ITB Sep 2026 Final Book_rev - Flipbook - Page 14
MEMBER PROFILE
Peter Bennetts CPA joined
Australian publisher Hinkler
as CFO in 2015 and has helped
drive significant change across
the business.
An early career move from
merchant banking to consulting
and strategic management
helped teach him the importance
of agility and adaptation.
Bennetts believes short-term
opportunities are easy to find,
but says the challenge is finding
a market position that can be
sustained over time.
MEET THE CFO
Embrace
each chapter
Peter Bennetts CPA seeks out
roles that involve change, complexity
and improvement — and he has
found it as CFO of Australian
publisher Hinkler.
As told to Susan Muldowney
Photography Jarrod Barnes
MY ROLE
Helping make things better
MY ROLE AT HINKLER HAS ALWAYS
been much broader than finance. The title
might be CFO, but the mid-size of the
business has required me to be involved
in almost every aspect of its corporate life.
Over the years, I have had responsibility
for shipping, HR, IT and operations, as
well as serving on the boards of various
companies associated with Hinkler. I have
also been heavily involved in our international
operations across the UK, the US and Asia.
As a group, we have grown almost threefold
over the past decade and, as we have expanded,
some of my responsibilities have shifted
to specialist teams — but my role remains
incredibly diverse.
14 INTHEBLACK September 2026
There really is no “standard” day.
One day might include reviewing the
financial performance of part of the
business and analysing what the numbers
are telling us. Another might be focused
on negotiating contracts. Virtually every
contract the business enters into — whether
it is with customers, suppliers or service
providers — passes across my desk in
some form.
People are also a significant focus of my
role. We take the support and management
of employees very seriously, so a lot of
my time can be spent working through
organisational structures, supporting team
members or looking at how we can help
people perform better. That can ebb and
flow, but it is an important piece.
Increasingly, my focus has been on helping
drive change across the business. Hinkler has
evolved dramatically during my time here, and
there has been no shortage of transformational
projects. In the past few years, we have sold
our UK business, which I led the charge
of from a commercial and negotiations
perspective. We have also acquired businesses
in both the US and Australia, completed
a major corporate restructure, implemented
new ERP systems and transitioned parts of
the business to new operating models.
Those sorts of projects are what I enjoy most.
I have never been particularly happy when
there is not something challenging going on.
