International business leader; Serial entrepreneur

Deep Conversation:
‘Now to Next: How will Science and Technology help solve our wicked problems?’ (November 28, 7.00-9.30pm)
Presentation:
From Industrial revolution to sustainability revolution – the business of fixing our future (November 29, 2.30pm)

Jason is an international business leader, serial entrepreneur and former CEO of a JSE listed  business. Following two heart attacks he retired early and became  an eco-entrepreneur and author. He chairs a number of organizations including www.AgriProtein.com, his latest green venture.

Born in London, Jason has studied at the European Business School and has lived and worked all over the world before moving to South Africa eight years ago.

He looks at the environment from the viewpoint of a business leader and entrepreneur – and believes that whilst capitalism may have caused many of the issues we face – it may be the only tool we have that is strong enough to fix the problems.

His insights into the realities of our environment and the ‘business’ of fixing the issues are brilliant and astounding. Some of the business solutions he has invested in from growing flies in South Africa to mosquitoes in the UK and urban wind farms in Europe are as remarkable as they are profitable.

He collects medieval English pewter and contemporary South African art. He enjoys polo, flying and fishing as well as opera and rock. He is married with two boys aged 13 and 14.

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President of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Kernot Professor of Engineering at the University of Melbourne

Keynote topic:
Innovation in large companies – the three essentials (November 29, 2.30pm)

Professor Batterham is acknowledged as an expert in innovation and gives regular keynote talks on the topic. He is Kernot Professor of Engineering at the University of Melbourne and also President of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Until recently he was Group Chief Scientist, Rio Tinto Limited and Chairman of the International Energy Agency Expert Group on Science for Energy.

He has had a distinguished career in research and technology, in the public and private sectors in areas such as mining, mineral processing, mineral agglomeration processes, and iron making. He is inventor on over 20 patent families.

Professor Robin Batterham was Chief Scientist to the Australian Federal Government from 1999 to 2005.

He has been President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and the International Network for Acid Prevention and is President of the International Mineral Processing Congress as well as chairing the Australia India Collaborative Research Fund.

He is an elected Fellow (or Foreign Fellow) of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Engineering, the Swiss Academy of Technological Sciences, the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering as well as Fellow of several learned societies.

Professor Batterham’s current research interests centre on innovation in energy systems: options for future generation and distribution, transport options, energy reduction in comminution and in dewatering of low grade materials (brown coal, agricultural wastes and recycled materials) together with breakthrough work on low emission aluminium production.

Serial Entrepreneur, Pioneer online retail, Founder and CEO of Kogan.com

Keynote topic:
From Garage to Global: The “Just Do It” attitude to entrepreneurship (November 29, 2.30pm)

Kogan is a privately-owned Australian company established in 2006 by entrepreneur Ruslan Kogan. After completing a Bachelor of Business Systems at Monash University, Ruslan had by the age of 23 worked at the IT departments of Bosch, GE and Telstra, and been a management consultant at Accenture. He started Kogan in his parents’ garage with zero external funding or capital, and has gone on to build one of the fastest growing companies in Australia and is now international with the launch of Kogan in the UK in November 2010.

In just over five years, Kogan has sold over 550,000 products directly to Australian and international customers through its websites, www.kogan.com and www.kogan.co.uk. Kogan is set to record $150m+ in sales in 2011-2012 and remains one of Australia’s fastest growing companies.

Kogan believes technology can make the world a better place, and their goal is to make the latest technology more affordable for everyone. Specialising in LCD and LED TVs, Blu-ray players, digital photo frames, PVRs, digital video cameras, Android powered tablets, laptops, and home appliances, Kogan brings the best

technology direct to consumers at unbeatable prices. By cutting out the middle men and selling direct through www.kogan.com and www.kogan.co.uk, Kogan is the online store for smart, savvy shoppers. Kogan regularly talk with their customers through the Kogan blog, Facebook, and Twitter, and manufacture products based on these conversations.

Ruslan Kogan is also a partner in another successful online furniture business, www.milandirect.com.au / www.milandirect.co.uk. He is the only person ever to have two companies on the BRW Fast Starters list.

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