Tech startup Sidekicker recruits female-dominated leadership team amid company expansion

What does a growing tech startup look like in 2022? For Sidekicker, it looks considerably less like the male-dominated leadership teams of the past.

The Melbourne-based staffing platform has just had a leadership shakeup following a fresh round of investment, with a number of new hires and promotions seeing women leading across operations, engineering, marketing, acquisitions and product.

While the company will have a male CEO — co-founder Thomas Amos — he’ll by outnumbered by women taking on key leadership roles.

Co-founder Jacqui Bull, who takes on the role of COO in the shakeup, says Sidekicker is undergoing a “hyper-growth phase” requiring the “smartest, brightest people who can help drive us forward”.

As Bull noted: “It just so happens that some of the best and brightest people in this industry are female. Diversity breeds more diversity, and we hope that by having such strong female representation across the entire company, this will encourage more women to explore the incredible opportunities available in the tech and startup space.”

Sidekicker’s fresh leadership team featuring new hires and women recently promoted, with co-founder and COO Jacqui Bull at centre. Source: supplied.

Sidekicker recently announced a $20 million investment from SEEK Investments, which is supporting the latest round of growth and seeing the business expand into new categories across Australia and New Zealand.

Initially launching in 2013, to help transform the casual and temporary staffing market, Sidekicker says it has since provided opportunities to 40,000 casual workers, at more than 5000 organisations. It claims its annual gross revenue has continued to grow at over 70% despite the pandemic — with the business experiencing significant demand following the end of lockdowns in Australia.

The business particularly support areas like aged care, where recent reports indicate that staff shortages have doubled from 17,000 to 35,000 in less than 12 months. Bull says on seeing such numbers that they highlight the need for change within the industry, and raise the question of what more employers can do to get team members to stay.

The spate of Sidekicker’s new hires includes Dee Kulkarni as head of engineering, who recently joined the business from her previous role as director of technology at Square. There is also Rachel Fang, who comes across from MYOB, where she was head of partner retention and growth marketing manager.

Other new hires include Christie Bull, who joins at head of safety and compliance, as well as Diana Peel, who joins as financial controller.

Internally, the company’s promoted a number of women into leadership roles, including Ellie Amos, who becomes head of customer implementation, and Erin Johnston, promoted to head of industrial and horticulture. Petra Sprekos has also received a promotion to head of acquisition, having recently joined the organisation as head of commercial. Tom Goren joined as head of product in May 2021, from Culture Amp.

“I’m so proud to see such strong female representation in our leadership team,” Jacqui Bull said. “Women have been underrepresented in the tech and startup space for too long, and I’m thrilled that we’re helping to change that narrative.”

On launching Sidekicker, and following the first $1 million in investment received, Bull told Women’s Agenda back in 2016 that she believes luck led her into her own tech career, and she wants to see more young people understanding the options available in tech. She said she discovered the world of startups from working in co-working spaces, reading and talking to other founders.

This article was first published by Women’s Agenda.