Jenny Simpson, Managing Director at All the Best To You (ABTY) Venture and Advisory, former inaugural CTO at Football Australia (FIFA Member Association)
Entrepreneurship epitomises the indomitable spirit of those who transcend adversity to carve their place in the world. Countless successful entrepreneurs emerge from challenging beginnings, propelled by an unwavering quest for purpose and impact. They navigate uncharted territories with creativity and adaptability, seizing opportunities amid uncertainty. Confronting setbacks directly, these entrepreneurs convert obstacles into catalysts for innovation and growth. Their journey is defined by steadfast determination and a distinctive ability to transform hardships into stepping stones towards achievement. True entrepreneurs, like those who embody the spirit of Jen, thrive on resilience and creative problem-solving. They see setbacks as opportunities for growth and change. Jen’s dedication and empathy have fueled the creation of a venture that mirrors her ethos, All the Best To You (ABTY) Venture and Advisory, a beacon of societal progress and innovation in today’s dynamic landscape.
Jen Simpson’s journey into entrepreneurship was deeply influenced by her challenging upbringing and early experiences. Growing up with her Grandpa an orphan and Dad a refugee, she learned resilience and the importance of societal progress through wealth creation. Witnessing the kindness of strangers that enabled her family’s existence inspired her to emulate successful philanthropists. This background instilled in her a drive to address societal challenges through innovation and business acumen. Jen ventured into founding her company, All the Best To You (ABTY) Venture and Advisory, driven by her vision to create wealth for clients by solving critical business problems and spearheading commercialization. ABTY reflects the commitment to making a positive impact and leveraging her diverse expertise to drive business growth while addressing societal needs.
From Tech Innovator to Game-Changing CTO
Jen Simpson’s journey from energy resources, management consulting, SaaS technology and financial services to becoming Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Football Australia (FA) was motivated by personal commitment and a promise to honour her Dad’s passion for football. Embracing the opportunity in 2021, she led FA’s digital transformation, tasked with developing a game-changing multi-million dollar digital asset. Despite facing significant hardships such as low organisational technology maturity, tumultuous football politics typical of the industry, and internal capability constraints, Jen successfully spearheaded the complex digital asset build overcoming multifaceted challenges. Her proven background in entrepreneurship, value impact at for-profit corporates, and for-purpose directorships equipped her with a unique blend of experience and tenacity to drive for results during FA’s high-profile co-hosting of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with its record breaking 2 billion viewers and $890M revenue, best ever FA national teams performance at 2023 and 2022 World Cups. Jenny literally ‘built a plane while flying a plane’ as FA’s inaugural CTO, and was recognised globally as a trailblazer in the industry by appearing as the only female CTO at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit, and Entrepreneur-CTO-CEO at the Global SportNXT Summit. .
Beyond her role at Football Australia, Jen has been instrumental in various entrepreneurial endeavours. She founded and led profitable ventures in the mental health, childcare, and technology sectors, showcasing her ability to address critical business problems and drive commercialization. Additionally, Jen’s involvement as a Board Advisor for PAM Wayfinding and Ambassador for the Sustainable People Solutions Leaders Alliance underscores her commitment to advancing leadership and industry development. Her journey into entrepreneurship and leadership reflects a deep-seated commitment to societal progress and business success. Jen has energetically fulfilled non-executive directorships at eminent for-purpose organisations over the last 20 years while forging an award-winning corporate career. She is a sought-after board/C-suite advisor and speaker in digital transformation, commercialisation, strategy, technology, data, AI/ML, and entrepreneurship.
Her ventures, including All the Best To You (ABTY) Venture and Advisory, exemplify her vision of creating wealth and societal value impact. Through initiatives like the Wealth, Asset, Venture and Environmental/Sustainability/Governance (ESG) ‘WAVE’ Network in the Asia-Pacific region.WAVE Network, Jen actively shapes the future of business and technology. With a track record of navigating diverse industries and driving impactful change, Jen Simpson stands as a formidable force in driving business success and investment in Industry 5.0. Committed to leveraging emerging technologies and strategic insights for transformative impact, her ability to innovate and execute across multiple sectors underscores her role as a global thought leader.
A Bold Approach to Diverse Challenges
A leadership journey like that of Jen Simpson has been defined by a spectrum of obstacles spanning diverse industries, each presenting an opportunity for growth and innovation. Embracing a proactive mindset, challenges are approached with a natural inclination towards engineering-first principles. “I believe in facing challenges head-on and using them as opportunities for innovation and growth,” Jen emphasises.
