Flavia Tata Nardini and Suhit Anantula//Humanomics were the absolute stars in a sold out DutchSA event last night. A vast and diverse group of South Australians representing many industries and backgrounds had gathered in the Mayfair to enjoy a fantastic show, put up by Flavia and Suhit.

Flavia spoke about her journey as a migrant, starting up a space business and leading the creation of a new industry in South Australia and a national space agency for Australia. Flavia's business develops large volume low cost nano satellites for communication between devices (the internet of things), which will be a key driver for the 4th industrial revolution. We learned what it takes to launch and fund a successful startup and how their grand vision of affordable data communication at any place on earth, will ultimately impact the protection of the great barrier reef and reduction of waste in supply chains.

Suhit the showed how large organisations can find their ability to innovate again. We learned about structured ways of developing new business models by collaborating with your ecosystems and even competitors. Both stories of practice and theory combined brilliantly and the session was informative, fun, inspiring and uplifting.

It takes only a few people to change everything. It is all possible here in South Australia! We went home full of energy and new ideas.

We thank our speakers, volunteers, sponsors Mindavation and BusinessModelsInc, and our great audience to make this event possible. As one of the attendees summarised after the event: It was a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable night, looking forward to the next one now!

Hosted in the newly renovated Mayfair hotel the DutchSA forum on Financial Planning for Migrants had a very good turn-out. The relevancy of the subject is clear: most migrants have little idea of financial challenges lying ahead in the different stages of life in Australia: housing, kid's education and retirement. But it will impact their lives hugely.

Three industry experts shared their vision and advice. 

Nick Reade, CEO of BankSA, drew the big picture laying out different strategies for different phases of life. He also touched upon the business climate in SA for the self-employed migrants. 

Arthur Kallos, Investors Direct, made clear in his presentation that for most of us our Super will be way too little by the time we retire. Key to his advice is cash-flow: how to get in under control and how to align your investments with your cash-flow. 

Glenn Sterrey of Bentley's Wealth Partners highlighted the challenges in finding a truly independent Financial Planner. His presentation then focussed on the pros and cons of securities versus property investments, and the importance of having an income insurance.

An open forum discussion with the three speakers concluded the event, leaving the participants with lots to digest. Financial planning and investments is a complex field that most people gladly avoid. But can really we afford to keep our heads in the sand?

This morning, DutchSA and BikeSA organised a breakfast seminar around the economic benefits of cycling. Many thanks go out to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for sponsoring the delicious breakfast. A select group of 20 influential leaders of both local business and government organisations gathered at Chianti in Hutt Street, where they were invited to learn more about why cycling is good for the economy.
​
Dutch expert on bicycle infrastructure Arie Vijfhuizen presented about the benefits of cycling. Everyone probably knows that riding is healthier than driving, but few realise that cyclists spend more money than people in cars! Although cyclists spend less money per visit to the supermarket for instance, they make far more visits per week, spending more money overall. Due to the mobility that cycling brings, these shoppers are more inclined to make an impulsive purchase in the shop down the road.

The economic benefits of cycling are massive. BikeSA CEO Christian Haag pointed out that an average commute by bike equals a $21 benefit to society. A large proportion is due to the reduced pressure on the health system. Another significant contributor is the shopping behaviour of cyclists mentioned above. 
The Mayor of Prospect, David O'Loughlin, noted that they are well aware of the economic benefits of cycling over driving, and pointed out that on major roads they reduced the maximum speed from 60 to 40 km/h, making the roads safer for the many cyclists on their daily commute. The council now notices that the shops along these roads don't suffer from the unpopular speed restrictions for drivers. On the contrary the area has become a more social and popular shopping precinct.

A constructive discussion followed, with several guests acknowledging the benefits of cycling, but also acknowledging that some councils are more responsive than others in accommodating cyclists. The consensus was that the benefits of cycling make a strong business case for improving the infrastructure for cyclists. More time and effort is required though to convince the public and the councils of the economic benefits of cycling.

The feedback on the DutchSA Employment forum for Skilled Migrants on 21st Feb at Hilton Adelaide was overwhelmingly positive. It confirmed how relevant the discussion about employability for many ‘new Australians' is. Migrants bring a wealth of unique skills and experiences into the country, but how to best fit in and get the opportunity to prove these skills? For many it is hard to break into the employment market, or find work on their own level.

During the forum a panel of four experts gave their view on the local job market, each from their own perspective: Mark Glazbrook (Migration), Amanda Bald (Santos - Employer), Pippa Webb (Government) and Arthur Key (Recruitment). They shared many relevant insights for all participants, but a few stood out: (1) for many reasons the ‘skills in demand' list does not match the actual vacancies in SA; (2) applicants should focus on making it easy for employers to interpret their CV and cover letter; (3) there is lots of help available for job seekers from a myriad of local organisations; (4) it is better not to ‘dumb down' your CV just to get into the employment market; (5) Migrants should be proud of their background and sell the positives they bring.

​It is very encouraging for DutchSA to see how many people from different backgrounds participated in this event. It emphasizes that we are all in the same boat and that diversity is what we have in common here in SA. Thanks everyone for joining.

Thursday 9 August 2012 saw another highly successful DutchSA business networking event. Our featured guest speaker this time was Adelaide's leading expert on social media, Michelle Prak. As it so happens, Michelle has Dutch roots, too.

Before an audience of professionals from a wide range of backgrounds at the Hilton Hotel Adelaide, Michelle shared insights into how to get the most out of social media, both in your professional and your personal life. In her presentation Michelle busted some myths and misconceptions around social media, and gave helpful advice on how to make social media a useful tool in customer services strategies, as well as your marketing strategies.

Many organisations have started to use social media as a way to reach their customers and clients - some use social media simply because they feel that it's expected of them, others have put more thought into it, but it is clear that most organisations could benefit from more strategic use of social media.

​After Michelle's insightful and energetic presentation there was a brief opportunity for questions, and many questions showed that attendees were quite knowledgeable and interested in social media, but were eager to learn more.