Talent has been recognised at the 2025 APSCo Awards for Excellence taking home two wins; RPO of the Year for Solve by Talent and Back Office Team of the Year.

In the Back Office Team of the Year category, Talent was recognised by APSCo for the finance, compliance, legal, and operations teams that keep agencies running smoothly.

In the RPO of the Year category, Talent was recoginsed by APSCo for excellence in promoting and demonstrating a commitment to best practice in the RPO sector. Talent’s outsourced recruitment experts showcased their commitment to designing, building and managing Talent Acquisition functions that differentiate their clients from their competition.

Speaking on the win for Back Office Team of the Year, Megan Woodbury, Talent’s Global COO, said, “Every great story needs a hero and today, I couldn’t be prouder to celebrate ours. Our incredible Talent team have officially been recognised as the winners of the ‘Back Office Team of the Year’ award at last night’s APSCo Australia Awards for Excellence! Behind every seamless process, strategic decision, and exceptional client and candidate experience is a team of experts who empower others to succeed, protect our reputation, and bring our strategy to life every single day. From transforming our financial ecosystem, to achieving ISO27001 certification, driving automation through RPA, and evolving Engage into a market-leading platform, this team doesn’t just support the business – they amplify it. Their work is proof that true leadership isn’t always in the spotlight – it’s in the systems, insights, and dedication that make excellence possible for everyone else.”

Solve by Talent’s Managing Director, Tom Mackintosh, said, “This one’s for the team. Recognition for a relentless focus on customer service for our hiring leaders and candidates, the drive to make Talent Acquisition seamless and the team ability to outperform on every metric no matter how unique the role.”

The APSCo Awards — widely regarded as benchmarks of excellence in recruitment and workforce services — recognise firms pushing the boundaries of professionalism, innovation, and client impact.

It’s less about fearmongering and more about smart risk management.

In our recent AI survey, 46.2% of respondents named “security and compliance concerns” as the biggest barrier preventing wider AI use, and our experts say they’re absolutely right to be cautious.

“If I could rate that stat above 100%, I would. Security and compliance should be front of mind. Full stop,” says Jack Jorgensen, General Manager of Data, AI & Innovation at Avec, our project delivery arm.

AI is unlike any other tech shift we’ve seen. It’s fast-moving, largely unregulated, and capable of generating unexpected and sometimes dangerous outputs. And when sensitive company data is involved, that’s not a risk you can afford to take lightly.

The tools are already inside the business

If you haven’t formally adopted AI, your people probably already have.

• 38.3% of respondents said their organisations currently have restrictions or policies limiting AI use.
• But 28.9% said AI tools like ChatGPT are being used with minimal control or governance.
• And 8.9% said there are no policies at all.

For data-heavy, regulated environments like financial services, insurance, or government, that’s a recipe for disaster.

“The usage of AI is prolific in every single organisation. It kind of just happened and now execs are scrambling to catch up,” says our recruitment expert JP Browne, Practice Manager from our Talent office in Auckland.

Real-world fails: AI gone rogue

We’re already seeing examples of AI being used recklessly:

• A major NZ business uploaded their full CRM into ChatGPT to “get customer insights”
• A software platform built entirely with AI-generated code suffered a data breach leaking 700,000 passports
• Deepfakes and synthetic media are being weaponised, and legal systems haven’t caught up

“It’s such a fast-moving beast. You can make a critical mistake without even knowing you’ve made it,” says JP. The caution around AI isn’t about shutting adoption down but about saying yes in the safest way.

Why the AI risk is so unique

AI security isn’t just about infrastructure, but:

• Data exposure: What is your staff putting into AI tools?
• Model misuse: Can someone prompt the system to give access or misinformation?
• Compliance blind spots: Are you meeting industry requirements?
• Auditability: Can you trace how a decision was made by the system?

According to Jack, “We currently don’t know what the future holds in security breaches and attack vectors. The more people thinking about this, the better.”

What smart organisations are doing

Leading teams and businesses are:

• Establishing clear AI policies and risk frameworks
• Educating employees on what AI can and can’t do (and what to never input)
• Limiting exposure by controlling which tools are sanctioned
• Bringing data back on-premises in high-risk industries to reduce external risk
• Running regular training quarterly or biannually to keep up with the rapidly developing technology

“Security posture, policy, and training. That’s your baseline. If you don’t have those three, don’t go near production-level AI,” says Jack.

Security is not the brake, it’s the steering wheel

Too many organisations treat security as something that slows innovation. When in reality, it’s the only thing that makes safe and scalable innovation possible.

