Welcome Daniel, tell us a little about yourself and your role?

Hi, my name is Dan, and I am the People and Culture Officer at Bamara. I joined the team in October 2020. and my role is to provide support to all our programs with a range of things, such as recruitment, onboarding, performance management, OHS, staff initiatives and wellbeing of the staff, payroll functions, training – to list but a few of my main tasks.

I love my role as I work with many different people and projects across the three business units. No day is ever the same, which I genuinely enjoy. I am also currently studying to be a teacher, around 7-8 years before I graduate.

I am also a big sports fan. I support the Bulldogs in Rugby League, Liverpool FC and Newcastle Jets in Soccer and love a bit of cricket. I am a father of 2 soccer and cricket-mad sons. I also coach at under 9’s level with a local soccer team.

What made you consider getting into your profession?

I first started in employment services in 2009, having worked in the job active and DES space previously. There have been lots of changes in the industry in terms of funding and servicing. I fell into the Employment services industry by accident in 2009. I saw it as a stepping stone, as I had ambitions to one day work in recruitment. I scratched that itch and found that I enjoyed the challenges of it all, and almost 12 years later, I am still here.

I am glad also to be utilising my Masters in Human Resources. I have found that my previous experience in the industry has given me a lot of insight into what is reasonable to implement to staff in Employment Services. Furthermore, I feel I can add some value and context for all staff levels in the business as I have previously held a role similar to theirs.

What do you find the most satisfying about your role and working for Bamara so far?

The people in Bamara are amazing. Our team at DHUB are kicking goals and doing some fantastic stuff. Our ParentsNext team delivers high-quality service. I am also happy to see that the Driver Licensing Access Program (DLAP) is running and achieving some excellent stuff.

I enjoy the fact that I play some minor part in all business units by recruiting the right people, providing ideas and assistance to staff at the business’s forefront.

I am currently working on building our new HR platform from scratch. I am very excited about this platform as it will help Bamara establish its own identity and make functions such as onboarding and learning so much better for our staff. I also get joy from knowing that I will always remain people-focused, even when delivering tough conversations. My motto is to treat people with respect and decency, no matter what has transpired.

What are some of your favourite activities you like to do with your family or friends?

Playing sport, watching sport, coaching Sport.

My eldest son, whilst being a budding soccer star, is also into Marine Biology. We have set up a reef tank at home ( this takes up a lot of time and money to keep corals alive ), and we spend a lot of time on this, and he always drags me to the local shops where he pesters the staff with a million and one questions.

I also enjoy chilling out in the pool, listening to the Beatles and U2 and any other old school music.

How do you see yourself contributing to our company’s culture?

I hope to play an integral role, and I aim to be a driving force in maintaining a high level of morale and performance. I see myself as a support to all staff in the business.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Bora Bora- gee, it would be nice to walk out of the room and jump off the deck into crystal blue water – I could happily dive in those reefs all day long.

Outside of that, Italy, Egypt would be great to visit some ancient buildings such as the coliseum and pyramids, and England would be a great destination to watch Soccer.

What are some of the critical skills to your personal development that you have gained with Bamara?

I gained my Master’s degree in Human Resources back in 2009. Bamara has given me the chance to use my Master of Human Resources in a related role as a People and Culture Officer. I have worked on more people projects in a few short months with Bamara than almost 11 years in my previous two roles.

I am also currently studying at Curtin University to become a teacher, a long-term goal. As mentioned earlier, there is a long road ahead with that. But I always say enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

Do you have any quotes or words of inspiration that you live by?

YNWA (You’ll Never Walk Alone), which is also the Liverpool Football Club’s signature, iconic tune.

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