ABOUT US
Retail Orphan Initiative Australia Ltd.
(Retail ROI Australia) was launched in May of 2017 with a focus of being a charity that donates 100% of funds raised to those that need it most. So far, we have raised $335,753 from our Australian fund-raising activism.
Our core focuses of establishing the Retail ROI Australia Charity were;
- Ensure that 100% of all funds raised go to those who need it most
- We provide hand ups and not hand outs – develop sustainable communities
- We want the industry to take an active role in our activities – encouraging participation
Retail ROI Australia Ltd is aligned with Retail ROI USA, we provide a great opportunity for the Australian retail Industry to meet leading US retail executives at our annual conference in New Yorkduring the NRF Big Show and also join our mission trips across the world.
These trips are a great opportunity to cross pollinate Australian and USA industry executives at a personal level of delivering help.
We are committed to sustainable projects that demonstrate high volunteer participation and low charity overheads.
In February of 2018 Board representatives of Retail ROI Australia visited Bercy, Haiti to witness first hand on how the funds were being deployed and to help on the ground for 7 days, painting houses and working at the school that we helped fund.
(All costs of the trip were personally covered by all travelers)
RetailROI develops resonance in the teams of retailers, vendors, manufacturers, etc. with the needs of children through shared experiences, direct volunteering, and mentorships.
Patron Sponsor - Thanks to our patron sponsor, Gabby Leibovich of The Catch Group for covering administration and government compliance costs so Retail ROI can deliver our promise of 100% of money raised goes directly to who needs it.
The Retail Orphan Initiative, or RetailROI, is a non-profit organization that raises awareness and provides solutions for the more than 400 million vulnerable children worldwide.
We welcome the retail community and those wanting to help.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ALITA HARVEY RODRIGUEZ
Alita Harvey-Rodriguez is known as one of Australia's leading customer experience futurists and the brains behind multi award-winning project-based , training and consultancy provider, MI Academy. For over a decade Alita has worked with global brands including REA Group, Mr Toys ToyWorld, SAP, Experian, Mountain Bikes Direct and Alfa Romeo to transform their digital marketing and customer experience.
Alita has a passion for inspiring creative thinking within organisations to drive leadership, team alignment for increased performance towards strategic outcomes.
JEN GEALE
Jen Geale is co-founder and General Manager of MTB Direct, Australia’s largest retailer of parts, clothing and accessories for mountain biking. The business has been consistently recognised for its rapid and sustained growth, as well as successful marketing and customer service initiatives, through programs such as the Telstra Business Awards, Deloitte Tech Fast 50 and AFR Fast 100.
Jen was recognised as one of the Top 50 People in E-commerce in Australia in 2018 and 2019, and regularly shares insights from her experiences in keynotes, panels and workshops around Australia and the USA. The online business is entirely remote, with Jen based on the Gold Coast and all customer service, marketing, administrative and tech team members working from home across Australia and the world.
PHIL LEAHY
Phil has a deep passion for creating connections. That’s why he ended up founding two major annual conferences for digital retailers on opposite sides of the world—Australia’s Retail Global and the United States’ Retail Global conference. Hosting conferences allows him to bring creative minds from around the world together to share their stories. And when they do, meaningful change happens.
As the founder and managing director of Retail Global, a big part of his day is spent recruiting smart, talented speakers. He hears 100+ speakers each year and loves finding people who can convey critical information to our industry in powerful ways that inspire audiences.
He also spends significant time working with leaders in the retail world—helping them identify the big and small trends that will make the biggest impact. In addition to running the day–to-day responsibilities that come with hosting two conferences on different continents, he also manage a small team of incredibly dedicated conference organizers. He places a lot of trust in his team. He is a firm believer that greatness comes from going against the grain, and he makes sure his team isn’t afraid to innovate.