“When you’re managing billions in funds, or customer identities, AI can’t be a black box. It needs to be understood, controlled and governed,” says JP.

So, if you’re exploring AI without a security posture, you’re not innovating. You’re gambling.

If you’re looking to build internal AI capability or make your first AI hire, get in touch with our recruitment team. Or ready to launch an AI or data project? Partner with Jack’s team at Avec.

AI isn’t just changing how we work, but also how people feel about work.

Our latest AI survey revealed that while one in four professionals worry about job displacement, most concerns around AI go far deeper than that:

• 60% are worried about ethical or compliance risks
• 58% fear loss of human oversight
• 57% are concerned about inaccuracy or hallucinations
• 31% say integration is a challenge

What this tell us is people aren’t just worried about being replaced by AI, but many are concerned that the people running it don’t fully understand the risks.

Why workers are nervous

“You can’t bury your head in the sand. AI is affecting workflows and job design, and people are understandably unsure where they fit,” says JP Browne, Practice Manager at Talent Auckland.

Everywhere you look, there are bold statements about how AI will transform everything but in the real world, most employees are being left in the dark. Are they allowed to use ChatGPT? Are their roles changing? Will AI make their jobs harder, not easier?

The lack of communication is creating fear and can drive resistance among teams, potentially stalling AI adoption.

It’s bigger than just job loss

Jack Jorgensen, General Manager of Data, AI & Innovation at our IT project delivery arm, Avec, reassures, “We’re not seeing mass displacement. We’re seeing evolution. The risk is overstated but the change is real.”

It’s true that repetitive, manual, and rules-based work will go, but for most knowledge workers, the shift is about augmentation rather than replacement.

Still, that doesn’t mean people feel safe and JP shares that among workers, “The fear I’m seeing isn’t ‘I’ll lose my job’, it’s ‘I don’t understand this tech, and I don’t trust how it’s being used.’”

Ethics, oversight and deep uncertainty

One of the biggest risks leaders underestimate? The hidden ethics of AI.

• Is your model biased?
• Was your training data ethically sourced?
• Can a customer tell when they’re dealing with a bot?
• What happens when a mistake causes harm?

JP shares, “The ethics piece is huge. Especially in sectors like insurance.” And Jack echoes, “No one wants to end up on the front page because a bot denied someone’s surgery.”

Governments are slow to regulate, so this means ethical responsibility falls on individual organisations and most aren’t ready.

The more we automate, the more human oversight will matter and organisations will need people with critical thinking skills and not just the ability to prompt engineer.

“There was a company that deployed an AI-generated software stack. It looked great until it leaked 700,000 passports. That’s not innovation, that’s negligence,” shares Jack. Trust, transparency, and responsibility are necessary considerations for your AI strategy.

What leaders can do now

• Involve your people early in decisions around tooling, automation, and processes
• Invest in ethics and risk literacy, not just tech skills
• Ensure humans are in the loop especially where decisions impact people’s lives

According to JP, “You don’t have to be a guru. But you can’t bury your head in the sand. AI is different from anything we’ve experienced before.”

If your team doesn’t trust how AI is being used, they’ll resist it, avoid it, or worse, they’ll use it without telling you. For successful AI implementation you need to build buy-in, not fear.

Find out what else our AI survey revealed by accessing the full report.

If you’re looking to build internal AI capability or make your first AI hire, get in touch with our team.

Or if your business is ready to kick off a data, AI or innovation project, drop a message to Jack’s team at Avec.

Ash London has spent much of her adult life with a microphone in front of her. She’s been a TV host, a radio presenter, and more recently, an author. But when you ask her who she really is, she doesn’t reach for her extensive resume. She describes herself on the couch, reading a book while her son builds Lego at her feet.

It’s an answer that might surprise anyone who has only known Ash as the professional she is—a vibrant and confident broadcaster who made her name in the music industry. But, to her, that distinction is important. The spotlight is her work, while the quiet is who she really is. We sat down with Ash on our latest podcast episode to chat about the person behind the many job titles.

Owning the title

When Ash published her debut novel ‘Love on the Air’, she found herself hesitant to claim the word “author”. “I’m just a person who wrote a book,” she says laughing, “But there’s real power in accepting that title.”

This tension between humility and ownership is something many women would recognise and Ash is quick to point out that if one of her girlfriends admitted to feeling unworthy of their achievements, she’d rush to remind them of their brilliance. Yet, like many do, she struggles to extend the same grace inward.

For her, writing became a way of both proving herself wrong and expanding her identity. After more than a decade of radio, it was an entirely different rhythm. Radio is instant gratification: hours of live content each day, with feedback arriving in real time. Whereas writing a book demanded patience and a willingness to sit with uncertainty.

