The 2012 40under40 recipients

Apart from the overall winner and three other finalists, there are 36 other winners of the 40under40 awards.

 

Daniel Ashton
Director
Boost Mobeel Perth

DANIEL Ashton started his first business at just eight years of age, so he knows how tough it is to get taken seriously when you’re a young businessman with big dreams.

Persistence pays off, however, and after working as a manager in a Boost Juice store for four years, Mr Ashton saw the opportunity to take the already popular product to a new level. 

He convinced the company to grant him a licence and, in 2007 Boost Mobeel was open for business, making Mr Ashton the world’s youngest owner of a Boost Juice franchise.

Now aged 25, Mr Ashton has grown Boost Mobeel from a one-man operation into a business that boasts 58 staff and four mobile vans, and has worked at events including the Perth Royal Show, Summadayze and the Margaret River Pro.

For all his hard work, Mr Ashton was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008 by the City of Belmont, and was among the businesses featured by the Small Business Development Corporation’s Young Business Network.

Boost Mobeel supports healthy schools by donating a dollar from every sale at school events to the community.

 

Justine Barsley
Perth Upmarket
Creative director

JUSTINE Barsley had heard plenty about Perth’s amazing artists and designers before she made the move to Western Australia from Sydney. 

The only problem was, she couldn’t find any of the people she’d heard so much about when she got here, and so she took it upon herself to found Perth Upmarket.

Perth Upmarket is a quarterly market that showcases more than 150 of Perth’s most talented artists, designers, craftspeople and gourmets and is focused on helping retailers grow their businesses.

In the three years since its inception in 2008, the event has tripled in size and found a new home at the University of Western Australia’s Winthrop Hall, where it now attracts more than 50,000 shoppers annually.

However, getting a project the size of Perth Upmarket off the ground was no mean feat. Trying to stage a large event and in direct competition with established retailers during difficult economic times was a challenge, but Ms Barsley proved that small retail can prosper while at the same time adding to Perth’s cultural mix.

Ms Barsley takes great pleasure in giving back to the community through Perth Upmarket’s association with the Starlight Children’s Foundation. 

She also takes pride in the fact that Perth Upmarket is providing the opportunity for hundreds of small businesses to achieve success in their own right.

 

Sean Blocksidge
Margaret River Discovery Co

Owner-operator

IT’S said word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising and this certainly holds true for Sean Blocksidge, founder of The Margaret River Discovery Company.

If not for some rave reviews, and being ranked as the ‘number one thing to do in Australia’ on the TripAdvisor website, the business, which started only weeks before the GFC, may not have made its first anniversary. 

However, Mr Blocksidge firmly believed there was an opportunity to showcase what the Margaret River region had to offer through a high-end experience that steered sightseers away from traditional wine tasting, instead immersing them in the beauty and culture of the region.

The Margaret River Discovery Company offers canoeing, hiking and four-wheel driving, along with introductions to the colonial, indigenous and ecological histories of the area. 

In 2010 Mr Blocksidge received the state’s highest accolade for a tour guide, the FACET Golden Guide Award, acknowledging the significant contribution he has made to the sector.

Mr Blocksidge volunteers with the local bushfire brigade and was among those who fought the recent Margaret River bushfires.

 

Tim Brewer
Anittel
Operations director

IT’S quite a career change to go from the pulpit to managing an IT company, but it’s a journey that has been incredibly rewarding for Tim Brewer.

In 2007, Mr Brewer was a chaplain when a friend who ran his own IT company asked him to consider investing as a business partner. 

After some initial hesitation he took up the offer and hasn’t looked back.

Starting with 14 staff, the company evolved into what is now Anittel, offering cloud computing, voice, data and managed IT solution services to businesses Australia-wide.

Anittel now has more than 200 staff across 17 metropolitan and regional offices, and was named by Deloitte as Australia’s fastest growing technology company in 2011.

Mr Brewer is the operations director and has been responsible for much of the company’s growth. Blog and news site MSPmentor.com named him in the top 250 managed services executives, entrepreneurs and experts worldwide in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Mr Brewer spent five years as a chaplain for YouthCare working with students as well as being involved with the Department of Community Development on a youth outreach program known as HYPE. In 2005 he was elected to the City Of Joondalup Council.

 

Steve Cloughley
WA Cleanskin Cellars
General manager & wine buyer

STEVE Cloughley has had to fight from the very beginning to get his business off the ground – taking on some of Australia’s largest companies before he could open the doors to his first Cleanskin Cellars store in 2005.

Mr Cloughley and his wife took their battle to the Supreme Court, where after many months and much expense, they were finally granted a specialist liquor licence – the first in the state.

He says WA Cleanskin Cellars is Western Australia’s first specialist liquor store, and has now grown from one 37 square metre shop in Subiaco into three outlets and three additional franchises.

