Quorum Speech: Measuring New Horizons, ESG, Social License to Operate and Public Relations in 2022

Perth Media spoke this week about modern, and critical, Public Relations. Thank you to Quorum for the invitation to present the Thought Leadership piece, detailing some of the PR disasters of the past 10 years.

The mining industry’s reputation has been tarnished by Rio Tinto’s destruction of Juukan Gorge rock shelters, in Western Australia, on 24 May 2020.

Interestingly, a quick survey of the room (this week) found 18 of the 36 people, were recorded as being ‘less favourable’ to Rio Tinto, post Juukan Gorge, and 18 of 36 were also ‘less favourable’ towards the whole Australian mining industry, post Juukan Gorge. The other people in the room declined to vote. No one was recorded as being more favourable or neutral to Rio Tinto and the whole Australian mining industry, post Juukan Gorge.

Rio Tinto’s website reported: “In allowing the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters to occur, we fell far short of our values as a company and breached the trust placed in us by the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we operate. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the destruction of a site of such exceptional cultural significance never happens again, to earn back the trust that has been lost, and to re-establish our leadership in communities and social performance.”

ESG was recently ranked by EY (the consultants) as the number 1 risk to the mining industry. - Cate Rocchi, Managing Director Perth Media.

Perth Media MD Cate Rocchi Attends Australia-Korea Business Council Perth Dinner

Working for Australia-Korea Business Council, our MD Cate Rocchi was delighted to attend a special dinner for members, sponsored by Pilbara Minerals, in Perth in 2021.

It was attended by representatives from POSCO as well as Pilbara Minerals MD Ken Brinsden and other special guests including Elizabeth Court of Private Wealth Management. PWC’s Clare Pope, who is the chair of the AKBC’s Critical Minerals Sub Committee, hosted the event.

Australia-Korea Business Council Work Promotes Korean President Moon’s Visit to Australia and Meeting with Australian Critical Mineral Miners

Media Work with the Australia-Korea Business Council Continues into 2022

Perth Media Managing Director Cate Rocchi said: “We are delighted to work with this innovative not-for-profit organisation as its Korean and Australian members look to build long-term, mutually-beneficial business relationships.”

To date our work has included promoting a meeting by Korean President Moon and high-level critical minerals miners in Sydney, Australia in December, 2021, and distributing an AKBC report on critical minerals.

“In January 2022, we are researching and promoting a second report into food and beverage trends and we are also looking forward to engaging with many Australian reporters on that growing export opportunity,” Ms Rocchi said.

The Chairman of AKBC is Simon Crean and the Executive Director is Liz Griffin.

Background

https://www.akbc.com.au/news/akbc-media-release-14-12-21/

ABC TV News Report on Critical Minerals

President Moon of Korea, AKBC Chairman Simon Crean and Executive Director Liz Griffin

Central Banks are Buying Gold and Investors Urged to Follow at Sydney Gold Conference

GAIC: Bryah Resources MD Neil Marston with Perth Media Consultant Celia Pozzecco

Global investors should search for investments in quality gold stocks, as equity markets become more uncertain, according to speakers at a Sydney-based gold conference, writes Perth Media's Sydney-based consultant Celia Pozzecco.

Gold has seen a recent increase in profitability, which is a reverse of trends seen previously. 

Speaking recently at the Gold and Alternative Investments Conference (GAIC) in Sydney, John Mulligan - Director, Member and Market Relations, of the World Gold Council - said: "Gold is now back in investors’ minds... The recent rise in the gold price has finally seen it break out of the side-way trading band in which it has been stuck.

"The gold price has finally decoupled from the US dollar which indicates investors are becoming more risk adverse. The US Federal Bank has changed direction abruptly and globally, and central banks are buying gold. Most importantly, the rising gold price is being driven by speculator and investor interest. US dollar strength will not endure, combined with negative interest rates and negative yield-bearing assets. The ‘new normal’ is low interest rates and low yields. This is all supporting gold investment."

“Equity markets appear to be in bubble territory,” Mr Mulligan noted. Gold price is long-term driven. Historically, it is a growth market, not a cyclical market. Gold investment always moves west to east: The People’s Bank of China was a gold seller for many years. Now it is a gold buyer, he said. In 1989, the bank sold 432 tonnes of gold. In 2018, it bought 657 tonnes of gold.

