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Regional Executive ForumThe Regional Executive Forum is an Australian-first networking program designed to bring together CEOs and Managers based in country areas. Initiated by Champions of the Bush, the forum is the first of its kind to operate beyond city boundaries and has been created to strengthen and upskill regional industries and enhance the capabilities and business networks of its participants. Six chapters of the forum exist across regional Victoria: Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland, North East Victoria, South West Victoria and Mildura. Each chapter is chaired by a local business person with strong links to and affinity with the local business community. The forum operates via a series of monthly roundtable discussions, in addition to one-on-one mentoring led by each chair. Keynote speaking events are also part of the forum's offering. The program was initiated to try and minimise the isolation country-based CEOs and upper-level managers can experience, due to factors such as geographical distance from other professionals and like-minded companies, the smaller number of similar industries in regional areas and the limited day-to-day networking opportunities that exist within regional business and industry. Click on the links below for more information about the forum in your area. Ballarat Regional Executive Forum This forum is chaired by Bill Wood, a former Senior Manager with the Mars group Bendigo Regional Executive Forum Doug Buerger is the Bendigo REF chair. His experience stems from a career in the mining industry Gippsland Regional Executive Forum Gippsland chair is John Mitchell, who brings extensive public administration experience, having filled senior management roles for a local water authority and in Local Government Mildura Regional Executive Forum The Mildura REF is chaired by Tony Mathews, who has served in senior management roles with regional airlines including QANTAS and the Royal Flying Doctor Service South West Victoria Regional Executive Forum North East Victoria Regional Executive Forum Barry Sullivan is the North East chair. Barry's past management roles have been served wit companies that include IBM and the Thaeles Group |
