APS::. The APS Story

Julian Barson - Managing Director (B.Elec Eng)

After graduating, Julian worked as a Research Engineer with Repco, rising through the ranks as Chief Engineer then as General Manager to one of Repco's divisions. Prior to joining APS, Julian was Chairman and Managing Director of an Australian public company.

He joined APS in 1994, responsible for the implementation and accreditation of our Quality Management System under ISO 9002 and for the implementation of the Management Information System, which links all APS offices. Julian introduced Executive Recruitment into APS.

Julian is currently the Chairman of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILTA) - Victorian Section and also serves as an Executive Member of the National Executive Committee of CILTA. He was also a member of a Strategic Logistics Group that met in Canberra with John Anderson, Minister for Transport, to produce the Transport and Logistics Industry Action Agenda.

Jill Clementson - Director

Jill first entered the Recruitment Industry as a consultant in April 1987 and after two and a half years she was elevated to Manager of the Footscray office. In the grip of "the recession we had to have", Jill took the branch from a solely commercial operation to a branch which covered both the commercial and industrial sectors of the industrial west. This was the first office within the company to deal in the Industrial arena. Very quickly this office shot to be the topperformer in a group of 68 branches Australia wide and stayed there until the company was taken over.

In 1993, after 6 years with the one organisation, Jill chose to start her own company J & J Resources which is now known as APS. Within the first year of business she grossed over $1.5 million in billings and had established a second office. Jill has been involved in APS since its creation and is an active member of the Executive Management team of the business.

Ben Matthews - CEO

Ben has a Bachelor of Business Management degree, majoring in Human Resource Management.

Ben has been involved in the recruitment industry for 10 years, commencing his career as an industrial consultant, and worked his way up through operations to National Operations Manager. His focus then shifted to the sales component of the recruitment industry. This balance of operational and sales experience has provided him with a well rounded level of expertise that he now utilises across all APS clients.

Ben's experience has predominantly been in the manufacturing and logistics industries, managing clients such as Visy, Boral, Carter Holt Harvey, Coca Cola Amatil, Australia Post, Toll and Patrick.

Years of specialist experience in Transport, Communications, Warehousing and Distribution plus studies in Business Law and Journalism have all contributed to a successful career and long-term relationships with customers.

Lisa Richardson - State Manager (Victoria)

Lisa joined APS in 2000 and has worked in various divisions of the company.

On commencement, Lisa worked in our Night Branch and after 2 years moved into the Transport division as an Operations Coordinator. She has managed various transport clients and built good relationships through her commitment to supplying the best candidates and exceptional customer service. In 2004, Lisa was promoted to Branch Manager of the Transport Division overseeing the day to day management of the Transport team.

In 2007 Lisa was promoted to the position of State Manager responsible for the operations and customer relationship management of all Victorian Divisions.

Unique to the labour hire market, Lisa has spent significant time in the recruitment of both Warehouse and Transport workers and is comfortable in both markets. As part of the APS quality review process, Lisa conducts performance reviews with clients on a structured and agreed basis.

Sherry Little - State Manager (NSW/SA/Q'ld)

Sherry, originating from Canada, has been operational in the recruitment industry since arriving in South Australia in 1998. Sherry has been expanding on her sales/marketing and human resources knowledge and experience to solve company problems and add value to the business bottom line through innovative strategies, systems and procedures.

Prior to her employment with APS, Sherry was heavily involved in generalist HR, training and enterprise workshops during eight years of working for The Liquor Commission in Canada. The Liquor Commission is the largest importer and distributor of Wines, Spirits and Liquors in the Country and sits on a ten-acre site.

During her past seven years in the recruitment industry in Australia she has been implementing Account Management plans for business, recruiting to placement, drawing up individual, employment contracts, through to counseling staff. She has been responsible for training, ISO quality, and OH&S.

Maria Palamara - National Quality and OHS Manager

Maria holds a Bachelor of Science Education from the University of Melbourne, with a major in Chemistry.

Maria's career has spanned many diverse industries, commencing as a secondary teacher in the fields of mathematics and science, before moving to research and development within the chemical industry. Maria was then exposed to Quality Assurance in the paper packaging industry which in turn led her to transferring her skills in Quality Assurance from manufactured goods to provision of services, in this case labour hire.

As the APS National Quality and OHS Manager since 2000, Maria's portfolio has grown to include Quality, OH&S, Training and Industrial Relations. Maria manages all aspects of our Management System which integrates Quality and OH&S into one business management system. Maria's responsibilities also encompass the management of industrial relations and grievance procedures.

Maria designed and implemented the "Destination Zero" safety campaign and is responsible for overseeing every client Workplace Assessment before placing any of our candidates onto client sites.

Maria is unique in the recruitment industry as she works in consultation with our clients to identify and assess where areas of high risk can be controlled or minimised. This joint approach protects not only APS, but also the client, in meeting our duty of care to secure the health and safety of all workers.

Dylan Evans - Commercial Manager

Dylan graduated from Monash University with a double degree in Commerce/Arts.

Dylan cut his teeth in a number of finance roles in Victoria and abroad, spending a number of years working in the United Kingdom's capital, London. Dylan joined the APS team in February 2007, starting out as the Group's Management Accountant.

In February 2009, he was promoted to the position of Commercial Manager and was given full autonomy to run the Finance Team. Since then, he has added the Payroll and IT Divisions to his portfolio, with a real focus being placed on successfully transitioning APS's workforce to the Modern Awards under Fair Work. He is also actively involved in Work Cover premium calculations.

Dylan's door is always open to clients and employees alike, and is always on the look out for new systems and processes to improve performance at a national service level.