The biggest risk is not taking one.
Tony Surtees is a hands-on investor who gets involved in helping companies scale to take full advantage of changing markets. He has VP and CEO level international experience in investment, media and marketing with businesses both traditional and digital; operational and management experience in companies in the US, Asia and Australia; and active public and private board experience specialising in businesses that are undergoing disruption, rapid change, growth and changes in business model.
Tony Surtees has had a prominent and dynamic career, marked by his leadership roles in Sydney, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and San Francisco, California. His professional journey is characterised by significant achievements in the fields of media, marketing, and digital technologies.
Starting in the realm of digital and media entrepreneurship, Tony Surtees served as the Vice President and General Manager of Yahoo!'s Commerce Group at their California headquarters. In this role, he oversaw 14 business units that collectively generated over $2.5 billion in sales. This position highlighted his ability to manage large-scale operations and drive substantial revenue, setting a high benchmark in the rapidly evolving digital commerce sector.
Beyond his tenure at Yahoo, Tony also founded iPrime, the digital arm of Prime Television Group in Australia. This venture focused on developing technology and content for media businesses, showcasing his foresight into the convergence of media and technology and the potential for innovative content delivery.
Tony Surtees is also recognised for his engagement with startups and his mentorship roles. He has been actively involved in helping companies scale and adapt to changing markets, specialising in areas such as real-time bidding, programmatic buying, and online retailing. His efforts extend into his work with the Entrepreneurs’ Programme Committee for the Australian Federal Department of Industry, Science, Energy, and Resources, where he contributes his expertise to guide and support emerging businesses.
Additionally, his educational background includes a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Science from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. These credentials have provided a solid foundation for his various professional endeavours.
Tony Surtees' impact extends beyond business operations; he is a regular professional speaker and has been recognised as one of Australia's top ten digital entrepreneurs. His global perspective is further enriched by his role on the Global Advisory Council of Advance, where he supports the network of Australian professionals worldwide.
Overall, Tony Surtees' career spans significant contributions to digital commerce, media innovation, and startup mentorship, making him a distinguished figure in both the Australian and international business communities. His work in San Francisco and Sydney exemplifies a commitment to advancing technological and business practices in a global context.
Tony Surtees is an influential figure in the fields of digital technology and entrepreneurship. His career has been marked by significant roles in large organisations, as well as a deep involvement with startups and innovation ecosystem
Talking Points
The Great Reset
For some organizations, near-term survival is the only agenda item. Others are peering through the fog of uncertainty, thinking about how to position themselves once the crisis has passed and things return to normal. The question is, What will normal look like for me and my business?'The Great Reset
According to Microsoft CEO years of digital transformation have been compressed into weeks.
This time, right now, is what we can describe as The Great Reset. This is our opportunity to accelerate our businesses in the direction of transformation and growth in surprising new ways. the last few months have had the effect of obliterating the traditional resistance to change across many industries.
Who this is for:
Founders, entrepreneurs, small business owners, teams going through disruption or transformation, managers of all kind looking to find new ways of supporting their newly remote teams.
Key Takeaways:
- COVID has created winners and losers
- Traditional resistance to change brought about by digitisation has collapsed
- COVID is a great accelerator to existing forces and trends.
- As Covid-19 impacts every aspect of work and life globally, Microsoft has seen two years' worth of digital transformation in just two months.
- Entrepreneurs and business leaders can pivot to take advantage of this massive acceleration
- Boards and business leaders need to adapt to changes in customer demand
Thrive in Disruption: Strategies to help you and your team meet disruption head on and win
The processes and business model that make businesses good at the existing business actually make them bad at competing in times of disruption. CEO's, Boards and executives can really do damage to their business is if they just try to protect the legacy model.Thrive in Disruption: Strategies to help you and your team meet disruption head on and win
By the time it's obvious that your company needs to change often it's too late. What that means is, the time to act is way faster than before. We have to act earlier. We have to be more deliberate. Technology has obliterated the 5 year plan of your business for any more than a year or two out. Companies are realizing that they don't have the luxury of time to innovate; they need to look at partnerships or acquisitions much sooner than they would have done earlier.
In this presentation, Tony explains your options, how to preserve your existing business and develop new
options to meet a disrupting market. He shows how the 'innovator's task' is ensure the disruptive business model (which often doesn't make sense) can be taken seriously enough within the company without putting at risk the needs of present customers.
Tony explains how CEO's can balance the agenda between protecting the existing business while creating different ways to experiment and change without too much risk.
His experience working on the ground in the United States, Asia, Europe and Australia provides a highly relevant perspective to audiences facing questions of competition and market disruption. He explains how large companies can partner effectively with small ones without over-investing. His presentations are packed with illuminating anecdotes, telling statistics, surprising paradoxes.
HIGHLIGHTS - Tony explains:
¢ Google's 8 innovation principles
¢ How to turn things around in 6-12 month cycles
¢ The 9 ways to change from legacy to digital
¢ Strategic investment and partnership options
¢ Identifying great investment propositions
Video
Tony Surtees | Digital Survivor
Tony Surtees - What marketing will look like in the future
Tony Surtees - Introducing Zeetings
CNBC interview with Tony Surtees
Tony Surtees is one of the most brilliant Australian marketers on the scene today. Strike that. He's one of the most brilliant marketers period. His work on the net has demonstrated that he ... keep reading Seth Godin
I have been on a few panels in my time and it was a absolute relief to be sitting there with someone as seasoned as you running the show. Was a great experience seeing the Zeetings software being used for the program. Love the feedback loop from audience - I am sure this really keeps audiences on their toes even if the presenter has some dry content.
A rich background of startup founding, exiting and investing (including co-founding Zeetings - exited to Canva), Tony has also held a long list of critical advisory and board roles across the Australian innovation ecosystem.
I want to pay tribute to one of Australia's original Digital Entrepreneurs, Tony Surtees (Big T) one of the original Yahoos who helped birth the Internet before 2000, & Chair of the Entrepreneurs Program that 1st funded Canva, & founder of one of Canva's early acquisitions.
One of Australia’s Top Ten Digital Entrepreneurs
One of Australia's Best and Brightest who has gone to Silicon Valley
