THE Australian Property Institute has appointed Bruce Billson as an independent non-executive director to the board.
Billson was the former Minister for Small Business from September 2013 to September 2015, and represented the seat of Dunkley from 1996 to 2016.
As a Treasury portfolio cabinet minister, he spearheaded that Abbott government’s SME agenda to ‘energise enterprise’, leading the formulation of the 2015 Federal Budget’s Jobs and Small Business package to boost entrepreneurship; reforms to competition policy and law; unfair contract terms protections for small business; repair of employee share schemes laws; a new crowd-sourced equity funding framework; and industry code reforms for franchising and the food & grocery sector.
Since retiring as an undefeated seven-term member of the Australian House of Representatives in 2016, Billson has developed a portfolio of interests including as an independent non-executive director for SME ‘challenger’ bank, Judo Capital. He is founder and principal of policy advice/advocacy and strategic communications and stakeholder relations firm, Agile Advisory; special counsel to Royce Communications; director of Small Business & Enterprise at Deakin University’s Business School; chair of the Deakin/IPA SME Research Centre Advisory Council; and member/chair for several private business advisory committees.
With Deakin University, Bruce has produced on-line training programs published on the global FutureLearn platform on ‘SME Digital Engagement’ and on ‘SME New Markets/Trade’.
Prior to joining the API board, he was the executive chairman/independent director of the industry association for the franchise sector, Franchise Council of Australia from 2016-2018.
The API said Billson brings governance, strategic leadership and member-based organisation experience to the group.
He is an AICD Company Director course graduate and has earned a Bachelor of Business, Graduate Diploma of Management and Masters Of Business Leadership (RMIT) and is a member of the ACCC’s Small Business and Franchise Advisory Committee.
Australian Property Journal
