Issue Q1 2020

28 APAC / Year in Review 2019 , Profit for Purpose Pioneers Taking a socially-minded approach to entrepreneurship, the rise of the Profit-for-Purpose company has been a long time coming. The teamat IPA Australia are proud to offer their services, with the guarantee that as muchmoney as possible is directed towards projects in the community at large. Recently named Recruitment Firmof the Year 2019, we take a closer look at this innovative company to find out more. IPA Australia is a recruitment firm with a difference. While ensuring that the best candidates find the best jobs possible, the vision of the company is to positively impact as many people as possible through feeding all profits back to the community. Whether it’s clients, candidates or staff, the ethos of the company is one of maintaining a socially- minded attitude that benefits people. It has led to a company that continues to be one of the best in Australia for recruitment and social impact. For IPA, the secret of success is not just in its own attitude but working alongside organisations that share the same dreams and ambitions. More than just clients, it is the symbiotic relationship that pushes IPA to be the best that it can be. Committed to providing honest, transparent and realistic expectations to all, the company decidedly doesn’t engage in projects and assignments that it cannot deliver, however tempting the fee. This simple philosophy ensures the sanctity of the symbiotic relationship and is one of the clearest differences between IPA and its many competitors. IPA operates across the entirety of Australia, with growing sectors including health, not for profit and construction and education. These sectors are well suited to IPA’s focus on social procurement and its unique profit for purpose ownership. In a competitive market, it isn’t just the social attributes that draws candidates and clients towards this innovative recruitment firm. With a fixed branch network of 11 offices across Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland working alongside a mobile consultation team, it is possible for the organisation to reach every postcode in Australia. This broadens the perspective of the company significantly, offering jobseekers an incredible opportunity. The talented workforce at IPA have considerable experience in the provision of creating a solution that not only matches but moves with market conditions. At IPA, the extra mile comes as standard with candidates carefully selected in order to support the growth of business. The high standards of quality are achieved through finding as many ways as possible to improve the client and candidate experience. As the world becomes ever more digital, IPA have had to become equally technically savvy, with the rollout of videomyjob being a prime example of how to include new techniques into the process. For clients, the 30 years of experience behind the organisation meets that it Oct19384 doesn’t just bring a special level of expertise, but the longtime partnerships with various companies. This potentially offers jobseekers an advantage over the rest, with the ability to find more opportunities that cover a wide range of skills and abilities alongside expert advice on CV preparation, interview tips and salary information to make the most out of the first weeks in a new job. For the client, IPA can provide similarly useful services, such as intelligently designed diversity strategies, 24/7 support and unbundled recruitment services. This active approach to inclusivity and diversity is a major part of how the company operates. Since its humble origins in 1984, the organisation has grown steadily and now employs 85 permanent staff, with 1,600 temporary employees. The attitude of the company is still one that is familiar and friendly, with the original owner, now retired, still meeting with the COO for lunch to discuss the business. This is a deliberate approach to business and applies right from the top, all the way down. Embracing the possibilities of a positive, open and values-based office culture, the result has been clear communication, ownership and accountability. Like all companies, IPA has changed considerably over the years. In 2016, its acquisition by genU, one of Australia’s leading Profit-for- Purpose organisations, clarified the purpose of the IPA business. Where there was once a lack of direction for staff, now there is a clear purpose to aim for. This clear purpose looks set to grow considerably over the next few years, with the intention being to expand to every region across Australia. This will not just benefit the regional sites of the organisation, but the communities in remote locations too. As a group committed to social enterprise, this will eventually lead to exciting developments across the country. In the last two years, profits from client partnerships have contributed to the building of six state-of-the-art accommodation facilities, to the value of $8 million, improving the lives of those who with disabilities or who are disadvantaged. Currently, this work has been limited to Victoria, but this model of reinvestment is currently being explored to see if it can be built into other communities nationwide. Ensuring that organisations continue to consider the social implications of decisions is always on the agenda of large corporations and is currently being rolled into procurement frameworks. Currently, IPA is perfectly positioned to become a leader in this area, able not only to raise awareness, but educate and enhance the social