East has Gold Coast input into national brand

FORMER Mantra CEO Bob East has built and sold a $1.2 billion company, is chairman of Tourism Australia, deputy chairman of the Gold Coast Suns and is heading up two more large companies – but even he can feel like a small fish sometimes.

As part of the Prime Minister’s National Brand Council, Mr East works alongside fellow business leaders, including Qantas boss Alan Joyce, billionaire Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, A2 Milk chief Jayne Hrdlicka and Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest.

Speaking about the council’s efforts this week, Mr East joked that “when we’re finished, they all get into their private jets” while he, presumably, jumps into an Uber to the airport.

The brand council’s esteemed list of volunteer directors also includes Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate, Coopers Brewery boss Glenn Cooper, AESOP CEO Michael O’Keefe, Navitas chief executive Rod Jones, Austrade chief executive Stephanie Fahey and Sydney Festival Artistic Director Wesley Enoch.

While the upcoming federal election has slowed progress a little, the council has appointed ad agency Clemenger BDO Sydney to work on the national brand, which aims to be a catch-all vehicle for all exports.

“Exports can be services, it can be tourism, it can be meat and product, funds management, IT services or entrepreneurial pursuits – it can be a range of things,” Mr East said.

“A brand that shows that we are unique, we are distanced from the rest of the world and with that tyranny of distance comes a unique way of looking at things. Mike CannonBrookes said the best shiraz is made with the harshest conditions for the grapes and it’s kind of that philosophy.

“We’re a long way away, we had to be entrepreneurial, we had to have spirit, we had to have positivity, and an irrepressible optimism to make sure that what we did could be seen or heard.

“To get all industries, ideally, behind one brand is something that would be really compelling and something that people can be proud of.”