JUSTIN KAHL

ILF was able to offer Justin Kahl, General Manager SA/NT for Sage Automation, a place on the 2010 Copeland Program provided by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and Flinders University. The Industry Leaders Fund thanks CEDA for this opportunity. Justin found the program met his expectations and was a good use of his time. He has provided the following report:

"I saw the Copland program as a great opportunity to continue to develop my knowledge as a manager and learn and share ideas with peers in other industry sectors . As well as this I saw it as a great opportunity to network and meet people outside of my normal networking environment from the public and academic sector.

I thought the format of the course was very good and was facilitated very well by Hamilton and Geoff. The quality of the speakers was very good. In particular I enjoyed listening to Lyn Arnold speak and took a lot from what he had to say.

An area that I really got a lot out of that I didn't expect to was the various discussions regarding international trade and doing business overseas. Although this is not directly relevant for me at the moment it has given me some good tips to think about if/when we begin to do work internationally.

I also found the program a good opportunity to get a better understanding of the public and academic sectors.

I must admit I wasn't sure what to expect when the program started so didn't have any great expectations but in general I would say it met my expectations and was a good use of my time.

I think the Alumni concept is a good one and is a good way to retain the relationships/networks that we developed during the program and I would be keen to attend any alumni events and sessions that may be planned."

ILF asked Justin if the Copeland program would be useful for younger potential leaders to attend early in their careers. Justin responded "I would say absolutely yes. For young potential managers and leaders to get the opportunity to listen to speakers with the vast experience and knowledge such as Lyn Arnold and Geoff Anderson is great for their development. In addition to this the attendee gets to learn from and network with many business managers and leaders that have a wealth of knowledge that they have learnt during their careers to date and are willing to share many of their experiences that they have learnt on the job."