News
We've reached a milestone!
A pretty amazing thing happened last month . . . Touchstone turned 20 years old.
When Jo and I started Touchstone in November 2003, we were a young family. I was 33, Jo was 32, and our daughters were 5 and 1 respectively. In order to start Touchstone, we downsized our house, using the money we made on the sale to fund our existence in the early days.
We were 3 weeks away from going broke when our first invoice was paid. That’s how fine a line success and failure can be. It became an early and invaluable lesson that as good as you think you may be, luck still plays a role in success – so stay humble.
To everyone who has been part of the Touchstone team with Jo and I, thank you . . . you have all helped write this story, and we are incredibly grateful to you.
Thank you to our clients and candidates, who have supported us through the years, and who became great friends in the process.
Thank you to our dear friend Angela Barrie, who in one of the best sliding doors moments ever, asked me “if I wanted to give search a try” in 2000. Thank you to the big 4, our long-time mentors who pushed us to chase our dream, and whom were all key to Touchstone being a success: Rodger Gardner, Bob Holert, Jonathan Raymond and Mark Hooper.
There are a number of people who have gone beyond the call of duty in terms of support over years, including: John Doumani, Graeme Hart, Tim Hardman, Peter West, Peter (POD) McLoughlin), Kim Lee, Terry O’Brien, Andrew Reeves, Simon Bromell, Nigel Garrard, Graham Dugdale, Sue Smith, Grant Peck, Laura Anderson, Kevin Roberts, Tim Jackson, Will Irving, Wendy Lenton, Amanda Banfield, John Karagounis, Ian T., Paul O’Keefe, Garry Mudford, Stewart Green, Paul Hitchcock, Sandy Mellis, Danny Celoni, Abi Cleland, Lindsay Forrest, Phillip Austin, Geoff Erby, Jane Thomas, Simone Anderson, Darren Fullerton, Stuart Grainger, Michelle Pombart, John Murphy, Tracey Wood, Abi Cleland, Andrew Loader . . . and there are many more who we haven’t forgotten, but we’ve just run out of room, thank you.
Friends – enjoy the upcoming holidays season – and we look forward to the next 20 years working together.
Thank you.
Chris Klingbeil
Dec 2023
How we help business with more than Search
Helping business cope with the challenges created by the changing lifestyles of their employees
Partnership between AFGC and Touchstone Executive Search
The Australian Food and Grocery Council is proud to announce a new partnership with leading FMCG senior executive search group Touchstone Executive Search.
The AFGC is the peak body for Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing industry and Touchstone is a group with deep expertise in securing the best senior executive talent to help clients achieve their business goals. Touchstone has been working and specialising in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and related industries since 2003.
Under the partnership agreement the AFGC and Touchstone will work together to help the Australian food and grocery manufacturing industry meet the challenges emerging around growth and profitability, understanding consumer needs and ensuring operations have the right skills and capabilities for the global 21st century marketplace.
Touchstone has been a sponsor of the AFGC for 15 years and the partnership builds on the important work the organisations are doing together to support the food and grocery manufacturing industry.
June 2021