Chairman’s Report

We say farewell to Susan Phillips after more than five years as the SSAA CEO. Susan has achieved so much in this time and I would like to highlight a list of achievements during this period. l Introduction of SSAA Open Days/ Industry Days in 2016 to attract new members to the Association. l Review of the SSAA Constitution undertaken in 2017 and adopted by members at the AGM. l Implementation of the change in length of Directorships from two to three-year terms to improve stability for the Board. l The establishment in 2017 of the Audit Finance and Risk Committee with an independent Chair. l Electronic process implemented in 2018 for election of Directors. l Development of Board policies in 2018 with annual reviews (Budget, Expenditure, Governance & Management, Investment, Risk Management, Conflict of Interest and Risk Reviews).

l Vast improvements to budgeting processes to ensure financial accountability. l Overhaul to the Awards for Excellence nomination and judging process. l Development of a formal Member Complaints process. l Launch of new Storage Finder website in 2018 l New look Insider magazine l Major upgrade to the SSAA website in 2019 with a regular review process now in place to improve user experience. l Formation of alliance with Family Business Australia. l Development of the Storage Interactive Platform (SIP) in 2019 to record details and regular updates of all existing and proposed storage facilities in Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Stage 2 of the project to be launched in July 2021 will see this database expanded to include Wellington (NZ), Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Newcastle & Region, NSW south coast, Canberra, Hobart, Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong. l Establishment of partnership with an external law firm in 2019 to provide a wider range of legal advice via the SSAA Legal Help Desk for Australian members, further reducing risk to the Association.

Further strengthening of relations with the external NZ law firm for our NZ members. l Implementation of Member Help Desks including HR, OH&S and PR. The alliance with external partners to provide these services removed the risk from our Association when providing advice and support. l Instigate the planning for the 30th anniversary celebrations capturing the history of the Association on film and in print. l Implementation of annual industry research projects including State of the Industry 2020 and the soon to be published Industry Snapshot 2021. l Development of online legal training for Australian members in 2021 with NZ modules in their final stages and to be launched later this year. l Launch of new SSAA brand in 2021. All of these tasks were in addition to the regular functionality of a small office delivering regular member communications, events and the Annual Convention. The board would like to personally thank Susan for the solid foundation she leaves behind for Makala Ffrench Castelli as the incoming CEO. We wish Susan every success and happiness in her future endeavours and I’m sure we will miss her friendly and open approach to all.

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