Former Business Owner and Managing Director

Austin Driscoll has more than 30 years experience as business owner, senior executive and company director in the Information Technology industry. He was a Vice-President of Compuware Inc responsible for Australia and New Zealand Operations, and Sales Director for a subsidiary of the Sanderson Group Plc, Sanderson CDC. Prior to those appointments, Austin built up and operated a successful application software and computer hardware sales and service company, which was later acquired by the Sanderson Group Plc.

Austin has a strong understanding of business systems and processes, attained both in successfully developing and maintaining his own business in a rapidly changing industry, and in overseeing the development and implementation of systems in businesses of all sizes. Counted among Austin's clients over the years are Boral, Brambles, ABC Corporation and OPSM Industries, to name but a few. Austin is also an Accredited Executive Associate of the Institute for Independent Business.

The success of his own business was its ability to integrate computer technology into the operations and processes of companies that had mostly had no previous experience with computing, taking into account the diversity of client personnel involved. This experience assisted Austin to develop strong insights into how people cope with and adapt to change.

In his leadership role with Compuware Austin had the opportunity to mentor and coach a group of highly talented albeit individualistic people in order to develop better teamwork.

Austin sees that one of the greatest challenges for today's leaders and senior management is to understand how to best manage each individual in a team environment taking into account their own and their team members' preferred ways of working.

Austin is a Director of Kingtec (Australia) and a Fellow of the IT Foundation of the University of Sydney, and a past Board Member of NSW Institute of Technical and Further Education.