In the process the business has won widespread praise, including being named the WA Business News Rising Star of 2010 as well as winning the ‘excellence in retailing and customer service’ award from the Subiaco Business Association in 2011.

Between 2007 and 2010, WA Cleanskin Cellars launched its own fundraising division for not-for-profit organisations. For every bottle of wine sold, the company donated a percentage of the profits to charity. WA Cleanskin Cellars is also a sponsor of the Subiaco Junior Football Club and in 2010 was awarded the Stirling Business Association’s Community Spirit Award.

Rebecca Cody
Methodist Ladies College
Principal

REBECCA Cody believes that education is a unique business sector in that, while the results might not be immediately obvious or even tangible, its influence is far-reaching and ultimately shapes a society’s culture.

Since she took the role of principal at Methodist Ladies College in 2009, Ms Cody has had a significant influence on the financial and cultural fortunes of the school.

Until then, the college had undergone a sustained period of high staff turnover and employee dissatisfaction. In addition, parents had begun questioning the school’s direction, forcing her to redefine the school’s vision and mission.

Ms Cody went about revising the entire leadership model, cutting costs and developing a new philanthropic campaign to help take MLC forward. In the past two years she has set about changing the culture of the school under their new educational model, aimed at increasing enrolments while limiting class size. 

Following these initiatives, up to 60 per cent of families registered to attend MLC are now seeking to secure their enrolment.

As a result of this success, Ms Cody has become a sought-after speaker about leadership in education. She was invited to serve on the Uniting Church’s Commission for Education, Discipleship and Leadership and has been a keynote speaker at a number of conferences and organisations.

Tyler Crosbie
My Reflections Photobooks
Principal

PHOTOBOOKS were virtually unheard of in Australia in 2006 when Tyler Crosbie first saw the need for people to preserve their digital memories.

Recognising there was a significant market for the photobook product but no real solution on offer, Mr Crosbie and his wife sold their family home to start their business – My Reflections Photobooks.

Mr Crosbie’s background in software development enabled My Reflections Photobooks to not only produce a high-quality product, but to own the software used to create the photobooks, making it a one-stop shop and giving the business a significant advantage over future competitors.

Growing from a home-based business into a market leader has garnered the business, and Mr Crosbie, multiple awards, including being named as a WA finalist in the Telstra Business Awards in 2010.

However, there have been some significant personal challenges to overcome on the road to professional success. Both Mr Crosbie and his wife have battled serious illness in the years since they started the business and this experience, while incredibly tough, was the catalyst that helped grow My Reflections Photobooks into what it is today.

Mr Crosbie makes it a policy to replace any photobook that has been damaged or destroyed by natural disasters, and has replaced numerous copies after the Victorian and Toodyay bushfires.

 

Paul Deuchar
Argon Technology
Chief executive officer

STRIVING to make the impossible possible was at the heart of Paul Deuchar’s decision to found Argon Technology at the age of 24.

While studying Mechanical Engineering at Curtin University, Mr Deuchar identified the need for a company that could provide robotic engineering services to the soon-to-be booming resource sector.

Based on that idea and a solid vision, Argon Technology was born in 2004 and quickly grew into the largest robotic organisation in the state, with clients that include BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Bluescope Steel.

The company now boasts 12 highly skilled staff, while Mr Deuchar himself has overseen the training of more than 100 engineers, with a commitment to creating a work environment that is both enjoyable and professionally rewarding.

There have been difficulties, however, with Mr Deuchar having tried and failed previously to get the company off the ground, and navigating the GFC. 

In 2009 Mr Deuchar was recognised as WA’s Young Engineer of the Year for his efforts in developing Argon Technology into a company that is now internationally recognised and accredited.

The business’s success has also allowed Mr Deuchar to give back to the community that has supported him, regularly contributing to a range of charities and encouraging his employees to do the same.

Few can claim to have founded and successfully built their own company from the ground up. Even fewer can claim to have founded an entire industry.

 

Adam Di Placido
ADCO Electrics
Managing director

FOR its first four years, ADCO Electrics operated out of Adam Di Placido’s grandparents’ garden shed.

Since 2003 Mr Di Placido, a qualified electrician, has grown ADCO from that small, one-person operation, into a business with 90 staff and its own purpose-built headquarters.

Mr Di Placido started the electrical contracting business aged just 23, knocking on the doors of large companies. It’s this determination that has helped the business grow and develop a solid reputation for quality among the state’s builders.

His next goal is to win more jobs in the commercial market.

It has been a journey that has involved much sacrifice for Mr Di Placido. Starting at 4:30am every day and working 80-hour weeks put a lot of strain on his personal life, but it’s an experience that has improved him as a manager and is one he’s thankful for as the business continues to expand.

The success of ADCO Electrics has also allowed him to give back to the community through his involvement with several charities that help to improve the lives of sick and underprivileged children. 

ADCO is also a proud corporate sponsor of Ronald McDonald House in Perth and ToyBox International Perth. 

