On-Demand Executive, Founder, CEO, CTO, Digital/Technology Innovation Specialist
+61 438 677 889
Stephen.Bowtell@LeadersOnDemand.com
Stephen is an experienced and highly regarded Founder, MD, CEO, CTO who has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to create, build and sell profitable businesses. He is adept at transforming underperforming businesses by establishing strategies, driving a change agenda and embedding a culture predicated on high performance and client centricity.
He founded and built 3 successful companies in the Information Technology sector selling 2 to Public companies and one to PE. Each experiencing rapid growth and industry accolades. All from startup, back bedroom to boardroom and everything in between.
Stephen understands what it takes to drive business success, he has a well honed and genuine leadership style, building, inspiring and driving high-performing teams to achieve personal and business growth. He is highly entrepreneurial, tempered with a strong understanding of governance and risk management.
Finally he is an accomplished strategist able to envision, identify and implement advanced and innovative technologies to establish the ever elusive business edge.
Career History
Following an aviation career as a pilot, senior flying instructor and senior standards officer with the Australian Army, Stephen moved into the IT services sector initially in sales roles.
His ability to identify better ways of working fuelled his entrepreneurial drive and his inspirational leadership style has been pivotal in turning bankable business plans into executed outcomes.
Today, Stephen is a leading expert on the constantly changing cyber risk to enterprise and he rolls his sleeves up when organisations need to implement best in class security solutions or respond to attack.
Leadership Highlights
Director/General Management: For over 25 years successfully operated in Director/ General Management roles. Each of these roles involved an organisational component, successfully lifting performance with a focus on an improved customer experience and strong business outcomes.
Creation, communication and delivery of clear business vision, strategy, tactics and action plans.
Driving sales/marketing, target market, customer/segment profiling, building sales and marketing plans. Overseeing sales performances and creating new business opportunities.
Team Building & Partnerships: Success has been in building the team culture and forming positive partnerships with stakeholders, vendors, and the team itself. When running these businesses was able to operate very successfully as one virtual team under his guidance.
These successful partnerships ensured that all aspects of the business were fully planned, coordinated and risks and issue management was holistically addressed.
Operational Capability: Experience includes management of operational, sales, marketing, Finance and HR teams with all aspects including planning, coordination and where required incident management. Building operational engines and efficiencies that reduce costs, enhance customer service and value and that are repeatable and maintainable throughout the life of the business.
Technology Leader: He has successfully delivered to scale IT implementations to all his businesses, driving a genuine partnership between IT, product, production, sales, and finance functions. He enabled his organisation(s) to leverage technology to achieve competitive advantage, efficiency gains, improved operating margins and customer outcomes.
People Management: Has managed large, diverse teams including career planning, goal setting, coaching/mentoring and performance management.
Change Management: Adept at establishing a strategic plan with a business outcome clearly defined. Able to drive and motive people to embrace new structures, new processes, new measurement and goals.
Boardroom/ Senior Executive Communications: Ability to communicate, convince and receive senior executive buy-in. Taken seriously at senior level, trusted and respected.
Qualifications
Harvard - Cybersecurity (Risk Management/ Governance), AICD - Company Directors Course, Master of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology (deferred) Graduate OCS Portsea
Sectors
Information Technology, Government, Education, Retail, Tech Startups, Aviation, Consumer Products and Services, Tech Startups
Functions
Technology and Innovation, Turnarounds, Transformations, Senior Management, Business Development, Strategy, Board Advisory
Situations
Technology Issues, Innovation Implmentation, Transformations, Turnarounds, High Speed Growth, M&A, Startups, Mentoring
Favourite quotes
“It always seems impossible until it’s done." Nelson Mandella
“You don't build a business, you build the people, then people build the business.” Zig Ziglar
“I joined Leaders on Demand...
... as a founder and CEO I know all too well the demands of office and the ongoing need for another set of trusted safe hands to help with the journey. My business and personal experiences will serve to reinforce the stated values of Leaders on Demand, Excellence - Integrity - Self-discipline - Humility”
“When I'm not at work...
... I am the proud and adoring father to 3 teenage girls which makes me an unpaid Uber driver. I'm fortunate enough, along with my wife, to be a member of one of Melbourne's famed "sandbelt courses" and am a long term fanatic golfer of moderate success. I commit a considerable amount of my time in support of children and defence veteran organisations”