Nick Saunders: CEO and Managing Director
Nick Saunders
MBA, 1996
Based in:
Perth, Australia
First job:
Chemist for a gold and nickel mining operation in Laverton, Western Australia. This was before fly-in/fly-out, so I arrived in the town, 1,000km north-east of Perth, and only left a few times in the two years I was there. Moving to London was the other extreme, so good that my planned two years there turned into 35 years.
Strangest interview question:
I was asked if I thought delivering the company’s strategy in a foreign language would make it more memorable and more likely to make an impression.
Best piece of advice received:
Do something that you really love because to be successful, you will have to work hard for a long time.
Advice for current students:
Be prepared to have many roles in many areas across your career, or to have one role in many different careers! In other words, get as wide a knowledge as possible, be flexible, and very comfortable with change, and be prepared to take risks with your career. Embrace the unknown.
Ambitions for the future:
One of my start-ups will take off spectacularly and give me the lifestyle I aspire to.
Managing Director, Opaxe Pty Ltd, Western Australia
CEO, Grow Impact Pty Ltd, Western Australia
Chair, Golden Media OOD, Bulgaria
Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.
Opaxe is a start-up operating in the mining eco-system. It provides data collected from listed mining company announcements, together with the original stock exchange announcement, to the mining industry. Back in 2019, I saw a gap in the resources industry for a provider of comprehensive data coupled with consultancy services so, in partnership with a geological company, we launched Opaxe.
Grow Impact helps philanthropic donors find great research projects to support and, in doing so, aims to increase the volume and value of donations flowing into research. I mentored the company through an accelerator program, joining as CEO to drive development and implementation of the product. Although this is a niche area, it is a great cause. Research, particularly medical research, impacts everyone, so if successful, we’ll have played a small part in improving society.
Golden Media was a printed classified directories business that I started in Bulgaria in 2006. Since then, we have moved to a fully digital offering. We sell advertising and provide telemarketing for products and services. My business partner is based in Sofia and runs the company day-to-day, and I am based in Perth, Australia, where I look after the corporate duties (financial management, governance, strategy etc). When the opportunity to move to Bulgaria to set up my own business came up, I jumped at the chance to do something very different.
What’s your favourite part of your role?
Both Opaxe and Grow Impact are effectively my companies, in conjunction with my partners, so I get to work as much as I want and can determine what we might do next. Being my own boss is generally great. It means I work harder than usual and most decisions are made in conjunction with my team.
What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?
Most of the skills and information I gained and learned during my MBA have been useful in my career, which has been very varied both before and after my time at Warwick.
Possibly the most impactful part of studying at Warwick was the international aspect. This was the reason I chose Warwick Business School for my MBA and my decision has been vindicated many times since then.
Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?
Not at all. I had already had senior roles in the mining, pharmaceutical, engineering, and testing/inspecting industries across several countries, so I approached my studies with a completely open mind. I worked in several more industries in a range of executive roles and countries before moving to Bulgaria in 2006 to set up my first start-up. Since then, I have worked across eastern and central Europe and Chile. I’m now in Australia.
What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector?
To work either in the mining or medical research sectors you need to either have a specific qualification (e.g. geologist or a PhD in a life science) or have very wide-ranging skills that allow you to contribute to the chosen sector.
I believe that, unless you want to specialise in one area, it’s more important to know a little in a lot of areas than it is to have deep knowledge in just a single one.
What does a typical day look like for you?
At Opaxe, my operations team is based in New Zealand, the data team is in Nepal, and my CTO is based in New York, so my day is spread across four time zones and involves copious use of Teams, Zoom, and Jitsi calls.
Having two companies, which I actively run, means I need to be strict with my time. Although across a week each company get the same time allocation, there are days when I solely focus on one company.
Interacting with clients is the best part of my roles – there is always something new to learn and I am always looking to close the next deal.
What has been your greatest career challenge to date and how did your experience and skills help overcome it?
Moving to Bulgaria to set up and run a new company while not speaking the language. My ability to lead and inspire people came through as I was able to form a high-performing team and meet our deadlines. I learn new industries and skills very fast as I have an open mind, and I’m very flexible in my approach to anything I do, which absolutely was key in being successful.
What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were applying for jobs?
I’ve not formally applied for a new job since the late 90’s. Every role I’ve had found me through networking and being in the right place at the right time. I wish that I’d known how important a strong network is when I completed my bachelor’s degree in Australia in the late 80’s, as this would have really helped me when I came back to Perth.