“I didn’t think I had the discipline,” she admits. “But I wanted to prove to myself that I could.”

Perspective in the pause

Ash admits the novel might not have happened without the forced and chosen pause of her maternity leave that coincided with the Covid lockdowns; giving her the first real time and space to reflect on the last decade.

“I had put my whole identity into being a broadcaster,” she says. “Then suddenly, I was at home, and it was quiet. No interviews, no deadlines. I started realising, wow, that was actually a really cool thing I did.”

It’s that reflection on both her career and her identity outside of work that gave Ash the push she needed to write. And when her son proudly pointed out his name in the book’s acknowledgements, she felt the depth of what she had created. “It’s a legacy,” she says. “Something he’ll always know I did.”

The introvert behind the mic

Ash is the first to admit she’s not naturally an extrovert. “People assume I am because of my work, but I recharge at home. The truest version of myself is just reading on the couch while Buddy plays.”

Behind the stage presence, Ash is someone who finds peace in stillness, who carefully guards her energy, and who has learned to protect her sense of calm, especially while juggling the demands of breakfast radio, motherhood, and writing.

Doing the inner work

What Ash is truly passionate about is the less visible work: therapy, spirituality, and self-reflection, speaking passionately about the value of inner growth. During Covid, she began writing and voicing meditations for her radio audience and the feedback was overwhelming, receiving hundreds of messages a day.

“People are yearning for that deeper connection,” she says. “And when I do that kind of work, it’s what I get the most feedback from.”

Lessons from risk

If Ash has a pattern, it’s refusing to let fear of regret dictate her choices. She’s changed careers, moved countries, sold her house, and taken the leap into becoming an author. “I don’t want to look back and wonder” she says.

“We romanticise the idea of what would have happened if we’d chosen differently. But the truth is, you don’t know. You just make the best decision you can with the information you have, and you keep going.”

For Ash, gratitude is the thread that runs through it all; the risks, the lessons, and the ability to reinvent herself when the moment calls for it.

Not just an author, TV host, or radio personality…

If you ask Ash what she wants to be known for, the answer isn’t fame, ratings, or bestsellers. It’s two-fold: being a great mum and helping others better understand themselves. “So many of us never really go on that journey,” she says. “If I can be part of helping someone figure out why they are the way they are, that would mean everything.”

For someone who has built a career out of connection, whether it’s through TV, radio, or her novel, each chapter of her story points to the same belief in the power of curiosity, courage, and gratitude. Ash London’s real legacy is the way she’s chosen to live: leaning into risk, redefining success on her own terms, and reminding us that who we are matters more than what we do.

Want to hear more of Ash’s story? Watch the full podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

“There is no ethical use of AI.”

That was one of the more sobering comments we received in our recent AI survey of 864 business leaders and tech professionals across Australia and New Zealand.

And while not everyone shares that view, it reflects a growing tension in workplaces as AI evolves from a smart tool to something more autonomous.

We’re now entering the age of Agentic AI: systems that can make decisions, take actions, and respond to outcomes with minimal human prompting.

And with that shift, the stakes are changing.

It’s not just about use anymore, it’s about trust

Unlike traditional AI tools that assist with tasks like drafting content or analysing data, agentic systems act on behalf of humans, proactively initiating tasks, making decisions, and learning from feedback loops.

But are organisations ready for that level of autonomy?

When we asked survey participants about their current engagement with agentic AI:

• Only 9.3% said they’re actively using it
• 27.9% are “exploring use cases”
• The majority (47.3%) are aware of the concept but not yet engaging with it
• Nearly 9% admitted they weren’t familiar with the idea at all

The hesitancy makes sense. Because this isn’t just about capability, it’s about risk.

The top concern? Ethics

Of all the barriers we asked about, the most pressing were:

• 60.1% cited “ethical or compliance risks”
• 57.6% flagged “loss of human oversight or control”
• 57.1% were concerned about “accuracy or hallucinations in autonomous actions”

“We are heavily regulated and hold large amounts of data,” one respondent noted. “We must be very careful with how any AI is implemented and ensure full compliance and transparency.”

Another put it more bluntly:

“Unethical use can cause confusion and poor decision making.”

These aren’t abstract fears, they reflect real-world scenarios that could impact brand trust, legal obligations, and people’s livelihoods.

Human-in-the-loop: From a nice-to-have to a non-negotiable

The further we move into agentic AI territory, the more critical governance becomes. The systems we build must be designed with ethical frameworks and clear escalation points, especially in sectors where harm, bias, or data misuse are real risks.

