Wealth & Finance International - March 2017

Wealth & Finance International 24 Fishing for Compliments MF was created to meet the market demand for Southern Bluefin Tuna, recognised as one of the best fish to eat raw in sushi and sashimi. While the early success of the com- pany was driven by the demand for tuna in the Japanese market, the popularity of the Japanese cuisine worldwide now sees SMF expanding into other markets. Details of the firm’s operations are listed below: Catch & Tow Southern Bluefin Tuna caught in the Great Australian Bight, then towed slowly back to Port Lincoln. Towing is one of the most crucial parts, ensuring fish arrive in good condition allowing us to improve the quality. Transfer to Farms Upon arrival to our Offshore zoned farm site the SBT are transferred to the holding cages. SMF’s purpose-built vessel allows them to transfer fish quickly and efficiently to minimize stress and maintain high quality. Feeding the Tuna SMF’s Southern Bluefin Tuna are fed a variety of small pelagic species, producing premium quality SBT, by sourcing only high quality bait and monitoring fish behaviour on a daily basis. Harvest SMF’s Southern Bluefin Tuna are harvested in the winter, when at their optimum quality. The harvest process is designed to minimize the time from when the fish are caught, bled, gilled and gutted then frozen to -60. Five Star CEO of the Year 2017 - Australia It is and honour to be recognised as CEO of the Year 2017 for Australia. It gives me great joy to thing my role as CEO for SMF is be recognised overseas. Australian companies have a lot to offer overseas and I am proud to play a part in this process. This award means a great deal to me and my company. It was my goal when I started SMF back in 1997 to recognised as a leader in the industry, to be recognised worldwide for supplying sashimi markets with high quality Southern Bluefin Tuna. This award acknowledges that we are heading in the right direction. That we are being recognised and acknowledged overseas. Business strategy - key principles Our early success with SMF was driven by the demand for tuna in the Japanese market, the popularity of Japanese cuisine worldwide now has meant that we must develop a strategy where we can now expand into other markets overseas with the same success that we have had in Japan. The main principle that would have to adhere to is to continue to pro- vide a high-quality product as we have done in Japan. As SMF we have a saying ‘quality because we care’. If we bring this same care factor and quality to other overseas markets, then I believe that we can continue to expand into other markets Staying motivated and positive What keeps me motivated and positive is that I really enjoy the industry that I am in. It’s a unique industry and a first of its kind when it begun in Australia. I love the product that we produce and to me Sashimi or Sushi, Southern Bluefin Tuna is one of the best foods that I have ever tasted. It’s only recently that the rest of the world is beginning to realise and something that Japan has always known is that Southern Bluefin Tuna is health wise and taste wise one of the best foods in the world. Tips on how to be a successful CEO I think one of the biggest challenges I must overcome to be a suc- cessful CEO is to be able to adapt to change quickly and not become complacent. The world is changing so quick so as a CEO you need to be to adapt and change quick with the current environment. One of the traps of being successful in the past is becoming complacent and not continuing to try new things to improve for the future. We are constantly trying to change and try new ideas. The key attributes that I possess to make me an award-winning CEO are: • The ability to take calculated risks, the tuna industry is a very risky industry so I have always had the ability to take calculated risks. • Credibility, I believe in telling the truth all the time. I like to surround myself with workers and people that are honest. To maintain credi- bility, you need to be telling the truth 100% of the time. • Caring, I think it’s important to have a caring nature. Caring for the people in your organisation is very important. I believe if you have competence and no caring as a CEO then your message will not go very far. • Flexibility to listen, even though CEO’s are the ultimate decision maker in most situations I believe it’s important as a CEO to have the willingness to listen to all opinions. Following industry trends to ensure success The main industry trend we follow is providing Southern Bluefin Tuna for the Japanese market to be used in sushi and sashimi. I think the biggest change in the next five years will be the need to provide high quality Southern Bluefin Tuna to the expanding markets outside of Japan. To provide, educate and position our product outside of Japan will be the biggest change for us in the next five years. Five Star CEO of the Year 2017 - Australia award winner Sarin Marine Farm (SMF) supplies high quality Southern Bluefin Tuna to overseas markets. We spoke to the firm’s Founder and CEO, David Sarin to find out more about how they are expanding into various markets and his thoughts on being recognised by this prestigious award. S 1703WF32