After being raised on a Dairy Farm in New Zealand, at the age of 18 Mike arrived in Australia with a few hundred dollars in his pocket and a pack on his back. Over the next 8 years he worked for 35 different employers. In his words "I'm a product of the many really bad, and the few good, employers I worked for".
This background helped to influence Mike to "do it differently" in business.
His business career started with buying and selling goods as a second-hand dealer. Four years later the entrepreneur in Mike surfaced when he launched a short distance furniture removal business. This evolved into MiniMovers.
MiniMovers has evolved into an innovative market leader, growing from an initial
investment of $200 and a Ute, to an annual turnover exceeding $30 million with over
400 employees. Now 22 years old, MiniMovers currently moves over 1200 homes and
offices a week in Southeast Queensland, Melbourne and Sydney.
Through various government sponsored assistance/mentoring programs Mike has helped
many hundreds of businesses. As a result Mike has developed some very alternative
views of the success factors that drive people and businesses. Mike sees his strengths
in his basic commonsense approach - "out of the box" thinking, leadership,
systems, marketing, people management skills, workplace culture, innovative products,
and creative customer service strategies.
| 2007 |
Finalist |
Entrepreneur of the Year, Ernst & Young Australia Northern Region |
| 2005 |
Winner |
TradeSmart Consumer Award, Queensland Government Office of Fair Trading |
| 2004 |
Finalist |
Entrepreneur of the Year, Ernst & Young Australia Northern Region |
| 2003 |
Winner |
Telstra Queensland Small Business of the Year |
| 2000 |
Winner |
ANTA (Australian National Training Authority) "Australian Excellence in Training" |
| 2000 |
Winner |
Queensland Medium Employer of the Year |
| 1999 |
Winner |
Brisbane Medium Employer of the Year - Queensland Training Awards |
 |
| MiniMovers PTY LTD |
Founder and Owner |
| Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) |
Commissioner |
| Australian Institute of Management QLD & NT Pty Ltd |
Director |
| Glenn Stevens, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia |
Small Business Advisory Panel |
| Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) |
Fellow |
| Australian Institute of Management (AIM) |
Fellow |
|