At the same time, we can’t let fear stop experimentation. Because the potential for agentic systems — whether it’s to automate workflows, reduce human error, or handle complexity at scale — is enormous.

It just needs to be done with clarity and caution, not hype.

The disconnect between interest and understanding

Even though nearly 40% of survey participants said they’re exploring or using agentic AI, we know from broader survey results that:

• Only 4.9% of professionals feel their organisation is responding “extremely well” to AI change
• Just 30.2% say their organisation have “dedicated teams working on AI initiatives”
• A significant 41% say their organisation has “no AI strategy at all”

This kind of gap is where poor decisions and outcomes happen.

Without leadership clarity, robust frameworks, and upskilling, agentic AI becomes a risk multiplier rather than a value driver.

So, what now?

If your team is starting to explore or implement autonomous AI tools, the question isn’t just what can they do, it’s:

• Who is accountable for their decisions?
• Where does human oversight begin and end?
• Are your people trained and supported to work alongside these systems?
• And most importantly, is your business ready for the cultural shift they bring?

Because working with AI, and not just using it, demands new thinking about roles, responsibility, and risk.

Want to understand how others are navigating this shift? Explore the full report for free.

Talent today has announced the launch of its new podcast, Not Just A…, a fresh, uplifting series that shines a light on remarkable people focusing on not just what they do, but who they are beyond the job title. Subscribe to listen to the episodes Here

Not Just A… invites listeners to discover the unexpected stories, passions, and sides of well-known figures and industry leaders that rarely surface in their professional bios. Across candid, conversation-driven episodes, guests reveal what drives them, the lessons they’ve learned, and the personal moments that shaped who they are.

Featured guests include:

• Mark Tanner – Founder & CEO of SaaS success story Qwilr (Not just a tech founder)
• Ash London – Author & Australian radio/TV personality (Not just an author)
• Emma Chow – Australian radio personality (Not just a radio announcer)
• Alex Williamson – Leading sports agent and champion of women’s sport (Not just a sports agent)

In the debut episode, Mark Tanner, CO-Founder and CEO, Qwilr, shares, “Many founders think they can’t balance both, but that’s not true. Kids forced me to set boundaries, delegate more, and raise my standards. I can’t just pull 80-hour weeks anymore. If something isn’t done properly, I hold people accountable instead of fixing it myself on the weekend. It’s made me sharper at prioritisation and more protective of my time. And honestly, I’m a better leader for it.”

Each episode blends insightful conversation with a lighthearted tone, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the diverse lives and passions of its guests.

Not Just A… will release new episodes fortnightly on Spotify, YouTube, and other major streaming platforms.

Mark Tanner never imagined himself following in his father’s footsteps as an architect. While sketchpads and building sites were a backdrop to his childhood, he was already looking elsewhere, and what drew him wasn’t design but the idea of running something of his own.

That instinct carried him through an unlikely arts degree, into the chaos of an e-book startup just as the Kindle and iPhone were launched, and then onto the global stage at Google. Along the way, he discovered the thrill of new markets, the frustration of corporate politics, and eventually, the pull of home.

Today, as co-founder and CEO of Qwilr, Mark is running a business that spans thousands of customers worldwide. But as we sat down with him for our latest podcast episode, it became clear his story isn’t just about building a company. It’s about the boundaries he’s learned to draw as a father, the books that fuel his curiosity, and the policy debates that unexpectedly keep him up at night.

Escaping the family blueprint

Mark grew up surrounded by architecture, but it wasn’t a career path he ever saw for himself.

“My dad was an architect with a relatively big firm, and from a young age I knew I definitely didn’t want to be one,” he says. “I had absolutely no interest in that path. But something did draw me towards running a business. That was always in my brain.”

Instead of law or medicine, he drifted into an arts degree, a decision he describes as “a complete tangent” but one that left room for curiosity. An internship at a consulting firm gave him corporate exposure, but it was a lucky break into a small e-book startup in 2007 that changed everything.

Books as portals to other worlds

Away from business, Mark’s passions are grounded in ideas. He reads voraciously, usually reaching for history or science fiction.

“Right now I’m reading Robert Caro’s epic biography of Lyndon B. Johnson. Once you’ve read those, every other biography feels pale in comparison. And alongside that, I love sci-fi that imagines what life might be like 2,000 years in the future.”

Books, for Mark, are both a switch-off and a way to think differently. “I really love history and biography, but also people who do a great job of imagining the future. It’s such a great way to switch off from work.”

