A dedicated leader…

In our continuing series of celebrating our leaders, meet Brendan Bourke.

13 YEARS AND GOING STRONG!

There’s no doubt that Brendan Bourke found his place when he started at BoysTown (now yourtown) 13 years ago. He was an instant fit and shared our values; he’s even more dedicated than ever to helping improve the lives of young people.

A background in Federal Government

Brendan worked for 16 years in the Public Service, growing his skills and following his passion into a variety of senior management and consulting roles in the Federal Department of Employment, Education and Training. During which time he:

• Developed and implemented state labour market strategies including pioneering commercial employment and training service deliveries in the private sector.
• Managed the teams within six government service delivery outlets across Australia.
• Contributed to the delivery of training for a national development program, specialising in change management and continuous improvement.

A very interesting gap year…

Taking time off after his long time in the public service, Brendan took a “gap year” and worked for 12 months in the Retail Liquor Industry. While not exactly an associated industry, it was certainly a year that gave him new perspective and was no doubt an interesting one!

Retail was fun! I learnt the importance of being proud of your product and presenting it well.  But I also learnt that I could never make any assumptions about people. You really can’t judge a book-by-its-cover. – Brendan Bourke

Great experience in leadership

After his gap year, Brendan worked for 5 years as an Operations Manager at Sarina Russo Group. He was responsible for establishing and growing this job network across Australia helping them grow their network into one of the largest suppliers of Government Contracted Employment services in Australia.

New role. Exciting Challenges.

When he joined yourtown, Brendan was a natural fit. Taking on new challenges with enthusiasm and helping us build (and implement) new strategies to help even more young people find jobs and grow skills. His dedication, flexibility, values and experience have seen him in a variety of leadership and project roles across the organisation.

Recently Brendan was appointed to a new role; Head of Client Services. An executive position leading national teams of qualified staff across a variety of areas, including:

• Employment, Education and Training Services
• Counselling Services including Kids Helpline and Parentline
• Child and Youth Family Services
• Specialist Homelessness Services
• Domestic and Family Violence Refuge & Services

It’s not all work!

Brendan understands the importance of work/life balance and has great love for his family.  He has two children, both with a passion for sport like their Dad, one whom is an Australian Dive Champion! While Brendan may no longer have time to play on the yourtown Basketball team - he was ready to bring the hustle!

My wife Anne is my greatest friend and inspiration – Brendan Bourke

Brendan has travelled extensively throughout Australia and overseas but believes nothing beats our Aussie bush and outback. He’s happy in the boardroom but loves a campfire and swag under the stars (with a very good bottle of Australian red wine). Sounds to us like Brendan’s gap-year helped him develop some great product knowledge!

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