Post Growth Entrepreneurship with Dr. Melanie Rieback

Date: 28 June | Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: The Kelvin Club

Join us for an enlightening evening focused on Post Growth Entrepreneurship, featuring a keynote address by international speaker Dr. Melanie Rieback. Learn about innovative approaches to entrepreneurship that prioritise social and environmental impact over profit.

What you will gain:

• Attendees will gain valuable insights into sustainable, non-extractive business and investment models and practical strategies for building resilient, community-focused enterprises.

Discussion points:

• Is organisational growth always the goal?
• What about investment without ownership?
• What can we learn from Europe – and what can Europe learn from us?

About the event:
Post Growth Entrepreneurship (PGE), as defined by the Post Growth Entrepreneurship Workshop, reframes business as a form of activism, art, spirituality, and creative expression. This model embraces flat growth curves and rejects the traditional need for investors, scaling, and exits, questioning conventional entrepreneurial wisdom and re-envisioning business as a vehicle for pure positive impact.

Cost*:

• $20 for Concession / Co-op / Union / Kelvin Club / RSA members
  
• $25 for Passionate attendees

Food and Drink:

• Finger food included until 6:30pm (first in, best dressed!)
• Drinks at bar prices thereafter
• Bookings are essential – secure your place now.
• Contact: coopcauseway@gmail.com for any enquiries *including about waiving the booking fee.

About Dr. Melanie Rieback:
Dr. Melanie Rieback is the CEO and co-founder of Radically Open Security, the world's first not-for-profit computer security company, and the "Post Growth" startup incubator Nonprofit Ventures. A former Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Free University of Amsterdam, Dr. Rieback has been recognised as the "Most Innovative IT Leader of the Netherlands" by CIO Magazine (TIM Award) in 2017 and one of the "9 Most Innovative Women in the European Union" (EU Women Innovators Prize) in 2019.

Also featuring: 

Alison Holloway (MEnv Plan; B Appl Sc), is CEO, Principal and Partner of SGS Economics and Planning. SGS is a BCorp and for purpose employee-owned firm with over three decades of driving public policy excellence to benefit people, places and economies. Alison has over 25 years’ experience advising state and local governments and for purpose sector across public policy including strategic urban planning, infrastructure, transport planning in NSW and Victoria. Alison is passionate about how places provide opportunities for people to participate in community life and live their best. Alison Chairs the UNSW City Futures Research Centre Advisory Panel which guides the Centre’s priorities and activities across housing, urban policy and digital cities She is a Director of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM), the peak body for member-owned businesses.

And:

Antony McMullen, FGIA: is a skilled co-operative developer, founder, and advocate committed to advancing social, cultural, and economic development for the common good. He is recognised by fellowships with RMIT FORWARD, the Governance Institute of Australia (formerly Chartered Company Secretaries), and the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). Moreover, he co-drafted the BCCM Co-operative and Mutual Enterprise best-practice governance framework and has qualifications in social impact, community development, and co-operative leadership. Antony provides consulting and educational services to co-operative development programs and enterprises, promoting informed decision-making and self-reliance. His roles on various boards as co-founder, Secretary and Chair exhibit his practical knowledge of the co-operative business model first hand. He manages The Bunya Fund and undertakes co-op development at the BCCM.

Clare Fountain, GAICD: is an award winning highly experienced and dedicated professional who has been instrumental in supporting member-owned, purpose-driven, and small business enterprises in building resilience and achieving sustainable success. With a holistic and methodical approach, Clare excels in complex situations by considering multiple influencing factors and developing clear, staged strategies to deliver agreed outcomes. She has contributed to national government-funded co-op development programs Farming Together and Co-operative Farming and is currently contributing to the Care Together program of the BCCM. Clare holds board positions in various organisations, including ARC Justice (community legal centres) and 888 Co-operative Bonds Ltd. With her extensive expertise and dedication to empowering businesses and communities, Clare continues to make a lasting impact and drive positive change.

Thank you for the support: