Tom Atherton started his career as an apprentice Plumber in 1989. Upon completion of his apprenticeship, he was given the opportunity as Site Manager of Mechanical Services for the then new Bethesda Hospital construction in Richmond, Victoria. Looking to gain experience outside the family business he moved to Perth where he continued to work as a Plumber in the domestic and light commercial arena. Three years later he found himself back in Melbourne continuing work as a Plumber as a sub-contractor. After 11 years on the tools, he was asked by his father if he was interested in a position back with the family business as a Project Manager.
Tom took up this opportunity learning the ropes in a tough industry. “I felt the need to expand on my experience once again and continued to progress my career as a Project Manager with A.E.Smith working on several key projects notably Walter Eliza Hall Institute and CSL Broadmeadows”. In 2014 Tom returned to Atherton as General Manager coordinating the installation of 9 large scale steam sterilisers into the Peter Doherty Institute and then stepping into the role of CEO in 2019.
As the last remaining local manufacturer of steam sterilisers and a range of other medical equipment Tom is passionate about continuing the tradition and also has a great passion towards employing young Australians in Engineering trades. “Seeing people progress through their career, being a part of that and offering them opportunities is a strong part of my passion. Manufacturing in Australia (although not the cheaper option) is also another passion. Putting out a good quality product with exceptional service is a priority. After COVID, customers are looking at businesses which manufacture locally and that complements my desire to employ people and is something I feel proud of. I consider our staff as extended family.”
Atherton is a 5-generation success story. Established in 1889 it was a Plumbing business and eventually migrated into manufacturing in the 1950’s after the second world war. “The Americans brought out steam sterilisers to Australia and we connected the pipework at the MCG of all places. Soon after we started to manufacture under licence to The American Steriliser Co.”
“In the late 1970’s we were employing Engineers who wanted to automate the door on large sterilisers as they were all manually operated at the time. Funnily enough when we approached the American Steriliser Co they were not interested in this and felt it an unnecessary development. This was when the decision was made to split with ASC and we commenced with our own design, including an automatic opening and closing door. All large scale sterilisers across the world now feature automatic doors.”
“When it comes to the challenges it’s hard to go past the challenges that have been brought about by COVID. The increase in cost of doing business is hard to avoid and there are other major challenges we face with attracting new employees in specific trades at present. Management priorities have changed, it is vital to offer more flexibility where possible and a different style of management is required. If you don’t provide a good environment you can’t expect to retain good people. To stay in business it is critical to provide excellent quality and service to your customers now more than ever.”
“You need to have a real passion for what it is you are doing. Without that natural passion it would be impossible to maintain the energy that’s required to be put into any business for sustained success.”
Having been a member of the Institute since 2019 Tom reflects that it was quite timely as he joined only months before COVID. “I have genuinely appreciated and enjoyed meeting and getting to know my fellow syndicate 8 members and hearing the experiences and approaches towards the many challenges that we have been faced with. I was a little daunted by the idea of joining but I can truly say it has been a fantastic experience and one that I intend to continue on with for some time yet.”
“They say that it can be lonely at the top and although I feel I have excellent relations with my management group there is nothing quite like hearing from other CEOs and business leaders on current issues.”
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