Life impact

Nicole Graham

CEO, Spastic Centres of South Australia Inc (Scosa)

When Nicole Graham joined scosa, the Spastic Centres of South Australia Inc, in 2004 from a human resources role at Mitsubishi Motors it was her first taste of just how challenging life can be as a not-for-profit.

"A not-for-profit faces the same business issues as a for-profit organisation and people are often surprised that the not-for-profit sector is not a soft place to land," she says.

"It is a competitive market and at times it is a challenging sector requiring commercial skills."

Formed in 1950, scosa is now the largest provider of day services for people with a disability in South Australia. It has an annual turnover of nearly $8 million, employs 230 staff and supports 350 people with a disability across its 11 sites.

"We receive the majority of our funding from government contracts, with the remainder generated by marketing and fundraising activities, and our effective portfolio management," Nicole says.

Since joining the organisation, Nicole has managed to thrive professionally. Within three years she was appointed as General Manager of Workforce Planning and Development and later General Manager of Client Services.

"In this role I managed 90% of scosa's operational budget, achieved a 160% increase in revenue and implemented a new model for service delivery," Nicole says.

In 2007, Nicole set her sights on attaining the CEO position and was encouraged by her mentors to attain a Master of Business Administration for professional development and recognition.

"I researched the programmes available and found the MBA program at the University of Adelaide to be one of the most professional and highly recognised," Nicole says. "This was reinforced by every interaction I had with the staff at the university."

In 2008 Nicole was appointed as Deputy Chief Executive Officer while the existing CEO was on leave. With the opportunity to act in the CEO role, Nicole was able to apply the knowledge she was gaining in her degree. In March last year, she achieved her dream of becoming CEO at scosa.

"I believe that the MBA program has been a key contributor to my career success," Nicole says. "It expanded my thinking, knowledge and business skills and provided opportunities for me to develop to my full potential."

Since becoming CEO, Nicole has driven a number of successful initiatives. Last year, scosa were finalists in two categories at the Australian Marketing Institute Awards.

"Marketing is vital to the survival of scosa, and while I did not have a formal background in marketing it is an area I enjoy," Nicole says.

"The marketing subjects in my MBA provided me with the skills to innovate, create and implement the projects that received awards."

Having now completed her degree, Nicole advises any professional wanting to invest in their professional development to consider an MBA.

"The hard work was worth it. I have never had such exposure to a diverse range of professionals," she says. "The networks I formed during my degree have been incredibly valuable and the professional and personal friendships will last a lifetime."

Nicole says that her MBA highlighted that business principles can be applied to any organisation, regardless of the purpose of their bottom line.

"For a not-for-profit like scosa, having a strong business strategy is vital to our survival," she says. "As a result of the MBA I have a better understanding of key business principles, and the confidence to identify issues, analyse the situation and formulate appropriate strategies to deliver the best outcome."

But for Nicole, the satisfaction of success takes a back seat to being able to make a difference to the lives of scosa's clients.

"The best part about working for a not-for-profit is contributing to developing the living and social skills of our clients so that they can be a valued member of the local community, enjoy activities and social interaction with others," she says.

"At scosa we are so much more than a Disability Support Service, we are a family, and in our family we laugh, support, care, include, teach and excel."