Purfleet born and bred Kieran Shirey has come a long way to become the managing director of Australia’s only Indigenous owned asset management software company, LOGIT.
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Now in a position to help others achieve similar success, Kieran has recently introduced an initiative for Indigenous youth which he believes will be the beginning of a wave of change.
“We are looking to increase the representation of Indigenous people in the asset management sector,” Kieran explained.
“We want to give these kids a chance to have a great career in a position where they are making the decisions, not just carrying out the work.”
Following the successful introduction of his first Indigenous made asset management software in September 2017, Kieran is right where he wants to be, but the journey to get there has been a long one.
“I was born at Purfleet and grew up there with my family,” he explained.
“When I was 12, my mother decided that to give me the best chance possible in life, she needed to get me into wider society, so she moved us into Taree. She had no money, and it was a struggle, but she did everything she could to make a life for us and get me into the best schools.”
It was the sacrifices his mother made, Kieran explained, that inspired him to work hard and make something of himself.
“She put it all on the line for me, and my life was changed forever, so everything I have done since then has been to honour her and make sure that struggle and sacrifice gets the biggest return, not just for me but for all Aboriginal communities,” he said.
From Taree, Kieran moved to Canberra and entered the workforce as a labourer, before securing a role with the ACT Government in their roads department.
"I got an opportunity to move into their asset information section soon after because I was one of the early guys to cotton on to the internet," he said.
Moving on up the ranks, Kieran worked in a number of asset management roles in various companies before branching out on his own to create LOGIT Australia. Now, he is focused on helping the next generation through his latest initiative.
“It’s going to make an incredible difference, not in terms of numbers, we can’t bring hundreds of kids through, but it’s about having the opportunity to put a new role model forward in numerous communities around Australia. It’s about changing perceptions,” he said.
Kieran’s model is simple. New LOGIT clients are offered the opportunity to have 15 per cent of their engagement fee set aside, and in exchange the company agrees to set aside a position for an Indigenous employee to step into.
“We are going out to the Aboriginal communities in the area each client is based and finding suitable kids to go through the program,” Kieran continued.
“Once selected, the kids will receive mentoring, training and work experience at LOGIT, where they will complete six months of certified training to learn everything they need to know to work with that client.”
Kieran explained the great thing about the program was the kids came out of it with a qualification and a job to start their career.
“We are literally creating something from nothing,” he said.
“I think my experience shows what can be achieved from very little, and hopefully that will help inspire others.
“From the time when I was a little boy from Purfleet, it really did escalate quite quickly.”