Rowe Advisory, five years on…
This month Rowe Advisory celebrates its 5th Anniversary! Our CEO, Jody Rowe, founded the company on her kitchen bench in December 2013 when after more than 25 years as a commercial contracts and procurement specialist for multinationals such as BG Group-QGC, Santos and Rio Tinto, Jody made the decision to pursue her dream of starting her own consultancy business.
“Launching a new business at one of the toughest times in the resource sector’s recent history was incredibly daunting,” Jody explained. “However, at the same time it was extremely exhilarating. I’m passionate about diversity and the active inclusion of women in the oil & gas, and mining industries, and setting up Rowe Advisory has allowed me to champion women working in traditionally male dominated environments.”
Since then Rowe Advisory has gone from strength to strength developing its advisory services. Beginning in Brisbane, we have expanded to Perth and Adelaide, focussing on Oil & Gas, Mining, Industrial, Construction and Engineering sectors. We have a great team of expert consultants serving a wide range of clients. Our scope includes:
- Contracts & Procurement
- Supply Chain
- Project Services
- Human Resources
- Recruitment
- Business Development
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Business & Strategic Advisory Services
Our journey
As Jody points out, “succeeding as a small business owner is tough and there’s no shortage of pitfalls along the way! Success is not about luck – it’s about hard work, resilience and persistence. It’s people trusting your thinking, competing and demonstrating added value. It’s about pounding the pavements, building relationships with good clients, and meeting many, many people along the way”.
Rowe Advisory is on a journey, our business is scalable and we plan to continue our growth in a focussed, disciplined and managed way. We do not claim to have systems and tools to change the world, but our USP is that we are industry experienced professionals that say it based on fact. Our business is built on authenticity, respect, genuineness and delivering successful results.
5 years, 5 key words
- Respect – is key to a successful business. Mutual respect reduces conflict and stress. It increases productivity, knowledge and understanding.
- Plan – never a truer word said, than the old army adage of proper prior planning and preparation prevents (p***) poor performance!
- Focus – work hard and smart, be disciplined and stay focussed. Stick to the plan and don’t get distracted!
- Authentic – be true to who you are and what you believe in.
- Loyal – Loyalty is not just a “soft” element – in 2001, Frederick Reichheld wrote a best seller about loyalty, The Loyalty Effect, proving how it drives profit in direct and quantifiable ways and is at the heart of sustainable business success.
5 years, 5 lessons learnt along the way
- Diversity – Jody is passionate about diversity in business, particularly in the resource sector. Promote diversity in your business; statistics demonstrate that it’s good for business, it’s the right thing to do and the smart thing to do! By providing women with flexible working choices, Rowe Advisory has gained access to a pool of talent that may otherwise have difficulty working due to family commitments.
- Business – Mange risk and seek opportunity. Be clear on your intent, whatever that may be. Encourage alternative operating models to gain access to talent – it’s imperative. Don’t be afraid to operate differently, accept change, adapt and progress.
- Personal – achieving a work/life balance is not an easy task, especially in today’s fast paced world. It’s not easy to switch off, we all fall into answering emails at all hours, working at weekends, etc. But it’s extremely important for our mental health and wellbeing that we do try to find a balance. For Jody, this balance is still a work in progress, “I’m trying to practice what I preach!” she comments. “Joining the Board of Sight For All, a not-for-profit organisation, pushed me out of my commercial world comfort zone, testing me to accept effort with no financial return and Trek For Sight was one of the most challenging events in my life! However, it spurred on my love of walking and hiking, especially with my dog Ruby, and I also make sure I spend quality time with family and friends.”
- Planning – Jody works on a 2 year planning cycle, reflecting today’s fast paced change and the dynamics of the resource sectors which Rowe Advisory serves.
- Mentors and champions – have good people around you! Jody comments, “I have been fortunate in surrounding myself with exceptional coaches and mentors that provide guidance. I never take them for granted; these individuals are invaluable and they do it because they care. They want you to be successful and we all need that. When trying to understand and fill in the gaps of what you don’t know or when making major decisions that you need support on, it never hurts to say I need help with this. In fact that is the measure of success for me, being vulnerable enough to ask for help.”
Thank you!
We would like to say thank you to our awesome clients, our dedicated consultants all over Australia and in the United Kingdom, and to our service providers – we couldn’t do this without your support! Here’s to the next five years!
And finally, Jody’s key statement…Never ever take your network and connections for granted, do business with people you like and trust.