Australia’s Best Managed Companies 2021

Mark Couter,
Commonwealth Bank Australia

Mark’s career in banking and finance spans more than 25 years, during which time he has worked for European and US multinationals and currently for Australia’s largest bank, Commonwealth Bank. 

Since joining Commonwealth Bank in 2009 as GM of Asset Finance for the Institutional and Business Bank, Mark has held senior roles in asset finance, property finance, debt syndication, cash flow lending and general banking. 

In Mark’s current role as Executive GM of Commercial Banking, his national team provides full banking services for clients with revenue between $5m and $150m. 

Mark has a Bachelor or Business (Accounting) from Charles Sturt University, also a Masters of Management from Macquarie Graduate School of Management and is GE Six Sigma Green Belt Certified.

Sean Bedford,
Google Cloud

Sean leads a team of pre-sales engineers who work with some of the best system integrators and cloud consultancies across Australia and New Zealand. From innovative Data & AI solutions through to data-centre transformation and workplace collaboration solutions, the Partner Engineering team works with our valued partner network to help our customers adopt Google Cloud technologies and transform their businesses. 

Prior to joining Google Cloud in 2017, Sean worked in a variety of technology consulting and pre-sales roles leading the development and implementation of bespoke solutions and business application platforms for customers across many industries. 

Natasha Hawker,
Employee Matters Group

Natasha is the CEO of the Employee Matters Group, which she started almost ten years ago. Employee Matters is an Employee Relations company that helps small to medium businesses build Employee Assets rather than Liabilities. She has also built a SAAS platform – Employee Metrics. 

Natasha is the Author of the book ‘From Hire to Fire & Everything in Between’ and is a sought after Speaker, as well as the host of the highly popular Employees Matter podcast.

She has worked in Employee Relations for over 25 years, working both nationally and internationally, including 12 years at Accenture. She has been nominated numerous times for the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year award and the Small Business of the Year award and she has personally hired, managed and exited over 15,000 employees.

John Meacock,
Non-Exec Director, Former Partner, Deloitte

John is a NED and Global Adviser working with a range of ASX 100 organisations and growth technology platforms. 

From mid-2017 to late 2020, John was the Global Chief Strategy Office of Deloitte based in New York; sitting on the Global Executive and responsible for strategy and innovation.

For the four years prior, John was the Chief Strategy Office for Deloitte in Asia and the Deputy Chair of Deloitte’s Global Board.

ADCO Constructions

From beginnings in 1972, ADCO has been steered by family values, trust and honesty. Since day one, the business has been committed to quality delivery, to its clients and to its people. These foundations have built ADCO’s legacy – over 3,500 construction projects valued in excess of $14 billion, a 500-strong workforce, and annual revenues approaching $1 billion.

Alto Group

The Alto Group started in 1956 as a petrol station and workshop in Sydney’s Chatswood. Today the business is a leading, family-owned organisation with interests across motor vehicle retail, property, rural and finance operations.

BGC

BGC, founded in 1960s, is a vertically integrated manufacturer of building materials which it sells to the residential and commercial construction and mining industries. BGC also competes in the commercial construction space and is the largest home builder in Western Australia.

Buildcorp

Buildcorp is a family-owned construction head contractor, founded in 1990. It currently employs nearly 400 people and specialises in new build, fit-out, refurbishment and remedial construction.

Flinders Port Holdings

Founded in 2007, Flinders Port Holdings is a privately-owned port and logistics services group based in Port Adelaide. The parent company owns and operates seven South Australian ports and an innovative logistics company, and Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal, the only terminal facility in South Australia.

Hazell Bros

Based in Tasmania, Hazell Bros undertakes civil contracting, quarry and concrete production, transport, equipment services and industrial services for a range of public and private sector customers in Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales. The collective group employs over 600 staff across these regions, with 400 based in Tasmania.

InfoTrack

InfoTrack is the leading innovator in legal technology, providing an integrated platform that enables clients to find, analyse, organise and communicate information efficiently and effectively. InfoTrack has been at the forefront helping businesses through technology innovation for over 19 years and has a deep understanding of the legal conveyancing industry, with over 8,000 clients across Australia.