“The Asian century is about to begin…and gold is an indicator of that socio-economic growth in Asia,” Mr Mulligan said. He also said, in 2009, the European Central Bank ceased selling gold. Central banks of developing nations have emerged as substantial gold buyers. This is indicative of a wider acceptance of gold within the financial system. European private investors are buying gold – 2,630 tonnes in the last decade, while Chinese and Indian private investors are driving up global gold demand. Historically, gold production was dominated by a handful of players, led by South Africa. Now, due to advancing technology, gold has a global production base which helps make it a very stable investment.

Another keynote speaker was Egon Von Greyerz, Founder and Managing Partner, Matterhorn Asset Management. His talk was a rather depressing presentation on the current – and future – state of the world’s declining financial and geopolitical health and how, as a consequence, this is driving gold investment.

“I think we’re facing the greatest risk in history…we’re going to have a very tough time in the world,” Mr Van Greyerz said. There is no point in investors waiting for the storm to pass; they have to “learn to dance in the rain”.

This growing risk is all based on the outrageously high levels of global debt – including current debt and unfunded liabilities such as healthcare and pensions. In 2006, global debt was $125T. In 2019, global debt was $260T. Mr Von Greyerz estimates that by 2025, it will be around $20 quadrillion. Combine this with low interest rates and 10-year negative yields and it is "unprecedented in history”.

“The USA, like the rest of the world, will drown in debt, thanks to hyper-inflationary collapse," he said. Investors should think about having a lot more gold in their portfolios “because then you are looking after yourself. The governments will not have enough money to look after you."

“I might sound like a profit of doom and gloom but I’m just looking at the level of risk and you can’t put your head in the sand.”

This article is one of many featured in 'Adapters', a series in WA Business News exclusively for Perth Media clients, profiling news of innovative small businesses, start-ups and not for profits.

Perth Media Testimonial: Public Relations Campaign for Advanced Energy Resources on Refurbished Wind Turbines ‘Results Speak for Themselves’

On 19 June 2019, Perth Media ran a campaign on behalf of Advanced Energy Resources (AER).

Founded in 2006, AER is a WA electricity generator and retailer focused on supplying 100% renewable energy to its customers by 2025. Construction of its 3.5MW wind, solar and battery project will power GMA Garnet’s wet plant operations 40km south of Kalbarri in WA, a region of generally weak electricity network coverage.

On Perth Media’s successful media campaign, AER business development manager Steve Wall said: “When we announced our Australian-first 3.5MW Wind/Solar/Battery hybrid project to supply a mine in the Mid-West, we were determined to gain maximum exposure for our success.

“Cate and her team worked quickly and enthusiastically to ensure our story was embraced by a large number of industry, regional and general media outlets – including requests for interviews.”

Funding of $3 million by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the Federal Government’s renewable energy programs manager, furthers its Advancing Renewables Program by commercially trialling AER’s back-to-back inverter technology. This, and the use of refurbished turbines, is a world first.

“Perth Media displayed a good understanding of AER’s business and the renewable energy industry in WA. The results spoke for themselves.” - Steve Wall, business development manager of Advanced Energy Resources.

Adapters: Perth's Real IQ Seeks Investment for Co-living Accommodation in India

Real IQ’s Raj Singh has launched Boston Living

Perth entrepreneur and real estate owner, Raj Singh, is teaming with an Indian property development group to deliver a revolutionary form of co-living accommodation in India that aims to attract Australian investors.

His real estate company, Real IQ in Northbridge, signed a joint venture with INCOR Group of India to provide fresh, purpose-built homes for university students and IT professionals in the teeming sub-continent.

“About 13 per cent of Indians migrate to other states for education, employment or marriage opportunities. That’s more than 150 million people,” Mr Singh says. “About 50 per cent of them are aged 18 to 35, and they need a place to live. Existing rental stock, which is not organised, is grossly inadequate to meet demand.”

Co-living is the answer, he says. For a set fee, tenants get purpose-built apartments with all essentials, including furniture, laundry, cooked food and even Netflix TV.

Two people who may or may not know each other cohabit separate beds in a one-bedroom unit; four people in a two-bedroom unit and, in each case, they share lounge, kitchen and toilet. As well, there are premium studio units for one person, targeted at the business community.

“We’re not selling apartments,” Mr Singh says. “We take the whole building and operate it like a hotel. It’s a new way of tenanting apartments that is more efficient and less costly. And funkier.”

Fully furnished homes will cost 10 to 15 per cent less than what tenants now pay, with the bonus of better locations, services and quality, inclusive pricing and onsite security staff.

