Simon J. Costa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simon J. Costa appointed Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia by the Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau

Simon John Costa AO (born 9 February 1967 in Geelong, Victoria) is an Australian businessman, philanthropist and humanitarian. He has led large private, public and not-for-profit ventures and dedicated much of his life to private initiatives for the public good.

History[]

Costa is the great-grandson of Italian and Irish immigrants who arrived in Australia during the 1880s.[1] His ancestors settled in Geelong (Victoria), where they established a fruit and vegetable retail store which remained the principal family business until the 1960s, when Costa's father (Adrian) and uncle (Frank) expanded into fresh produce wholesaling. Costa's parents, Adrian and Mary, died in an automobile accident in 1972,[1][2][3] leaving Costa, his elder brother Paul (b. 1964), elder sister Catherine (b.1965) and younger sister Sally (b. 1969) orphaned at young ages.

Despite early industry challenges,[4] the Costa family business grew to become one of Australia's largest privately owned businesses, before being listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in July 2015.[5][6] Simon Costa succeeded Frank Costa as the group managing director of the Costa Group of Companies in April 2004.[2][3]

In 2012, Costa resigned from all corporate responsibilities and commenced a full-time voluntary role with the United Nations, World Food Programme.[7]

Education[]

Costa attended primary school at St. Josephs College Geelong,[8] Victoria, before transferring to complete his secondary education in Kilmore, where he was a boarder at Assumption College from 1981 to 1985. A promising sportsman, he suffered a near fatal head injury on the playing field in 1984, which prevented him from participating in any further contact sport.

Costa completed post-graduate studies at Deakin University,[9] Monash University[10] and Harvard University.[11]

Career[]

Costa was invited to join the family business in 1992, following a mandatory five years employment with other organisations.[2][3] His initial years were spent working in the existing retail, wholesale and export divisions, before taking over the expanding Costa Logistics business in 1996. In 1999 he was promoted to the role of chief operating officer of the Costa Group of Companies, responsible for the performance of 17 operating divisions.[3] During this time, he was jointly responsible for introducing the 'Character First!' leadership initiative across all business units. Developing a culture of character[12] and investing in advanced business management systems, contributed to the organisation achieving strong increases in scale, profitability and geographic breadth over the following decade.

In April 2004, Costa was appointed group CEO and managing director of the Costa Group of Companies.[2][3] Business expansion from organic growth, joint ventures and industry acquisitions, including Chiquita Brands South Pacific,[13] positioned the Costa Group as Australia's largest horticultural company, with diversified operations across the supply chain, from farming and packing to marketing and large-scale distribution, both domestically and internationally. Costa was appointed CEO of the publicly listed Chiquita Brands / Costa Exchange[14] in January 2010, but stepped down as CEO of the overall Group of Companies prior to the family entering into a strategic partnership with Paine + Partners in 2011.[15] The Costa Group of Companies was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in July 2015.[6]

Philanthropy[]

Throughout his business career, Costa dedicated much of his private life to supporting charitable activities. In addition to being an executive board member of Vic Relief and Foodbank,[16] he regularly participated in voluntary activities to assist local and international not-for-profit organisations, raising over $500,000 in the process. Most notably, in 2004 he cycled 1,100 kilometres across Europe to generate awareness and funds for Muscular Dystrophy and the 'Very Special Kids' charitable foundation.[3][17] In 2008 Costa climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise financial support for an orphanage established specifically for HIV-infected children in South Africa.[18][19]

In 2019, Costa founded 'Inspiring Leader', an executive coaching firm focused on developing successful managers into inspiring world leaders.[20] Costa donates 100% of all professional fees to fight human rights abuses in developing countries, in particular violence against women and girls.

In 2019, Costa was appointed chairman of the Bluearth Foundation.[21] Bluearth is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the health of children and preventing diseases caused by sedentary lifestyles, through increased participation in physical activity. Bluearth works with schools, disadvantaged communities and Indigenous school communities to provide the building blocks to support active play in childhood; helping kids live better – physically, mentally and emotionally.

Humanitarian[]

In April 2012, Costa commenced a full-time voluntary role with the United Nations, World Food Programme[7] as Food Security Advisor for Sub-Saharan Africa. Focusing on the crippling levels of food loss occurring in the region annually and its direct contribution to widespread starvation and poverty, Costa initiated a sustainable development strategy for reducing post-harvest crop losses, significantly benefiting millions of low-income families and farming communities throughout developing regions of Africa.[22][23][24] The measurable and sustainable impact of his team's work was recognized by the United Nations WFP in 2015, receiving the Global Innovation Challenge Award for the Most Impactful Humanitarian Innovation.

In September 2016 Costa was appointed a director of the United Nations World Food Programme and given the role as Global Head of a Strategic Alliance between the United Nations and 7 private and public partner organizations, seeking sustainable solutions to the major systemic problems affecting food systems in developing countries.[25][26][27][28] Utilizing the expertise of global industry leaders to educate and empower farmers, as well as mobilizing local partners, the consortium established an effective pathway for global food security, greatly reducing poverty and starvation in the process.

