Thomas E. (Ted) Blamey, HK 2017
There has been a long tradition of the Kroks visiting Australia, back to around 1992, with the nexus of support being the Harvard Club of Australia. David Pumphrey, Chris and Sarah Smith, and Charlene and Graham Bradley (all former club presidents) were involved at the earliest stages. During the early years the Kroks were known to be seen at the Basement, a prominent jazz venue, and at Paddington Bowing Club. Ted became a part of that deep fabric around 2002 and his assistance to us since then has continued to blossom.
He commented on why he got involved.
“It began with my attending club events when the Kroks first came to Sydney, marveling at their musicianship, showmanship, artistry and charm, enjoying meeting and chatting to the members, learning about their personal journeys and origins and their individual plans for the future. I have had the same enjoyment every year. My first exposure to the Kroks would have been on their first Sydney visit which I estimate was around 1992. With my long experience in producing and directing for the amateur stage and my roles as Harvard Club Councilor and board member (later President) of The American Club in Sydney, I started, in 2002 – 2004 to find ways to use that experience and my contacts to help them get more out of their visits here. Being a frustrated performer myself, I have been happy to introduce (and thank) them at many events. I came to view our hosting of the Kroks as a privilege and a pleasure on the one hand and a duty on the other, recognizing all that our days at Harvard had done for us grads here in Australia. I have quietly proffered that view within the club.”
Hosting home stays since the beginning
K13 at Sydney Harbor
In 2006, the Harvard Club celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Kroks’ first visit with this article:
Ingredients for a great night: 11 immaculately dressed Harvard Krokodiloes, a wonderful setting overlooking Sydney Harbour at the American Club and 115 Harvard/American Club members and guests – put that together with the magical voices and songs of The Golden Age of Music in America and you have it all.
This evening was planned and hosted by Ted Blamey, who serves on both the Harvard Club Council and the Board of the American Club.
The Kroks have been coming to Sydney for 15 years starting when Graham Bradley was president of the Harvard Club and have just celebrated their 60th Anniversary in Boston in March ’06. In years past, the Kroks have performed at The Basement, in the Forecourt of the Opera House and at Darling Harbour. This year they added an After Hours engagement at the Art Gallery of New South Wales to their list of venues.
For the past decade or so, Ted has coordinated the homestays in Sydney as well as an annual dinner with our host families and the Kroks. Many of the shows in Sydney, for the Harvard Club and others, have been booked by Ted at other prestigious venues like the American Club, Union University and Schools Club, Tattersalls Club and The Royal Automobile Club. He facilitates other Kroks gigs such as to headline fundraising galas for the Centenary Institute. He also established the connection with the Commonwealth Club in Canberra and introduced the Kroks to the US Consul General and the US Embassy as well as coordinating appearances for Australia’s Governor General.
In Canberra with the Deputy Chief of Mission, Jason Hyland and wife Leslie
K16 with Governor General and Lady Cosgrove
K18 with Ted at Admiralty House in Sydney
American Memorial in Canberra
He and Zeke Solomon, also an Honorary Krok, often coordinate on various concerts the Kroks will sing at, including some great parties at Zeke’s home. Ted enjoys traveling with the group for most this Sydney and Canberra part of summer tour. He assisted in establishing the Kroks with their kindred club in Melbourne, where Barry Novy, another Honorary Krok, helps the Kroks find concerts and host families. Ted’s witty “letters” read or performed at the Kroks end-of-tour Cambridge dinner have been received with glee.
In 2015, Ted was honored with the Harvard Alumni Association Award for outstanding service to the University through alumni activities (among which his service to the Kroks was cited).
Click for PDF of Ted’s witty “letters”
In the summer of 2017, the Kroks inducted Ted, as well as Zeke and Barry, as Honorary Kroks. In Ted’s own words:
The revelation that I was being made an Honorary Krok at the host families PotLuck dinner at my home came as a total surprise, so I had nothing prepared! I hope what I said (which came from the heart) showed that I was thrilled to be so honored. And I surely enjoyed being invited to join the group for the last two numbers, Loch Lomond (which I knew very well) and Johnny O’Connor (which I pretended to know better than I did!).
Biography:
Ted Blamey
Principal
CHART Management Consultants Pty Ltd
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-blamey-81885a/
Ted Blamey is a cruise industry pioneer, CEO and strategic advisor to industry leaders.
A Harvard MBA and McKinsey consultant, at 32 Ted became Managing Director, Sitmar Cruises Australasia. His team redefined cruising in the South Pacific/Southeast Asia, earned many accolades and industry leadership. Promoted to worldwide President/CEO, he led Sitmar’s dramatic US expansion and subsequently initiated cruise industry consolidation with the merging of Sitmar’s worldwide interests with Princess/P&O.
He was CEO of Australia’s largest retail travel group, Chairman of Sydney Ports and instrumental in starting a global luxury cruise line.