 

Justin Eve
PwC risk & control solutions
Partner 

IN 2008, Justin Eve was a director at PwC in Melbourne, trying to make partner but being faced with a string of career-setbacks.  

After a great deal of hard work and preparation, Mr Eve was given the opportunity to become partner of risk and control solutions for PwC in Perth. He and his family embraced the opportunity and by 2009 settled in Perth. 

Since becoming partner in 2009, Mr Eve has overseen a doubling of the risk and controls team’s staff to 55 in what is now a $10 million business. The business, which helps clients protect and enhance the value of their investments, aims to double its staff again by 2016. 

Mr Eve’s personal portfolio has also thrived, with an increase in revenue of 70 per cent between the 2010 and 2011 financial year. The risk and control solutions team has established two new business lines within the group – fraud and forensics and risk, and capital markets, both of which are already million dollar businesses and growing rapidly.  

Mr Eve recently won one of four national CEO awards for his performance as partner at risk and control solutions. A strong believer in empowering the less fortunate, Mr Eve walked the gruelling Kokoda Trek in Papua New Guinea last year to raise money for Partners in Health, an NFP organisation. His group raised $11,000 for Partners in Health, which helps 2 million of the world’s poorest people.

 

Craig Foote
Nervana Chiropractic Yokine/Warwick
Owner-principal

CRAIG Foote has a simple agenda in his work as a chiropractor – to develop a new standard in chiropractic services.

In 2002, Dr Foote and his wife bought their own small chiropractic clinic. After a swift period of growth, they wanted to do more to change the way the industry was perceived. With that in mind they co-founded Nervana Chiropractic, a chain of clinics providing more options for client overall health with a focus on high quality of service.

Nervana Chiropractic used licensing agreements to enable each owner the opportunity to explore their own ideas but retain the support of an extended group. There are now five clinics across Perth, of which Dr Foote owns two. He puts much of his success down to developing a great team and having the best range of services possible.

Nervana Chiropractic was named ‘best service business’ by the Stirling Business Association as well as winning the overall prize of small business of the year in 2011.

Dr Foote is involved in business coaching, as well as mentoring new professionals and undergraduates at Murdoch University. He’s also a governor on the Board of Spinal Research and holds the unique honour of being The Wiggles’ chiropractor when they tour Perth.

 

Stephen Gobby
Emeco Holdings
Chief financial officer

STEPHEN Gobby has held senior financial executive roles at listed companies for more than eight years and says the challenging market conditions during that time has helped sharpen his business acumen.

Mr Gobby is the chief financial officer at Emeco Holdings, an ASX 200 company that provides earthmoving equipment and solutions to the mining industry.

He took on the role in 2008 amid the GFC and, along with the executive team at Emeco, has played an important role in turning around the fortunes of the company.

Working with chief executive Keith Gordon, Mr Gobby has helped to restructure the business, including through the disposal of some divisions and refinancing its debt.

The changes are paying off, with Emeco reporting a 13 per cent increase in annual revenue to $502 million in 2010-11 and higher profits.

After graduating with a degree in accounting and business law from Curtin University, Mr Gobby worked his way up the ranks, developing a reputation for sound commercial thinking, leadership, honesty and integrity.

Mr Gobby is a supporter of The Tour de Cure, which aims to inspire action in the fight against cancer. In 2011, he and 55 others rode from Sydney to Melbourne over 10 days to help raise money and awareness for the cause. 

 

Brendan Green
GCG Health Safety & Hygiene
Managing director

HAVING grown up in a mining town, Brendan Green has always had a great deal of respect for the workers on the front line. 

Seeing his father working in a coalmine for 20 years gave him a first-hand appreciation of how the working environment needs to be as safe as possible.

Such concerns developed into a career when, in 2005, Mr Green founded GCG Health, Safety and Hygiene, an occupational health, hygiene and safety services provider that deals predominantly with the mining industry.

Starting as a 25-year-old sole trader, Mr Green has grown the business into a 42-person operation with four offices, a nationwide presence and clients that include BHP, FMG, Rio Tinto and Xstrata.

Mr Green has faced a number of challenges as managing director. During the GFC he took the bold move of retaining all his staff and upskilling as opposed to reducing their numbers. With staff always a priority he also implemented a program whereby managers become shareholders in a bid to create a professional and committed culture within the company.

With their understanding of workplace safety, GCG continues to sponsor Police Blue Light, a program that produces safety booklets for school leavers, outlining the dangers of drugs and alcohol as they embark on their lives away from the security of school life.

 

Nicolle Jenkins
The Hub Marketing Communications
Managing director

NICOLLE Jenkins started The Hub in 2005 as a home-based business with only one client on its books; now, the business has seven employees and 40 clients nationwide.