An obsession with housing

Perhaps unexpectedly for a tech CEO, Mark is deeply engaged with Australia’s housing crisis.

“I’ve become totally obsessed with it—the economics, the policy, all of it,” he says. “Sydney is an amazing city. On almost every vector, it’s wonderful, except for how insanely expensive housing is. If we could fix that, life here would be even better.”

He follows public policy closely, attending talks and debates on zoning and supply reform. For him, it’s not just abstract economics.

“Many of my employees are in their late 20s to 30s, earning really good salaries, but still struggling to buy a house. It matters. And while no one intended for housing to become so unaffordable, that’s what’s happened. I genuinely believe it’s fixable, but only if people fight for it.”

Hidden talents

Not everyone would guess that Mark is a natural public speaker. For him, it feels second nature, though he recognises it’s rare.

“I did debating and some acting at school, and early in my career I just put my hand up for conferences. More people should say yes to those opportunities. The audience is rooting for you, and the bar isn’t as high as people think.”

It’s a skill he continues to lean on as a founder. “One of the greatest gifts a leader can give is clarity; helping everyone know where we’re going and why. Communication is central to that.”

Not just a Founder

For all his achievements in tech, at home, Mark is a dad first—doing school pick-ups, cooking pesto pasta for the kids, and becoming, in his words, a “pancake king.”

When asked what he’d like to be known for outside of tech, he aims high: “Miracle solver of the housing crisis would be an unbelievable thing to be known for,” he says.

It’s a tongue-in-cheek answer, but it reflects something deeper: a drive to contribute beyond the walls of Qwilr. Whether it’s public policy, people, or products, Mark is motivated by the idea of making thing work better for the broader community.

And that outlook spills into how he approaches his company too. As a leader, it shows up in his clarity and drive, and as a person, it’s in the values he brings home. Mark is not just a founder, but also a father, a reader, a citizen, and a believer in building things that last, both inside and outside the startup world.

Want to hear more of Mark’s story? Watch the full podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

There’s one thing most exec teams agree on right now: we need to do something with AI. However, what they can’t seem to agree on is who’s responsible.

Our recent AI survey with 864 business leaders and technology professionals revealed that the top blockers to AI adoption aren’t technical, but strategic:

• 41% cited lack of a clear AI strategy
• 41% pointed to unclear goals
• 37% said limited budget
• 34% said there’s unclear ownership

So, while the boardroom is buzzing about transformation, most organisations are stuck in a strange limbo: pressure to innovate without a plan to execute.

Why AI adoption is stalling

JP Browne, Practice Lead at Talent Auckland shares, “For the first time ever, I’ve got IT leaders saying: ‘Yes, we want to use this but we literally can’t implement what you need until we fix security and infrastructure.’”

For many, AI is being driven top-down with enthusiasm but falling straight into the laps of overwhelmed IT teams who weren’t prepared to own it.

Jack Jorgensen, General Manager of Data, AI & Innovation at our consultancy arm Avec explains there is a fundamental shift. “IT departments aren’t driving AI; they’re just putting up guardrails. But because execs don’t know who should own it, they’re lumping it in tech’s lap.”

Traditionally, IT has been a business enabler, not the strategic driver, and now they’re caught between enthusiasm and risk mitigation.

Strategy vs shiny objects

Executives want to make a move before they miss the moment but urgency without clarity creates chaos, and budget doesn’t get approved when goals are vague and ROI is fuzzy. As JP reiterates, “The money’s there. The buy-in is there. But no one has defined the problem they’re solving.”

The result? Strategy sessions that go nowhere, capability gaps that stay unfilled, and a flood of shadow AI usage from employees trying to work it out themselves.

Why no-one wants to own it

AI touches everything from operations to data, people, risk, compliance, customer experience, the list goes on… Which is exactly why no one wants to fully own it.

Jack explains, “It’s hard at an executive level to understand how AI applies across every function. And very few people have the visibility to own it end-to-end.”

Without a central owner or clear cross-functional strategy, the AI agenda gets stuck between departments, paused at the sign of risk, or shoved into a tech proof-of-concept that never scales.

So, what does good look like in 2025?

Leading organisations are beginning to:

• Appoint AI leads or cross-functional innovation squads
• Build a lightweight AI framework (use cases, data posture, ethics)
• Define clear roles for IT, data, security and HR
• Pilot use cases with measurable outcomes, not hype
• Invest in education to align teams on what AI is (and isn’t)

“Having no AI strategy is short-sighted. Even if all you’re doing is prepping your security posture, that’s still a strategy,” reassures Jack.

