Asides
FRACTURED FIRM: CPR Communications split hits The Australian
CPR Communications’ troubles have exploded into the national press today with The Australian’s Rick Wallace digging up the dirt on the recent crisis within the firm.
He notes the departures of Comrades Puig and Miller and reports that Senator Robert Ray is set to leave the troubled company.
Sources around Labor circles have been extremely critical of Josh Williams, calling him all sorts of names that he’d rather not see published on VEXNEWS.
Victoria is not the only CPR black hole. The Western Australian office has also been riddled with crisis and may be closed from what we hear. Their Sydney operation has never done well compared with the industry colossus Hawker Britten. So it may well be that Photon Group, the listed company mostly owned by billionaire tax exile Reg Grundy has really been sold a pup by the ambitious Adam Kilgour.
Developing…
Discussion
57 comments for “FRACTURED FIRM: CPR Communications split hits The Australian”
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Word is that the head of their Brisbane office (Kirby Anderson) and head of their Darwin office (Scott Stirling) have also quit in disgust at Josh “Ballarat Boy” Williams’ general incompetence…
This is on the back of them losing patriot Robert Larocca, media fixer Jayne Dullard and high profile former journo Lynne Haultain.
The only serious operator left in the business in Llewellyn Rees…
anon, you obviously have not heard the news that Lefty Llew has accepted a Ministerial staffer job…
How does promoting Andrew “AT” Turner help them? He can’t speak English.
Is Turner a party member? If so, never heard of him.
I know two others from the Melbourne office socially, and they are both looking for jobs.
Spoke to Robert Ray at a function last week, and all he would say was that “CPR’s no longer a friend of the Right.”
Head of their Hobart office has gone on a “six month sabbatical” but has told everybody he is not going back to work for “that tool Josh.”
Also recently left are Cathy Limb, Gab Williams, Jessica Sumich, Eric Locke, Richard Alcorn, Meredith Hemesly and the rest of their Sydney office.
Josh Williams was brain dead for 18 minutes as a young child, as a result of a rogue birthday peanut…it’s amazing he copes so well at all, really…
Your North Hobart correspondent is full of bullsh*t! I’m going on three months long-service leave but definitely coming back to CPR – best company I have ever worked for!
Mike Lester, CPR GM Hobart.
The small number of comments here shows how irrelevant the people at CPR are (with the exception of Robert Ray) who should know better than to deal with these characters.
Josh should just have a beer and some peanuts and get over himself.
Josh should have a beer and some peanuts and get over himself.
JB’s Chief of Staff has gone nuts to anybody who will listen, saying that CPR’s F$%^ up has caused too much focus on lobbyists in the lead-up to the launch of the lobbyists code next week, and that “those dub lefty turds” are kidding themselves if they think the Departmental comms gravy train is going to keep on going.
Who is this Christine Tyrell woman? Sounds like she is the only actual Labor Party Member left in the office.
Well, not having any lobbyists is one way of avoiding the lobbysits code next week!
GRA and Hawker Briton won’t have that problem..
So what exactly did Photon buy from Kilgour?
How much did them pay him? Sares or cash?
Sounds like another Blue Freeway style stuff-up.
The Photon Group guys are totaly dodgy anyway.
They have seriously F&*#ed over all investors not in their little clique, through continual dilution.
They have sold and issued themselves so many new shares that whatever earnings the company have left are just spread to thin.
If CPR’s earnings have hit the wall, then this will make a material difference to Photon’s earnings (don’t expect an ASX release from these guys).
It’s time to start shorting the hell out of the Photon Group.
So “basically” all the offices are stuffed except Adelaide?
Melbourne Darwin, Brisbane no GM, while Hobart and Darwin buggered(sorry Mike, but your three month long service leave is unconvincing).
Everybody says that Kilgour is ok, so why did he put somebody with no party credentials and no management skills in charge of this business?
Royal Commission time. Puig gets rolled by his best mate Holding from a Senate seat in favour of Feeney. Holding with his mentor Ray owe Puig big time. Puig enters CPR and Holding puts on the hard word that government contracts organised by CPR are favoured. Disgusting. Puig and Miller are not talented, just corrupt.
Interesting comment above anon. I have always wondered why none of these so-called Labor ‘talents’ make their way into non-government related private industry. If they are so talented why can they only earn an income sucking on the government’s teet?
Where’s Brouwer why isnt he investigating?
Given Brumby’s directive to all Ministers to pull all Departmental comms work from CPR, there will no longer be much for the Ombudsman to investigate…
You heard it here first, Bill Forwood will be the new head of CPR’s Melbourne office.
The key focus of the office going forward will be on lobbying the Lord Mayor, and getting the Victorian Coalition to block legislation in the upper house.
Palin, that’s just because almost every single Labor staffer on Spring Street has been offered the job and knocked it back.
No company is able to pay enough money for a self-respecting person to answer to Andrew Turner and Josh Williams.
CPR co-founder Damien Manix resigned over Josh a year ago, and has set up a very good competitor in the meantime.