The Hub provides expertise in marketing, communications, design, research and training, with a dedicated division focused on indigenous communications. Ms Jenkins has also made it a priority to help regional businesses with their marketing strategies, as well as devoting much of her time to working with the indigenous sector.

Based on the success of its indigenous communication services, The Hub was recently awarded a new tender with the Australian government focusing on indigenous ear health, as well as continuing to work with clients from different industries including health, local government, education and tourism.

The Hub was recently named as a finalist in the WA Telstra Business Awards and Ms Jenkins was personally recognised as a finalist in the 2011 Telstra Businesswoman of the Year awards. 

In addition, The Hub offers an indigenous employment program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, as well as volunteering a significant amount of time to raising funds to support prostate cancer research through the Cancer Council Australia and hosting its own charity event, the Honda Over The Top Expedition.

 

Adam Kukulj
Consummo Painting
Managing director

ADAM Kukulj believes that everyone has something unique to offer and can find their niche in life if they look hard enough. As it happens, Mr Kukulj found his in commercial painting when he was 15 and hasn’t looked back.

After finishing a painting apprenticeship, Mr Kukulj started his own business as a sole trader at the age of 23. By 24 he had a team of nearly 60 painters working for him and Consummo Painting was well on its way to success.

The business now boasts an impressive clientele that includes Rio Tinto, Shell, Burger King, and Dale Alcock Homes.

The business’s success isn’t just confined to Australia; during a working holiday to the UK Mr Kukulj was awarded the contract to paint the ancestral home of the late Princess Diana in Northamptonshire. 

More recently Consummo Painting was acknowledged with an award for excellence from the Master Painters Association.

Mr Kukulj believes that, with hard work, all businesses can achieve success and hopes his efforts will continue to provide employment opportunities for the community, especially during the hard times faced by the building and construction industry.

 

Corentin Laumaille
Sancho Bakery
Director

CORENTIN Laumaille opened Perth’s first French Boulangerie patisserie – Sancho Bakery – on Hay Street just last year.  

Earlier, Mr Laumaille travelled to France to work with Jean Pierre Sancho, who had a reputation for making the best bread in the Languedoc region in the south of France. While in France, Mr Laumaille learned recipes and techniques passed down from Mr Sancho’s grandfather more than a century ago. 

Sancho Bakery prepares all food from scratch from its main store and kitchen on Hay Street and sells the produce from three different retail stores across Perth. The bakery is independently run and operated as an extended family business, and currently employs 50 staff. 

Sancho Bakery supplies bread to some of Western Australia’s most awarded restaurants, including Neil Perry’s Rockpool restaurant.  

In October 2011, the bakery won the Catering Institute of WA’s gold plate for ‘best coffee shop’ in Perth. 

An active member of the WA community, Sancho Bakery credits word of mouth for its early success. 

The business joined the ‘Buy West Eat Best’ campaign in April 2011 and has continued to support WA schools, Princess Margaret Hospital and various charities. 

Mr Laumaille has plans to further develop the business, which could include more retail stores and the possibility of producing wholesale products for first and business class on Qantas. 

 

Janelle Marr
Step Beyond Business Advisors
Director

BEFORE starting her own business, Janelle Marr had a successful career working for KPMG Melbourne and Ernst and Young Perth. 

However, Mrs Marr was inspired to establish the boutique consultancy firm Step Beyond Business Advisors after she had identified a need for high-quality strategic advisory services across the health and community services sector in Perth.  

Step Beyond Business Advisors provides strategic advice to executives of corporate, government and not-for-profit organisations. The business boasts an impressive list of clients, including Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Chevron, Western Power, and RAC. 

Almost all projects are sourced from word-of-mouth and client referrals, which reflect a high satisfaction rate among the business’s clients. In 2010 Step Beyond Business Advisors was named ‘best home-based business’ at City of Bayswater/Central Eastern Business Association Business Awards. 

Mrs Marr says she is passionate about making a difference, and this is reflected in her participation in not-for-profit organisations. She currently sits on the board for Mosaic Community Care Inc. and Diabetes WA. Each year, Step Beyond Business Advisors selects a not-for-profit organisation to provide pro-bono strategic advisory services. Recipients thus far include Ready to Work and WA Ballet. 

 

Phil Matera
Matera Group
Director/principal

PHIL Matera might be best known for his achievements on the football field with the West Coast Eagles, but since retiring he’s transferred that on-field success into the business world by founding his own award-winning company.

Having trained as an electrician in the early 1990s, Mr Matera started Matera Electrical Services in 2004 with only a rented factory space, a van and four staff. 

Since then the company has expanded into the Matera Group, a multifaceted company that employs 65 staff, including 20 apprentices. The company now boasts five divisions across construction, cabinetry, electrical and more recently, solar and lighting.

Mr Matera has always put a strong focus on teamwork and maintaining a great culture within the company. He believes a business is only as good as the people in it and this has been reflected in the high quality of work the company has become known for.

