More than 100 guests from across Melbourne joined us for the latest Matthews Steer Success Stories Breakfast, featuring candid conversations and practical lessons from experienced business leaders.
At the heart of the event was a discussion with Peter and Adele Levinge of Dennis Family Corporation. They shared their perspective on leading a family business across generations, exploring values, succession planning, governance, leadership and the difficult decisions required to protect its long-term future.
Economic and workforce specialists also provided insights to help attendees consider the external environment and the capabilities their businesses will need for future growth.
Putting values at the centre of business decisions
A standout theme from Peter and Adele’s discussion was the importance of having clear values and consistently putting them into practice.
For a family business, values can be a powerful guide when navigating complex decisions, particularly when balancing commercial considerations with responsibilities to employees, customers, family members and the wider business community.
Peter and Adele shared how their values have helped guide decisions throughout their journey, reinforcing that values must be more than words on a page. They need to be reflected in everyday behaviours, leadership decisions and the way a business responds when faced with difficult choices.
Their experiences highlighted an important lesson for business owners: doing what is right may not always be the easiest or most cost-effective option in the short term, but protecting trust, reputation and long-term relationships is an important part of building a sustainable business.
Succession is about more than the next generation
Succession planning was another key focus, with Peter and Adele sharing their approach to preparing future generations for involvement in the family business.
Bringing family members into a business requires careful thought. It is not simply a matter of family connection or ownership; it involves identifying the right roles, recognising individual capabilities, establishing clear expectations and creating opportunities for people to develop and contribute.
The discussion highlighted the importance of planning how and when family members enter the business, ensuring their opportunities are based on their capabilities and the needs of the business, rather than coming at the expense of existing employees or their career progression.
Succession also extends beyond the next generation. Businesses need to consider leadership transitions, future capability requirements and the processes required to support continuity, including how and when people may eventually exit the business.
For family businesses at different stages of their journey, there is no single approach that works for everyone. Every family, ownership structure and business is different. What matters is having a clear direction, planning ahead and seeking independent advice before making significant changes.
Good governance, independent advice and getting the right people
Peter and Adele also highlighted the importance of strong governance and independent oversight in supporting effective decision-making.
Independent directors or an independent chair can provide an objective perspective, help navigate complex family and business dynamics, and support sound decisions when competing interests need to be considered.
The discussion also reinforced the value of engaging experienced, independent advisers early, before embarking on a significant transition or making important structural decisions. Seeking advice at the right time can help business owners identify potential challenges, consider their options and establish a clearer path forward.
During the audience Q&A, Peter and Adele were asked how the business approaches selecting the right person for a senior leadership role. They openly shared their most recent experience, prompting further reflection on the importance of thorough due diligence, cultural fit and appropriate oversight when making critical appointments.
Their insights extended to remuneration structures, including the distinction between remuneration for work performed and the benefits associated with ownership. This drew strong interest from attendees, underscoring the importance of transparent, fair and clearly defined arrangements in family businesses.
People, culture and the future of business
Beyond the family business discussion, the morning featured two further perspectives relevant to business owners navigating an evolving commercial environment.
Ryan Felsman, Senior Economist and Director – Business & Industry at Commonwealth Bank, provided an economic update covering inflation, interest rates, oil prices, housing, consumer spending, the labour market, business investment and financial markets.
His insights helped place current economic conditions into context, giving attendees a broader perspective on the external factors influencing business decisions, planning and growth.
Marcus Armstrong, Managing Director of Platinum People Solutions and an Accredited Advisor with the Family Business Association, focused on the importance of a proactive people strategy.
Marcus challenged business leaders to consider three important questions: What people and capabilities does your business have today? What will it need in 12 months and beyond? And what is your plan to bridge the gap?
His message reinforced that workforce planning is not simply about filling vacancies as they arise. Understanding future capability requirements, retaining good people and developing leadership talent are all essential to building a business that is equipped for the future.
Together, the speakers offered a valuable combination of economic perspective, people strategy and real-world business experience, helping attendees consider both the external environment and the internal decisions that shape business performance.
The value of learning from other business owners
While the speakers provided plenty of food for thought, the opportunity to connect with other business owners and leaders was an important part of the morning.
The Matthews Steer Success Stories Breakfast events bring together people facing different challenges, but often grappling with similar questions around growth, leadership, people, succession and the future of their businesses.
Hearing directly from those who have navigated these challenges provides a perspective that is difficult to replicate through theory alone. Candid conversations about decisions, lessons learned and what might be done differently can help others recognise opportunities, reconsider their own approaches and feel better equipped to address challenges in their businesses.
The value of this experience was reflected in attendee feedback following the event. Overwhelmingly, respondents rated the insights shared by Peter and Adele as extremely or very valuable and their overall event experience as excellent or very good. 93% said they were likely or very likely to attend another Matthews Steer Success Stories Breakfast.
The morning also welcomed VCE accounting students from Ave Maria College and Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School, who joined us during their school holidays for an opportunity to hear from experienced business leaders and gain insight into the decisions and challenges that shape the business world.
Three questions to take back to your business
The discussion offered a timely reminder that building a successful business requires ongoing reflection, preparation and a willingness to make considered decisions.
Business owners and leaders may benefit from asking:
- If I needed to step away from my business tomorrow, would it be equipped to continue successfully?
- Do our recruitment and leadership decisions reflect our business values, and do we have the right oversight in place?
- Are we actively preparing for succession, or simply assuming it will work itself out?
Taking the time to consider these questions can help identify areas where further planning, clearer processes or independent advice may be valuable.
Thank you to our speakers, sponsors and guests
Matthews Steer thanks Peter and Adele Levinge for generously sharing the lessons from their business journey, and Ryan Felsman and Marcus Armstrong for their valuable insights.
We also thank event MC and former Nine News reporter Dougal Beatty for guiding the conversation, and Matthews Steer Chief Operating Officer Catherine Duncan for welcoming guests.
The event was supported by sponsors Commonwealth Bank, Platinum People Solutions and Essendon Fields. We also appreciate the involvement of the Committee for Wyndham, Civil Contractors Federation Victoria, Family Business Association, Essendon Football Club and Victorian Transport Association. Their involvement, together with the contribution of all our guests, helped make the morning such a valuable opportunity to connect and share perspectives.
At Matthews Steer, we believe that learning from the experiences of others can help business owners make more informed decisions, plan for the future and navigate the challenges that come with running a business.
Our Success Stories Breakfasts are designed to bring these conversations to life, connecting business owners and leaders with practical insights, experienced voices and a community of people who understand the realities of business.
We look forward to welcoming you to a future Matthews Steer Success Stories Breakfast.
If you would like to be invited to our next Success Stories Breakfast in March 2027 please email events@matsteer.com.au