Ted founded CHART Management Consultants in 1997, advising cruise lines, destinations and government authorities globally. An Asia/Pacific expert, CHART authored the 2013 White Paper on the Asian cruise industry. Ted is a sought-after speaker and educator.
http://www.seatradecruiseevents.com/asia/agenda/speakers/ted-blamey
Thomas E. (Ted) Blamey, Principal
Over a career spanning more than 30 years Ted Blamey has been a cruise industry pioneer. He served as President and Chief Executive of one of the world’s major cruise lines (Sitmar International, Los Angeles and Monaco), having been Managing Director of Sitmar Cruises Australasia (Sydney) and Engagement Manager and strategic consultant at McKinsey and Company (Sydney and London). He was subsequently CEO of Australia’s largest retail travel group (Ansett Retail/Traveland) and Chairman of the Sydney Ports Authority.
Through the 1980s Sitmar redefined cruising in the South Pacific and South-East Asia to become the dominant cruise line in that part of the world within 6 years. The innovations by Ted Blamey and his team in product, distribution and marketing continue to this day. Some examples include:
- finding and developing unspoiled islands throughout the South Pacific, a completely new destination type; replacing 17+ with 10 to 12 night cruises while retaining port density; opening up South-east Asia to cruising;
- creating a broad market for cruising driven by new, shorter cruise itineraries, cut-through pricing, ”fly-free”, branding and advertising, brochures and consumer communications, inventory management and retail initiatives;
- delivering compelling benefits to travel agents by closing company sales outlets around the nation, placing all business through retailers, establishing commission protection programs, bringing travel agents from across the nation for on-board inspections;
- creating new shipboard features and entertainment concepts (such as deck night-club, pizzeria, ice-cream parlour, theatre-at-sea);
- achieving continuous improvement through on-board passenger research, analysis and corrective action.
Then, as President and CEO of Sitmar International, Ted Blamey initiated the first significant cruise industry consolidation, leading to the merging of Sitmar’s and P&O/Princess’ worldwide interests through outright sale of the Sitmar companies. This move set the tone for the industry’s next decade.
He founded CHART Management Consultants in 1997 and has since served CEOs and senior executives of cruise lines, government bodies and destinations across the globe on a wide variety of consulting assignments, usually with a strategic focus.
Ted is a frequent speaker at global cruise industry events. He leads courses for government, port and tourism executives on the global cruise industry.
In recent years Ted has built additional expertise in Asia. CHART’s seminal White Paper for the Asia Cruise Association “The Cruise Industry in Asia 2013 and Beyond: Information, Intelligence, Insights” was launched at the major regional convention in October 2103. The Cruise Shipping Development Strategy CHART undertook for Papua New Guinea has led to that nation becoming a hot new destination for large cruise ship lines.
Ted holds an Honours degree in Applied Science from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard.
He was made Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute in 1986 and Visiting Fellow of the Seatrade Academy in 2011.
Ted / CHART is a member of the Asia Cruise Association, of CLIA Australasia and of Cruise Down Under.
At various times resident of Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Boston, South Florida, London, Monte Carlo, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, Ted is now based in Sydney, Australia, but is regularly to be found with clients in other parts of the world.
In addition to his consulting work, Ted has taught as Adjunct Professor at Boston University’s Sydney program, serves on boards, finance and strategy committees of various non-profit organisations in Australia, including as Councillor of The Harvard Club of Australia, chairing its non-profit Fellowship Program and founding its Leaders’ Workshop. He is immediate Past President of The American Club in Sydney.
He is a Life Member of the Harvard Club of Australia and of The American Club.
http://www.chartmgmtconsultants.com/our-people/
HAA Award to Ted Blamey Announced
June 23, 2016
At the Harvard Club of Australia Nonprofit Awards Luncheon, held on 22 June 2016, Ted Blamey was presented with his award by Peter Hasko, on behalf of the Harvard Alumni Association.
The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) Awards were established in 1990 to recognize outstanding service to Harvard University through alumni activities.
Thomas E. “Ted” Blamey MBA ’70, of Sydney, Australia, manages to keep Harvard close to his heart though he is several thousand miles away from Cambridge. A life member of the Harvard Club of Australia, he received its Legends Award in 2011, which recognizes “the most outstanding and long-standing contributions of its most devoted alumni.” A councillor since 1994, he also chaired the Club’s nonprofits program from 2001 to 2015 and was integral in the creation of its Non Profit Fellowships, which sends two fellows selected from across Australia to attend the Harvard Business School (HBS) course “Strategic Perspectives in Non Profit Management.” Blamey initiated the revitalization of the nearby Harvard Club of Victoria in 1998, acting as a liaison between the two Clubs. He has hosted the annual Krokodiloes tour in Sydney for well over 20 years, helping to coordinate between the group and the Club to organize concerts and other logistics of their stay. Active with his MBA class, Blamey contributes to the Robert Gordon Menzies Scholarship at HBS.
http://www.harvardclub.org.au/news-new/2016/6/23/haa-award-to-ted-blamey-announced