Australia's Most Influential CEOs Driving Innovation in 2025.pdf

Noting this, one name stands out as an enthusiast of small business: Sam Allert. Few stories in the progressive world of accounting software ring as true as Sam’s, CEO of Reckon Limited.

1. CIO™

Australia's Most
Influential

CEOs

Driving Innovation

En L in 2025

Sam

Championing Small Businessesin,
a Competitive Landscape

2. The greatest leader is
not necessarily the one

who does the greatest things.
He is the one that gets the people
to do the greatest things.

4. Pioneering a
New Era of
Leadership

5. into beis model, diving diversity and inclusion
initiatives, ad pushing fr ha pacos cross
indice

‘Ther journeys ao mart by restione,edataily, and
an unwavering focus on longterm vale ection. Through
visionary ragen, ratio patnrahips, and decisivo
‘tion, they ae tuning don nto opportunity and
inspitig the next generation of Australian Inder in ho
proces.

‘As we highlight Australia's Most Tafcatal CEOs
‘Driving Innovation in 2025, we celebrate hc who are
‘not jst responding othe etre, but boy big e
‘Thor stvis are burns fr Kara is dynamic,
impact, nd doply aligns witht nods of now cr.
Stay tuned we ron he Lor whose ison à

‘roping Ausra toward smarter, moe sustainable, and
bal inlet future,

Arz

6. Contents

Cover Story

De

Sam Allert
Championing
Small Businesses
in a Competitive
Landscape

7. Pik ©) (FILE

Adrienne Tan
Crafting Customer-Centric Solutions
ARTICLES
7 Game-Changing Strategies in Product
é Management for Modern Markets:
An In-Depth Look at the Traits and
Practices That Set Influential CEOs Apart

8. clo“

PoojaM Bansal
Edhor-in-Chiot

Deputy Editor Anish Miller
Managing Ce Alaya Brown.

Deson
Visualizer Dave Bates
An Design Director Davis Martin

Associote Designer Jameson Carl

Senior Soles Managers Wilson T. Hunter D.
‘Customer Suecoss Monoger Samuel Elvis
Solos Execuivos David, Smith

TEOHMCAL
10d Peter Hayden,

Technical Consultant Victor Collins

Technical

sueo
Research Analyst Erie Smith

sto fecutive Alen Spencer

© wa facebook com CIOLook
Fu comvCIOLockmagazine

infogoialaor com
For Subscription
rn cioioakcom

Copyright © 2928 CIOL0OK. A
Fight reverved. The content
ond troges ured ins
magazine shoul ot bo

‘ny form or by any means
‘hotocapying recording or
permiésion ram eIO100£
Reprint grs remain soley
in 100K

sales@ciolookcom

March, 2025

9. AUSTRALIA'S MOST INFLUENTIAL CEOS

DRIVING INNOVATION IN 2025 0

Featuring Company Brief
‘A pionce in product management space, Adrienne has
Adrienne Tan Besitos Pry id papa A
Cosomdor£CEO | bnimmatozcomas parure

es isch Under dea, Kelly Partner hs espro!
— u ee Experts, and strategic business solutions |
in him; Die comun men
Dun une ant Seema erates Soret
| aan Sar cig en wo coum nae ed
Tia ng dt pride,
EPA po
pl een
ni mn de ay ap
tomamos RR EE
ES are en nl ncn

11. Sam

Championing Small Businesses in
a Competitive Landscape

13. Australia's Most Influential CEOs Driving Innovation in 2025

Bring am Organisation ax Beacon of Service excellence
and Supporter Exireprencars!

since. He atribute is secos o being relationship
ocaso both woth chats and wi the tam, bom
‘ight place at the right time andthe importance of
‘roadie tind

‘Reckon's Inception and Growth

ago, Rockon has navigatod: industry changes,
‘fom the introduction of GST tothe er of cloud sofware
‘slain nd worry Sige Ton Pal,

‘contre war bin the young man of hi um,
‘to tasked wih managing oder nd mere expe
‘eam. To over Be eared bald eta

prat clear, conssen communication and.
‘seively worked to culiao cule that supported and
‘empowered every member ofthe am.
His pasion for people and is sci with hama
‘tur have Been key divers of his success. He loves.
‘working with tam supporting individuals, and watching
{hem prow. His advice lo boss starting in ls prose
tobe cea on thor personal and business gral, wet them
oven ad hen map out plan to achieve thom.

Fos exited shout the companys innovations in cloud and
mobile technology, which aim to streamline business

14. process ane work ows or small business and
‘Sccountants He beices tht change is empowering and
‘al opportun end tol ae avalble o lp basins
‘adap and move trough change positive.

‘Vision for Hecken Limited

Sam boire in cg th ight of every sal bis io
row and nc te deseo oe neo |
(rm, rogar of unique jon, no mater
re srt. Over the nea fo ya, von wll
‘tna be afar Recon forme on nn
‘yr and vacia frias nd ging
ee
ey improve er experienc nd ee à

e abo rnin pican market opor
rin kp sector augen Zebenwarks and,
hich provides paco management ol othe US and
U merkt Wi 500 ofthe words nt ef
opera im he US ad 46,00 mid si Am, Recon
Tether eva fr mn |

sonal vo Inch of ling), a test.
{ool for bin and aci, cum Recht
‘commitment o streaming process fr sin.

