PoolWerx Corporation's CEO John O'Brien has been re-elected as the
Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) chairman for his second term.
O'Brien said the time ahead would be challenging. "The South Australian and West Australian Governments recently announced State inquiries into franchising. In addition, the Small Business Minister in-waiting has announced a review of the 'in good faith' provisions of the Franchising Code of Conduct. And with a rare clean sweep of Labor Governments, we will now see the beginning of the roll-back of WorkChoices," O'Brien said.
"As the peak Australian franchise representative body, we must renew our representation to Government at a more consistent level across all fronts to ensure our voice is heard on these and other pressing issues facing our $128 billion sector.
"While the FCA Board remains stable, we understand the importance of renewal and inclusiveness. This is reflected in the appointment of Tony Melhem (Franchisee Forum representative, Gloria Jean's Coffees), Rod Wakefield (The Coffee Club) and Diana Williams (Women in Franchising Forum representative, Fernwood Women's Health Clubs) to the FCA and last week.
"The FCA Board also ratified several new initiatives including giving the Franchisee Forum representative full voting rights. We voted for FCA Board member and Victorian Chapter president (Franchise Alliance) Phil Blain to be the chair of the Service Provider Forum. This newly formed forum will ensure is high level representation for franchise sector suppliers. a strong background in education, The Coffee Club CEO Wakefield was also voted in as the inaugural FCA Academy chairman," O'Brien said.
George Yammouni (BathroomWerx) was also re-elected as deputy chair and finance director for another term.
This article appears courtesy of Franchising Magazine.
14-Jan-2008