CEO MONTHLY / Chairperson Awards 2022 5 they’re elected. These are typical long planning cycles and can span periods of five plus years. After that, it’s about the purchasing cycles of governments in terms of tendering for the services that Asuria is setup to provide. That means researching and developing solutions fit for purpose for their immediate purchasing requirements.” Of course, finding ways forward in such a complex environment is by no means easy. The team has made it their mission to work as closely as possible with governments to help them understand the problems that need solving. “That means consulting with politicians and bureaucrats to understand the needs of Government,” Con tells us, “and engaging with academia to co-create innovative solutions to meet those needs, now and in the years to come.” Such engagement means that the team’s plans are futureproofed and are carefully designed around where nations and their citizens are headed next. “And a chief part of my role as Executive Chairman is ensuring governments are better informed and advised today and tomorrow than they were yesterday,” Con adds. In terms of where Asuria’s international expansion is headed next, Con is quite clear. “I have little interest in becoming the largest employment services provider in the world just for the sake of it,” he says. “My goal is for Asuria to be the best. That means constantly striving to be the most innovative provider of solutions, and a world-class thought leader in human capacity development.” When looking at how Asuria has positioned itself, it’s clear that this is a business which is designed to evolve. Con brings an awareness of this goal to the table, and has used his leadership to collaboratively address challenges and obstacles, rather than dwell on successes. “I encourage managers and leaders to come to their board meetings with things that keep them awake at night so we can fix them together, rather than bringing me vanity metrics and shallow success stories that paper over problem areas,” Con tells us. The cultural shift at the company, something which Con tells us has been central to Asuria’s transformation, was by no means straightforward to implement. Since 2016, the ways in which the various teams at Asuria operate have been polished to perfection. Before, people struggled to stand out, and the business underperformed as a result. Under Con’s leadership, success has been a shared source of pride for everyone who has signed up to the journey. By focusing on what they call their ‘Enterprising Heart’, combining empathy with a strong focus on business outcomes, Asuria has become an invaluable partner to governments, employers and job seekers around the world. On what ‘Enterprising Heart’ embodies, Con says: “From a leadership point of
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