The Matera Group recently received a number of design and construction awards for its work on the Venn Project in Perth’s Queen Street, which involved transforming a century-old flour mill into an art gallery, design studio and cafe.

Under Mr Matera, a key priority of the Matera Group is to promote energy efficient and renewable products. 

Mr Matera has long been a positive role model within the Aboriginal community and wants to show them that it’s possible to succeed in any realm if you work hard and surround yourself with the right people.

 

Jan-Henrik Norberger
Richards Mining Services
Managing director

IT’S quite a change moving from a career with the Royal Australian Air Force into the business world, but it’s that diversification Jan Norberger claims has made him the leader he is today.

After leaving the air force and working on commercial projects in East Timor, Mr Norberger was appointed as general manager of Richards Mining Services in 2007.

Established in 2001, RMS is a training and recruitment provider for the mining, construction and transport industries.

At the time, RMS employed nine staff and business was steady, but not growing. Since Mr Norberger took control the company has grown to 100 staff, four metropolitan training branches and has worked with clients that include BHP Billiton and Nifty Copper.

Mr Norberger says he honed his leadership abilities during the GFC. During a time that other companies where downsizing, RMS lost only two staff and managed to win two large contracts that would not only save the company, but turn it into a market leader.

One of Mr Norberger’s greatest achievements is the work he’s done to benefit the indigenous community, with RMS working proactively to provide a range of training and employment opportunities and as a result was a finalist in the WA Training Awards as well as being made a permanent member of BHP Billiton ADP’s Indigenous Employment and Contracting Steering Committee.

 

Conor O’Brien
Interpeople
Director

ON paper, starting a business five months before the GFC hit doesn’t appear to be a recipe for success. But for Interpeople, the company Conor O’Brien helped found, these circumstances haven’t slowed it down at all.

Interpeople is an integrated human resources consulting, migration services and technical recruitment company that works with both international and local clients across the mining, petroleum, construction, legal, accounting and IT sectors. 

Founded in 2008, Interpeople has grown from its original three staff to having a team of 20, and will soon be opening an office in the UK.

Interpeople has also made a point of identifying philanthropic opportunities and incorporating these into its business. The business donates 10 per cent of profits to charity as well as hosting a charity ball and raising money for the Make-A-Wish and David Wirrpanda foundations.

Mr O’Brien believes being able to establish and grow the business during an incredibly difficult economic period has been one of his greatest successes. This is an even more impressive feat given the original three founders of the company all had limited business experience. 

He believes the tough times forced Interpeople to adapt and diversify and have ultimately made the business what it is today.

 

Lindsay O’Sullivan
CCIWA
Chief officer, business solutions

IN his role at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA it’s Lindsay O’Sullivan’s job to not only be a business leader himself, but to also make it easier for others to do business.

As chief officer of business solutions at the CCI, Mr O’Sullivan has taken on challenges that include tackling the state’s skills shortage, developing relationships with unions, and supporting apprentices – all in a bid to help others fulfil their potential.

Before joining the CCI, Mr O’Sullivan had worked with companies including NAB, Freehills, and Bankwest helping to deliver professional services and promote sustainable economic development in Western Australia.

Some serious health issues in 2009 were a setback but ultimately produced a positive outcome, with Mr O’Sullivan making his health and work-life balance a priority, and improving his ability to lead and manage people.

Away from work, Mr O’Sullivan works with a number of not-for-profit organisations, including joining the board of Artrage, an organisation that has for 25 years been involved in the production of contemporary cultural art programs and has recently gone about re-establishing the world-class Fringe festival in Perth.

 

Marquis Pohla
Metrix Consulting Company

Managing director

MARQUIS Pohla has taken just two years to turn the business he started in his lounge room into a cutting-edge market research firm with 10 consultants.

After graduating from Curtin University with a degree in marketing and information systems, Mr Pohla gained experience at one of Perth’s top firms.

Recognising a demand for market research that utilised the new wave of faster and cheaper information provided by new technology, he started Metrix Consulting in 2009.

The business has achieved triple digit growth through its work with a range of clients that include many ASX-listed companies and government agencies such as the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Mr Pohla has also been actively involved in developing the market research community. He currently chairs the WA branch of the Australian Market and Social Research Society and sits on the national board.

He has been able to give back to the community by offering his services to a range of not-for-profit organisations – St John Ambulance WA, Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, The Multiple Sclerosis Society of WA and YouthFocus among them.

 

Richard Poulson
Morrison
Director

RICHARD Poulson threw caution to the wind in 2002 when he and his wife opened a small, high-end fashion store in Fremantle called Morrison.

Establishing the store wasn’t a financial decision lightly taken, but it has proved well worth the risk.

Ten years later, Morrison employs 80 staff and has retail stores across Australia, including in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. 

Mr Poulson, who was named the WA fashion designer of the year in 2007 and the Ernst and Young entrepreneur of the year in 2008, credits his teenage involvement in the sport of rowing for teaching him how to work hard and strive for success. 