What some perceive as unique difficulties in business and technology within a particular industry, Jen quickly grasp similarities in problems experienced in other industries and applies her unique combination of skills to drive impactful results. These include commercialising new technologies, turning around businesses, developing new products, simplifying operations, building new organisational capabilities, and fostering public-private sector partnerships. Jen’s limitless creativity, coupled with structured problem solving and pedigree of both corporate and for-purpose experience, supercharges her ability to ‘do the undoable’. Jen approaches all endeavours with excellence and integrity, with a healthy dose of optimism, having worked alongside top engineers, investment bankers, actuaries and other distinguished professionals & business owners throughout her career. Jen learned the importance of not only what is known but also how answers are sought, especially staying close to customers, markets and the coal-face of any operations, while playing with a straight bat with Boards and C-suite.
Personal history, marked by familial resilience and determination, further informs her approach to challenges. The hardships faced by her Grandpa and Dad underscore the belief that any obstacle can be overcome with the right perspective and critical thinking. From overcoming language barriers to achieving accolades in academic and professional arenas, Jen has thrived in male-dominated industries like mining, energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, financial services, and technology. Each challenge becomes an opportunity for creative and practical problem-solving, a testament to her commitment to creating value & impact, advancing industries and leading with purpose. Jen eagerly anticipates diving into the rapidly changing business landscape, especially with AI, and unpacking the complexities of technology to create value, leveraging her diverse skill set to help businesses navigate uncharted territories and deliver impactful solutions.
Mastering Leadership Through Cognitive Diversity
Jen Simpson has made intentional investments in her leadership development, particularly as she assumed roles of increasing responsibility. Her approach included executive coaching, reverse mentoring, continuous learning, and the pursuit of cognitive diversity through whole-brain thinking. Notably, she obtained certification in the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI), a premier tool for assessing thinking preferences used by professionals worldwide. This investment reflects the commitment to enhancing productivity, innovation, collaboration, and inclusion, aligning with the practices embraced by millions across Fortune 100 companies.
Diverse experiences across industries, from mining, energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, engineering, construction, to financial services ,technology, healthcare, education and management consulting, underscore the breadth of Jen’s leadership journey. Her pursuit of excellence, commercial win-win, and growth is evident in her proactive approach to quickly applying learnings to on-the-job applications, whether it’d be building people & culture, driving commercialisation, developing game-changing technology, or establishing new business & networks.. By leveraging these resources & learning from doing, Jen empowers herself to navigate challenges, drive innovation, and foster inclusive leadership in every role she undertakes. This intentional investment in personal growth enables Jen to thrive in dynamic environments and deliver impactful results while advancing the boundaries of leadership excellence.
Global Team Harmony
Fostering collaboration and cohesion within diverse teams, including those spanning multiple locations, is central to the success of ventures like All the Best To You (ABTY) Venture and Advisory. Jen Simpson champions clear expectations, accountabilities, and responsibilities as foundational pillars for team effectiveness. Embracing curiosity and cultivating international cultural awareness and empathetic mindsets are also vital to nurturing collaboration across geographically dispersed, multi-disciplinary teams.
Her approach emphasises the importance of transparent communication and a shared sense of purpose to align team efforts. By fostering an environment that values diversity of thought and cultural perspectives, ABTY thrives in navigating complex struggles and driving collective success. Jen’s leadership philosophy underscores the significance of empathy and curiosity in building cohesive, high-performing teams that transcend geographical boundaries and leverage diverse talents to achieve strategic objectives.
Forging a Legacy
With a wealth of experience, Jen Simpson shares insightful advice for aspiring entrepreneurs embarking on their journey. She advocates for a fearless approach: “Don’t doubt, just do,” encouraging decisive action and embracing hurdles confidently. Jen underscores the importance of seeking early advice and maintaining frequent customer interactions to refine products and services effectively. Additionally, she emphasises critical aspects of strategy, risk, finance and governance in any business endeavour. At a personal level, she highlights self-care, fostering relationships and building faith as key success factors in fuelling excellence.
Having led the business turnaround of a national college with 28k members, and being passionate about unleashing the superpower of children, Jen’s latest tech venture is Anryms. It seeks to make it easy for parents and educators to help grow the whole child – typical and atypical, with needs such as special, disability/challenged, learning enhancement, gifted & talented, twice exceptional, etc. Jen is bringing the village that is needed to raise kids to the fingertips of parents and educators through a digital ecosystem solution, while seeking to work with businesses and organisations that thrive on building sustainable ‘cradle-to-grave’ development pathways and offering bespoke activities, products & services for growing the whole child into valuable adult citizens of our society that we can all be proud of. Jen Simpson’s entrepreneurial journey embodies a passion for driving meaningful change and leaving a lasting impact beyond traditional business realms. Her vision represents a harmonious blend of wealth creation and societal enrichment, symbolising the transformative potential of entrepreneurship in shaping a brighter future for generations to come.