science

James Spenceley

James Spenceley is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand James Spenceley rather than just read about it. In short: James Roland Travers Spenceley is an Australian investor, entrepreneur, company director, and politician. He is the founder of Vocus Communications and an active venture capital investor.

Key takeaways

James Spenceley belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect James Spenceley to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of James Spenceley from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

James Roland Travers Spenceley is an Australian investor, entrepreneur, company director, and politician. He is the founder of Vocus Communications and an active venture capital investor. He was a seed investor in Airtasker in 2012, and was chairman of the board from 2015 until 2023, when he resigned his position in order to concentrate on his humanitarian aid organisation Aus Ukraine Aid. In December 2021, Spenceley was elected in first position as a councillor for St Leonards Ward of North Sydney Council, and was re-elected in October 2024.

Early life and education James Roland Travers Spenceley was born in Sydney, Australia.

Career

Vocus Spenceley is most widely known for his role as the founder and former CEO of Australia's 4th largest fixed line telecommunications company Vocus Communications. On 25 June 2021 Vocus was acquired by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) and Aware Super for $3.5 billion. Spenceley started Vocus in September 2007, when he sold his house to initially fund the business. The company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in 2010. When he stepped down as CEO of Vocus in March 2016 the company had revenues of greater than $1.8 billion.

Illawarra Hawks Spenceley purchased the Wollongong Hawks (now Illawarra Hawks) NBL basketball team in July 2014 right before the start of the 2014/2015 season. In October 2014, he laid out his plan to win a Grand Final within 3 years. The team finished last in the 2014/2015 season, 4th in the 2015/2016 season and was runner up in the 2016/2017 season losing in the Grand Final to the Perth Wildcats. In February 2018, Spenceley announced he had sold his interest in the Illawarra Hawks.

Other ventures Spenceley was a seed investor in Airtasker in 2012, and was chairman of the board from July 2015 until June 2023. Spenceley is an active venture capital investor. As of 2018 he had investments in Beforepay; the meal kit delivery service Marley Spoon; the online and indoor vertical farming startup Sustenir; and several other businesses. As of 2023 he was on the boards of Kogan.com and Swoop Telecom. In early 2021 the Australian Financial Review reported that Spenceley was preparing to list the wireless Telco Swoop Telecom on the ASX with the backing of Tattarang, the family office of Andrew Forrest. The business listed on the ASX under the code SWP, raising $20m and was up 150% on its first day of trading.

Politics Spenceley announced in June 2021 that he was running as an independent for a position on North Sydney Council at the upcoming local government election. At the subsequent election held on 4 December 2021, Spenceley was elected in first position as a councillor for St Leonards Ward of North Sydney Council. He was re-elected on 5 October 2024, as one of five selected from 20 candidates.

Other activities In 2017 and 2018 he was a national judge for the Australian Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He stepped down from his position as chair of the Airtasker board in mid-2023 in order to focus on the humanitarian organisation which he had founded, Aus Ukraine Aid. The organisation focuses on aid to Ukrainians affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Recognition and rankings 2018 Voted by The Daily Telegraph newspaper as 11th most influential person on Sydney's North Shore 2018 Inducted to the Telecommunications Hall of Fame 2016 listed at number 51 of Financial Review Rich List of 100 wealthiest Australian's under 40 2015 Ernst & Young Australian Entrepreneur of the Year Winner (Listed) 2015 Ranked #8 AFR CEO's who deliver list 2013 Ranked #81 BRW Young Rich List 2011 Debuted at #91 on BRW Young Rich List 2010 Ernst & Young Australian Entrepreneur of the Year Winner (Young)

Personal life Spenceley's wife is Ukrainian.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with James Spenceley

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what James Spenceley claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to James Spenceley before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about James Spenceley ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of James Spenceley

In research: James Spenceley appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses James Spenceley in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: James Spenceley is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 21st-century Australian businesspeople, Australian business executives, Australian company founders, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for James Spenceley outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study James Spenceley in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what James Spenceley means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain James Spenceley out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is James Spenceley in simple terms?

James Roland Travers Spenceley is an Australian investor, entrepreneur, company director, and politician. He is the founder of Vocus Communications and an active venture capital investor.

Why does James Spenceley matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study James Spenceley?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on James Spenceley.