Start small, but smart. You don’t need a 40-page strategy doc to get started but you do need ownership, clarity and intent. Otherwise, you could end up with a dozen AI tools, no business outcomes, and a team wondering why it still takes three weeks to get a report.

If you’re looking to build internal AI capability or make your first AI hire, get in touch with our team.

Or if your business is ready to kick off a data, AI or innovation project, drop a message to Jack’s team at Avec.

On a rainy Thursday morning at our Sydney headquarters, an intimate audience gathered for the latest instalment of our Leading the Way series — a fireside breakfast conversation with Adam Goodes, AFL legend, 2014 Australian of the Year, and social justice advocate. While Goodes is celebrated as a two-time Brownlow Medallist and dual premiership player, his impact extends far beyond sport. Adam’s journey is one of resilience, cultural pride, and leadership forged through both triumph and adversity.

What emerged in the conversation was not a sports retrospective, but a powerful reflection on what it means to lead with heart, conviction, and a sense of legacy. Goodes’ story offers lessons that resonate deeply with business leaders navigating complexity today.

Leading with values

For Adam, leadership begins with values anchored in family, identity, and lived experience. His early years were shaped by a mother who was part of the Stolen Generations, separated from her family at just five years old. This disconnect had meant Adam grew up knowing he was Aboriginal, but without a clear link to culture or ancestry.

Drafted to the Sydney Swans at just 17, he recalled being asked by journalists what it meant to be a role model for Indigenous kids. “At the time, I didn’t even know what it really meant to be an Aboriginal person,” he reflects. That moment became a catalyst: he enrolled in a diploma of Aboriginal Studies, immersing himself in history and community. The experience gave him not just knowledge, but a foundation of values that would guide his career and life.

For any leader, the lesson is clear. When values are well-defined and personally meaningful, they create the compass needed to make decisions in moments of pressure and scrutiny.

Courage in action

Few leaders have had their courage tested so publicly as Adam Goodes. In the later years of his AFL career, he faced relentless booing from crowds each week which sparked a national conversation about racism. And despite the toll, he chose to speak openly about his experience.

“It tested my resilience every time I walked onto the field,” he admits. What helped him endure was not just his inner strength, but the clarity of purpose he carried. “I stayed true to who I am as a person,” he says.

His stance and his refusal to be silent came at a personal cost, but it also cemented his legacy as a leader who used his platform to confront uncomfortable truths. For anyone who finds themselves in these positions of leadership, it’s a reminder that courage often means calling out poor behaviour, standing firm in your principles, and leading even when support feels uncertain.

Cultural identity and strength

Reconnecting with his heritage has been central to Adam’s growth as a leader, and through family research, cultural immersion, and storytelling, he has pieced together a proud lineage which he now passes on to his children.

This connection also underpins the GO Foundation, which Goodes co-founded with fellow Sydney Swans great Michael O’Loughlin. Focused on education pathways for Indigenous youth, the foundation provides scholarships and wraparound support to help students thrive. Beyond resources like uniforms and laptops, it prioritises cultural identity, ensuring young people understand who they are and where they come from.

This emphasis on belonging echoes in Adam’s approach to leadership. True confidence, he suggests, comes when people feel seen and supported in their identity. For organisations, it’s a call to build cultures where diversity is embraced not as policy, but as strength.

Building legacy

A decade on from his retirement, Goodes has built a life defined by impact beyond football. As CEO of Indigenous Defence & Infrastructure Consortium (iDiC), co-founder of the GO Foundation, and author of a popular children’s book series Welcome to Our Country, he continues to influence education, entrepreneurship, and cultural understanding.

His philosophy of legacy is simple but profound: “If I’m only ever remembered as a footballer, then I’ve failed in life.”

For leaders, legacy isn’t measured in titles or quarterly results. It’s about the positive change left behind; the systems improved, the people mentored, the communities strengthened. Adam’s journey shows that leadership is at its most powerful when it reaches beyond personal success to create pathways for others.

Lessons for leadership

Throughout the conversation, several recurring themes stood out as timeless leadership lessons:

• Be anchored in values – they provide clarity when decisions get tough.
• Find courage in conviction – speaking up matters more than fitting in.
• Celebrate identity – strength comes from knowing and sharing who you are.
• Think beyond today – True leadership builds legacy, not headlines.

Adam fully embodies these principles in practice, often under the glare of public scrutiny, and always with a focus on making things better for the next generation.

Looking ahead

Our Leading the Way series exists to spotlight leaders who challenge, inspire, and redefine what leadership looks like. Adam Goodes is the embodiment of that mission. His story is a reminder that leadership is not just about performance or position, but about courage, connection, and creating impact that endures.

