Toby Bensimon

Toby Bensimon (born 1979) is an Australian businessman from Adelaide, South Australia. He is most well known for his business ventures as well as being the son of prominent Adelaide businessman Albert Bensimon and the Managing Director of Shiels Jewellers. 
He is also the co-founder of Podpac, Australia’s largest manufacturer of coffee capsules, and Bureau Booths which are soundproof acoustic booths. In 2021, he also co-founded a co-working space in Adelaide’s CBD called The Innovation Factory.
Toby Bensimon is a strong voice in and for South Australia, offering his insight and advice on a range of matters relating to the state’s economy, retail structure, fashion and jewellery trends. Toby is also known for his charitable work and acts of kindness.
== Shiels Jewellers ==
Shiels Jewellers (known colloquially as Shiels) is an Australian jewellery retailer headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia. It sells affordable jewellery and watches across its various store fronts and online platform. Toby Bensimon began working for Shiels Jewellers as a 15-year-old where he learnt the business from the ground up. His earliest tasks included vacuuming and cleaning windows for the company. 
In 2013, Toby took over the reins as Managing Director of Shiels Jewellers, while his father Albert Bensimon continued on with the business in the role of chairman. At this point in Shiels’ development, there were 15 physical stores in South Australia, 16 in WA and eight in Queensland, with plans to open a further 10. The online store, which launched in 2011, was also gathering momentum at that time. 
Toby Bensimon's first task was to launch a $1 million print and TV advertising campaign focused on the ‘Shiels 365 Promise’, a commitment to delivering “service, quality and jewellery unlike any other jeweller in Australia ''. This was building on his father’s ‘No Hoo-Haa’ promise “to democratise jewellery purchasing” and in particular diamonds, which accounted for 40% of sales at the time.
Today, Shiels Jewellers has earned a reputation for consistently making beautiful, unique and long-lasting jewellery pieces. It’s this reputation that enabled the business to expand from just one small store in Adelaide, to over 40 stores across Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Sunshine Coast Region, Gold Coast, Queensland and Brisbane. In 2014, Toby was instrumental in ensuring that Shiels became the first Australian jewellery retailer to accept bitcoin in effort to reduce online fraud.
Following on from the work of his parents, Toby offers jewellery and watches at affordable prices. Shiels stocks items with retail prices ranging from $2 to $40,000. Toby has also continued to grow the brand's online presence, resulting in the launch of imprint specialty sites, such as Watch Depot, Luminesce Lab Grown Diamonds and Silver Chic. 
== Podpac ==
Launched in 2012 by Toby Bensimon and friend Toby Strong, Podpac Pty Ltd is an Australian company that aims to change the way Nespresso OriginalLine machines are used. 
In 2012, Podpac was the first company in Australia to launch Nespresso OriginalLine compatible coffee, hot chocolate and flavoured coffee pods. The Podpac facility can produce up to 120 million capsules a year while employing 16 staff and operating 17 hours a day, seven days a week.
In 2013, Podpac’s own brand PODiSTA can be found on the shelves of some of Australia’s largest retailers including Woolworths Group (Australia), Coles Supermarkets, Spotlight, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys (Australian company) and select independent retailers. PODiSTA capsules come in 10-packs and retails for $4.99 a pack while hot chocolate capsules retail for $5.99. In 2015, PODiSTA was nominated in the consumer award in the South Australian Food Industry Awards Program.
== Bureau Booths ==
Established in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted office spaces and created a remote work culture, Toby Bensimon created Bureau Booths. Alongside friend Tyson Gundersen, Toby created a company that offers fully customisable soundproof acoustic booths that provide a practical response to privacy concerns. 
Category:1979 births
Category:Australian businesspeople
Category:People from Adelaide