Maybo Australia was set up in 2008. Here one of its founders, Neil Warwick, tells us what inspired him to set up the company, his daily motivations and what the future holds.

What inspired you to set up Maybo Australia?

I first engaged with Maybo when I was living in the UK. Unfortunately, a few staff members at the company that I previously worked for had been subject to serious incidents of harm and so we employed Maybo’s training services in response to looking after our teams. Feedback from the 500 managers that received the training was immensely positive. There was also a reduction in injury and an increase in the number of employees feeling safe and more confident. Around this time, I was looking to take on a new challenge and planned to migrate to Australia.

Having been immensely impressed with the results, I asked Maybo UK’s owner, Bill Fox, if I could set up the same programmes in Australia. He said yes and in October 2008 Maybo opened in South Australia.

I’m pleased to say that the business has grown from strength to strength which I think is testament to the quality of training that we provide and the personable friendly service that is at the core of the business.

What do you love most about your job?

We are lucky that we have a really skilled team of people who have sector experience in Disability, Mental Health, Aged Care, Children, Young people and Indigenous Health. I love the variety of the work and the people we work with.

We have some long-standing customers who we have built up very good relationships with over the last 12 years, we like to think we are flexible and customer focussed in our approach.

We want to uphold the rights of all people to live an equal life, there has never been a better time to speak up and be heard.

What outcomes do you hope the work you undertake will help to achieve?

We want to uphold the rights of all people to live an equal life, there has never been a better time to speak up and be heard.

What inspires and motivates you?

We love to hear where the training provided has made a difference to staff and the wellbeing of the people who are supported. There are some roles that give you tremendous satisfaction and I think that this job is one of them.

Do you have any top tips for people working in this field?

Bags of empathy, consistency, a problem-solving mindset and patience with what you are trying to achieve.

What are your career highlights?

There are many, although starting Maybo in Australia is my biggest, creating a business and growing it is really hard, but naivety can be a very good thing! If I knew what I know now, I might never have done it!I have a huge amount of respect for Bill Fox, Maybo founder, he has been doing this for 26 years, a remarkable achievement and a leader in his field, I never stop learning from him.

What do you hope for the future of Maybo?

We want to take each year as it comes and keep doing the things we do, but better! We work closely with the UK team who provide us with lots of inspiration and there is always new thinking. Most of our work comes from word of mouth - we love that!