The next executive we are pleased to introduce to you is Andrew Alcock – CEO of HUB24. The conversation he had with Division Manager of Parity Consulting, Amanda Glacken, was full of insights, advice, and plenty of laughs.
The first question we asked Andrew was how he describes what he does to people he meets for the first time. His answer was a great one, as it depends on his perception of the person’s background whom he’s talking to, as he tries to make it applicable to the person he’s meeting. For example, if he’s conversing with a non-corporate person, he may simply say he’s got a corporate gig in financial services, whereas if he’s in discussion with a fellow corporate world member, he might describe how he runs a superannuation and investment platform or sometimes that’s he’s CEO of an ASX-listed company.
When asked what his children thinks he does for a living – Andrew shared that his children are older now and thinks they have almost got it worked out (although sometimes wonders about them!). They know he runs a large company in the super and investment space. Andrew did mention that they probably think he works too much and gives a lot to the company, however they are proud of him and his success and achievements. His children also believe the corporate world isn’t that exciting and he has lots of boring meetings… we’ll leave that one up to opinion.
If he were to author an autobiography, it would be called “I Did It My Way”. When it comes to a superpower, he would love to be able to fly because there’s something alluring about being unrestrained and free to explore. Corporately – he would love to be invisible sometimes and we’re not sure if this means he wants to hide or be a fly on the wall. This would surely come in handy in doing things his own way!
Growing up, he was never a kid that wanted to be an astronaut. He did however go through a phase of wanting to be a doctor – he even went back to Sydney Uni at age 40 to inquire about studying medicine.
He tried being a rockstar for a time, played in a few bands and was a semi-professional keyboardist at weddings.
Advice that he would give to his 15-year-old self was simple yet important:
“Go to the gym. Don’t sweat the small stuff. See the big picture. I think it’s about observing what you’re doing; make sure you’re watching your own progress in life.”
Seeing the big picture is so much more vital to success later in life than worrying about minor occurrences that may seem like the end of the world at the time, and self-awareness is definitely necessary in all aspects of life!
When does Andrew Alcock do his best thinking? Usually in the mornings – so if there’s some complex problem that he couldn’t quite solve because he couldn’t think straight the night before, he knows he’ll nail it within the first few hours of the next day. And lastly, when he’s under pressure his ability to think and perform is superior to when not.
A year of his life that he would redo would be his HSC year. At that age, he reflected upon being distracted and thinking of other things (like being a musician!). He honestly just didn’t take it seriously at that age. His advice to others? Encourage them to do it differently than he did!
If Andrew could create any app he wanted, his idea would be one to control all his other apps. Whether it be making a car payment or rearranging music, it would be handy to have it all in one place!
His philosophy for balancing family and work revolves around making sure to put the effort in – in both areas. For example, if Andrew needed to work long hours during the week, he would put more time and effort into family activities during the weekends. He was involved in his children’s sports and helped to coach the athletics teams. Overall, “You get back what you invest.” So it is important for him to be flexible, but also being there (and being fully present) for those critical times.
Just as COVID has changed many of our perspectives on work, Andrew is no different. He has been amazed to see what a group of talented, aligned, motivated and dedicated people can achieve under difficult circumstances and what they’ve achieved as a business. This new way of working has inspired him to find new ways to leverage and achieve more, and has proven to him the power of collaboration and what having a great vision can do. Andrew also noted the benefits of flexibility through COVID and how you can trust your people to balance things out.
Hybrid working has definitely
“challenged the normal paradigm of 9-5 in a way that you can trust people to make good decisions while also balancing lifestyle moments, which has been very rewarding.”
It has also allowed us to mature the way we relate to staff.
Lastly, if you look at how Andrew’s values align with those of HUB24, he feels very aligned to the values and goals of the organisation, particularly what you can achieve with collaborative people. Innovation and finding new ways to do things are at the core. Being aligned with the client focus is also necessary, as it’s not sustainable if you are not doing the work for the right client. Finally, Andrew noted that integrity is at the cornerstone of being successful – he and the team do what they say they are going to do.
Amanda is a Division Lead at Parity Consulting, Mother, ABBA Enthusiast, Cheese Connoisseur amateur guitarist (still learning!). With over 20 years recruitment experience, Amanda still absolutely loves what she does – meeting inspiring people and working on a variety of roles across Product Management, Marketing and Communications in the Fintech and Digital sectors. Amanda has a well established network and reputation – people love working with her because of her genuine enthusiasm, diligence, hardworking and helpful work ethic.
Parity Consulting works with clients who embrace diverse and inclusive environments and empower their teams to bring their authentic whole self to work. We encourage people with different beliefs, abilities, backgrounds and life experiences to contact us.