Morrison clothing is made and designed in Western Australia and has become known as one of Australia’s premier fashion brands. It recently secured an exclusive deal with Myer, under which the Morrison brand will be distributed nationally through Myer stores. 

Mr Poulson was also invited to join a group of key advisers and staff members on Myer’s newly established ‘innovation board’.  

Morrison has won a host of awards, including being named the BRW 13th fastest growing Australian start-up businesses in 2007 and Ragtrader women’s fashion retailer of the year in 2008. 

 

Kelly Rattigan
Formworks Architecture
Managing director 

KELLY Rattigan established Formworks Architecture in 2001 upon her return to Perth from a stint overseas.

Mrs Rattigan gained valuable experience in the field when, as a second-year architecture student, she was invited to work for Daniel Libeskind on the redesign of Berlin’s Alexander Platz and the award winning Jewish Museum. 

Mrs Rattigan’s decision to adopt Building Information Modelling (BIM) – which uses three-dimensional building modeling software to increase productivity in building design and construction – helpe insulated Formworks from the recent financial crisis. 

Formworks architects were trained in BIM before most architects at competitor firms and, as a result, the company’s revenue increased eight-fold between 2007 and 2011. The use of BIM has enabled the firm to produce higher-quality health, commercial and multi-residential architectural projects at a lower cost. 

The business has experience in community projects, including Saint Bartholomew’s House, a $30 million social housing development.

Formworks also has worked with remote and indigenous communities. 

In 2011 Formworks Architecture won the Australian Institute of Architecture’s ‘emerging architect award’ and is currently responsible for projects worth $70 million. 

Mrs Rattigan mentors and employs students from the University of WA as well as high school students. 

 

Simon Reed
Freehills
Partner

IN 2007, while working as a senior associate at law firm Freehills in Melbourne, Simon Reed was asked to relocate to Perth in order to bolster the mergers and acquisitions team. 

He accepted the opportunity despite the potential difficulties he faced in starting fresh in the Perth market, where he hadn’t practiced for years. 

However Mr Reed soon overcame this hurdle, helping the mergers and acquisitions team re-establish itself as a prominent player in Perth and significantly increasing turnover. 

In 2008 he was appointed as a full equity partner at Freehills, a milestone for any lawyer but particularly for Mr Reed who had just turned 34. 

Mr Reed’s Freehills team advised on numerous critical Western Australian deals, specifically those involving the energy and resources sector. Clients include Minmetals Resources, Independence Group, and Catalpa Resources.  

He is a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of WA, a member of the Law Society of WA and a member of the Law Institute of Victoria. 

Mr Reed established and produces the annual Freehills Public Mergers and Acquisitions Report. He is currently a board member for the WA Music Association, the WA ambassador for Opportunity International Australia and provides pro bono advice to various WA organisations.

 

Julian Rose
Deep Green Landscaping
Managing director

JULIAN Rose admits he had no idea where he was going to find his first client when he set up Deep Green Landscaping in 2004, but once he got past that first hurdle and started to develop a solid reputation, he hasn’t looked back. 

Deep Green Landscaping offers landscape design and construction services for commercial and residential clients, and specialises in rooftop and vertical gardens. 

The business now employs 20 staff including three apprentices and up to 40 subcontractors at any one time.

The most significant example of just how far the business has come was when Deep Green Landscaping won a multi-million dollar contract for the landscaping at the new Fiona Stanley Hospital. This reputation for quality is further reinforced by many of their commercial clients now negotiating contracts directly with Deep Green, as opposed to putting the work out to tender.

The business has also been recognised by the Landscaping Industries Association of WA, having been named ‘best overall commercial contractor’ and ‘best newcomer’.

For the past five years, Deep Green Landscaping has been involved in an annual charity landscaping project, with its latest project being the Kids are Kids centre in Bateman, which aims to help with the educational and therapy needs of children with disabilities.

 

Dermot Ryan
L7 Solutions
Chief operations officer

FOR proud Irishman Dermot Ryan it was a risky decision to leave Dublin in search of greater opportunities, but it’s one that has paid off for the IT executive.

After studying in London, Mr Ryan worked for Microsoft before moving to Perth in 2003, finding his way into the young cash-strapped IT services company L7 Solutions.

Eight years on and Mr Ryan has worked his way up to the role of chief operations officer, and in the process helped develop the company into a market leader. 

L7 Solutions’ success culminated in the sale of the business in November 2011 to listed company Amcom Telecommunications, for $15 million.

Amcom announced at the time that L7, with 130 staff and 200 clients, was expected to generate $40 million in annual revenue.

Like many companies, L7 Solutions was hit hard by the GFC. Mr Ryan faced a tough situation in trying to keep staff morale high while cutting back on operations, but he believes the experience has helped him grow as a manager.

