IBM Sydney has a new home

A day adventure into Sydney City .. why is that a big deal you might ask. For 20+ years, IBM Cumberland Forest has been my second home. Surrounded by trees, Bush turkeys, bird life such as Kookaburras, Magpies and Cockatoos, the occasional snake sighting (more recently), lizards, centipedes .. you get the idea.

Long story short, our lease is up, the building to be replaced with apartments or town houses. And we are moving .. some to St Leonards, others to George St in the heart of the Sydney CBD.

A town hall was announced, with an option to go into the new premise in the city, or watch live stream. I decided to go and check out the new location and see what the trip was like, see the location, understanding how my world is going to change, and to network.

The day goes like this …

• 7am .. early call with US and Brazil colleagues
• 9am .. dropped off at the station, wait 2 mins for a train
• Train trip .. listened to a meeting recording, before I knew it, an hour later I was in the City.
• At Town Hall, discover a quirky cafe, ordered breakfast, listened to rest of recording, send some emails, sat back and admired the water fall and listen to the church bells
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• Time to wander down George St .. oh wait .. Dymocks. A 2 story Dymocks Book Store where one might get lost for hours. After finding my book, and pulling myself away from being completely distracted, I move on.
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• Still walking down George St, I hear music. I wander towards the beautiful sound I can hear, intrigued, curious as to where it was coming from. A lone guitarist with his speaker,I sit and I appreciate. I also observed how many people went past him with a device in their hand, face down absorbed in their little screens, appearing to miss the talent of this musician. I sat and listened for a couple of tunes, and before long had to wander back towards the direction of this new building.
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• Distractions everywhere, sights to see and look at. One day I guess this will just become another day and be familiar. But for now, seeing everything with fresh eyes, like a tourist.
• Finally, arrive at the new premise.
• And wow, more people than I was expecting to know are there. So quick hellos and catchups before we settle in for the All Hands Town Hall.
• Lights, camera, action .. it begins. David La Rose, our ANZ Managing Director, introduces the guest speakers .. Martin Schroeter and Mark Foster .. both Global Executives in town. There was some great discussion and some recognitions. My takeaways were .. Bring your point of view; Showing up differently; and Positive leadership.
• Cameras are off, question and answers complete, a chat and pic with David done. A quick walk around, view mock pictures of what is to come with the space, exciting!

• A quick chat and pic with David

• Not a green screen behind the chairs .. a great view behind Martin and Mark as they spoke

Empty now, but will be very different in a couple of months time

The Buildng Foyer

The views

The new premises

So life as I know it, is definitely going to change! From the Bush to the City … who knows what’s around the corner, but either way it’s exciting times and I just have to go with the flow and see where it takes me!