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Scholars in the Spotlight

Adrian Fahey

Group Managing Director, SAGE Group
Owner President Management (OPM) Program
Harvard Business School, Boston, USA, 2016-2018

The most valuable lessons are sometimes learned in unexpected places. Adrian is the epitome of taking a diverse approach to learning, an approach he instils on everyone at SAGE in the fast-moving industrial digitalisation space.

A thirst for knowledge

“I was blessed to grow up on a farm, instilling a strong work ethic and aptitude for hands-on-on work. Nurturing a deep curiosity for learning from an early age, I sought out opportunities for work experience to learn from others and throw myself in the deep end. This foundation of hard work and a thirst for learning has underpinned my career.

My career commenced as an electrical apprentice in Adelaide, working in a range of remote and harsh industrial environments primarily in telecommunications. Due to the nature of these large-scale environments, where efficiency is paramount, I gained exposure to automation early in my career – which immediately captivated my interest. This fascination resulted in my studying automation and control at night while finishing my apprenticeship.

SAGE: Smart, Ambitious, Genuine, Exceptional

Fast forward to 1998, I joined SAGE Automation, a young, ambitious, fast-growing automation and control business. Our roles were broad in the early days, and I was involved in everything from project delivery, estimation, on-site fault-finding, installation work, and Business Development. Everyone pitched in in this highly collaborative team environment, and we always got the job done.  This established a culture at SAGE, that I’m proud to say, remains today. SAGE people are Smart, Ambitious, Genuine, and Exceptional.

I went on to hold several senior positions as the young company grew and expanded beyond automation and control into a complete industrial digitalisation offering under SAGE Group. I was made Chief Executive Officer in 2008, then Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in 2019, and Group Managing Director in 2021. During that time, we also completed nine acquisition transactions and undertook significant diversification.

What started as an automation company serving the automotive industry in Adelaide, SAGE is now a global organisation offering full-service digitalisation solutions for customers within seven industry sectors.

This business transformation would not have been possible without a real commitment to personal and professional development by those working in the business. New industries, new solutions, new markets, and the rapid development of new technologies, means that the old concept of learning your trade and you’re set for life, no longer applies. I believe this to be true in every industry today.

Organisations like The Executive Connection were a great resource to myself and my colleagues early on and supported our development of leadership skills.   

Harvard-inspired SAGE Academy

Following in the footsteps of SAGE founder Andrew Downs (pictured below right), I was grateful for the generous support of the Industry Leaders Foundation to attend the Owner President Management (OPM) program at Harvard Business School in 2016.

I was involved with global industry associations already, but this program was peer learning at its most diverse from business owners and leaders globally from a wide range of industries. The program’s live-in arrangement meant I could soak up the case study format of learning while collaborating with other  participants to expand my knowledge further. 

As SAGE continued to grow rapidly, I recognised the need to develop our future leaders. Drawing upon Harvard’s case study learning model, I established the SAGE Academy. Now in its fourth intake of around 20 participants, SAGE Academy provides a blend of external and peer learning, providing our team with a formal Diploma of Leadership and Management, delivered, and certified through our Skills Lab brand, a Registered Training Organisation. I am proud to see the SAGE Academy graduates develop the skills required to take on the leadership roles that will continue to steer SAGE into the future. 

To become and stay the leading organisation in your field, you must look beyond your industry peers and find the world’s leading organisations. For example, which industry has the best innovation practices and which organisation has the leading customer service framework.

My fellow OPM participants remain lifelong friends even years later, forming a collaborative resource pool I value and draw on. I strongly encourage anyone who has the opportunity, to embrace the diverse learning experience that OPM provides.

SAGE is as exciting today as it has always been. We continue to seize opportunities to respond to market needs and evolve, continuously involving ourselves in wider industry conversations and fostering a highly collaborative environment.

I enjoy giving back to the industry which has given me so much, and am proud to be serving on several boards including the National Association for Women in Operations (NAWO), the international Control System Integrator Association (CSIA), The Ai Group National Executive Advisory Council and the Centre for Education & Training.”

My tips for great leadership:

  • Be authentic.
  • Culture starts with you.
  • Keep an open mindset. Think about how you think! Make it safe to challenge and change.
  • Clarity. Constantly seek it. Why and who cares?
  • Alignment. Drive it. It is the ‘missing link’.
  • Performance. Focus on it through great people management.
  • Hard Conversations. Confront them, embrace radical candour.
  • Don’t be afraid to make a mistake.
  • Embrace lifelong learning.
  • Above all, love what you do.