If you’d like to hear about our next Leading the Way event, reach out to our team to stay in the loop.

Specialist tech professionals are spoiled for choice and higher education isn’t always the first place they look. If you’re a TA leader in tertiary education, you’ll know the challenge: you’re competing with fast-moving startups and big-name corporates for the same engineers, data specialists, and product talent.

The good news? You’ve got a unique story to tell. But it needs more than a list of benefits or a flexible work policy. To stand out, your employer brand has to cut through with clarity, authenticity, and a message that speaks to what tech talent actually cares about.

Here’s a practical playbook for higher education leaders looking to sharpen their employer brand and secure the skills they need.

Why brand matters in higher education hiring

Employer brand isn’t just your logo or a tagline. It’s the lived experience of working with you; your values, your culture, and your reputation in the market. For tech professionals, it’s the difference between scrolling past your job ad and actually hitting ‘apply’.

When your brand is strong, you’ll see:

• More applications from the right candidates
• Higher retention and engagement across your teams
• Lower recruitment costs over time
• A reputation as an employer of choice in a competitive market

And when it misses the mark? You’re left over-relying on contractors, spending big on agencies, and watching the best talent head elsewhere.

3 ways to build a stronger employer brand in higher education

1. Lead with your DNA

Tech professionals want to know the work they do will matter. For universities, this is a big advantage because you aren’t just another corporate. You’re driving research, supporting the next generation of students, and tackling social and environmental challenges at scale.

Bring this DNA to life by:

• Making it visible online: Share stories of innovation on your channels, whether it’s a new research partnership, sustainability milestone, or digital transformation project.
• Owning thought leadership: Get your IT and digital leaders speaking at conferences, writing in industry outlets, or posting on LinkedIn. This positions your university as a serious tech player.
• Highlighting values and wellbeing: DEI programs, wellness initiatives, flexible work models. All of these are key decision factors for tech talent so don’t bury them in policy docs, put them front and centre.

Example: The University of Sydney has consistently showcased its sustainability initiatives and digital research projects in market-facing comms, positioning itself as more than “just a campus job.”

2. Rethink the candidate experience

Your hiring process is your brand in action. If it’s slow, clunky, or impersonal, candidates will assume that’s how your culture feels too.

Best practice means:

• Clear, human job ads (ditch the jargon and “must have 10+ years in…” wish lists).
• Fast, transparent communication: Candidates want updates, even if it’s a no.
• Personal touches: Show candidates you’ve read their CV, tailor interview questions, and connect them with real future teammates.

And don’t forget onboarding. Universities across ANZ are experimenting with AI tools to automate admin-heavy onboarding steps, freeing up People teams to focus on building meaningful human connections from day one.

3. Leverage tech to scale your brand

Higher education can sometimes be seen as “traditional”, but the smart use of tech can flip that perception.

• Video interviews: Break down geographical barriers and open your doors to talent who may not yet be local.
• Data-driven insights: Use hiring analytics to understand what candidates want (e.g. sustainability is a top three decision driver for tech hires in ANZ right now).
• A careers page that works: Include testimonials, videos, and day-in-the-life content from your tech teams. Make it intuitive to navigate and reflective of your real culture.

Example: UNSW’s careers site highlights innovation projects and staff testimonials in a simple, visual format which is far easier to digest than a wall of text.

The takeaway

The race for tech talent is only getting tighter. With a clear, authentic employer brand, universities can punch above their weight against the likes of banks, consultancies, and startups, and land the people they need to keep their institutions moving forward.

At Talent, we help higher education institutions across ANZ attract and secure the right tech talent, building brands that resonate, streamlining hiring processes, and reducing costs along the way.

If you’re ready to strengthen your employer brand and bring top tech talent onto campus, let’s talk.

In a previous blog, we explored the leadership gap in AI adoption; the missing strategies, ownership, and clarity slowing progress before it begins. But strategy isn’t the only hurdle.

For many organisations, the real blockers are messy, overlapping, and deeply human: fear, confusion, misalignment, and a general sense of “we’re not ready yet.”

In our latest survey of 864 professionals across Australia and New Zealand, we asked what’s standing in the way of progress. The answers paint a clear picture: while the potential of AI is huge, the practical challenges are still very real.

Strategy gaps continue to stall progress

When asked about the biggest obstacles their organisation faces in keeping up with AI:

• 41.0% said “no strategy”
• 40.6% said “unclear goals”
• 34.4% said “lack of clear ownership”

This is a leadership problem, not a tech one.