I suspect he will be the big winner from this bust-up.
Christine Tyrell is hot.
These clowns are on my organisation’s payroll, and I have not had a call for a fortnight.
I tried to call one of the recently departed staff to find out if they knew who I should go to, but thet told me that CPR had been making legal threats and they could not have a conversation with me.
Anyway, we are going to fire them as soon as somebody calls us or we have a manager who will take our call.
Christine, txt me. Wld be hot.
More interesting, the bar these CPR guys individually own on Swanston Street – Cabinet.
As a staffer, I have been invited there regularly for free drinks.
There is always a CPR Credit card across the bar. Which is great for thirsty underpaid staffers like me, and great for the bar owners.
But have Matt Bailey and the Photon Board been told that that their Melbourne office “expenses” are really propping up a failed inner city bar?
LOL Spring Street.
Josh Williams actually traded government relations “work” for us in return for a cheaper deal on beer for that crappy bar.
I just kind of assumed that because he was “CEO” it was ok for him to do that – guess that Photon may not be too impressed.
And he just hangs around our tent every Spring Racnig Carnival like a bad smell.
A Client, don’t worry that yuo didn’t recieve a phone call yet.
Andrew Turner called me after 10 days, and I couldn’t understand a word he said. Anyway, after 10 minutes of complete crap, I asked him who in therelevant Minister’s office he knew, or which of his staff was lking after my issue. His answer was that he would definately have an answer….NEXT MONTH!
just send them a signed letter by registered courier sacking them.
In the calendar month to today Photon Grop share price has drpped from $1.95 to $1.67.
Lost another 2.31% yesterday – while the market was going up.
Maybe some in the market know something about this company which has not been released to the ASX?
http://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=ASX:PGA
Check out the Google cache of Josh Williams’ “friends” on facebook! He has been busy “de-friending” people for a month! LOL
de-friending all the staff who leave – that’s real leadership!
Josh Williams’ “company car” is a new porche, wonder if he is still driving it to client meetings through all of this?
Is Photon still happy to pick up the tab for a sports car now he has completely stuffed the company?
Was Josh Williams named in the Senate’s Grocery Watch inquiry?
So, is the summary that Josh Williams is an incompetant, brain-damaged, rorting, bar-owning, porche-driving tool with no party connections who is about to lose his job?
Is it true that CPR had a lot of right wing unions on the books charging about $5000 + a month for ‘media work?’ Is it also true that some of that $5000 + might turn up as donation to the right wing hack that was looking for preselection? Just askin’
Workers’ hero, JB special projects dude (and one time mullet-wearer) Yorick Piper has breathlessly revealed to all and sundry that he has been offered the GM slot at CPR Melbourne.
Apparently, his reasoning has been:
1. Why take that crap for a poultry $45k extra.
2. He would be willing to take Josh Williams job, but no way he would work for Josh
3. He thinks that there are significant probity issues around CPR right now…
Who else has Josh had on the speed dial offering the job?
Be nice to my poor Josh!
Ha Ha!
Yeah – Yorick and COS both laughing in the pub about the phone call that Adam Kilgour made this week.
Both said that it isn’t a lie to say that they “have no problem” with Josh, because nobody has ever met him!
Jade Grieve & David Frederick both say that they have been offered the job and knocked it back.
Both reported that the cirumstances of the offer were quite unprofessional, and that Brumby’s office warned them not to accept anyway.
Ex Theo staffer and regular pro-Danby head-kicker the Greek-Jewish-Australian patriot Phillip Deladarkis has also knocked back the job, although he is saying he would have been prepared to ignore Josh “for an extra $100k.”
Creddida Wall says she declined the opportunity of working closely with Josh, too!
PGA share price now down to $1.52 today…that’s down from $1.92 a month ago…
Still no resignations or release to the ASX.
Shame Matt Bailey, shame.
Is it possible that Josh Williams could single-handedly put Photon in breach of its debt covenants and achieve what the GFC didn’t?
Everything’s fine. Keep drinking the coolaide.
I’ll make some witty reference to “Family Guy” in a funny voice. That’ll keep the staff and clents happy for hours.
Jade Grieve, David Frederick, Cressida Wall, Phillip Deladarkis & Yorick Piper ALL were approached and said “no thanks” to the opportunity to work with Josh Williams?!
WTF??
Kirby Anderson has been warning every potential candidate for GM of the Brisane office that Josh Williams pulled the bonuses and profit share for the Brsbane office this year.
It will all end up in court eventually, as it is serious money, but people need to know now…in case they buy Josh’s lies…
Spring Street, that is correct.
For some reason, nobody with any connection to the Labor Party wants to work for the porche-driving, bar-owning, brain-damaged, company-destroying rorting tool Josh Williams.
Go figure.
Sleepers. Awake!!!
Damian Mannix is a smart operator who runs a good shop. He’ll do very well out of this turmoil.
Jayne Dullard is returning (she left to go to Myki)and is taking over as General Manager.
How are Josh and his buddies faring amid the on-going turmoil at the parent company?