RUSH welcomes new CEO Brady Cox
Brady Cox was welcomed into RUSH as the new CEO in February 2022. After almost a month in the role, we thought it was time we found out how he was enjoying the company and his thoughts about the coming year.
What’s your impression of RUSH so far?
That is easy, very very positive.
Really nice team, high standard of recruitment, fantastic streams of work with big name customers and a healthy business platform for growth.
What are your priorities for your first few months in this role?
My initial priority is to meet and understand our staff and our customers. These two groups of people are equally important to me. Initially, I am keen to get to know everyone so that they feel comfortable coming to me with ideas, problems or invites to social engagements!
Given the current need to work from home, I have been holding one on one (or small group) meetings with all staff and it has been invaluable for me to see first hand what a clever and engaged team we have. I look forward to meeting our customers as soon as I can.
Beyond getting to know everyone, the senior leadership team are working to check in on our current strategy. On a simplistic level, continue to be a great place to work and ensure that work is with customers and solutions that align with our purpose, our interests and where we can add the most value.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Very open and somewhat servant but rather outcome focused.
I see that my role at RUSH is to ensure we know the direction of travel and to describe the journey in as much colour as possible so that people know how to get there.
We then build the best teams possible, and trust each individual to do what they know they need to do. The rest is about working to provide the right environment, tools and processes to help.
One last thing, I love to be challenged and pride myself on being able to change direction on a dime, if I am wrong, based on hearing a well reasoned argument.
What will be the key attributes of a successful tech business post-pandemic?
Any successful tech company is able to:
- build solutions based on a relentless focus on customer need and desire.
- produce a high quality product and get it to market as early as possible.
- recruit and maintain high performing multifunctional teams
There will be plenty of lingering constraints immediately following the pandemic but the one that will last is the established expectation of a hybrid working environment.
Companies that work in collaborative ways as effectively as before the pandemic will stand out.
What are the key challenges facing customers during the next 6-9 months?
Unfortunately a number comes to mind but in this period there are two in particular. Firstly, we will continue to have a highly dynamic workforce with Covid related leave, work from home implications for teamwork and potentially reduced tenure as people become less connected with the company culture.
Secondly, the global supply chain crisis is getting worse, not better. This combined with the fact that government economic buffers are ending around the world and the current geopolitical uncertainty, means there is consistent upward pressure on inflation, which will certainly impact spending.
Companies will need to find better ways to compete for the same consumer dollar. If price is not a competitive lever, then there will be more dependency on good digital engagement and frictionless experiences.
What makes you look forward to waking up and coming to work everyday?
Running a good business is like playing in your favourite sport. At RUSH we play with a great team, have a dynamic competitive landscape and when you are in the innovation game, the playing field keeps changing!
What do you like to do when you’re not at work?
My spa pool and reclining couch play a role in that answer but so does my air assault bike, gym and list of DIY tasks. Skiing, social lawn bowls, pool and golf and my go to with friends.