Away from work Mr Ryan spends a lot of his time focused on his family and local community. He has worked closely with the Town of Victoria Park to create a more family friendly environment and gives much of his time to Honeypot Playgroup, a community run project.

Paul Serra
Averna Homes
Managing director

JUST four years ago Paul Serra was working out of a converted home garage while trying to convince clients his business, Averna Homes, could build innovative luxury homes.

His early efforts paid dividends and Averna Homes grew from four staff and two homes in the early stages of construction to 15 staff with 72 houses now completed and a further 25 currently under way. 

Mr Serra emphasises the importance of building homes that were both innovative and of high quality in every aspect as a point of difference in the market. 

Averna Homes focuses on building only 40 homes per year to ensure that the product and service is never compromised. The homes are also built to reduce the impact they have on the environment and offer clients a range of options to suit their needs.

This business has won eight Master Builders Housing Excellence Awards in just three years and was named a 2010 Rising Star by WA Business News for its achievements in the Western Australian residential building sector. 

In 2011, Averna Homes was named the Bankwest ‘best customer service provider for a small to medium builder’.

 

Stuart Strickland
Conducive
Executive director

STUART Strickland puts much of his success down to a decision to pack up and move to Europe with nothing more than the promise of a friend’s floor to sleep on and a desire to become a better manager.

This exposure to a broader range of people and ideas led him to start technology consulting firm Conducive in 2006.

The next five years would be the busiest, yet most rewarding, of Mr Strickland’s career, overseeing Conducive’s growth from four staff into a thriving 40-person consulting firm.

Mr Strickland firmly believes in maintaining a high standard of work and made it a point to turn down work rather than dilute the quality of projects his staff were working on.

During the GFC, while many competitors were cutting staff, Conducive worked on ways to retain all of its team, knowing the importance of their place within the company; as a result the business has grown strongly in the period since. 

It’s this focus on quality of work and workforce that led to Conducive being named runner-up in the 2009 WA Business News Employer of the Year Awards and allows the company to boast a list of major clients that include Bankwest, BHP, HBF and Western Power.

Conducive also sponsors the Australian Computing Society Foundation and offers two scholarships annually.

 

James Symons
PC Locs
Managing director

JAMES Symons has proved that starting on the ground floor and working your way to the top can provide the best possible understanding of how a business operates, and what it has the potential to achieve.

It’s this unique perspective that has helped PC Locs grow an impressive 400 per cent since Mr Symons took over as managing director as a 25 year old in 2005.

PC Locs was founded on the simple idea that, with more and more computers being introduced into schools, there needed to be a better way of protecting them from theft.

The company took this concept and developed it into a business with a range of innovative products, offices in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and an international distribution network.

Mr Symons attributes much of this success to his foresight to focus the company on product innovation and moving it away from its traditional direct sales approach, as well as putting an emphasis on communication and staff development.

Mr Symons says it was a significant challenge leading a company at such a young age and he admits he’s made mistakes along the way, but has developed into a more rounded businessman because of it. 

Away from work Mr Symons plays an active role at the Mt Hawthorn Baptist Church.

 

Liam Taylor
Surge Health & Fitness
Centre manager

AFTER spending much of his youth playing football in Europe, a career in the fitness industry seemed like an obvious choice for Liam Taylor.

Upon his return to Australia, Mr Taylor set his sights on becoming a personal trainer, before founding Surge Health and Fitness in 2007.

After originally taking a hands-off approach to running the business, Mr Taylor took over as manager in 2009 and quickly set about turning the fortunes of the struggling business around.

With limited managerial training to fall back on, Mr Taylor has turned Surge Health and Fitness into the northern suburbs’ largest fitness centre boasting 3,500 members with 55 staff including 11 personal trainers.

He attributes much of this success to his involvement with peer networking and mentoring group The Executive Connection, through which business executives are able to share ideas and develop their managerial skills.

Mr Taylor takes great pride in the fact that his business works to empower people to change their lives, and feels that it’s his responsibility to continue to help people live healthier, more active lives. 

Surge Health and Fitness has made it a priority to encourage entire families to become more healthy by putting a focus on the health of children. The business went from having one class for children per week with 15 participants to having more than 500 children attending classes each month.

 

Agnes Vacca
KPMG
Partner

AGNES Vacca became a partner at KPMG despite having to overcome several personal and professional hurdles. 

Mrs Vacca was born in Poland, where as a child she was separated from her mother for three years until she was able to migrate to Australia. 

A positive thinker, Mrs Vacca’s philosophy of continuing to place herself outside her comfort zone has proven to be her secret for success. She joined the accounting firm PKF in 2002, where she set herself the goal of reaching partner in five years. 

Mrs Vacca did achieve this goal and became the first female partner in the firm’s 50-year history.  In order to prove to clients that she was the right person for the job she worked hard at over-delivering and presented a can-do attitude. 

