CEO MONTHLY / Chairperson Awards 2022 6 view, it means being brave and authentic enough to challenge ourselves. It also means being comfortable with being challenged – in a respectful way – by those who believe in a better way of doing things.” The value of being challenged to be better is at the core of Con’s ideology, and is something he is passionate about instilling throughout the company. “I want to be challenged by those with ideas or criticisms to share,” Con elaborates, “and I have invested a considerable amount of time and energy in giving everyone at Asuria the freedom and confidence to have their voice heard across every level of the organisation, right up to my desk.” This passion for moving forward and finding solutions lies at the heart of Asuria. “What makes Asuria truly unique is that all of our people are truly enterprising at heart,” Con says. “The Asuria culture drives a sense of innovation, excitement and passion in all programs and services we deliver, as well as a commitment to ensuring all Asuria employees treat every citizen with empathy, dignity and respect.” Nowhere is this better demonstrated than through Con’s approach to supporting people with a disability into employment. “I’m a tireless defender, on a global scale, of access to work for people living with a disability,” Con tells us. “Economies all over the world are failing to properly tap into an immense talent pool of driven, capable people, because the needs of those with mental and physical disabilities are not properly understood and catered for.” Con also invests a considerable amount of his time to addressing the employment challenges posed by the changing nature of work around the world and the supply and demand of labour in the post-COVID world. “Pre-COVID economies, which were addicted to a steady supply of migrants to fill labour shortages and skills gaps suddenly cut off during COVID, are once again in a position to fill vacancies with foreign workers,” Con explains. “The effect this could have on the domestic unemployed runs the risk of shutting homegrown workers out of employment, leading to the kind of social unrest and anti-immigration sentiment that only serves to fracture and divide societies.” The growth of Asuria shows no signs of slowing, with Con continuously exploring opportunities for further international expansion. There are billions of people left on the side-lines of economic opportunity, with Con and Asuria invested in helping to lift them out of poverty, through work, selfemployment, education and training. Looking forward, Con and the Asuria team intend to bring Asuria’s industry-leading brand of progressive human services to governments’ management of human capacity development on a global scale. “Unlike some of our competitors, that doesn’t mean we need to acquire existing businesses entirely in order to establish a footprint in new territories,” Con explains. “Nor does it mean we want to establish new entities entirely from scratch. Instead, we are interested in partnering with established, local organisations that are already experts in their markets, and in a position to benefit from Asuria’s global expertise, IP, and balance sheet.” While Asuria is not alone in the services it provides to governments and employers, it is demonstrating an unparalleled aptitude for helping partners in their native countries to reach their full potential. “Our goal is to bring together the best local market knowledge, with best-in-class employment services solutions, and the ability to execute at scale,” Con tells us. Ultimately, it’s this eye for growth and focus on innovation that Con brings to Asuria every day. When he acquired the company, it had never made a profit. In six years, it had been transformed into a lean and effective machine. “Asuria didn’t become a global toptier provider of employment services, trusted to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in government contracts, by doing what every other provider has done before or plans to do again,” he says. “Asuria got to that point by committing itself to innovation, and by investing in the people, products and processes that proved we could deliver on those promises.” The value of fresh thinking is often overlooked because it involves risk. But by taking these risks, you can achieve the truly remarkable. We celebrate the success of Con and the rest of the Asuria team, and look forward to seeing what they do next. Company: Asuria Name: Con Kittos, Executive Chairman Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.asuria.com.au
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