Mare Phitosphy

key cement of Sam's approsch is measuring.

SS er diving innovation and achieving roule He
coimas cure where challenger are viewed =

‘prune, promotion can do tide that empowers
playa o embrace mow es nd ear ren [nar

[Navigating Reckon Through the Digital Transformation
‘of Accouating

‘As the CED, Sam has observed several emerging rend in
the accounting and payroll software indus. The

igtlizaio of france, complice, and payroll tacks he

zn
mobile a

16. Reckon
Payroll App

66

17. Cashflow Manager and ce softwar solutions from
Money Management Group. As a rel, an additional
20,000 customer nd 1,000 accounting and booking
parcs have ben welcome ito Reckon's wider small
unas comments, complimenting tae sions

He appris the sunny of sal nos er,
bch andl ve eng

noter

sims o sah il as price cloud oltions provider
oral businesses ad legals

ee

=e
Bde

empowered lo innovate and adapt, I

=

inating roe

18. 7 Ga me-Changing

Strategies in
Product Management

for Modern Markets,

20. mimi time 10 marke, and cs more abstr

6. Growth and Monetizaion Strategy

Apart from product ration succesful pect managers
lo help in the desi of monetization sai and
“sutaining growth, Pricing models, subscription models,
freamium models, and up selling models have o be
<alitrated according to market conditions and buyer
‘behavior Produced growth (PLG) sopis, where the
‘rat red as he primary source of agit and
rento, ar nercasiopiy popular Firms sch as Slack,
Dropbox, and Zoom have used PLG o grow quickly by
Jeting customers te produc alos prior obeying
Product managers must kocp tying pricing packaging, and
{ature distintion o capture maximum revome penta

7 Sastzinahity and Fthial Prodect Development
Today buyers sock scaly responsible, chia and

10

21. SS

NORTH AMERICA

June 4-5, 2025
Santa Clara Convention Center, CA

23. ‘Austroli's Most Influential CEOs Driving Innovation in 2025

Adrienne lan

Crafting Customer-Centric Solutions

How Adrienne is Redefining Success in Product
velopment!

the ral of product management, invention can
sco ik a ff dream, si important to put in an
dies fort to chose the gap bern des and
practical application A woman leder has revolutionized
produc mamgcneat by combining à unique combination
Of passion and knowiodge, cabling business 1 ot just
Survive but ouh ina costa changing market

Adreme is at the cor of eratvity and strategy in the ld
prod manapcment changing tho way basics
¿cover and cary out fica produc development Asa
{CO and Co-Founder, hr advocacy forthe significance of
teamwork and comprohonding cin demand has
prod inpac Every move sho perfs vide of
ber conviction that succcehl product management may
sica ems immense potential 9d alim incre
‘custome happiness and succes.

24. œ

ramework

pe

La ES

roman contre des, ad aile mebodlepie io
conpower lems o make informed decisions and prioritize
corel Adna co founda Leading the
Product aná Product Women o for community and
=) lovato the profession of product management.

‘What qualities do you believe are essential for CEOs to
drive innovation i their organizations?

To dive innovation, CEOs must nigra it into the
cxpaizatin' tur and everyday processes, Innovation
ds escatialy good product management iden
customer probiers and viable solutions thal bene te
usines. CEOs should promote product thinking cross all
departments, ensure a blanc sperach that fen
THE QUALITY OF YOUR PEOPLE —__sstinaility and scalability throughout the organization.
DIRECTLY INFLUENCES YOUR
SUCCESS, SO PRIORITIZE A
DIVERSE TEAM THAT ENCOURAGES
GROWTH AND OFFERS VARIED.
PERSPECTIVES. YOU DON'T NEED
ALL THE ANSWERS—JUST THE
RIGHT TEAM

‘We inital stare sa coming fm focused on prod
‘management. Overtime, we erpand into traning, but
now we're taking our advice and developing software to
auteur manual process À hey products ou
Product Capability Assessment, an online tol that
provide mera frac on tam provement ar

“Thi sil rant ur ie md from solely
onsuling o generating revene through software. By
‘Gverijang our income steams consulting, sing, and
sario tas sacaron Brauer
adaptan sustnabiy. This evolution allows ws to
ous on our pasion: helping organization deliver
xo! products

25. a your opinion, how important i empathy in
leadership, and how do you practice it within your
team?

‘Empathy sesso in ends; it reflects our humanity.
‘As the CED, understanding the divers porsonaltis und
lens within your ean Oel I practice ey
through keen observation, noticing sue ucs ike
confimon or ft.

‘Responding to thes gnats, whether by plug,
concept or allowing time to recharge, bul trust. After 20,
ese a camming vo final my ably lo seme nd
‘spond tomy team’s needs. Thess small ts of
understanding foster a supportive environment, cabling

everyone la perfor at bir Ds, En goo beyond
‘iter o op md ti or
individu md o ive

How do you balance shart-erm performance wäh long
term vision in your role as a CEO?

