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Future Business Council appoints new Chief Executive Officer

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Ms Paynter will take over the role on 11 June 2019 to take the FBC into its next stage of development. Ms Paynter is well known to FBC’s Board and a number of our members. She brings extensive public and private sector experience to the position and has most recently been the FBC’s Strategy and Policy Advisor.

FBC Chair, Toby Kent, is excited to welcome Ms Paynter to the role. “Suzanne brings outstanding qualifications in business and law, as well as extensive experience and knowledge of the public sector, working with government ministers across a broad range of portfolios including defence, transport, infrastructure and economic development.”

“Her collaborative approach in relationship building with states, government, the academic sector and private industry, coupled with her considerable experience assisting business, will provide FBC with a holistic systems approach to driving the FBC’s agenda, ensuring we deliver value to our members” says Mr Kent.

FBC represents the interests of businesses that are genuinely interested in driving positive change. Since its official launch date in 2015, FBC has grown to over 170 members, including both start-ups and large corporations such as Qantas.

Ms Paynter has worked for seven years as a consultant within the defence industry, running her own business providing executive-level business development and strategic advisory services to defence SMEs and primes. She is a Director on the Bendigo Bank Murrumbeena Community Branch Board.

FBC’s outgoing CEO James Wright, will step down from the position after two and a half years in the role and will continue to support the FBC’s mission as a member of its Board. “In his tenure, James played a pivotal role in increasing the membership of the FBC and, more recently, delivering the 2018 Next Boom Report. The Board and I thank James for his many contributions and look forward to his continued support as a member of the Board” said Mr Kent.

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