Michael Donovan
MICHAEL DONOVAN
Michael is a Foundation Member of the Creative Skills Training Council. He now lives in the iconic resort town of Noosa, Queensland from where he runs a virtual business-mentoring group of former CEOs in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane - www.argroup.com.au and is Chairman of Tourism Noosa www.visitnoosa.com.au and the UNESCO declared Noosa Biosphere Reserve www.noosabiosphere.org.au
His business was recognised in the Top 10 Cool Company Awards 2006 by Australian Anthill Entrepreneur and Investor Magazine.
Michael is also well regarded as a speaker on leadership and is a strategy facilitator. He has chaired international conferences, emcee’d leading corporate and industry events in the arts, tourism, financial sector, planning, hospitality and the environment. In May 2007, he facilitated some 18 interactions between leading Australian company directors and their Chinese industrial and governement equivalents.
Much of Michael’s business-mentoring work deals with applying creativity to sustain growth in business, leading innovation and creativity in teams and creating hi-performance leadership environments. He trains mentors who exhibit the same propensity for creativity in business.
His careers started in retail banking but moved quickly into the arts and entertainment sector where for nearly 20 years Michael worked in film & TV production and distribution, the visual and performing arts (stage and opera). He is credited with resurrecting Australia’s famous Nimrod Theatre Company and delivering the spectacular New South Wales Arts and Entertainment Bicentenary Program. He ran, for a time, the Australian, UK and USA production interests of legendary Australian author Morris West.
Seeking diversity and challenge, the next 20 years saw Michael successfully undertake projects in the environment (creation of the Ramsar listed Kuala Lumpur Wetlands Sanctuary); in public transport (winning awards for innovative tourist services) and served as CEO of the large Australian operation of the global Best Western Motel and Hotel Group. He has marketed cities (Brisbane and Sydney) and won a national award for the innovative application of internet technologies in business planning.
Again seeking an outlet for his imagination, creativity and business know-how, Michael looked to mentoring as a way to engage and influence the approach of emerging business leaders. Michael and his team provide their services to the S&P ASX1000 and have alliances with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and the Melbourne Business School Mt Eliza Centre for Executive Education. He also works pro bono with young entrepreneurs.
Michael has been a former lecturer for the Directors as Leaders and Decision-Making modules of the Directors Essentials components in the Company Directors Course for AICD where he is a Fellow. He is an accredited mediator and holds certification in Eco~Tourism Business Management, George Washington Univ. Washington USA; is a Graduate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship plus a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.
He is independent Chairman of a Queensland based innovation company.
In his spare time Michael cooks and entertains with his wife Carol. They like travel, food and wine.
Every obstacle no matter how great yields to effort. Leonardo Da Vinci
International: +617 5474 2925 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +617 5474 2925 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +617 5474 2925 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
National: 1300 720 190
Skype: overlord7893