Kinetic IT

Kinetic IT was established in 1996 in Western Australia, after identifying a niche market for technical advice and support services for enterprise customers. Since then, the business has become a leading Australian-owned services provider of enterprise-class ICT services and solutions, partnering with clients to help them deliver essential services including education, law enforcement, defence, emergency, utilities and transport.

KING

Since 1977, KING has been at the forefront of Australian furniture design. With a reputation built on steel, KING creates contemporary, award-winning furniture that’s made to last. The company’s key to success has been its strategy of designing, manufacturing, retailing and servicing its own products, ensuring greater customer engagement and quality control.

Vaughan Constructions

Established in 1955, Vaughan Constructions has a reputation for being the design and construction professionals specialising in commercial, industrial, retail, food/beverage and cold storage facilities.

Strategy

Best Managed Companies apply a formal methodology for strategy development, ensure the strategy reflects all stakeholders, have the right capabilities/metrics in place and clearly and consistently communicate the strategy to all levels of the organisation.

Culture and Commitment

Best Managed Companies build a strong corporate culture and legacy, actively develop their people and leadership team, provide a holistic compensation system, create an inclusive culture and address continuity issues within the company.

Capabilities and Innovation

Best Managed Companies develop valuable capabilities and resources, are highly execution-oriented, are focused on productivity and innovation, and are thoughtful about hiring the right people to execute their business model and strategy.

Governance and Financials

Best Managed Companies install strong governance structures, use KPIs to manage their progress, maintain a strong balance sheet, and apply the financial discipline required to drive revenue growth, improve operating margin, and increase asset efficiency.

Companies who want to apply must meet the following criteria:

The following companies are ineligible:

ActronAir

ActronAir is passionate about designing and engineering the most comfortable and efficient air conditioners in the world. As Australia’s largest locally-owned air conditioning manufacturer, ActronAir has spent more than 35 years designing, manufacturing and supplying air-conditioners specifically built for Australia’s unique climate conditions.

Alto Group

The Alto Group was started in 1956 by George Altomonte as a petrol station and workshop in Chatswood. Today the business is a leading, family-owned organisation with interests across motor vehicle retail, property, rural and finance operations. Its focus is on providing excellent customer and employee experience, epitomised by its company philosophy, "everything we do is driven by you".

InfoTrack

InfoTrack is the leading innovator in legal technology. It provides an integrated platform that enables clients to find, analyse, organise and communicate information efficiently and effectively. InfoTrack has been at the forefront of helping businesses through technology innovation for over 19 years and has a deep understanding of the legal conveyancing industry,

Intrepid Travel Group

As the world’s largest adventure travel company, Intrepid’s mission is to ‘change the way people see the world’ by delivering sustainable, experience-rich products. Not only is Intrepid committed to giving customers a travel experience they’ll love, but also using the power of travel to benefit the places and people they visit.

King Living

Since 1977, King Living has been at the forefront of Australian furniture design. With a reputation that’s built on steel, King Living creates contemporary, award-winning furniture that’s made to last. The company’s key to success has been its strategy of designing, manufacturing, retailing and servicing its own products, ensuring greater customer engagement and quality

Motorama Group

From humble beginnings as a BP service station in 1960, the Motorama Group has grown to be one of Queensland’s largest family-owned automotive retailers, with multi-franchise dealerships across the south side of Brisbane. A values-driven company, Motorama has a focus on providing exceptional customer experience, epitomised in its vision statement, ‘Customers for life’.

Northern Territory Airports

Through innovation, strategic planning and long-term commitment, NT Airports now welcomes more than three million passengers a year to the NT, across its three airports in Darwin, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. NT Airports is a major leader of economic growth and sustainability in the Territory, and is an integral part of the local communities in which it operates.

True Alliance

Established in 1982 with the launch of Reebok, True Alliance is one of the largest distributors of fashion, sportswear and outdoor clothing in the Australian and New Zealand markets. A family-owned business and custodian of 18 global brands, True Alliance is focused on adding value and executing global strategies of each brand at a local level.