Alexi Boyd resigns as COSBOA CEO after contentious approach to industrial relations reform

Alexi Boyd has resigned from her position as CEO of the peak small business advocacy group Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA), ending an 18-month tenure that saw the group forge ties with the new Labor government before controversially changing course on multi-employer bargaining.

In a new statement, COSBOA chair Matthew Addison said Boyd tendered her resignation to the board following a “critical period” for the small business community, defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and critical staff shortages.

“As CEO, Alexi has skilfully represented the interests of small business in two federal budgets, and a federal election,” Addison said.

“In addition, she has worked collaboratively with a new federal parliament to meet the diverse needs of our members during a time of major upheaval.”

The board “is grateful to her for being an incredible champion of small business in Australia,” he added.

Adding to the COSBOA announcement, Boyd said leaving the CEO position was “the best decision for both me personally and COSBOA.”

“After time spent at home over the summer break I now plan to spend more time with my family,” she said.

“I look forward to keeping engaged with COSBOA’s future and will always be on hand to help out.”

Boyd will finish in her role on January 25, with Addison stepping in to the CEO position before COSBOA launches a formal replacement process.

SmartCompany has contacted Boyd for comment.

Appointed to the position in mid 2021 after the retirement of longtime CEO Peter Strong, Boyd’s tenure coincided with the election of the first Labor federal government in a decade.

With the new government eager to establish its legislative footprint, Boyd helped secure COSBOA’s presence at the landmark Jobs and Skills Summit, which saw lawmakers, business groups, unions, and community advocates share their views on how to advance Australia’s business environment.

A “collaborative” approach meant COSBOA was able to “offer the small business voice and make sure that that small business perspective is well and truly heard,” Boyd told SmartCompany ahead of the summit.

Collaboration also extended to the union movement; COSBOA partnered with the Australian Council of Trade Unions, with the groups jointly calling for new multi-employer bargaining options designed to make it easier for businesses to navigate the complex system.

That support appeared to embolden the federal government to push ahead with its plans to significantly expand multi-employer bargaining system — a move that other business groups largely rejected and lobbied against.

In November, as the federal government built its reform momentum, COSBOA changed course by partnering with five other business groups on a statement calling for the Labor government to “either abandon or substantially amend various contentious elements” of its multi-employer bargaining reform agenda.

Later that month, it was revealed that Deputy Opposition leader and Shadow Small Business Minister Sussan Ley had called for COSBOA to review Boyd’s position, arguing the union movement backed policies which work against small business interests.

“COSBOA is focused on delivering for small businesses,” Addison said in a statement confirming Ley’s correspondence. “We prioritise the needs of small businesses – the backbone of this country, in all we do; they are the sole reason we exist.”

Boyd took leave from the organisation in late November, Addison added.

Labor’s Secure Jobs, Better Pay bill passed into law just days later, and received royal assent on December 6.

Business lobbyists succeeded in convincing lawmakers to exclude small businesses with fewer than 20 employees from the expanded single-interest bargaining stream, but were unable to deter legislative updates Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott described as “anti-competitive, bad for small businesses and bad for wages growth.”

Beyond her advocacy efforts, Boyd also led COSBOA as it partnered with Telstra on the Cyber Wardens program, a set of tools designed to help small business increase their cyber security.