Mr Singh says they fill a growing need for good accommodation in bustling hubs of education and technology in the metros of Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The target group is millennials – 18 to 35-year-olds – comprising students and professionals, a significant number of whom hold well-paid jobs with global tech giants.

Real IQ’s joint venture partner, INCOR Group, is one of South India’s most respected corporate houses in real estate. The group services more than 3600 families and INCOR has a penchant for building well-knit and vibrant communities. Through the Omni chain of hospitals, comprising six hospitals with more than 850 beds, the group also has a major presence in healthcare. In view of the considerable unmet need for organised accommodation, INCOR has launched Boston Living, a co-living brand that seeks to create a unique living experience.

Boston Living is renovating a former 260-room block of flats in Hyderabad to provide 500 co-living beds, to demonstrate the lifestyle. A new 500-bed development in Chennai is scheduled for completion in six months, to be followed by another with 1500 to 2000 beds in 18 months. A new 1000-bed complex is planned for Bangalore. Land is already set aside. Boston Living aims to incorporate 15,000 to 20,000 beds of premium co-living by 2023.

Mr Singh plans to fund the project by pitching to Australian institutional investors and high net worth individuals. Australia’s low interest rates will lead investors to diversify into emerging overseas markets, he predicts. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s economy is geared to double in five years’ time, spurred on by regulatory changes to attract foreign investment.

Mr Singh was born and raised in India and has more than 17 years’ experience in real estate in New Zealand and Perth.

He took note of India’s booming economy and spent 18 months researching its property market and tax structures, the latter to provide solutions for investors outside of India.

Mr Singh teamed up with property developer, INCOR Group, where an old friend, Surya Pulagam, was at the helm. They planned co-living projects under the banner, Boston Living, to meet accommodation demands of an increasing number of young people in fast-growing cities.

“Our goal is to get the millennials to switch to co-living from traditional home rentals,” he said.

According to his research, India’s 3.6 million beds in the shared rental market in 2018 will grow to 5.7 million by 2023. Co-living’s 2.6 per cent of rentals will grow to 8.3 per cent in that timeframe.

Nearly 40 per cent of India’s millennial workforce are migrants. About 4.7 million migrant millennials are employed in the service sector across India’s top seven cities, a figure expected to increase to approximately 7 million by 2023. Most of them stay in unorganised rented accommodation.

For more information please email: raj.singh@realiq.org

This article is one of many featured in 'Adapters', a series in WABN exclusively for Perth Media clients, profiling news of innovative small businesses, start-ups and not for profits.

Perth Media Adapters Short Film: Product Direct Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJIs95s0-uw

Here is our first Adapters Short Film for small business, not-for-profits and organisations.

Adapters: Perth Businesswoman Tanya Finnie Launches Cultural Intelligence Magazine

Awkward working relationships that can destroy careers or damage productivity are the subject of a new magazine, Cultural Times, published by Perth businesswoman Tanya Finnie.

She identifies the causes of interpersonal blunders in places of work and measures their unwanted consequences for individuals and company bottom lines.

“The old golden rule is to do unto others how we would like to be done to ourselves – but that’s absolute rubbish,” Ms Finnie says. “The platinum rule should be to do unto others as they would like to be done to themselves.”

Put simply, it is illogical for a tea-drinker to assume that another person will also like tea. Logically, a tea-drinker should first discover the other person’s preference.

Yet that misjudgement, no matter how well-intentioned, can be the first in a series of errors that accentuate divisions between people who are meant to collaborate.

Brilliant careers in leadership can stall if aspirants ignore the demands of an increasingly diverse population pulled together by immigration.

Ms Finnie’s company, RedHead Communications, specialises in cultural intelligence (CQ), a new field of study dealing with our capability to deal effectively across different cultures. A culturally intelligent person is aware of others’ backgrounds but, more importantly, adjusts their behaviour in multicultural situations.

“Australia has the world’s highest proportion of migrant settlers in a developed nation,” Ms Finnie says. “A quarter of Australians (27 per cent) was born overseas, and almost half of Australian households (46 per cent) had at least one parent born overseas.”

In February, Australia’s top trading partners were China, Japan and South Korea. “It will therefore be great for our economy if we learn to adapt our cultural behaviour,” Ms Finnie says. Better collaboration and a happy workforce are associated with increased productivity.