Costa has also provided support in assisting East Timor and Australia to reach agreement regarding a maritime boundary in the Timor Sea.[29][30] Along with former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks AC, Former East Timor President Xanana Gusmão and East Timor Ambassador to Australia Abel Guterres, Costa lobbied for a fair conciliation process to resolve the long-disputed maritime boundary between Australia and East Timor. An agreement was finally reached between the two countries in 2018.[31][32]

In 2019 Costa became actively involved in providing refuge and support for vulnerable girls suffering physical and sexual abuse, FGM and child marriage. Concentrating on east Africa, initiatives such as New Hope for Girls[33] advance long-term, sustainable development of communities by protecting, educating and empowering women and girls, contributing directly to a world free of discrimination.

Honours[]

In 2016, Costa was awarded the Pride of Australia Medal for his services to support the disadvantaged overseas and within Australian society.[34][35] In 2018, Costa was nominated for the Australian of the Year Award.[36] In 2019, Costa was appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to business and humanity.[37][38]

In 2016, Costa was inducted into the Assumption College Kilmore Hall of Excellence for his contribution to business and humanity.[39]

Costa has led numerous teams honoured for excellence. Awards include the United Nations WFP Global Innovation Award for the Most Impactful Humanitarian Innovation in 2015;[40] the Australian Family Business of the Year in 2008;[41] The Australian Agribusiness Leader of the Year and Australian Agribusiness Employer of Choice Award in 2006;[42] and Australia's Leading Transport and Logistics provider in 2009.[43]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Hui, Jin (2017-07-03). "History Repeated:". Geelong Coast Magazine. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  2. ^ a b c d Tobin, Des (2007). Family, Faith and Footy. Killaghy Publishing.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Hougaz, Laura (2015). Entrepreneurs in Family Business Dynasties. Springer Publishing. pp. 92–93.
  4. ^ Moor, Keith (2010-03-16). "Geelong Boss Frank Costa's mafia fight". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  5. ^ Stensholt, John (2015-01-21). "Frank Costa flags overseas sale for Costa Group". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  6. ^ a b "Costa group float raises $551 million". The Armidale Express. 2015-07-30. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  7. ^ a b Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "Why I Gave Up My Job As A Major Company Boss To Volunteer For WFP". news.trust.org. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  8. ^ "St Josephs College Geelong - Secondary Boys School". SJC. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  9. ^ Deakin University (1986-1987):
    • Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Laws (def)
  10. ^ Monash University (2001-2003):
    • Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
  11. ^ Harvard University (2003-2004):
    • Executive Leadership Program
  12. ^ "People First at Costa Logistics". MHD. 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  13. ^ "Chiquita bends to Tradefresh Takeover".
  14. ^ "CostaExchange CEO steps down". www.fruitnet.com. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  15. ^ LLC, Paine & Partners. "Paine & Partners Makes Strategic Investment in the Costa Group, Australia's Top Fresh Produce Company". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  16. ^ "Foodbank Annual Report 2010/2011" (PDF).
  17. ^ "Fight for life inspires marathon". The Age. 2004-05-12. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  18. ^ "Climbing mountains for Sparrow kids".
  19. ^ "Champion fundraiser".
  20. ^ "Inspiring Leader – Be your best". Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  21. ^ "Bluearth Board". Bluearth Foundation. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  22. ^ "Reducing the World's Greatest Solvable Problem" (PDF).
  23. ^ Costa, Supplied: Simon (2016-09-02). "Simon Costa says the easiest solution to Africa's food insecurity is silos". ABC News. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  24. ^ Simon Costa speaks with Shane Healy on the world's most solvable problem, retrieved 2021-10-05
  25. ^ Magazine, Spore (2017-11-02). "Simon J. Costa — "Educate, equip, empower: A strong mandate for agriculture partnerships"". Medium. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  26. ^ "Farm to Market Alliance".
  27. ^ Magazine, Spore (2017-11-02). "Public-private partnerships — Lessons for successful PPPs". Medium. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  28. ^ Ray Carroll (21 February 2017). "Simon's Mission". NORTH CENTRAL & WHITTLESEA REVIEW / THE FREE PRESS. p. 33.
  29. ^ Chandran, Nyshka (2016-09-27). "The Hague revives maritime border dispute between Timor-Leste and Australia". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  30. ^ Cannane, Europe correspondent Steve (2016-08-27). "East Timor-Australia maritime border to be negotiated at The Hague". ABC News. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  31. ^ Rothwell, Donald R. "Australia and Timor Leste settle maritime boundary after 45 years of bickering". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  32. ^ March, North America correspondent Stephanie; Dziedzic, political reporter Stephen (2018-03-07). "Australia, East Timor sign deal on maritime border". ABC News. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  33. ^ "New Hope for Girls".
  34. ^ Wigney, James (22 January 2017). "Fixing the World's Problems". Sunday Herald Sun. Melbourne.
  35. ^ Langmaid, Aaron (2016-12-12). "9 inspiring Victorians helping humanity". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  36. ^ National Australia Day Council, Notification, August 29, 2017
  37. ^ "Top Award for Anti-Poverty Work".
  38. ^ "From Australia to Africa: Simon Costa Awarded for Services to African Agriculture". Lucas Group. 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  39. ^ Assumption College Hall of Excellence https://ack.org.au/?code=&action=printSnippet&snippet=10&printtemplate=on&menuitem=Citations& retrieved 20 October 2020
  40. ^ United Nations World Food Programme, Media Centre, 27 January 2016
  41. ^ "NAB Leadership Awards" (Press release). National Australia Bank. 14 May 2008.
  42. ^ "Costa Group harvests bountiful crop in agribusiness awards". 27 October 2006.
  43. ^ "Mercury Awards winners 2009". 20 November 2009.
Retrieved from ""