Meet the people behind the logo

Continuing our series highlighting people who make Genus tick, we sat down with Gerard Pignolet , EGM People, Risk & Compliance in Genus Communications.

Reflecting on your career, what does working for Genus mean for you?

Another chance. Might seem a strange answer, but those who are aware of the acquisition process through which our Genus Services (Communications) business came about will appreciate that our previous company had significant challenges and many people were sadly out of work. 

Some of those people didn’t get another chance and were in a position that they probably didn’t think they would ever be in; navigating all those day to day challenges where having a job can sometimes be taken for granted. 

So when Genus offered an opportunity, the first thought for me was, this is another chance. So personally I look back at that initial opportunity in a positive way. From there, and from my career perspective it is all about learning new skills and ways of doing business. Every business is different and there is always something new to learn, or a new experience to tick off the list - and in the last ~18 months with Genus I have certainly had the chance to learn and gain valuable experience.  

Why do you come to work every day?

It is an opportunity for me to use some of my experience gained over the last 25 years of working across several companies in a variety of fields to try and make a positive difference. 

There are days when it is just about getting into the detail and getting some of the 'not so sexy' stuff done, which I feel is important as it helps improve your understanding of the business and keeps skills developed over a long period of time up to speed. 

Don’t get me wrong - there is a lot of grunt work that I am far from being able to do these days as smarter people are best placed for this, but I do still love grabbing an Excel Spreadsheet from time to time and creating some form of automation to provide efficiencies and remind me of how to do some of what I once considered the basics. I think I sound old already! I bet there are even better ways to do these things now. 

To return to the question, for me it is about being able to add value. What I have seen from working at some large National Companies is that no one way is ever the best way. Often a combination of things work best; and experience is key. 

There is a lot to say for education and course-learning, but experience is what has taught me the most over the years. Being able to say: "I have tried that in the past and this is how it worked best or this is where we found it needed tweaking" is valuable stuff. So being able to come to work, share my experience to help the business and guide decision making, but just as importantly help other people with their careers, is what I enjoy.

What excites you about the future here at Genus?

Feels like a bit of a theme developing for me here, but Opportunity, Growth and Success; that is not so much about me, but the business. 

One of things I have always looked for in a job or with a company is taking something that has significant potential and helping get it to a state that is better than where it started. 

I think as a group we have opportunities to obtain efficiencies and I'm always happy to share my thoughts and experiences with others around this. 

If I look at what is within my control right now, within the Genus Communications business I can see both opportunities and challenges ahead, and getting our business to one that is as successful as it can be is my number one goal and something that excites me. 

Secondary to this is learning more about the diverse parts of our business, because as I read more or talk to more people it is truly amazing what we do as a group - and the way we do those things is pretty cool.

Tell us something about you that people might not know?

As a teenager I was an avid sportsman. I dedicated most of my time to AFL football. I worked up through my local league, to representative Footy and was lucky enough to gain a spot on the AFL list with the Collingwood Football Club. It was so much hard work and……… Nah – Not true at all!

Closer to the truth is I watched a lot of Footy and probably drank too much beer, but that is something most people already know. Something people don’t know? I am trying desperately to think of something that sounds awesome, but I will give you three not so exciting ones:-

Jumped out of a plane (some say pushed) – amazing experience and would love to do it again to actually appreciate it a bit more.

I have what some might call an "unnatural love of Lawn". My lawn at home, particularly over the warmer months (yes I am based in Melbourne) probably gets more of my time and can be appreciated more than my wife and kids...

My first ever job was at my local Maccas and I won the Rookie of the year award for my region (I still have the trophy…… sad I know).

What would you like Genus to be known for as a business?

A proud history and a fantastic story. 

I know others have mentioned it, but it is difficult not to appreciate that what started out as a Family business has grown now to an ASX-Listed company with an amazing growth trajectory over a short period of time. 

When I came on board I heard this story and got the chance to meet a number of people across the business; and one of the first things that hits you is that although it has grown to what it is today, it does still have that feeling of a family business. This is something that Genus should be proud of and remain true to and known for.