Meet the Team: Duncan

We’re highlighting our business’ strongest asset: our wonderful team!

Here at the Canberra Innovation Network, we’re passionate about innovation and are here to help you make an impact and change the world. Our team is full of clever, connected and creative people and we’re excited to introduce you to our SME Director, Duncan Amos.

Explain what you do at CBRIN in 25 words or less.
My role is to build value by working closely with founders, CEOs and the local ecosystem to build meaningful outcomes that drive SME success in the future.

Tell us about what you’re working on at the moment.
My focus now is on meeting as many small to medium Canberra business founders to get a feel for how CBRIN can best serve their needs and promote growth. I’m getting to know who the key people are in the ecosystem and ascertain how best we can work together to connect and grow Canberra business over the next 5 and 10 years. My philosophy is a rising tide lifts all boats.

Who or what inspires you?
My wife Beth inspires me every day. She’s a talented writer and artist. Her drive, passion and positive uplifting wisdom for writing and holding down a high-level day job are mind-boggling.

I’m also inspired by the talented business people in Canberra. Most days I get to interact with some of them, experience their frustrations, build and shape their businesses here in Canberra and around the world. We live in an amazing clever city, that is inspirational and I love it.

What’s your favourite book or podcast?
Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and The Rainforest – The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley by Victor W Hwang and Greg Horowitt

What are you most passionate about?
Making a difference in business peoples journey … and snow skiing!

If you could dis-invent one thing, what would it be and why?
Self-serve checkouts at supermarkets and Bunnings. It always ends in pain as yet another person (me) incapable of bagging their goods calls over the drifting checkout supervisor to fix this catastrophe (in my mind, anyway). I think this is the Gulag Siberia of checkouts where they send checkout people to atone for their past indiscretions. I need a Martini just thinking about this.

Drink of choice? 
Gin Martini, quality Vermouth, always an uneven number of olives, shaken … don’t mind if I do! Coffee, you say? A soy latte, if you please!

What do you work towards in your free time?
More free time! A good meal – I do like food. Time with family and friends. A couch, wine and a movie. I also enjoy hanging out with my Rule 11 mates doing crazy events like Tough Mudder, etc.

What’s the coolest innovation you’ve read or heard about lately?
With a past in product design and 20 years in business, I love clever, simple adaptations in innovation. Sometimes it’s the little innovations that can have the most impact. At the moment I’m enjoying my reMarkable 2; it’s, well, remarkably simple and useful.

What’s something that never fails to make you smile?
My daughters and our dog, Dudley! Seriously. I just want to squeeze their faces every time I see them. They don’t enjoy it as much, I’ve found!

What are you currently watching on Netflix?
Stan!

Tell us something interesting about yourself that we may not know.
I come from pineapple farming stock.

If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
Red.

Thanks, Duncan! You can connect with Duncan on LinkedIn or book a chinwag all about your SME!