Managing Director, REDARC Group
Owner/President Management program
Harvard Business School, 2010
From a modest upbringing in Port Augusta to the halls of Harvard, Anthony Kittel has forged an illustrious career that has seen him become a beacon of the manufacturing industry in South Australia.
Earlier this year, the CEO and owner of Lonsdale-based advanced manufacturer REDARC Group was inducted into the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions to the industry.
It’s one of many accolades he has received over the years, including being the inaugural recipient of the ILF’s Colin J Peters AM Memorial Award in 2020.
Despite a long list of honours that include serving as National Vice President and Director of the Australian Industry Group, Chair of Flinders University’s College of Science and Engineering Industry Advisory Board and a member of the Adelaide University Business School Industry Advisory Board, he said winning the ILF award was one of the “proudest moments” of his career.
“Mr Peters was a doyen of manufacturing in South Australia and a key instigator of the ILF. I am delighted through my business, REDARC, to be able to contribute to the economic development and job creation in SA and follow in his footsteps,” he said at the time.
Anthony was the first-ever ILF Scholar, receiving his grant in 2010 to study the Owner/President Management program at Harvard Business School, which he completed in 2013. That same year, he went on to serve as Chair of the ILF Scholars Committee until 2015.
With a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA, he was awarded an honorary doctorate – the highest honour conferred by a university – from Flinders University in 2018 for his unrelenting focus on transformative workplace culture and new product development, as well and his investment in future business leaders through mentorship, professional development and career guidance.
Anthony is a Director of privately-owned technology businesses Coogee Metals Ltd, Asension and Silentium Defence. He is also an Advisory Board Member of Space Machines Company and past Chair of the South Australian Training and Skills Commission.
He is a Chartered Professional Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Anthony’s Top 10 Leadership Tips:
- People are the number one asset
- Believe in yourself and follow your dreams
- Take (calculated) risks
- Engage your team
- Foster a positive culture
- Surround yourself with experts
- Embrace change
- Be ambitious
- Invest in innovation