‘Balancing short term performance with log tem vision is
nireummectd. Without car long-term vision, ie
cullen to eue sorter ations are aligned begin
witha vision story forthe business or product, which
provides porposs and defi he "wey" behind ur Tot

Next, establish a strategic famomaek to koxp us on
course. The read crucial, algas short tm

‘

objectives with our longterm goal and serves a à progress
measurement tol. By tracking milestones und making
‘nocosany adjustments, ensur we're consistently moving
toward our overarching vision wile delivering results in
(he present.

“What rate dos gender diversity play i driving business
success and how do you support i within your
‘organization?

Gender diversity significantly contributes o business.
acces, ba I hice divert of thought is even more
‘racial T'm prod ofthe lee women an my kari
team, but priori hig individuals wo offer unique
penpectves and challenge the stats quo.

(Our reeritment process emplsios candidate problem
salving approaches, ensuring» mix of viewpoids. This
any kan don ening and dvs tr
cos for both our snes and cen making
“verity am essential clement of our suecos

How do you approach risk management |
about emerging technologies such au AIT

1 approach risk management with a balanced mindst,
copine beh opportunites and potential pitfalls We
roy review our risk gire eadrahip evel to
uses risk and mitigation strategic. Regarding ALI viow
As an opera for ina, supporting product

2

26. Br en]

ES

‘cams in responsibly adopting emerging technologies wile
managing sociated risks.

‘What are the biggest challenges you ones for CROs in
Ihe next few years and hay do you plan to address
then?

In the coming years, COs wil fae challenges primarily
‘elated 0 lc management aod adopta to evoling
‘sins enviroments. Ensuring the organization Is tae
Fight pain eect

‘At Brainmates, we ass our team’s sills in alignment
with our strategy, fing ona mix of specialized and

Adaptive capullos to navigate change cifcively and.

maintain competitivencs.|

‘What advice would you give to aspiring CEOs looking
to make a meaniazfal impact in ther industries?

Aspiring CEOs should surround themselves with ened
individuals who challenge thei thinking and rapport their
vision. Biking a strong team svt or making a
‘meaning imps.

The quality of your poopl directly influences your success,
0 priori diver eum that encourages gun and
(es varied perspectives. You dan ost all the
Answers us the righ team,

‘What legacy do you hope to leave a a eader, und how
‘do you caviion achieving that?

1 aspire to eave a lyacy where people fo valued and
nape while working wilh me nto be rememterod
rot only for my knowing but aso for being open o
‘dhe idas and adaptable to their foc. Creating a
fi, engaging erviromment ix ment, even when the
‘sakes re high {Team make work a plo where people
{eel valucd inspired, and enjoy thomsclves, that's a legacy
abe proud o leave.

brainmates”

2

27. AL& BIG — samaciom.ca
DATAEXPO ““““

JOIN US IN
SANTA CLARA

Al & Big Data Headliners

FE ya 5
“RH ,=
q FE

#Glodia

29. An In-Depth Look

at the Traits and Practices

That Set INfluential

CEOs Apart

ith ti fast cvalving sino climate, CEOs
today don just amare withthe money king,

then fr er inthe sine lama
ning how they do wha! hey do can provide valuable

Decsivenen and Risk Management

Visionary Thinking amd Long-Term Strategy

“The most commen feta of great CEOs i that they have
{he ability to sce beyond short-term challenges and work

A great CEO is ot merely planner bt a people td
leaker who appris tht sta members are themes
solute renee

‘Their leadership stato is emtional itelipenc (EQ)
‘because they ar able o connect with employes,
‘customers, and stakeholder ta personal level They are
‘commenicative, self aware, and empathetic, inspiring teams
‘and erating cultu of collaboration. They ao confie.
resolver, good ris managers and have strong amor
with their koy staholdersbocase of tir high EQ,

30. People CEOs crest organizations hat ar responsive
to chang, reson, and secon

Adaptability and Resience in Uncertain Times

“The key to great CAD isthe silty o cope with the
vplamncd.

“The huss ak natal, ae economic dewatus,
technological uprisings, and international riss can boa
text of even the strongest business Efectivo CEOs aro
ape i their busines, shifting gears as and when
ocded rire new opportumiic They make decisions in
fakycirametances, isn, hope amon employe and
sharcholdes and making tough choices. Resilience enables
‘hom to bouncs hack from failure, eam from ad convert
advent o opportunity to return stronger Thee resilience
in adapting to uncertainty keeps her companies reia in
erhalt markets

Tanovation and Continnons Learning,

‘These CBOs are not at cas with the existing station in
trying to stay consiste; they einen themes on an
ongoing basis.

31. CHOOSE OUR SUBSCRIPTION

ı Year 6 Months
12 Issues 6 Issues
$250 $130
3 Months 1 Month
3 Issues Issue

$70 sa

Stay in the known.

Subscribe to CIOLOOK

Co

32. ae,
AS a © 4 “Ge
à HAE) M
= WR 2 u er
PT | ey

y 6 =" Wee

MN