Gillian Franklin

Originally from South Africa, Gillian Franklin is today recognised as one of Australia’s most innovative marketers, business leader and accomplished Company Director across a variety of industries. Gillian’s story is an inspiration to others as she has demonstrated the value of hard work and how to optimise opportunities presented to immigrants to Australia. After arriving in Australia in 1980, with not much more than her drive, vision and aspirations, Gillian has achieved a successful career with broad experience and contributions across business, sport, and the community, as a business leader and NED. 

Executive Summary

An accomplished, award-winning Business Leader and Company Director, Gillian has a track record of supporting women, especially mothers, in the workplace and for driving positive change in the community as well as building businesses, contributing to Boards and the community.

An understanding of brands/consumers, private equity, M&A and entrepreneurship has underpinned Gillian’s career. After 20+ years in corporate life with a string of “firsts” and successes, in 2000 Gillian secured funding and formed her own company, The Heat Group, with a high-profile board and shareholders. From 2000-2021, Gillian built Heat to be Australia’s leading privately owned consumer goods distributor with a portfolio of 40+ brands sold across a diverse 7,000+ retailers. During this time, the company completed several acquisitions, as well as developed new own brands, and secured new Distribution agreements with major global brands. With over 4,000+ skus from around the world, the company was recognised in the market for innovative marketing, a high performing and valued culture, outstanding customer service and operational excellence, as well as delivering a high ROI to shareholders, selling a product every 3 seconds. 

Concurrent to leading businesses over the past 30+ years, Gillian, a qualified AICD Director, has achieved considerable experience across many organisations as a NED in business, sport, research, arts and community, including a Deputy Chair and 2 Chair roles. 

Gillian’s expertise has been recognised with a range of Awards listed below. 

Gillian has now sold her majority interest in Heat Group to PE and is focussing on her NED career and launching a new brand and program to encourage young women to achieve financial independence. 

BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS 

From 1980-2000 ie the 20 years prior to starting her own company, Gillian achieved success in a variety of industries and corporations. She held senior management positions from the young age of 24, and over the years expanded her business knowledge and honed her business skills to place her in good stead to establish her own business, as well as demonstrated her capability with a number of world–first achievements. These included (a) being appointed as the youngest General Manager for Revlon (first female in Australia and first GM under the age of 30 worldwide), (b) creating a world-first new business for the Kerry Packer Group with Communications and Entertainment Ltd company (CEL), when the video rental industry was expanded from a rental business to a retail sale model with the option for consumers to purchase pre-recorded movies through mainstream retailers (c) raising the funding and launching the “Self-Made Girl” programme to educate young women about Financial Independence and (d) winning the prestigious P&G Distributor award 6 times. 

Gillian’s has demonstrated transferable skills across a variety of business segments, particularly strategic thinking, ably supported with executional excellence across all touchpoints of marketing, operational, global supply chain, financial management and M&A. Gillian has also experienced a major malicious cyber-attack in her company, Heat Group, which has heightened her knowledge and expertise in cyber security protection as featured on SBS Insiders “Hacked” programme. 

Gillian’s passion for the importance of culture and values, providing leadership and people development to enhance the business performance, has allowed her to build outstanding teams that are committed, hard- working and passionate about their own performance. Gillian understands the role of the Board in setting a performance-led culture that rewards and respects all stakeholders, both internally and externally. 

ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

In 2000 Gillian was successful in raising capital, formed a Board and commenced trading as The Heat Group. Seed shareholders were Carol Schwartz, Mark Besen, Geoff Morgan and Andrew Banks. In the first 10 years of trading, Gillian delivered a fully franked dividend per annum of 30% ROI to shareholders. 

During the 21 years that The Heat Group has been in operation, Gillian grew the company from five employees working out of a coffee shop, to a robust, well-resourced company of around 90 employees, complete with its own warehouse and distribution facility and extensive brand portfolio, selling a product every 3 seconds. For 17 years heat distributed two of the world’s leading cosmetic brands, Max Factor and CoverGirl from Procter & Gamble and this continued until P&G sold their global beauty business to Coty. During this time, the Heat Group achieved the unprecedented acknowledgement from Procter & Gamble by winning the global “Distributor of Excellence” award 6 times, increasing sales and market share in one of the most competitive industries. 

Gillian has now sold her majority stake in the Heat Group to PE as she moves on to focus on her passion with a new programme for young women to teach them about financial independence. 

COMMITMENT TO WOMEN IN BUSINESS 

Gillian is a firm believer that the Australian economy can be expanded by ensuring women are given equal opportunity in the workplace without compromising on their life goals and motherhood. 

Gillian was a trail blazer when she created and launched the “Self Made Girl” program in 1997 to inspire and educate young women about the importance of financial independence. Supported by major corporations as well as the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, the programme transformed the financial literacy and motivation of thousands of young women. 

When Gillian formed the Heat Group in 2000, she offered 3 months maternity leave on full pay, which at that time was unheard of in the business community, especially for an SME. Gillian was an advocate to change the language of business to consider this maternity leave payment an “investment” and not a “cost” as she witnessed the ongoing benefits to the business of supporting women and mothers. Gillian has an outstanding track record of developing the careers of hundreds of young women as they navigated their careers and motherhood to the benefit of both. Today Gillian continues to mentor many women as this struggle in the business community continues.