Serving up potential
By Sandy Galland
“Serving those that need help is my game and in so doing, it is better to first seek to understand than be understood.” This was one of the many pearls of wisdom divulged during my conversation with Jeremy Bendall; passionate businessman and mentor, sports, youth and community advocate.
It has always been said that if you want something done, ask a busy person. With this said, if you want results then Jeremy is your go-to guy. “I am passionate about helping people succeed — I hate to see Kiwis fail when they don’t need to.”
Jeremy is chairman of Business Mentors New Zealand, has just become a partner in Effective Governance and is a director of Tennis New Zealand. Were his CV laid before us, it would clearly show a broad and successful career that has incorporated banking, sports and community governance, management and advisory positions. His work in New Zealand, South America, South Africa, Asia and the Pacific has opened his mind to other cultures and what Kiwis need to do to win on the global stage.
While he wears many hats with perceived ease, Jeremy’s core focus is and has always been unleashing potential, both in himself and others.
“I have purposely made some big changes in my life recently to focus on my passion for governance, strategy, risk management and the business of sport — while making more time for me and my family. Spread yourself too thin and things can break!”
Jeremy’s passion for sport is perhaps best reflected in his contribution to tennis. He joined the board of Tennis NZ five years ago and was a member of the T21 and Maiden Committees which affected a successful vote for change and major restructuring on a national scale. “I was privileged to work with Sir Colin Maiden, David Sims and many others, to bring about a change that was long overdue. Our board and management teams are now focused on execution of the ‘revitalisation’ programme to get results — high performance and participation.” A recent SPARC mid point review was very positive on achievements to date, Jeremy noted.
Partnering with Kevin McCaffrey to expand Effective Governance in New Zealand allows Jeremy to focus on improving governance and helping directors, boards and executives lift their game in this critical area. “In these recessionary times there is more pressure than ever before on business leaders. There is a massive need for leaders to stay focused on what drives value and behave in a manner that inspires and engenders confidence in the capital markets and New Zealand as a whole — now is the time to stand up.”
Sitting alongside this, but specifically focused on helping SMEs in New Zealand, is Jeremy’s role as chair of Business Mentors NZ.
“I believe the health of SMEs goes to the very heart of our Kiwi culture, the social fabric of our community, our uniqueness and talent pool. They account for 97 percent of all businesses and make a whopping 40 percent contribution to value added economic output.*
“We ignore them at our peril and proactive support will reduce supply chain risk for big business and keep government tapped into the grass roots.
“Business Mentors provides a unique support service across the country. They work closely with a great variety of people who need an objective view on how to do things better, more efficiently, smarter and more profitability. Our mentors are all volunteers and successful business people in their own right.” They can provide a shoulder to lean on at no cost other than a $100 one time registration fee. “In my view, the service is under-utilised and over the next six months we will be running a big campaign to raise awareness of this unique national service.”
When we fail to plan, we plan to fail. Another truism expounded by Jeremy but very relevant in our turning economy. “We are in a period of denial and people need to ask for support. People have to take time out at some point to really ‘look at’ their business. Our baby boomers need succession and contingency plans as many are still working their butts off with no end in sight! The governance models and journey from passionate owner to dispassionate investor is an area of great interest to our Effective Governance team.”
So what drives Jeremy to so passionately want to inspire others to greatness? Apart from being an integral part of who he is, Jeremy recounts an incident back in 1983 when he was involved in a bad car accident in Australia. “I escaped within a whisker of my life and this sparked something in me. What we have can be gone in the blink of an eye. It was a big wake up call and I recognised how very fortunate I was to have grown up in New Zealand and be healthy. It crystallised my desire to achieve, use the limited talents I had and stay passionate about what I loved regardless of what others may think.”
Shortly after Jeremy proposed to Sue, his wife now of 23 years, and launched himself into the next phase of his life. “I hate lost opportunities and want to see skill and talent well utilised. I will continue to seize opportunities and make a contribution wherever I can — that is never going to change.”
With his 50th birthday just gone, Jeremy is proud of every grey hair he has “I earned them all,” he laughs. His life so far has been jam-packed and while he will continue to strive to help New Zealand succeed as a nation in the boardroom, sporting, youth and SME arenas, Jeremy has set some firm lifestyle goals that include more time at the family cottages in Kaikoura and Taupo, learning two other languages and advancing his study of ancient civilisations.
“I will just keep working on getting the best out of myself.”
* MED report – SMEs in NZ,
Structure and Dynamics 2008
A man of many hats
- Until recently, Jeremy was a senior partner in KPMG’s Risk and Corporate Governance Advisory division.
- He led their Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Service for Asia Pacific and was a member of the ERM Global Steering Committee
- He has a strong interest in supporting the community as evidenced by his previous roles as chairman of a Youth Centre Trust, school trustee and coach of soccer and tennis teams. He also supports the Building Better Schools programme in Auckland
- Jeremy has been a director of Tennis NZ since 2003 and an active member of the T21 working party and Maiden Committee. This work resulted in a unanimous vote for change by all associations, a new regional structure and significant additional “revitalisation” funding from SPARC
- Outgoing Labour Minister for Sport and Small Business, Clayton Cosgrove, appointed Jeremy in 2008 to a special Business and Sport Leader Advisory Group (for SPARC) given his extensive governance and risk advisory experience in both fields
- He has regularly presented and published articles on emerging trends in corporate governance, strategic risk management and audit committee best practice
- Jeremy still plays competitive tennis, does boxing training and climbs mountains with his son Aaron, enjoys daughter Melissa’s company, and just loves being a Kiwi!
