In a life that is a long way from quiet, 2016 definitely goes down as one of the busiest yet, and 2017 isn’t shaping up to be any different.
2016 saw the first full year of Epic Pharmacy operating as part of Icon Group and exploring the ways that we and Slade Pharmacy could combine our strengths and share our knowledge (and picking up a nice acknowledgement as one of Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Companies along the way!). 2017 already sees the Epic team off to a great start with our team discovering just before Christmas that they’d been awarded the contract to manage pharmacy services to the Uniting Care hospitals across Queensland.
Epic Digital launched multiple new products, and was acquired by Icon Group in September, which also saw me take up a new role as Digital Advisor to the Board. As Icon continues its incredible pace of expansion both domestically and internationally, I’m excited to work with the leadership team on ensuring that we continue to deliver and implement world leading technology tools that help us bridge the gap between the paper based healthcare world we live in today and the digital future that healthcare aspires to. In particular I can’t wait to work with the Epic Digital team on our big project for 2017, which will see us use technology to better understand what our patients are experiencing when they are outside our centres, and how we can help them to better manage their treatment and it’s impacts.
The Epic Good Foundation had a great year in 2016, with Anita Heiss joining us as Manager and overseeing a raft of activities throughout the year. This saw expansion of some of our existing programs, plus the addition of some new partners in The Indigenous Literacy Foundation and Traction. 2017 starts with a new Chair appointed post Stuart’s move to Singapore, and we are incredibly fortunate to have Heather Watson and her wealth of experience in this area take up this role, in addition to Andrew Reid also joining our board as we look to again do as much Epic Good with our partners as possible.
There was a new addition to the Epic Group in 2016 with the formation of Epic Cloud to hold our investment in ADG, which also saw me take a seat on their board, and 2017 holds big things for ADG’s activities and expansion into Austalia.
And of course 2016 was the year that Flamingo was acquired by Cre8tek and listed on the ASX, with Catriona and I as only the second ever female CEO/Chair combo. We’re so excited about what 2017 holds for our team, our customers and our shareholders as we look forward to continuing to build and grow the business locally and abroad.
2016 also marked my first year on the board of the Brisbane Lions AFL club which definitely wasn’t dull! With a new coach and a new GM of football, there’s definitely a different mood heading into 2017 and I’m looking forward to both the men’s season but also the debut in February of the first ever Brisbane Lions Women’s team as their inaugural competition commences.
There’s also been a couple of training and preparation trips for my space adventure as 2016 has seen Virgin Galactic make great progress in its space travel program – which has provided some of the most unique board meeting apologies tabled or so I’m told! – and there’ll be more of that to come in 2017 too.
With all of this, plus close to half of the year spent on the road both domestically and internationally, Stuart taking up the role of Chair of Icon Asia and establishing a base in Singapore, 2016 has been a long way from boring, and by the end of the year I was definitely left feeling not a little unlike this….
but that’s what end of year breaks are for, and we’re fueled up and ready to go for what’s shaping up to be an epic, iconic 2017!
