Tim Rowler
Director of Business and Finance Ruyton Girls’ School
The appointment of Tim Rowler as Director Business and Finance at Ruyton Girls’ School, Melbourne, is an exemplary illustration of the laser like focus of high quality schools in looking to fill this incredibly important position. With six (6) years of experience as Company Secretary and Business Manager at Loreto Mandeville Hall, Tim understands high performance schools.
Tim represents the style of contemporary business managers whom schools are mindful they must find and hold. In addition to his experience in independent schools, Tim brings skills from a diverse background, including accounting and financial control in multi-national companies and business start-ups, a strong project management background within the property investment sector and entrepreneurship (…think ‘Team Director’ of a Porsche cycling team and owner/operator of his own bespoke bakery!).
The core business of a school is learning! This may be self evident to most but an independent school must also operate successfully and financially sustainable. There are increasingly complex factors in being able to say this simple sentence ‘rings true'.
Boards and Principals of top quality schools understand this and thus look for Business Managers of high capacity across many areas.
Tim is an excellent illustration of this point. He brings a high capacity to lead and manage multiple tasks within a single role as a very senior member of staff.
All Business Managers require a high level of technical skill but what has become apparent to Lyngcoln Consulting in their latest appointments are the importance of attributes and skills in the following areas:
• strategic and systems thinking
• people and project management
• risk management and corporate governance
• business development and entrepreneurship, including external partnership development
Superior candidates show a thirst to keep learning and for a challenge! They take success personally. They oversee the business as if it was their own – and many of them have indeed successfully envisaged, commenced and operated their own businesses. They understand the emotional and intellectual investment needed to make an entity thrive.
The disparity in the skillsets of the best Business Managers and many others is now significant. Those at the upper end ‘shine’.
Increasingly, independent schools are not only cognisant of the fact they need superior capacity in their business leadership but are actively working with Lyngcoln Consulting on these appointments.
Tim demonstrates significant capacity and by his own admission, is a ‘people person’. His referees suggest it is hard to imagine anyone not liking Tim and via his natural coaching ability, not growing and developing under his leadership.
Linda Douglas, Principal of Ruyton, understands the significant contribution Tim will make and the strong leadership and support he will provide to the Executive and Board.
Congratulations Tim and Ruyton Girls’ School.