andrew. November for us was a huge month. We had our annual conference at KPMG in Sydney, and what a spectacular venue it was. That was November 22, 23, and we had about 140 stakeholders along to that event. And a really good day and a half, going through all the different programs that we have, very strong industry focus around what, you know, our research outcomes mean for industry, and it was great to have everyone there. It was actually the first annual conference we’d had in person since right at the start of the CRC because of COVID and it was great to all be back together.Part of that was a future leaders program day on November 21 as well and really excited to announce that we had now have four submissions from our future leader’s program, three PhDs and one Masters. And we even have our first graduate in Ruby Chan from RMIT University who did a fantastic job all around the role of packaging and reducing food waste. For anyone interested in doing a PhD or Masters with End Food Waste Australia, then there are only a few scholarships left. So, please let us know sooner rather than later. We are talking to KPMG about introducing a professional PhD program next year for people that are looking to do a PhD on the job. And really make sure that they can use that new knowledge they acquire throughout the food companies that they work for.Of course, the big news has been the rebrand. So, we started off as Fight Food Waste, as CRC, and then we had Stop Food Waste Australia starting in 2021. Behind that has been the legal entity, Fight Food Waste Limited. Surveys this year with our stakeholders said, you know, love what you’re doing, but there’s a lot of confusion around your multiple brands and multiple names. And so, part of this year has been about, bringing all of that together into one brand and one name. Still with the same vision, of an Australia without food waste. But you’ll see the new branding behind me and, that will be our ongoing organisation, the legal name change has now come through. So, we are End Food Waste Australia, although we’re keeping the same ABN. So, the contracts and so on we have in place are still legal. We did have a participant meeting, on November 23. And we do have a new website related to our new brand as well. Just a front page at the moment, but please go to endfoodwaste.com.au webpage and have a look at the great videos, the communications team here put together to celebrate our launch. They’ll live there for some time yet but there’ll be a complete new website launched, just before Christmas as well. That will bring the existing websites from the CRC and Stock Food Waste Australia together.Now also at the participant meeting or just following up, we had our annual general meeting for this year. And I want to thank the departing directors in Robbie Davis and Alain Pillay, they had been there from the start, but for our first five years, and did a great service for the organisation. But I also want to welcome our two new directors in Juanita Hamparsum and Andrew Henderson. And we look forward to working with them over the coming years.Last week, we did our mid-year review in Adelaide, and we had all the team, here in Adelaide and we go through this in December each year and really work out what’s working and what we can improve on. And I just really want to say, that I’m so proud about the team that we have assembled over the first five years, I think it’s never been better than at the moment. I think the best advice I got when I was doing my MBA was, build the best team and get out of their way. And so that’s what I’m certainly keen to do. And on that note, I’m about to take off for six weeks overseas, and the biggest break I’ve ever had in my working life. And I can do that because I’ve got a great team in place behind me. And I’m sure that will shine during that Christmas New Year period when I’m away. So, look, in closing, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our stakeholders. It’s been a fantastic year. Our office will be closed between December 22 and January 2. Just for that main break in between. And as I said, I’ll be away until the end of January. Geoff Crook, our CFO will be acting CEO, at the time. So, please get in contact with Geoff, for any inquiries. But I wish all our listeners all the best for 2024. I’m sure it promises to be another big year.
Thanks, Andrew.Andrew: Thanks, Steve. That’s huge. A lot of information there and what sounds like a really exciting time ahead. So, thank you for your time this year, Steve. For coming in and telling us all what’s been going on with the organisation. I hope you have a very relaxing and much deserved break over Christmas, and we’re looking forward to hearing from you in 2024.Steve: Thanks, Andrew, and all the best.Andrew: And to our subscribers, thank you very much for joining us today. We hope you’ve enjoyed these updates from the new End Food Waste Australia. And we hope you have a terrific holiday period and a happy new year. Until then, keep up the fight.