You can’t build with AI until you know what you’re building for. And right now, many organisations are still waiting for that direction to come from the top.

“Waiting on strategic policy and approval before AI can be implemented and risks mitigated,” one respondent shares with us.

It’s a sentiment echoed across industries: people want to move, they’re just waiting for direction.

Fear and fatigue are real, and so is trust

AI isn’t just a technical shift, it’s an emotional one. For some employees, the potential of AI feels like a threat rather than an opportunity. And that shapes how it’s received, even in pilot stages.

“I’ve found a resistance from the team due to a concern around job security,” said one participant.

When people don’t understand how AI fits into their role, or worry it could replace them, enthusiasm quickly turns into quiet pushback. The data backs this up:

• 46.2% cite “security or compliance concerns” as the biggest barrier
• 10.3% point to “lack of trust”
• 15.3% say there’s “no training”, which only worsens that anxiety

Burnout, not optimism

A surprising theme emerged in some open-ended responses: fatigue. For many, tech-enabled “productivity” hasn’t always delivered better outcomes, just more pressure.

“Productivity improvements have never helped in the past,” one respondent wrote. “They’ve just led to higher expectations and burnout. AI is not a way forward as a society if we don’t fundamentally rethink our systems.”

It’s a powerful reminder that even the best tools won’t succeed if they’re layered on top of broken processes or disconnected cultures.

The blockers aren’t always what you’d expect

Some of the most-cited reasons for slow adoption weren’t deeply technical, they were practical and immediate:

• Limited budget – 36.6%
• Lack of relevance to my work – 16.8%
• Lack of access to tools – 11.5%

This matters, because it tells us AI isn’t failing because it’s complicated, it’s failing because it hasn’t been meaningfully integrated. If employees don’t see how AI helps them, or they can’t get to the tools at all, progress stops before it starts.

So, what now?

The first step isn’t buying tools, it’s creating space for clarity, communication, and small wins. This might mean:

• Bringing departments into strategy-setting conversations
• Addressing fears head-on through honest leadership
• Investing in real training that shows how AI can make work better, not just faster

Because when blockers are this human, the solutions need to be too.

Access our free report here to explore what’s really slowing AI down and how to start moving forward with clarity and confidence.

Across Sydney’s financial services sector, demand for AI and machine learning engineers is accelerating, but supply hasn’t caught up. As banks and financial institutions race to embed AI capability, talent acquisition leaders are asking the same question: Where do we actually find these engineers?

James Bertollo, Account Manager at our Talent headquarters in Sydney, shares his observations.

The sourcing patterns defining the jobs market right now

1. Upskilling internal teams

“CBA’s AI for All initiative is a strong example of reskilling existing engineers and embedding AI capability at scale,” James explains. “For many organisations, it’s faster to build on the people they already have than to compete for external talent.”

2. Academic and research backgrounds

Banks are also opening new pathways for researchers and Python data scientists. “We’re seeing more flexibility in hiring from universities into engineering roles,” James says. “That shift creates opportunities for PhDs and academics who may never have seen finance as a career option.”

3. Consultancy to in-house

Firms like Deloitte and Accenture were once the go-to for proof-of-concept work. Today, banks are hiring their consultants directly. It’s a clear sign the sector is moving from experimentation to execution,” James notes. “Clients no longer want to rent AI expertise – they want to own it.”

4. Start-up talent

Finally, engineers from AI start-ups are entering financial services. “They bring the innovation and problem-solving mindset enterprises need to accelerate delivery,” says James.

What top AI talent really want

While sourcing channels are broadening, James highlights three consistent factors that make the difference in securing top-tier engineers:

Compensation

“Senior and Principal AI Engineers in Sydney are commanding $1,100-$1,200 per day (contract) or $180k-$200k plus super (permanent),” James shares. “Being equal to, or ideally better than, the market is often the first filter when talent decides where to move.”

Clear initiatives

According to James, “Candidates want clarity on the roadmap and how their role contributes to meaningful delivery. Companies that show this quickly stand out over those still testing the waters.”

Strategic involvement

“The best engineers are often those who worked in AI before it entered the mainstream, and they expect their knowledge to be respected, and their input valued in shaping business strategy.” James says, “Those who feel their expertise will influence direction are more likely to choose you over competitors.”

The bigger picture

For financial services leaders, the race to secure in-house AI capability is only intensifying. Success won’t just come down to competitive salary, it’ll hinge on how clearly organisations can demonstrate the impact of AI initiatives and the strategic role engineers will play in shaping them.

If you’re thinking of building out an AI team or exploring the Sydney market for top engineering talent, our team can help. Get in touch.