Minority status is not confined to ethnicity. Generational, organisational and LGBTQI factors are relevant, too. Sometimes different professions in the same firm can clash because of opposing cultures.

Ms Finnie’s new magazine, Cultural Times, addresses all these issues. It is published online, and a hard copy version is planned for a gala launch next month – May.

The first issue tells how a woman became Australia’s youngest engineering executive. There’s a moving story about how one man overcame adversity, and advice on building cultural intelligence.

Ms Finnie is a keynote speaker and is starting a doctorate at the University of WA that aims to gauge the impact on the workforce if the cultural intelligence of engineers is increased.

She worked in several countries – including South Africa, Mauritius, Germany, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Swaziland – before settling in Australia 15 years ago. She advocates blind CVs, where a person’s name is erased from a job application so that selection is based mainly on merit.

“It’s too easy to chuck out names you can’t pronounce,” Ms Finnie says.

See: Cultural Times Visit: RedHead Communications

This article is one of many which have featured in 'Adapters', a series exclusively for Perth Media clients, profiling news of innovative small businesses, start-ups and not for profits in WA Business News.

Perth Media Expands Team, Client List and Opens New Nedlands Office in Perth

PERTH: Media content and public relations firm — Perth Media Pty Ltd — has opened a new office in Nedlands in line with continuing expansion plans.

The development is the latest news in a series of organic growth milestones for the Perth-based small business.

Perth Media managing director Cate Rocchi said: “Perth Media has, to date, been a small operation but we have consistently built powerful global profiles for our clients through tailored integrated media and communications services.

“We act in an advisory, creative and media service capacity and have a strong network of journalist and broadcast partners and connections, so are uniquely placed to deliver global-standard media management services in the sectors of finance, mining, renewables and agribusiness.”

Perth Media was established in 2015. It rebranded from Cate Rocchi Communications which began in 2011.

Major clients include: resources companies Australian Vanadium (ASX:AVL), VSUN Energy and Bryah Resources (ASX: BYH); urbi; Partners in Grain; and Rockcliffe winery.

The Perth Media team now includes editor/writer Torrance Mendez (formerly of The West Australian).

“Our team — which has welcomed high calibre artists, photographers, former reporters and film makers — produces some of Australia’s best, most consistent media content for corporates,” Ms Rocchi said. “It has taken many years to assemble productive working relationships with such a talented and professional group. We have also been careful to grow our business conservatively, so quality has remained excellent.”

Perth Media values include: staying true to the principles of integrity, authenticity and clarity; continuous improvement; and innovative thinking.

“We remain focused on improving media outcomes for our clients and enjoy the challenge of mixing social and traditional media as we embrace the communications of the future,” she said.

The company’s current list of services are: script/copy writing, investor relations management, content creation, blogs, photography, videography, social media strategy and delivery, infographics, strategic media advisory and support, campaign research, publicity, global TV, radio and press coverage, media training, CV writing and speech writing. Packages are available.

“We know how to achieve publicity and we will give clients authentic advice on which stories and media services they need to reach their customers,” Ms Rocchi said.

Perth Media Pty Ltd is now located at 47 Hampden Road, Nedlands, Perth. For the next four weeks (until November 15, 2018) the company is hosting some rarely-available media release writing sessions ($350) and media presentations, by appointment. There are only eight slots available. Terms and conditions apply.

There are other key developments ongoing such as a website rebrand, which will be launched in 2019.

Contact

Cate Rocchi

0428431699

cate@perthmedia.com.au

This story has also appeared in Perth Media’s Adapters column that features in Western Australian Business News.

Bryah Resources Testimonial for Perth Media: 'Management Well Prepared for Live Interviews'

Picture by Jess Wyld Photography, Perth Media recommended photographer.

'Cate Rocchi at Perth Media has been engaged by Bryah Resources since prior to its listing on ASX in 2017. 

'We have found Cate to be a dynamic and enthusiastic advocate for our company across all media channels. Cate’s extensive network of media contacts has allowed us to receive a huge amount of mainstream media coverage in what is a very difficult and crowded marketplace. This would not have been possible had we not had her promoting our story.  She has also been very helpful in getting management trained and well prepared for live media interviews. We are delighted that we have Perth Media managing our Public Relations.'

Neil Marston, MD of Bryah Resources (ASX:BYH)

Thanks Neil!

Interviews secured included publications such as Miningnews.net, Paydirt, The West Australian, WA Business News, and ABC Radio.