Item 5.02. Departure of Directors
or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers.
Rodney Young of Sydney, Australia, has been
appointed as the new Chairman of the Company effective December 20th, 2021, until further notice. He is also appointed as the Chief
Financial Advisor to the Company and as the Company’s representative to oversee the SEC reporting requirements. Roger May
who he replaces as Chairman will continue in his role as CEO for the Company.
Rod is a versatile management professional with over 35 years’
experience in Australia, New Zealand, the EU,
China, Southeast Asia,
the Middle East,
Africa, India and
the United States.
He is
considered one of
the world’s foremost
franchise consultants and
was inducted into
the Franchising Hall of
Fame in 2018 for
his contribution to franchising.
A Key
Advisor
He is a
key advisor to
many of Australasia’s
leading franchise networks and has been
involved in transforming smaller businesses into national and international
chains and steering larger organisations in using franchising, licensing, dealer and
associated distribution models as a capital raising, management, HR, and marketing
strategy. Over his career to date he has helped create
Billions of dollars in Enterprise
Value for his
clients.
His business interests have also included roles
as a franchisee in his early career, as a franchisor, and in the last two decades as
a sought-after board director and advisor to national and
international networks.
Board Experience
As well as his role as Chairman of the DC Strategy
Group, he is also a Director of Poolwerx, the Australian market leader and past Franchisor
of the Year. Poolwerx have over 150 franchisees specialising in swimming pool retail
and service that has now established itself as a major force in the US pool care market,
EyeQ Optometrists, a 25-practice network of company owned and franchised optometrists.
He also held
the position of Executive Chairman
and Global CEO
for 10 years and is now Executive Director of the $250 million 600 store / 30
country Cartridge World group based in Hong Kong. He managed the sale of this network
from Australian Private Equity ownership to Chinese ownership associated with Suzhou-based
imaging group Suzhou Goldengreen Technologies. The Cartridge World network include
Licensees, Master Franchisees and
single unit Franchisees,
distributors and manufacturers
on every continent.
Former Board roles include Total Tools, which DC
Strategy converted to a franchise system and assisted in to develop from a 20-store
cooperative into a 70 store $500 million trade tool retailer sourcing from international
markets and developing their own branded product lines manufactured
in China, Boost
Juice, the 230
store Juice and
Smoothie giant and
Hairhouse
Warehouse, Australia’s
largest retail and
hairdressing chain.
Rod has a portfolio of past board directorships
and chair roles includes the professional and domestic
services sector, health
and beauty, food, recreation
and entertainment
He also served on the Board of Governors of the
ASEAN Franchise Association, the Indian Franchise Association and is a member of the
Franchise Council of Australia’s CEO’s policy advisory committee.
International
Roles
Rod has worked
across the globe.
As an
internationally recognised authority on franchising and business growth and development, Rod
contributes extensively to major media including television, radio and print as well as being a
regular speaker at seminars and conferences in Australia, the United States, the EU, China, India
and South -Asia. He has been endorsed by the Franchise Council of Australia to deliver education
modules and was bestowed as Visiting Professor of Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai,
PRC. He develops content and presents modules of the US International Franchise Association Certified Franchise
Executive Program in the United States and is a regular
contributor and speaker at the annual IFA conventions in the US. He has developed market entry strategies
and established new networks in scores
of countries.
Rod has worked with Franchise India over many years
where he has developed and delivers modules of the Franchise Knowledge Series attended
by thousands of Indian business owners from small family concerns to senior executives
of major Indian enterprises such as Shopper Stop, Tata, Reliance Industries, Motilal
Oswal Securities and Airtel. He has also held the roles of Program Director and keynote
speaker at Franchise India, the largest franchise opportunities conference
and expo in India.
Founder and
Chair of the
Leading Franchise Consultancy
and Law Firm
DC Strategy Rod founded this
firm which is the only end-to-end franchise consulting, legal, sales, brokerage and
brand and marketing
firm in Australasia with
offices in Melbourne,
Sydney and Hong Kong.
DCS provides strategic advice and business growth
and development services centred around the franchise and license business models.
The specialist teams Rod has led at DCS have been involved in developing many of the
region’s most successful franchise and licensed networks, a few being Australia
Post, Telstra, ANZ Mortgage Solutions, AGL, Terry White Pharmacies, OPSM, Grill’d,
Bakers Delight, Forty Winks, Hairhouse Warehouse, Jetts Fitness, Laser Clinics, Tattersalls,
RACV, Caltex, Dymocks and Aussie Home Loans. He has taken numerous start-ups to international
brands such as Pack & Send, Jenny Craig and Boost Juice where he was a shareholder
and board member involved in taking a 4 store Adelaide business in 2000 to a global
network which crystallised an
enterprise value of $180
million in a sale
to Bain Capital.
Rod and
his team also
assist international brands
such as Unilever’s
Ben & Jerry’s,
L’Oreal, Carl’s Jr,
Starbucks and BUPA,
implementing growth strategies
in Australia and
the region.
A Noted Strategist,
Advocate and Mentor
Rod is a passionate advocate and mentor for businesses
looking to expand through the many distribution models such as franchising, licensing
distributorships and dealer networks as well as joint venture and corporately operated
outlets. He has provided strategic advice and assistance
in implementing growth
strategies for countless
companies, looking to
increase their enterprise
value.
His broad range and depth of experience coupled
with many years of practical business and network
management have served DC Strategy
Franchising Group clients well.
His knowledge of franchising strategy and a wide
domestic and international network make him a highly valued asset to organisations
looking to penetrate new markets, grow sales and profitability and
expand their brand
authority.
Social Commitment
Rod is the former Chairman of the Australian
arm of Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, a charity
that supports street
kids in Vietnam and
Mongolia.
DC Strategy
also provides economic
support for refugee
resettlement services in
Victoria.