When organizing the conferences, he puts his retail shoes on and focus intensely on what attendees need most—information on the actionable steps they most need to improve their business. So he’s constantly working to:
• create collaboration between retailers and their customers
• educate others about what’s coming next
• connect the world
Phil’s passion for Retail ROI started when he was looking for a charity partner in the USA to align with our Retail based global conferences. “After raising money for various charities over the past 10 years, I understand the importance that our fund-raising efforts need to be directed at sustainable projects with low operational costs. Retail ROI is in alignment with the charity values of Retail Global”. Phil says.
JEREMY CROOKS
Jeremy has been involved with digital marketing, online advertising, eCommerce and start-ups since 1994. A professional with more than 23 years of experience across Europe, Asia & Australia. He launched the marketplaces for Google and Yahoo! in Australia and built the AUNZ Criteo business to be the market leaders in performance display advertising.
A founder of two start-ups and early stage in 3 more, he was one of the founders of the Interactive Advertising Bureau Ad Tech industry group. He now leads the AUNZ Global eCommerce business for Pitney Bowes helping retailers trade internationally, serves as a member of the NSW advisory board at The Fathering Project a not-for-profit and is the group CEO of the Go! Group, an innovation think-tank.
In February 2018 Jeremy travelled to Haiti with Phil Leahy and retail industry executives from the USA for a week of helping on the ground and witnessing how the funds are deployed.
Jeremy: "Prior to our trip, we watched videos of the conditions in Haiti which were moving and desperate, but, it isn’t until you are there, in the thick of the shiny towns and mountains of plastic bottles, surrounded by rotting carcasses of animals and children picking through stagnant water and rubbish looking for anything to eat, that the plight of the Haitians is truely felt. It surges through you like a tornado of emotions from helplessness to fear and a burning desire to help in any way you can. What Retail ROI have been able to do with the help of some remarkable people on the ground is start to rebuild the dignity and sense of self-worth back into the local communities. Providing jobs which give the people purpose and a means of earning money to send their kids to school, to become educated, to learn what they need to do to lead their country into life, for their next generations is beyond commendable, it’s the right thing to do!! I would emplore anyone who wants to see what love, patience and dedication to a cause bigger than yourself can do to rebuild an entire nation, to go to Haiti and see for yourself what compassion and humanity is really all about!! It’s life-changing in so many ways!"
Wayne Baskin
Wayne started with Booktopia in 2008, as the only in-house Java J2EE developer.
Intent on not being the “small cog in a big wheel”, Wayne left GE Commercial
Finance to focus on making an impact in a smaller company where he felt he
could actively contribute to it’s growth and success. Ten years later, Wayne has evolved from a software developer cutting code and building Booktopia’s bespoke website to become one of the key leaders in the business. At Booktopia, Wayne is responsible for all systems, both internal and external, oversees the strategy and operations of the business and also sits on Booktopia’s Board.
In his time at Booktopia Wayne has been responsible for a number of major projects including the development of all aspects of the Booktopia website,
the design and development of their custom built warehouse management
system and their always evolving eBook platform. With the acquisition of Angus & Robertson Wayne oversees all strategy and technology across both brands and was responsible for the integration of Angus & Robertson into Booktopia’s systems.
Alice Kuepper
Alice is an authentic business leader and strategist who believes in the shared value approach and the power of business as a catalyst for positive societal change and sustainable growth.
At Winning Group, Alice is the Head of Sustainable Business and Corporate Social Responsibility. In this role she is working with a multidisciplinary team across the business to identify opportunities for positive impact and deliver a group wide sustainability and CSR strategy.
With a 15+ years business management background, Alice was previously leading multidisciplinary teams and complex projects with responsibility for P&L, commercial market performance, growth strategy, marketing, partnerships, operations, stakeholder engagement, sustainability initiatives and product development.
Alice holds a Certificate in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School and a Master of Sociology from the University of Munich. She lives in Sydney, is married and mother of two boys.
EMMA SCULLION
Emma is the Operations Manager for Retail Global Events and has spent the last 4 years organising numerous eCommerce conferences and meet-ups across the globe. She loves working with Retail leaders and watching the events come to life after months of gruelling planning.
Prior to this she worked for a large telecommunications company as a Compliance Manager for over 7 years.