In 2010 Mrs Vacca received and accepted an offer to become partner at KPMG, one of the world’s leading professional services firms. KPMG has around 5,200 employees working from 13 different offices nationwide, providing audit, tax and advisory services to organisations. 

Mrs Vacca is actively involved in the Zonta Club of Perth, an organisation dedicated to the advancement of the status of women worldwide. She is currently the chair and administrator of the club’s University Education Award. 

Mrs Vacca is also the company director and secretary of Radio Lollipop Australia, a charity that serves hospitalised children.

 

Hayley Warren
HALO Medical Services
CEO

HAYLEY Warren may not have finished university yet, but that hasn’t stopped her from changing the world of physiotherapy.

While studying at Curtin University and spending much of her time working in hospitals, Miss Warren saw the need for medical equipment that utilised newer and more effective technology. With little more than an idea, she was able to develop her first product, known as HALO, a device that accurately measures a patient’s range of motion using lasers.

The innovative product quickly gained Miss Warren nationwide attention, including winning the WA Innovator of the Year and the People’s Choice Award on the ABC’s New Inventors in 2010. 

The success of the HALO product led Miss Warren to establish Firstphysio, a company focused on developing new and innovative products for health professionals. 

With HALO set to launch in 2012, it has already attracted interest from organisations including the Australian Olympic Team, AFL and NRL clubs as well as a host of universities and physiotherapists worldwide.

From a personal perspective, Miss Warren says the loss of her partner in an accident forced her to reflect on her life and decide what she wanted out of it. She chose to pursue her passions and it turned out to be one of the defining moments of her business career and led to the creation of HALO.

 

Danny Williams
D&R Machining
Director/manager

DANNY Williams’ passion for the trade and a commitment to outstanding workmanship led him to start D&R Machining.

As a machinist Mr Williams saw that the larger companies weren’t adequately addressing the needs of many small businesses, so he chose to start his own manual machining workshop that looked after the mining, agricultural and automotive industries in Bunbury.

In just five years the business has grown from a family operation into one that boasts two additional machinists, three apprentices and premises that have doubled in size.

Like many trade-related companies, D&R Machining works hand in hand with the mining industry, and currently provides services to BHP Billiton’s Worsley Alumina project. 

However, the strain mining has put on finding skilled staff has made it challenging to attract good people, so Mr Williams continues to put much of his time into staff development.

D&R is also committed to giving back to the community through its training programs. The business continues to offer apprenticeships and, more recently, Mr Williams has been approached by School Apprenticeship Link to help offer pathways for school students into the machining and metal work trades.

D&R Machining won the ‘financial management’ award at the 2010 South West Small Business Awards, as well as being nominated for the ‘employers award’ at the National Focus Awards 2011.

 

Andre Winarto
Western Power
Group manager, distribution division

AS head of the largest division at Western Power, Andre Winarto understands how important it is that state government-owned enterprises run smoothly. 

His role as group manager of the distribution division requires Mr Winarto to manage more than 1,000 staff and 1,500 contractors, focusing on their annual works, emergency response and maintenance programs. 

Mr Winarto comes from a diverse ethnic background and has lived in Australia, the US, UK and Indonesia. He believes this experience has given him a much greater understanding of the importance of diversity and has led him to improve as both a leader and manager

His travels have also enabled him to better appreciate the importance of contributing to the community. From an early age Mr Winarto volunteered his time teaching English to orphans in Indonesia, and since living in Western Australia he has continued to seek volunteering and mentoring opportunities. 

He recently joined the board of directors for Interchange, an association dedicated to assisting people with disabilities.

Mr Winarto’s work at Western Power, particularly in relation to the company’s emergency response power restoration, has been recognised with recent invitations to speak at two national safety conferences in Sydney.

 

Kieran Wong
CODA Studio
Director

KIERAN Wong took the bold step to set up his own architecture firm immediately upon graduating from Curtin University with a bachelor of architecture degree. 

Wanting to make a positive contribution to the community, but with little experience, he founded CODA in 1997 as a single-person operation and has since seen it grow into a practice with 15 staff, a newly renovated office in Fremantle, and a statewide presence.

Mr Wong originally focused on small-scale residential work before taking his ideas to regional WA. He was keen to play a role in helping the communities in the Pilbara and Kimberley that were starting to feel some of the negative effects of the mining boom.

That foresight has turned CODA into a market leader in WA with clients that include LandCorp, many local authorities, indigenous organisations, community housing providers, private developers and the state government. 

CODA recently received three Australian Institute of Architects awards for architecture and urban design, and was awarded a high commendation in the 2010 HOUSES House of the Year awards.

CODA also has a pro-bono division that offers its services to assist the community. Through this program, the business has assisted with developing a drug and rehabilitation centre as well helping the Hilton Harvest Community Garden and the Fremantle Artists’ Housing Cooperative.

 

For photos and more on the winners, please visit the 40under40 website.